March 15, 2012

Return of the Revenge of the Random Ten

Let's take a look at what came up in cop-out-post land today, shall we?
  • "Pride" by U2 - (3stars) - live version grabbed from a bootleg via bit torrent when I downloaded the entire U2 oeuvre a while back...I've been getting worse about doing that (sorry, Hilltop Hoods, Michael Martin Murphey, Beautiful South, Ryan Adams, Dave Matthews Band) torrent thing...this one's an okay live version, but there's nothing to distinguish it from a hundred other versions that just didn't have the fortune to be put to tape/electrons...great song from a great band, though...
  • "Belong" by R.E.M. - (4 stars) - great, spoken-word song from the boys from Athens...love the wordless chorus and Michael Stipe's understated, poetic lyrics...screams early 90's to me...quality snaps and handclaps, too...'whispered with kong, kong, belong'...
  • "El Hombre Impasible" by Cafe Tacuba - (3 stars) - no clue what this one's about...might be gorgeous love song or boastful throwdown...it's in Spanish, and I don't speak a lick of it...saw Cafe Tacuba on Austin City Limits a few years back and have been a casual fan since...this one's from their great Yo Soy album which is way more experimental than this track would suggest
  • "Freddie's Dead" by Fishbone - (3 stars) - great song by Curtis Mayfield from the blacksplotation classic Superfly which I've sadly never seen...average cover by a weird, early 90's funk band
  • "Running to Stand Still" by Elbow - (4 stars) - one of my favorite U2 songs...solid cover that heads a little more piano in mood but keeps the aching of the original
  • "I Love a Rainy Night" by Eddie Rabbit - (4 stars) - man, I love this one...nice, pop country vibe with snaps and jangly guitar...I see the original black and white video (which I can't find on YouTube, sadly)...
  • "L-O-V-E (Multi-lingual verson)" by Nat King Cole - (3 stars) - I appreciate when artists record hits in various languages...the Beatles "Sie liebt dich" and "Komm gib mir deine hand" come to mind best...this one's got a solid German verse in the middle...fun times...
  • "Cold Sweat" by James Brown - (3 stars) - Live at the Apollo is a time capsule album, perfectly capturing what I imagine when I think of a James Brown show...this one's about right...nice playful interaction between the band and The Man, himself...
  • "Defend Atlantis" by Flobots - (3 stars) - the album that has "Handlebars" also has a lot of weaker tracks...
  • "Don't Get Me Wrong" by The Pretenders - (5 stars) - the best of the week came up first (but got posted last)...perfect song...


No comments: