Music From The Arctic

[Miles T.F. Baxxter]

I figured I'd try bringing my "column" from LiveJournal over to the forum as well. It's a weekly feature (though I do, ahem, occasionally skip a few weeks) where I choose a particular song, writing around it and making it temporarily available for listening. Aaand, that's more or less it! Feel free to comment. I'll start with this week's entry, which is the eleventh of the second volume.

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Music From The Artic #11: They Might Be Giants - "Idlewild"

When I first became a fur and started exploring it online, I stumbled over mentions of the band They Might Be Giants (or TMBG) in some artwork and on some sites, so I quickly came to believe they were very popular among furs. Now I'm less under that impression, and I rarely see them mentioned within the furry scene, be it in artwork or blogs or whatnot.

That wasn't my first encounter with the band (as my first encounter was, as with many others, through the music video episode of Tiny Toons), but it inspired me to buy their 1990 album Flood, which got a lot of playtime in my early to mid teens. Quirky, geeky, catchy. Pop-rock for nerds who usually don't like the pop-rock genre. They have a lot of good music, and I really should get my tush around to buying a few more of their CDs (though I haven't enjoyed much of what I've heard of their newest music).

The band has also dabbled with children's music - which to me sounds pretty much like their normal music, except with lyrics occasionally using concepts children can easier relate to (like balloons, robots, crossing the street, the ABCs, etc.). Being a babyfur, I am quite receptive to children's music, but unfortunately most children's records seem to be of the run of the mill variety. So I'm always on the look out for quality children's music, appealing to my baby side but without boring my adult side, and I believe this week's song qualifies:

They Might Be Giants - "Idlewild"

This track is from an EP that came with the 2003 TMBG children's book Bed, Bed, Bed. A great, calming, breezy little song, ideal for quiet time. Unfortunately, none of the other songs on the EP are as nice as this one. According to the band itself, the song is "kind of a dream of a perfect day in New York City, sometime in the past".

[Miles T.F. Baxxter]

Music From The Arctic #12: LocoRoco - "LocoRoco's Song (Yellow Version)"

I kind of want a Nintendo DS. There's a lot of fun games for that console, and they're generally a bit cheaper than the games you find for the stationary consoles. But, I think it would be wiser to rather invest in games for the consoles I already have (a Wii plus a GameCube) - as there's still many games for those that I'd like to get - rather than buying yet another console.

There's also the less popular PSP, but I haven't really looked into its game library much. But yesterday I became aware of its game LocoRoco when a friend of mine sent me the ending song to the game. I soon after got my paws on the whole soundtrack after that. There's some pretty catchy and innovative music here, and it's all very kiddie friendly. So keeping with the children's music genre/theme from last week, I'm featuring the game's title song in this week's installment.

LocoRoco - "LocoRoco's Song (Yellow Version)"

One of the catchier and cuter songs I've heard in a while, be it from a game or any other source. When I first heard it I naturally asked myself, "What the heck kind of language is this?" But as I suspected, it's a made up one. I have no idea if there's an actual system behind it, if there's proper words and rules of grammar, or if it's all just gibberish. In any case, the language sounds awfully cute, though that may in large part be due to the cute sounding child singing it.

It's a shame that the soundtrack isn't easily available - or at least it isn't easily available  for us Westerners. Always on the look out for quality children's music, and I believe this would qualify. And for those interested in hearing the song, but not wanting to go through the "hassle" of downloading it, it's featured in this YouTube video showing some of the game's gameplay here.

[Miles T.F. Baxxter]

Music From The Arctic #13: The Mountain Goats - "The Doll Song"

I've already featured a song by The Mountain Goats this volume, from their recent album Heretic Pride, but I recently got my paws on this rarity: a never-actually-released song of theirs from some radio show session. And it's pretty good! Even if the band hates it.

The Mountain Goats - "The Doll Song"

... and it's funny, too, with one of the better choruses I've heard. Certainly describes a situation I think most people can recognize themselves in to some extent, or at least a situation in which most people can easily imagine themselves being in at some point in time. Too bad it isn't available on any CDs, but thank goodness for the internet.



