DJ Vadim

Negativland, “[untitled]”

(track 1!) So, a quick primer on Negativland. They’re an avant-garde project that has used sound collages to make experimental pieces going back to their first album in 1980. They’ve always been closely associated with radio, having hosted a weekly radio show called Over the Edge on KPFA and experimenting with various sounds and approaches through that radio show. They’ve used the radio stuff to guide some of their studio projects and tours, taking some of the best bits and developing them further. I’m a big fan of the band and their projects, so they’ll crop up here from time to time.

Elvis Costello, “Alison”

One of the singles off of Costello’s debut album, this song is probably one of the more famous tunes simply because Linda Ronstadt covered it, a cover that really bares the soft-rock heart of the ballad. Anyway, it’s a great tune, one of the standouts in his catalog. I’m old enough to admit that soft rock is fine.

DJ Vadim, “Getting Friendly”

Hm, “Getting Friendly With Music” isn’t a bad name for a blog.

Seaweed, “Punchy (The Clown)”

Not much to say about the song, but I do think it’s funny that Hollywood Records (a Disney label!) had Seaweed signed at one point.

DJ Vadim, “Your Revolution”

Damn, that drum resonating in this beat, that’s delicious.

Teengenerate, “Stink”

Perfect name for a band like this, perfect song title, no notes. Looks like a short one today!

No Use For A Name, “Exit”

Oh god, nine minutes. Nothing on Fat Wreck Chords should last nine minutes, unless it’s an entire release. I don’t remember if this is one of those CD things where they merged two songs together, with some silence in-between, to create a hidden track. Often a cover. Let’s find out together!

Jonwayne, “Afraid of Us”

A tasty drum loop here, and a nice lightweight structure up on top of it. Appropriate for a contemplative track like this one, this is just a solid song all around.

Delerium, “Sorrow”

A project from a couple of guys from Front Line Assembly, the industrial act out of Vancouver, Delerium goes in an ambient direction, as I suppose you can hear. This sort of thing doesn’t make my wheels squeak, so I only have this one EP from them. Maybe their other stuff is banging? Probably not.

The Hit Pack, “Never Say No To Your Baby”

A Motown track from 1965, the heavy horns here really sound a little more like Stax than like Motown, especially from 1965.

Rufus Thomas, “Funky Mississippi”

Yeah, see, those horns!

DJ Vadim, “Your Revolution”

DJ Vadim’s second album, U.S.S.R. Life From The Other Side, found the abstract hip-hop producer working with MCs on most of the tracks, which largely was an improvement. I think abstract hip-hop can sometimes get a little lazy, and having to make sure things will work with someone actually rapping makes sure that he tightens things up.

Fun set today!

Foetus, “Take It Outside Godboy”

We’ve encountered this song before, but last time it was a live track. Instead, we’ve got the studio version here. So, this isn’t a repeat from where I sit. At any rate, Gash is an excellent album, if you’re into Foetus’s thing.

DJ Vadim, “Who The Hell Am I?”

Another track from DJ Vadim’s debut album, U.S.S.R. Repertoire (The Theory Of Verticality). As usual, I think it’s fine, but it’s not really super engaging.

Big day at Five Songs Inc.! We’re…ok, that’s a lie. It’s just me, and I’m just doing the usual. But I have music for you, so I can’t be all bad, right? Not our best playlist today, though.

Eagles of Death Metal, “Bag O’ Miracles”

Sadly, most people will only recognize the Eagles of Death Metal due to the tragic terrorist attack at their concert in Paris. EoDM is one of Josh Homme’s (Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age) side projects, playing a booze-soaked bluesy hard rock with an aggressively skanky edge to things. It’s music that really wants you to have a good time, and by god, it’s going to define “good time” for you! Truth be told, after about half an album, I’m usually done, but it’s fine in smaller doses.