Hey y’all,
The Soundtrack For Our Lives
Trying something new and starting a little series of playlists, theme oriented for different days – maybe for the ride to work in the morning – a quick breather from the daily grind – a means to stay concentrated during your daily work out – the traffic jammed drive home at the end of the day – or the soundtrack to your Feierabend beer, glass of wine, soothing cocktail, or non-alcoholic drink, well deserved, to ease you into the evening chill mode.
Who Needs An Algorithm
I can’t tell you how many times I forgot the actual term “algorithm”. I’ll try to add the word in conversation and gone it is, hiding somewhere deep inside my brain. So there I stand trying to explain it in other terms, and oddly nobody ever seems to guess what I am trying to get at. Had to google the damn thing just right now again with “ AI that decides for you”. Probably because it really doesn’t do anything for me. I mostly find it irritating that some kind of whatever thinks it knows what I want to see or hear next according to something else I just viewed, searched for, or listened to. The things it comes up with either doesn’t fit at all into my current concept, or keeps it so close in line to my previous listen that I just get bored and go back to my hard drive collection. I know what I like, and enjoy quite an eclectic mess, yet haven’t met the algorithm to figure that one out yet. Guess I am still old fashioned in that way, having grown up in a time when TV or radio programming wasn’t a choice that some machine made, but carefully crafted by professionals, some of whom only had money in mind, but plenty who based their whole creative career around it. Can’t say that I always enjoyed the choices given by these professionals, though, especially when it came to music. So I, like many others, began creating my own mixed tapes to form my private little radio station on my Walkman. Sometimes I would give these away as presents to a good buddy on his birthday, or to a girl of interest whom I wanted to impress with my ever so sophisticated taste in music. Think my buddies were more appreciative, but hey, it was worth a try.
So look at this as my mixed tape gift to you, which hopefully you will enjoy! Maybe not each and every song, yet I am sure you will find the one or two hidden gems in the pile.
The Future Of Rock Is Female
Considering the future of Rock is female, and the past filled with plenty of ladies who have paved the way, Wednesdays will be all in the sign of Women Who Rock. An often underappreciated group that has in the last couple decades begun to truly stake its rightful claim in Rock’n’Roll and become the number one force to reckon with in the decades to come. Many of the current female artists are keeping the flame alive with an invigorating freshness and creativity rarely achieved by their current male counterparts.
Playlist links
This batch of songs combines soulful Folk and Hip Hop sounds with a bit of old school psychedelic Motown, Rock’n’R’n’B, danceable Hard Rock, Electronica, trippy Indy, and sends you off with an Acid Rock classic that stands in a field of its own.
Playlist Women Who Rock! Soul To Trip! YouTube
Playlist Women Who Rock! Soul To Trip! Spotify
Elephant Revival – Point Of You
We ease in with the transcendental folk of Elephant Revival, one of the most creative bands of the last two decades. I was at first taken aback by their relative mellowness the first time I saw this band play at the Harvest Fest on Mulberry Mountain. It only took me a song or two to realize what quality they were bringing to the table, though, and by the end of their set I was a life long fan.
An acoustic guitar intro leads us ever so softly into Point Of You when a mandolin swings open the flood gates. The wave of Bonnie Paine’s angelic vocals sweeps you into her mind that is an ocean blue, from whose waters she brings her thoughts to you. Bridget Law’s fiddle playing and Sage Cook’s mandolin add color and texture, filling out the surrounding landscape with their impeccable play. They refer to their style of music as “transcendental folk,” because it transcends several musical categories and incorporates elements of Scottish/Celtic fiddle tunes, original folk pieces, traditional ballads, bluegrass, and indie rock.[2][3]
Tekitha – Walking Through the Darkness
Having been in trade school the last few months and listening to my African American co-students bringing up various hip hop artists in conversations during break, I suddenly felt the urge to revisit one of my favorite movies. Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai is a 1999 crime film written and directed by Jim Jarmusch. Forest Whitaker stars as the title character, the mysterious “Ghost Dog”, a hitman in the employ of the Mafia, who follows the ancient code of the samurai as outlined in the book of Yamamoto Tsunetomo‘s recorded sayings, Hagakure.
