Our next president

Been a long time since the last post. Explanation as to why and new posts coming real soon. Exciting, I promise!

But until then, listen to one of the best songs I’ve heard in my life. Just heard it for the first time about half an hour ago. The song asks but one simple question: What if a song could be president? Don’t think I’ve ever heard a better question.

For my money, a good song is the most primal and honest representation of the human mind and all the things it controls (i.e., everything). Things would be a lot better if a song could actually be president, don’t you think? Just imagine if your favorite song was president. Feel better? I thought so.

Over the Rhine – “If a Song Could be President”

If a song could be president

We’d hum on Election Day

The gospel choir would start to sway

And we’d all have a part to play

The first lady would free her hips
Pull a microphone to her lips
Break our hearts with Rhythm and Blues
Steve Earle would anchor the news

We’d vote for a melody
Pass it around on an MP3
All our best foreign policy
Would be built on harmony

If a song could be president
We’d fly a jukebox to the moon
All our founding fathers’ 45’s
Lightnin’ Hopkins and Patsy Cline
If a song could be president

If a song could be president
We could all add another verse
Life would teach us to rehearse
Till we found a key change

Break out of this minor key
Half-truths and hypocrisy
We wouldn’t need an underachiever-in-chief
If a song could be president

We’d make Neil Young a Senator
Even though he came from Canada
Emmylou would be Ambassador
World leaders would listen to her

They would show us where our country went wrong
Strum their guitars on the White House lawn
John Prine would run the FBI
All the criminals would laugh and cry
If a song could be president

Saw She Wants Revenge in Dallas Friday night.  Interesting show, great venue if not a bit prefab. The extra bars outweighed the preponderance of Baz Luhrmann-inspired fixtures and faux artifacts.

Impressions: If Depeche Mode waged war on New Order and Dave Gahan and Bernarnd Sumner were killed in the melee and John McCrea inexplicably agreed to front the remaining uninjured members they would be She Wants Revenge…Far less actual synth was used, ohhh I love technology, but not as much as you, you see…Small but spirited crowd. Also caught a little of Be your own Pet. The post-synth shoegazing, knee-bouncer set wasn’t quite ready for a full-on punk assault. Pet’s pretty tame per youtube compared to the raw, explosive performance I saw. Sounding like a slightly less stable X, who is touring right now with Detroit Cobras, they blew the place up. There were few survivors, so the Billy Idol-topped pixie lead singer tossed her mike, and left in disgust. Made me we want to fling a booger toward the stage. Sorry to wax on and on, here’s the list a mix of CD, Ipod and radio from last night through this morning’s commute…

Sultan – What Made Milwaukee Famous

Don’t get the title, but somebody’s trying to get some radio play.

The Warrior – Scandal

I think Rod Argent wrote this weird-ass song that somehow got really popular… bang bang

Come as you are – Nirvana

Is it just me, or are they starting to get more air play? I think Grunge is the next new retrorock. Hell, The Toadies are touring again.

Summer of ‘69 – Bryan Adams

Music is my hot, hot sex – CSS

I Hate it here – Wilco

Love this song.

Whole lotta something

In honor of the RAWK SAWNG OF THE DAY - Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love” – I offer a whole lotta tiny thoughts about today’s songs. 

Queens of the Stone Age – “Do It Again”

Whole lotta ego.

And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead – “Monsoon”

Whole lotta drugs.

Elvis Costello – “Lip Service”

Whole lotta sass.

The Flaming Lips – “Buggin’”

Whole lotta kick drum (and bubbles).

Wilco – “In a Future Age”

Whole lotta dreaming.

John Lennon – “Working Class Hero”

Whole lotta repitition.

Mute Math – “Picture”

Whole lotta lost love.

Albert Hammond Jr. – “Hard to Live in the City”

Whole lotta nothing. Must delete this album immediately. Sucks to an embarrassing degree after first listen.

The Beatles – “Good Day Sunshine”

Whole lotta keys.

The Minus 5 – “Great News Around You”

Whole lotta harmony.

The Darkness – “Blind Man”

Whole lotta spandex.

George Harrison – “I’d Have You Anytime”

Whole lotta romance.

Metallica – “Ride The Lightning”

Whole lotta power chords.

RAWK SAWNG OF THE DAY: Led Zeppelin – “Whole Lotta Love”

Whole lotta Plant-o-gasms.

Creeper Lagoon – “Keep From Moving”

Whole lotta hope.

Bob Dylan – “Pledging My Time”

Whola lotta harmonica.

Clearlake – “It’s All Too Much”

Whole lotta purgatory.

David Bowie – “Rebel, Rebel”

Whole lotta lipstick.

