NPR has compiled its annual list of the year’s best new music. Some may be to your taste, some may not, but you can’t knock free. Download 12 tracks from iTunes with a free redemption code on NPR’s site here.
Music
358 posts
Check out a new clip from Country Strong in which Goopy shakes what Blythe Danner gave her. Continue reading
Didn’t think we’d stoop so low as to use listicles to whore ourselves out for pageviews?
THINK AGAIN, CRAZY PERSON.
Personally, I love listicles. I love packing information in Top 10 List form. I want my medical history to be a listicle. I want my last will and testament to be delivered in listicle form to my descendants. So if you don’t like listicles and think they’re cheap and tacky… you can go enjoy yourself over at C-SPAN’s website or something.
So anyway, here are my Top 10 Most Underrated Musical Instruments. This is all very scientific, so don’t even try to argue with my findings.
1. The hi-hat
The hi-hat wasn’t even invented until the 1920s, which makes it among the youngest of all percussion instruments. The hi-hat is basically two cymbals mounted on a rod. A spring keeps the two cymbals pressed together until the drummer presses a foot pedal to lift the top cymbal. The hi-hat can make both an “open” hat and a “closed” hat sound.
Here’s Max Roach playing nothing but the hi-hat.
and here’s Buddy Rich….
2. The Hammond B3 Organ
The Hammond Organ was invented in the 30s and marketed to churches as a low-cost alternative to traditional pipe organs. The Hammond uses a system of tonewheels and electromagnetic pickups to make its sound and despite many, many, many attempts to copy its sound electronically, most purists feel there’s just no substitute for the sound of an authentic B3. The instrument is all over rock music, soul, jazz, blues… basically EVERYTHING made between about 1963 and 1980.
Here’s Billy Preston shredding on the B3…
3. The lap steel.
The lap steel is a type of guitar that’s played with a metal slide instead of having the strings pressed down onto the neck. According to Wikipedia, it may have been invented in 1885 when some guy started playing his guitar with a railroad spike, then a knife blade. I hope this is true, because that’s just badass. The lap steel is probably most associated with the country/western twang, but it’s also used in a lot of gospel, jazz, blues and rock.
Here’s Robert Randolph covering “Billie Jean”… on the lap steel… seriously.
4. The vibraphone.
I mentioned the vibraphone in my post about Roy Ayers. The vibraphone uses aluminum bars and electrically-powered resonator tubes to get is signature mellow sound. The thing I love the most about the vibes is that the act of actually playing the instrument is so expressive and physical. It’s just huge fun to watch.
Here’s “King of the Vibes” Lionel Hampton…
5. The steelpan.
The steelpan is sort of distantly related to a lot of other Afro-Caribbean percussion instruments but the modern steelpan really came about when it was invented in Trinidad in the late 40s using 55-gallon steel drums. Technically, the steelpan is not a drum but an idiophone, since it doesn’t have a membrane like a drum does. And although the steelpan is sort of lazily associated with tourist-friendly resort calypso, you really need to check out the huge Trinidadan steel bands to hear what it’s capable of.
Here’s a steel band perfroming at Trinidad’s carnival….
6. The harpsichord.
The piano really did make the harpsichord its bitch for the past few hundred years. It’s too bad, because the harpsichord, which plucks rather than strikes the tuned strings, is one of those instruments that instantly makes you feel like European royalty… either that or you’re about to be involved in some kind of creepy Eyes Wide Shut masquerade sex orgy.
Here’s Sonata in D minor by Domenico Scarlatti, played on a modern harpsichord (I have no idea whether this is considered good classical music or not, but my ears like it)…
7. The marimba.
The marimba is very similar to the vibraphone, except it’s not electrically amplified and it uses wood bars instead of aluminum ones. The instrument is probably based on much older African instruments, so it’s one of those truly primal sounds that humans have evolved alongside over centuries. I love that.
Here’s Brian Jones playing the marimba on “Under My Thumb” by the Stones…
8. The Minimoog.
The Minimoog is an analog synthesizer that was first released in 1970 (though the technology it uses is a bit older). The idea behind the Minimoog was to make a synthesizer that was portable, since early synths were basically the size of a fucking Volkswagen. Sun Ra and Keith Emerson were among the first to use Minimoogs on stage.
