"Turn" single (Travis)

I picked up a cheap used copy of the single for Travis's "Turn." While I wasn't particularly familiar with the a-side, it's backed with a song I love, "Why Does It Always Rain on Me?," and a remake I love of Britney Spears's "Baby One More Time." Those two tracks alone were worth the dollar invested, but "Turn" proved a very good one as well. This is a very strong three-track, and has made me wonder if it isn't time to invest in a Travis album or collection.

Tracks:
1. Turn (radio edit)
2. Why Does It Always Rain on Me?
3. Baby One More Time

Scent of Attraction (Patra)

Patra's 1995 Scent of Attraction was led off by her hit remake of Grace Jones's "Pull Up to the Bumper." Patra does a very good job with the song, so it's not surprising that the rest of her album is also pretty strong. It's a shame that modern reggae and dancehall doesn't get much Stateside airplay anymore. Perhaps the most enjoyable track on here is "Dip & Fall Back," an excellent party dance song. "Goin' 2 the Chapel" is also one of the cooler selections, and the title track, featuring Aaron Hall, was a good single choice. "Chapel" interpolates the chorus of The Dixie Cups' "Chapel of Love" and also contains a sample of Sade's "The Sweetest Taboo." All of these elements combine very well. "You Want It," which features Prince Mydas, is also one of the standout tracks. Overall, it's a good '90s reggae album that managed some mainstream crossover.

On another note, the cover art is pretty cool, and folds out into a sexy poster.

Tracks:
1. Pull Up to the Bumper
2. Dip & Fall Back
3. Hot Stuff (featuring Salt-N-Pepa)
4. Banana
5. Either or Either
6. Mek Me Hot
7. Scent of Attraction (featuring Aaron Hall)
8. Goin' 2 the Chapel
9. Time fi Wine
10. Undercover Lover
11. You Want It (featuring Prince Mydas)
12. Deep Inside

Set lists: The Fratellis, Electric Touch, The Airborne Toxic Event

On 24 September, I went to see The Fratellis. The other bands there were Electric Touch and The Airborne Toxic Event, neither of whom I knew before attending. I got to the show fairly early, bought a ticket, and was able to stand near the stage area, so I was quite close to the performers. Pretty cool. Electric Touch was the first to perform, and they rocked. Great music and great stage presence. Truly an awesome set, and they made a fan out of me. They also stayed around to chat and sign merchandise after their set, so that was another perk. Next was The Airborne Toxic Event. I regretted my proximity to the stage during their set, because one of the guys on guitar seemed to enjoy making really distorted sounds and other examples of painfully loud discord. Some of the songs seemed like they might have had decent lyrics, and I did like the lead singer, but it was hard to get into the set when several songs involved painful elements. Finally, The Fratellis took the stage and played a kickass set. I did, however, want to punch the idiot next to me who yelled out a request for "The Gutterati?" after every freaking song. It's not like the band didn't have the freaking set list planned and taped to the freaking stage. I was quite pleased that "The Gutterati?" wasn't on there. Neither was "Creeping Up the Back Stairs," which was being requested somewhat less frequently by a drunk chick who wasn't quite as close as the Gutterati dickhead. My favorite song off the first album, "For the Girl," was also absent, but I greatly enjoyed what they did play, and unlike the two people I've mentioned, I recognize that I'm paying to see the performers perform the set list they've decided upon, not one I've dictated. Right, rant over. Here's what got played:

Electric Touch
1. Call My Name
2. Dance
3. Love in Our Hearts
4. Saved
5. Lines
6. Come Together (Beatles tune)
7. Breakdown
8. Give Me a Sign
9. Who Put the Fire Out

The Airborne Toxic Event
1. Wishing Well
2. Papillon
3. Gasoline
4. Happiness Is Overrated
5. Does This Mean You're Moving On?
6. Something New
7. This Is Nowhere
8. Sometime Around Midnight
9. Innocence

