Day 100: Goodbye Mr. A by The Hoosiers from The Trick to Life

My friend John introduced me to this tune, and it's led me to a lot of other cool songs from the UK. I think it's a suitably up-beat tune to celebrate the 100th post on the blog. When I first heard it, I thought it sounded like a clever cross between modern brit-pop and Wild West Movie saloon music.

By the way, I'm still looking for people who would like to contribute to the blog - whether you just want to provide songs to feature or actually write blog posts. I'd really like this blog to be a more of a conversation among music lovers! And if there's a particular genre you want to work on exclusively, that's cool too. Drop me a line!

Here it is.

[Sunday posts feature whatever I want.]

Day 99: Fix You by Glee Cast from Glee: The Music, Vol. 7

I like the original Coldplay version of this song, but I thought this version was even more poignant. I hope you like it.

Here it is.

Or listen on YouTube.



[Saturday posts feature a capella and choral music.]

Day 98: Rihanna We Found Love

I know this is on the radio every 15 minutes, but I love it. I'm not generally a huge fan of Rihanna, but this one was blog worthy, or so I thought....

Here it is.

[Tuesday's post feature classic/vintage rock alternative and pop]

Day 97: Renegade by Boston Univ. Dear Abbeys from BOCA 2006

Oh mama, I'm in fear for my life from the long arm statute of the law...

Here it is.



[Saturday posts are consistently excellent. They feature a capella and choral music.]

Day 96: Major Tom (Coming Home) by William Shatner from Seeking Major Tom (2011)

I found this strangely compelling. It took me about 30 seconds after Shatner starts speaking to get past cheesiness before I started to think it was profound. See what you think.

Here it is.



[Sunday posts feature whatever I want.]

Day 95: Good Lovin' by Voice Male from Hooked (2006)

I think the chorus should be "good drugs" rather than "good lovin" but I trust the medical experts on this one.

I'm pretty sure "Voice Male" is an a capella singing group and not a group of exotic male dancers, but please correct me if I'm wrong.

Here it is.

[Saturday posts feature a capella and choral music. Not to be confused with Capellan music for gentlebeings of the Capella star system. I feature their music on Tuesdays. Except when I don't.]

Day 94: American Boy (feat. Kanye West) by Estelle on American Boy (2008)

Okay, sorry for the absence. But I'm back. Today, our special is Estelle's American Boy featuring Kanye West. I've heard approximately 383.7 versions of this song, but this is the one that I listened to most recently.

Here it is.



[Fridays feature dance and electronic music.]

Day 93: "Oil and Water" Incubus 2006

Went to Worland to see a friend a couple weekends ago and ended up at a "social gathering" of sorts. These people were all quite a bit younger than me and were jamming out to tracks from "Morning View"... They were toddlers at best when it came out :) Just proves good music can span the generations! Wanted to share something with you an band that I have literally been listening to for the last 12 years faithfully.(although this song is relatively new) Brandon Boyd is just talented. Thats really all there is to say.

Here it is

[Tuesdays feature Classic/Vintage rock and Pop]

Day 92: Dat Dere by Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers from The Big Beat (1960)

Since I'm touring through the land of bop, I thought I'd share this track. Wikipedia says it's "Hard Bop," but I don't think it's any harder to listen to than regular bop. Here it is.

Day 91: Invisible Man in a Fluorescent Suit by Shpongle from Ineffable Mysteries From Shpongleland (2009)

I'd never heard of Shpongle before today. And I think I would have remembered a name like Shpongle.

Here it is.

Day 90: "Stars" by The xx (2009)

A friend of mine introduced me to The xx a couple weeks ago. I instantly liked this song. It hit me today that a lot of my recent posts have had British origins, so I will try and change it up a bit from now on. But this one was definitely worth the post. Kind of a mellow beat for the weather changing today... Stay warm!! Listen to the whole album when you can, it's all good.

Here it is.

Day 89: Perdido by Charles Mingus from Mingus at Carnegie Hall (1974)

Since I reminded you sometime ago that Everybody's Boppin', I thought it was time for some more bop.

It's lengthy, but you can stop listening at any time. If you can.

Here it is.



