Tales, Shoes, Fiona and More K-Pop
This week's soundtrack previews Tales of the Cocktail and upcoming shows, including Little Feat (this week) and Dirty Projectors, Animal Collective and Fiona Apple (in the future).
This week's soundtrack is inspired by Tales of the Cocktail, Frank Ocean, destruction and bands coming to town.
This week's Spotify soundtrack:
1. "Armed and Extremely Dangerous" - First Choice: I love parts of this Philly soul album for very different reasons. This track and "Smarty Pants" are great pop R&B (tho' the latter is about a girl who sleeps with guys to win them, then ends up pregnant), and "A Boy Named Junior" is a taste-impaired classic about a girl who falls in love with a boy with polio. One day a miracle happens and he is able to walk - and he walks out of her life.
2. "Fantastic Baby" - Bigbang: My current fascination with K-pop returns. I saw the video for PSY's "Gangnam Style" and really wanted to include it, but Spotify doesn't have it. I settle for second best - this equally exhilarating dance track. The name seems appropriate after Sunday's implosion, which was really impressive. Everybody near me was staring at the building, but when the first explosion came, our knees buckled anyway.
3. "Super Rich Kids" - Frank Ocean: Another track from Ocean's great new album, Channel Orange. He's got a real gift for capturing the lives of the young and disconnected.
4. "Anything We Want" - Fiona Apple: Apple is back with another album with a really, really long, prosaic album title, and she'll be at the House of Blues on September 24.
5. "See What She Seeing" - Dirty Projectors: More from Swing Lo Magellan. They'll be at the House of Blues August 4.
6. "Honeycomb" - Animal Collective: They'll be at the House of Blues on September 29 with Micachu and the Shapes opening.
7. "Easy" - Micachu and the Shapes: From the band's second album, Never. Listen for the musical use of a shop vac.
8. "Drink a Rum" - Lord Kitchener: The start of a suite in honor of Tales of the Cocktail, which starts Tuesday afternoon.
9. "Viscious, Viscious Vodka" - Amos Milburn
10. "Whiskey in My Whiskey" - The Felice Brothers
11. "Scotch on Ice" - Golden Smog
12. "Golden" - Kelly Hogan: Last week, I posted a downloadable song from Patterson Hood's upcoming album, Heat Lightning Rumbles in the Distance. He co-wrote and performed the song with Kelly Hogan; here's a track from her new album, I Like to Keep Myself in Pain.
13. "Strawberry Flats" - Little Feat: Little Feat has a new album, Rooster Rag, and the band will be at Tipitina's Saturday night. Here's a track from their 1970 debut album.
14. "Is It in My Head?" - The Who: Last week, I posted a video of Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend announcing their 2012 North American tour focusing on Quadrophenia, and the documentary on the album that will show Tuesday night at 8 p.m. at the Elmwood Palace 20. Here's a track from Quadrophenia.
15. "She Satisfieds" - Shoes: The Zion, Illinois power pop legends have a really good new album due out shortly. Here's one from their late '70s heyday.
16. "Girls That Don't Exist" - The Records: Shoes' British counterparts.
17. "Get Ready for Love" - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: For years, I couldn't get around Nick Cave's love of gothic imagery and high drama, but I couldn't deny Abbatoir Blues/Lyre of Orpheus, particularly Abbatoir Blues. Here's the lead track.
18. "Drop Out" - The Beasts of Bourbon: Even when the concerts are good, I'm rarely entirely satisfied by reunion shows because there's usually an undercurrent of cheery, reaffirming "We can still do this!" that's at odds with rock 'n' roll's swagger. A few years ago, I saw Australia's Beasts of Bourbon at SXSW a few years ago and I was glad to see that Tex Perkins still seemed pissed off, dissatisfied and larger than life. Since I'd never had a chance to see the Beasts before, I can't be sure that he wasn't cheerful compared to his younger self, but he played like his life still depends on that moment.
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