Song of The Day #30 - Kid CuDi - 'Up, Up and Away'

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Bloody rappers and their bloody smoking.

I have hammered this song this year. Absolutely hammered it. For that reason, it's only fair that it rounds off this incredible month in which I have posted on this blog for THIRTY CONSECUTIVE DAYS. Quite an achievement for a lazy little oik like me. It's really made me fall back in love with this little dark corner of the internet of mine. I intend to post a fair bit next month too - no, not every day - so keep reading and all that. I've appreciated the feedback I've got from people, keep it coming bitches.

Kid CuDi - 'Up, Up & Away'

Feelin' like I'm Peter Pan.

This is a bit like 'Love Story' in the sense that it's very difficult not to get caught up in it. The song is a complete rush of positivity from start to finish. Balls out to tha haters. That's the basic message of this shit right here. For me, it's one of about four highlights of a Cudi's debut which was, let's be honest, far too long and very patchy.

I've got a friend who really likes Cudi simply because he has a "cool voice" and that's a good point. He's certainly not the best lyricist about but his voice is just dope sounding isn't it? See also Raekwon and Rick Ross. Guys could rhyme the manual to my washing machine and I'd be stood there grinning like an idiot digging the death out of it.

Short post because I'm painting the town red tonight and need to get out there. By that I don't mean I'm going out clubbing or anything, I actually mean I've got a new decorating job and my boss has told me tonight that are first job is to go out and painthe whole of the town with red paint. What are the chances of that?

I'll be up up and away
up up and away
cuz they gon' judge me anyway so whatever
I'll be up up and away
up up and away
cuz in the end they'll judge me anyway so whatever

Song of The Day #29 -Taylor Swift - 'Love Story'

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Alvin....Simon...Selena Gomez!

No, I'm not being ironic. I genuinely like this song. Like properly. It's all my girlfriends fault for playing (and singing over it IN TUNE, definitely in tune, in case you're reading.) it constantly last year and going on about "that key change" over and over again. For those of you that aren't involved in my relationship, 'that' key change occurs after Taylor Swift sings "...pulled out a ring and SAID" and she's right you know. My girlfriend that is. It is an incredible key change and it's very very difficult not to get swept away with it. The joy of it and the enthuasiasm of the delivery are the main drivers I think. Either way, I gave myself over to it a long time ago. It's a sugary tidal wave of considerable power.

Taylor Swift - 'Love Story'


Just say yes.

The Royal Wedding was held today as well of course, making this song pretty apt and everything. It's funny really as I've never cared about the royals in any way but I enjoyed that ceremony for two reasons mainly. Firstly, as soft as it sounds, it's kind of nice to see two people that really care about each other isn't it? Secondly, I thought London looked just amazing on the TV. Proper majestic. I even found myself watching it thinking "How do I get to do this shit?" as if being in the royal family is something you can acquire by means of a graduate scheme or something like that. Still, hope they're happy together and I hope Prince Andrew is used to fill in potholes up and down the land because he's a USELESS TWAT.

So yeah, this is a country pop song that I really like and I know haters are gonna hate and Taylor Swift is probably the product of some greasy Simon Cowell style record company exec somewhere but whatever gurlfriend, if she's manufactured, she's been put together well.

Apologies for slightly shit and short post btw. I'm rushing like a Russian again.

P.S. I just saw this artist legitimately spelt as 'Tayler Sweift' on some site or another. I LOLd.

I got tired of waiting
Wondering if you were ever comin' around
My faith in you was fading
When I met you on the outskirts of town

Song of The Day #28 - Buck 65 - 'Bandits'

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Buck 65. 65 bucks. Otherwise known as a weeks' wages :*(

God this is poor. I'm only just going to get this post in 'today'. It's 23:17. The sort of time when people are normally drinking or watching 'My Big Fat Gypsy Midget's Got Talent', things like that. I'm here trying to find a song about that inspires me a little. Not just a song I love, there's a thousand of them but one I come back to time and time again. I've chosen 'Bandits' for that reason. It just really interests me and I listen to it a lot. They good enough reasons for you ya little dictator? Huh?

Buck 65 - 'Bandits'


Eyes like shadows, one way ticket, Marrakech.

This is stream of consciousness writing I suppose. I don't attribute massive amounts meaning to every line Buck spits here - I think a lot of words and phrases have been chosen over others because they just fit better and I'm down with that. This song to me just sounds so poetic, in a disconnected and non linear way. Still, the more I listen to it, the more images it starts to evoke and the more sense I start to make of things. I won't relay these connotations I've created here because I don't want to ruin the song for anyone else. That is, quite possibly, one of the things I love more than anything else about music - the fact that words, lines or whole songs can mean completely different things to one person than they do to another. In fact, there's nothing worse than an artist coming out and going "Oh yeah, that hit song I wrote that you all love. That's about this girl called Sarah Sarahson I knew at school and here's a picture of her and it's not about my relationship with a dragon like you all thought nor is it about my love affair with apple pies from McDonalds and I hope you appreciate me ruining all the mystery that existed around the song."

I should probably write a little about Buck 65's sound. There's a reason I haven't by the way - he's really hard to pin down and I'm not very good at writing about music. I'll just say he'd probably be listed under the Hip-Hop section in most record stores but he can also play guitar incredibly well and his voice sounds like gravel in a cement mixer. In other words, he sounds a bit like Aesop Rock. As always, listen to the song, not to me.

silly girls and beat up boys all goin fast
lightin fires killin music blowin glass
whispered fury deepest secrets separate treasures
the eyes go pink now slap the forehead desperate measures

Song of The Day #27 - Antony and The Johnsons - 'I Fell In Love With a Dead Boy'

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So easy to get lost in that maze.

This song features the most pregnant pause I have ever heard on record. I just counted it as it happens - it's 18 seconds long. Think about that. EIGHTEEN seconds. It's not ages but still, it's long enough for you to actually carry out some small tasks. In eighteen seconds I think I could kill a decent size animal (A possum. Maybe even a badger if I had a mallet), make a slapdash sandwich and judging on previous attempts, probably have sexual intercourse too. Wait the silence out though. Please do that because after the pause, there's this little piano chord that lets out no more than a breath and trust me when I say it breaks my heart each and every time.

