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Steve Ison
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9/1/2008 7:32:38 AM
---- Updated 9/17/2008 2:33:29 AM
A Song A Day
Thought i'd start a blog adding a different IAC song everyday that i really love and a little commentary 'cos its fun being engrossed in great music..
If anyone wants to check out my choices from time to time while they're browsing the pipeline and/or add their own thoughts on the tracks(good or bad lol) that'd be really cool too.I'll make a Station from them and include any comments yuz make..
cheers :)
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Steve Ison
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9/1/2008 7:42:28 AM
---- Updated 9/1/2008 7:53:01 AM
1st sept 2008
Skating On Thin Ice by FAMILY ALBUM
This is prob my favourite track at the moment and i've been playing it loads..A spacey,electro song with delightful jazzy chords,lush organic organ sounds and a really distinct feel..I like it so much 'cos i can't define the mood of it all..Its kinda happy and sinister and playful all at once-but mostly its just strange and distinct in the most appealing way and totally draws me into its peculiar,wacky world..
I'm guessing that it was originally an instrumental that the vocal was added to afterward but its so skillfully done you'd never notice and works completely naturally.
The silly talky vocals over the one bit is a choice id never've made but works sooo well and probarbly better than any melodic thing-specially as it makes such a contrast from the long ethereal notes of the main hook..
Really great track..:)
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qelizabeth
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9/1/2008 7:45:30 AM
It's very cute how your such a fan and also such a great artist.
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Steve Ison
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9/1/2008 7:59:53 AM
Thanks Eliz:)
It'll look weird adding that comment to my station tho!
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qelizabeth
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9/1/2008 8:29:22 AM
Steve,
It would be an embarrassment to me if you posted my previous comment.
I spelled 'you're' wrong.
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family album
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9/1/2008 8:41:50 AM
What a nice surprise, thanks Steve.
The story is that Gavin, my son (Great Central) played me some instrumentals he'd created and brought over on his mp3 player from Norway where he lives. I asked if I could play about with them and add vocals. Didn't think too much about lyrics, just relaxed and sang what I was feeling. When I ran out of lyrics I went into the realms of gobbledegook as I'd recently been listening to.......Oh, is it called "Early morning, singing song".......shooby alla walla (or something)......put me right if you can!
I think he was quite surprised and pleased when he heard it. The great thing is that he has more of these gems waiting for a 'top coat' When he gets around to sending them. I think we compliment each other and I'm always begging for 'musical canvases' to develop. My own synths and drum tracks reached their sell by date quite a while ago.
Bless you, Jilly x
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qelizabeth
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9/1/2008 10:00:01 AM
I also want to chime in, not only about Steve but about FAMILY ALBUM. I love your songs too. Keep on keepin' on. The world needs you.
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Steve Ison
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9/2/2008 12:54:38 AM
---- Updated 9/2/2008 12:56:10 AM
2nd Sept 2008
Be Let Down by ZSAMMY
I remember thinking this fabulous sun-blasted late 60s influenced freeway driving
psychedelic americana song was totally fantastic,accessible and would be hugely successful- and then being totally amazed when it scored 2.3 or something on Garageband..Seems to've been (sadly) all but ignored here too (all 4 page comments are my stations!)
Anyways i think its got a beautiful,vividly cinematic vibe-seems so naturally inspired and magical-and here's yet another attempt to get it some listens..
Really hope some of you give it a spin-I'm sure there's some here who'll dig it..:)
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The Man With No Band
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9/2/2008 1:39:58 AM
Great blog Steve ... both great tunes ... I am familiar with Family Album and Jilly and Gavin ... but this was my first listen to ZSAMMY and I appreciate the heads up ... Now I'll get over and listen to the rest of their tunes later today ... if they are anything like "Let Down" I'll probably pick up more than one ...
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Hop On Pop
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9/2/2008 5:57:27 AM
Great blog, Steve.
"Skating On Thin Ice" reminds me a lot of Massive Attack -- maybe with a hit of Bongwater thrown in for good measure. Ironic, since I have both a Bongwater album and The Stars Are Never Really Distant (by some bloke named Ison) with me today!
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Andy Broad
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9/2/2008 6:13:01 AM
Good idea for a thread.
Two tracks that I wouldn't necessarialy (sic) have listened too, both worth the effort!
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Steve Ison
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9/2/2008 1:42:13 PM
Sam,Todd,Andy-thanks so much for listening and commenting :)
Sam..I love loads of Zsammys stuff-but i reckon (from what i know of your taste) Be Let Down would be your fave..
Todd..I can hear what you mean with Massive Attack...Unfinished Sympathys one of my favourite tracks ever..
Never heard of Bongwater tho
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Hop On Pop
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9/2/2008 2:50:38 PM
Bongwater - "The Drum"
This one may be a little (a LOT) unsafe for family/work viewing:
Bongwater - "The Power Of Pu$$y" (feat. Fred Schneider on backing vox.)
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Steve Ison
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9/3/2008 3:19:44 PM
Bongwater are a real postmodern band Todd..
They're all inverted commas and the sound of pop eating itself alive!
Maybe its that certain modern strain of American 'wackiness' in music that i just don't find funny...It seems to try to hard or something..
Its ironic that the modern video's they're parodying in in Pussy are far more ridiculous and pornographic than the one they're actually doing!
I'm not that keen if i'm honest-tho the Drum did remind me of Mamas and Popas with worse harmonies and songcraft- but better studio talkover FX!!
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Steve Ison
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9/3/2008 3:26:53 PM
---- Updated 9/3/2008 3:29:15 PM
Sept 3rd 2008
What I Wouldn't Do by TONY RUGALO
This sounds to me like an old jazzysoul standard from about 1960.So beautifully written and performed(those harmonies!) and done with so much obvious love and affection.Just picked out of the air Cole Porter or something..Timeless...Like alot of late 50s/early 60s songs it has that reverby strange atmosphere and such a lovely innocent quality.Even the slightly lofi sound fits it like a glove and lends it that sepia-tinted glow of crackled authenticity..Wonderful track
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Hop On Pop
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9/3/2008 4:42:38 PM
I think that, at this point the appeal of Bongwater to me is nostalgic, as much as anything else. (I was so infatuated with Ann Magnuson!)
And this Tony Rugalo tune is quite excellent! Very Beatles, via Daniel Johnston, with more polished production (yeah, MORE polished) than Danny and more polished performances. Great stuff!
I'm adding it to my station as I type.
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Steve Ison
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9/4/2008 1:52:20 PM
Thanks so much for listening and adding the Tony Rugalo track Todd-Really glad you like it..Check out his 1 minute Brian Wilson-like jingle too if you get a chance-its great..:)
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Steve Ison
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9/4/2008 1:54:38 PM
---- Updated 9/4/2008 1:57:21 PM
Sept 4th 2008
Try Telling THat To My Baby by THE HEAVY BLINKERS
Gorgeous easy listening Philly like 70s pop song..Just beautiful,airy and blue sky good day sunshine magical.Uplifting brass lines,ace harmonies and the holy grail of great pop thru the ages from 60s Phil Spector girl groups to T.Rex-A real string section! Woh,if i had access to a real string section i might well turn into a one-man Barry White Orchestra (minus the sub-atomic voice and man-size sex appeal naturally)
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srm1138
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9/4/2008 5:15:50 PM
I really enjoy blogs like these, because they always seem to point me to artists that I haven't heard of. The Heavy Blinkers have an amazing, early 70's sound on this tune, and the video suits it:
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Steve Ison
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9/7/2008 11:11:32 AM
THanks for listening and commenting Steve..The video is great and suits the song so well!
I'm delighted if i've turned you on to any new songs here-thats what this is all about for me :)
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Steve Ison
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9/7/2008 11:12:43 AM
---- Updated 9/7/2008 11:21:59 AM
Sept 7th 2008
Even On A Bad Day By GLOWBRIDGE
is a fabulous gentle song with such a resonant haunting atmosphere..It manages to channel the spirit of a certain late 60s strange melancholic folk feel that i'm so attracted to and one of the vibes i'm working to get closer to in my own songs.
Its outsider music-and too subtle and internalised to be a big hit or anything (even if it was pro-produced) but the sad autumnal magic it creates is timeless nevertheless.
I particularly love the way it suddenly moves into that little chord shift after 'even on a bad day'.So much natural space..Her voice is so effortlessly beautiful too,with a healing other-worldly quality to it like being visited by an angel..Wonderful track.
