Tag: Sunday Tuesday Monday George

Hello and welcome!

Alright, here we are for Tuesday Time Machine Week 10, featuring my monthly playlist from November of 2012.

I chose this particular playlist for this week because it’s a good one, AND because 2012 saw BLUE, BLUE, and more BLUE, so I’m hoping to channel that same energy on election day.

Anyways, for those of you who are checking in for the first time, these monthly playlists which I’m re-visiting came about as a result of an idea I had back in January of 2010: an idea that would see me create one 80 minute playlist a month.

The reason for doing this was two-fold: I wanted to create and re-enforce very specific lived experiences and memories tied to music, and I wanted a rather consistent set of songs to propel me each month as I created my art.

In creating these playlists, I tried to make things flow— I wanted songs to segue very effortlessly (or abrasively) creating a sense of narrative.

Going forward, once a week, I’m going to update the Spotify playlist that you can find below. 

I’d recommend not shuffling the songs, as they were sequenced the way that they were for a reason. To get the full experience, listen to them in the way in which I’ve arranged things.

Included below is a short description of the tune I’ve included, and/or a description of the specifics memory associated with it. If you’re not trying to read all of that, just hit play on the link below!

October 2020

1. Super Stupid- Funkadelic

This is one of the all-time greatest songs Funkadelic ever recorded. Eddie Hazel, who provides the hell-bent, deep-fried guitar leads that scream all throughout the song also provides vocals here, and… this is fully his song.

This is great drawing fuel for my fellow artists out there, but you can boogie to it too. In either instance, play it loud.

2. Romulus and Remus- High on Fire

It’s funny, because I don’t think I’ve ever heard a Sleep song in my life, but I definitely went through a High on Fire phase in 2012.

This is both a death march and a beatdown— a sonic pummeling of the highest caliber.

Like Sabbath on steroids with perhaps a little Slayer flavor thrown in for good measure, this is a metalhead’s metal song. It’s 100% A-1.

3. Woodrow the Base Head- Ghostface Killah

Skits on rap albums are big-time hit or miss for me.

This one though, ooh, boy– coming big-time with that late 90s, early 2000s comedy energy.

As good as anything Eddie Griffin might have conjured at the height of his powers, I challenge you not to laugh when Woodrow says that someone’s who’s, “supposed to be Big Willy,” is, “acting a little silly.”

4. In Your Eyes- John Frusciante

My old roommate Noelle put me on to this, as she decided to buy John Frusciante’s latest at the time on CASSETTE TAPE.

Yes, I listened to this for the first time on a Walkmen that was probably manufactured sometime during the second Clinton administration.

In any case, blending electro stuff with the kind of guitar that Mr. Frusciante likes to play can be a tricky endeavor. He pulls it off here though, and even the scattershot drum machine bits stick the landing.

I still like this song quite a bit.

5. Burn- Usher

I’m not gonna lie, when this came out my junior year of high school, I thought it was the corniest shit in the world.

However, my other roommate circa November 2012, Meghann, helped me see the error of my ways when she put this on one night.

I’m glad she did she helped set me straight at age 25.

In any case, this is a magnificent piece of pop music, and generally excellent to boot. I’ll still jam to this.

6. Sprout and the Bean- Sholi

This is a funny little song, and its charm lies in how haphazard it sounds.

Instruments fall in and out earshot, and all throughout, it seems like everything is just a LITTLE bit off.

It’s delightful though– very earnest, and very honest.

The production is a little roughshod too, and as someone who delights in that kind of thing, I really appreciate the dimensions of the sonic space that are created here.

On top of all that, this is a very pretty song, and perfectly suited for fall.

7. Optimist (Live)- Zoe Keating

This is just pretty.

That’s an understatement of course, and if left to my own devices, I could probably wax poetic about how gorgeous it is for a great number of paragraphs.

I’m not usually the biggest classical music person, but I do appreciate things that are arranged well, and this is most certainly one of those things.

Put it on, turn the lights out, and lie down. Imagine a panorama of winter woods, and feeling warmth, despite an abundance of powder on the ground, and light snowfall.

