The Smiths

This post about the Smiths is going to be tricky. I've had their singles collection on hard disks past and present since 2005. But I didn't really like them until...today.

The Smiths have been lurking about in my cultural consciousness since 2004 or so. I think I read about them in an article about Radiohead. They were described as the quintessential 1980s British indie band. As I began to expand my understanding of rock history, their name kept popping up. A rock geek like me is supposed to like the Smiths. Apparently they returned guitar rock to the charts in the UK, paving the way for bands like the Stone Roses, and eventually the whole Britpop scene. Artists I like used to listen to them. They have this cool factor. Noel Gallagher described the first time he saw the Smiths perform on Top of the Pops. He said, slightly sheepishly, that for a moment he wanted to be Johnny Marr. Those days Marr looked pretty sharp -- like a combination of Roger McGuinn and Keith Richards maybe (when they were young of course).

People I know like the Smiths. One of my friends expressed suprise when I said I didn't like them, because he thought I was the type who would like them. I react very strangely to this kind of pigeonholing. On one level, I hate to think of my tastes as predictable. On the other hand, I'm always looking for a new band to obsess about. So I end up being both curious and suspicious. This happened with Dave Matthews Band, and with Jethro Tull. Even Radiohead. When a band takes a while to grow on me, the appreciation becomes much more intense than when it's love at first listen.

Instrumentally, there's no particular reason for me not to like the Smiths. They occupy that space of jangly guitars and jaunty rhythms that I know and love. Johnny Marr knows his riffs. My problem was always with Morrissey, who seems to clash so strongly with the band that backs him up. He sounds like a manic-depressive crooner, yodeling morbid, angst-ridden teenage poetry ("Heaven knows I'm miserable now"). Sometimes his lyrics put me in mind of someone confused about his sexuality ("This Charming Man" - creepy). He swings gladioli around on stage. He doesn't look all that feminine, so the cut of his jaw doesn't match the cut of his jibe, if you follow me. And there's that hair.

I've been listening to their Best Of sporadically since 2005 or so. I can sing along with the choruses of songs I can't name. I even passed them on to my friends while they were in Bombay. "Heaven knows I'm miserable now" is permanently associated with Tommy and the gang in that tiny flat/artist's pad. One evening Tommy told me that he had come back after a really rough day at work, and that song was playing.

Today I was sitting in the library reading Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations. (I also read a research paper. I'm not completely jobless.) I was listening to the Smiths, tucked away in a cozy corner of the philosophy and religion section, with a shaft of afternoon light warming my back.

And after three years, something clicked. I always liked "How Soon is Now". The guitar work covered up the somewhat embarrassing line "I am human and I want to be loved." One song does not a fan make. I started liking "Panic" recently. But two songs is still a bit iffy. Today I heard "Ask". Initially I was wary about the lyrics. Shyness and Coyness and all. But somehow I opened up to the words -- I could relate! The song was written for shy people like me! I heard it three times back-to-back. It probably won't cure my shyness, but it feels good to hear it anyway!

So now I like (at least) three songs! That's triangulation! I have an access point. A foot in the door, so to speak. Perhaps in the next few days I'll even start liking songs like "William it was really nothing" or "The boy with a thorn in his side." (Right now they still elicit slight shudders).

Here are three excellent Smiths songs. And you know what? Even the lyrics and vocals are growing on me.

The Smiths -- What Difference Does It Make? [mp3] [youtube]

The Smiths -- Ask [mp3] [youtube] [lyrics]

The Smiths -- Panic [mp3] [youtube]

"Burn down the disco
Hang the blessed DJ
Because the music that they constantly play
It says nothing to me about my life."

For a Limited Time Only! (FIXED)

T asked me to make a good old fashioned mixtape, and I have obliged. Salil made one too, and you can find it at The Rant Reader. It's good. Dancy and all. Multi-culti, even.

My list isn't particularly new, but most of the songs are from this decade. I've thrown in some oldies, and a cover of a Dylan song, because they've been on heavy rotation. Most of the songs aren't that weird. Except the Animal Collective single. I think the collection moves along nicely.

1. Mama Cass - Make Your Own Kind Of Music [1]
2. T. Rex - Ride a White Swan
3. Pete and The Pirates - Come On Feet
4. The Rumble Strips - Alarm Clock
5. Animal Collective - Peacebone
6. Cansei De Ser Sexy - Let's Make Love And Listen To Death From Above
7. The Magnetic Fields - Absolutely Cuckoo
8. The Fiery Furnaces - We Got Back The Plague [8]
9. Beirut - Scenic World [9]
10. MGMT - Pieces of What
11. The National - Apartment Story
12. The Band - The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down (Live)
13. Davy Graham - Anji [13]
14. Jim James & Calexico - Goin' To Acapulco (Dylan Cover)
15. The Strokes - Between Love & Hate
    
16. Glasvegas - Go Square Go [16]
17. Guillemots - Annie, Let's Not Wait
18. Amy Macdonald - The Road To Home

Enjoy!

megaupload.com/?d=38WCOOQK

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[1] Mama Cass was one of the Mamas from the Mamas and the Papas.
[8] I love their quirky take on the blues.
[9] This is a gloriously synth-y exception to their American Gypsy sound.
[13] Davy Graham was an extremely influential British guitarist. Paul Simon learned a trick or two from him, and Jimmy Page has stolen some of his licks, cheeky magpie that he is.
[16] I recommend hunting for their lyrics.