Here’s “Metropolis” by Kraftwerk…
9. The timbales.
Timbales are cuban drums that are tuned extremely high and placed up high so that the player stands while performing. They can be played ridiculously fast and it’s almost impossible to not want to dance when hearing timbales played. Why the hell don’t you see more non-latin musicians playing them? What a historically underutilized instrument!
Here’s “El Rey Del Timbal” Tito Puente performing with Sheila E (seriously, how fucking cool are these two?)…
10. The Jew’s harp.
The most politically-incorrect instrument name of all time? Maybe. Especially since, the Jew’s harp has absolutely nothing to do with the Jewish people. (It was probably invented in central Asia.) You can call it a “jaw harp” if you prefer. The Jew’s harp is also one of the world’s oldest musical instruments and definitely one of the weirdest-sounding. It’s a reed attached to a metal frame, which is then bit down on with the player’s teeth and plucked with the finger. I think I would injure myself playing this thing.
Here’s Roger Daltrey playing it at the very beginning of “Join Together” by The Who….
While reading Gawker’s “10 Most Annoying Christmas Songs,” I found myself disagreeing with some of the selections. Egged on by a friend, I’ve decided to put together a list of some of my favorite Winter/Holiday songs. I fully expect, and actually welcome, people who disagree with my selections.
You’ve probably listened to Roy Ayers, even if you don’t realize it. After James Brown and maybe a few others, he’s probably among the most-sampled musicians of all time. 50 Cent, Mary J. Blige, A Tribe Called Quest, Digable Planets and just about every single house producer who ever came long have all used Roy Ayers samples.
You should know who Roy Ayers is.
So who is he? Well Ayers is hugely famous for being one of the greatest-ever players of the vibraphone (which is not the same as a xylophone). According to his biography, he grew up in what is now South Central Los Angeles and got his first pair of vibraphone mallets at the age of five…. as a gift from Lionel Fucking Hampton. Basically, Ayers was born to play music. It was his destiny.
So he started off in jazz and then the 70s came around so he mixed soul music, funk and disco into his sound. The rest is history. Since then he’s played alongside Chaka Khan, Fela Kuti, The Roots, Erykah Badu and probably dozens of electronic dance music producers. He’s ubiquitous and there could be no modern neo-soul music without him. And while he’s still hugely popular around the world and he’s still touring quite a bit, here in his own country I feel like we’ve forgotten about him a little bit. (We have a nasty habit of doing that.)
So here are 10 Roy Ayers songs to enjoy…
“Running Away” (Live)
Roy’s most famous song, this is jazz music that you can let loose to. It’s such fun, fast, alive music. Plus I love the guitar solo at the end, and Roy’s energy on stage is perfect. One of the YouTube commenters said it best: “This is where Jamiroquai got their sound.”
“Searching”
“Everybody Loves the Sunshine”
Underground California soul music with lovely synthesizers and great vocals. A perfect beach song… for people who like to eat a box full of pills before going to the beach.
“Can’t You See Me?”
“Love Will Bring Us Back Together”
A brilliant slab of disco funk with a squiggly little keyboard riff. I love one YouTube commenter’s take on this song: “i know, i know, i’m an old head, but gather round you younguns and let me tell you about a time when THIS kind of music played at house parties…. picture it, 1979 when i was 18, no guns, no gang violence, girls (most of the time) acted like ladies, cars were made of steel, songs spoke of love, (not bangin’ that thang), and people knew how to communicate…now put down that damn x-box, listen to this & learn something….know-it-all-whipper-snappa !”
“Change Up The Groove”
“Battle of the Vibes” (Live)
Here’s a 1988 concert where Roy and his percussionist do a little battle on the vibraphone. This is magic. Makes me wish I paid attention when they had us banging on glockenspiels in the fifth grade. Also, if you ever get invited over to Roy’s House for an impromptu jam session (hey, it could happen), remember to bring a towel. Don’t be sweatin’ on the man’s vibes!
“2000 Blacks Got To Be Free”
In 1980 Roy teamed up with Fela Kuti to give us this little slice of amazing funk. The horns are all Fela’s style but the spoken-word vocals are all Roy.