Antony & The Johnsons - 'I Fell In Love With a Dead Boy'

All my life I've been so blue.

Can I just say now that I only ever embed videos from YouTube that have been uploaded by others. That's kinda bad, I know I should always citate users and stuff. In this particular case, I willl, I'd like to shoutout 'Timmybear', the uploader of this video, mainly because it's a bit weird. You can probably tell if you watch but his description of this video is "A slideshow of dead boys, set to a lovely song." The dead boys featured are people like Kurt Cobain, Chet Baker and Freddie Mercury. I can't be the only one a bit creeped out by this. These people were grown men, not boys. Also, this song is definitely very emotional and very haunting even but "lovely"? It can't be lovely. Kids that give up their time to help the elderly are "lovely". A nice meal with good company could be "lovely". Two old codgers still holding hands, maybe a bit lovely See what I'm getting at here?! This ain't lovely.

I'm really rambling today so as always, I'd really prefer it if you listened to the song instead of reading my rubbish. These songs are all picked for a reason and this one is yet another that I found just unforgettable after hearing it once. The piano is sparse but essential and Antony Hegarty's voice is nothing if not full bodied, upfront and put simply, downright staggering. Just listen to how he soars when he hits the lines about writing letters to Australia and throwing bottles out to sea only to then come immediately right back into his shell to simply ask "Are you a boy or a girl?" Confused, feverishly emotive, absolutely beautiful.

Either that or it's "lovely", one of the two.


I fell in love with you
Now you're my one and only
All my life I've been so blue
Bu in that moment you fulfilled me
Now I tell all my friends
I fell in love with a dead boy

Song of The Day #26 - Nick Cave and Warren Ellis - 'The Rider Song'

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"You wanna pearce of me? Huh?"

Another slow one I'm afraid. I was going to pick that new song by The Wombats about anti-depressants but then I heard it and realised how it is almost indescribably terrible. It came on the radio when I was driving home from work and sick of my CDs (Seriously, I've had 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy in there since it's release on 04/12/10) and it was so bad that I was looking around my car and out of the window making sure everyone else was on the same wavelength as me and wearing a similar WTF facial expression. Turns out the public couldn't hear the song through my windows and so just thought I was sat in my car, in silence, doing a weird face but hey, so it goes. Allow me to be your anti-depressant Joe Public.

This song is the polar opposite of that one. It's beautifully simple and lyrically, well, it's just a great poem set to music, just like all the best songs are. Taken from the western film 'The Proposition', it's hard not to draw a load of predictable metaphors and call this song dusty, weary and perfectly set but it's all of those things and due to the fact that I've listened to it so many times since I first heard it when that film came out, it's must be much more than that too.

Nick Cave & Warren Ellis - 'The Rider Song'


Offline. I can write shit this good, you guys just ain't read it yet.

There's been so many twists and turns in Nick Cave's prolonged and astounding career that it's perfectly reasonable to say that you both love and loathe the mans work without looking completely batshit. Miserable bastard (The Boatman's Call), Spiky punk (The Birthday Party/early Bad Seeds) or full band bombast (Abbatoir Blues/Lyres of Orpheus) - the man has about ten completely different artists over his career. As he's got older, though, I think his voice lends itself just fantastically well to songs like 'The Rider Song' where he sounds as full of cracks and as old as time as the desert landscape.

I don't pretend to know what this song is about. It's intrigue lies in its ambiguity and I think its replayability is born in its brevity. Nick Cave is quite simply a fantastic writer who can turn his hand to all forms of prose and when combined with long term collaborator like Warren Ellis as he is here, his abilities to produce great music are honed to a degree of undeniable quality.

'When?' said the moon to the stars in the sky
'Soon' said the wind that followed them all
'Who?' said the cloud that started to cry
'Me' said the rider as dry as a bone
'Who?' said the sun that melted the ground
'Why?' said the river that refused to run
'Where?' said the thunder without a sound
'Here' said the rider and took up his gun
'No' said the stars to the moon in the sky
'No' said the trees that started to moan
'No' said the dust that blinded his eyes
'Yes' said the rider as white as a bone
'No' said the moon that rose from his sleep
'No' said the cry of the dying sun
'No' said the planets that started to weep
'Yes' said the rider and laid down his gun

Song of The Day #25 - M.Ward - 'I'll Be Yr Bird'

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I'll be yr murderous-lookin'-half-hiding-in-the-dark bird.

I'm rushing so much here I should be called Yuri (geddit? Rushing/Russian? Me neither). Why? Well, I'm meant to be leaving for a wedding reception (not mine) any minute but naturally, if I leave before I post my 'Song of The Day' and break this TWENTY FOUR POST AND COUNTING consecutive run then I'll feel just so terrible. So here I am, all dressed up with somewhere to go posting on my blog instead of being en route to the happiest night of someone's life.

M. Ward - 'I'll Be Yr Bird'


I'm not your DJ late night radio.

I've already posted so many different types of songs this month. This one is quite simply a really sweet love song. Apt for the day (and week, I suppose) of a wedding. I also really dig the main sentiment behind this song. "I'm not yer second/I'm not yer third but I'll be yr bird." M.Ward sings. I think he's trying to say "Yo look woman. I know you been foolin' around wit brothas befo' me and I know damn sure that yo' be foolin after me too but you know what? I be diggin' yo ass so for time why not let me hit that ting and let me be yo' bird." Essentially, M.Ward is not comparing his love to a summers day because love isn't like that, is it? Love's a day when although it can get cold and the sun is nowhere to be seen, well, least it ain't raining too.

I'll sing statistics, & hide the truth,
I'll tell your dad anything that you want me to,
I'll hide your locket under the dirt,
I'll be your bird

Song of The Day #24 - Atmosphere - 'Guarantees'

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You're called Slug. You've got clown facepaint on. It's never going to end well.

Atmosphere have a really misleading name. I think they really should be in the business of making that incidental lift music than no one really listens to. They could be called 'Ambiance' which would be even worse but yeah, if you don't know of the act, they really aren't what you might think just by going on their name. We were all told not to judge books by their covers at school anyway, weren't we? It's for that precise reason that I'm very open minded when it comes to arts/culture and often find myself listening to a jazz record one minute and laughing my little socks off to an episode of 'Two and a Half Men' the next.