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Steve Ison
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9/10/2008 10:30:38 AM
---- Updated 9/10/2008 10:35:42 AM
Sept 10th 2008
LOst Eyes by TRANSCENDER
This just sums up for me one of the great things about powerful song-writing i dunno whether you can ever 'learn' or be in control of....The instantly intuitive,simple,transcendent vocal line that grabs you straight away and is so obviously inspired.Its like its drawn directly from the primal blues/pop/rock well undiluted by man-made crafting..
Transcender realises his initial inspiration's so good he dosn't even bother trying to write a chorus-just breaks it up with that gloriously dumb neanderthal riff.I'd love to write something this simple and effective without having to rely on chord tricks n clever crafting to generate interest.This is real direct communication...
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Hugh Hamilton
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9/10/2008 12:28:38 PM
Quietly observing...keep up the good work, Steve...
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9/10/2008 12:30:01 PM
This is such a great post Steve and i'm really enjoying your selections of some great songs, some of which i've never heard before.
Keep em coming mate.
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Steve Ison
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9/10/2008 2:33:45 PM
Hugh,Ray..Thanks for the kind words- its good to know people are listening :)
Ray..Nice one for adding these songs to your stations-its great they're getting heard,appreciated and gaining a little more exposure
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Steve Ison
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9/11/2008 2:00:19 AM
---- Updated 9/11/2008 2:34:43 AM
Sept 11th 2008...
Elegy For Anne Bancroft By THE TONICS
..Its weird,in my alternate universe i see this as a classic psychefolk song everyone knows and loves -It just sounds like its always been around.Maybe i love it so much because THe Graduate might well be my favourite film of all time-Tucked in amongst all those timeless,melancholic Simon and Garfunkel soundtrack songs,this would fit perfectly on every level,qualitively and atmospherically..What a beautifully elegant title too.. 'ELEGY for Anne Bancroft'-i could love it just for that! The lyrics are so naturally poetic,imaginative and suggestive as well,creating all that space to open up your imagination..DElightful track
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Steve Ison
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9/12/2008 12:52:47 AM
Sept 12th 2008
Starting All Over Again By MICHAEL DORIS
Exhuberant,uninhibited 60s feelgood ultra-pop with such a delightful,charming sunshine vibe.His total love for the SPIRIT of the pop song shining in every perfectly symmetrical descending chord progression and cheeky music-box melody line.I really think this works better for being a little rough-round-the-edges and homemade-it just adds to its charm.The little hammond 'chord break' later on in the song is sublime and just makes me smile everytime..
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Steve Ison
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9/13/2008 12:17:13 AM
Sept 13th 2008
Herbert and George BY THE GREAT INDOORS
I put this on a station pontificating that it was about the 2 great eccentric British artists who are (of course) called GILBERT and George-oops....This has just such a lovely,warm-hearted,welcoming vibe-It kinda invites you into its home-even tho you're a total stranger-sits you down like you're one of the family and gives you a cuppa tea and a biscuit.So generous-spirited,unaffected and naturally soulful..And oh so English in the way it creates something extraordinary and magical out of ordinary day-day life like THe Kinks did..Its music that brings people together.I can't believe its only on 3 stations...
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kurtkurtley
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9/13/2008 7:18:18 AM
Steve,
Thanks for the daily tune...it's opening up some gems. The Great Indoors tune really reminds me of the great tunes Harry Nilsson did for "The Point".
Keep going.
Kurt
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The Man With No Band
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9/13/2008 7:31:47 AM
I'm catching up ..... Beautiful tune today ! ...
Steve you are a GEM of a man ... keep 'em rollin' out ...
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Steve Ison
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9/14/2008 10:36:50 AM
Sam,Kurt-thanks so much for listening and such nice comments-Really glad you're finding some new tunes to enjoy..:)
Yeh Kurt,i can see what you mean with the Harry Nilsson vibe the song's got..I havn't heard anything from 'The POint' i don't think-but will explore youtube to listen!
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Steve Ison
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9/14/2008 10:39:25 AM
Sept 14th 2008.....
Anna Lee By TOM ARCHER AND THE MAGICALS
An unforgettable 2 minute trip into late 60s heaven..Nature-mystic romantic to the core and and sooo evocative..Wisps of reverby Beach Boys harmonies and mellotron carry the spirit of Anna Lee like a whisper thru the trees, off and up into the great beyond...I love how once it goes into that chorus,it never returns- just imbuing its ghostly incantation with a little more intensity each time..Such a beautiful rich song,with a lovingly crafted homemade production, surely deserving of a few more listens..