Maybe you’ll imagine nothing like that, listening to this, but that’s what I see, and it’s wonderful.

8. Three White Horses- Andrew Bird

At one point, I was going to do a comic-book adaptation of this song that was going to be very sad.

Maybe one day, I still will. I hadn’t thought about that in awhile, but thinking back to this time period, it was the first thing that came to mind.

Everything about this song is wonderful. The lyrics, the instrumentation, and the performance in general. I don’t remember how I came across this for the first time, but I like it now, just as much as I did then.

9. Pee Wee- Miles Davis

If this isn’t the best winter-time fireplace music ever, I really don’t know what this is.

This is the sound of Miles’ Second Great Quintet 100% in their bag for just under five minutes, and perhaps, my favorite songs from, “Sorcerer.”

Come for the light earth tones found in Herbie Hancocks piano playing, but stay for the smoke that wafts with effortless grace from Wayne Shorter’s saxophone.

Masterful.

10. One Time- The Roots

I’d be tuned out with regards to The Roots for a few years, but then, “Undun,” came out, and pretty thoroughly blew me away.

I’m not sure why this made the playlist for November as I remember this being a spring of 2012 standby, but in case, it’s still an awesome song.

11. Been Robbed- Wu-Block

Essentially, this is Styles P, Ghostface, and Sheek Louch doing what they’ve done very well for almost 30 years now, over a pretty prime slice of 1996ish production.

Nothing that you haven’t heard before, but yeah— three dudes in the 40s who still have it.

12. (Don’t Fear) The Reaper- Blue Oyster Cult

Yes, yes, this is probably more famous at this point for being the punch line of an SNL skit, but so it goes.

I once read the guitar solo in here described as the soundtrack for a particularly epic Arabian sword fight, and I don’t think I’m going to do much better than that, so we’ll leave it there.

It’s funny too, because I don’t really hear the cowbell in here if I’m not paying attention to it, but perhaps, that’s why Christopher Walken was so very insistent.

13. Original Sin- Geographer

This is a strange piece of music, as I feel like violin and synthesizers can be a REALLY hard sell sometimes.

These folks pull it off though, and I used to put this on repeat for hours and hours.

The lyrics here are painterly, and the violin is pleading. I feel like this splits the difference between Interpol and Radiohead, which might sound strange, but it works quite well.

14. New Age- Sleepy Sun

Ooh boy, howzabout that fuzz?

Howzabout that everything, actually, as this song is pretty uniformly excellent.

Listening to this in 2020, I’m reminded that I probably need to make a deep dive with this band’s discography, as it’s probably pretty wonderful, if this song is in any ways indicative of their music as a whole.

15. Wind And Snow- Grouper

This is a haunting piece of music.

Listening to this, I see a lone candle lighting the interior of a cabin in the woods, and an elderly woman huddled amongst a pile of blankets. 

Her gaze is contemplative as she looks as the candle, and a smile cracks as the corners of her lips. She’s bearing witness to a very particular, understated beauty right now, and though these may be her final moments, she finds joy in what she’s looking at.

16. If I Forget Thee, Lowcountry- Baroness

I love this song, and it transitions PERFECTLY from the previous one, allowing me one of my proudest playlist making moments.

If the Grouper track were illustrative of that women’s final moments on earth, this is illustrative of her first moments in the hereafter— tentative, but consistent, as she treads lightly, familiarizing herself with where she now finds herself.

This is a lovely piece of music.

17. What Happened to You?- Deftones

I don’t know if I should be ashamed or not, but iTunes says I’ve listened to this song 628 times since it was released in November of 2012.

Needless to say, I love it dearly.

Chino Moreno never really gives you too much with his lyrics, but here, he allows us a glimpse at something— a very specific, undying love.

8 years and 628 listens later, the hairs on my arm still stand up when the song finally breaks at 2:48.

Abe Cunningham’s MONSTER drum fill, followed by Stephen Carpenter’s laser-beam melody line that BLASTS the tune towards the stars, are as magnificent as anything the band had put to record, and I’m thankful to know such a thing.

Hello and welcome!