Atmosphere - 'Guarantees'

Death don't wait for no one.

No, Atmosphere don't make incidental lift music. They also have nothing to do with climate change. Nope, they're more into making incredibly real and gritty songs about the whole manner of shit that goes on between you being born and dying. Yeah, they're hip-hop. No, they aren't like anyone you've heard who makes that sort of music. The rapping faction of the Atmosphere duo, Slug, has made a career out of bleeding wounds and voicing insecurities over a variety of thoughtful and unique beats provided to him by his other half, Ant. 'Guarantees' isn't their best song, it could be their most simple and effective though. Vast majorities of this tune are a ultra basic guitar line away from being just Slug doing his thing acapella and I can't be the only one that finds it mesmerising.

This is a song about how hard it is to get by sometimes.I don't mean that in a big existential way either. I'm talking about the small things that grind you down on a day to day basis. Relationships, paying the rent, providing for your family. Real man shit. This is like 8 Mile with no Hollywood studio, no monumentous slices of luck and put simply, no way out.

Pull up to the bar to politic and tap the power
Ain't nobody really all that jolly at your happy hour

Song of The Day #23 - Okkervil River - 'Lost Coastlines'

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The world's best band, pictured a while ago.

It's taken over three weeks for me to feature an Okkervil River song. Not completely intentional even if I was sort of holding them back for a day when I'm really struggling with motivation for a blog post. Guess what? That day is today. It's been really hot and that just makes everyone lazy. I take this to extremes. If it's hot enough then my frame won't actually do anything but lay horizontal. If anyone needs a body double for a funeral rehearsal or something like that then I'm your man. Cool?

This isn't even my favourite Okkervil River song just so you know. Admittedly, it's probably top five shit but still, there's other reasons why I've included it here. Firstly, it has an official video. Secondly, I think (bar 'For Real') it's their most instant and accessible song. Thirdly, I just want to introduce this wonderful band to as many people as possible. If, out of the six people that read this blog, someone starts listening to Okkervil and buying their records, that's definitely fine with me.

Okkervil River - 'Lost Coastlines'


Every night finds us rocking and rolling on waves wild and wide.

The song though. It's a fantastic one that showcases why I think so highly of this band. The lyrics, as ever, are top notch. Which other writer could get the line "...in the ensuing melee escape" into an upbeat and melodic sea song like this huh? 'Lost Coastlines' also features some horns and my god do I love horns in tunes! When employed well (I DO NOT MEAN SKA MUSIC) I don't really think there's anything like it actually. Here they add some fantastic punch to the 'la la la's that see this song through to its completion. If you don't end up singing along by your third listen, then shame on you, your family and everyone's life you've ever touched. Give it a listen and don't you dare come back to me saying "Ay yo. That guy with the deep voice who does the second verse has a better voice than the main dude from the band" because although that's maybe possibly sort ofish a little bit true, no one wants to hear that sorta slander around here. Ya dig?

NEW ALBUM 'I AM VERY FAR' OUT 09/05. BUY IT HERE.

well we have lost our way
nobody's gonna say it outright
Just go la la la la la la la la la....

Song of The Day #22 - The Late Cord - 'My Most Meaningful Relationships Are With Dead People'

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Micah P Hinson. Voice like a shipwreck, face like a 13 year old.

I'm hungover worse than a million suns. I don't even know what that means. It doesn't even make sense. All I know is that I spent the hours of 2-6pm led on my bed staring at the ceiling. I had my phone and my laptop with me and both were completely out of battery. They like me were doing nothing. Just laying there empty of life and flat.

Hangover music is an interesting concept. What do we all prefer? It's definitely the only time I DO NOT wanna hear some new jack rapper banging on about bitches and swag so for me, the beats are always out. I, like you, usually revert to cliche and play quiet contemplative stuff. Songs that don't get in the way, songs that sound sympathetic to your plight and the tatters that resemble your life when you wake up from one of *those* nights.

The Late Cord - 'My Most Meaningful Relationships are With Dead People'


Is it too far gone to be saved?

Perhaps I'm asking a lot for people to listen to this song. It's seven minutes long and it's very slow. Safe to say it certainly does not go too well with a sunny bank holiday nor will it any way accompany a Royal Wedding in a jovial jingoistic manner. I only listened to this song earlier because it came on shuffle. Before that play, I perhaps hadn't heard it for five years. I had definitely forgotten what a stunning piece of music this is.

At 3pm, I couldn't even listen to this. It cut too close to the bone when I was feeling very uncertain of myself and all I know as I led on that deathbed shaking and wondering if I'd ever feel normal again. As the hangover started to lift though, I give it another listen and my oh my, it's just beautiful. The Late Cord are/were singer songwriter Micah P. Hinson and John Mark Lapham from The Earlies. Micah is the guy with that unmistakable baritone and Lapham does most of the rest I assume. As always, just give this a listen. Good luck in trying to ignore the lump in your throat.

Also, this is an amazing song to listen to if you live in a shared house of any sort. Simply because it gives you the best answer ever to the question "Ay yo. What's that song called you're listening to in there?" "Oh, it's called 'My Most Meaningful Relationships Are With Dead People'". If, however, your most meaningful relationships actually are with dead people then maybe you should seek some help and close the coffin lid.

You had nothin' to say

Song of The Day #21 - H.O.P.E & Skeme - 'Appalled'

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Skeme schemein'.

You gotta be diplomatic when you're writing blogs sometimes. Take me doing my 'Best Songs of The Year' list last year. I started making a list and whittling it down over the course of about a week. It was around this time that I realised the vast majority of these songs were on Spotify and hey! wouldn't it be nice if I could make a Spotify playlist of the list once it was completed. This did, however, mean that a couple of songs missed out on making the list because they were hard to get hold of and also definitely not on Spotify. 'Appalled' was one of these songs. This song right here was easily in my top five most played of the second half of last year and it only came out in December. That says a fair bit I think. All I know is, trying to call the winner out of the two MCs on this track is harder than trying to tyope a vblog ppoddst with your toes. Guess which words in that sentence I typed with my toes for extra impact?

H.O.P.E & Skeme - 'Appalled'


I'm two BIGs, three Pacs and four stacks.