[Thursday posts feature jazz & standards]

Day 88: Taijin Kyofusho by The Evpatoria Report from Golevka (2005)

I did some wandering around last.fm to bring you today's track. I started with The American Dollar, and listened to some music from some artists that last.fm said were similar. I liked this track, and I think you might too. The track borrows radio dialog from conversations from ground control to space shuttles, and evokes the feeling of being connected to but so distant from home.

Here it is.



[Wednesday posts feature downtempo and ambient music.]

Day 87: "Sex on Fire" by Kings of Leon

I have been listening to this song quite a bit lately. It's a great crank-it-up-and-dance song, or even better try it on the treadmill! Hope everyone is enjoying this cool fall weather!

Here it is!

Day 86: "Cinema" By Benny Benassi ft. Gary Go

It's a beautiful fall day, everything is lively. Perfect day for some upbeat tunes! I heard this on my I<3radio this morning actually. A little research shows its pretty popular and I can see why, I like the blend of beats and vocals. Makes you wanna dance anyway..

Take a listen

[Friday's feature Dance/Electronic beats]

Day 85: "I'd Love to Kill You" by Katie Melua (2010)

I wanted to freshen up my jazz choices. Don't get me wrong the greats are great for a reason, but it never hurts to branch out! So, ok, this song seems a little sadistic, but I thought I would change it up on Jazz Thursdays! Katie Melua is more of a fusion artist than solely jazz, but she has great vocals and versatility. This song is from her latest album "The House". Listen and you will experience folk, pop and of course jazz.

Here it is!

(Thursdays feature Jazz/Standards)

Day 84: River Journey by Brian Eno from Textures (1989)

Don't know much about today's tune. I just looked up Brian Eno, who I hear on the Hearts of Space radio program with some regularity, and picked the first thing I found!

I started with the group Alpha Wave Movement, but couldn't find anything of theirs on Grooveshark I wanted to share. Maybe I'll find something of theirs somewhere else where I can share it with you next week.

Here it is.

Day 83: Hero by The Verve Pipe from The Verve Pipe (1999)

Friday's song Creep made me think of this 1999 song by The Verve Pipe. They're known for "The Freshmen" but I like this song too. Sadly, Grooveshark doesn't have it in their collection. (Gasp!) So, here's a link where you can see the video on the YouTubes. But don't watch the video... just listen to the song!

Here it is.

Day 82: Champagne Supernova by Scala and Kolacny Bros. from Circle (2010)

A hat tip to Ryan for introducing me to this artist, and my apologies for taking so long to follow up on this great lead. Today was a great fall day here. Sunny and the perfect fall mix of warm and crisp. Vibrant blue skies. Reminded me of when the Oasis song came out, and I was frequently making long-distance commutes between the University and the city. Here it is.

[Sunday posts are anything I want.]

Day 81: Your House, hidden track from "Jagged Little Pill"

Felt a little nostalgic this morning. This album came out when I was in grade school.. The hidden track was quite the mystery back then.. Over the years it's lost its mystery, but that's to be expected..

Here it is!

[Saturday's posts feature A capella/Choral tunes]

Day 80: Creep by Matteo DiMarr [Radiohead Cover] (2011)

I think I heard this cover of the Radiohead tune (I'd say iconic Radiohead tune, but can tunes really be iconic?) on Tiesto's Club Life podcast. You've gotta listen to the first two minutes to get to the good part.

Here it is.



[Friday posts feature dance and upbeat electronic music]

Update:

You might also like the Scala & Kolacny Bros' version.

The way it was...day 79

So, here I am on my maiden post... I find myself on Jazz Thursdays.. A veritible gold mine of musical genius. There is a special place in my heart for jazz, as it makes me ponder simpler times. It is a legacy left to us for a time when we are tired of our iPads, facebook and smartphones. For a time we would like to imagine was easier, slower. June Christy seems to me to be an often over-looked artist of her time, no, genre. I only recently discovered her myself after many of nights spent with Ella and Billie... But in listening I find a great appreciation for her work. So today, I give you Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered. Here's to the way it was. Rock on June....

And here she is....

Day 78: Migratory Patterns by Lowercase Noises from Migratory Patterns (2011)

I found this album when following some links from The American Dollar, which I featured on Day 1 of this blog. As the website tells us, this album is about a whale. I guess that's all that needs to be said.

Here it is.



[Wednesday posts feature ambient/electronic/downtempo music]

Day 77: Tweeter and the Monkey Man by Traveling Wilburys from Traveling Wilburys, Volume 1

I heard this track on NPR's World Cafe program the other day. It was cool to hear it again, and, so I made a note to share it with you on Classic Rock Tuesday.

