Rick Wright, R.I.P.

Richard Wright - keyboardist, singer and song writer for Pink Floyd - has died of cancer at the age of 65. I am a huge fan of the Floyd, and to me there is no denying how important his contributions were to the band. As a composer he contributed to some truly classic instrumentals - "Interstellar Overdrive", "A Saucerful of Secrets" & "One Of These Days" - as well as some of the most loved tunes in the band's canon - "Echoes", "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", "The Great Gig in the Sky" & "Us and Them". I love the keyboards and electronics in music - always have, so to me his involvement was crucial to the overall feel and sound of the Floyd. He and his band mates have sound-tracked some truly memorable moments in my life over the last 30 years, and for that I will always be grateful. Thanks for the music and the memories, Rick.
Pink Floyd - Echoes
Pink Floyd - Us And Them

Funky Friday

Time to deliver the funky jams you need to get your weekend started right. It's a nice and eclectic selection of tunes today, including a new Kid Loco tune remixed in a latin/western/disco stylee, a classic bit of funk from The Commodores, a slowly building ambient hip hop track from Alias and Roisin Murphy's great cover of the old Bryan Ferry hit. Anoraak are from France and are '80s revivalists and remind me of Zoot Woman - lots of cheesy synth action. Pianist Pete Jolly's 1970 album Seasons got the reissue treatment last year, and is full of improvised funk and jazz jams, all heavy on the keyboards, all good. TV On The Radio have a new album coming out (Dear Science,) where, on a couple of tracks, they unleash the funkiness I always knew they had in 'em. It is a good thing, and a great sounding record to boot! Guy Cuevas and Pigbag are old school classics - sweet latin disco and fierce jazz funk in your face. Ratatat put the massed guitars to work on Mumtaz Khan and deliver an Eastern flavored jam.

Kid Loco - Motorcycle Angels (SLDB Disco Version)
The Commodores - Machine Gun
Alias - I Heart Drum Machines
Roisin Murphy - Slave To Love
Anoraak - Sunday Night Fever
Pete Jolly - Plummer Park
TV On The Radio - Crying
Guy Cuevas - Obsession
Ratatat - Mumtaz Khan
Pigbag - Sunny Day
Listen to Anoraak (covering The Romantics' classic '80s hit)
Anoraak - Talking In Your Sleep
______________________

Molten Light

Sugar Must Be Acid Rain

Late Of The Pier - The Bears Are Coming (Beyond The Wizards Sleeve Remix)
I am obsessed with Late Of The Pier. I have been listening to their debut album Fantasy Black Channel almost every day for like a month now. I have sought out their remixes, one of which I share today. Produced by Erol Alkan and singer Sam Eastgate (AKA L.A. Priest), they offer a seamless blend of rock and electronics. The four piece band touches on prog, Numan-esque new wave, quirky electronica, funk, and the spazz rock of Zappa. It is a remarkably self assured debut, and has been getting great reviews. The songs are chock full of energy and ideas, and the band has the chops to carry it off. They handle many styles well, and instead of being a disjointed mess the album flows nicely. I look forward to hearing what they come up with next. I have to say that I also really dig their videos. They reflect the odd quirks of the band, and range from silly to strange. Here's a good example...

"Snap away" she said,
As she danced towards the moonlight,
Run away he did
As she cast off another night.
So in tune were we by the thought of what could never be,
So consumed were we by the fear that swelled between the sheets.
What do they mean?
Seamless dirty dreams.
Why must you scream?
Please don't make a scene.
She plays, she plays,
Is it all a game?
Longing to be tamed,
Sugar must be acid rain.
I saw you wading in the water,
I saw you ride along the sea.
Shine on your nightmare,
Shine through the tears.

Sunday/ Steely Dan Rarities

Steely Dan - Any Major Dude
Steely Dan - Rikki Don't Lose That Number
Live @ The Power Plant, 3/20/1974
Steely Dan. What can I say? They are one of my favorite bands of all time. My folks listened to them when I was a child, and I never stopped listening. I've seen them live a couple of times, including a very memorable evening under the stars at Poplar Creek in Chicago back in '94 - their reunion tour. I love their ability to tell such gloriously seedy, grimy and gritty stories, all of it couched in seductively recorded grooves. Legendary curmudgeons, they are my kind of people. One of my favorite things about these vast interwebs is how people who have obscure and rare recordings of bands I like are willing to share them. Just recently I came cross a recording of the Dan, live at The Power Plant, March 20th, 1974. It is fascinating hearing these songs live, played by the same band that recorded them. They are a bit rough, but they still give you a good feel for how great they were. Any Major Dude features the soulful lead vocals of Royce Jones who toured with the band for a while. Rikki Don't Lose That Number has great piano vamping - my only complaint is that the guitar solo towards the end is so far down in the mix you can barely hear it. Small quibble for such great music.

