The Supremes

I’ve been getting that itch again. It comes and goes, the urge to write here, and it’s unclear what’s causing it. I think it’s a combination of Music League, finding a new music newsletter to subscribe to, and getting some tunes corralled for a music library for my daughter. But whatever it is, I decided to jump back in here!

Which is when I discovered that this blog needed updates badly, and I wasn’t entirely sure how to get it upgraded, and the next thing I know I’m rebuilding the server, re-figuring out how to configure stuff…nobody cares. Anyway, I think it’s working again? We’re gonna find out, because it’s time for Five Songs! Back in the saddle baby! How in the hell do I write these things?

The Miracles, “You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me”

Even over the course of just a few years (this is from 1962), the Motown sound evolved very rapidly. That’s not to say anything wrong with this, it’s delightful, but Motown moved really fast, and by 1965 they would be in a pretty different place. I mean, “Nowhere to Run” is from 1965.

The Beatles, “Good Day Sunshine”

Man, Revolver was really revolutionary! (For the record, this is from 1966, after that Martha & the Vandellas ripper.)

Zeke, “Runnin’ Shine”

I’m not going to egghead this for you.

Lifesavas, “Soldierfied”

That beat is structural, you could build an office building on that thing and it would be bomb proof.

Czarface & Ghostface Killah, “Masked Superstars”

This beat is fine, but I’m not quite as excited about it as I was the last one. I kind of feel like Czarface is good, but doesn’t stand out particularly. It’s sort of the shelf-filler of the Wu-Tang supermarket.

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.

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!

Stevie Wonder, “Pastime Paradise”

The capstone of maybe the best run of any artist, ever, Songs in the Key of Life is a sprawling double album covering an incredible amount of ground, both musically and lyrically. Wonder tackled social issues and spiritual ones, found time for some gorgeous pop songs, funk, just about everything under the sun. And he just pulls it all off with aplomb.

Spawn of Possession, “Apparition”

Symphonic tech death metal band Spawn of Possession had several albums, but I’ve only listened to this one. And mostly, it kind of drove home that this kind of symphonic stuff really isn’t my bag.

Mantar, “Eternal Return”

I long ago ran out of stuff to say about Mantar, so let’s just have a close listen to this. The shift up to the double-time drums fifty seconds in is nice. And a nice change in the gallop shortly after the vocals kick in. There’s a restlessness here, where they’re refusing to totally settle into a groove, which is kind of nice. Although sometimes the fun of music like this is a nice punishing rhythm. Views differ, apparently even in my head!

Nots, “Cold Line”

Another surprise record! Feels like we’ve had a lot of those recently. I wonder what the actual count of surprise records is in the ol’ collection. I’m not sure I want to know.

The Dillinger Escape Plan, “The Running Board”

I know what this is!

The parts of songs where the Dillinger Escape Plan drops into something like the post-hardcore in the middle of this song were always effective. It can be easy for that kind of thing to just sound like a lame gimmick, but they always pull it off with aplomb.

Big Black, “I Can Be Killed”

From the first Big Black release, Lungs (later collected on The Hammer Party), this was all done entirely by Steve Albini. After this EP, Albini was able to put together an actual band, and the Big Black sound would come together. Despite that, you can still hear Albini’s approach developing on these songs, which read almost New Wave at times.

The Supremes, “A Breathtaking Guy”

Hell yeah!

Today!

Joe Lally, “Reason to Believe”

Joe Lally was, of course, bassist for the incomparable Fugazi, and one of the biggest reasons why the bass is one of the instruments I choose to butcher. All of the members of Fugazi have pursued various projects in the wake of Fugazi’s break (I choose to pretend that it’s just a really long pause), with one of the first being Lally making a solo record, There to Here. This is how that album opens, and it sets the tone for what you might hear. It’s fairly experimental in feel, with a lot of differences between songs, and a musical approach that varies from sparse to lush. While there are other post-Fugazi projects I like more (the Evens, the Messthetics), this is still an interesting album.