Injected – “Only Hurts Awhile”

Whole lotta rhymes.

Incubus – “Diamonds And Coal”

Whole lotta snap.

Stars – “Ageless Beauty”

Whole lotta X chromosome.

Skybombers – “6 a.m.”

Whole lotta snarling.

Breakdown: 22 songs, three places

If anyone knows how to prevent my cell phone from interfering with my car stereo, I’ll give you some gum. I’ve about had it with the incessant buzz-hum-crack interruptions.

If it’s far out, was it ever far in?

Friday May 2

The Flaming Lips – “Free Radicals”

Ryan Adams – “Halloweenhead”

Yeah, I’ve been alone on the highway late at night and proudly butchered this song at the top of my lungs. What of it? Mindless idiot-rock from Ryan Adams, of all people. Still, he managed to turn this into a piano ballad when I saw him at Cain’s a few months ago. Unreal.

Hey Mercedes – “Eleven to Your Seven”

The Feds – “Angels & Devils”

Ryan Adams & The Cardinals – “Magnolia Mountain”

Low – “Closer”

Jesse Malin – “High Lonesome”

Islands – “Jogging Gorgeous Summer”

Elbow – “Fugitive Motel”

Mute Math – “You Are Mine”

Watched a couple Mute Match videos on YouTube before a party this weekend (a party at which I am rumored to have set myself on fire, even if I dispute it). Somehow, I think I managed to see Mute Math play a less-than-stellar show at Cain’s a few months back. This isn’t to say I wasn’t floored at that Cain’s show – it was easily one of the most extraordinary and original things I’ve ever seen. That rhythm section is alien, I swear. I only say less-than-stellar now, after seeing the madness that ensues at other shows. This band might just take over the world with its next record, or it might just fade away. Either way, at least I got to see it.

Stars – “The First Five Times”

Guster – “Two Points for Honesty”

RAWK SAWNG OF THE DAY: Injected – “Burn it Black”

Tom Waits – “Blue Skies”

June 23 – Dallas at Palladium
June 25 – Tulsa at Brady Theatre

The Who – “My Generation” 

Ben Folds Five – “Your Redneck Past”

Breakdown: 16 songs, two places

I’ll be working out of the paper’s Capitol Bureau from now until next Friday. This means little-to-no time for tuneage at work. Instead, I’ll be listening to the music of conference committee reports, filibusters, partisan pandering and engrossed bills. May God help us all.

Short playlists ahead, but big news music news for yours truly will make up for it. Stay tuneage-d.

Don’t die

Thursday May 1

Son Volt – “Medication”

Lucero – “Anjalee”

RAWK SAWNG OF THE DAY: The Beatles – “Helter Skelter”

Rolled into the OPUBCO parking lot with this song blaring and the sunroof down. One of the grizzly maintenance workers flashed some rock horns at me. I normally wouldn’t consider a Beatles song for Rawk Sawng of the Day, but there’s no way to ignore it thanks to grizzled maintenance man. Clearly the highlight of the day.

Sloan – “Back Stabbin”

Jet – “Eleanor”

Foo Fighters – “See You”

Smashing Pumpkins – “Window Paine”

Centro-matic – “Upton to Riverhead to Mastic”

The Dresden Dolls – “My Alcoholic Friends”

If not for the armpit hair, I might find Amanda Palmer as fresh and sexy as her voice. Oh well. Voice will do just fine.

And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead – “Naked Sun”

Stone Temple Pilots – “Tumble in the Rough”

Pretty interesting Weiland interview here.

BEST BAND YOU’VE PROBABLY NEVER HEARD: Chris Whitley - “Rocket House”

He’s dead, but that doesn’t mean you can’t give the man a chance. Another great ATO Records signing, and one of the few who never took off like they should’ve. Sounds like what David Gray would probably sound like if he was from Texas and had balls. 

Jimmy Eat World – “If You Don’t, Don’t”

Ryan Adams – “Bartering Lines”

Jeff Buckley – “Demon John”

Ours – “Fallen Souls”

Big Star – “September Gurls”

Ben Folds Five – “Mess”

The Minus 5 – “You Don’t Mean It”

The Flaming Lips – “Yeah Yeah Yeah Song”

There’s not a band on the planet other than the Lips that could pull off a song as ridiculous as this one. ‘Tis a compliment. Rumor has it a circus tent stage setup will replace the UFO this summer. How appropriate.

Clearlake – “Neon”

Black Helicopter – “Head of Steam”

Kula Shaker – “K”

Breakdown: 23 songs, four locations

The iPod battery died today. I slipped into a pathetic bout of depression when I heard the same Nickelback song on three different rock stations during the 10-minute drive home. This should be outlawed.