Motown

Blackalicious, “World of Vibrations”

It wasn’t clear if there would be a follow-up to the masterful Blazing Arrow, but three years later, The Craft showed up. And while it’s not quite as good, that’s an unreasonable expectation. It’s an excellent record, Gift of Gab was a master, and the beats are urgent enough to provide a strong platform and not disappear.

Caspar Babypants, “Cotton Eyed Joe”

I think last time we had the Presidents of the United States of America on here, I mentioned that Chris Ballew was occupying himself with making kids’ records under the moniker Caspar Babypants. Well, here he is, and it’s a testament to his basic affability and deft hand with a tune that he managed to turn the curdled anthem of canned baseball stadium antics from a rancid abomination to a totally pleasant listen.

Afghan Whigs, “Retarded”

Uh, yikes.

“Television’s gone / I’m alone with Lucifer / what a drag” is such an outstanding summary of Greg Dulli’s lyrical work with the Whigs. Shame about the slurs, though.

The Temptations, “I Wish It Would Rain”

A thing that gets a little lost about Motown is that a lot of it is reduced to just the same handful of the biggest hits these days. And those songs are great, sure, but there’s so much awesome stuff just a tiny bit deeper in their catalog. This was a decent hit back in the day, but has largely disappeared from people’s memory, and it’s a great tune.

The Magnetic Fields, “The Way You Say Good-Night”

You know, the only Magnetic Fields record I’ve ever heard is this one. There are a lot more, and I have no idea if this record is an outlier in their sound or not. When they started making records, I wasn’t into this sort of music, and I just never looped back to check it out. I guess I’ll just keep the mystery alive. They could sound like Meshuggah or whatever on their other records, and I’ll never know.

Mary Wells, “Bye Bye Baby”

A real rager here from the early Motown days from Mary Wells. It’s certainly easy to see how this did so well for them.

Labradford, “Disremembering”

Here’s a track from the first drone record by Labradford, the record that found them with their most minimal lineup. Labradford was always most effective setting a mood, and I think that the mood comes through the most with fewer tools in the arsenal.

Bananagun, “Mushroom Bomb”

A thing I can recommend as a solid move is to befriend some people in Australia, and then get some music recommendations from them. You’ll get plenty of stuff that you never otherwise would have heard, and if my experience is anything to go by, they’ll be absolute delights - the people, and the bands.

The Supremes, “You Can’t Hurry Love”

Surprised there’s not a parenthetical in this title. I mean, even a “(You Can’t) Hurry Love” or something, come on, it’s like they’re not even trying.

Steakdaddy Six, “Sweaty Betty”

Indie rock out of Champaign-Urbana, Steakdaddy Six released two solid albums in the early 90s before ending their run. This is from the second of those records, Houstonia, but they’re pretty comparable. The most notable thing about the band is that they featured an extra drummer in the lineup, which distinguished them from most of their contemporaries. Not very many bands roll with two drummers, but more should.

Pussy Galore, “Handshake”

Somehow, Pussy Galore manages to sound greasy. Some of that is the trashy production - the clattering drums, the bullhorn vocals, the squalling guitars. But even beyond that, there’s a feel to things that kind of make you feel like you need a bath after listening to it. It’s great!

Killdozer, “Space: 1999”

There’s nothing more reliable in this world than Killdozer grimly pounding away. It’s always going to sound like power equipment being used improperly, and leave you feeling like perhaps you shouldn’t have listened to it.

Well, this blog officially turns five today! There have been 1137 posts on this site, if my tagging is to be trusted, so a pace better than every other day. More than five thousand little capsules on songs and bands, and that’s a dang lot of vapid garbage. I’ve probably spent more time on this than any other creative project, and I’m really not entirely sure why. I guess in the end I’ll be a better writer, and it’s nice to do something consistently. I don’t have an endgame for this or anything. It’s just, you know, music is nice.

Neat! Lookit all the twos!

The Supremes, “Baby Love”

I don’t usually have a ton to say about these iconic Motown hits, based on my assumption that people have all heard them a thousand times and are intimately familiar with them. But I’m not sure how true that is, as I reflect on it. Did the generation after me have oldies stations on in cars, restaurants, and other public places as they grew up? I’m not sure, and it’s possible this stuff is more novel. Well, anyway, enjoy!

Mary Wells, “My Guy”

Another classic Motown tune. I wish I could set up all my music streaming to just inject periodic Motown songs into whatever I’m listening to. Having a Four Tops song pop up in the middle of some Neanderthal death metal record would be pretty excellent.

Shenandoah Davis, “Gold Coast”

I like the choral bits in this, and the well placed additions to the piano. It’s a lovely piece.