2 with ten – the letter b
ok, on to the letter B. b is a tough letter cos there are a ton of b bands i would like to play. i know i said i would try to play songs that also started with that letter but i’ve decided to bag that idea – too difficult and besides, i really want to play the songs that initially hooked me to these bands. some of the songs i post may indeed be the band’s most popular one and in that case i guess u can say i have agreed with the masses….shoot me.
Blonde Redhead. i first heard this band via an ex gf – hmmm i see a pattern developing, maybe that’s the role girls have come to play in my life…bearers of music rather than children. blonde redhead formed in ny in 93 and have since become a 3 piece with no bass player. the italian brothers in this band are also twins. i have an italian twin brother as well. it would have been nice to have been in a band with my italian twin…but probably just a trio like br cos 3 is a visually great # for compositions. my favorite br song is equus but magic mountain is a real close second. equus is such a great name for a song. i have grown to love this band – talk about an original and distinctive sound. the love or hate it aspect to this band is kazu makino’s voice. it’s fucked up, give it a chance.
Boards of Canada. if you arent into electronic music then u might not understand how great this pair of scottish dudes are. i first heard about boc from a guy who moved into the apt across the hall from me when i lived near the troubadour. he gave me all their cds and it quickly became bedtime background music. the song i posted is called roygbiv. u guys know what that is right – short for the colors of the spectrum – red orange yellow green blue indigo violet. like equus was a cool title this is as well. i love the low tone moog melody line – that’s what hooked me about this song. the album this is off, music has the right to children, came out in 98 and it’s a great record. 98 was an amazing year for music come to think of it.
B is for fucking bonus song!
Band of Horses. ok ok i know it’s called 2 with ten but for damn sake i couldnt get out of my b’s without talking about this band- more so because of this song. once again, i first got into band of horses via an ex gf’s laptop. there are lots of things i like about this band, particularly ben bridwell’s voice and phrasings. in a strange way he reminds me of mercury rev at times. i also liked the first photos i saw of them…one was in front of an old blue truck and another with a boxer in it…sort of like we did at one point. anyway, we’ve played a couple festivals with these guys but unfortunately both times our set times overlapped and i missed them. the first lyric of the song that never get tired of listening to is “it’s looking like a limb torn off” – very nice.
b was tough..i’m really gonna go for lessor known bands when i hit c. i regret not mentioning bo diddley for this – please give bo a try.
About The Author
Francis Ten
Other posts byFrancis Ten
Author his web sitehttps://www.facebook.com/francisten
I gotta go mainstream with the first: Beck. Yeah, it’s the obvious and therefore not cool choice, but you were saying in the A’s how you wished bands could adapt and change over time, and he definitely has. Great variety album to album, with good quality throughout.
Black Cab: Australian band that hasn’t had much exposure in the states. Check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tD93AGs7P0c – not sure I’d say it’s their best song, but only one I could find online.
The problem is when you are sick as hell, you get behind on real life: being in the same space with people you love and like, mingling with strangers, the dog, the sun, good food and vino, the beach, and on and on, and then other life: FB and the like, get neglected too.
Dig this idea and loved your “A” video. Had I been there in time would have suggested, Add N to (X); I’m too late for B, but I’ll still throw down: Beirut, and since you are soon onto C, must say, Cansei de Ser Sexy.
On another note, I think I still have a mix tape you made for me: with some “C” Clash, and a band that I think starts with an “A” in some box somewhere I ran across. I think I was trying to dictate what you put on the tape too. Sad. Control issues I had/have.
Off to more meds and hopefully sleep.
Big Chief, sweetheart. And when you get to W, you know what’s coming… XOXOXOS
thanx for all the posts people…due to some server issues this week i will be posting my video response and the lettter c at some point tomorrow…hopefully.
have to agree with rick,
man, bic runga is awesome, i heard her cd “beautiful collision” playing at tower records over the speakers when i was in hawaii around 2002 and bought it right away, it’s also the time i was going through a divorce so it was like totally therapeutic, thank you for reminding me of her again, i didn’t know she had a sister, im going to check that out.