The Fratellis
1. Shameless
2. Got Ma Nuts From a Hippie
3. Lupe Brown
4. Henrietta
5. A Heady Tale
6. Cuntry Boys and City Girls
7. Tell Me a Lie
8. Whistle for the Choir
9. Stragglers Moon
10. Chelsea Dagger
11. Everybody Knows You Cried Last Night
12. Acid Jazz Singer
13. Ole Black 'n' Blue Eyes
14. My Friend John
15. Flathead
16. Milk and Money
-Encore-
17. Mistress Mabel
18. Doginabag (I think - only thing I can't remember for sure)
19. Baby Fratelli

Song of the Day: "Care of Cell 44"

ARTIST: The Zombies
TITLE: "Care of Cell 44"
YEAR: 1968

"Care of Cell 44" is the opening track on The Zombies' classic album Odessey and Oracle. It's also one of my favorite tracks of theirs. It deals with the subject matter of a loved one who will soon be released from prison, and something about the way it's delivered is absolutely amazing. It's an excellent '60s pop gem, and one which thankfully seems to still get some attention today. In fact, it was brought to mind because I heard it played over the system while I was waiting for a concert to begin.

Here it here. It is available on CD reissues of Odessey and Oracle as well as such collections as Zombie Heaven and The Singles A's and B's.

Song of the Day: "Wordplay"

ARTIST: Jason Mraz
TITLE: "Wordplay"
YEAR: 2006

Partially inspired by the fact that I'll be seeing him in concert, and partially because it's a personal favorite, I've been revisiting Jason Mraz's "Wordplay" lately. I wish this had managed to catch on the way "The Remedy" and "I'm Yours" did. I like both of those songs, but I think I prefer this one by a little bit. Anyway, it's a nice breezy tune with clever Mrazian lyrics that exemplifies his style.

Hear it here. The song is available on his album Mr. A-Z.

Song of the Day: "Sex on Fire"

ARTIST: Kings of Leon
TITLE: "Sex on Fire"
YEAR: 2008

The chronology went something like this: 1) I saw that Kings of Leon had a new song out called "Sex on Fire." 2) I kept seeing print ads for their upcoming concert in town, but wasn't really interested, because I haven't been that crazy about the few songs of theirs I heard. 3) "Sex on Fire" starts becoming popular. I still haven't bothered to listen. 4) "Sex on Fire" tops the UK charts and works on becoming a global smash. 5) Today, I finally bother to listen to it.

If that all seems like a big buildup to a big anticlimax, well, that's exactly what this would be for me. If the song were truly amazing, this could have been a cool story of me starting down the path to Kings of Leon fandom, but it's just not a big enough song for that. Don't get me wrong; it's good. I like it. I just can't, at this point, understand why it's becoming as huge as it is.

Maybe you can explain it? Take a listen here. You can buy it on their brand spanking new album, Only by the Night.

Song of the Day: "We Must Bleed"

ARTIST: The Germs
TITLE: "We Must Bleed"
YEAR: 1979

I went to see the film What We Do Is Secret earlier today. I didn't really know much about The Germs beforehand, but the film itself sounded like a good watch. I wasn't disappointed. I really enjoyed the film, and some of its best moments came during performance scenes. While I can't say the movie completely sold me on The Germs' music itself, it didn't have that as a main objective, which, to some degree, is laudable. However, "We Must Bleed" is the song that did stick with me after the film. It was used to great effect in one of the important scenes, and it's hard to deny that there's really something to this song. The energy, the rawness in it, the lyrics - I don't know how to describe it. It doesn't lend itself to a clinical analysis; in fact, it seems almost criminal for me to be trying. This song is best enjoyed viscerally; so, rather than attempt to figure it out from my description, I implore anyone who happens upon this entry moreso than most of mine: listen. Feel.

The song can be heard here. If you'd like to own it, the CD MIA: The Complete Anthology is a good collection of The Germs' work that contains everything all but the most hardcore collectors would want.