“Aragon”
This one was on the soundtrack to “Coffy,” with Pam Grier. So basically it can’t get much cooler than this.
“Get On Up, Get On Down”
Let’s be blunt: Winter in Canada is fucking dark and cold and we have to find ways to sustain ourselves up here. For me, that means making mixes that keep me warm (alongside a glass or two of red).
Track Listing:
1. Cloudy – Simon & Garfunkel
2. Still Sound – toro y moi
3. Can’t Hear My Eyes – Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti
4. Wet Cement – The Morning Benders
5. Eyes – Still Corners
6. Don’t Blame Me – The Everly Brothers
7. Demon Host – Timbre Timber
8. Desire Lines – Deerhunter
9. Lover of Mine – Beach House
10. Quick Canal – Atlas Sound (w/ Laetitia Sadler)
11. Asleep at a Party – Memory Cassette
12. Outer Limits – SLEEP ? OVER
13. Chinatown – Wild Nothing
14. Endless Summer – Still Corners
15. Who Loves the Sun – The Velvet Underground
16. Marathon – Tennis
17. Boyfriend – Best Coast
18. Pleasure Sighs – The Morning Benders
19. Hospice Gates – Lower Dens
20. Helicopter – Deerhunter
21. All I Wanna Do – The Beach Boys
22. Walk in the Park – Beach House
23. I Saw Her in the Anti-War Demonstration – Jens Lekman
Jamaica in the 80s and early 90s was a tough place. OK, I wasn’t there, but the country was certainly facing a lot of challenges. By 1982, the spiritual godfather of reggae, Bob Marley was dead. Peter Tosh would be brutally murdered in 1987. In 1980, after years of left-leaning governments, the Reagan-allied Edward Seaga took over as prime minister and the political violence would continue for much of the next 30 years. Meanwhile Jamaica’s economy was decimated by cocaine-related violence, high inflation and IMF-mandated austerity measures.
But despite all that misery, Jamaica, the tiny little island, truly grew into a world superpower when it came to music. Here are some tracks from the first post-Bob generation of Jamaican dancehall performers. This isn’t a canon, just a small selection of songs I like. So turn up your subwoofer…
“Diseases” by Michigan and Smiley – 1982
“Zungguzungguguzungguzeng” by Yellowman – 1983
“Police in Helicopter” by John Holt – 1983
“Under Mi Sensi” by Barrington Levy – 1984
“Herbman Smuggling” by Yellowman and Fathead – 1984
“Here I Come” by Barrington Levy – 1984
“Under Mi Sleng Teng” by Wayne Smith – 1985
“Agony” by Red Dragon – 1988
“Murder Dem” by Ninjaman – 1989
“The Herb” by Tony Rebel – 1990
Nicodemus and Super Cat perform live in New York – 1990
“Dem No Worry We” by Super Cat – 1992
“You Don’t Love Me (No, no, no)” by Dawn Penn – 1992
Not all rap is just endless metaphors and wordplay. The “story rap” packs its narrative into a 3 minute single. Here are some of my favorite story raps. I even tried to pull from different regions and styles. NYC is heavily represented of course. That’s mainly because of Nas, Mos Def and Gang Starr, who all seem to love doing story raps. But don’t forget the Dirty South and West coast. They’re representin’ too.
“Crime Story” by DMX
An armed robbery goes wrong, so the scofflaw is forced to hide from the police. While in hiding, the protagonist reflects on his life and decides his only option is a suicide mission against the precinct house. Note the cameo by a young Ja Rule.
“I Gave You Power” by Nas
Nas is probably one of the rappers most closely associated with story raps. This one is written from the POV of a gun. It’s a risky narrative strategy but I think it works. And unlike an actual gunshot wound, the song’s nice jazzy 90s beat doesn’t hurt.
“It Was a Good Day” by Ice Cube
A day in the life of Ice Cube, rapped over top of a thick Isley Brothers sample. Sometimes everything really is alright. As Mr. Cube would say, sometimes you just need to “put that ass to sleep.”