Alright, here we are for Tuesday Time Machine Week 8, featuring my monthly playlist from October of 2014.

For those of you who are checking in for the first time, these monthly playlists which I’m re-visiting came about as a result of an idea I had back in January of 2010: an idea that would see me create one 80 minute playlist a month.

The reason for doing this was two-fold: I wanted to create and re-enforce very specific lived experiences and memories tied to music, and I wanted a rather consistent set of songs to propel me each month as I created my art.

In creating these playlists, I tried to make things flow— I wanted songs to segue very effortlessly (or abrasively) creating a sense of narrative.

Going forward, once a week, I’m going to update the Spotify playlist that you can find below. 

I’d recommend not shuffling the songs, as they were sequenced the way that they were for a reason. To get the full experience, listen to them in the way in which I’ve arranged things.

Included below is a short description of the tune I’ve included, and/or a description of the specifics memory associated with it. If you’re not trying to read all of that, just hit play on the link below!

October 2014

1. Final Frontier- Thomas Bergersen

“Interstellar,” didn’t REALLY stick the landing for me, (as is the case with most of Christopher Nolan’s, “high concept,” movies) but when its final trailer was released, it featured this really, really, brilliant piece of music by composer Thomas Bergersen.

The soaring vocal melodies that arrive for the home stretch could easily come off as too much, but they don’t. This was a great tune to put on when I had to work quickly, as the song’s rapid-fire sequencer bit in the background encouraged speed, and decision-making.

2. Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door- Antony & The Johnsons

Sometimes you need to put something on that will allow you to embrace sadness, if that’s what you’re feeling.

Here, the performers tap into that emotion in way that Bob Dylan either chose not to, or wasn’t able to, in the original recording. Antony’s vocal performance here is both sorrowful and heartfelt, and the instrumental accompaniment is 100% complimentary

Call me crazy, but I’ll listen to this cover over the original, any day of the week.

3. Loverman- Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

Speaking of covers, Metallica did a cover of this that… well, it’s okay.

This, however, is scary, ferocious, and cathartic.

The Bad Seeds are a band whose songs usually strike a chord with me, but I’ve never really made a deep dive into their work– maybe now is the time to do that.

4. Another Love- Prince & 3RDEYEGIRL

As a song, this is one of my favorite late-career statements that Prince made.

The album that it’s from is not especially successful, but this is a rolicking tune, one that alternates between seductive slinkiness, and swagged-out, gut-bucket, fuzz for your face.

Prince is one of my favorite guitar soloists ever, and here, he unleashes any number of molten lead lines.

This got a lot of rotation when it first came out.

5. You Know Who- T.I.

Not dissimilar to last week’s, “Let the Beat Build,” by Lil’ Wayne, this track is essentially an excuse for T.I. to flex his formidable chops over an irresistible beat. Here, that’s a co-production between Tony Galvin, and drummer Travis Barker, of Blink-182 fame.

King is my favorite or second favorite T.I. album depending on when you ask me, and this is one of the album’s three best cuts.

6. Like a Pimp- David Banner & Lil’ Flip

Dubbed, “The Freestyle King,” by the late (and ALWAYS great) DJ Screw, Lil’ Flip kind of fell off the map when he lost(?) in his beef with T.I., but between this, and, “Ridin Spinners,” he was riding very, very, high for awhile.

This would have been BLASTING through the speakers at either my freshmen or sophomore year of high school homecoming, and… well, you haven’t heard this song at it’s purest, until its bassline and percussion have rattled the inside of your skull.

17 years later, this is still a menacing, sprawling piece of music.

7. Never Catch Me- Flying Lotus (featuring Kendrick Lamar and Thundercat)

Flying Lotus’ music never really did it for me when he’s on his own, but here, he’s aided by a very-able Kendrick Lamar, and modern-day bass maestro, Thundercat. 

The video for this is one of the more powerful things that came across my radar in 2014, and I’d recommend watching it in conjunction with the music.

8. Pen Expers- Autechre

My first introduction to Autechre came in 2013, courtesy of my friend Sean, who described them as the, “shredders of electronic music.” 