Song of the Day: "The Belle of St. Mark"

ARTIST: Sheila E.
TITLE: "The Belle of St. Mark"
YEAR: 1984

Sheila E.'s "The Belle of St. Mark," written by Prince, is an excellent song. It was a pretty big hit when it was released as a single, but it really doesn't get played anymore despite being so awesome. It's a love song both passionate and poetic, and one which really evokes an amazing blend of emotions, all while retaining a great poppiness.

Hear the song here. The album version is available on Sheila E.'s CD The Glamorous Life.

Song of the Day: "853-5937"

ARTIST: Squeeze
TITLE: "853-5937"
YEAR: 1987

While I'm a big Squeeze fan who's still looking back fondly on my recent concert experience (great show!), I have only recently heard one of their fairly successful singles, 1987's "853-5937" from Babylon and On. I see it written several places on the Internet that Difford and Tilbrook despise this song, although I can't find any sort of official confirmation to that effect. I can't imagine why they would, though. True, it's far from the best thing in their catalogue, but when you're dealing with songwriters who consistently produce amazingly high quality work, a miss for them is still a good song. If it's true that the pair hate this one, then so be it, but as for me, it's just one more of their compositions from which I can derive pleasure.

Decide for yourself if it's despicable by listening here. The song is available on the album Babylon and On.

Song of the Day: "Bruises"

ARTIST: Chairlift
TITLE: "Bruises"
YEAR: 2008

Apple certainly is good at picking noticeable songs for its iPod commercials. The latest one they've picked out, "Bruises" by Chairlift, is no exception. It reminds me of Regina Spektor, and while I don't absolutely love it or anything, it is kind of cool and has been stuck in my head today.

Listen here. The song is available on the Chairlift album Does You Inspire You?

Song of the Day: "Don't Stop"

ARTIST: Innerpartysystem
TITLE: "Don't Stop"
YEAR: 2007

It's been out a while, but Innerpartysystem's minor alternative radio hit "Don't Stop" has been getting a lot of spins from me lately. I don't know just what it is about this track, but I love it. I think it's the way it seamlessly blends genres to create a unique, catchy song with cool lyrics.

You can hear the song here. It's available on Innerpartysystem's self-titled album, as well as the EP The Download EP.

Song of the Day: "For the Girl"

ARTIST: The Fratellis
TITLE: "For the Girl"
YEAR: 2006

While I've had The Fratellis' debut album Costello Music for a while, I rarely revisited it after my initial listening. Upon recently giving it another shot, I became puzzled with myself, for there are a lot of really good songs on this album. The one which has emerged as a favourite despite me not even remembering it from before is "For the Girl," a track that wasn't released as a single but is incredibly good. This one racked up a few plays as I finally gave it the attention it deserves, and I hope others who may not have considered the music of The Fratellis in much depth before will do the same.

Hear it here. It can be purchased on the album Costello Music.

"Don't Say You Love Me" single (Erasure)

Erasure's single for Nightbird's "Don't Say You Love Me" contains several mixes of the a-side, plus non-album track "Lie to Me." The single and radio mixes are both quite good. The Piney Gir mix would probably make a kickass live performance. The last two mixes are both awesome extended dance mixes. I can't decide just yet which of the two I prefer. Overall, it's another winner from Erasure.

Tracks:
1. Don't Say You Love Me (single mix)
2. Don't Say You Love Me (radio mix)
3. Lie to Me
4. Don't Say You Love Me (Piney Gir mix)
5. Don't Say You Love Me (Mark Moore & Eon vox remix)
6. Don't Say You Love Me (ATOC's Rock 'n' Ravin' vocal remix)

Song of the Day: "We Will Not Grow Old"

ARTIST: Lenka
TITLE: "We Will Not Grow Old"
YEAR: 2008

Lenka's self-titled debut album is out 23 September, but has already been released digitally. To promote it, her song "The Show" is the free single of the week on iTunes. Too bad. While "The Show," which sounds like a Feist knockoff, doesn't do much for me, I would have loved a chance to cop today's song of the day for free. "We Will Not Grow Old" is a fairly sophisticated, yet somehow catchy song, and it's the best thing I've heard from my exploration of Lenka.