Funky Friday/ Leftfield

Bomb The Bass - Butterfingers (feat. Fujiya & Miyagi)
Plastilina Mosh - Going To Mars Bolton
The Oscillation - Gamelan Mindscape
David Byrne & Brian Eno - Poor Boy
Hypnotic Brass Ensemble - Sankofa
Black Devil Disco Club - For Hoped
Brazilian Girls - Good Times
Syclops - Where's Jason K
Black Affair - Sweet
Tussle - Titan
Long time no post. Yeah, I know. Last week began with a weekend road trip to Omaha, Nebraska for a wedding - woo-hoo! - and then the rest of the week just kind of slipped away. Today's selections should make up for it. New Bomb The Bass featuring Fujiya & Miyagi? Here you go then. Plastilina Mosh deliver a nice and spacy jam. The Oscillation provides some righteous post-punk riffage. Byrne & Eno have a new album out, and it is pretty great, as evidenced by Poor Boy. Sankofa is woozy Afrofunk from from an ace compilation - Lagos Shake - A Tony Allen Chop Up (cover pictured above) - of tunes Allen played drums on, some of them remixed by the likes of Diplo, Bonde do Role and Carl Craig. Black Devil delight with their trademark leftfield disco. Brazilian Girls are wacky in a good way. Syclops is Maurice Fulton and friends and is full of synthy goodness. Black Affair is Steve Mason, former frontman for The Beta Band, in full on electro pop mode. His album Pleasure Pressure Point has become a regular on the stereo, and is so refreshingly different from anything else he has done. Tussle are all about the mighty groove - feel the might beat and bass on Titan.

By Special Request/ Win

Win - You've Got The Power (Chocolate Thrills Mix)
1985
Originally posted 3/23/2006

Random/ Stormtrooper In Drag

Paul Gardiner - Stromtrooper In Drag
Featuring Gary Numan on vocals
1981

A Handful Of Covers

Travis - Killer Queen
Queen
CSS - Cannonball
The Breeders
Adele - Last Night
The Strokes
Dark Meat - Success
Iggy Pop
Bats For Lashes - A Forest
The Cure
Hot Chip - Sexual Healing
Japan - Ain't That Peculiar (Live)
Marvin Gaye
This Mortal Coil - Song To The Siren
Tim Buckley
It's an odds and sods assortment of tunes here; I'm not normally a big fan of Travis but I like this take on Queen. CSS does The Breeders and it is appropriately good. Adele rocks The Strokes and it's way harder than her album. Dark Meat bring their chaotic sprawl to an Iggy nugget, Bats For Lashes further spookifies The Cure and Hot Chip and Japan do Marvin Gaye. This Mortal Coil is really one of the best cover tunes ever, maybe one of the best tunes ever, and its all because of the gorgeous vocals of Elizabeth Fraser (Cocteau Twins). I defy you to not get gooseflesh listening to it...

Random

Wham! - Wham Rap (Enjoy What You Do) (12" Unsocial Mix)
1982

Object 47

Wire - Circumspect
Wire - Perspex Icon
Wire are back in action with Object 47, the 47th release of their thirty year career. That's right, 30 years. After several breakups and reunions, they reconvened in 1999 and began putting out records. They were loud and raging, almost metallic with grinding riffs. The sound was relentless and dense, and was quite different from the Wire of old. I liked it OK, but it is not easy listening. After some bitter fighting Bruce Gilbert left the band in 2004. The trio's latest offering is something of a return to the sort of music they played in the late '70s and into the '80s. There are catchy riffs and witty wordplay, spiky guitars, keyboard atmosphere, and a bit of electronics. A few of the grinding riffs remain, but they don't dominate the proceedings. It actually reminds me a lot of 2007's Art Pop by Colin Newman's other band Githead. I was a big fan of that record, and it is interesting to hear it's influence on Wire. If you're a fan of the classic Wire sound of old I think you will find this to be an interesting update of that sound - a good mix of the old, tricked out for the 21st century.

Funky Friday

Poni Hoax - Antibodies
N*E*R*D - You Know What
Underworld - Boy Boy Boy (Switch Mix)
Late Of The Pier - The Bears Are Coming
Diplo & Santogold - The Guns Of Brooklyn
Stevie Wonder - Boogie On Reggae Woman
Paul McCartney & Wings - Goodnight Tonight
The Juan Maclean - Give Me Every Little Thing
Estelle Vs. The Ting Tings - Shut Up, American Boy
Yoko Ono - Every Man Has A Woman Who Loves Him