Isaac Hayes - By the Time I get to Phoenix

With apologies to Bo Diddley (whose "Gun Slinger" I could not find on the YouTubes), I wanted this last post of '08 to pay tribute to a legend in his own right. The unabridged track, from Hot Buttered Soul, runs more than 18 minutes. This cuts out the 8-minute intro and goes straight into the song. I assume most of us have heard the whole thing, but if you haven't I would recommend giving it a listen.

(The original is by Glen Campbell, and sort of sucks, but Nick Cave also gave it a whirl.)

Gang Gang Dance - First Communion

Eh, I like it well enough.

Tom Waits- Diamonds On My Windshield

Nina Simone - I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free

An uninspired choice for today, but if you cannot enjoy a Nina rendition I sort of want to wish a pox on your home you are weird.

J.S. Bach French Suite No. 2

Sticking with the Baroque theme today. Glenn Gould is generally considered the foremost performer of Bach's keyboard music. His style is highly technical and fast. You can see from the pictures in the video that he was also famous for his crouched (uncomfortable-looking) style. Bach's French Suites were written for the clavichord (the instrument that came between the harpsichord and the piano) but these pieces are generally performed on pianos today.

La Publicite - Jacques Dutronc

My family and I watched Darjeeling Limited last night, and the soundtrack put me in the mood for a little French pop:



(Let's face it, that's the best album cover in the history of the universe.)

John Lee Hooker & Canned Heat - Burning Hell

Yeah, so I decided to go negative for this Christmas, like Steve Schmidt would've. Rejected songs-of-the-day: "Jesus Christ" by Woody Guthrie (too depressing), "God's Gonna Cut You Down" by Odetta (too terrifying), "Christmas" by Beat Happening (too weird), and "Lost in the Stars" by Kurt Weill (all of the above). What we are left with is this blues-drone track from an early 70s collaboration between legendary John Lee Hooker and unlegendary Woodstock-appearing bluesy Canned Heat.


This song is really good, I think, and somewhat fitting. Comes with that *not for Aaron tag, being blues, but I still find Hooker's take here surprising given the religious nature of the genre.

I doubt you all are believers, anyway.

Lord Buckley - The Nazz

On this very special Christmas edition of Oscars Wild Years, I present Lord Buckley's interpretation of the story of Christ. It's not a song so much as a monologue, but it's worth a listen. Last time the imeem embed broke Craig's Internets, so let me know if you encounter a similar problem. Thanks to Daniel for sharing his space today, and merry Christmas to you all.

The Nazz - Lord Buckley

Aught Eight, Disc 2

A bit more local music this go-round. Download link

1. Kalise - El Guincho
From the album Alegranza

I think this one was technically first released in Spain in 2007, but didn't see a U.S. release until late this year.

2. Gayle - Guy Blackman
From the album Adult Baby

Well, the vocals sort of make or break it with this guy. Jens Lekman appears on another track.

3. Lay It Down - Al Green
From the album Lay It Down

Co-produced by ?uestlove

4. Will Get Fooled Again - Max Tundra
From the album Parallax Error Beheads You

Step aside, Dutchess and the Duke:



(The more I listen to this record, the more I love it. Honestly, this is one of my favorites of the year.)

5. Alsatian Dog - Simon Bookish
From the album Everything/Everything

If Max Tundra and Scott Walker had a lovechild, it would be called Simon Bookish.

6. Drips One - Handshakes
From the album All-American

Local electro-pop-dance duo, down to one member while the bassist studies philosophy in Michigan (What is the sound of one hand shaking?)

7. Rabbit Habits - Man Man
From the album Rabbit Habits

This guy is a bit of a Beefheart/Waits/Zappa devotee. The rest of the album really sounds nothing like this.

8. Kiss Me Again - Jessica Lea Mayfield
From the album With Blasphemy So Heartfelt

I don't know if she's a rising star in country music, but she put out a pretty solid album for a 19-year-old. Dan Auerbach (of The Black Keys) produced this; she appears on their 2008 album Attack & Release.

9. Singing to the Earth (To Thank Her For You) - Apollo Sunshine
From the album Shall Noise Upon

I think this is better taken as an album -- it was tough to find a representative track for this mix.

10. Today's Lesson - Nick Cave
From the album Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!

Mr. Sandman, the inseminator, indeed.

11. Night & Day - The Moondoggies
From the album Don't Be a Stranger

I was lukewarm on these guys when the album came out -- all of this roots music posturing is king of nauseating. Then I heard this song suite play during a drive in to work, and it just clicked.

12. Armageddon Song - The Dutchess and the Duke
From the album She's the Dutchess, He's the Duke

(Do you get the idea I like these two?)

The Pogues featuring Kirsty McColl - Fairytale of New York

What else could it be?



Just kidding, that's the most irritating song in the history of this or any other universe. When you sit down to your ham or your venison or your mutton or whatever the fuck you people eat at Christmas, and you're thinking about how this year is the year you're finally going to be nice to each other and spread peace on earth and all that shit, you should spend just a little bit of that time thinking about how you need to repent for creating a holiday that has spawned so much irritating music.

Anyway, here 'tis, for reals.



Merry Christmas, all you gentiles.

Evangelista - Smooth Jazz

So, I'm a little overdosed on happy, soft in the middle music, you know?

So here's a nice little holiday gem, for you, because I love too much.



There, I had no idea that it was so easy to post something on YouTube, I'm doing it this way for now on. Oh, oh yes, I am...

De La Soul- Millie Pulled a Pistol on Santa

I was going to avoid anything Christmas/holiday related, but fuck it.

Andrew Listens To Stuff In '08

Here you go.

1 - "Everything Is Borrowed" - The Streets - Everything Is Borrowed (0:00)

(This is the rap music that I like. I am so white.)

2 - "Lie Down Here (And Be My Girl)" - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! (3:55)

It's Nick Cave, so what am I going to do aside from turn the volume up and just listen? Nothing, is what.

3 - "No" - Vivian Girls - Vivian Girls (8:45)

(I am sooo clever! I know.) I dig all twenty one minutes and sixteen seconds of their album. Lots of fun.

4 - "The Gardner" - The Tallest Man On Earth - Shallow Graves (10:05)

Oscar Gamble supports the gardener and all his actions.

5 - "Everything That Happens" - Brian Eno & David Byrne - Everything That Happens Will Happen Today (13:50)

I mean, this album was never going to be anything aside from awesome.

6 - "Undeclared" - The Dodos - Visiter (17:30)

Grammatical oddities were in vogue this year, it seems. (Wiki explains this one.)

7 - "My Luck" - Dagha - The Divorce (19:20)

This is a silly one, but I likes.

8 - "Oh Honey" - Langhorne Slim - Diamonds and Gold (22:15)

A quick little number. I didn't hate the new Avetts as much as other people, but this gave me something to enjoy from that realm in any case.

9 - "The Nun's Litany" - The Magnetic Fields - Distortion (23:50)

Another silly one. I will back Merritt to the grave.

10 - "A Dream Goes On Forever" - Todd Rundgren - Modal Soul Classics by Nujabes (26:40)

Nujabes' work was actually my favorite discovery of the year, by far, but he had no new material this year, so I was forced to include this track instead, from a compilation that he mastered. (Oh yeah. It's good.)

11 - "Time Away" - Arthur Russell - Love Is Overtaking Me (29:00)

Head nods to Tyler (again) for this one. I liked loads of tracks on this, but I guess I just picked this one since I like his Lou Reed impersonation, I think.

12 - "Mykonos" - Fleet Foxes - Sun Giant (31:05)

Enough has been said about these guys on the internet already.

13 - "7 Pounds" - Genius/GZA - Pro Tools (35:20)

Trying to be less white.

14 - "Armageddon Song" - The Dutchess and the Duke - She's The Dutchess, He's The Duke (37:55)

This was my favorite album of the year.

15 - "Rock It Number Nine" - Metaform - Standing on the Shoulders of Giants (40:35)

An instrumental track. Even if these are not your thing, it's short, and I think you might enjoy it a little anyway.

16 - "Tip Your Way" - The Felice Brothers - The Felice Brothers (41:50)

Aaron...Fuck you. Like, legitimately. But at the same time... Hugs! Hugs! and more Hugs!

The times in parentheses are the approximate start times for each song in my one-track mix, which I'd recommend listening to, just because it flows a little nicer.

But I also uploaded it in the standard manner.


Download. Listen. Love. Hate. Comment.

Tom Waits - Christmas Card From A Hooker In Minneapolis

I don't have too much time right now, so I'll just go with the obvious one for the week.



I should have my year end mix ready to post at some time today. Hopefully.

Passion Pit -- Sleepyhead

Ok, so I found this band about a week ago, and I absolutely love the two songs I've heard. I was torn between a few different songs, but when I found out that this song was in a psp commercial it was kind of an easy call.

Arcangelo Corelli's Christmas Concerto

Sorry I missed yesterday. Holiday travel got in the way.