This song sees these two go mental over a beat that is for all intended purposes, Kanye's 'So Appalled' beat. That song of Kanye's was of course a pretty big deal as it saw the biggest stars in the rap game guesting on top of a beat produced by arguably the biggest producer working today, Swizz Beatz. This tune features two pretty much unknown rookies take half of the song each and they tear shreds off of everyone who touched the Kanye version. 'Ye himself, Jay-Z, Pusha-T. Bring one, bring all. They all just got their heads knocked off. This is hip hop at its best, at its most hungriest, at its most infectious. With Spotify looking like it's going to go through some massive changes soon perhaps I won't even need to consider it but if I hear a song this good this year, it's topping my end of year charts. Whether it's easy to find or not.

We chase pay day,
Saying what you can’t say
One drink away
From being your girl’s shake weight

Song of The Day #20 - Tom Waits - 'Road to Peace'

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A young Waits pays homage to the Mt. Rushmore presidents sculpture via the medium of his face.

20 posts in a row! Wow! Party streamer! I went past saying "that's a record!" about two weeks ago because I've been spectacularly lazy on this blog over the 18 months since it's conception so my previous record was like one post in a row but still, I'm pretty pleased with myself. If you write a blog (and who doesn't these days?) you'll know that sometimes, it takes an almost superhuman effort to write a post, regardless of length or subject. It just seems a bit like work I suppose. At least it feels like work enough for me to procrastinate hopelessly whenever given the smallest of opportunities. Much like that whole education thing and y'know working too, procrastination has been one of the only constants in my life. Take it from me friends, there's only three things guaranteed in life - death, taxes and putting shit off til' you can't put it off no' mo'.

So, now I find myself hunched over my virus ridden laptop thumping at these keys and praying that something approaching readable comes out the other side. My only saving grace is that I really love music so thinking of dope songs to write about is never too tasking. Today I give you a 7+ minute wonder about the Middle East from Tom Waits. Stay with me here.

Tom Waits - 'Road to Peace'

We have no friends, America only has interests.

Astounding song. Astounding piece of writing. The ongoing situation in the Middle East is difficult to write about. Let's be straight about that. Whatever your opinion on the matter, you wouldn't think that it naturally lends itself well to a long story song. However, if you to write a song about it, it'd be very difficult not to come off sounding very political and/or very bias to one side or another. Tom Waits doesn't do that here because he's an incredible songwriter. Waits almost coldly writes straight at the heart of the issue (his point is no one's right. People are just dying and it's wrong. Yeah, there's a bit of 'fuck Bush' too, of course) yet by including the case study and back story of a young male suicide bomber he also creates tremendous amounts of empathy in the listener. I was hooked after the first verse and I'm guessing that, upon listening, you felt or feel the same.

Read the lyrics as you listen, there's so many quoteable lines in this song that they start sounding throwaway after a while. Put it this way, if I could write songs like this, I wouldn't procrastinate at all. I'd just be writing and writing. Sat in the same chair for years on end, looking crazier and crazier by the month, people crossing the road when they saw me, blissfully unaware of my lifes mission and my talent. Man, it'd be great. Actually, thinking about it, I've pretty much just described Tom Waits there haven't I? Eek.

And if God is great and God is good why can't he change the hearts of men?
Well maybe God himself is lost and needs help
Maybe God himself he needs all of our help
Maybe God himself is lost and needs help
He's out upon the road to peace

Song of The Day #19 - jj - 'My Life'

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Ventroliquist dolls are getting more real by the day.

jj sometimes work on what really should be an awful premise. They're a cool glacial (read as 'scandinavian') indie group that aside from releasing their own originals are also pretty keen on covering and reimagining modern songs, usually of the R&B/commercial hip-hop persuasion. Sounds dreadful doesn't it? You might think it'd be too cool for school, patronising and that these remakes would lose all aspects of what made the original songs great. With this song at least, you'd be dead wrong.

jj - 'My Life'


Grindin' with my eyes wide.

In case you didn't know, the original of this song is by a rapper called The Game. Now, he once released an album that, with my hat tipped to him, bounced from start to finish called 'The Documentary'. Since then, he's fallen out with all and sundry (Dre, 50 Cent, Eminem) and been as patchy as you like. He's every single west coast cliche you could ever imagine embodied to the point where he's a bit cartoonish. Still, he released a song about five years ago with Lil Wayne that coincided well with the latter really starting to get some serious exposure and it was consequently a big hit. It was called 'My Life' and this is embedded below. Listen out for Lil Wayne's attempt at having the most auto-tuned and processed hook ever recorded. Once you've done that give the reworked jj effort above a try. It's a million times colder, realer and harder hitting than Game's. This is how a song should sound when it's been reimagined. Rebuilt from bottom up and in this case, ice pumped through its veins.

I'm grindin' until I'm tired
They say you ain't grindin' until you die
So, I'm grindin' with my eyes wide
Lookin' to find a way through the day
The life of the night

Dear Lord, you took so many of my people
I'm just wondering why you haven't taken my life
What the hell am I doing right?

Song of The Day #18 - Ryan Adams - 'Meadowlake Street'

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Not that easy to get a picture of this guy off google without him looking like a ridiculous idiot.

I use to absolutely adore Ryan Adams. I mean that too. I think I've seen him live six times. I've bought all his albums a couple of times. I've got merchandise and I've got posters. Hell, I've got vinyls and I haven't even got a record player. Serious shit friends, serious shit. At some point down the line though, I fell out of love with him spectacularly. The stupid stoner behaviour he started indulging in like creating 'funny' websites and writing rambling rants on (his own) messageboards about space and pizza might've done it, yes, that'd be a fair assumption. Ultimately though, as I've stated many of times, you have to separate the artist from the music as much as you can lest you ruin everything. So I tried to ignore all that. Their gift is their tunes, not their personalities, beliefs or moral stances. So I let the stupid shit slide. Nah, for Ryan and I it was the records. They just kept getting worse and worse and worse. The live shows too. No self control and sometimes almost no awareness for about 95% of the audience. i.e. those of us that DON'T want to see a 18 minute Grateful Dead cover noodling jam that goes on and and on and on until it arrives nowhere.

Ryan Adams - 'Meadowlake Street'

Count 'em back to nothing till I got to you.

