CD # 2
ROCKET’S REVOLUTION :
Rise Up & Listen
Hi CD Clubbers!
I am always listening to music, my days are like long music videos, and music always either magically matches my mood, or changes it, depending on what I need. Since it is such a strong influence, I’m sure you understand that it’s important to always be surrounded by good music. With this in mind, I wanted to pull together a compilation of tunes that offer tidbits of advice that remind us to rise up, listen and live!
1) Wash it down – K’Naan: Okidoke. We’re starting with some more K’Nann. I had this planned out long before DJ Pants’ compilation, honest, and though I toyed with removing it, I decided I felt fine including this track with the reasoning that I’m including him more for his CanCon connection. He is currently the toast of Toronto. I love this track because a) despite all the bullshit, we must remind ourselves, music is like water – we can’t live without it and b) the sound of music in the background is so comforting.
2) Parade – Pretty Girls Make Graves: A fun and poppy call to arms. Also: heard this while in some trendy store in Brooklyn, this song playing over and over again. Awesome staff rebellion and you could just picture a musical theatre number with them meeting in the back room, throwing down their push brooms, hanging up their apron ties, and storming out in a perfectly formed chorus line. I love it!
3) Gadje Sirba – A Hawk and a Hacksaw: a short musical interlude segueing our way into the 4-song series of Balkan beat music (happily, a region not on our world tour, so no overlap here).
4) Ultimate – Gogol Bordello: they say you either love or hate these guys, though a recent review stated those who don’t like Gogol Bordello don’t like fun, and I know you y’all like fun, so I felt safe putting them on. And if a reminder to have fun weren’t enough of a reason to be included on this compilation of life advice in song, the opening chorus is: “there were never any good old days, they are today, they are tomorrow, it’s a stupid thing we say, cursing tomorrow with sorrow.” Live in the now - Hoptza!
5) Adir Adam – Balkan Beat Box: I have never played a song that got the people dancing as quickly as this one does, so this song reminds us to get the people dancing!
6) Elephant Gun – Beirut: our final Balkan influenced tune, and honestly, since I’m weak with lyrics, I really have no idea what’s going on in this song. But I think this song is sublime. And sometimes in life, that’s all you need. The performer also has a funky back story – inspired by the Magnetic Fields, he dropped out of high school because he wanted to make music, made some albums, travelled, got caught up in the Balkan/gypsy movement, and made some more albums. And he’s all of 20. From this we take the notion that you need to live life like you want and if that’s sometimes just airy and light, that’s okay – not everything has to mean something.
7) Gore Veil – Deadly Snakes: I feel like there has been so much loss lately, so I had to include a song about our mortality. The end of this song concludes that maybe we’re here to for the simple things, that we need to cherish the quiet moments. Following in the wake of the Elephant Gun, momma music reiterates not everything has to mean something. I remind myself of this on the difficult days. Ba bad da ba.
8) Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist – Avenue Q: everyone is, so let’s just get over it, and get on with it, yeah? (for more detes on the play, see: http://www.avenueq.com/
9) You are What You Love – Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins: the first song in this compilation’s trio of love songs. Frankly, we need not look beyond the title for the important kernel from this song: you are what you love. Sage advice if ever I heard any. (Tidbit: Jenny Lewis is the lead singer for Rilo Kiley and stared as Shelley Long’s daughter in one of my fave old movies: Troop Beverley Hills).
10) No Sissies – Hawksley Workman: from my fave troubadour we learn that if we are what we love, then we shouldn’t love the sissies.
11) Absolutely Cuckoo – Magnetic Fields: and Stephen Merritt reminds us to stay away from the crazies, too. This concludes the trio of love songs - I hope we’ll each walk away a little clearer on love thanks to these tunes.
12) Us – Regina Spektor: nothing is forever – everything will decay, even statues. This is both relieving and sad, but important to remember. Also, in my head (I am, however, one of the crazies song 11 warns us to stay away from…), I decided this song was about the statue on this CD cover (Vera Mukhinas’s Worker and Kolhoznitsa), so this song had to be included.
13) Joyful Girl – Ani Difranco: because if we’re not doing it for the joy, then why bother?
14) Самоцветы – Всё, что в мире есть у меня – kids, basically, the most important advice I can leave with you: always finish with a showstopper. In this case: Soviet Disco.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Just Keep Your Pants On!
I have a secret to tell:
It's somebody's birthday today.
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday DJ Pa-ants
Happy Birthday to you!
Recently, while sitting in a cafe welcoming in my husband's birthday and, it felt like, co-celebrating the birthday of the fella at the next table, the hostess played a CD with no less than 20 versions of various birthday tunes.
Which got me to wondering: what's your favourite song to play at birthday time?
Also: CD 2 will be out shortly.
It's somebody's birthday today.
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday DJ Pa-ants
Happy Birthday to you!
Recently, while sitting in a cafe welcoming in my husband's birthday and, it felt like, co-celebrating the birthday of the fella at the next table, the hostess played a CD with no less than 20 versions of various birthday tunes.
Which got me to wondering: what's your favourite song to play at birthday time?
Also: CD 2 will be out shortly.
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Judging by the cover
Yes, it is time to pimp this blog with some pictures. Music is all fine, but the beauty of a great album cover is not to underestimate. So, as we have listed our desert island discs and outed our instrumental experience I hereby challenge you to start posting the best and worst looking album covers in your CD/LP collections (that is, for those of you who still buy actual records).
Above is the favourite among my covers: The 1976 Italian prog classic "Aquile e scoiattoli" (meaning "Eagles and squirrels") by Latte e miele (Milk and honey). If I ever get kids, I will make them look this way.
Next up, the un-coolest cover in my collection: Swedish band Big Money with the album "Moonraker", released in 1994. I once, mid-90's, read an article in a Swedish newspaper, where some American rock star (I don't remember who) was given the assignment to judge a couple of Swedish records by their covers. His verdict on this one was something like "it sucks", and that it looked like they had found the sword on their way to the photo shoot. I agree. The music, however, isn't that bad, the opening track might even appear on CDOTM # 11.
Now, bring me the fucking counterparts, man/woman!
/ a-funk
----
Sorry, someone mention late 80s hip hop and awesome tracksuits?
Above is the favourite among my covers: The 1976 Italian prog classic "Aquile e scoiattoli" (meaning "Eagles and squirrels") by Latte e miele (Milk and honey). If I ever get kids, I will make them look this way.
Next up, the un-coolest cover in my collection: Swedish band Big Money with the album "Moonraker", released in 1994. I once, mid-90's, read an article in a Swedish newspaper, where some American rock star (I don't remember who) was given the assignment to judge a couple of Swedish records by their covers. His verdict on this one was something like "it sucks", and that it looked like they had found the sword on their way to the photo shoot. I agree. The music, however, isn't that bad, the opening track might even appear on CDOTM # 11.
Now, bring me the fucking counterparts, man/woman!
/ a-funk
----
Sorry, someone mention late 80s hip hop and awesome tracksuits?
huxxx
and, apropos of very little, my favourite photo from picturelsofwalls.com
-------------------------
since it is impossible to beat the first album cover posted here for best, i'll skip straight to the worst. i knew that, sooner or later, my metal phase would come in handy. yes, i was a proud owner of this one:
and of course i had to check out picturesofwalls.com, where i found this appropriate gem:
dj pants
Thursday, August 2, 2007
changing of the guard
my dear friends,
while i have enjoyed my reign as the inaugural dj of the month, the time has come for me to step down. our fate now rests in the hands of dj rocket, and i have no doubt that she will come up with some inspirational tunes to get us through the dog days of august.
if i may borrow from the montreal canadiens dressing room (who apparently borrowed it from the poem "in flanders fields"), i'll say the following to dj rocket: "to you from failing hands we throw the torch, be yours to hold it high"
rock on. :)
dj pants
p.s. i'm waiting patiently for somebody else to set us up as a group on facebook...
while i have enjoyed my reign as the inaugural dj of the month, the time has come for me to step down. our fate now rests in the hands of dj rocket, and i have no doubt that she will come up with some inspirational tunes to get us through the dog days of august.
if i may borrow from the montreal canadiens dressing room (who apparently borrowed it from the poem "in flanders fields"), i'll say the following to dj rocket: "to you from failing hands we throw the torch, be yours to hold it high"
rock on. :)
dj pants
p.s. i'm waiting patiently for somebody else to set us up as a group on facebook...
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
CD number one - liner notes for "around the world in 80 minutes"
first i’d like to thank all the little people who helped me put this album together. actually, there’s nobody to thank. all the blood, sweat and tears that went into this cd are all my own. which means if you don’t like it, that’s my fault too. i can live with that.
the concept of the cd was to provide a musical trip around the world in 80 minutes, with no more than one stop in each location. so please forgive me a few things. first, we clearly stop in argentina twice. but the first stop is only 1:37 long, and it’s really just an introduction to song number two. next, we don’t exactly go consistently in an eastern direction, but i did try to stick to a sensible itinerary with very little backtracking. finally, i came as close to possible to 80 minutes as i could. i think i’m off by 17 seconds.
a’ight, down to the songs:
1. i love ska, and los fabulosos cadillacs do it very well. not quite as well as the specials, but not everybody can be as special as the specials. i couldn’t resist this song as an opener.