THE MOUNTAIN GOATS
"The Doll Song"

I have seven little dolls
In a bag
And I told them my troubles
And the dolls said "Nag, nag, nag, nag!
It's all you ever do
Is that all you're capable of?"
And I said to the little dolls
"You have no compassion"
Baby, I'm talking to inanimate objects over you
I'm talking to inanimate objects over you

I was reading the bible
First Corinthians thirteen
Where Paul talks all about love
But I don't know what he means
Because he says that love is kind
That has not been my experience
So I set the bible down on the kitchen table
And yelled at the bible 'til I was no longer able
Baby, I'm talking to inanimate objects over you
I'm talking to inanimate objects over you
I'm talking to inanimate objects over you
I'm talking to inanimate objects over you

[Miles T.F. Baxxter]

Music From The Arctic #14: Daniel Johnston - "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Your Grievances"

Daniel Johnston played a concert in Oslo last night. I wanted to go see it, but I didn't have anyone to go with and didn't feel much like going by myself. It's a shame as he's somewhat of a musical idol of mine, and I'm not sure if he'll ever come back to Norway, in part due to his recent health problems.

He's a bit of a legend in the music industry. He started recording music in the late 70s/early 80s, recording songs and whole albums on a cassette recorder and then handing out the tapes for free to girls he thought were pretty. He got the attention of MTV in the mid 80s, started becoming a bit of a celebrity and was headed for the big leagues, but he had a few mental breakdowns, started proving dangerous to both himself and others, and was institutionalized on several occasions. He was famously offered a very generous record contract, but he didn't sign it as it was offered by the same label that rock band Metallica was signed to, and he believed they were minions of Satan and would then hunt him down and kill him. He now lives with his parents so they can watch over him.

It's a sad li'l story of an artist who could've been very big, and a whole lot happier. Still, he is pretty big in the indie crowd, and he has had some fans in high places. Kurt Cobain was probably his most highly noted fan, and The Simpsons creator Matt Groening is a pretty unspoken fan of his. Daniel's somewhat sad and fascinating story certainly might make one intrigued, but in the end it's the quality of his music and not his background that's the reason people like and listen to him, though the person and the music is certainly intertwined, and the one can be understood and interpreted through the other.

His music isn't for everyone (if it was, he'd probably been more widely known). Much of his recorded music is very lo-fi, as you can expect when it's recorded directly onto a cassette deck, and some may find his almost childish and untrained vocals annoying. Many artists have covered him through the years though, so one may be able to enjoy his music even if one dislikes Daniel's overall sound.

Sharing one of my favourite songs by him this week:

Daniel Johnston - "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Your Grievances"

Seems to be all about overcoming your troubles, and how you'll be happy if you just keep your chin up, stay positive and don't let your troubles overcome you (as they no doubt do in Russia). That's a good message, and it's a pretty catchy song.



DANIEL JOHNSTON
"Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Your Grievances"

Don't let the sun go down on your grievances
Respect love of the heart over lust of the flesh
Do yourself a favor: become your own savior
And don't let the sun go down on your grievances

And when you wake up in the morning
You'll have a brand new feeling
And you'll find yourself healing
So don't let the sun go down on your grievances

And yet if you find yourself in the dark
And you're left holding the bag
Then take care of it right away
And don't let the sun go down on your grievances again

Sometimes you might want to give up
But keep that chin up
Cause you're gonna find
You're gonna find

Sometimes you might be alone
But don't feel lonely
'Cause you're gonna find
You're gonna find

Don't let the sun go down on your grievances
Start each day with a clean slate
You'll feel better if you can shake off all that hate
And don't forget to forgive and forget
Don't let the sun go down on your grievances

Don't let the sun go down on your grievances - everybody!
Respect love of the heart over lust of the flesh - sing it!
Do yourself a favor: become your own savior
And don't let the sun go down on your grievances

[Miles T.F. Baxxter]

Music From The Arctic #15: Dennis Driscoll - "I Hardly Ever See You"

I stumbled over singer/songwriter Dennis Driscoll on the independent online music store CDBaby.com when I did a search for the band Stereo Total. I listened to a few samples, liked what I heard, and now here we are.

