Song of the Day: Mountain Man - Animal Tracks

The first thought that came to mind when I listened to Mountain Man for the first time was, "Oh, brother." As in O Brother, Where Art Thou? the fantastic Coen brothers movie and hugely successful soundtrack. The songs on Made the Harbor wouldn't be out of place on that soundtrack, and they remind me of the sirens of the movie. The album is mostly acoustic guitar and gorgeous three-part harmonies, and it's equally suited for intense listening via headphones or background dinner music. Either way, it's a beautiful album.

Song of the Day: Big Star - Holocaust

I didn't get everything I wanted at Record Store Day, but at least I got to stand in line for 4 1/2 hours. As I mentioned in my RSD post, the big three for me were Nirvana, Big Star and Television - only the latter is now in my possession. Thankfully, a friend on the East coast was able to pick up the other two, so the day was not a complete loss.

But given my lack of success, the fact that it's a dreary Monday in LA, and just because I feel like it, today's song of the day is from the Big Star Third LP and one of the most depressing songs you'll ever hear - as if the title didn't give it away.

Song of the Day: Nirvana - Aneurysm

As I posted earlier today, I'm excited as hell about Record Store Day, and Nirvana is one of the reasons. Their Hormoaning EP is going to be issued in the US for the first time, and it includes one of my favorite songs, "Aneurysm." It's a song that wouldn't have been out of place on Nevermind, and it makes me wonder whether, were Cobain still alive, he'd still be able to sing - it sounds like he's tearing the hell out of his vocal cords here.

This track is available on Incesticide, but any excuse to own more Nirvana on vinyl is worthwhile.

My Record Store Day 2011 Wishlist

Tomorrow will be my third Record Store Day, and I'm equally excited and nervous. In 2009, there were about 40 people outside of Amoeba Hollywood, and I was able to get everything I wanted. In 2010, the line was at least 150 people long, and as I blogged about at the time, it was extreme chaos within the store.

This year, Amoeba is putting all the exclusives behind the counter, which I'm very happy about. But I'm dismayed to see that there are RSD releases already up for bid on eBay - it makes me wonder how many people will be at Amoeba tomorrow for the records and how many will be there for the money.

I'm definitely there for the records, and this is my list:

The Beach Boys: "Good Vibrations" b/w "Heroes & Villains" [Capitol]
Big Star: Third [Omnivore] [reissue]
Built to Spill: "Ripple" 7" [WBR]
Cults: "Abducted" b/w "Go Outside (Remix)" 7" [ITNO/Columbia]
Daft Punk: Tron 10" [Walt Disney Records]
Deerhunter: "Memory Boy" 7" [4AD]
Fela Kuti and the Africa 70: Monday Morning in Lagos Parts 1 & 2 [Knitting Factory/MRI] [reissue]
Fleet Foxes: "Helplessness Blues" b/w "Grown Ocean" 12" [Sub Pop]
Jenny & Johnny and Gram Parsons & Emmylou Harris: Love Hurts 7"
Kings of Leon: Holy Roller Novocaine [RCA] [reissue]
Mastodon: Live at the Aragon [Warner]
Nirvana: Hormoaning EP [Geffen] [reissue]
Pearl Jam: "Immortality" b/w "Rearviewmirror" 7" [Legacy] [reissue]
R.E.M.: R.E.M. Three: First Three Singles from Collapse Into Now [Warner Bros.]
Ryan Adams and the Cardinals: Class Mythology EP [Pax-Am]
Sonic Youth: Whore's Moaning 12" [Geffen] [reissue]
Television: Live at the Old Waldorf [Rhino]
The Velvet Underground: Foggy Notion [Sundazed]
Wild Flag: "Future Crimes" b/w "Glass Tambourine" 7" [Merge]
Various Artists: Sing for Your Meat: Tribute to Guided by Voices [No More Fake Labels]

The three I'm most excited about are Big Star, Nirvana and Television. The latter is of particular interest because I think the CD version is even out of print. And I love Television.

Good luck to all who are braving their local record stores tomorrow!

Song of the Day: The Doors - When the Music's Over

Man alive (she cried) do some people hate The Doors. If you got that parenthetical reference, you probably don't hate them, but in the last few years I've come to read more and more vitriol about The Doors than perhaps any other "classic" band. Granted, hating The Doors is nothing new - I'm pretty sure Lester Bangs was not a fan, to put it mildly - but perhaps I was so blinded by my own infatuation that I ignored the dissenters.

That said, I get why some people don't love the band, but I won't validate those critiques by enumerating what they are (though some are indeed valid). Instead, I'll point out why "When the Music's Over" - one of their longest songs - is mind-blowing:

1. The opening keyboard riff
2. Morrison's opening scream
3. Robby Krieger's guitar lines...and then his nutso solo in the first half of the song (with two guitars tracked, I think)
4. John Densmore's drumming, which is probably the most underrated aspect of The Doors' music. Listen to the way he plays during the long middle section, like after "...tied her down."
5. The hypnotic bassline (played on the keyboard, probably)
6. The way Morrison's voice is double-tracked for "we want the world and we want it now" - very creepy
7. Morrison's other screams
8. The lyrics - Morrison usually gets killed for melodramatic lyrics, but this song elicits some interesting visuals

Song of the Day: Come - Fast Piss Blues

This Village Voice piece made me remember how good the band Come were (are?), and I'm sad to read that many of their albums aren't even in print. Eleven: Eleven is a fantastic LP that sounds like a dirtier Sunny Day Real Estate, and I'm proud to say I own a copy on vinyl. Hopefully someday the band will get the reissues they deserve.

Song of the Day: Foals - Big Big Love

This song popped up on my iPod this morning. I like most of the songs from Foals' first album, but I honestly haven't listened enough to form a strong opinion about the band. Any fans out there?