If you'd like to hear this song too, check it out.

"Chillin'" single (Modjo)

Modjo's "Chillin'" was released in 2000. While the big hit that got them the spotlight was "Lady (Hear Me Tonight)," "Chillin'" is also a worthy release. It's an upbeat dance track that has the power to put one in a good mood fairly easily. The single contains four mixes, each of which is distinct but each of which is a good listen in its own right.

Tracks:
1. Chillin' (original extended)
2. Chillin' (B.H.Q. Revision 1.2) (Derrick Carter remix)
3. Chillin' (Modjo's DYRT remix)
4. Chillin' (live)

The Sinatra Project (Michael Feinstein)

Michael Feinstein is one of my favorite interpreters of the Great American Songbook. On his latest release, The Sinatra Project, Feinstein pays tribute to the Chairman of the Board, tackling material that Sinatra had done in his prime. However, Feinstein changes the style up on these songs, allowing his renditions to stand out from Sinatra's and not be simple imitations. The results are generally very strong. My favorite track is "The Same Hello, the Same Goodbye," the only track here which has never had a proper studio release before. Other highlights include "It's All Right With Me" and "At Long Last Love." Anyone looking for some good music by a great modern vocalist would do well to check out The Sinatra Project.

Tracks:
1. Exactly Like You
2. There's a Small Hotel
3. Fools Rush In
4. The Song Is You
5. The Same Hello, the Same Goodbye
6. Begin the Beguine
7. I've Got a Crush on You
8. It's All Right With Me
9. You Go to My Head
10. How Long Will It Last
11. All My Tomorrows/All the Way
12. At Long Last Love

"Never Be Lonely" single (The Feeling)

"Never Be Lonely" was released as a single from The Feeling's debut album Twelve Stops and Home in 2006. The a-side is just one of the many tracks that made me fall in love with that album. B-side "All You Need to Do" is a great track. The message may not be new, but it's a universal one to which a broad listener base can relate. Final track "This Time (demo)" is not quite as strong as the other two, but still a good song. Overall, this is another highly enjoyable single from The Feeling.

Tracks:
1. Never Be Lonely
2. All You Need to Do
3. This Time (demo)

"Breathe" single (Erasure)

Erasure's single for Nightbird's "Breathe" is great. In addition to numerous mixes of the title track, many of which are high quality, the b-side "Gone Crazy" is included. It's awesome. It alone would be enough to make this single worth it, but some nice club mixes of "Breathe" certainly sweeten the deal. I haven't decided if the odd instrumental "Mr. Gribber and His Amazing Cat" is value-added, but it's worth a listen, I guess.

Tracks:
1. Breathe (radio version)
2. Breathe
3. Gone Crazy
4. Mr. Gribber and His Amazing Cat
5. Breathe (acoustic version)
6. Breathe (Pete Heller's Phela Mix)
7. Breathe (LMC Extended Club Mix)
8. Breathe (When Andy Bell Met Manhattan Clique Extended Mix)

"Here I Go Impossible Again" / "All This Time Still Falling Out of Love" single (Erasure)

"Here I Go Impossible Again" and "All This Time Still Falling Out of Love" are both tracks on Erasure's 2005 album Nightbird. "All This Time Still Falling Out of Love" is quite possibly my favourite on a very strong album. This double a-side contains fpur tracks which consist of two mixes of each title. None are the album version. The single mix of "Here I Go Impossible Again" is fine, similar to the album version. The original version of "All This Time Still Falling Out of Love" is cool, but I prefer the album version. Next we have Meloboy's Nü-German Compu-Soul Remix of "Here I Go Impossible Again," which is a very good mix. Finally, we have the Shanghai Surprize Club Mix of "All This Time Still Falling Out of Love," which is my favourite track on this single. It's a great club version of the song that will likely inspire dancing in its listeners. While this may not include quite as much content as Erasure's singles usually do, what it does have is pretty cool and is worth the price of admission.

