The Share-a-Song Thread

[Seb Patrick]

Anyone fancy discovering some new music from the diverse and divergent tastes of G&T’s regular posters? Let’s play a game, then.

THE RULES

1. First poster posts a link to a song they like – either an all-time favourite, a current earworm or just an I’d-like-someone-to-hear-this job. Youtube video, direct MP3 link, Myspace page with title of song… any way that someone can hear it without having to have an account somewhere, basically.

2. Next person to posts has to comment with what they think of the song. If you’re going to play, try to give things a fair chance even if they’re not your preferred genre, and be properly critical instead of just going “It’s shit!” or “It’s great!”

3. The first commenter on the song then gets to post a song of their own, and the whole thing continues with a tedious inevitability.

4. If you’ve missed your chance to be the next song-poster but you have something to say about an earlier song, then feel free to jump in and shoot your mouth off, but DON’T post a new song at the same time – let’s just try and keep one song “open” at any one time.

Make sense? Right, let’s go. I can’t stop listening to this at the moment, it’s from a Portland, Oregon band called The Thermals, and it’s called “No Culture Icons” :

Wonderfully lo-fi, simple and – as put so well by my friend Daniel – it “does what it needs to do and then fucks off without outstaying its welcome”. I love the terse lyrics as well, particularly the punnish use of “no/know” (e.g. “No one ideal, know what I feel, no two the same, know two with the same name”). It’s just brilliantly ramshackle and pure, plus the video is endearingly (albeit knowingly) crap and entertaining. They’ve since tightened up a bit, and their third album is a brilliant concept album built around religious satire, but this is a cracking introduction. Every time I hear it I have to hit “back” as soon as it finishes.

Topic

[Smeg4Brains]

I can’t say I agree with you there Seb. The weird thing is this is the sort of music I would usually listen to but something just didn’t “click” with this song. I don’t know if it’s the poor sound quality or just the fact that half the lyrics are indistinguishable.

Anyway, have a listen to this, “Hurt” by the legend that is Johnny Cash.

The embed doesn’t seem to be working so here’s the link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AO9dbmJ_2zU

[Seb Patrick]

>The embed doesn?t seem to be working

If you go to “input format” and change it to “Full HTML”, Youtube embedding should work…

[Smeg4Brains]

Where is “Input Format”?

[Jonathan Capps]

> If you go to ?input format? and change it to ?Full HTML?

I think it’s only admin users who have that option, Seb.

[Seb Patrick]

That would make all kinds of sense, yes.

Er, anyway, we’ve drifted from the topic somewhat. Anyone else want to play?

[Andrew]

> Anyway, have a listen to this, ?Hurt? by the legend that is Johnny Cash.

It’s what I’d call a soundtrack song – something I’d struggle to appreciate on its own, but could see working during a Danny Boyle sequence. Cash’s voice is obviously past its best, and there’s kind of a deliberate novelty to so melancholy a cover. On its own terms its not for me – but then my musical tastes are a little…messy.

Speaking of which:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=x7IryEZm5uM

The video’s rubbish, but the song’s great – if you can get past the ghastly audio transfer. The Blessing came and went in two albums and barely grazed the chart despite two separate releases of Highway 5…but it’s a nice bit of soul-rock with a neat hook and a catchy lyric.

[pfm]

> The video?s rubbish, but the song?s great

Yeah I think you’re right there. Not about the first bit though, or the second bit. Sorry but I just don’t get on with this sort of track, anything from the late ’80s/early ’90s, unless it’s got more bite to it or out and out rock. The guy’s voice is a little painful too. The video’s actually pretty entertaining in it’s…littered madness. I like the girl in it, she looks familiar but if she’s famous I just can’t place her.

Now, here we go with one of my all-time top 5 songs in the world ever ever! I honestly don’t think a day goes by without me hearing it, no kidding. The soundtrack compilation of my life would probably begin AND end with this song –

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=5uZr3JWYdy8

[Seb Patrick]

I hate you so much.

[Smeg4Brains]

It took a while for me to realise that monkey was taking the piss.
At least I hope he is.

Does it even deserve a review?

[Seb Patrick]

I’ll leave that up to whomever wants to next post a song ;-)

[Michael Warren]

I think the level of skill in creating it deserves some kudos… assuming it not just a case of importing the song into the program…

[Seb Patrick]

That link’s been edited, it was a straightforward RickRoll when I last checked it ;-)

[Danny Stephenson]

i believe you can create tunes from using a txt like code, but that in itself is a lot of work. I was going to try to make some sonic tunes in a very ironic way, but some git has already thought of it.

[pfm]

OK OK forget that (though Never Gonna Give You Up actually is a great song…). I’ve gotta stop fucking around, honestly. Here is a good song that I truly do like by my favourite guitar player of all-time, John Frusciante. It’s Wednesday’s Song –

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=HrbTJl5iVp4

An interesting (or not) fact is that this song, and the whole album I suppose, reminds me of playing Kingdom Hearts on the PS2. There’s no connection, just that I was listening to Shadows Collide With People like crazy at that time. Most people remember old girlfriends or something meaningful when they hear certain songs but I fucking think of Donald, Goofy and Sora… That’s the power of the Keyblade! Also the power of one of the coolest people (not when he was on heroin…) ever to pick up a guitar this side of Hendrix and Page.

[Tanya Jones]

Well, I can hear it’s very good, but it doesn’t excite me, unfortunately, but then I don’t listen to that genre very much. This DOES excite me, though;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsGsZgHd02k

I hadn’t actually seen the video for Bis’ Eurodisco before looking it up on YouTube for this post, but it’s probably one of my favourite songs. When I went to see their penultimate gig in Exeter, I jumped up and down throughout this song, which is some feat for someone with my body type. Oh, I *love* it.

Oh, and I quite enjoyed Seb’s contribution, by the way!

[Seb Patrick]

Ah, Bis. I like some stuff of theirs, and find it amusing that they ended up doing the Powerpuff Girls closing theme, but “Eurodisco” isn’t really my kind of thing. It’s too… well, Eurodiscoey ;-) Preferred “Kandy Pop”, to be honest…

Right, so I wanted to get some Pavement in the thread, what with them being in my book one of the absolute most influential bands of the ’90s. Wasn’t sure what would serve as the best introduction if you’ve really not heard them before, but “Shady Lane” has got such a lovelylovelylovely chorus that I went for that. If you like the sound of that, though, be sure to check out “Stereo”, “Cut Your Hair” and the absolutely majestic “Carrot Rope”…

[Seb Patrick]

Right, so you’re all boring bastards. And I don’t know what makes me think that, since no-one bothered to listen to/comment on one of the most important bands of the ’90s, you’ll pay any attention to another quirky indie band from across the pond (Canada, this time) – but I refuse to let this idea die, and having just discovered the joy and wonder of this fantastic (but sadly short-lived) band known as The Unicorns, I’m throwing this one out. Do with it as you will.

[pfm]

> on one of the most important bands of the ?90s

Perhaps they did influence a couple of future bands. Perhaps Athlete and *insert similar acts*, who sometimes sound a bit like a depressing version of Pavement. Also there’s no way Graham Coxon didn’t listen to them at some point. I don’t buy the idea that they were so important though. I like the fact that they take the piss out of the Pumpkins on Range Life and yet half the time they sound like they’re trying to be like them, but with stupid vocals. He just sounds like a spoilt child on that.

[Ridley]

[Arlene Rimmer BSc SSc]

The Olivia Tremor Control’s “Define a Transparent Dream” and “Jumping Fences“. Not bad if you like some nice psychedelic rock. (God I hope those links work for people outside the U.S.)

[Author]

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