There are, of course, reasons that I was so taken with this guy once. His old band, Whiskeytown, remain one of my favourite acts and once upon a time as a solo artist he was on a particularly 'golden' (oof, poor pun) run. This song is taken from a double record called 'Cold Roses' that really did hit many more times than it missed and it's impossibly pretty. The drumming is really great and beautifully understated on this song right until about halfway through when it starts to build and build and build. Props to the kick drum. It's solid and ever present and absolutely vital. It's a kick drum as a heart beat. To be frank, this song from the line 'I feel like a dream that's not worth having/like a nervous joke/ain't nobody laughing' onwards really is breathtaking. Listen to it on summer nights when you're with people you care about, c'mon, share the warmth man.

I feel like a dream that's not worth having
Like a nervous joke ain't nobody laughing
Like somebody with nothing 'cause they don't know
What they're wanting
Tiny like the sand in the cracks of the drift wood
Washed up on the shore of an ocean of you

Song of The Day #17 - Jay-Z - 'U Don't Know Remix (Ft. M.O.P)'

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Al Capone swag.

Main thing I love about hip-hop: now and then it throws up songs that can only be described as ridiculous. There's something about a boundless beat versus one guy going crazy and snapping on it for all he's worth which you just don't get in other genres of music. This song right here showcases three individuals/groups at the very top of their game and the result leaves you bouncing, breathless and usually stretching for the repeat button. TOP TIP: Best listened to in the safety of your home so you can wild out and not worry about what "the world" thinks of you. Definitely not studying music or anything lame like that.

Jay-Z - 'U Don't Know Remix (Ft. M.O.P)'

You dudes is noodles, I gots more ziti to bake

The reason this song works so well and bumps so hard is quite simple: everyone on it is playing to their (considerable) strengths. Just Blaze is the king of chopping samples to his own end and that hyped up horns and hard as concrete snare sound he's copyrighted is just such a heady concoction when it's working right. Jay-Z is a jack of many trades and that's why he's the best but I've always thought that his A game is when he's on those spit-in-yer-face braggadacio verses like he lays down here. MOP are just damn good thugs, that's all. This remix needed some thugged out verses, Jay was only ever going to ask one group. Quite simple when you look at it like that isn't it. For once, a rap song with big name features really is worth more than the sum of it parts.

The original version of 'U Don't Know' is wicked too but you all know that right? It also benefits from not being taken from 'The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse' like today's song. That album, of course, was total SHIT.

Razorblades under the tongue,
I will eat ya face.
Appetite for destruction, I aint gon starve anyday
Got a money hungry lawyer that'll eat the case
And thats just food for thought,
Don't let it go to waste
Nigga, bite the bullet until you stuffin ya face
I done forgot more than you ever learned
What you dont know will make your home a permanent urn, nicca.

Song of The Day #16 - The Replacements - 'Unsatisfied'

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No danger posed in sitting on the train track around here -trains are never running ffs.

I'm having serious computer issues over here dear readers. This virus I probably wrote about on here last month is back and it's worse than ever - a bit like that new Scream film then I suppose. It's hidden every file on my computer and as I type it is probably emptying my bank account of all £14.76 that I have left in there. I'll say it now - if you write viruses for a living and you're sending them to anyone but nasty bastard companies that steal from orphans or whatever then you should be shot. Look, I'm just a super cool brother tryin' to go about my daily business whilst still writing a very successful popular culture blog (that's this site, by the way), what have I done to deserve this error message polluted hell? Riddle me that nerdlingers.

The Replacements - 'Unsatisfied'

Everything you dream of is right in front of you.

I'm starting to get down to serious songs now. It's mainly because most of these posts are rushed last minute jobs (You would never guess right? RIGHT?) so I have to think of songs up on the spot. The songs that come most readily to my mind are the ones that are ingrained in me from literally thousands of plays. This is one of those songs.

As they did to many other people, The Replacements meant an awful lot to me during my late teens. I heard 'Tim' first and I can remember feeling almost relieved to have found a record like that. The fact that it was performed by these messy guys who just didn't give a shit about anything just probably helped too. I suppose people see aspects of themselves in the songs and albums of their favourite bands and back then these were the kind of dudes I would've liked to associate myself with.

What really appeals to me about the band, both then and still now, is how sometimes they'd really dumbfound you with a song that you just did not see coming. Take a listen to 'Here Comes a Regular' or 'Skyway' or 'Sadly Beautiful'. These are just beautifully simple quiet sad songs that you'd never expect in a million years from a band who released a song called 'Garys Got a Boner'. The choice here, 'Unsatisfied', showcases this incredible bands talents really well. I use to absolutely adore this song when I was 17. I still do.

Look me in the eye
And tell me that I'm satisfied

Song of The Day #15 - Townes Van Zandt - 'Mr Mudd and Mr Gold'

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So serious about country-folk music.

Everyone calls Townes Van Zandt "the songwriter's songwriter" which isn't really as big of a compliment as it originally sounds. That quote essentially means that TVZ is the choice person who writes songs of those that write songs themselves. It can work, of course, if you're say Bob Dylan's favourite songwriter then that's pretty cool but if you're the favourite songwriter of some shitheap then, not so much. As an artist, you can't choose who you influence in the same way you can't choose your family. Thems the breaks of being widely known and loved. Kurt Cobain, for example, is probably pretty pleased he offed himself when he did because there's no way he would've wanted to hear Pearl Jam.

Townes Van Zandt - 'Mr Mudd and Mr Gold'

Amigo, lay them raises down...

TVZ isn't a million miles away from the guy featured in yesterday's 'Song of The Day' - Brother Ali. It's a comparison often drawn but when you listen to the top lyricists in the folk/country music game and then the best rap rhymesayers then you've simply got two sets of people that are pretty similar as both are, first and for fantastic storytellers. In 'Mr Mudd & Mr Gold' Townes spins a tale about a card game that twists and turns and personifies at every junction. Quite brilliantly, the lyricism is as spellbinding as trying to follow which hand each person is holding is confusing. Townes's ability as a fingerpicker is also something that cannot be overlooked. Let me tell you now that I got an acoustic guitar for my 15th birthday along with a head full of dreams about sauntering off into the sunset and mesmerising whoever I came across with my magical songs and golden guitar ability. This song was my 'goal' song. The one I was aiming for, the one I wanted to learn above all others. I had a crack at it one Saturday morning and never picked the guitar up again. If anyone wants to take it off my hands they can have it for a fiver. It's at my parents house as I type, covered in sweat and old tears. Townes Van Zandt and his other worldy ability ruined my career. For that, he should be damned and blessed in equal measure.

