The Voice Of Energy Radio Show Ep. #004: The Thanksgiving Special Playlist

Spurred on by my beloved older brother (who requested the opening and closing tracks for tonight’s show), I put together a themed show for the holiday. It’s a little silly but was a whole lot of fun to put together and program just so. There was one glaring mistake thanks to a mislabeled Johnny Cash track in my iTunes library, but otherwise, it went off virtually hitch-less.

If you download the podcast of this fine show in iTunes and then open up the info, you’ll find the playlist for it under the Lyrics section. Otherwise, read on for all the tunes played on this week’s edition.

Song Title – Artist (Album)

A Thanksgiving Prayer – William S. Burroughs (Dead City Radio)
Thank God It’s Not Christmas – Sparks (Kimono My House)
Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Again) – Magazine (The Correct Use Of Soap)
Thank You World – World Party (Goodbye Jumbo)
Thank You Friends – Big Star (Third/Sister Lovers)
New Puritan (Home Demo) – The Fall (The Fall Boxset 1976 – 2007)
Thanks – The Caretaker (Selected Memories From The Haunted Ballroom
Thankyou Branch – The Books (Thought For Food)
Thank You For Being Me – Brother JT3 (Jelly Roll Gospel)
Mashed Potatoes – The Adventurers (Stomp! Northwest Killers 1960 – 64)
Thank You Girl – The Beatles (Past Masters)
Vegetables – Beach Boys (Smiley Smile)
Thanksgiving Day – Ray Davies (Thanksgiving Day EP)
Blueberry Pies – Prefab Sprout (Steve McQueen)
Yam, The King Of Crops – The Mountain Goats (Protein Source of the Future…Now!)
Fools Hall Of Fame – Johnny Cash (The Man In Black)
Turkey In The Straw – Fiddlin’ Doc Roberts (Volume 3: 1930 – 1934)
Indian War Whoop – Hoyt Ming And His Pep Steppers (Anthology Of American Folk Music)
Indian Scout – The Farr Brothers (South In My Soul)
Beans And Cornbread – Louis Jordan and his Timpani Five (1946 – 1947)
The Injuns – Donald Byrd (Byrd In Hand)
Gratitude (Live In Budokan) – Beastie Boys (Check Your Head)
That’s How Grateful We Are – Chumbawamba (Slap!)
Thank Me With Your Hands (MSTRKRFT Remix) – The Panthers (Remixes)
I’m An Indian Too (12″ Version) – Don Armando’s Second Avenue Rhumba Band (Going Places – The August Darnell Story)
Thank You Very Quickly – Extra Golden (Thank You Very Quickly)
Blessings Of Love – Alton Ellis (Be True To Yourself)
Give Praises – Big Youth (Natty Universal Dread)
Blessings – Father Pat Berkery (Prayers For A Noonday Church)
Thank You For Talkin’ to Me Africa – Sly & The Family Stone (There’s A Riot Goin’ On)

Dissonance

Is there any greater example of a complete abyss between the work a musician does in his everyday band versus the work they do outside of it than with Flea? He touts his love of artists like Captain Beefheart, Miles Davis and Joy Division, and lately he’s been working with people like Patti Smith, Thom Yorke and Bryan Ferry. But he continues on as a member of Red Hot Chili Peppers. Something in the water does not compute.

The Voice Of Energy Radio Show Ep. #003 Playlist

A fine show tonight. Fewer flubs other than those panicked moments when I didn’t know what to play next. But I got through it. Getting better all the time. If you want to listen to this episode, please subscribe to the podcast. The new episode should be up there within the hour.

( title | artist | album )

I’m Glad | Al B. Sure! | Honey I’m Home

West Coast | Junk Culture | West Coast EP

Jealous Of Roses | Bibio | Ambivalence Avenue

We Are Coming Back To Dance With You | The Focus Group | We Are Coming Back To Dance With You (single)

Do The Mussolini (Headkick) | Cabaret Voltaire | The Original Sound Of Sheffield: The Best Of Cabaret Voltaire ‘78/’82

