“Blue Veins” by The Raconteurs from Broken Boy Soldiers [2006]

The slow-burn blues of “Blue Veins” closed to The Raconteurs debut album with both subtlety and power. While not one of the four singles released from the album, it was still quite memorable. Give it a try.

“T.N.T.” by Hayseed Dixie from A Hillbilly Tribute to AC/DC [2001]

Just your average AC/DC blugrass cover band from Deer Lick Holler, Appalachia… Hayseed Dixie debuted with this album of AC/DC covers, but has since expanded to cover a wide variety of American rock groups and even began to write their own songs. Most recently the band released a full album of covers of Norwegian artists. Go figure. 

“I Can’t Fly” by Dr. Dog from Toothbrush [2002]

Back when Dr. Dog was still unknown, they kicked off Toothbrush, their first album as a proper band, with the psychedelic (yet quite catchy) track “I Can’t Fly.”

“Her Majesty” by Chumbawamba [2002]

Never a group to shy away from controversy, Chumbawamba in 2002 lyrically accosted Britain’s beloved monarch and in doing so challenged fans of the England’s most famous band. To “celebrate” the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, Chumbawamba added “a chorus or two” (e.g. “she’s pretty much obsolete”) to the Beatles’ “Her Majesty” and gave the recordings away for free to UK residents on the band’s mailing list. (via)

A Beatles song verbally assaulting the queen? That had to stir some resentment (that is, if people even listened to Chumbawamba in 2002). On the musical side, the band actually showed some respect for the song, beginning with the out-of-place chord and ending just as abruptly as the original 23 second recording. 

“Devil’s in the Details” by Lowen and Navarro [2005]

Three days out from our wedding… this is the truth! And FYI: this Navarro is Dan Navarro, Dave Navarro’s cousin.

“What’s Going On” by Charles Lloyd [2002]

Although deep down I am confident that my fiancee and I will come through all of this better off than before, the last few weeks have really thrown our lives into disarray. The travel and sleep arrangements would be enough to tire anyone (seven beds in 13 nights—hardly ever the same one on consecutive nights): a trip to Delaware (happy, exciting!), then back-to-back drives to Nebraska (sorrowful, exhausting). Throw in complete chaos at work this week, a move across town this coming weekend, the harsh realization that we will be completely uprooting ourselves to move out East less than a week after our wedding (honeymoon later?), and—oh yeah—that wedding planning stuff and you’ll see why Charles Lloyd’s 2002 album Lift Every Voice seemed appropriate.

At once confrontational and soothing, the album saw Lloyd voice through music his own emotional response to the attacks of 9/11. In my current interpretation, I am confronting all of life’s challenges while trying to maintain my composure with moments of solitude and the support of others (my fiancee and both of our families). I need to be both confrontational and relaxed.

As much as we thought we were prepared for this busy spring and summer, we really weren’t. Life hit us square in the face and left us wondering “What’s Going On”? But we’ll pull through. I’m not worried.

This should be enough life posts for a little while. I will try to get back to the random/topical music history posts Wednesday. Thanks for reading and understanding!

“Look to the Sun” by Guru [2007]

“Feel the beat, drop, jazz and hip-hop” rapped US3 in their 1993 hit “Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia).” While mainstream rap turned away rather quickly from the jazz-rap fad, the genre presented a generational crossbreed that I think had a lot more creative potential than was ever realized. About the only popular artist to continue to have any success in that vein had been Guru, with four volumes of his Jazzmatazz series. Assisted by produced Solar, Guru’s ”Look to the Sun” comes from the last of his live jazz/hip-hop adventures (Vol. 4). Dig it. Unfortunately for the world, Guru passed away last April.

“How Long Do I Have to Wait for You?” by Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings [2005]

Straight from 1971, I present you with Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings. Mixing the best of the period’s soul and funk, The Dap-Kings are reviving the classic sounds of a bygone era. From the liner notes to the group’s 2005 album Naturally:

“Somewhere between banging on logs and the invention of M.I.D.I. technology we have made a terrible wrong turn. We must have ridden right past our stop. We should have stepped down off the train at that moment when rhythm and harmony and technology all culminated to a single Otis Redding whine. That moment of the truest, most genuine expression of what it means to be human.”

Then again, I see no problem loving this sound AND the modern synth-funk we heard from N.E.R.D yesterday.

“You Know What” by N.E.R.D [2008]

For those who don’t know, N.E.R.D is an official creative outlet for Pharrell and Chad Hugo, a pair better known as the production team The Neptunes. N.E.R.D albums have never matched the commercial success of the pair’s albums with other artists, but as you can hear in this track from their 2008 album Seeing Sounds, they still put together some top-notch grooves.

“Dirty Knife” by Neko Case [2006]

To think that this was released a full five years ago (March 7, 2006). Time flies!

Certainly by 2006, much of the decade’s indie rock being an update of the 1980s was a well established trend. Not that Neko Case intentionally drew on any artist in particular for her 2006 album Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, but, at least to me, that record showed striking similarities to the work of Kate Bush. Fox Confessor was not quite as experimental as Bush’s Hounds of Love, but similarly, as the album progressed each song added further mystery. By the time “Dirty Knife” rolled around in the second half of the album, Case had reached a story of full-on madness.

And yes, I understand that you might have a completely different point of reference for Neko Case…