Thursday, June 16, 2005

TAKE FIVE

Nicked from Yorkshire Soul, by gum.

Top Five Lyrics that Move Your Heart
As most others have done, I'll preface this by saying that I'm not a great song lyric fan.
1. I have no idea what the words mean, but Sigur Ros's "svefn-g-englar" moves me.
2. "Two Step" by Duluth miserablists Low.
3. Todd Rundgren's self-absorbed "Hello, it's me".
4. "Tears are in your eyes" - Yo la Tengo.
5. "Wharf Rat" - Grateful Dead: odd choice I know.

Top 5 Instrumentals
Ok, as I can make up the rules, I'll leave out classical music, otherwise I'd probably have to fill three spots with Beethoven symphonies (minus the 9th which of course has lyrics).
1. "Fracture" by King Crimson, preferably on one of the multitude of live releases and with the bass mix turned way up.
2. "Ten Day Interval" Tortoise complete with at least three vibraphones. (in fact you could choose any track on "TNT".
3. You could pick any number of Mogwai tunes as they eschew lyrics for the most part. But I chose by a short nose over "New Paths to Helicon Part 1", "Superheroes of BMX". Though you can find it on the "Government Commissions", BBC sessions album, I urge you to search out the original single version.
4. Another all instrumental post-rock outfit - Godspeed You! Black Emperor. I chose the final track from "Yanqui UXO".
5. The whole of "Ocean Soings" by the Dirty Three.

Top 5 Live Musical Experiences
1. Godspeed You Black Emperor! In a church in Baltimore, sometime late in 2000. Quite the right atmosphere to hear their thunderous music. The lack of heating, seating or booze was outweighed by an awesome set.
2. eels, Queen Elizabeth Hall, June 2005. I know it was only a few days ago, but this was one of the most perfect concerts I've witnessed.
3. Again in Baltimore, a tiny club I don't remember, but Yo La Tengo were superb. Just the right ambience and a stellar set.
4. A Proms concert from way back when. Vaughn Williams fifth symphony.
5. It's tough to chose the fifth. I could go for Mogwai's first US gig at Washington's Black Cat club, a couple of Chicago Underground Duo gigs (Washington, again, and a hot night at the Spitz in London), Peter Gabriel at Stony Brook University (the first live gig I saw) or Do Make Say Think (again at the Spitz). But, Low at the Union Chapel in Nov or Dec 2001 wins.

Top Five Artists You Think More People Should Listen To
1. The Czars - smooth as velvet voice, heartfelt lyrics.
2. Glenn Gould - late Canadian pianist whose interpretations of Bach are unique and challenging.
3. Country renegade Steve Earle.
4. Yorkshire's folk-hopsters, Hood.
5. Stereolab. Groovy Anglo-French popsters.

Top Five Albums You Must Hear From Start to Finish
Whatever that means...
1. "Officium" - Jan Garbarek and the Hilliard Ensemble. Beautiful devotional music accompanied by saxophone. Sounds a odd mix, but I urge you to buy this record.
2. Very new, so not sure it will stand the test of time, but "blinking lights and other revelations" by eels is already one of my albums of 2005.
3. Led Zeppelin III
4. "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" - Genesis (well, one prog rock effort had to squeeze in there and it wasn't going to be "Tales of Topographic Oceans"!)
5. "Grace" - Jeff Buckley. Every song a cracker. Why did he go swimming in that river?

Top Five Musical Heroes
1. Robert Fripp. King Crimson guitarist from the group's inception in 1969, occasional solo artist. His Frippertronic concerts are not to be missed.
2. Thijs van Leer. An early hero. Keyboard player, flautist, vocalist and yodeller (!) with Dutch 70s prog-rock group Focus.
3. I'm making up the rules again. This time I'll include classical composers. So, J.S. Bach fills one spot.
4. Luke, who steered me in the new musical directions.
5. Norwegian jazz saxophonist Jan Garbarek, despite the near new age veerings, has produced some sublime, dark and wonderful music.

Top 5 intros
1. "World in Motion" - New Order & Kenneth Wolstenholme
2. "Love Reign O'er Me" - the Who/Quadrophenia
3. The clunking of the car door and digitised voice from Kraftwerk's "Autobahn"
4. "Gimme Shelter" - the Stones
5. Marvin Gaye - "What's Going on"

Top 5 songs that take me right back

1. "Mr & Mrs Jones" - Billy Paul (I used to have thing for Philly Soul)
2. "Roxanne" - the Police (oh dear)
3. Shame-faced, I admit it: "Crocodile Rock" by Elton John
4. "Hocus Pocus" by Focus
5. "Body Talk" - Imagination. One of my flatmates at uni used to dance rather over-enthusiatically around our kitchen to this.

Top 5 Cover Versions
1. Just about thing done by Yo La Tengo - the ultimate cover band - most bizarre of which is "Nuclear War" by fruitbat/hatstand Sun Ra.
2. "Feerless" - the Floyd tune re-worked by Low
3. Oasis - well, everything is a rip-off of the Beatles isn't it?
4. "Cortez the Killer" - Built to Spill's epic version of the Neil Young dirge.
5. janis Joplin's version of Kris Kristofferson's "Me and Bobby McGee"

:: Posted by pete @ 20:44