Satellite (Reprise) | Spectrum/Jessamine | A Pox On You

Discontinue Birds | Wobbly | Made At Home

Within You Without You | caller id withheld | Hippocamp Ruins Sgt. Pepper

Map Table | Mountains | Choral

Same Old Same Old | Chumbawamba | The Boy Bands Have Won

The Band Played Waltzing Matilda | June Tabor | Airs & Graces

Bullets | Tunng | Good Arrows

This Abdomen Has Flown | Bark Hide & Horn | National Road

Political Song For Michael Jackson To Sing | Helen Money | In Tune

The Way You Suck Me Down | The New Christs | These Rags

Pile-Up | Swervedriver | Raise

Aruca | Medicine | Shot Forth Self Living

In Her Many New Found Freedom | Swirlies | They Spent Their Wild Youthful Days in the Glittering World of Salons

SSH | Bardo Pond | Batholith

Sacrifice | Melvins | Lysol

The End Of Radio | Shellac | Excellent Italian Greyhound

Cop | Swans | Cop

Just Geek | Lisa Germano | Geek The Girl

Knowing Me, Knowing You | Superette | Abbasalutely

The Apprentice | The Loud Family | Attractive Nuisance

When I Dream | The Teardrop Explodes | “Treason” 12″

Diminished Expectations

Christian music, by and large, is a good five to 10 years behind the curve, artistically-speaking. By the time trends in popular culture are breathing their last, the folks in the CCM world are just picking up on it – or at least are just feeling brave enough to incorporate it into their own sound.

And it’s not as if fans of this genre are rejecting these bands for sounding so out of touch. Rather, these folks sell CDs by the truckload simply because they are singing about God, Jesus, hope, redemption, etc., etc. They are willing to accept a trenchant sound just to get their required faith fix.

This same thinking has befallen far too many writers about Christian music as well. I hesitate to call them “critics” because, really, there’s very little criticism happening. Check out the reviews on one of the sites I write for and you will see an unhealthy number of four and five star reviews of records that are musically uninspired and that rehash trite paeans to God. Or just check out the comments to less-than-glowing reviews like this one left in response to my Casting Crowns review:

I have to disagree with Robert, I can’t stop listening to Casting Crowns new album. It’s awesome and every song has a great message and the words pierce through to the soul. If the world ever needed to hear this message its now, in these last days – lets not stop Until the Whole World Hears! Great job Casting Crowns, way to encourage God’s people at a time when our world needs Jesus. There’s nothing wrong with worship music that rocks! Almost every song could be sung in church’s, I see nothing wrong with songs that we can worship to. Anointed, heart stopping lyrics! Love you Casting Crowns!

I don’t profess to have all the answers about what makes a great album or song, but I think I have enough insight into what works and what doesn’t after having absorbed thousands of hours of music in my lifetime. But this line of thinking about Christian music is starting to skew my senses as I found this morning. I started taking my first listen to an artist who could very generously be considered the “Christian Beck (ca. Odelay)”. The first song bounced along nicely with some warm, rich drum tones and a nice female backing vocal hook. It felt really good to listen to first thing in the morning.

Then it dawned on me that the only reason I was giving this guy’s music a soft sell was that I was expecting the worst when I tapped the first song title on my iPhone. I remembered standing on my front stoop, scrolling through and then begrudgingly picking it, thinking, “Well, I gotta interview this guy soon so I’d better listen to this at least once.” Maybe it’s because I’ve been subjecting myself to the latest Nickelback album for my new blog, but it’s a horrible thing to not look forward to listening to music.

I know for certain that I’m not the first person to ask this, but: How did almost an ENTIRE genre of music end up in this weird state where the fans and critics are willing to let all manner of musical sins go unchecked simply because they are doing “God’s will”?

Introducing A New Project

I’ve tried and failed on a number of occasions to start themed posts or a series under which to put my writing energies (see: 7″ Sunday, Furniture Music) only to see it slip away due to the little time I have to commit to the project. I mean, I tried to turn this silly blog into a source for interviews, reviews and the like and that went by the wayside fairly fast.

So, it is with a grain of salt pinched between my thumb and pointer finger that I present to you a new writing venture that I’m hoping to see through to the bitter, unholy end. It’s called Playing With Fire and with it, I will be descending into the concentric circles of hell that make up Metacritic’s 100 Worst-Rated Albums. I will listen to each one, in turn, and each week, comment and track the effects this project has on my person.

It’s a bit of a sadistic project, but I am trying to think like Nathan Rabin did for his My Year Of Flops project. I’m trying to figure out if there’s anything redeeming within these albums, looking for the diamonds in the rough (just a cursory glance at the list for me turns up at least one, the unfairly maligned Pullhair Rubeye by Avey Tare & Kria Brekken), and simply giving them an objective listen.