Hi Fran, I’d like to recommend New Zealand artist Bic Runga. She had a song called “Sway” quite a while ago that you might remember. This is one of fav tunes of her’s, though.
Bic Runga – Get Some Sleep
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-C1yNyiUmF4&fmt=18
I’d also like to recommend Bic’s sister, Boh Runga. She’s mostly known for having been in a particularly fantastic/famous Kiwi band (which I’ll be recommending as we get further down the alphabet), but has since released a solo CD and is now living in L.A.
Boh Runga –
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8g97snL1ZPg
not going to mention the obvious artists, david bowie, james
brown, etc, don’t think that is the point of this and i can talk about those two artist for hours and bore the shit out of everyone.
when i was teaching myself how to play guitar, the breeders “last splash” just came out and i practiced every day to attempt to play along with it and eventually learned every song.
(it’s also one the first albums i ever bought, totally rad and brings back tons of memories)
“saints” is one of the first songs i ever taught myself and i love this video because it’s the official video and this version is played live and kind of sloppy like they didn’t give a shit, just thought that was really cool when i was younger. plus i had a huge crush on kim deal back then,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bt5MWCwFhCI
my new favorite artist that simply blows me away, i am entranced with this woman,
natasha khan who is the band called “bat for lashes”
the song “daniel” came on the radio one day and it really intrigued me so i went out and bought her new album “two suns” and i’ve been hooked ever since, her voice is so hauntingly beautiful to me, it seriously gives me chills.
i was fortunate enough to see her live in two small venues recently and after the hundreds of concerts i’ve been to over the years those two were in my top 5. it is so much different live, it’s a lot heavier and absolutely powerful.
i even dragged along a friend of mine who is a major metal head and was talking shit all the way to the venue and after the show he was like
“HOLY SHIT THAT WAS FUCKING…AWESOME!”
if you ever get a chance to see her live, i strongly suggest
it, even if you aren’t into her, you won’t regret it, i promise.
i can’t really choose any one video or link to truly represent her, so i’ll just link you to her latest video, “sleep alone”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1vtr9fXdg8
OK, so you already took my beloved Band Of Horses, so I’ll move on. But I’m glad you like them.
Right, so for B, here we go.
Since I live in San Fran, I’m gonna have to go local and I present The Brian Jonestown Massacre’s “Hide and Seek” –
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nImQg5yX00
I saw them open up for Primal Scream a while back and they ended with this tune. Brilliant.
Coming in for the second choice, well, sometimes you just have to get a little euro with things, so I’m going with Benny Bennasi’s “Love Is Gonna Save Us” –
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKGxhNJ8Imw
Yes, it’s a bit techno, but there is something there.
Lastly, since indeed B is for Bonus, I’m throwing Blind Faith’s “Can’t Find My Way Home” in. OK, it’s old and yes we’ve all heard it often, but man, no matter how many times it’s crossed my path I will always have an ear for this tune. A little bit melancholic, yet sings like a siren’s call to the soul.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IN1J5sMv28Q
Fran, you might have heard her already, but check out Bat For Lashes and her song “Daniel” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00ZHah-c0hQ Natasha Khan has an amazing voice and her music and videos are very experimental and unique.
Also there’s a singer by the name of Boh Runga. Here’s her song “Starfish Sleeping” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlZqRZXb3WU It’s pretty pop sounding but she’s got a great voice.
Also, Boh’s old band was called Stellar* , and although it doesn’t start with “B”, you might wanna check ’em out since she sang lead for them and the music was a LOT different than her solo stuff. This is their song “Violent” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ok8Vd_cGd-s
Doh! Not realizing I probably should have posted links to my previous post of song choices.. here they are in case you couldn’t find them:
Bjork – New World (off Selmasongs)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjYKbIk5MKM
and
Big Audio Dynamite – E=mc2 (off This Is Big Audio Dynamite)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTiIjq3omvA
cheers!