“Betrayal” by Gang Starr feat. Scarface
Between Gang Starr’s Guru and Scarface, these are two of the greatest rap voices ever. On this track Scarface tells a story about an athletically-gifted kid who tries to live a clean life until “a group of knuckleheads came through jumpin.”
“The Heist” by Big L
Big L teaches us how to set someone up for a robbery/mugging. Maybe if OJ listened to this he wouldn’t be in prison now. Oh well.
“Crosstown Beef” by Medina Green feat. Mos Def
This track was on the classic “Soundbombing 2” album. No one remembers who Medina Green even was, but he and Mos came up with a great one here. This is pretty much exactly how I imagine it feels to be caught up in gang drama.
“Memory Lane” by Nas
From the classic Illmatic album, Nas takes us back to his childhood. He was only like 18 when he wrote this, though, so I suspect he’s really just an excellent storyteller.
“Back in the Day” by Ahmad
I couldn’t name one other song by Ahmad, but this song is pure win. He even makes references to Gazelles and Turkish links. A perfect ode to 80s rap innocence.
“Once Upon A Time” by T.I.
From T.I.’s “Fuck a Mixtape” mixtape, this is a story rap where someone is heard asking T.I. why doesn’t do story raps no more. Awesome, I know. Also, T.I.’s story about an encounter with a strange visitor to your stash house is damn interesting.
“I’ve Committed Murder” by Gang Starr feat. Mos Def and Macy Gray
Do you hate your job? Is your boss a raging asshole? If so, listen to this slice of revenge fantasy. Macy Gray is practically perfect in this song.
“How to Break Up With Your Girlfriend” by Jean Grae
Instead of killing people, how about we just cut them loose? Jean Grae teaches you how to end a bad relationship. I feel like Chuck Finley could have used this one.
“Me and Jesus the Pimp in a 79 Granada Last Night” by The Coup
One of the greatest song titles ever created, this one is an absolutely epic story about the evils of prostitution. Human misery has never sounded quite this good.
“Int’l Players Anthem (I Choose You)” by UGK feat. Outkast
Andre3000 steals the show on this one. His verse is just incredible. Going back through his various hook-ups and girlfriends, he walks us through his new Grown Ass Man shit. Then Pimp C (RIP!), wearing enough fur to destroy PETA singlehandedly, takes us through his random sexual conquests and disregard for traffic safety. This is sure to be a hit at your next wedding reception!
So maybe you have a new morning workout routine. Great! Except it’s hard as fuck to get motivated to exert energy first thing in the morning. That’s where your workout music comes in.
I make no bones about loving club music. I know most people consider it vapid and cheesy. And, well, it is. Most of it is made by the absolute worst sorts of trashy perverts.
None of that matters. All that matters is that it makes you want to (in the immortal words of Big Daddy Drew) run through a brick wall.
So on that tip, here’s some music for your next workout. For each track below, I’ll list the artist (or “artist”), title of the song and the superpower that each particular song will give you.
“Get Down” by Groove Armada
This song is makes you feel like you can now: Proclaim yourself King/Queen of All Bunnies.
“Superdelight” by Heikki L
This song is makes you feel like you can now: Punch a giraffe in the nose.
“Bodymotion” by Way Out West
This song is makes you feel like you can now: Slide across a frozen lake with rockets tied to your shoes.
“Return to Life” by Adam Rickfors
This song is makes you feel like you can now: Die and then come back to Earth as Patrick Swayze so that you can make pottery with that funny-nose girl.
“Unleash My Love” by John de Sohn and Nick Wall ft Christina Skaar
This song is makes you feel like you can now: Use electric eels as weapons.
“Dancing On My Own” (Fred Falke Remix) by Robyn
This song is makes you feel like you can now: Burn people with your laser vision.
“Feel the Hard Rock” (Heiko and Maiko electro mix) by Hardrox
This song is makes you feel like you can now: Use actual ROFLcopters to kill leprechauns.
“Alive” by Mondotek
This song is makes you feel like you can now: Drink 18 cans of 4LOKO without making a fool of yourself.
“Push Up” by Freestylers
This song is makes you feel like you can now: Do those pushups that only insane Marine drill sergeants can do, where you clap in between each pushup.