Here it is!

By the way, I am still looking for collaborators for this blog! If you're interested in any of the kinds of music I tend to feature here, I'd love to have you join me. I'm flexible as to the nature of the contribution. You could help me select songs for a particular genre, or write your own posts. I'm also open to short-term collaborations, if you just have a few songs you think I should feature.

I've been particularly interested in working with a collaborator, for any or all of the genres, who would be willing to play a little "call & response" where one of us would post a song, and the other would post a song that the first song brought to mind.



[Tuesday's posts feature vintage rock tunes.]

Day 76: Moves Like Jagger by Maroon 5 from Moves Like Jagger (2011)

I've seen Jagger move. Frankly, it's not pretty. I would have never thought his moves would be the subject of their own song. But they are, and I'm told that it's quite popular with the kids. The song, not the moves. I think.

Nevertheless, here it is.



[Monday's posts are rock, pop, and alternative music]

Day 75: The Price is Right (Deep Unknown Groove Mix)

I asked a few days ago, after hearing the Cutmore Deep Dub mix of Michael Buble's "Haven't Met You Yet," whether The Price is Right theme would be the next to get the deep remix treatment. After looking, I realize my rhetorical question was a bit silly.

Here it is!

By the way, does anyone have any idea who did this mix? I found it on Grooveshark, but the shark has little to say on its provenance.

[Sunday's posts feature whatever kind of music I feel like posting.]

Day 74: Crazy Train by Univ. of North Carolina Chapel Hill Clef Hangers from Best of College A Capella 2006

First, an organizational note. I started this blog to discover new music and re-discover old music. In a lot of ways, its something I just do for me, but I have enjoyed packaging it up in blog posts and sharing it with you.

What I've decided would help me in my goal of discovering new music is to dedicate certain days of the week to certain kinds of music, so that I don't forget to look for great old and new music in any of the categories I enjoy. And I think many of you will like it too, because a lot of the people who sometimes listen tune out when I do a run of music of a type they don't enjoy.

So, here's what I'm thinking:

Sundays: Anything
Mondays: Rock, alternative, and pop
Tuesdays: Older rock favorites
Wednesdays: Ambient and downtempo music
Thursdays: Jazz and the standards
Friday: Dance and electronic
Saturday: A capella and choral music

Since today is Saturday, let me suggest this version of Crazy Train. I kept seeing these commercials for the Charlie Sheen roast on Comedy Central that used the song as background music. I didn't watch the roast, but it did make me look up the song to see which artists had recorded versions of it. I would have never thought that I'd find an a capella version, but here it is.


This is the H line to Nine Mile. Please stand clear - the doors are closing.

Day 73: Astronaut by Simple Plan from Get Your Heart On (2011)

A great anthem for when you feel the world has forgotten you.

Here it is.

Day 72: Haven't Met You Yet (Cutmore Deep Dub) by Michael Buble from Haven't Met You (Remixes)

I'm just going to keep dancing to this music. It's going to be a bit difficult to explain when I get to work. But let the chips fall where they may!

Here it is.

It's shocking what gets the deep remix treatment. What's next? The theme to the Price is Right?

Day 71: The Scientist by Cornell University Last Call from BOCA 2006

As long as I'm lounging in the delightfully layered world of a capella, I think I'll share this Coldplay cover. It raises questions of science -- science and progress.

Here it is.

Day 70: Hey, Soul Sister by The Cast of Glee from "The Warblers"

This is one of those tunes that the Glee folks did that's so much better than the original. The original is great, but this is fantastic.

By the way, this track was one that was available for free download on my library's Freegal service.

Here it is.

Day 69: Sweet Dreams by Avicii

I discovered today's track while listening to the Tiesto Club Life podcast. The podcast is available on iTunes, and is consistently excellent. Today's track is short, but it's a fun take on an old favorite. And by know you all know how I love updated versions of old songs.

Here it is.

Day 68: Talk Amongst Yourselves by Grand National from Kicking the National Habit (2004)

Grand National was a group I found during my research for the blog. Last.fm says they "manage to mix eighties pop, nineties dance, indie, electro and ska into fresh, experimental pop songs." Spotify had a review of this album that noted that this song in particular was successful in combining the indie-guitar with dance-inspired electronica. I think that's about right. I like the result, and I think I'll be looking for more tracks from Grand National.