The soundtrack is produced by Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA. The collection of songs is considered quite an insider tip with Robert Christgau from the Village Voice calling it “hip-hop as mystery, beauty, pleasure—as idealized aural environment.” Oddly enough it even made an impression on my Mom who is everything other than a hip hop fan. Upon revisiting the soundtrack, Walking Through The Darkness by Tekitha Washington immediately popped out as one of the stand out tracks on this album. Tekitha had been the Wu-Tang Clan’s in-house singer for the album Wu-Tang Forever, on which she also performed a solo track titled “Second Coming”. The song with its hypnotic background vocals and Italo western inspired guitar loop seem to transcend the boundaries of hip hop and R’n’B, making it hard to place in any decade or genre. The cryptical lyrics pay hommage to our lonely hero evading his fate by walking through the darkness.
Erykah Badu – Appletree
In the spring of 2019 I had to do a job up in Montgomery, Alabama. The crew I was with working with had by chance booked an Airb’n’b at a former Jacksonville Jaguars player’s home. He had a giant Karaoke machine in the living room with a large CD folder laying on top full of Hip Hop and R’n’B discs. I immediately seized on the opportunity and ripped a bunch to my hard drive, one of which was Erykah Badu’s Baduizm. I had heard Neko Case namedrop Erykah during her Bonnaroo 2009 set as Neko raved about Badu’s earlier show. All things considered it only took me a hint, 10 years, and a lucky accident to discover her Appletree, a perfect fit for this set. I had honestly never listened to this lady before adding the CD to my collection, but hey, better late than never. Another groovy hip hopitty tune with fun lyrics about female empowerment and smooth beautiful vocals flying free like a willow tree. I’ll pick from that apple tree any day.
The Supremes – Shine On Me
During another break at the trade school the conversation happened upon a newer band called the Black Pumas. One of my fellow students described the Pumas as psychedelic jazz, whereas I considered them more retro soul like Sharon Jones. When I got home that evening I decided to google psychedelic soul, which I had really no idea was actually a thing, and up popped a Wikipedia page on the whole subject. Next thing you know I am discovering unbelievable music from the late 60ies to early seventies, one of which was the Supreme’s New Ways But Love Stays album. An absolutely enjoyable listen with 3 of the most beautiful voices to ever grace the airwaves. Had a hard time picking exactly which song I wanted to add but think that Shine On Me melds in quite well. Not sure if I would consider this psychedelic but it does transcend their original Motown sound with a hard to define edge.
Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings – Let Them Knock
One of the great blessings of the last couple decades has been Sharon Jones with her band the Dap Kings. A powerhouse of a singer and true disciple of funk and soul music who unfortunately left us way too early in 2016. NPR wrote in remembrance of her on Facebook “Sharon Jones beamed who she was right at you, from the first minute to the last.” One of her stand out albums is 100 Days, 100 Nights. If you haven’t had a chance to add this album to your collection you have been missing out. A fellow DJ in Munich kept on bringing her name up to me but unfortunately I ignored his recommendation for far too long, denying me a possibility of ever seeing this charismatic Queen of Soul live on stage. The whole album is filled with goodies but I really enjoy the lascivious imagery of Let Them Knock with its horn heavy New Orleans style blues and old school soul groove. We ain’t answering to nobody else but you, either, Sharon.
Grace Potter & The Nocturnals – Nothing But The Water
Another female powerhouse comes in the form of Grace Potter, my personal favorite of the modern rock’n’blues’n’soul singers. If you haven’t seen this lady live yet, add that to your bucket list. Grace Potter rocks the house. Nothing but the Water is a full force Rock’n’Soul juggernaut with a heavy Gospel feel that is bound to get you off your feet and jumping, or at least pounding your steering wheel with your fingers and hands while singing along to have the sweet water wash you down. Things get moving with a swinging bass line, boogie piano, and Grace’s powerful voice calling for the water to free her from the devil’s child. The lady knows how to play a mean keyboard and spikes this song with a killer organ solo followed by a precise and to the point guitar lead while the infectious bass and beat keep the rhythm moving in the background. We’ll find glory somewhere somehow!