“My, My, My” by Armand Van Helden
This song is makes you feel like you can now: Throw sharks at the bad people.
“What I Want” by Bob Sinclar Ft. Fireball
This song is makes you feel like you can now: Win a staring contest against Clint Eastwood.
Before I say anything else, I just want to include this disclaimer: No matter how open-minded a person is and no matter how great the music is…. some people just will NOT EVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES EVER be able to tolerate disco. I accept that. Those people are lost causes. For the rest of you, read on…
I know that when you hear the word “disco” you instantly think of the Village People and Abba and maybe Donna Summers and definitely polyester suits. There is an undeniably cheesy side to disco that never seems to die off. So fine, I’ll concede that some aspects of disco are absolutely awful. That said, most people don’t realize that disco also had a grittier, deeper side that didn’t get the radio airplay. Instead, it got played in legendary clubs like the Paradise Garage, where Larry Levan held court and more or less all modern dance music was first truly conceptualized.
So Levan and others like Francois Kevorkian were mixing these crazy, long-form funk records into a nonstop dance workout… and they were YEARS ahead of their time. They were doing things like mixing synthesizers with Afro-Caribbean rhythms 20 years before M.I.A. ever picked up a mic.
I once heard disco described as “blue collar party music,” which is just about perfect. So let’s give credit where credit is due and check out some choons….
“Give Me Love” by Cerrone.
Marc Cerrone is a French drummer and producer who had a serious knack for coming up with catchy songs that still had that hard beat. This song has been remixed about a billion times by house producers in the last few decades.
“I Don’t Want to be a Freak” by Dynasty
I am in love with these girls. They don’t want to be freaks… but they just can’t help themselves. Sad really.
“I Don’t Wanna Lose It” by Bambu
Ok, here is some intense club disco that was clearly made for people consuming massive amounts of cocaine. The tempo is just ridiculously fast… at least 10 or 15 bpm faster than almost any other tracks you’ll find. The cocaine… there’s no other explanation. It’s downright disorienting, but then the vocals come in and everything settles down nicely.
“We’re On Our Way Home” by Brainstorm
Not a lot of people realize this, but ANY song that starts with a slap bass intro is required to be a KICK ASS SONG. It’s a rule. Look it up. In a way, you truly hear the first 80s pop coming through, but then it goes back into full 1970s string orchestra mode. I love it.
“Jingo” by Candido
That evil organ sound at the beginning was sampled by DMX. This song came from Salsoul Records, a hugely influential New York label that was known for using a lot of latin percussion in their tracks. To this day people love scouring old record shops for Salsoul vinyl because it’s such versatile deejay music.
“Deputy of Love” by Don Armando’s 2nd Avenue Rumba Band
If you ever walked into a club and saw that tonight’s act was “Don Armando’s 2nd Avenue Rumba Band,” is there any way you’d be anything less than excited?
“Do It Again” by Easy Going
Here’s an example of what’s called Italo-disco… disco from Italy. We guineas just love our disco. Not even living on different continents can change that. It’s our bond that unites the guido diaspora. Also… nothing homoerotic about that cover art. Nothing. At. All.
“Hot to Trot” by Alfredo de la Fe
Disco was really the first music that mashed up genres in exciting new ways. This tune starts off with a HEAVY samba beat straight off the streets of Rio, then breaks into a jazz violin explosion and then levels out into a straightforward funk jam. The drumming is incredible.
“Time Warp” by the Coach House Rhythm Section
This was a b-side on Eddy Grant’s Electric Avenue record. Eddy Grant is the man. If you put this song on Beatport today, no one would bat an eye. It’s computer music made with synthesizers and drum machines yet it sounds so human.
“Flight to Jamaica” by The Crashers
I’ve never been able to find out ANYTHING about The Crashers other than that they made this song. I don’t know how the hell it’s never been used in a movie soundtrack. Maybe it has, but it’s still got to be one of the all time great long lost disco songs. Reggae and disco… two great tastes that taste great together.
“I Hear Music in the Streets” by Unlimited Touch
That crunchy funk beat. The great vocals. That thumping bass. The handclaps. The fantastic guitar playing. If you’re ever in a bad mood, treat yourself to this song. It’s pure joy in sonic form.