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Hugh Hamilton
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9/14/2008 10:53:50 AM
Definitely a Brian Wilson-style vocal fest...cool tune...
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tom lee
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9/14/2008 4:03:09 PM
good idea. and hi.
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Steve Ison
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9/15/2008 2:57:07 PM
Cheers Hugh,glad you enjoyed it-Yeh,i think the guy's definitely into The Beach Boys..
Hi Tom..Thanks for stopping by :)
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Steve Ison
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9/15/2008 3:00:17 PM
---- Updated 9/15/2008 3:57:59 PM
Sept 15th 2008
Community By MIRAH AND SPECTRATONE INTERNATIONAL
I really love both the songs on their page-Just so distinct,strange and kinda exploring moods and themes you don't normally get in pop songs.
This one seemingly concerned with representatives of an advanced civilization from a distant galaxy, distilling their benevolent philosophy to the few who might listen...It has a meditative stillness and a quirkily friendly,slightly detached vibe that does indeed sound uncannily like beautiful strangers disguised in human form, playing cellos at an informal arts-lab happening in a glasshouse.Not that i'd know what that sounded like or anything..Perfect late night listening anyways..
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Steve Ison
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9/16/2008 3:23:12 PM
---- Updated 9/17/2008 5:05:10 AM
Sept 16th 2008...
The Water Song By KR-3
About as perfect a song as you could possibly get for a late 60s Road Movie from the excellent KR-3..Heat-hazy,dusty,spacious Americana.You can picture the hero waking up in the back of his beat-up car bleary eyed,putting on his shades and driving off into the sun-baked distance just as the brilliant pickin' banjo coda kicks in..Great track.
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Black Velvet Lace
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9/17/2008 1:23:16 PM
Had to add the Anne Bancroft tune. Great choices Steve...
xox
~Lace~
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Hugh Hamilton
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9/17/2008 1:47:30 PM
Banjo...? Did somebody say banjo?
I like it, Steve...keep it going...
:)
H
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Steve Ison
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9/17/2008 2:24:06 PM
Cheers Hugh-banjo's are great..Its interesting with that track most of the instruments were live into a single mic!
Glad you liked the Tonics one Lace..Thanks for listening :)
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Steve Ison
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9/17/2008 2:27:30 PM
Sept 17th 2008
Open It In May By OROUNI
A delightful sunny,charming song-like a mix of Donovan,The Velvet Underground,Jonathan Richman and Belle and Sebastian...Lovely chords,sweet melodies and a great life-affirming fresh vibe..This sounds exactly like the kind of track that could suddenly become a hit if it was exposed on an advert designed to associate their product with feel-good vibes ..Tho maybe in a way its ok it isn't lol ( prob not for Mr Orouni obviously)..Strange no-one's picked up on such a cool song for any stations..
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Hugh Hamilton
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9/17/2008 4:07:47 PM
---- Updated 9/17/2008 4:28:17 PM
Yes, I like both those tracks. They sound like someone I know.
Ahem. I really thought that was YOU, Sir, until I visited the band's external page and heard the French accent. I'm shocked. And stunned.
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Steve Ison
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9/18/2008 2:18:00 PM
Haha..Yeh,that would be quite a conceit posting my own tracks incognito as undiscovered gems Hugh..
I'm actually hugely flattered you thought it was me..I love his songwriting :)
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Steve Ison
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9/18/2008 2:24:50 PM
---- Updated 9/18/2008 2:27:08 PM
Sept 18th 2008....
To mean Something By K.CRAVEN
Very brave,incredibly personal n moving acoustic song.Intensely sad and isolated..Brilliant vocal performance that i doubt could be bettered if it was given a supa-pro production..The chorus is so powerful and intense when it finally kicks in with those fabulous dramatic orchestral flourishes.If he's done those from a keyboard its incredibly skilful and authentic sounding.I think this is the kind of song most people really won't like-but the few that it touches would REALLY love it.....'All i needed was a shove in the right direction'
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9/18/2008 3:10:42 PM
"To Mean Something"
Another great hidden gem Steve.
I love it.