Here it is.

Day 67: A Dedication by Washed Out from Within and Without (2011)

Both emusic and Amazon kept trying to sell me this album with its provocative cover art. Initially, I refused to be tempted into listening, but Pandora played this track for me, and so I finally caved. I especially liked this song. I can't really make out the lyrics, but it sounds like half benediction and half remembrance. Hope you like it.

Here it is.

P.S. At the time I wrote this, Amazon had the album for $5.

Day 66: You Make My Dreams by Hall & Oates from Voices (1980)

This track was on the 500 Days of Summer soundtrack, and I thought it was pretty fun. Like a lot of the music from this period, it reminds me of rollerskating when I was a kid!

So here it is for you.



P.S. Check out the Magnum P.I. moustache and the pink pants!

Day 65: Little Secrets by Passion Pit from Manners (2010)

According to last.fm, "passion pit" is "a slang word for a drive-in movie theatre where kids used to go to make out." Interesting.

Last.fm decribes Passion Pit as an electronic group, but I think the track delivers something more evolved than that label evokes. Maybe it's post-electronic electronic? See what you think.

Here it is.

Day 64: Somewhere in the Dark by Punchline from Just Say Yes (2008)

Today's track was another track I found via Pandora. It's a punk group that I'd never heard before. I listened to some of the group's other tracks, and I liked them, but I liked the one that Pandora played for me the best.

Here it is.

Day 63: Last Night by Good Charlotte from Cardiology

As I've been doing my research for the blog, I ended up hearing several songs from Good Charlotte's album Cardiology. It's really a great album with several tracks I really like, including today's track celebrating an awesome night barely remembered.

Last night. Can't remember what happened. Where'd we go?
I woke up this morning. Where's my car, where's my keys, where's my clothes?

Here it is.

Day 62: My Body's A Zombie For You by Dead Man's Bones

Sometimes, instead of spending my days sorting through the bad music to get to the good, I cheat and search for music other people are already saying good things about. Hence, today's track, "My Body's A Zombie For You," which comes to you from the music website Aurgasm. They have the song available as a free MP3 download for you to evaluate. The track features the Silverlake Conservatory of Music Children's Choir. I've always said that nothing enhances zombie-referential music like a children's choir. See if you agree.

Here it is.

Day 61: Peripheral Visionaries by Young Galaxy from Shapeshifting (2011)

I discovered today's track during my extensive and exhausting research for new music. Finding gems like this track makes the grueling effort of listening to boring and awful music worthwhile. Okay, maybe it's not grueling, but still.

Here it is.

Day 60: The Beat Goes On by Pomeroy From A New Reflection

The author gratefully acknowledges the assistance of Pandora who suggested today's song.

I can't really tell you what this song is like. It's swing meets pop meets rap meets pop again. But I like it.

I'm toying with more Pomeroy for tomorrow...

Here's today's track.

Day 59: I Am the Doctor by Murray Gold

As long as I'm on the topic of Doctor Who, I thought I'd post this song that has been part of the soundtrack to the newer Doctor Who episodes. They've definitely put a lot of effort into scoring these newer episodes, and the incidental music does a great job of accompanying the story. I was thinking back to the old Doctor Who episodes, and I can't honestly remember if they even had incidental music.

Anyway, here it is.

Day 58: Doctor Who by Orbital from The Altogether

I've always enjoyed the Doctor Who theme song, although in fairness, as a Star Trek fan, I still prefer the Star Trek theme on principle! Even so, I love this version of the Doctor Who theme. I also love the versions they've been doing on the new seasons of the show, this version does a good job of both showcasing some of the processed-sound feel of the earlier seasons and going a little further with the theme.

Here it is.

Day 57: Your Love by The Outfield

I love this old 80s gem, and I heard on Pandora the other day. I reminded myself to share it with you. It's The Outfield's most popular song (by far) according to the statistics at last.fm. Songs like this remind me of classic rollerskating. Apparently, the group continues to make music. I'll give it a listen and let you know if I like it. It's just part of the service that I provide.

Here it is.

Day 56: Magic by Ben Folds performed by the University Of Chicago's Voices In Your Head from Ben Folds Presents: University A Capella!

