Double Date with Boppin' Brothers

I'm pretty smart, so I figure stuff out mighty quick. I realized a while back, that although every brother and every sister (singletons too) in the universe loved my mixes, the sheer volume (oh!) of songs on a full mix was overwhelming to some.

---Download recent mix, "AMX: Black Mask McGuffin"
---(including the Everly Brothers' "Cathy's Clown")


(on that YouTube thing, here)

I used to present you with a list of 9-18 songs, all of which present an enticing new world of musical innovation, but which may not be familiar names. Along with that was the link for the mix. But what happened was that most people would skim the list, and skip the link.

It makes sense, after all those words (signifying next to nothing), to forget the link.
But folks, it's not good for you- these bands could be your life; last night a DJ could have saved your life...
So, what I did, see, was to give you a single song off the mix- so you could hear the geniuses, instead of just reading the geniuses' names.
Here, the geniuses are the Everly Brothers.
Then a little later, I would drop another 'single' off the mix. Let you get an idea of what was on the mix, over time.
Give it a listen, and if you like it, you can 'get loaded' with some similar songs, --here--

(((Here are the 'other brother' songs on the rest of the mix:
When You're Alone: Jerry Butler. Someday : Ricky Nelson. Don't Make Me Over: Dionne Warwick;
Cathy's Clown : The Everly Brothers. Sexy Mama : The Moments. Honky Tonk: Duane Eddy;
I'll Guess I'll Have To Cry Cry Cry : James Brown. Play It Fair : DeeDee Sharp & Chubby Checker. If It Don't Turn You On (you oughta leave it alone): BT Express;
Maybe More : The Carlisles. I'm Glad You're Mine : Al Green. My Heart is an Open Book : Carl Dobkins;
Be Real : Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes. Be Honest With Me : Billy Brown. Oh, Pretty Woman : Al Green. Never Gonna Give You Up : Jerry Butler )))

This song is so great, that another great song talks about it. Elliot Smith's "Waltz #2" has a character sing the song at karaoke.


(note that the album above has "great songs for listening or dancing")

But instead of listening to Elliot's song, why don't you listen to a live version of "Cathy's Clown" by the Everly Brothers? It's on old TV, so it's got that old oddball flavor to it.



And you know, looking at this video, I am starting to suspect that the Everly Brothers might actually be brothers. The Righteous Brothers are not brothers, okay, so you know, you have to be careful about what lineages you assume.

This Is Not A Joke

I've been watching some more movies lately, a few of them Westerns.
Also been listening to almost only old records. A few of them old country.
A nice fit, that.


YouTube video of a fun and funny old tune, "Evil on Your Mind" by Jane Morgan
Download an even better version here: "Evil On Your Mind", Judy Lynn

Most Westerns that I've seen awfully serious, though, and a lot of classic country is joshing, joking around. Not too surprising: why would ('western') film have anything to do with ('country and western') music?
I mean, a silly case in point: old western movies are in black and white; old C'n'W music is neither black'n'white nor in color.
Because music is invisible.
(However, music is not immaterial, or non-physical: sound is nothing but moving air and the vibrations that air causes in your body.)
My point is, the arts don't really have that much in common; they are more distinct than similar.
Which is part of the reason that music doesn't need words, as I boldly and clearly stated in the last post.
Words are poetry, or literature. Music is not poetry, or literature. You don't demand that all your paintings have words in them, do you?



"Keep your Apollonian Narrative off My Dionsysian Body!" That's what I say!

But, that said, if you are going to have words, you might as well tell a story. Country does that: old or new, perennially telling stories. If you must use words, I implore you: instead of mouthing vacuous truisms (which are so vague as to become false), create a character, have interactions that make something happen (but please, don't try to 'make a point', pffff), or at least, crack a joke.

Better Living Through Explosives

Last night was good, for two primary reasons.
First, St. Patty's Month was not as horrible as you might think. I was in Old City (oof), which should have been real real yucky. There were hardly any green hats, hardly any beads, etc. Negatively good: the absence of obnoxiousness. Phew.

Second, more positively good: Neil had some Irish friends in town; these friends have a band; this band has good songs (at Rhapsody) . They're called Butterfly Explosion (Myspace).
We went to the Khyber, which I love but hadn't been to in a minute. You know that High Lifes (High Lives?) are only $2.50 there? Downstairs even (upstairs beers are always crazy cheap). I'll be darned.


Butterfly Explosion on YouTube
Butterfly Explosion sound like M83 with less synthesized business (as Neil accurately stated). They do have a keyboard, but it's more for an extra layer of sound, not for beeps and bloops.
Or like Mogwai, but less often loud. 2 or 3 songs got 'Mogwai loud'...
...this would be an explosion, in Mogwai mode:

...

but the bulk built and waned without ever making a huge crashing. So mellower than Mogwai, but not crybaby-mellow. Just more restrained, like so...


Most of the songs didn't have words, which is a strong merit. Songs don't need words! If you require your music to have words- a non-musical element, of course- I think there may be something wrong with you.
There is probably something wrong with you regardless.