That’s a curious descriptor to be sure, but it’s apt.

There’s a technical precision behind the (at times) full-on chaos of their music, and while their songs sometimes sound like a train going off the rails, upon closer inspection, it’s clear that everything is where it is for a reason.

I can appreciate the people who level complaints of, “cold,” and, “unfeeling,” against their music, though I don’t share in their opinion. 

This particular track is spastic robot dance party music with more melody than you think.

I love it.

9. Sweet Lady- Tyrese

Before The Fast and the Furious, Tyrese was making some bedroom jams, and he was fucking GOOD at it.

I know, I know, everyone’s probably heard this song a million times, though that doesn’t make it any less great.

10. Life in a Glasshouse- Radiohead

This is one of the most magnificent pieces of music Radiohead every recorded.

If 1974-era King Crimson played, “Starless,” with instruments that hadn’t been used in the better part of a century, after consuming a full barrel of red wine at a gypsy carnival, it might sounds something like this.

Delirious, uncomfortable, and chaotic, I can’t get enough of how great this tune is.

11. I Knew you Were Trouble- Taylor Swift

This was the first Taylor Swift song I ever heard.

I know, hard to believe I made it to 2014 without getting BLESSED.

In any case, the night of my 27th birthday, there was a halloween party, and a whole bunch of us went to a bar. The woman I was crushing on got up and did a group Karaoke sing-along of this, and that was about all I needed to be fully smitten with her.

Taylor has probably put out better songs that this, and the dubstep bit might not age so well down the road, but I still love it,

12. Ambling Alp- Yeasayer

I saw Yeasayer live once in Minneapolis, and they just happened to play my two favorite songs back to back, so I don’t think I’ll ever speak badly of them.

I’ve not kept up with them in recent years, but those first couple of albums will always have the power to transport me back to my late college days, recalling many great memories. 

13. aisatsana [102]- Aphex Twin

Those are indeed chirping birds you hear popping in every now and again.

This is a bit melancholy, I suppose, but I love how delicate it is. As someone who associates Aphex Twin with songs that have a lot going on, I appreciate the less-is-more approach here, if not only because it goes against the grain.

14. Sunbather- Deafheaven

I was a year late, jumping on the Sunbather train, but when I got on, I was on it for a good 3 or 4 years.

To be clear, I still like Deafheaven pretty well. I go back and forth on my thoughts about their last album, but I’ll always check out their music, so long as they’re making it.

Sunbather is not my favorite album of theirs, but it’s probably the most special. I’m not sure any piece of music will be able to replicate what I felt hearing it for the first time. 

The pace of this song alternates between glacial and manic, with both sections bringing the listener pure delight. When the homestretch arrives at 8:31, I kind of want to scream along with singer George Clarke sometimes. The music is that powerful.

15. Let’s Ride- Richie Rich

Most underrated West Coast rapper?

Most certainly, my man, DOUBLE R.

I don’t care what anyone says, but he has one of the all-time greatest flows.

Another California rapper of GREAT repute has… “borrowed,” a lot from Rich over the years, and though they’ve collaborated on a couple of songs, I’ll take Rich over the other guy most of the time.

Hello and welcome!

Alright, here we are for Tuesday Time Machine Week 7, featuring my monthly playlist from October of 2012.

As an aside, this was a very, very special month for me.

I spent most of the month, living in an artist’s colony down in Florida, where I’d been selected to participate in The Atlantic Center for the Arts’ 2nd annual comic art residency, studying under Emmy and Ringo Award Winning cartoonist, Dean Haspiel.

It was a magical thing, and those three weeks blessed me with one of my favorite experiences of my 20s.

For those of you who are checking in for the first time, these monthly playlists which I’m re-visiting came about as a result of an idea I had back in January of 2010: an idea that would see me create one 80 minute playlist a month.

The reason for doing this was two-fold: I wanted to create and re-enforce very specific lived experiences and memories tied to music, and I wanted a rather consistent set of songs to propel me each month as I created my art.

In creating these playlists, I tried to make things flow— I wanted songs to segue very effortlessly (or abrasively) creating a sense of narrative.