Arcangelo Corelli is perhaps the greatest early Baroque composer. His influence on Bach and Telemann is undeniable. He is the father of the Concerto Grosso form which splits the orchestra into two sections: the concertino and the ripieno. The concertino is a small ensemble that plays solo passages, to which the ripieno responds. Listen for this call and response in the posted concerto. Corelli composed 12 concerto grossi. This is a selection from his eighth concerto grosso, the Christmas Concerto, in G minor.

Captain Beefheart - Frownland

"Captain Beefheart is hard."
-- My roommate, Dec. 20, 2008

Virtually inaccessible and sort of awesome.

Daft Punk - Da Funk

First, Tyres, from "Spaced" (NSFW, there's one loud curse word at the end.)

It's Friday, so I'll send you clubbing with Tyres. I bought this album on the strength of seeing the video - it's a so-so album (pretty repetitive, even for electronic music) but it has some kickass songs on it, and this is one. It also happens to still be my all-time favorite video. There's about a million awesome things about it, but I think my favorite is that the music is completely diegetic.

Peggy Lee - Blue Prelude

I first heard this song thanks to a certain 'Whisk E. Bear', who had sent me the fantastic Quah, by Jorma Kaukonen.


Here is the original by sultry 40s-50s jazz singer Peggy Lee, who is awesome. You may remember her from such songs as "Fever", and, well, "Fever". ("Fever"'s awesome.)

Aught Eight, Disc 1

I could probably make a third disc out of the cuts I made from the first two -- Andrew Bird, Avett Brothers, Beach House, Born Ruffians, David Byrne and Brian Eno, Deerhoof, The Dodos, The Drones, Holly Golightly, Hot Chip, Jolie Holland, TV on the Radio (just kidding, that album is an overrated piece of crap ... thanks, Pitchfork), Wolf Parade. But you deserve only the very best. Part 2 arrives next week.

Download link

1. Close My Eyes - Arthur Russell
From the album Love is Overtaking Me

The rumor is that when Arthur Russell died in 1992, he left behind as many as 1,000 tapes of unreleased songs. His other posthumous albums draw more from his disco -- he was a bit of a star of the NYC disco scene in the 1970s and 80s. And then there is this collection of pop songs, with this stunning folk song as its zenith.

2. Mary - The Dutchess and The Duke
From the album She's the Dutchess, He's the Duke

Local lo-fi folk duo earns bonus points for making the weirdest video of the year:



3. So Everyone - Bonnie Prince Billy
From the album Lie Down in the Light

Has an appeal for public oral sex ever sounded so beautiful?

4. No One Does It - Department of Eagles
From the album In Ear Park

I think I like this album better than any of the proper Grizzly Bear releases. (Can I say that?)

5. Circus of Horror - Quiet Village
From the album Silent Movie



Yes, they took their name from the Martin Denny album -- they really are that awesome.

6. The Gardener - The Tallest Man on Earth
From the album Shallow Graves

One of my favorite albums of the year. Obligatory: Dylanesque

7. Upon Viewing Brueghel's 'Landscape With The Fall Of Icarus' - Titus Andronicus
From the album The Airing of Grievances



Yes, every song title on the album is at least this pretentious.

8. Black Rice - Women
From the album Women

Jangly psych rock from the Lou School.

9. Mismanaged Skies - Beatbeat Whisper
From the album Wonder Continental

It's cute. I like cute.

10. Mykonos - Fleet Foxes
From the album Sun Giant (EP)

Back before the two Sub Pop Records, before the Pitchfork reviews and the overnight indie stardom, I didn't walk a block and a half up the street after having drinks with my sister and cousin to go see the Fleet Foxes play at the now-closed (and legendary) Crocodile Cafe, so that I might never have to say, "I was there when."



(You guys know everyone in Seattle looks like this, right?)

11. Psychotic Girl - The Black Keys
From the album Attack & Release

Your producer is Danger Mouse (!)

12. Possible Grenade - Brendan Canning (Broken Social Scene)
From the album Something For All of Us

I preferred this one to last year's Kevin Drew.

13. In the New Year - The Walkmen
From the album You & Me

The album didn't really stay in my rotation very long, but this song is simply outstanding.

14. The Ballad of Redhook - Peter and the Wolf
From the album Mellow Owl

Red Hunter (alias Peter and the Wolf) is one of my favorite songwriters, and this is a picture of a man on a motorcycle.

