I was recently gifted a bunch of music (thanks Gretchen!) and have been slowly going through the songs and trying to figure out the best way to share it. One album that came my way was Left of the Dial: Dispatches from the 80s Underground. There are a few songs on this album that I particularly enjoy, and here they are:
Monthly Archives: October 2011
Addendum to Devendra Banhart
Well, that didn’t take long.
I JUST heard this song for the first time and absolutely cannot get enough of it. Check it:
Devendra Banhart
I first started listening to Devendra Banhart a little over a year ago but let his stuff fall to the wayside for a while. I’m only just starting to rediscover his music. Here are my two favorites, but feel free to suggest others and I’m pretty sure I’ll post a few more on here as an addendum soon.
Old school
I recently watched a documentary about Keith Haring and got caught up in a late 70s/early 80s music-fest. A lot of this music also reminds me of my parents – my Dad is a big B-52s fan and my Mom likes the Talking Heads.
I will also never forget going to the New York System Hot Dog shop in Providence, RI and learning that David Byrne worked there AND that his dance move in the Once in a Lifetime music video was inspired by the way hotdogs are prepared at the shop. I’m pretty sure that’s a lie. Regardless, here is a playlist of some pretty fantastic songs:
New favorites
Although I’ve listened to the Felice Brothers a lot and have seen them perform a few times as well, I’ve never heard this song from them. It is amazing, and when the organ kicks in a second time it is just unbelievable. It is so sweet and sad. The little piece from Justin Townes Earle is also just incredible and reminds me a lot of Sacred Harp but still has a lot of modern power.
Three’s company
I was going to include Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s version of I’ll Fly Away in the previous post, but then I realized that there are TWO other versions of this song that I also love. Since sharing is caring, here are two other interpretations of this Depression-era hymn.
Sister Rosetta Tharpe – I’ll Fly Away
Sister Rosetta Tharpe
I came across Sister Rosetta Tharpe recently and loved her from the start. Her early soul/rock and roll is both powerful and chintzy, especially with that organ. Her music is great for a little pick me up and she does cover a pretty wide range of (almost exclusively religious) early folk songs. Here are a few for you.
Tobacco road
If I were ever planning a heist and needed a song to go with my heist-planning montage this song would be it. The song combines some of the rougher elements of early rock and roll (the hard unrelenting beat) with some of the lighter, pop-y elements (like the little Beatles-esque chorus). The Nashville Teens are a British pop band and I always like listening to the various interpretations of American rock and roll from other countries.
Laura Marling + Johnny Flynn
I have featured both Laura Marling and Johnny Flynn before (Laura Marling, Mar. 13, 2011 and International Flavor, Jan. 11, 2011) and recently found this song of the two of them together. I feel like my musical preferences lately have taken me a little out of the “folk” realm but this song seems to be steering me back to the straight and narrow. Enjoy.
