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Author: tantan on April 16 2008 Viewed 3583 times. 25 people liked this blog. You can rate it below if you haven't already.
People who enjoyed reading this: bla, Roshi, sAMsKi, jdg, SenorFrio, license, Leo, timmo, MonkeyPlus1, madeofoak, EsromCole, mlbot, jkn, tylth, eevvrr, Otterfan, minisystem, Zanf, thehydrax, frnortnr, hecanjog, KidQuaalude, opticecho, sclr, applaud
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There have been many fave this, fave that blogs lately. Lets take it further.
Name your (no more than) five absolutely favorite songs of all time. I'm talking songs that are fundamentally, archetypally connected to your soul. Songs that you never, ever tire of hearing. Songs that make you cry, or shake your ass, or piss you off in that righteous sort of way every single time you hear it. Songs that other people can cover and you still feel that tug. Dig deep. There is no shame here.
Finally, to hell with lists. Say something real about these songs and where / how they get you.
Mine.
1. Depeche Mode. Stripped. This song, for me, is the perfect dark techno-pop song. The sounds are clever, the arrangement is very effective, and melodically it is a punch to the gut. Every time that big old string pad kicks in, I am toast. I love this song to death, and I love every cover version of it, including that recent sort of popular cover by Shiny Toy Guns.
2. The Cure. Sinking. There are so many Cure songs milling about in my subconscious, in particular this one, A Forest, and To Wish Impossible Things. However, this is the first of their songs that I heard that tapped into the sort of desperate emotional vibe that they would gratuitously, wonderfully exploit on Disintegration later on. The simple little piano riff kills me.
3. Bjork. All is Full of Love. Specifically, the Funkstorung remix that features in Chris Cunningham's video. A perfect, gorgeous song. The sounds, songwriting, and more than anything, her performance are terribly moving to me.
4. Slowdive. Dagger. So much of Slowdive's canon is huge and dripping the sort of miserable sentiment that I get off on, I'm not sure what it is about this tiny song that hits me. Contrast? Its sparseness in context of their other work? However, it moves me just as much out of context. I just know that it is a very simple little gem of a song, and it works because of it.
5. Skinny Puppy. Worlock. Oh man, that vocoder. Damn.
Hm, with the possible exception of the bjork track, no IDM or contemporary electronic peoples.
Also, due to popular request: please recount your five favorite jerkoffs -- identify the location, duration, and time of day.
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04/16/08
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sAMsKi
yo roshi - totally agree with you on that. sense of humour in music is something i look for a lot. woop!
ooh, janes addiction, yeah, another one for list #2 - ha - dunno if i am allowed to do this but........
1. Janes Addiction : Been caught stealing --- the dog sample
2. Estradasphere : Danse of tosho & slavi --- makes me and my girlfriend dance like loons
3. Fantomas : Rosemary's Baby --- arrggghhh, scary
4. Aphex Twin - Flim --- love the tune [also Bad Plus reworking is masterful]
5. Dead Kennedys : Nazi punks fuck off --- cos i wish they would and i love jello's bollocks in doing a track that so straightforwardly says so!
Right....bye for now xxx
04/16/08
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crabster
Nice list idea!
1. Entombed - Night of the vampire (Roky Erickson cover)
To me, it's probably the greatest cover ever recorded. The lyrics are silly, but that riff, fucking hell, that riff. It's from their death n' roll period, so it's thick juicy grease all around. Here's a video: link
Running out of laptop batteries, so I'll have to get back to you with the rest of the list.
04/16/08
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jdg
• fugazi, waiting room ahhhhhhhh
• dr dre, let me ride (u dont know how many times we played this in the car, that summer)
• tribe called quest - anything from low end theory!!!!!!!!! amazing
04/16/08
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sAMsKi
lol - I nearly put the God of Thunder cover by Entombed on my list. HUGE riff too. Oh christ I could have a top 5 favourite (never tire of listening to) Black Sabbath covers......no no no.....but woudl deffo include War Pigs by Faith No more and Black Sabbath by Type O Negative. STOP! SORRY!
04/16/08
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tantan
crabster -- man, yeah, I love the greasy riff, totally great. Silly song, yeah, but very fun.
samski -- haha! The dog sample, man. So good. I wish more people would sample dogs.
04/16/08
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sAMsKi
correction : i actually meant Black Breath by Entombed - off the same EP..........ho hum.
04/16/08
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tantan
oh fuck jdg why'd you mention the police??? every breath... still one of my faves. also early eurythmics... but no, I still stand by my original list. I figure, if I have to work to remember something, it's not one of the songs that are glued to my psyche.
04/16/08
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Leo
1. Olson - Boards of Canada : I can barely make it through that song without tears.
2. Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie - Joanna Newsom : Same reason. Reminds me of when I realized death was inevitable.
3. Where you'll find me now. - Neutral Milk Hotel : Great driving song. Also great for screaming when wasted on bourbon. Reminds me of an important person.
4. "Rhubarb" - Aphex Twin - I found myself laying on the floor for several hours listening to this one summer. In various states.
5. Tundra 4 - Squarepusher - This song is just fantastic. There isn't really any emotion it calls up for me except coolness. Also, it is epic.
Please note that I bought "Music has the right to children." the week it came out, and have listened to at least one song on that record every day since. I love that album, and never tire of it. Also note that I love music. It is not possible for me to commit to this list. This is what came to mind first.