Now Mudd he checked
and Gold bet all
Mudd he raised
and Gold did call
And his smiled just melted off his face
when Mudd turned over that diamond Ace

Song of The Day #14 - Brother Ali - 'The Preacher'

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Kiss me beautiful.

Yeah Brother Ali is a big white guy. Yes, he's muslim. Oh and he's albino too. Let's get all that stuff outta the way first. I find it really boring to talk on all that when the guy makes tracks like he does. When he's on top of his game like he is here on 'The Preacher' he's, put simply, a fire exporter. Infectious and furious, songs like these are made to be adored on first listen.

Brother Ali - 'The Preacher'

Hit me hard now.

II've been throwing in a few TOP TIPS to these posts recently. For this song I'll just say listen to it loud. Get those horns blasting out of your speakers whether you're in beaten up hatchback, your parents house or your own palace - it doesn't really matter. Blast this to the point of distortion. This is going to have to be a bit of a short post today because I'm off on a little city break for the night. If anyone sees me when I'm out and about, be sure to say hello and buy me a drink. I'm about 10 inches tall, mainly green and furry. I'll also roar at you and rip yo ass to shreds with my sharp teeth and hands that are, if I'm honest, a little pathetic and stunted. Peace.

If you know me, you know I
Love my family love my God
Before I knew either I loved my art
So I'm married to the pen till death do us part

Song of The Day #13 - Arctic Monkeys - 'Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair'

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Foolishly googled 'white monkey' as I thought it would find a picture of an arctic monkey. Apparently, they don't have monkeys in Antarctica.

ANOTHER new song. God DAMN I'm getting relevant again and all down wit da yoot and the internet. I almost feel sixteen again - where the britpop and 'Grand Theft Auto' at? This fantastically titled song is due to be the first official single from the not so fantastically titled fourth Arctic Monkeys album 'Suck It and See'. That album, incidentally, will also feature a song called 'Love Is a Lazerquest' which I think I may have even mentioned on here before. That's song title of the year hands down, I don't care what the song is like. Why? Well, because love is like a lazerquest isn't it? It usually involves guns, dark rooms and somewhere along the line there's usually a fat guy with a ponytail telling you your "breaking the rules" by "covering your targets up". Okay, enough about my love life already.

Arctic Monkeys - 'Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair'

Play that one about looking good on the dancefloor why dontcha fellas! Huh?

I like this. Big BIG riff which despite what you may think from reading these diatribes I write on here - I do like. If I were an intolerable bore I'd say something about working with Josh Homme on that last record rubbing off on the Arctic boys but as I say, I'm not a snore. This is a proper comeback single and I'll say here, I thought exactly that when I heard 'Crying Lightning' too and the album that followed that was just tuneless I thought.

Arctic Monkeys will, as long as they exist and even if everything else goes wrong, always have one redeeming feature though. That being Alex Turner's lyrics of course. Quintessentially British, he is blessed with a turn of phrase that is often as comic as it is clever and 'Don't Sit Down.....' is no different. Here he pretty much runs through a list of things that are inadvisable. Running with scissors, breaking mirrors, going to watch that Charlie Sheen stand up show. Things like that. I really admire his courage to use popular culture references and slang that sometimes seem so small time and so insular to the places he knows well. It's something I try to steer well clear of doing when I write lest I look like a little town loser that sucks his thumb yet when Alex Turner does it, it makes his songs sound and perhaps more impressively, read, fantastically well. Welcome back lads.

Find a well known hardman and start a fight,
Wear your shell suit on bonfire night.
Fitting a circular hole with a peg that's square,
But just don't sit down 'cause I've moved your chair.

Song of The Day #12 - Jamie xx - 'Rolling In The Deep (REMIX) ft. Childish Gambino'

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Totally like an inverse ballot card.

First things first, The cool kids are gonna love this. 1. It's by Jamie xx (of, DUH, the xx) 2. It's a really good pop song (uncool) remixed (cool) 3. It's got Childish Gambino on it. You know what though? It's more than the sum of its parts this. Simple really because it's very well put together and Adele's single was fantastic and Gambino is killing everything he touches these days so yeah, shoot me, I guess I'm a cool kid too.

Jamie xx - 'Rolling In The Deep (REMIX) ft. Childish Gambino'

There's a fire starting in my heart.

Adele is really owning at the moment isn't she? It's almost unbelievable how many records she's sold both here and 'across the pond' as tossers say. I look at her success this way - Amy Winehouse had it for a while before she started resembling a goblin more and more each day. She then passed the (by then) cracky and soiled baton to Duffy who fully capitalised on this backwards looking pop that has heard a motown/soul record or two thing. Duffy couldn't keep it up for too long either. Maybe too much diet coke. So ultimately the baton, which by now had a face that looked like a Welsh duck, was passed to Adele and that's where we at right now. I can't think who's next. Probably Bieber with a wig on.

This remix is fantastic though and I'm not at all surprised by that - all three artists involved are just damn good at what they do. Extra kudos to Jamie xx for remixing a tonne of songs recently and doing them properly - i.e. he's actually adding (or can be taking away to similarly good impact) to songs with his chops and changes. Essentially, if you're not going to add to something by dabbling about with it, just leave it alone man. DJs that do those commercial dance remixes of songs from the 80s/early 90s PLEASE TAKE NOTE IN PERMANENT MARKER. I'm talking to you Ian Van Dahl etc.

Come back to me like hipsters to blogspot.

Song of The Day #11 - of Montreal - 'The Past Is a Grotesque Animal'

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If you can write a song like this, you're allowed to look like that.