The Pretty Reckless – Mad Love
Who You Selling For is definitely the Pretty Reckless’ most mature record to date, top notch from front to end and firmly grounded in the hard rock genre. The lone exception being Mad Love, their only outing into a more dance friendly pop direction. The song still manages to maintain a harder edge, however the vocal, bass and beat arrangement are definitely dance pop at its finest. A sly wink from Taylor Momsen that she has the ability to cover any genre. If she wanted to she could go full on pop but decides to spike her vocals with her signature raw Rock’n’Roll feel. The band slams a hard rockin’ industrial bridge in the mix to leave no doubt they ain’t about to sell out. Just playin around a little. With probably the best female voice in Rock’n’Roll right now leading the way, the Pretty Reckless as a whole are an invaluable addition to the modern rock universe.
2Raumwohnung – Ich Und Elaine
Keeping with the dance beats is this little ditty from German electropop duo 2Raumwohnung. Inga Humpe sings about her indestructible friendship ( or maybe more) in Ich und Elaine ( Me and Elaine). They are female musketeers, Sheriff and Deputy, and an adventure team who share the blood in their veins (see if you can spot these english additions in the song plus the one I left out 😉 ). A fun dance track to sing along with, even if the ch in ICH gives you a hard time. Don’t sweat it, nobody can hear you in your car.
Heartless Bastards – Only For You
Things turn a little Indy rock with Heartless Bastards, another of my favorite bands of the last couple decades. Erika Wennerstrom has one of the most unique and hard to define voices in Rock’n’Roll. That said, she knows how to use it in all its emotional glory, and is perfectly able to maximize on her range, never leaving its bounds but never letting it limit her, either. The Village Voice wrote: “deadeye accurate in pitch and message… what we’ve got is a hard, gnarled voice singing simple-seeming melodies that feel archetypal rather than ordinary, which is no easier to explain than it is to do”. Only For You gives her a perfect vehicle to let this one of a kind voice shine, underscored with a rhythmic baseline and beat. The single note guitar riffing goes on its own parallel explorations and gives the song an overall adventurous feel.
Neko Case – Hold On, Hold On
Another unique voice comes from the heart and lungs of Neko Case, which was described in Wikipedia as a powerful, untrained contralto voice, which has been described by contemporaries and critics as a “flamethrower,”[4] “a powerhouse [which] seems like it might level buildings,”[5] “a 120-mph fastball,”[6] and a “vocal tornado”.[7] Hold On, Hold On from her Fox Confessor Brings The Flood album is another song that is hard to define or place in any genre, but has a fun acoustic groove with a dark edge and strange atmospheric vocals. Is it indy, alt country, folk rock, not sure but creative in its imagery and catchy in its delivery. Its the devil she loves, and its as funny as real love.
Patti Smith – Cartwheels
My first year experiencing Bonnaroo was 2005. I noticed Patti Smith coming up at this stage, that stage or whatever stage and figured I’d check her out for a song or two, having really only ever heard her Jimi Hendrix tune. Don’t really like that song but thought I would pay the Grand Dame of Rock and Punk my respects anyway. Needless to say I stayed for the whole show, she about brought down the house, or should I say tent. Immediately after the festival I bought Trampin’, the album she was touring in support of at the time. Mid-album Patti Smith greets us with Cartwheels, guiding us with her deep, comforting voice into her picturesque collage of a girls thoughts darting like a rabbit ‘cross the moon / shines of light over your hair as boys croon. She is a master at creating obscure imagery, herself being a muse to others and an artwork all on her own. Cartwheels is disorienting yet familiar, like a warm acid trip on a early summer day on green fields, in brooding woods, in some far off distant New England landscape. The rabbit seems to be waiting behind the brush.
Jefferson Airplane – Lather
One of my favorite female voices belongs to Grace Slick, who once said of herself that she doesn’t really sing. Whatever she does, her voice has guided me through some very strange journeys with the floors and walls moving in unison to her deep, mysterious vocal motion. Lather has always been one of my favorite Jefferson Airplane songs, and it has to be one of their most trippy. The imagery is insane yet not in a disorienting way. The sound effects and kazoo are spot on and accentuate her story perfectly. You join this young boy skipping through this hallucinatory world along with Howard C Green and Sergeant Dal Jones, thrashing the air with your hands while producing the finest of sounds. A strange tale about getting old while still feeling like a child.
Hope y’all enjoy this little selection. Don’t forget to check out my social media and please throw some of your favorite female artists my way. Don’t forget to keep on rockin’! Cheers!