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Steve Ison
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9/18/2008 4:13:02 PM
Really glad you liked it Ray...Thanks so much for listening and giving these songs some more exposure here :)
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kurtkurtley
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9/18/2008 4:30:50 PM
Steve,
Interesting choice...rough, raw-edged, not always easy to listen to, but lots of emotion. I wonder if that might be a harmonica at the end, not a violin?
As always, thanks for opening my ears to songs I'd never notice.
Kurt
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Steve Ison
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9/18/2008 4:34:09 PM
You've got me thinking now Kurt..I'm amazed that he could afford a string quartet with such a lofi song..He's mixed it back just far enough,so you're not quite sure WHAT other instruments are involved..
cheers for listening :)
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kurtkurtley
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9/19/2008 6:00:12 AM
Steve, I know this is slightly off topic, but I just listened to your "Love's Dangerous" and I had to ask, were you mainlining pure "essence of Leon Russell"?
I loved it
Kurt
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kurtkurtley
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9/21/2008 1:42:47 AM
OMG!!!
Did I kill the song-a-day by asking about one of your songs????
I'm soooo sorry, Steve, forgive me, I'll never do it again....say it ain't so
; >
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Steve Ison
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9/21/2008 10:50:37 AM
Kurt..You havn't killed the thread lol-I've been away for a coupla days after staying up all night playing guitar and listening to youtube on friday night at a girlfriends-so i was wiped out all saturday..
I listened to Tightrope,Lady Blue,A song for you-random songs by Leon Russell on youtube..I'd never even heard of him before you mentioned..I can see a little of what you mean in Tightrope-but not the other two..No,i'm hugely flattered when someone listens to-or mentions my tracks at all here(even if they hate them lol)..Glad you dug loves dangerous anyway
cheers:)
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Steve Ison
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9/21/2008 11:01:58 AM
21st Sept 2008
THe Memory Collector By KELLEY STOLTZ
Fabulous vibed bangin' piano early 70s style offbeat radiopop song..Its sunny n charming n empathetic..Its really short and sells itself modestly more as a little ditty than a song, with its offhand voicetrumpet solo and ending so suddenly after the brilliant 'Flowin' wild at the county fayre' change-but that only makes me love it more....A bit of a lazy choice this admitedly-as i've promoted it hugely before.Still,i'm sure there's loads here who've never heard it...My favourite bits the very end...Ba...ba-baba-ba-ba,Ba ba-ba-ba-ba-ba... ba...ba....ba...bahhh...
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Hugh Hamilton
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9/21/2008 1:05:59 PM
Just had MY first listen steve - I have to agree about the "sung trumpet" bit...gives me a smile...rock on...
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Steve Ison
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9/22/2008 1:28:49 PM
Cheers Hugh..Thanks for listening man:)
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Steve Ison
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9/22/2008 1:29:26 PM
Cheers Hugh..Thanks for listening man:)
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Hop On Pop
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9/22/2008 2:24:57 PM
Love today's selection, Steve.
Reminds me of Nilsson.
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Steve Ison
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9/22/2008 4:13:55 PM
Thanks Todd,glad you enjoyed it...I think you might like this next one :)
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Steve Ison
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9/22/2008 4:16:38 PM
---- Updated 9/22/2008 4:19:33 PM
22nd Sept 2008.......
You'll Never Guess BY EUGENE MAKOVOZ
Classic early 70s ultra-breezy pop with that wonderful summery Todd Rundgren/Raspberries feel with a great Big Star solo..The melody is lovely n joyful and even the way he sings 'Reever' adds to its charm..Its singalong good-time 70s FM california sunshine done from a bedroom in Moscow! (Well actually it was recorded in London-but i prefer the idea of that)
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Hop On Pop
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9/22/2008 6:29:23 PM
You were right, Steve!
Love it.
And I love even more that the guy's name is Eugene Makovoz; I feel a kinship with him for some reason! ;-)
Lovely tune.
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Conversation Suicide
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9/23/2008 12:29:24 AM
Awesome idea for a station -- both it & this post support community here at IAC on many levels.....and as good as anybody has out there. KEEP 'em Comin' !!
So, kudos to you for this one, Mr. Ison!
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Steve Ison
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9/26/2008 1:55:00 PM
So glad you enjoyed it Todd..I thought you might ;)
Thanks for the kind words Phlegm-good of you to stop by :)
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Steve Ison
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9/26/2008 1:56:51 PM
26th Sept 2008
The Waves by FREDRICK AND THE GOLDEN DAWN
Delicious blissed out instrumental.The Beach Boys taking a trip to Hawaii and seeing God in the sunset on a deserted beach.Or it could actually be Velvet Underground sunbathing by the hotel swimming pool in the middle of the day,casually sipping a pina colada.The shades cover up the hot burn of the sun on the eyes-and a lovely woozy hungover feeling is left where everything melts together..I might not love it quite as much as my favourite instrumental of all time http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eofmXJjViA but its still pretty magical...
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Hugh Hamilton
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9/26/2008 2:03:48 PM
Having followed your youtube link I'm having an "Ison AHA!" moment...wow, I'm impressed that you can narrow down to one instrumental fave...so is Mr. Smith among your toppermost of the poppermost? I have yet to delve into his catalog.
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Steve Ison
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9/28/2008 10:40:05 AM
Elliott Smiths really good,yeh Hugh..I had a mad burst of trying to listen to every track he ever did about 4 years ago when i first discovered him-just with surfing the net-so i don't actually own any of his albums..
I think you'd really like alot of his songs..Very melodic,interesting-and generally acoustic based..Sort of Simon and Garfunkel with more edge..Or THe Beatles with more sadness lol
I can't actually think of an instrumental i love more mthan Kiwi maddog-so i guess it is my fave ever!
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Steve Ison
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9/28/2008 10:46:48 AM
Sept 28th 2008
Canadian Girl By MANDI KENNEL
So glad Mandi Kennels got prime now..This is a really interesting lofi tune-strange and a little angular with a great dreamy,memorable chorus.I love songs with unusual vibes and moods-and this sounds like nothing in particular i can think of.The vibe is neither happy or sad-just kinda ODD-but still totally accessible and emotionally resonant.Its like pop music as performed n created on a space station or something..Really good
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Hugh Hamilton
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9/28/2008 10:53:24 AM
---- Updated 9/28/2008 10:56:27 AM
Having done a huge amount of general listening and particular artist "study" lately I was planning on backing off a bit from that...but maybe I'll poke around the E.S. catalog a bit before I yank off my headphones...lol...the "sad" part is a bit of a deterrent for me - I don't like to wallow in sadness, I generally prefer uplifting...though there's some real magic in songs that are exposing sadness but uplift despite it...does he do that?
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Steve Ison
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9/28/2008 11:12:53 AM
---- Updated 9/28/2008 11:15:09 AM
Here's some Elliott to get you started Hugh
Hope you enjoy :)
I like his kind of sadness-tho many people i don't..Its weird.
I don't think these songs are really depressing or anything..
Angeles
Waltz #2
Son Of Sam
Miss Misery
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Hugh Hamilton
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9/28/2008 11:15:03 AM
Thanks, Professor...as I've always known, you're a gentleman and a scholar...
I'll be listening to these during lunch. Right now.
;)
H
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Hugh Hamilton
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9/28/2008 11:27:04 AM
Steve - by the way, I was reminded of Tom Weismantel upon thinking of E.S. because I heard Tom first and one time I heard an E.S. song and it reminded me of Tom - I suppose E.S. was probably an influence of his. At any rate, I just added Tom's tune "Razor Blades" to my "Soul Over Sheen" station, and I'll do a cut & paste with the comment I made - I think you might dig Tom if you haven't yet had a listen. Unfortunately he's only got two songs posted and one of them isn't working (damn and blast!).
DJ talk about "Razor Blades":
"I stumbled onto a charming 4-track-cassette-sounding acoustic tune of Tom's early in my IAC experience. That song is no longer posted and I can't remember the title, but I stopped by his page today for the first time in a year and am absolutely astonished by this SOUL OVER SHEEN tune. Tom is a real talent and I'm compelled to figure out how I can hear more of his work..."
Off to listen to E.S. now - rock on!
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Hugh Hamilton
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9/28/2008 12:02:00 PM
Nice, Steve. I'm not the kind of guy who can process the music and the lyrics simultaneously, and though you pointed me to videos I'm not looking, cuz then I'd be totally lost (lol)...but I'm enjoying these tunes a lot and here are some thoughts:
"Angeles" - acoustic guitar and vocal recorded live in one mic. What would be cliche guitar playing in the hands of most of us is instead lively and interesting in ES's capable hands...wispy vocal delivery, melodic, pretty, emotional and unmistakenly sincere...
"Waltz #2" - Wow - this one almost instantly has me wanting to jump up and join the band. Simple but still thoroughly engaging, well arranged and featuring some raw but effective "real instrument" sounds, it evokes a bit of "The Band" kinda vibe (probably that walk up into the verses is mostly what brings them to mind)...what must be ES's characteristic vocal sound, kind of thin and airy, but pretty and melodic, fleshed out here and there with some double-tracking, though I don't think that was necessary and I kind of wish they hadn't done that...interesting chord changes, hooks abound...I'm feeling a kind of general if vague hopelessness from the lyrics, which for me is a turnoff, but I still dig the tune.
"Son of Sam" - Completely different vibe from the other two, though the finger-picked guitar and the vocal is the common denominator...kind of Beatley but not really (wish I knew how to do that)...makes me want to know more about where and by whom this was recorded (I know Larry Crane, publisher of TapeOp mag recorded some of his stuff)...a fine piece of work, definitely...
"Miss Misery" - Ah...a drinking song...starts out with the kind of homemade acoustic vibe that I was talking about re: Tom Weismantel...when it breaks into the band ensemble it is a real surprise to me...opens up into some vocal harmonies reminiscent of the West Coast / Summer of Love kinda vibe...goes back to a simple couple or few instruments before breaking back into full band...nice changeup...
All in all I'm getting that "bummer" vibe and that is what deters me. But I totally acknowledge the beauty of the music and am impressed for sure. Thanks for the intro, Steve...
:)
Hugh
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Steve Ison
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9/29/2008 2:25:58 PM
Thanks for your comments and istening Hugh..I love your Son Of Sam comment 'Beatley but not really'..Thats perfect.
I think its Beatley in maybe instrumentation and 'cos its so beautifully constructed-but certainly not in a pastiche way..He got alot of shtick for being too like THe Beatles,but i think it was abit unfair..
In fact i can't think of any Beatle song its particuarly like at all-Absoloutly brilliant track imho..
The line in Waltz #2 'I'm never gonna know you now,but i'm gonna love you anyhow' is poetry to me..
I've definitely had Tom Weismantel songs on my stations before-thats why i'm linked and Psychfolk and Alt retro are linked on his page.Can't remember what they are tho..Thats the bummer about the 2 song rule 'cos alot of artists chop n change and you lose the songs.Yeh,definitely the soft double-tracked vocals and empathetic vibe are similar to Elliott..I bet E.S is a big influence for sure :)
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Hugh Hamilton
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9/29/2008 2:31:48 PM
---- Updated 9/29/2008 2:33:03 PM
Tom has a link to another site on his page - check out his tunes - the previous tune he had here that I enjoyed so much for well over a year was simply acoustic guitar and double-tracked vocal (I guess he almost always seems to do that, one vocal hard left, the other hard right). Very "ES" like, that tune. His current stuff is featuring loads of synth, which to be honest usually sends me running for the exit but which he masterfully deploys. Judging from his external page he's a college student, so presumably young and with plenty of time to develop - I'd say we can really look forward to some fab work from the lad...
The "ES" intro was most enjoyable, I appreciate your hooking me up with specific tunes.
;)
H
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Hop On Pop
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9/29/2008 2:34:51 PM
The "Waltz #2" line that always grabs me is:
She seems so composed
Well she is, I suppose
Who can really tell?
I love me some Elliot, so this is fun to see you two talk about him.
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Hugh Hamilton
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9/29/2008 2:36:31 PM
---- Updated 9/29/2008 2:40:01 PM
Hi, Todd - If I were to break down and buy an ES album, which should it be? Or maybe two...?
As for lyrics, after single listens all I'm left with is impressions. Most of the time lyrics are pretty much the last thing I manage to focus on - there's so much to hear in a recording - takes a zillion listens for me and then I can STILL hear something I never noticed before.
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Hop On Pop
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9/29/2008 2:46:29 PM
I would probably get Either/Or.
But, seeing as how in love with "Waltz #2" you are, you certainly would not be disappointed with XO.
But yeah, the lyrics will reward you later on.
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