I make no secret of how much I love music. I try to do it in the nicest way possible and I genuinely hope I come across more enthusiastic than I do anything else. Still, these outward pourings of passion often lead me to talking to people about music. People who like all sorts. Good stuff, bad stuff, The Script. Everything. Still, there are some songs that - when asked for recommendations - I know are sure fire winners. 'The Past Is a Grotesque Animal' is undoubtedly, hands down, a die cast example of this. It's 11:53 long. It's a sprawling mess of heartbreak, regret, sex, defiance, classic literature, beauty and the gestapo. It runs and swaggers, swaggers and runs. Falls over, gets back up, falls over again. It's just incredible. It's a song for when everything has gone wrong, gone the opposite way to how it should in every conceivable manner. This is how venting, in the most brilliant and reckless of ways, sounds.

of Montreal - 'The Past Is a Grotesque Animal'


Do I have to scream in your face?

I'd say here that this is the best song I've posted so far in this 'Song of The Day' simply because there's nothing else like it. 'Let's Not Shit Ourselves' by Bright Eyes perhaps is vaguely similar but that's mainly just because it's really long, raging and all over the place. This song truly stands alone and I've listened to it many many times since I discovered it a while back. In fact, considering it's length I've probably spent like a day just listening to this song. Sounds a lot but then again, my game time on Call of Duty is around ten days so yeah, comparatively productive.

With a song of this size, it's difficult to pick favourite parts. If pushed I'd say it's between the below moments I guess:

- That crazy robotic sound (could be a warped guitar effect or a synth) after "We're always touching by underground wires."
- The line "We want our film to be beautiful, not realistic." - Pretty much sums up life for me.
- "Let's tear this shit apart." EXACTLY what I do every time I listen to this. Pillows be gettin' punched, floors jumped on with little care for the neighbours downstairs beating off or whatever they do down there. Transcendent shit.
- The bass line that introduces the song and just about holds the sprawling riot together for the duration.

Stop reading this blog and listen to the song. I mean that for once.

I'm flunking out,
I'm flunking out,
I'm gone,
I'm just gone,
But at least I author my own disaster,
At least I author my own disaster.

Song of The Day #10 - The National - 'Think You Can Wait'

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Not on at any cinemas near me, in case you were wondering. They're still showing 'The King's Speech'.

FINALLY he posts a new song! I thought it was the best idea. Y'know. Try and keep my little corner of the internet current and relevant instead of just going on and on and on about songs that have been out for decades every day. So, this song from The National is featured on the soundtrack of the above film and it's really great too. As is the way of this band, it's a real sad slow burner that probably doesn't sound too hot on a sunny day in the park but when things are generally a bit grey, inside and out, there's no one who does music like this better.

TOP TIP: Best enjoyed when you're walking home pissed looking at streetlights and trying to attribute some sort of misguided poetic meaning to them.

The National - 'Think You Can Wait'

I'll pull the devil down with me one way or another.

Sharon Von Etten adds guest vocals to the track and they really blend beautifully with Berninger's down at heel and matter of vocal rumble. I'll be damned if she doesn't sound exactly like Lisa Hannigan who use to sing with Damien Rice a few years back. Anyone remember her? No? Thought not, still they sound identical is what I'm saying. Video above is taken from YouTube and is spliced with scenes from 'Win Win' which is out now. Naturally the YouTube comments listed for this video are interesting. There's about a hundred people moaning about how audio from the film is dubbed over the band in this clip. I guess they've got a point but as we all know people on YouTube comments lists are usually one or more of about seven things: moaning bitches who'll whinge about anything, thick as shit, racist, 12 years old, thick as shit, something about Bieber or thick as shit.

The main reason I've included this song today is the same as it is every day with these posts - 'Think You Can Wait' (like the past nine entries) is a special special song I cannot listen to once. It starts, I get lost, I press repeat. That's a magical thing.

We've been running a sleepless run
Been away from the baby way too long
We've been holding a good night gone
We've been losing our exits one by one

Song of The Day #9 - Sin Fang Bous - 'Lies'

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So serious about indie rock.

Until about three minutes ago, I didn't know what this guy from this band looked like. I've got his record and I've listened to it an awful lot of times but still, I've never google image searched him or read any reviews that have featured a picture so yeah, now I know he looks like that. I'm not exactly shocked. I mean, I didn't exactly think he was going to look like a member of Scooter or a bouncer. Still, thanks for making 'Clangour' generic Scandinavian indie man, I've listened to it a tonne and I love it.

Sin Fang Bous - 'Lies'


She's the sun when I'm the rain.

It sounds bad to say but I only really dig this Sin Fang Bous record for one reason - in places it sounds a lot like 'Lovers' by The Sleepy Jackson and that album was amazing. Essentially, I've been trying to find 'Lovers II' since I first heard it. No, don't tell me to listen to the second Sleepy Jackson album - it was a mess. Anyway, this song particularly could really slot into the middle section of 'Lovers' perfectly. That's my overriding though but I also think it sounds how Animal Collective should sound if they stopped pissing about.

Essentially, it's all about the drums here. Drumming, and good examples of it, have become a bit of a feature on this blog over the past year. I still know nothing about the discipline but I'm certainly learning how to appreciate the old skins and spot great examples when I come across them. 'Lies' builds and builds upon a central drum beat that adds a fantastic energy and urgency to the record. Let it sweep you away.

I wanted to sleep but when I closed my eyes
I wanted to write something true
I wanted to sleep but when I closed my eyes
Saw something real but only came up with
Lies, lies, lies, lies

Song of The Day #8 - Neil Young - 'Philadelphia'

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"Hi! Just so you know - I go mouldy within three minutes of being opened."

In 1993, 'Philadelphia' director Jonathan Demme asked songwriting giants Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young to write a song each to be featured on the OST of his groundbreaking film. Now for me, that's a pretty tough gig. To give you a bit of context here in case you live under a multitude of rocks, the film's about a guy (Tom Hanks) who sues a law firm for unfair dismissal and was one of the first major motion pictures to tackle AIDS discrimination. In short, it ain't exactly squirting a quick pop song out to accompany 'Finding Nemo' or whatever. Neil and Bruce approached this task in totally different ways yet both got similarly stunning results. That's why they're both bosses. Neil, however, won out.

Neil Young - 'Philadelphia'


HD video is for pussies.

I'd like to quantify that statement up there a little further actually. The Springsteen song from this film, 'Streets of Philadelphia' is amazing as well. Please don't get that twisted. It's just this song from old shakey here is a stone cold wounder. It's just so delicate, so unsure of itself in its beauty. It assumes nothing and doesn't ask for much more. I've played it seven times in a row now and each time I've heard a new favourite part. I've now settled on the very start when the main piano part comes in after the sweeping 'Phhillaadeeellphhhiaaaaa...'. That piano can roll on forever as far as I'm concerned.