"Madam, you have between your legs an instrument capable of giving pleasure to thousands, and all you can do is scratch it!"

~ English conductor Sir Thomas Beecham commenting on a cello player's talent.

Although this is an arbitrary post to pick up after being AWOL for so long, but I really don't want to talk about life, universe, or anything else along those lines.

I have been listening to some western classical music since December last year. No apparent reason, just happened to stumble across it as I was aimlessly trying to find something interesting to distract me while waiting for a job... which, by the way, I still haven't found, so I would appreciate any help anyone could give me.

Anyway, on to the subject at hand. This is not meant to be pretentious. I am musically talentless, tone-deaf, if you will. Nor am I educated in the jargon. I don't claim to be a connoisseur, these are just some of the pieces I have truly enjoyed listening to, some over and over again in our media library selection... a top 10 pick. I have provided a few links to some of the pieces on youtube, but most are of poor quality not to mention in incomplete parts, but will give you a sense of the piece.

1. Sergei Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto#2, Op. 18
Compared to the chaps we are familiar with, Rachmaninoff is fairly contemporary (d. 1943). He wrote this piece recovering from severe depression and a particularly dirty break-up with his wife. Although not as famous as his Piano Concerto#3, this is a powerful piece and the first movement is absolutely spellbinding. A virtuoso himself he often played this as a part of his repertoire. There are lots of renditions... Arcadi Volodos, Sergei Vassiljevitsj, Evgeny Kissin, but my favorite has to be Alexis Weisenberg with the Berlin Philharmonic conducted by the late (Nazi!) Herbert von Karajan. The clip is a little messed up in the beginning but it's Karajan and Weisenberg.

2. Sergei Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto#3, Op. 30
His most famous composition, and reputedly extremely hard to play well. Although, I personally prefer #2, #3 requires more deftness and technical fingering, or so I am told by resident piano experts at Hamilton. I have only heard two renditions, but 69 year old Vladimir Horowitz playing under the baton of Zubin Mehta in 1978 was absolutely spectacular. Clip of the first part of the first movement.

3. Camille Saint-Saens' Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 28
Although considered repetitive or even boring, along with Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto #1, Op. 35, this is my favorite piece for the violin. Again there are many renditions, Itzhak Perlman, Jascha Heifetz, etc. The one that really captured me was 14-year old Viviane Hagner performing with the Israeli and Berlin Philharmonic in Tel Aviv in 1990 under Zubin Mehta. There was something about that performance that was just right...see for yourself.

4. Pyotr Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto#1, Op. 35
When this composition premiered it was major failure and most violinists of the time refused to play it, but today it is concerned as one of the best pieces for the violin and virtuosos covet to play the solo. I have mixed feelings about this. At times, it is sublime, at times it sounds discordant and scratchy, more of an experiment with the instrument than the results of success. Nevertheless, 18 year Akiko Suwanai, prize winner at the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow has played a beautiful rendition. Jascha Heifetz's is the most famous, but I still prefer Suwanai. First part of the first movement.

5. Maurice Ravel's Miroirs 4: "Alborada del Gracioso"
French. In my opinion the pop star of the baroque period. Ravel is the turn of the century ABBA. Upbeat, catchy, and you can tap your feet to it and you don't need to close your eyes to enjoy the music. I personally like the piano solo version, but the arrangement for the orchestra is quite good too but feels a little somber and not, well "happy enough". There's a strange piece with Bram van Sambeek doing a bassoon solo! As for versions, there's Richter (a bit too fast, I felt), Karstein Djupdal (the other version our library had) is quite good. I'm sure there are some better ones out there, let me know if you find a good piece. It's a horrible version but the best I could find on youtube.

6. W. A. Mozart's "Requiem" K626
Foggy, gloomy, surreal. Mozart's famous unfinished work. Although there is debate on how much of it was actually written by the maestro himself, it is still a hauntingly beautiful piece. The violins and the chorals... it's pretty scary. Haven't found a favorite version yet. First part of 6.

7. Camille Saint-Saens' "Danse Macabre"
Another hauntingly surreal piece. I first heard an excerpt of this as the opening theme to the British drama "Jonathan Creek" starring Alan Davies. For this composition too there are arrangements for violin and piano, but I like the orchestral version the most. There is something about the thundering sound of violin crescendos and timpani. Complete clip, good quality, Philadelphia Philharmonic.

8. Igor Stravinsky's "Petrushka" (ballet)
I wasn't sure if I wanted to add this, so I am playing it right now and I think I should add it. Petrushka is a ballet, and although it has it's moments of genius, if simply heard, rather than seen, it can feel a bit, well, "rough". Russian to the core, it's very hard with heavy, banging fortissimos. The piano arrangement that he later did for Russian pianist Rubenstein is actually quite good. I'm trying to see if I can get hold of a video, I've asked the library to order a copy, let's see. Youtube has a very dirty copy if you're interested. Piano rendition of "Russian Dance" from the first act.