I know that the Metacritic system isn’t terribly scientific nor do they have any albums that stretch beyond this past decade, but this still provides a baseline of albums that have been critically shunned, many for good reason. If this project proves successful, or at least interesting enough for me to continue, I’ll find more lists or books to delve into.

So, visit the new blog I have set up for this every week for a new entry. The first one, God help me, will focus on the Nickelback album Dark Horse, an album that starts off with an ode to a stripper and features an album written specifically for a first wedding dance. You have been warned. I only wish I had been.

 

The Voice Of Energy Radio Show Ep. #002 Playlist

Thought I would keep a running score of what I played on my weekly show for your edification and so I can keep track of it somehow. The podcast for the episode is already live, so please use the link to download and enjoy. Or at least appreciate through gritted teeth. It does get a little noisy at times. [And apologies for the brusque opening and little bits of squirrelly noise...still getting the hang of the equipment.] Questions/comments/requests for next time – leave me a comment here.

(title | artist | album)

Elijah | Donald Byrd | A New Perspective

Welcome To The Party | Har-You Percussion Group | Har-You Percussion Group

Atras das Portas de Tarde | Luiz Eça Y La Familia Sagrada | La Nueva Onda De Brasil

País Tropical | Gal Costa | Gal Costa

Rolling Son | Medeski Martin & Wood | Radiolarians I

Doubt Beat | Scritti Politti | 4 A Sides EP

Wig-Wam | LiLiPuT | The Complete Collection

Paint It Black | The Mo-Dettes | The Story So Far

Crashing Through | Beat Happening | Jamboree

Rowche Rumble | The Fall | The Fall Box Set: 1976 – 2007

Welcome To The Asylum | The Ex | Aural Guerilla

Kinetak | Radian | Chimeric

Im Glück | NEU! | NEU!

Synaptic Island | Maryanne Amacher | Sound Characters (Making The Third Ear)

Drudgery | Albert Ayler | Music Is The Healing Force Of The Universe

Gun | John Cale | Fear

Chances Are The Comets In Our Future | Royal Trux | Twin Infinitives

Goodnight For Real | Beauty Pill | The Unsustainable Lifestyle

The Crimson Enemy | The Bats | The Guilty Office

Please Be Cruel | Inspiral Carpets | The Beast Inside

Waking Up To You | Hefner | Dead Media

Keep Well, Keep Warm | The Advisory Circle | Other Channels

N.I.T.A. | Young Marble Giants | Colossal Youth

Bubbling Over | Air Miami | 1996 Teenbeat Sampler

Our Blue Navy | Home | 13: Netherregions

Ambivalence Avenue | Bibio | Ambivalence Avenue

Today’s Rhythm People | The Focus Group | Hey Let Loose Your Love

Challenges

Today I was presented with a very interesting problem to try and solve. As you might already have guessed by the links that show up on the left side of the page, I have somehow stumbled into some regular gigs writing about Christian music and musicians. It’s something I wasn’t really seeking out, but I’m pleased to have my writing published, pleased for the added income it is providing and pleased that unlike most writing assignments, I’m actually challenged on how to approach music and artists that I would generally not pay much attention to otherwise.

Recently, the folks at Christianity Today – a publication that I am still begrudgingly submitting material to even though they interview Carrie Prejean without any sense of irony and gave space to a guy who had left the “homosexual lifestyle” behind through God’s grace -  providing me with quite the challenge: asking me to come up with 20 great albums of 2009. The stumbling block is that they have to be by Christian artists or on Christian labels or at least tackling the themes of faith in some meaningful way.

In spite of that wiggle room which allows me to toss in gems like the recent discs by The Mountain Goats, Superdrag, David Bazan and Laura Gibson, the pickings are entirely too slim. So far, I’ve pulled in one fairly traditional sounding worship record (the upcoming disc by Phil Wickham), a few by artists with surprisingly arful interpretations of Christian music (David Crowder Band, Jade Harrell, mewithoutYou), an oddball compilation called “Come O Spirit!” and more traditional gospel material (Mike McGonigal’s stunning compilation Fire In My Bones and the disc by Naomi Shelton out on Daptone). Sprinkle in some wild cards with Ortolan and Prefab Sprout and I’m still seven short of the needed 20.

So, I ask you, dear readers, if you would to provide me with some insight: who am I neglecting here? What have I overlooked? Leave me a comment with your suggestions and help me finish off this list.