2. did you know what “el matador” means? this guy i know who breeds horses for a pastime didn’t know, and he named a beautiful arabian horse “el matador”. i had the unfortunate task of telling him that it means “the killer” (or, as the babelfish translator says, "the killing one". that translator is always good for a laugh). somehow i don’t think he minded. this song is a favourite of mine. the whistles are a great touch.
3. this song is from the cidade de deus soundtrack (that’s city of god for the non-portuguese speakers in the crowd). if you haven’t seen the film, you really must. this song satisfies my need for funk. if all of brazil was as cool as that movie and this song, i think we would have stayed a lot longer.
4. four songs in, and this is the fourth song with horns. did i mention i like horns? songs like this really make me want to discover more about african power pop music. this one is from a compilation called red hot + riot, which i highly recommend if you like this tune.
5. amadou & miriam are suddenly everywhere. i chose something with a bit more mali and a little less manu chao. regardless, it’s another great album.
6. if i had my choice of any artist in the world i’d like to see live, femi kuti would be at the top of the list. sadly, he was in ottawa for the blues festival two weeks after we moved to edmonton. that one hurt. i also like the fact that femi kuti isn't afraid to get political in his music. femi kuti really is a musical god.
7. i thought amy winehouse might make for a nice transition from africa to europe. i know she’s very hyped, but i think it’s well deserved. plus, a girl who sings about carpet burns is rather refreshing.
8. please forgive my fascination with french rap. i suppose i could have used a nouvelle vague song to represent france, but then i’d really be stealing from dj rocket. plus, i thought that mc solaar fit better here.
9. okay, i know it sounds argentinian, but one of the members of the gotan project is from switzerland! who knew?
10. carla bruni is an italian supermodel who sings delicious french songs. what’s not to like? plus, my wife walked down the aisle to a carla bruni song. i’ve just realized that this is the second song in a row from artists that were introduced to me by dj cola. thanks, buddy.
11. in case you recognize it, this is the tune that was running in the background all through “little miss sunshine”. i had discovered it about a year previously through salon.com’s audiofile. oh, and i can’t remember what these guys connection to russia is, but i guarantee you there is one.
12. another slightly liberal choice of location. k’naan is canadian, but he’s originally from somalia. if all his songs sounded this good, i’d be a huge fan.
13. if i told you the story of this song, you wouldn’t believe me.
14. i can understand if this song isn’t for everybody, especially the voice synthesizer, but i can’t help myself. i’m a bit embarrassed about it, but i reckon admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery. the truth is, i can’t get enough of this tune.
15. dr. pepper and i did PhDs together in the department of psychiatry (don’t worry, we’re not psychiatrists, we just play them on tv). this song was the unofficial theme song of our office. most of the dialogue in this song is from a wayne and schuster skit. after hearing this song a few times, just try and stop yourself from calling people “crazy in the coconut”.
16. i tossed this little gem on there as a transition to some vastly different songs to come. it helped that the dj was from japan. thanks to dj rocket for this one.
17. the quiet first 50 seconds bother me a bit in the middle of a mixed cd, but there wasn’t much i could do about that. these guys are american, but they are mexican-born. one of their fathers is a famous mexican mariachi singer. how happy was i to discover that?
18. i heard this tune on bbc radio 6 (the greatest radio station in the world, imho). the dj said “i think this song is still going to sound fantastic thirty years from now”. i’m inclined to agree. this song has dj cola written all over it. consider this a pre-emptive strike.
19. i figured that after a trip around the world everybody needs a rest. i love the great lake swimmers’ dreamy songs that seem perfect for hot summer nights (notice the crickets in the background in this one). plus, they’re canadian, and what better way to end an around the world cd than with a song called “this is not like home”?
i hope you liked this little trip. the phone lines are now open for your comments and criticisms...
dj pants
the concept of the cd was to provide a musical trip around the world in 80 minutes, with no more than one stop in each location. so please forgive me a few things. first, we clearly stop in argentina twice. but the first stop is only 1:37 long, and it’s really just an introduction to song number two. next, we don’t exactly go consistently in an eastern direction, but i did try to stick to a sensible itinerary with very little backtracking. finally, i came as close to possible to 80 minutes as i could. i think i’m off by 17 seconds.
a’ight, down to the songs:
1. i love ska, and los fabulosos cadillacs do it very well. not quite as well as the specials, but not everybody can be as special as the specials. i couldn’t resist this song as an opener.