I found today's track while I was exploring the "Freegal" service that the Denver Public Library provides for its members. It's a cool service. You can download (up to) three tracks per week (the library has a cap on the number of downloads its members can have each month). The tracks come down in a high-quality MP3 format. I was impressed, and a little surprised that I'd not heard about this service before.

Anyway, I love the Voices In Your Head version of this song. I like the Ben Folds original, but I think this vocal performance gives the song an even more expansive and enveloping sound, which is appropriate given the subject matter. I hope you love it.

Here it is.

Day 55: Feel It All Around by Washed Out from Life of Leisure

What a journey to finding today's track. NPR included a track from Washed Out on their recent July Sampler. I liked that track ("Eyes Be Closed") but that led me to look up the group on last.fm, to see what the most popular tracks from this artist were. Last.fm says that this track is the most popular track. I liked it a lot.

According to last.fm, this artist "makes bedroom synthpop that sounds blurred and woozily evocative, like someone smeared Vaseline all over an early OMD demo tape, then stayed up all night trying to recreate what they heard." I don't know what an early OMD demo tape is. Actually, I'm not even sure what bedroom synthpop is either. I do know what Vaseline is, although I've never thought about how the application of Vaseline might alter the sound of music. Thank goodness last.fm has.

So listen to the track now.

Day 54: Rain by Madonna from Something to Remember

Today's song reminds me so much of the Madonna I used to love to listen to! And the golden age of Madonna. Ah, good times.

Here it is.

Day 53: We Are The Champions by Queen

I don't think today's song really needs an introduction. I just hadn't heard it in a while, and since it cheers me up, I hope it will cheer you up too!

Here it is!

Day 52: DuckTales Theme Song by Cluster

I remember the DuckTales cartoon show from when my sisters and I were growing up. So today's post is for my sisters. Listen for the nostaligia, but listen again for the virtuosity!

For those that don't know about DuckTales, Wikipedia explains, "the show features the adventures of Scrooge McDuck and his great-nephews. The nephews, who were originally living with their uncle Donald, are left in Scrooge's care when the former joins the Navy."

Here it is.

Day 51: My Attorney Bernie by Dave Frishberg from Dave Frishberg Classics

If I recall correctly, I think I heard an interview with Dave Frishberg on NPR, and ended up finding this fun and amusing song about a man and his lawyer. Big bonus points to Frishberg for working in the word "debentures" into a song!

Have any of you ever heard Frishberg's music before? If so, care to recommend any of his other songs?

Here it is.

Day 50: You Suck At Love by Simple Plan from Get Your Heart On

I apologize for the brief delay in the postings. And to answer your question, my decision to feature a country music artist on day 48 did not break the blog or the internet.

So, with our technology intact, I offer an elegant and understated song for day 50: Simple Plan's "You Suck At Love."

Here it is.

Day 49: Hide and Seek by Imogen Heap from Speak for Yourself

I picked today's song because of its interesting use of what I assume is auto-tune or something like it to create a really interesting harmonic effect. See if you like it!

Here it is.

Day 48: Better Man by Sugarland

I found today's song while researching songs on Grooveshark to share with you. And since, like the performers of today's song, the Musical Recidivist is about all kinds of music, we'll have a little country today. Enjoy it because country might never return to the blog again!

Here it is.

Day 47: Human by Civil Twilight from the album Civil Twilight

I discovered today's song after I bought the album that featured yesterday's song.

It reminded me that love, fear, and pain are among the things that mean I'm a real boy.

Here it is.

Day 46: Letters from the Sky by Civil Twilight from the album Civil Twilight

What a great hopeful song! I heard it during the movie "I Am Number Four." I liked the movie, however, I understand the film critics guild may revoke my film commenting credentials because of it.

But it also introduced me to Civil Twilight, and I liked their eponymous album. (Hopefully I used "eponymous" correctly. I'm pretty sure it's the first time I've used the word.)

I think I'll have one more tomorrow.

But here is today's.

Day 45: Mrs. Potter's Lullaby by Counting Crows from This Desert Life

So many good songs to choose from when it comes to the Crows. But I especially like the piano business going on in this song, and it's a nice break from the more downtempo songs that usually make me think of the Crows in the first place.

Here it is.

Day 44: The Art of Losing by American Hi-Fi from The Art of Losing

It's good to know that losing is an art. AHF tells us how to do it right. Nice.

Here it is.