Q’s Compilations – Vol 77 – April to May 2011.
Please note the zip file has a password: Q77
Q’s
Compilations – Vol 77 – April to May 2011.
Greetings,
ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters. More time has passed and I hope you
enjoyed my funk compilation. We start off with a block of contemporary releases
before not being able to tear away from my current funk/soul obsessions before
returning to the present.
01)
Aloe Blacc – I Need a Dollar (live in the studio): You know those songs that
are hugely popular, played on all the radio stations, in shops, etc, etc and yet
you don’t ever hear it? Yeah, I don’t know of that kind of song either…
however, this is one of those! Anyway, I heard this live version, which I
prefer and I hope those of you who have heard this song are not sick of it by
now. “I had some good old buddy his names
is whiskey and wine, hey hey, and for my good old buddy i spent my last dime,
hey hey, my wine is good to me it helps me pass the time, and my good old buddy
whiskey keeps me warmer than the sunshine”
02)
Anna Calvi – Suzanne And I: I’ve been patiently waiting for Anna’s debut album
since seeing her live a couple of years ago and her self-titled effort released
in February will no doubt rank highly in my end of year lists. Just caught her
in Oxford and she was fantastic yet again, unfortunately she injured her arm
(and had to cancel shows earlier in the year, which was good because she then
added an Oxford date that she didn’t have originally) so she couldn’t play
guitar on every single song, definitely check her out if you can. “Cause the night calls me When the wind, leads,
behind the world”
03)
The Hundred in the Hands – Commotion: This electro-pop duo have been getting a
respectable amount of play chez Qube, though my wife branded them as a bit too
hip (or words to that effect), In doing some research I’ve also only just
realised that singer Eleanore Everdell sings on the song Lover’s Day” by TV On the Radio.
04)
Yuck – Get Away: Another new band for you all, Yuck released their self-titled
debut album earlier in the year and it’s a rather spiffing blend of Dinosaur
Jr, The Cure and other similarly great indie bands. “Tell me when the pain kicks in”
05)
Purple Image – Living in the Ghetto: This band got dumped from the funk mix at
the last minute as I thought it wasn’t quite funky enough within the context of
the artists they were surrounded by. Would love to give some more background on
this band but I’m ridiculously late on writing these, check them out! Sadly
they only have one album (self-titled).
06)
Black Merda – Prophet: Another unfortunate oversight on the funk mix.
Considered to be the first all-black rock band, they have performed as backing
band for many artists such as Wilson Pickett, The Spinners, The Chi-Lites and
Edwin Starr and are the backing band on the majestic but obscure funk-rock
album by Fuji called Mary Don’t Take Me
On No Bad Trip.
07)
Eddie Floyd – Big Bird: Best known for his song Knock On Wood (originally intended for Otis Redding), Floyd
released some wonderful singles on the Stax label. This single didn’t make much
of a dent in the charts but remains a favourite. “You know i'm standing at the station, ready to go oh, big `ol
aeroplane, i'm trusting you so, Get on up big bird, to my baby's love”
08)
Otis Redding – Security: My most listened to artist of the last 6 months has to
be Otis, so sad that he died so young (it must be a curse to be a talented soul
singer), have gone a bit crazy with him lately and splashed out on the
definitive 4-cd boxset when last in the US.
09)
Irma Thomas – In Between Tears: Known as the Soul Queen of New Orleans (quite the title when
considered), Thomas had somewhat of a hiatus from music following Hurricane
Camille in 1969, moving to LA for a few years. In Between Tears marked her
return with much aplomb and has been an incredibly discovery for me.
10)
Yo La Tengo – From a Motel 6: Looking forward to catching the band in Oxford in
June, I’ve used a few tracks over the years and I doubt this will change any
opinions, but it’s a devilish dose of fuzz and feedback which is always a
delight to these ears. “In the passing
lane on 1 and 9, Stuck in sad, car stuck in drive”
11)
TV On the Radio – Caffeinated Consciousness: Of course every chance I get I
mention that TVotR are the best band of this millennium and their cause has
been further championed by the recent release of Nine Types of Light though it has been somewhat dampened by the
tragic news that Gerald Smith suddenly passed away (cancer), seemingly only a
couple of weeks after news broke that he was even sick. “Improve our days now, cause we might not sleep tonight, Suffused are
we to the cause of light!”
12)
R.E.M. – Uberlin: I can’t possibly say anything about REM that I haven’t
already said at some point. I think their consistency is unsurpassed and Collapse Into Now is another fine
addition to the canon. “Well I don't mind
repeating, I am not complete, I have never been the gifted type”
13)
Warpaint – Undertow: Just caught them live in Oxford recently and they were even better
live than on record. The Fool is a
wonderful and hypnotic album, the technical skill of the band is very high and
they all gel tremendously well as a unit. “Why
you wanna blame me for your troubles? Ah ah ah you better learn your lesson
yourself. Nobody ever has to find out what's in my mind tonight.”
14)
Radiohead – Codex: The release of a new Radiohead album doesn’t quite appear to
be the huge event that it once was, but King
of Limbs continues in a similar vein to what they’ve been doing for a while
now and is a very good record. The album seems to split at the half-way point,
with the second half being much better than the first (which is a bit Radiohead
by numbers in some regards). “Slide your
hand, Jump off the end. The water's clear and innocent.“
15)
Thurston Moore – Benediction: Thurston’s new album, Demolished Thoughts is due for release imminently (probably before
I get this released…) and was produced by Beck. I heard this song on 6music and
it was also a free MP3 on the Magnet Magazine website, lovely little acoustic
song. “Simple pleasures strike like
lighting, Scratches spell her name.”
16)
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Heart In Your Heartache: Belong is a fine follow-up to their
self-titled debut, though rather boringly I have probably given you a track
that sounds most like it would fit on that record (sorry, I just really like
the song!), but the new album is different enough to show the band not being
completely tied to what made their debut so much fun. “She was the heart in your heartbreak, She was the miss in your
mistake“
17)
Vivian Girls – Can’t Get Over You: I can’t exactly remember how I came about
this band, it may well have been from Magnet Magazine. Vivian Girls have just
released their third album, Share the
Joy, though this song appears on their second album, Everything Goes Wrong.
18)
Crystal Stilts – Shake the Shackles: Was hoping to see Crystal Stilts for the
second time as a support slot for Warpaint but they were taken off the bill
near the date of the concert for reasons I’m still unsure. Shame, but that
doesn’t stop second album, In Love With
Oblivion being a marked improvement on their debut, it has more personality
stamped onto it and also more variety. The guitars in this song even remind me
of REM.
19)
Buffalo Tom – Here I Come: BT are one of those bands that don’t really write bad
songs, they may not always hit great peaks, but they are tremendously
consistent. I heard this song on 6music a while back and I didn’t realise they
even had a new album (called Skins).
20)
Mogwai – San Pedro: Newly released Hardcore
Will Never Die, But You Will is another excellent Mogwai record, you know
what you’re getting from them but do they ever disappoint? I did consider using
the track George Square Thatcher Death
Party but alas I merely had a preference for the hard-hitting San Pedro. Enjoy!
As
usual I hope there’s something for everyone on here, please do give me
feedback. Despite the relative success of the funk mix I didn’t hear a lot of
specific feedback.
Peace
and Love
Until
Next Time
Q
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