The main thing I like with him is his vocals. Bright, fun, and somewhat childish sounding. He has a lot of overall good songs too, but he has a few too many that I simply find to be too dull, and the lyrics aren't often that great. All the same, the end bundle can be catching and endearing, with some great vocal work.

This week I've chosen the title song from his EP I Hardly Ever See You, previously only available on vinyl but now also available through a few online stores in digital format. It's a nice little song, one of his better ones lyrically, both sweet and a bit sad.

Dennis Driscoll - "I Hardly Ever See You"

DENNIS DRISCOLL
"I Hardly Ever See You"

I hardly ever see you
And I'm to blame
I'm gonna take a bus away from here
And to my heart I'll keep you near

I hear you're in a band now
With Patsy Cline
I'm gonna think about you all the time
And make you mine

So I've been told the streets of Heaven have all been sold
Once made of gold, now they rust
And if you were here then I would give you something real
And I'm just sitting here on the dusty road

I hardly ever see you
And it's my fault
I'm just sitting here, locked in a vault
I'm just a ghost

[Miles T.F. Baxxter]

Music From The Arctic #16: Planet Terror - "Grindhouse"

I bought and saw the Robert Rodriguez film Planet Terror a little while back. I like horror, and I generally enjoy campy, gory comedy horror as well. The Toxic Avenger is a classic, as is The Evil Dead 2, and others could be mentioned. So I'd been looking forward to seeing this. I was a bit disappointed. It wasn't as outrageous and over-the-top as I'd hoped, not really surpassing what had been done in the older classics. That being said, it had some memorable and funny scenes ("The kid's got the devil in him"), and I wouldn't mind having an excuse to re-watch it.

I think I might've enjoyed it more in its original and intended context though, namely as a cinematic double-feature with Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof (which I haven't yet seen) and the fake trailers (which I've now seen on YouTube). By itself it didn't quite feel like it was worth the price of admission.

The movie has some fun, catchy, slightly exaggerated music, which is actually by Robert Rodriguez himself. Particularly the opening theme is fun, the main riff of which can be heard through the film. And that's the track I chose for this week. Time for some dirty and heavy rock music!

Planet Terror - "Grindhouse (Main Titles)"

[Miles T.F. Baxxter]

Music From The Arctic #17: Slagsmålsklubben - "SMK Hittar Munspelet"

Got the first album by Slagsmålsklubben in the mail a few weeks back, Den Svenske Disco. They're a Swedish blip-blop electronica band, similar to the other Swedish blip-blop electronica band Pluxus - except not quite as good. But still good. Though they might be best enjoyed in small doses. Without any further ado, here's one of my favourite tracks off the album in question.

Slagsmålsklubben - "SMK Hittar Munspelet"

And we've now reached the fifteen song mark for this new volume, and that means it's time to compile it all and make it available for y'all as a neat little RAR file, in case anyone's missed out on past installments. Enjoy! Here's the tracklist. It should all fit onto a CD-R.

Music From The Arctic Vol. 2 #1

01 - Jonathan Richman - It's You
02 - The Mountain Goats - So Desperate
03 - Portal - Still Alive
04 - Lucky Star - Hamatte Sabotte Oh My God!
05 - Hayman, Watkins, Trout & Lee - Bethnal Green
06 - Wicked - Popular
07 - Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - May It Always Be
08 - Animal Collective - Water Curses
09 - Amiina - Ammælis
10 - Sun - Love Will Take Your Breath Away
11 - They Might Be Giants - Idlewild
12 - LocoRoco - LocoRoco's Song ~LocoRoco Yellow Version~
13 - The Mountain Goats - The Doll Song
14 - Daniel Johnston - Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Your Grieveince
15 - Dennis Driscoll - I Hardly Ever See You