Listen List, 3 Etc.

Apparently it’s impossible to actually listen to whatever I put on the listen list, but I’m not giving up. Last week, I wanted to pay special attention to Gotye, Susumu Yokata, Annuals, Swan Lake & Under Byen, and though I did listen to all of those albums, I listened to other things more. Once again, the charts don’t lie. George Harrison, Castor, Lindsey Buckingham, Fugiya & Miyagi and Pavement all got lots of plays (if you know me, a couple of those aren’t a surprise at all), but Under Byen, Swan Lake and Yokata did make it into the top tep. Strange, because I feel like I listened to Gotye way more than Susumo but whatever.

The Swan Lake was sort of a disappintment. Aside from a couple standout tracks (”All Fires” duh), the work seems meandering and a tad self-indulgent. I - rather uncharacteristically - love Daniel Bejar’s (Destroyer, New Pornographers) voice, warbling and intrusive as it is, but even his appearances on Beast Moans couldn’t grab me. The Canadian super-group’s album isn’t bad, it’s just not living up to my hopes for it. The Annuals CD, Be He Me is good, probably great, but again, “Brother” is the high point, and that song has already sunk in pretty deep thanks to the internets. Again, it’s really good, but I think I might have over-estimated it, falling prey to the hype. There’s no doubt that Annuals are a collection of incredibly talented musicians, writing great songs, and don’t get me wrong, it’s really a good listen, I just feel overwhelmed by hype these days. Usually when that happens, I retreat to old stuff.

I discovered Dappled Cities Fly this week, though, and it restored some faith for me: they’re rarely mentioned, and they’re writing incredible pop songs. I need the new album, internet Gods. Oh, and The Bees (US). Yes, Bees.

SHUFFLE LIST - OCT 6

01 Anal Cunt “Your Family is Dumb / You’re Dumb”
02 Pavement “Frontwards” (live)
03 Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway “I (Who Have Nothing)”
04 Oneida “Busy Little Bee”
05 Spoon “I Summon You”
06 John Cale “Child’s Christmas in Wales”
07 Fleetwood Mac “Gypsy”
08 Man Man “Feathers”
09 Interpol “Not Even Jail”
10 Willie Nelson “If You Could Touch Her At All”

“One night of love can’t make up for six nights alone” - Willie Nelson “If You Could Touch Her At All”.

Is that true? Please advise.

• Donny Hathaway & Roberta Flack “Baby I Love You” (YouTube)

• Waylon Jennins & Leon Russell “Sick and Tired” (live) - YouTube

• Willie Nelson “If You Could Touch Her At All” (m4a)

I disagree with Mr. Nelson.

Yeah, really. If I’m alone, I just watch a movie or something. No big deal.

Y’all, I think he’s serious, though.

“Funny a woman can come on so wild and free
Yet insist I don’t watch her undress or watch her watch me
And stand by my bed and shiver as if she were cold
Just to lie down beside me and touch me as if I were gold
One night of love can’t make up for six nights alone
But I’d rather have one than none Lord cause I’m flesh and bone
And sometimes it seems that she ain’t worth the trouble at all
But she could be worth the world if somehow you can touch her at all

Right or wrong a woman can own any man
She can take him inside her and hold his soul in her hand
Then leave him as weak and weary as a newborn child
Fighting to get his first breath and open his eyes
One night of love can’t make up…”

I know I’d eat this song up if I’d just been unceremoniously dumped. Hasn’t happened lately, though.

Stud.

It could be about a woman you’re with now, though, someone who kicks your ass emotionally like that, right?

I guess it’s not hard to be alone unless you know what you’re missing.

One night can indeed make up for six nights alone. But then when you have six nights alone again after that one day… that negates the one day making up for those previous six nights. But only until the next day, negates those previous nights.

Err, something.

Willie, as usual, is correct.

But it’s a warning against forgiving and forgetting when you’re with some bipolar harpy who leaves you cold and then shows up to wipe the slate clean with a little coyful bump-and-grind.

The Offspring’s “Self Esteem” is actually a rewrite of this song.

Since I’m not into guys, I can’t imagine any man being interesting enough to be able to pull off the six-nights/one-night thing and get away with it. However, at least conceptually, I suppose a similar state of affairs could exist on the other side of a relationship.

Conceptually, that is. In practice… ewwwww!

Shuffle list, Oct. 7th, and then go ‘Horns:

1. Ole Mulholland by Frank Black
2. This World by The Staple Singers
3. He’s My Thing by Babes in Toyland
4. Clockwork by Blackalicious
5. Cannibal Papaya by Shonen Knife
6. I’m So Glad I Met You by Eddie Floyd
7. The Last Old Shovel by Phyllis Bowens
8. Metal Gods by Judas Priest
9. Landlocked by Man or Astroman?
10. Don’t You Know by Johnny Ace

P.S. Willie gettin’ greedy

annuals’ record is a grower, just sayin’. when the middle of the record hits you, it’ll all make sense.
and i disagree with mr. nelson, i’ve totally had single evenings that kept me euphoric by my lonesome for over a week. granted, it appears that mr. nelson is referring to those wonderful reltationships when one dates a cold bitch. in which case, yes, he’s right. but it needn’t be that way.