04/16/08
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Roshi
This reminds me of this girl I used to know
She was listening to "In Your Eyes" by Peter Gabriel with some friends.
She said "This song makes me want to go out and love someone."
Needless to say, she was laughed at.
I always find that story kind of funny and sad.
edited: Apr 16 2008
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ruir
this afternoon,
gun club - carry home
cohen -Hallelujah
nick drake -pink moon
s.youth - schizophrenia
stooges - gimme danger
04/16/08
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bla
i cant even think of the top 5 tracks i own- and ive got a very limited record collection (basically 1995-2000 techno + 'electronica')
04/16/08
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timmo
This is, as noted, so hard...so in no particular order, based on what is playing while I write...
1. Forget It - Dinosaur Jr. (Quest) Mostly I like the beginning switch from acoustic to electric. There is this beautiful ripping sound. Quiet LOUD is so good.
And I guess I would mention that Dinosaur Jr's cover of Just Like Heaven is pretty close too.
2. My Dreaming Hill - Flying Saucer Attack (Flying Saucer Attack) So light and airy and a nice build, nice slow anticipation of sonic goodness.
3. Hey Latasha - Seam (Are You Driving Me Crazy) Well, basically any Seam song, but this seems to be the one I always look forward to turning up really loud when I'm by myself, or with others...I feel that way about Sweet Pea too. They rock out just enough to make you want them to rock out way more, but happy that they aren't for some reason.
4. I Can See - Naked Lunch (Shot to Pieces) Heavy guitar riffs with cool fret noise and absurd reverb with gentle vocals. HAHA I think that guy's voice is so HOT.
5. Voicechanger - Voicechanger (Left Arm Friend) So simple and great, everything just repeats with sleepytime vocals.
That doesn't include all the other great ones! What! Only 5. Crap.
04/16/08
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MonkeyPlus1
I couldn't order them, but if I had to pick a top-5:
"33 1/3" - The Jesus and Mary Chain. simple, beautiful yet noisy.
"God OD [parts 1-4]" - Meat Beat Manifesto. Completely insane, funky, out of this world.
"You and Me and Rainbows" - The Tear Garden (Skinny Puppy and the Legendary Pink Dots). Monumental.
"Project 80" - Cabaret Voltaire. made for the best, most-positively life-changing acid trip ever.
"An atom of all suns" - Sun Electric. golden-age ambient techno. saturated with good memories.
Recent blogs: MBM pictures
04/16/08
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license
fine, here's a few.
Soundgarden : Fresh Tendrils - first band/album I ever really got into. Great summer song.
The theme from Beyond 2000 circa 1996 - so hopeful. My brother and I watched this show obsessively when we were kids in Montana.
Aphex Twin : Melodies from Mars track 4 - Nobody can do reverbed-out monophonic basses like him. Good song for making chili on an overcast November sunday afternoon while you wait for your favorite warm sweater to come out of the dryer.
Led Zeppelin : Bron Y Aur Stomp - stuck in my head for 10 years and didn't know what it was.
Autechre : Cipater - there's a unique, special vibe across this whole album and this track sums it up very well. Magical.
Boards of Canada : Zander Two - cloudy and foreboding. Great for walking around in the city on a cold cloudy day.
Susumu Yokota : Kodomotachi - when I'm unemployed in the summertime I always pull this out. Listening to this while staring at the moon in the silence on a warm night makes me feel invincible in my own insignificance.
Wire : Map Ref 41 N 93 W - wonderful, magical vibe. Another summer song! I love everything about this song and for some reason, singing along to the nonsensical chorus is so cathartic. Chorus!
Cocteau Twins : Summerhead - more summer vibes.
Mira Calix : Sandsings (remix by Boards of Canada) - damn if this isn't one of the prettiest songs ever. Like the sound of snow falling.
more than 1 song:
Video game soundtracks : Megaman 3, all Metroids - where it all started.
Gescom : That EP - where IDM should have expanded. All of the fat crunch and none of the bullshit. Still plenty of room for exploration here.
brothomStates : Kobn-Tich-Ey - I've worn this album out so much that it's less an album than a nook in my own body. I can't explain why, it's the perfect shade of grey. I still put it on every time I pull an all-nighter. Great for coding and writing papers.
04/16/08
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madeofoak
right now? ummm...
sunken treasure - wilco
maybe the perfect wilco song. close seconds are poor places, i am trying to break your heart, and how to fight loneliness, but sunken treasure really hits the right spot every time i hear it. perfectly describes the despair/bliss that comes when you figure out that "there is no sunken treasure rumored to be". great song about trying (and failing) to love someone while you also love music. awesome!
night knuckles - clark
body riddle is possibly my favorite electronic recording ever, especially because it flows together so well and sounds so concise. even so, night knuckles manages to both fit into the album order and stand on its own equally well. flawless use of those bell-y things. dark and speedy and amazing.
milk it - nirvana
has anyone really come up with a better crushing guitar riff than this one?
choking you - prefuse 73
the. best. prefuse. track. ever.
drains - megafaun
these guys are really, really good live. this song feels like fall in wisconsin to me. love it.
pyramid song - radiohead
no, i'm not very hip, and yes, i really like this song. at the same time intensely emotional and inventive compositionally.
sorry. that's six.
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