Month: October 2003

“Remember Me” – British Sea Power

David Bowie on speed? The Motors meet the Sex Pistols? Not sure what this ultimately reminds me of, but as I thrill to the unbridled melodic guitar-based frenzy on the loose here, it suddenly doesn’t matter. Only in England do they do this, and I for one, am loving it. Apparently the band is quite the eccentric lot, complete with costumes, enigmatic album imagery, and an almost ferocious intensity in performance. Whether they end up an eccentric but forgotten U.K. flavor of the month or a memorably idiosyncratic institution within British pop history (like, say, the Smiths), it’s too soon to tell. But I’m suspecting these guys aren’t going to go away. By the way, when you hit the link, you’ll have to scroll down to the entries for September 30th (you’ll be on Pitchfork.com at that point). The song comes from the band’s album The Decline of British Sea Power, which came out last month.

“Marquee Moon” – Television

Much was made at the time, and ever since, of this band’s compelling but unusual approach to rock’n’roll. One of rock’s great two-lead-guitar bands, Television was the first, it seems, to feature jamming guitarists who didn’t root themselves in the structure of the blues. The results were unpredictable, electric, mysteriously satisfying, and resoundingly influential. The ever-watchful folks at Rhino Records have recently released a re-mastered and expanded version of Marquee Moon, the album which was this band’s memorable debut. And what the heck, Rhino’s even letting you listen to the whole thing online, here.

“Field of Fire” – For Stars

Carlos Foster’s voice is a heady amalgam of Neil Young’s and Thom Yorke’s; the sheer prettiness of this voice singing this melody is offset gratifyingly by a brisk but brooding rhythm section below and a minimalist, searing guitar line above. Nice stuff. It’s from the band’s first CD, released in 1999; they have made three albums so far, the most recent in 2001.

“The New Year” – Death Cab for Cutie

The “inside joke” name (it comes from an old Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band song) implies a much harsher, more nihilistic sound than this earnest, yearning band has, by a long shot. Front man Ben Gibbard’s refreshingly pure pop voice is a wonderful antidote for anyone whose ears have been pummeled by one David Matthews sound-alike too many set loose on the marketplace over the last few years. This one’s alternative without being weird, thoughtful without being morose, and catchy in an offhand but assured way. “The New Year” comes from the band’s new CD, Transatlanticism.

“Bessie Smith” – Norah Jones

Some artists use MP3s largely for live performances, which is great if you’re already a fan but less useful if you’re trying to get a feel for a song or album. On the other hand, for musicians who do interesting covers, live MP3s offer a potential wealth of worthy material. I don’t know which I like more, Jones’ performance here on this old nugget from the Band’s catalog, or the fact that she thought to sing it in the first place. Okay, there’s no out-doing the original, with Rick Danko’s evocative falsetto harmonies and Garth Hudson’s noodly organ-playing, but I always like when someone rescues a good song from oblivion, so I’ll take Norah gladly.

“Linoleum” – Tweaker (featuring David Sylvian)

Tweaker is the name that drummer Chris Vrenna is performing under since leaving the band Nine Inch Nails. This song is a beepy-boopy-crunchy sort of thing, brought alive by David Sylvian’s rich, atmospheric singing. (One-time leader of the group Japan, Sylvian himself is a hidden rock’n’roll treasure who does not surface often enough.) This song comes from the 2001 album The Attraction to All Things Uncertain, which is largely instrumental (Vrenna doesn’t sing, but uses guest vocalists when he needs them). I’m not sure if his industrial-meets-electronica sound is up my alley, but “Linoleum” is a cool little find, putting me back in the mind of 1981, for its Bowie-meets-Ultravox vibe.

“Fragile” – Cassandra Wilson

Yes, this is the Sting song, and leave it to Wilson to affirm for all of us that this is no fluke, it’s no mere cliche, it’s truly one of the great songs of our time. I kid you not. Listen to her deliver the crucial line (“Nothing comes from violence, nothing ever could”) and watch the goosebumps crawl up my arm (well, if you were here, you could). And then listen to how she plays with the chords along the way. She is a force of nature. Check out her unlikely version of “Lay Lady Lay,” also on this new album of hers, Glamoured, and also available to stream on the Blue Note web site.

“Tiny Voices” – Joe Henry

It’s a fine line, with Joe Henry, between hypnotic and soporific; this one lands in the former camp, I think. “Tiny Voices,” the title track from his new album, chugs along with a loopy sort of spaciousness, created by a Beatle-ish kind of kitchen-sink production—you never know what you’re going to hear in the background: clarinets, electric chimes, stray piano glissandos, who knows, and what the heck. Maybe I’ll get sick of it soon, but it charms me at this point, all six minutes, three-seven seconds of it.

“Rush Around” – Edie Brickell

Well, it’s more like half a song than a full song, and it’s languidness threatens to kill it before it leaves a trace, but damn if she doesn’t sound like an old friend after being gone for so long, and hey maybe she’s being kind of playful come to think of it, having a song called “Rush Around” that kicks back and takes its time. Not mind-blowing, certainly, but nice, precise, and worth a listen. But do it soon—this one involves a big-time record label push, so apparently the MP3 will self-destruct on your hard drive after 30 days.

[NOTE: This post, from Fingertips’ earliest months, was recreated from old archives to fit into the newer WordPress format after the fact.]