Obviously that video of Neil up there is a live take. You should've guessed that by the fact that its taken from an awards ceremony with an audience and tuxedoes and is introduced by Johnny Depp, you idiot. Still, I think it kinda suits. It's clearly ripped from a VCR which is cool with me. Songs like this weren't made to downloaded as FLAC files from iTunes and played through your HD stereo system you "hi fidelity" geek.

City of brotherly love
Place I call home
Don't turn your back on me

Song of The Day #7 - Elton John - 'I Want Love'

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Actually no holds barred old.

"ELTON JOHN?! Elton....John...As in that guy that would look like a proper old man (as in OAP) if you stripped him of his ridiculous wig and even more ridiculous sunglasses?...you mean *That* guy?" "Yeah, that Elton John." "Elton John though?! That guy who says something a bit edgy/shocking about whoever happens to be getting column inches on a certain day now and then to stay in the news - that guy?" Yeah, that guy. "And the song your posting isn't even one of those good old ones like 'Rocket Man' and shit?" Nah, it's a sort of new song.

Enough of that already. Elton John released in an album in 2002 called 'Songs From The West Coast' that no one apart from me liked. It got little press at its time of release (aside for the star turns of Robert Downey Jr. and Justin Timberlake in the videos of the accompanying singles) and I'm utterly damned if I've heard anyone mention it since but, yeah, I still listen to it all the time. The two leading singles from the record were good old piano ballads about wanting love and rueful reflections on times that have passed and I'd be lying if I was to say those aren't central themes of the majority of the record but yeah, put all your predjudices to one side, forget about that possum wig and listen to the man. He's got and always had a great great voice. TOP TIP: Just try not to picture his face as he's singing.

'I Want Love' is a beautiful song and the choice of Downey Jr as the star and subject of this video is an inspired choice. I'm all over this MOR piano shit.

Elton John - 'I Want Love'

Cheer up Robert. Everyone likes that film of yours - 'Iron Man' - despite me thinking it was SHIT.

I want love, but it's impossible

A man like me, so irresponsible

Song of The Day #6 - Ciara - 'Oh'

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Ciara, after going to the gym presumably.

Before you say it, yes, I do listen to current music too. Please try and remember that there are a lot of days in the month of April (30 if you must know) so I'm trying to keep the latest next level shit for later in the month when both my and your interest in this ridiculous 'Song of The Day' proposition is seriously on the wane rooney. Why have I chosen this song? This song quite simply does the classic chart R&B turn of smooth female verse/guest male rapper spot better than any other I can recall. That's why.

Ciara - 'Oh'

Turn it up and make the speakers bleed.

Released in 2005, 'Oh' is a song I've returned to time and time again since. It sees three artists at the top of their respective games who, if we're being brutally honest, only went one way after this single. Just at different speeds. Ciara, whilst never a one hit wonder ('Goodies', '2 Step') never topped this song. Ludacris, back then, was the best rent-a-verse commercial rapper in the game. Finally, producers Dre & Vidal make this song with that smooth southern beat that they never got anywhere near matching at any other point in their career(s). Everything in its right place. I still find it utterly exhilarating when Ludacris' self-shoutouts give way to that first line of his "Southerrrn styyyle, get willlddd, old skkool comin' downnn in a differrrunnt colour whip whip whip." and I'm quite positive I always will.

They got that southern cookin'
They got them fellas lookin'
Thinkin' I was easy I can see it
That's when I say no, what fo'?

Song of The Day #5 - Johnny Cash - 'God's Gonna Cut You Down'

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Some people you don't mess with.

I visited the Grand Canyon four years ago and it left, like it always does, quite an impression on me. It's enormous, imposing, encompassing, otherworldly. It's many things like that. Not too long after that visit I was listening to Johnny Cash and thought similair things. Cash is one of those artists that is sewn into the very fabric of America. He's someone millions can identify with for different reasons. He's huge, he's the Grand Canyon.

Johnny Cash - God's Gonna Cut You Down

This video got a fair bit of press on its release due to the multitude of stars it features. If you haven't seen it, I mean actual stars there by the way. Rick Rubin, Jay-Z, Keith Richards. Proper heroes like. It's filmed as a stop start motion that works really well with the montage of famous faces. More than that though, the song resonates a lot louder than all these mugs you see adorning your papers and magazines on a daily basis. This song is a rumble from the earth. If anything , this song sounds like it is sung by God himself. This thing strikes fear into all wrongdoers so you all better know who you are.

Song of The Day #4 - Eels - 'Grace Kelly Blues'

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More Grace than (R) Kelly.

There's always a different reason why I pick the track that will feature on here as 'Song of the day'. Some bang (K.R.I.T yesterday), some are sweet (The Elected on Friday) and some just do something to me that I can't put my finger on and that's Eels today. See I was just scanning through my iTunes library trying to find something particularly standout and although there's some great music on there, nothing was really offering much resistance to my grubby little digit hitting that shuffle button. Then I saw 'Grace Kelly Blues'. Now I use to be an enormous Eels fan in my youth. ENORMOUS. In fact, buying 'Beautiful Freak' was a massive moment for me as it's the first proper album I can remember having on cassette. By 'proper' there, I mean I've conveniently forgotten a whole truckload of shit I got before that record. BF was the first good album I bought at the age of about 12. That's what I really mean. So alt man, just so alt.

Eels - 'Grace Kelly Blues'

The kid in the mall works that hot dog on the stick.

I mainly dig this song because it's really nice to drift away too. And there's a viola. And a marching band. And it was the first song to be released following the boldly beautiful yet strikingly bleak 'Electro Shock Blues'. I particularly dig how that grandiose funeral opening melts away for E to come in in with that voice of his. A voice which is made for cliche music writing where you basically say plenty of synonyms for words like "weathered" and "worn". To me, it's just great and sounds like an old friend that's been through some tough times and come out the other side.

But me I'm feeling pretty good as of now
I'm not so sure when I got here or how
Sun melt in the fake smile away
I think, you know, I'll be okay.