2. did you know what “el matador” means? this guy i know who breeds horses for a pastime didn’t know, and he named a beautiful arabian horse “el matador”. i had the unfortunate task of telling him that it means “the killer” (or, as the babelfish translator says, "the killing one". that translator is always good for a laugh). somehow i don’t think he minded. this song is a favourite of mine. the whistles are a great touch.
3. this song is from the cidade de deus soundtrack (that’s city of god for the non-portuguese speakers in the crowd). if you haven’t seen the film, you really must. this song satisfies my need for funk. if all of brazil was as cool as that movie and this song, i think we would have stayed a lot longer.
4. four songs in, and this is the fourth song with horns. did i mention i like horns? songs like this really make me want to discover more about african power pop music. this one is from a compilation called red hot + riot, which i highly recommend if you like this tune.
5. amadou & miriam are suddenly everywhere. i chose something with a bit more mali and a little less manu chao. regardless, it’s another great album.
6. if i had my choice of any artist in the world i’d like to see live, femi kuti would be at the top of the list. sadly, he was in ottawa for the blues festival two weeks after we moved to edmonton. that one hurt. i also like the fact that femi kuti isn't afraid to get political in his music. femi kuti really is a musical god.
7. i thought amy winehouse might make for a nice transition from africa to europe. i know she’s very hyped, but i think it’s well deserved. plus, a girl who sings about carpet burns is rather refreshing.
8. please forgive my fascination with french rap. i suppose i could have used a nouvelle vague song to represent france, but then i’d really be stealing from dj rocket. plus, i thought that mc solaar fit better here.
9. okay, i know it sounds argentinian, but one of the members of the gotan project is from switzerland! who knew?
10. carla bruni is an italian supermodel who sings delicious french songs. what’s not to like? plus, my wife walked down the aisle to a carla bruni song. i’ve just realized that this is the second song in a row from artists that were introduced to me by dj cola. thanks, buddy.
11. in case you recognize it, this is the tune that was running in the background all through “little miss sunshine”. i had discovered it about a year previously through salon.com’s audiofile. oh, and i can’t remember what these guys connection to russia is, but i guarantee you there is one.
12. another slightly liberal choice of location. k’naan is canadian, but he’s originally from somalia. if all his songs sounded this good, i’d be a huge fan.
13. if i told you the story of this song, you wouldn’t believe me.
14. i can understand if this song isn’t for everybody, especially the voice synthesizer, but i can’t help myself. i’m a bit embarrassed about it, but i reckon admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery. the truth is, i can’t get enough of this tune.
15. dr. pepper and i did PhDs together in the department of psychiatry (don’t worry, we’re not psychiatrists, we just play them on tv). this song was the unofficial theme song of our office. most of the dialogue in this song is from a wayne and schuster skit. after hearing this song a few times, just try and stop yourself from calling people “crazy in the coconut”.
16. i tossed this little gem on there as a transition to some vastly different songs to come. it helped that the dj was from japan. thanks to dj rocket for this one.
17. the quiet first 50 seconds bother me a bit in the middle of a mixed cd, but there wasn’t much i could do about that. these guys are american, but they are mexican-born. one of their fathers is a famous mexican mariachi singer. how happy was i to discover that?
18. i heard this tune on bbc radio 6 (the greatest radio station in the world, imho). the dj said “i think this song is still going to sound fantastic thirty years from now”. i’m inclined to agree. this song has dj cola written all over it. consider this a pre-emptive strike.
19. i figured that after a trip around the world everybody needs a rest. i love the great lake swimmers’ dreamy songs that seem perfect for hot summer nights (notice the crickets in the background in this one). plus, they’re canadian, and what better way to end an around the world cd than with a song called “this is not like home”?
i hope you liked this little trip. the phone lines are now open for your comments and criticisms...
dj pants
Friday, July 20, 2007
Along for the ride...
I stumbled upon this today, thought it funny and decided to share. Heck, it might even be regarded as providing thematic accompaniment to "Frontier Psychiatrist," Track 15 on DJ Pants' fabulous first installment.
Paxilback, by Gray Kid.
Apologies if this is something everyone's seen, like, a million times.
I'm just not that with it.
ə
Paxilback, by Gray Kid.
Apologies if this is something everyone's seen, like, a million times.
I'm just not that with it.
ə
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