What We're Listening To Wednesdays - 06/10/15 Edition

Fran - Clutch / The Regulator & Hall & Oates / Sara Smile

I was introduced to Clutch by a co-worker I barely knew.  He came into my office one day, plopped down Blast Tyrant on my desk and said, "Listen to it".  I don't like being told what to do so I didn't.  I put it aside and forgot about it.  About six months later I was cleaning my office and found it so I decided to give it a spin.  I was blown away from the opening song.  When I told my co-worker how I liked it he laughed and said, "I knew you would".  He said how they play it at every Eagles tailgate and someone asks who it is every time.

Since then I have seen them in concert, even taking both of my boys with me. It was my youngest's first concert at 10 years old.

I hadn't listened to them in quite sometime until I ran across a feature Clutch is doing on their Facebook page.  They are going through some of their catalog and explaining how the song came about.  "The Regulator" was this week's song.  It is just as good as the first time I heard it.

Next installment of Neil's commentary series - The Regulator.
Posted by Clutch on Monday, June 1, 2015

There is a new venue coming to Philly called The Fillmore Philadelphia.  It is a Live Nation venue opening up in the Fishtown Section of Philly which has been going through a revitalization.  Last week they finally announced their first show this fall and it is Philly natives Hall & Oates.  "Sara Smile" may have been AM radio fodder back in 1976 but listening to it today it truly encapsulated Philly Soul.  I have a great respect for this song.

Gita - D'Angelo / Sugah Daddy

I love D'Angelo's Black Messiah album to pieces. But there's this song I love in particular - "Sugah Daddy." Sweet potato, it's a good one. After all, it was his first official single in some 15 years. Contagious country-funk, crazy squalls and raspy guitars all wrapped up in fine studio treatment. Let's not forget about amazing piano and horns. Epic.

Joel - Jeremy Enigk / The Shade and the Black Hat

This song is from Jeremy Enigk's Return of the Frog Queen. It's always been a favorite of mine and I just plain think it's a beautiful song. I don't have much to say about it other than that.

Scott - The Poster Children / If You See Kay 

Good gawd damn! This song still gets me thrashing about a room. The Poster Children should have been huge in the Nirvana era. Sadly, they were bit players in the grand scheme of 90s alt-rock, But their fans are still loyal to this day. If you don't know this song, get ready to discover your new favorite band.

Stephanie - Amanda Palmer / The Killing Type & So What / Ani DiFranco

I don't typically identify with most female writers/singers/bands.  They're either too whiny or try too hard with the sexual double entendres (see Halestorm for examples of this).  But there are some out there who deserve some love. 

First up, we have Amanda Palmer.  My favorite Amanda Palmer song is "The Killing Type".  She puts what every girl thinks about some guy sometime in their lives so succinctly and perfectly.  Girls often feel too much, I know this.  We go overboard sometimes and get carried away.  But the opposite of that, the far more tragic end of that, is being unfeeling and cold.  The unbreakable, unreachable, unattainable facade.  What a sad way to live, in my opinion.

"But I would kill to make you feel.  I'd kill to move your face an inch.  I'm saying it now, I'm saying it so even if you never hear this song somebody else will know."

My next pick is one of my favorites by Ani DiFranco.  I can't choose just one favorite by her.  Her lyrics floor me each time I hear one of her songs, even when I've heard it hundreds of times.  I think this song is the aftermath of what Amanda was singing about above.

"Who's gonna give a shit, who's gonna take the call when you find out that the road ahead is painted on the wall?  And you're turned up to top volume and you're just sitting there in pause with your feral little secret scratching at you with its claws.  And you're trying hard to figure out just exactly how you feel before you end up parked and sobbing, forehead on the steering wheel.  Who are you now, and who were you then, that you thought somehow you could just pretend that you could figure it all out, the mathematics of regret.  So it takes two beers to remember now and five to forget I loved you so.  Yeah, I loved you.  So what?"

"How many times undone can one person be as they're careening through the facade of their favorite fantasy?  You just close your eyes slowly like you're waiting for a kiss and hope some lowly little power will pull you out of this.  But none comes at first and little comes at all.  When inspiration finally hits you, it barely even breaks your fall.  And who were you then and who are you now that you can't pretend that you could figure it all out?  Subtract out the impact and the fall is all you get.  So it takes two beers to remember now and three more to forget I loved you so.  Yeah, I loved you.  So what?  Yeah, I loved you.  So what?  Yeah, I loved you.  So what?"

Cathi - Lazlo Bane ft Colin Hay / Overkill

I was supposed to see Colin Hay open for the Violent Femmes tonight, but when this venue puts 6:45 on their tickets, they mean that's when the opener starts. And then they only play for 15 minutes. I'm disappointed to have missed him so here's one of my favorite tunes of his, but as covered by Lazlo Bane. Though I always loved Men At Work's version, and Hay's acoustic version is also nice, I prefer this one on which Hay simply makes a guest appearance.

The first time I heard this cover I had no idea Colin Hay sang on it, so when his voice came in from out of nowhere I had one of those moments with music that people like me live for—when you actually get breathless. His vocals are flawless. Maybe one of my favorite covers.

Shane - The Bunny The Bear / The Seeds We Sow

Because you can't make this shit up!  Seriously bro, I just got this CD on a whim and I fuckin' love these guys!  I don't know of any other band that sounds like these guys. Some people might think, "Oh just another screamo band" but no bro. .the writing is unique and bad fuckin' ass!

 

See you when the needle drops!

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