2 with ten – the letter a
yesterday i was thinking about how different most of my friends’ itunes libraries are. i think u can tell a lot about someone by going through their music library – to a degree it reflects ur personality. i thought a fun thing to do would be to go through my own library from A-Z and pick 2 artists that start with each letter and then play one song from each. im gonna play songs by artists that i think everyone should at least be familiar with. i’m gonna pretend we’re just hangin and vibin’ out. my goal here is to hopefully inspire and reinvigorate your music library cos we all could benefit from a little change and growth. i’m on a quest for new or even old music that i havent heard (thus making it new to me) that will add something good to my life. there are too many bands out there and no way to filter them all. i will usually trust my friends opinion before any publication’s. if i pick a popular band dont fucking rag on me…it’s in my itunes and hey, i like it and im gonna tell ya why. i might even attempt to have the names of the songs also begin with that letter but that might prove a bit too difficult. ladies and gentlemen, i give you the the first installment of 2 with Ten featuring the letter A
Astrud Gilberto. I first heard astrud when i was in the company of a pretty blonde in her downtown detroit dirty hell hole of an apartment. i have loved her (astrud, not the girl) ever since. astrud was married to joao (famous) gilberto and the song she’s best known for is the girl from ipanema. interesting fact – bebel gilberto (who tours now) is technically not her real daughter – same dad, diff mom. that might explain something that i have always wondered about. i have seen her live show twice (one of those times we opened for her) and both times she didnt play her “mom’s” hit. both times i remember being bummed out to the point of swearing cos i wanted to hear the girl from ipanema. i guess there might be some weird issue with her mom- that’s the only reason i can think of for her not playing that song – damn u bebel. without further adieu here is agua de beber and not the girl from ipanema.
Air. i first heard air in the car of one of my gay friends back in 98. this guy had his finger on the pulse of what was some good electronic music back then. and no, his finger wasnt on the pulse of aything else if ya know what i mean. i was, and at times, still softly mesmerized by moon safari – their debut and easily my fav. i should play the song la femme d’argent which i consider the deepest and best track on that album but in efforts to play a song that begins with the letter A im going with alone in kyoto which is beautiful in its subtle build up psuedo chorus. this song was off a later cd…i think it was also in the movie lost in translation but i might be wrong about that and dont feel like fact checking it now. i havent been a big fan of their more recent stuff as i feel like it’s more of the same but not as good….that is the plight of almost every band. in an ideal world great bands evolve (ie the clash) instead of releasing watered down versions of their earlier records.
OK – please send me some music starting with the letter A – something u think is super cool and i would like…as well as Appreciate. Leave a comment – this will be good for everyone.
About The Author
Francis Ten
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the auteurs
the animals
amon duul ii
a r kane
the au pairs
the avengers
alexander “skip” spence
I’ll recommend an “A” artist: Audience, and their 1971 album “House on the Hill.” Their lineup of acoustic nylon string guitar, woodwinds, bass, and drums makes it sound like they were a soft rock band, but they were actually a blistering unit, set squarely between Blodwyn Pig and Van der Graaf Generator. Their music had a slightly gothic feel before goth was trendy. Killer tracks: Jackdaw and Nancy. (Street cred: singer/guitarist Howard Werth later moved to L.A. and cut a 45 for Dangerhouse.)
abe vigoda? of course!
i would pick dead city/waste wilderness, but this is a fun homemade video too..
http://tinyurl.com/ygtbwhq
I’ve only heard one song by All Tiny Creatures, but they stood out as I scrutinized the “A’s” in my iTunes library. I heard their song “To All Tiny Creatures” (http://hypem.com/track/939765/All+Tiny+Creatures+-+To+All+Tiny+Creatures) while I was trolling through the 2009 SxSW showcasing artist pages. I love the slowly building textures. Like a great story, I have to get to the end.
i am starting off with an “A” but not doing the second part because i think this song best represents the artist and why i like him.
Andy McKee-Drifting
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ddn4MGaS3N4&feature=SeriesPlayList&p=447B977301B3AB7D
i happened to stumble upon this musician by chance in a very dark period of my life where i basically lost almost everything back in the beginning of ’07.
i was sitting watching what i thought was a big fat redneck get ready to play some “Skynyrd” covers and what came out was not only one of the most beautiful things i have ever heard it made me re-examine the old saying
“don’t judge book by it’s cover”
this guy plays straight from the heart.
he has a youtube page you should all check out.
http://www.youtube.com/user/andymckee#p/a
secondly back to the two A’s and to my favorite band of all time, “Atari Teenage Riot”
song simply called “Atari Teenage Riot II”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oxqcylYAvI
i can go on and on for hours of why this band is the best thing ever to exist but i’ll spare you the novel. this band is the reason i got into programming and sound engineering.
Led by the brilliant musical mind of Trevor Horn, “Art of Noise” released “Moments in Love” in 1985. I remember the first time I heard this song, I never wanted it to end. One of the first electronic “synth” pieces I had been introduced to, it is beautifully atomospheric with intentions of sensuality and ecstacy. Still sends me into a dreamy state when it sneaks up on one of my play lists.
Very cool idea Fran. Let me add one in here – American Analog Set – Choir Vandals
Hey Fran!! Right now I am digin’ on AFP or Amanda Palmer from the Dresden Dolls. The Astronaut http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1O6GqCwjh-k. Check it out if you don’t know of her. Johnnie
send if over to fran@westindiangirl.com – will listen and report back – i have never heard of antony hegarty…did he play grizzly adams on tv?
I have a song! IF IT BE YOUR WILL, sung by Antony Hegarty. I think it’s especially beautiful. Like so emotionally honest, on every level. I can’t hear it without connecting even in the littlest way with all that’s true, which is completely undefinable and captivating to the point of blindness. It’s a Leonard Cohen song. His words and the sounds he explodes them into the universe with blow me away.
I don’t know how to post it / send it to you. Maybe you just meant to post the name here. Otherwise tell me how and I will. It’s a gem.
Thanks for the 2 songs you posted. I loved listening. :))
Lola