Raphael Saadiq said that as a bass-playing kid growing up in Oakland, any band you’d want to play with was going to put you to the test with a specific song. You had to be ready for it because it was going to be sink or swim. What do you play, bass? Yeah? Ok. Let’s … Continue reading Sunday Music: POW – Battlefunk!
Category: Sunday Music
Sunday Music: Bad Girls Do It Well
Live fast die young / bad girls do it well One of my daughters just discovered this song and sent it to me a few months ago. I don't know if we're still saying "banger," but when it came out in 2013, this was a "banger."* British rapper M.I.A. gives the driving metaphor a spin … Continue reading Sunday Music: Bad Girls Do It Well
Sunday Music: Grapefruit Moon
It’s good to have a reason to stop and stare at the sky. The moon has been putting in some serious work this week (at least over me in New England). “Harvest Moon” would be the obvious song to sing, but I’ve been subjecting my dogs on our evening walks to renditions of “Grapefruit Moon” … Continue reading Sunday Music: Grapefruit Moon
Sunday Music: My Bad Reputation
“I don’t give a damn ’bout my bad reputation.” I used to only hear this song as nihilistic. You know, as in nothing has meaning. Now it kind of feels existential, or maybe even, dare I say, stoic. Where it only has the meaning you ascribe to it, and if "the others" don't like it … Continue reading Sunday Music: My Bad Reputation
Sunday Music: My Baby Just Cares For Me
It’s such a simple looping phrase. But that’s what love is too, right? Simple. It might not be one of Nina Simone’s most complex or intricate performances, but it’s one of my favorites. Here’s “My Baby Just Cares For Me” (with a lovely 80’s claymation video too): https://youtu.be/eYSbUOoq4Vg
Sunday Music: Nightswimming
Remember those friends that clearly got things so much faster than you when you were growing up? My buddy Jeff told me how amazing “Nightswimming” by R.E.M. was. He said listen and listen close. It was the best song on the whole album. I thought it was fine, but, wasn't it just a kind of … Continue reading Sunday Music: Nightswimming
Sunday Music: West Virginia (With The Front Bottoms)
Maybe it was Richmond, Indianapolis that made me think of Richmond, Virginia that made me think of “West Virginia” by The Front Bottoms. Maybe it was the nearly 12 hours of highway time I had already clocked that day. Maybe it was the last gasp of coffee on my breath before I pulled into the … Continue reading Sunday Music: West Virginia (With The Front Bottoms)
Sunday Music: Hold Me Now
It was a note in my phone for a Sunday Music post. It said, "Sunday music, hold me now by Thompson Twins, god it hurts." When's the last time you really listened to this one? https://youtu.be/H9694K85Xc8 https://youtu.be/JTaKMU_JuIc
Sunday Music: Angel Olsen’s Hot Take on “Gloria”
I have to be in a certain mood for Angel Olsen's synthy-orchestral stuff, but when I am, the production, arranging, and the performance is nothing short of impeccable. Olsen has a new EP of all 80s covers coming out mid-August. Here's her take on "Gloria" by Laura Branigan. If you don't know the original, I'm … Continue reading Sunday Music: Angel Olsen’s Hot Take on “Gloria”
Sunday Music: Conan And The Kids Have The Blues
YouTube has been trying to get me to watch this video for months, and I finally clicked play. What follows is Conan teaching a group of elementary-age kids how to write blues music. https://youtu.be/J7f26d-AIrM "My sister and my mommy / they just eat edamame" will now be stuck in my head for weeks.