Schedule A

I enjoy coming across new music, so I thought I would share. I am going to try to list 10, maybe 5, songs a month. I have a pretty wide scope when it comes to music so the bag will be very mixed. I have been using Pandora.com and CBC Radio 3 to find music, though I am always looking for new sources.

So here goes, 10 songs that are relatively new to me this month. Order isn’t really meaningful.

1. Elliott Brood – Second Son

The atmosphere. The banjo. The forlorn voice. The swing in the beat that invokes some kind of blue grass madness. The variety in vocals really drives the song. Apparently they have a great high-energy live show. Their Pandora radio station has actually been one of my favorite lately.

2. The Joel Plaskett Emergency – Nowhere With You

Apparently this song is getting really popular, I have heard it on the radio twice, despite not listening to the radio ever. The lyrics are clever while still being simple and catchy. For me though the crazy tom based back beat, and the sing-a-long bridge that makes this song a charm.

3. Matt Nathanson – Pretty The World

Admittedly pretty standard soft rock. It was between this and Wheat, which I will probably comment on next month. The hook, though, sticks out in my mind for the energy it has. The song has some nice movement in the chorus without being overly dramatic.

4. Barenaked Ladies – These Apples

I only came across this song recently, it was a request for an event I did recently. I am a relatively big fan of BNL, mainly for their lyrical humor and general brilliance. This one of the finest examples. Witty turnarounds, and hook in the chorus, which invokes of a moment of honest joy. Delicious fruit! Can all this really be free?
5. MC Lars – Generic Crunk Rap

I actually discovered song due to wikipedia article about the Crunk sub genre of Hip Hop that now typifies some kinds of club music. This song is basically a criticism, no so much of the music, but how it is popularized and promoted. The song itself is well constructed, and makes me curious about other MC Lars songs. There is also the transition where he apologizes to some of Hip Hop’s founders on behalf of Crunk.

6. Obie Trice – Got Some Teeth

In terms of absurd Hip Hop Obie steps up ahead of Eminem. The hook is insane with rhymes a slick enough to back it up. There is an over use of sound effects, but the oddly New Orleans beat makes the song. At the end he breaks out laughing, showing the man enjoys what he does.

7. Junk Science – House Wigger

This is one my favorite songs which comes up randomly on Pandora, and I keep hearing in the SLC. Apparently the rest of the album doesn’t quite measure up. But lightly sung part just fits the tone perfectly so this well crafted hiphop song.

8. Sir Mix-A-Lot – Jump On It

As far as I can tell the song was originally done by The Sugar Hill Gang. Sir Mix-A-Lot also has a fine version. It was one of the songs featured in the Evolution of Dance I didn’t already have. The dance in question I gather was made famous by the Fresh Prince of Bel-air.

9. Chrinstina Agulera – Ain’t No Other Man

Look ok, we learned with Toxic, that as much as you might dis-like this generation of pop divas, a good break beat inspired pop tune can be irresistible. At least it isn’t Buttons. Seriously I a sucker for a well compressed break beat. I even tried to mix it with Toxic, and it almost worked.

10. Buck65 – Kenndy Killed The Cat

I had the pleasure to hear this shockingly good lyricist live in Winnipeg. Here is a more wholesome application of more electronic break beats to Hip Hop where the lyrics actually drive the song more than the beat. “They want me to jump that fence / Sometimes I rather be dead.” Lyrically Buck65 is well worth the hype.