Going forward, once a week, I’m going to update the Spotify playlist that you can find below.

I’d recommend not shuffling the songs, as they were sequenced the way that they were for a reason. To get the full experience, listen to them in the way in which I’ve arranged things.

Included below is a short description of the tune I’ve included, and/or a description of the specifics memory associated with it. If you’re not trying to read all of that, just hit play on the link below!

October 2012

1. Desert of Song- Between the Buried and Me.

I wrote at length about how much I love Between the Buried and Me’s album, “The Great Misdirect,” here, and this was the first song off the album that I truly fell in love in.

Lead guitarist Paul Waggoner performs the main vocals here, and he also executes a particularly melodic, forward-thinking solo towards the middle of the track. It’s always a curiosity to me, when particularly extreme metal bands make something, “pretty,” and here, we’re treated to a really wonderful example of what it sounds like when they’re able to execute.

2. Mothers of Men- Coheed and Cambria

This was the lead single from the first of two sister albums that Coheed and Cambria released, in continuation of their, “Armory Wars,” story. 

Unfortunately, the album that this is from is not especially strong, but this song still kicks a whole lot of ass. Of particular note here are the choir vocals that wouldn’t be out of place in a Danny Elfman soundtrack circa, “Scrooged,” or, “Batman Returns.”

I still like this quite a bit.

3. Weird Fish/Arpeggi- Radiohead

I know, I know— “In Rainbows,” was old hat in the fall of 2012, but for some reason, this song became a listening fixture for me several years after the fact.

This song absolutely bursts with color. It is perhaps, the best aural representation of the album’s cover art found on the record— a lovely piece of music that occupies a highly-specific space of jazz, rock, and electronica.

On the surface, I know that cross-section sounds questionable. Electronica should rarely (if ever) step anywhere near jazz, but those particular flourishes are the most slight ones heard here, so it works.

4. You Better, You Bet- The Who

I know, I know— a song by The Who without Keith Moon?!

Blasphemous.

How can you not love this song though?

It’s a bit silly, but it’s infectious, and wonderful.

If you hear this, and don’t start breaking out some dance moves that belong in, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”, I hope you consider examining the error in your ways.

5. Why you Want to Treat me so bad?- Prince

What warmth, and what joy.

Yeah, this is a song about heartbreak, but it makes you feel good.

Or, it makes you feel empowered?

Prince’s guitar solo on here ranks amongst his greatest accomplishments when it came to balancing melody against shredding and pure feel. On top of that, the chorus is one of the better ear-worms that he ever put together.

I’ll turn this up till the end of time. It’s a masterpiece.

6. Let the Beat Build- Lil’ Wayne

I’ll be honest, I never really jumped on the Lil’ Wayne train.

#rhymeslikedimes

To be clear, he’s as able-bodied, dexterous, and inventive as any of his peers from the era, but I just never really became a hard-core fan.

He does have about five songs that I absolutely LOVE TO DEATH though, and this is one of them.

I don’t know what there is to say about this that hasn’t been said. This is a craftsmen showing how deep their bag of tricks is for 5 minutes, and… yeah, it’s incredible. So, so, good.

7. Get By- Talib Kweli

As great as Kanye’s efforts were on The Blueprint a year or two earlier, I feel like this is where he really arrived as a super-producer-genius.

You will MOVE listening to this song.

Years from now, I wouldn’t be surprised if people are still unpacking what’s happening with the percussion in here. 

The truth of the matter is, from a sonic standpoint, this might have more in common with a mid-temp Santana number from the mid-70s than hip-hop.

Can you imagine St. Carlos firing off his screaming laser beams lead lines over Kanye’s outrageously dense bed of percussion, composed of handclaps, finger snaps, and a back beat?

Not to take away anything from Talib Kweli, as he too, brings his A-game, but this is Kanye showing why he’d capture the imagination of music lovers all over the world, two years later.

8. Timestretch- Bass Nectar

Living in Minneapolis, there’s a very particular, chill that can enter the air in October. Sometimes, it’s kind of awful. That said, when you enter a place that has heat, after enduring it for for awhile, you feel the most incredible sort of relief.