The Sonics - Strychnine

This Tacoma band, active from 1960-68, is the most influential band to emerge from Seattle's music scene (and I say that knowing full well the implications). Here's a ferocious little punk song about getting high drinking strychnine:



(One might be familiar with their cover of a Richard Berry classic, which regrettably appeared in a Land Rover commercial.)

Das Wanderlust - Puzzle

What do we need more of in our wretched lives? Cheerleading ghosts, that's what. Unabashedly silly, but I enjoy it anyways. Lo-fi is the new black.

Herbie Hancock and the Headhunters- Watermelon Man

The Flaming Lips -- Spongebob and Patrick Confront the Psychic Wall of Energy

Well, here is my first song. It is from The Spongebob Squarepants Movie. If you havent seen this movie, I would highly suggest it. People who dont watch the TV show, or even arent fans of the TV show have generally said they liked the movie. Also the soundtrack for the movie is great. I considered posting The Best Day Ever, but I was afraid that it was so positive that it might melt Tyler's face.

Anyway, as the Flaming Lips are one of my favorite bands, I figured this might be a good way to start. Also, the music video is good too, so that makes it more fun.

The Swell Season - Fogtown (cover)

I went out and downloaded a live album from Michelle Shocked after Dan mentioned her a few weeks ago. One of the tracks on the disk was "Fogtown" which I was sure I recognized, but I could not say from where until I came across this while scouring the youtube:



Not that anyone cares, but notable facts from the evening are that it was the yuppie-est crowd in the history of mankind (Matthew Motherfucking Perry was even there--like I said, yuppie-est); and that Markéta Irglová actually does have stage presence, in spite of what you just saw in the Fogtown performance, not to mention the Academy Awards awkwardness.

I'd also encourage people to watch The Frames cover The Pixies, which I almost picked for this week, but decided not to, because I was attending the other one, and I like being self indulgent.

Streetlight Manifesto - If and When We Rise

Streetlight Manifesto is the band Thomas Kalnoky formed when he left Catch 22. I saw them live a couple years ago, and I couldn't believe how clean and complex the horn sections were in their songs. Here is a track from their first album where they find a way to reference Brahms in the middle of a ska song.

Uncle Tupelo - Graveyard Shift

No real story here - this is side 1, track 1 off of their first album, and it's a scorcher.

Marion Black - Who Knows

All I am going to say here is "eerie", and "shrouded in mystery". This man does not have a wikipedia page, and barely has an allmusic one. This is what you can get from google. Lucky for some of you (although this may not be the case on future Thursdays), this singer is not someone I know personally, or some unknown folk-punk messiah. He is Marion Black, and he is Soul.



(I wish that I could say that I discovered this song myself. Instead I found it on the Weeds soundtrack. So, still excellent.)

((The "another day" bridge is lifted from an old gospel song, "Just Another Day", I think. I have Sam Cooke singing that one.))

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - More News From Nowhere

It took me most of 2008 to get around to listening to Nick Cave's excellent, urgently titled "Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!" When I first heard "More News From Nowhere" on the radio several months ago, I mistook it for a Tender Prey-era throwback, so steeped is it in his core aesthetic. (The Odyssey recast in a seedy hotel/lounge and drenched in booze and sex and vice? This is like Hemingway and dying, alone, in the rain.)

Anyway, enjoy this preview of one of my top songs of 2008. The video is a bit NSFW, so listen with the window minimized, or watch at home (or both, for it is a rad video).

Bowerbirds - In Our Talons

Sometimes, the best eco-friendly message you can really send to someone is the indelible image of two preying mantises getting some kinky love action going. Who doesn't want that?

Song of the Day: Binary Star- Honest Expression

Binary Star were one of the first legitimately underground hip hop acts I ever really listened to. I happened to come across another track, "Reality Check", a few years ago, when I wasn't really listening to much like this at all. They only put out the one real album as a duo, "Waterworld" (which was re-released as "Masters of the Universe"), but One Be Lo has gone onto have a relatively successful career, and I enjoy his solo stuff. Anyway, here you go.

Oscar's Song of the Day

Each day we will post a song on this blog for you and your loved ones to enjoy, because what is a blog about music without music (that is not terrible)?

The posting schedule:

Mondays: Eric
Tuesdays: Sycophantman
Wednesdays: Whisk E. Bear
Thursdays: David Bowie (no relation)
Fridays: Craig
Saturdays: Bruno
Sundays: Bunk and TomHat

We may fill in for each other as needed and do apologize in advance should we miss a day, although this should not be construed as evidence that any of the aforementioned have actual lives, at which they might invest actual energy.

Tom Waits - Franks Wild Years