The Voice Of Energy Is On The Air

I didn’t have time to announce this because, well, I didn’t know it was going to happen, but I had my inaugural broadcast on Radio23 tonight. Haven’t done the radio thing in a while but it was fun to put a playlist together on the fly and have it come out sounding relatively sweet.

You can judge for yourself how it sounded by downloading the audio of it here. No talking, just music. If you download the file, it starts with the Tune-Yards track (see tracklist below). I’m still getting my feet wet in this process, so bear with me.

From this point until I can’t do it any longer, I’ll be on the air online from 8pm – 10pm Pacific time. Please tune in if you so desire.

Below is a playlist from my first broadcast. Questions/comments – leave them here please.

(title | artist | album)

Erosion of Time | The Advisory Circle | Other Channels

The Dignity of Labour, Part 1 (instrumental) | Human League | Reproduction

Lions | Tune-Yards | Bird-Brain

Jisaboke | The Balky Mule | The Length Of The Rail

Lullaby | Moondog | Moondog

Hot On The Heels Of Love | Throbbing Gristle | 20 Jazz-Funk Greats

Tearing, Pt. 1 | 23 Skidoo | The Gospel Comes To New Guinea

Evenings | Wreck Small Speakers on Expensive Stereos | A Child’s Guide To Wreck Small Speakers on Expensive Stereos

From The Diary of Hermann Doubt | This Kind Of Punishment | Live ‘85

Mani Malaikat | Arrington de Dionyso | Malaikat Dan Singa

Hypochristmutreefuzz | Eric Dolphy | Last Date

Lester Leaps In | Lester Young | Live At Birdland

Little Rootie Tootie | Esbjorn Svensson Trio | Plays Monk

What It’s All About | The Bran Flakes | I Have Hands

Don’t Worry Mr. Bach (Preludium 12) | Carlos Futura | Bach For Computer

Cheeky | Stock, Hausen & Walkman | Oh My BAG!

Behold A Republic | The Tape-Beatles | The Grand Delusion

No Core Punk | Boredoms | Onanie Bomb Meets the Sex Pistols

Marilyn Buck | The Dicks | Kill From The Heart

Pc 1984 | The Crisis | We Are All Jews And Germans

Exile In Lizville

I’m eternally fascinated at the ways musicians twist themselves into pretzels to appease major labels and corporations and consumers all for the sake of the almighty dollar. I’ve griped about it on here plenty, argued with myself and others on both sides of this divide, and still not come to any firm conclusions or peace in my spirit about those moments when I flip through the pages of a glossy publication and see The Dutchess And The Duke shilling for Verizon.

There’s no other artist who I think exemplifies the desperation that musicians feel about trying to pay their bills and trying to maintain relevance in the public eye than Liz Phair. Her debut album Exile In Guyville was a masterful piece of confrontational pop that sizzled with ribald language, sex appeal and crackling production courtesy of Brad Wood. It thrust her (pun fully intended) into the public consciousness for good reason. It’s what happened next that felt so weird and devastating. Each successive album was filled with cloying song after cloying song after cloying song that practically begged to be taken seriously or, if nothing else, just liked by someone…anyone. And when she tried to capture the dirty energy of her previous work, well…the less said, the better.

I bring all this up only because as the Internet is the cornucopia for music geeks, turning up any and everything that you might want to give a listen to, I happened upon this site which offers up mp3s of two of the early demo tapes that Liz Phair did during her days in Chicago. Listening to them just made my heart sink and sing at the same time. They are raw, sometimes stupid, and entirely too rough around the edges. But they also have that touch of hunger and brutal honesty that so many young, talented musicians, artists, filmmakers, etc. carry with them. It’s the rare few that hold on to it without it getting chipped off or washed away or just torn out completely. Take from this what you will, gripe if you want, write me off if you must. But listen to the Girlysound tapes and then try out the pap that Liz Phair has been doing over the last five years or so and you tell me which you would rather spend time with.

Look Out There’s A Monster Coming

Here at The Voice Of Energy HQ, we like to throw a little audio spook in to the young trick or treaters when they happen to ring on our doorbell. The good folks at Resident Advisor have added to this collection with their perfectly creepy mix put together by the perfectly creepy Fever Ray, featuring tracks by the likes of Bruce Haack and Mercury Rev. Chilling and charming stuff.

Our usual soundtrack for All Hallow’s Eve tends to sit with Silver Apples or the soundtrack to Eraserhead, but we could always use more suggestions. What are the albums that provide a soundtrack to your personal Halloween eve? Leave a comment with your recommendations.