I first heard this song on one of those nights, and for whatever reason, it better recalls that sensation for me that anything else. I’ve never been a dubstep person, but I do love this song, for that reason.

9. Stoned Junkee- UGK

Yeah, this song is about smoking weed laced with PCP.

Not the best, needless to say, but when it comes to the hard-as-nails, syrup-thick funk, that Pimp C so effortlessly directed on, “Super Tight,” I’m not sure it gets better than this.

10. Fifty-Fifty Clown- Cocteau Twins

I’ve written at length about my appreciation of this band, this album, and Liz Fraser’s once-in-a-generation voice, here.

This is one of the more low-key entries on a gem of an album, but it’s perfect for drawing, and the way the vocals kind of float in and out of thin air, is the perfect compliment to the whining guitars, and persistent, pulsating sequencer bits.

11. +elepa+thy- Crosses

In the early 2010’s Chino Moreno of Deftones fame started a “witch house” band, which was only really, “witch house,” due to their name, stylized as +++.

This is kind of a silly song, but it’s pretty interesting to hear him sing over a bass line that struts like something out of a late 70s disco hit. It shouldn’t work, and maybe it doesn’t, listening to it in 2020, but I low-key jammed to this for a little while.

12. Billboard Supermodel- Johnny Whitney

Blood Brothers had a few of my friends in college under their spell in a major way. The first time I heard their music, I really just couldn’t do it, due mostly to lead singer Johnny Whitney’s voice. 

This tune would allow me a different appreciation of their music later on though.

Here, Whitney performs a manic, uncommonly specific, and maybe even poignant, indictment of American consumer culture… or something like that?

It’s a unique song, to be sure, and 8 years after hearing it for the first time, I still think it’s pretty solid.

13. Relief- Sam Amidon

This is just a beautiful piece of music. 

This is the song you put on just after waking up in the middle of October— when the heat has just kicked on in your apartment, but you still need a cup of tea too, for that extra bit of warmth. 

This is the soundtrack to staring out your window, in appreciation of the varying shades of earth tones that now color the leaves— a soundtrack that makes you very quickly forget about doing anything remotely productive with your day.

14. Anne- John Frusciante

Yes, this is a solo cut but Red Hot Chili Peppers guitar player, John Frusciante.

A more-than-capable vocalist (and about 15 gazillion times better than Anthony Kiedis), Frusciante has released a number of solo albums over the years that feature quirky, yet heartfelt songs such as this one.

I’m not gonna lie, I’m here mostly for the barn-burning, dueling guitar solos that close this thing out, but the song is great as a whole too. 

15. Beth/Rest- Bon Iver

I feel like a lot of people jumped *off* the Bon Iver train when the original version of this song came out. I don’t agree with those people, but I can appreciate the fact that they were shocked, hearing something so out-of-box coming from the dude who recorded, “Skinny Love.”

It’s funny too, because if you go back to listen to “For Emma,” is it REALLY that surprising that Justin Vernon would go on to wear his love for Bonnie Raitt and Bruce Hornsby on his sleeve?

I feel like this particular recording was perhaps an olive branch to the old fans, as if to say, “look, I can still do this!” It wasn’t necessary, but it is interesting, and ultimately, humbling, to hear such a rich piece of music, stripped down to absolutely nothing.

16. Animal Bar- Red Hot Chili Peppers

If the Chili Peppers got rid of Anthony Kiedis and just let John Frusciante sing, the world would be a better place. 

I’m about 75% serious saying that, because though I don’t really care for him, I’ll admit that Anthony Kiedis has a moment, every now and again.

This song made the playlist back in the day due almost exclusively to the guitar heroics of Frusciante, who at this point, was in the nascent phase of his Robert Fripp hero-worship. Frusciante’s solo at the end splits the difference between Fripp’s playing on David Bowie’s album, “Heroes,” and Fripp’s solo on Brian Eno’s, “St. Elmo’s Fire?” 

It’s a really arresting statement at the end of a song that’s otherwise, just okay.