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GRUNGE.COM WORDY DIVA'S This month's Grunge.com playlist comes from our guest veejay, Lisa BK, aka Wordy Diva! She chose the videos (above) and wrote the words (below). Check out her Major Progression blog to see more of her words. Come back here for some great music videos. Enjoy! -chank 1. Imaad Wasif, "Fangs" (from The Voidist, 2009) I saw this guy and his band open for Dead Meadow a few weeks ago at the Empty Bottle and it was insane how good they were - how tight, how loud, how clearly into it and engaged. Repeated listening to the record has confirmed what I already knew: this dude is a songwriter and arranger of the highest order. I'm reminded of the finest moments of the early 1990s, before everything got weird. Just really, really, exceptional. 2. Union Carbide Productions, "How Do You Feel Today?" (from Swing, 1992) This Swedish fusion of punk, stoner, and Detroit boogie rock just kills me, even today. I missed going to see these guys in CHGO in 1992 because I either had just had or was about to have a baby. Good god - that baby is now almost 18 years old. ANYWAY. Three of these guys ended up in the band Soundtrack of Our Lives, an equally great band that's more atmosphere, less swagger. Both = highly recommended. 3. Peter Murphy, "Cuts You Up" (from Deep, 1990) Former Bauhaus frontman slays everyone with killer solo record that seemed to coincide specifically with my college graduation (he toured this record and played First Ave in April 1990). Fantastic voice & aesthetic - the whole record is excellent and I have no idea what happened to him. 4. Gold Panda, "Quitter's Raga" (from 7" of same title, 2009) While I'm not one for the chopped-up vocal/music, it certainly lends itself to a certain visual style I find compelling. Beautiful youth frolic in apple orchards and dead farms the fall before their final year of high school in the midwest. Yes. 5. Wendy & Lisa "Waterfall" (from Wendy & Lisa, 1987) A most perfect piece of songwriting. Prince was silly to give them up. 6. The Posies, "Golden Blunders" (from Dear 23, 1990) More perfect songwriting, this time from two guys who convinced Alex Chilton (RIP) to get the band (Big Star) back together. They're that good, so Alex said yeah. This song was covered by Ringo Starr. 7. Gary Louris, "Every Word" (from the Wordplay soundtrack, 2007) Not sure the soundtrack to this documentary was ever released. I love that Gary (who was/is a singer/songwriter/guitarist for the Jayhawks and is a fine solo artist) did a song about crossword puzzles, because he's a crossword fiend. He must have been stoked to have been asked. Or maybe he asked. 8. Talk Talk, "Give It Up" (from Colour of Spring, 1986) This live video, shot in London in 1986, has a whiff of muso/90s-style jam band to me that would be off-putting if not for Mark Hollis' remarkable voice and the fact that these guys were just totally, painfully, SINFULLY underrated for the entirety of their career and way, WAY ahead of their time. Somewhere out there there's a recording of this entire concert. Get it. 9. Walt Mink, "Chowder Town" (from Miss Happiness, 1991) How many nights did I spend in sweaty basements in MPLS/St. Paul as these songs were being written, formed, refined? The answer is many, and when I hear this I'm taken right back there. Pumpkins, schmumpkins. 10. Motorpsycho, "Hey Jane" (from Trust Us, 1999) This band from Trondheim, Norway, has released about 25 records since the late 80s (OK, maybe 12) and have gone from sounding like to Jesus Lizard to sounding like Yes to sounding like, on their most recent work, Hawkind, Led Zeppelin, Gong, and Pink Floyd, only totally new millennium-style. Hope these work! xo Lisa BK -- Previously on
VISIT CHANK'S AWESOME FONT SITE - CLICK HERE! WHAT IS GRUNGE? The GRUNGE aesthetic is characterized by a layer of abrasive filth which roughens an underlying source of beauty to soften its presence and make it more palatable to a jaded audience. This applies to grunge as applied to music, type, design and fashion. True beauty can be hard to look at or listen to directly, because it has been homogenized through repetition in modern mass media. A contrasting grunge facade can enhance the artistic experience by providing a yin to the yang of a gratingly pleasant image or tune. This differentiates grunge from punk, in that the latter solely focusses on the abrasiveness and despises the underlying elegance.
And here's a previous video playlist, just in case you missed it...
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