9. Pyotr Tchaikovsky's "Festival Overture: The Year 1812", op. 49
To quote Calvin, "The fire cannons in a crowded theater... and then they say classical music is boring!" No seriously, this is as Russian as it gets, war drums, cannon fire... gotta love that. Quite different from the Violin Concerto I listed above, but equally good. And if you're Russian, patriotic to beat. If you're French, well that just sucks now doesn't it? Versions, hmm... well we have the Moscow Philharmonic and the Berlin Philharmonic versions conducted by Ozawa. Both are good, but use synthesized sounds. I want a taste of the real thing!

10. Johannes Brahms' Symphony#1, Op. 68
I was torn between Handel's "Messiah" and this but I think the fact that Brahms took almost 20 years to write the damn thing, gives him a little more weight. We'll cover Handel next time around. The opening is powerful. It isn't overtly long like Mahler and Beethoven (Brahms was supposed to carry on Big B's legacy...) for that matter and he manages to keep it tight. He put the 20 years to good use. Right till the finale there is a sense of tension. However, even a novice like myself can hear the similarities between this piece and a mix of Big B's 5th, 7th, and 9th symphonies. No favorite version yet. I don't know how good the clip is, I haven't heard it... it's the first decent on I found on youtube.

Well that covers that for now, next time, let's see, Beethoven, Liszt and his unplayable "Transcendental Etudes", Strauss, Debussy, Haydn, Mahler, Mendelssohn, Bruckner and whatever I find interesting in the interim. Maybe Paganini. I'm sure many of you have recommendations, so fire away...

Hic Sunt Draconis

A dragon lives forever, but not so little boys
Painted wings and giant rings make way for other toys
One grey night it happened-- Jackie Paper came no more
And Puff, that mighty dragon, he ceased his fearless roar.

His head was bent in sorrow, green scales fell like rain
Puff no longer went to play along the cherry lane
Without his lifelong friend, Puff could not be brave
So Puff that mighty dragon sadly slipped into his cave.

Don't be so ridiculous, the song has nothing to do with drugs. Grow up, get off the weed.

Be nostalgic.

Oasis

What makes Oasis one of the greatest bands of all time? It beats me. They're not the cleverest popsmiths around. And Noel Gallagher plays fast and loose with originality. Even their album art seems neither-here-nor-there most of the time.

Oasis makes me want to smile and cry and pump my fist. They make me want to sing along -- even to admittedly derivative and silly songs. They've discovered some warm fuzzy place at the heart of British guitar music, channeling the Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Stone Roses, The La's...but they generate a sound that somehow remains unmistakably Oasis. I read someone mentioning that initially they didn't get Oasis, until one day they heard them loud -- earsplittingly loud. And then they understood.

I was reminded of how great they were by a song I discovered today -- it isn't on any albums. It's called "Whatever" and it's clearly a rip-off of a Neil Innes song. But Noel turned a cute novelty song with a good tune into a sublime, timeless anthem. It's the kind of song that is so beautiful I feel spent by the end of it (and then I play it again).

Oasis - Whatever [listen] [watch]

And here's another slightly hard-to-find track:

Oasis - Round Are Way [listen]

Dodos are not extinct

The Dodos are a band I recently heard on one of my Music Discovery Days. They're just two guys -- a guitarist and a drummer. These two instruments have conspired with the vocals to generate a simple yet exciting sound. These chaps seem to be talented instrumentalists (to the extent that I can pick up on virtuosity) but they haven't sacrificed that essential ingredient -- the elusive pop sensibility.

I'm saying all sorts of things about them based on just two songs. But what songs they are! I strongly suggest downloading them, because they're not terribly easy to find.

The Dodos - Fools
The Dodos - Jodi

Vampire Weekend

Vampire Weekend is an excellent band with a crappy name. At the very least, their name conveys nothing about their sublimely melodic rock - it has touches of Graceland and The Police. No angular guitars. No shouty post-punk. Smooth, clever, cheerful.

Here's their myspace page. (Does anyone download the mp3s I post? )

VW is getting plenty of good hype. I'm all for that. But what annoys the hell out of me is that people keep talking about how they're "preppy" and Ivy league educated (they went to Columbia). Their lyrics name check Northeastern WASP towns and feature quirky references to oxford commas and Louis Vuitton. My dad would approve of their dress sense.

So they're sons of privilege. So what? All these pasty white music critics and bloggers have hip-hop acts on their year-end lists (so as to be "balanced") and many of them shamelessly glorify violence, conspicuous spending, and misogyny. All that is cool and very "street", but college kids singing about college life is elitist, and therefore reprehensible. What crapola.

Here's a good article about this issue.


But screw my rant -- just listen to them. That's the main thing.

EDIT:

Here are 3 of their songs:

Mansard Roof
A-Punk
Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa