Iron Maiden

Boogie, “Save Me”

God only knows how I heard about this, which is the debut from Boogie but was self-released. Therefore it’s a surprise that it found its way to my old, out-of-touch ass. It’s good, though, kind of sunny with the beats and with contemplative lyrics.

Webbed Wing, “Perfect”

I think this is a record that a friend told me about, maybe they knew someone in it? I’m having trouble recalling, but they’re from Philly, so it’s a decent bet. Anyway, assuming that that’s correct, you all should get this!

As I stagger out of 2021, this thing has been more challenging to keep as a daily thing. I suspect that at some point in 2022, I’ll probably miss an update and break my streak. And furthermore, I might have to step back the frequency a bit to provide some room for other creative projects. I still haven’t decided, but this is the time of year for reflection, I suppose. I would like to spend more time learning the bass. I’d like to make more progress on a game design. It’s hard to get too far with those when I keep up with this blog at this pace.

Tilt, “Annie Segall”

This is from the last Tilt album, in 1999, and I’ll be totally honest: I’m not entirely sure why I picked all of them up. It’s not bad, it’s just that it’s not really any different from the other three albums.

SWANS, “Amnesia”

What Is This? is a record of demos that Michael Gira assembled to test out songs prior to cleaning things up for a full release (what would become leaving meaning.). It’s an interesting record, but very much for completists only. Which is good, because it was released in a very limited edition as a crowdfunding project to raise money for the new record. I’m glad I have it, but that’s because I’m a huge SWANS fan.

Television, “Venus”

Television’s Marquee Moon is a landmark album for good reason. It’s a key album in establishing post-punk, with its sophisticated winding guitars and complex songs. But anybody who describes Television always makes it sound so much more clinical and cerebral than it really is. The experience of listening to the record is really just so pleasant.

craft, “The Cosmic Sphere Falls”

craft is a black metal band from Sweden that has been around for ages, putting out an album every five years or so. This is their most recent one, which I picked up for some reason, and it didn’t stick with me at all.

Five Songs today features the most skippable song we’ve had yet! Enjoy!

PDQ Bach, “Classical Rap (S. 1-2-3)”

Oh god, I’m sorry. This is from Oedipus Tex and Other Choral Calamities, the best (?) of the PDQ Bach releases, I think. Oh, this is credited to “Grandmaster Flab and the Hoople Funkharmonic”. He won a Grammy for this thing.

(NB: The video I’ve included here includes the introduction to the piece, which provides some important “context”.)

I had kind of forgotten about this Marnie Stern record, and I’m so grateful that shuffle pulled it up. Check out this song, and then go listen to the rest of the album.

Iron Maiden, “Another Life”

This song is from Killers, which pre-dates Bruce Dickinson joining the band. Overall, the band had a more raw sound during this time period, although the dual guitar attack and galloping bass is still present. I actually really like the album a lot, while recognizing that the band is a bit different of a beast without Dickinson around.

In most of these playlists, I try and find the actual version of the song I’m listening to. But, if I can’t find it exactly, I’ll go with something close, because I don’t think it’s necessarily that important that it matches exactly, and I don’t want to go through the hassle of uploading if I don’t have to. I hope that’s OK with folks! Here’s today’s playlist, which does feature one of those “close enough” tracks.