1. "She's Long Gone"--The Black Keys, Brothers:
These guys seem particularly hot right now. This album brought them to my attention and seems to be the one to get them spots on late night television. They just released a new album and were on SNL, one of the few musical acts on SNL recently that has been watchable. I definitely get the hype and like what they do. I am not completely hooked, but only because the bluesy hooks are only good for me in small doses. IMO, they are kind of a newer and slightly mellower version of the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. NO SHAME.
2. "Miner's Prayer"--Dwight Yoakam, Dwight Live:
I definitely dig Dwight Yoakam. I don't listen to him a ton, but he is old school country for me. My friend Danny has kept me into Dwight. To be honest, at least half the reason I love Dwight Yoakam is due to his portrayal of Doyle Hargraves in the movie Sling Blade; he is absolutely brilliant in that movie. I like his live albums as well. NO SHAME.
3. "Don't Stop"--Fleetwood Mac, Rumors:
I suppose my appreciation of Rumors will give away my age to a big degree (not that I haven't already with all of my 80s rock references). It is definitely one of the best albums from the era. Great songwriting and strong beginning to end. I grew up with good ole' album rock radio in the 70s and 80s. Fleetwood Mac was a radio band for me. Later, I bought the full album, as well as their greatest hits. This song is on both and a true Fleetwood Mac staple. NO SHAME.
4. "Little Saint Nick"--The Beach Boys, Now That's What I Call Christmas:
My friend Mark hooked me up with most of the Christmas music that I own. This song pops up about a month too late. I did see the Beach Boys live when they played a post-game show in the Astrodome after an Astros game. I was pretty young. Not a huge Beach Boys fan, but they bring out some nostalgia. Given it is January, this song is a MEH for this shuffle.
5. "Dumb it Down"--Office of Future Plans, S/T:
In contrast to the last song, this song is perfectly timed. I hinted that this album would come out in some of my earliest posts when some Jawbox covers came up. Office of Future Plans is J. Robbins's new band (formerly of Government Issue, Jawbox, Burning Airlines, and Channels). Cellist Gordon Withers, who came up in those two previous shuffles covering Jawbox songs, is in this band as well. The album is a Dischord Records release and has not disappointed. I think it is J.'s best stuff since Jawbox. A new release, on heavy rotation currently, and SHUFFLE GOLD!!
Enjoying the blog, Blake! Keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteNo shame, but I'd skip Don't Stop simply because it is so overplayed. Given that it is as election year, I'd wager that one or more candidates will use it in their campaign.
ReplyDeleteI keep trying to like Black Keys. Maybe one of these days, they'll click with me.
Indeed, I remember Clinton using "Don't Stop" a lot. In particular, I have an image of a bunch of suits dancing around on a stage after he won the election, doing the "white man's overbite" to this song blaring in the background. However, I could not punish the Mac for that; plus, Rumours is an awesome album.
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