Tracks:
1. Here I Go Impossible Again (single mix)
2. All This Time Still Falling Out of Love (original mix)
3. Here I Go Impossible Again (Meloboy's Nü-German Compu-Soul Remix)
4. All This Time Still Falling Out of Love (Shanghai Surprize Club Mix)

"Brothers & Sisters" single (Coldplay)

My other CD purchase thanks to a coupon was Coldplay's "Brothers & Sisters" three track, originally released in 1999 and reissued in the States after Coldplay became successful. Overall, the tracks are pretty good. You probably already know if you like the Coldplay style. If you do, this disc will fit right in with your others of theirs; if you don't, this won't change your mind. My favorite of the three tracks is "Easy to Please."

Tracks:
1. Brothers & Sisters
2. Easy to Please
3. Only Superstition

Song of the Day: "Gone Too Far"

ARTIST: England Dan & John Ford Coley
TITLE: "Gone Too Far"
YEAR: 1977

A friend of mine recently shared England Dan & John Ford Coley's 1977 hit single "Gone Too Far" with me. For whatever reason, I've become quite taken with it. It's a great slice of '70s pop that certainly doesn't deserve to be a forgotten hit. Radio would do well to reach out beyond "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight" and "Nights Are Forever Without You" to find gems like this in the England Dan & John Ford Coley catalogue.

To hear the song, click here. It is available on many England Dan & John Ford Coley CDs, including The Very Best of England Dan & John Ford Coley.

Set lists: Squeeze with Aimee Mann

It's been a while since I've had set lists to post, but on 3 September, I had the great pleasure of seeing Squeeze in concert at the Ryman auditorium. I love Squeeze so much it's not even funny. That's also why I bought my tickets way soon after they went on sale to the general public and ended up with a front row seat (as far as traditional seating goes - there were 12-20 chairs set up slightly closer than my row, but that's still plenty close for me!) Aimee Mann opened, and while I haven't really followed her solo career much, she also performed quite a set. I only really knew one of the songs at all well ("That's Just What You Are") but she did a good job of selling me her material. I'd mean that literally if I hadn't been a little too broke to buy one of the albums at the merch table since I'd already gotten too much before the show. One thing I also noticed was her radiant smile. Anyhow, overall, despite being put off by some of my fellow concertgoers, who apparently think it's a wonderful idea to crowd in front as the show progresses regardless of who might have been enjoying the view without them, I was quite happy with the artists (especially Squeeze - so not a disappointment in the least) and would recommend catching a show if at all possible.

Aimee Mann's set:
1. Stranger Into Starman
2. Looking for Nothing
3. Freeway
4. Phoenix
5. Save Me
6. It's Not Going to Stop
7. That's Just What You Are
8. Red Vines
9. Columbus Ave.
10. My Father's Gun (an Elton John remake)
11. Thirty-One Today
12. Borrowing Time
13. How Am I Different

Squeeze's set:
1. Strong in Reason
2. If I Didn't Love You
3. Revue
4. Up the Junction
5. Take Me, I'm Yours
6. I Think I'm Go-Go
7. Separate Beds
8. Piccadilly
9. It's So Dirty
10. Black Coffee in Bed (there was a bit of an extended jam on this one)
11. Annie Get Your Gun
12. Goodbye Girl
13. Melody Motel
14. Tempted (this one kind of surprised me - I didn't think they'd be pulling out the Carrack material.)
15. Slaughtered, Gutted, and Heartbroken
16. Is That Love
17. Cool for Cats
18. Another Nail in My Heart (my favorite!)
19. Hourglass
Encore
20. Slap and Tickle
21. Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)

The Singles 81>85 (Depeche Mode)

Depeche Mode's The Singles 81>85 largely overlaps with Catching Up With Depeche Mode, but on a whim I bought it anyway. It makes a nice companion piece for the other singles comp, after all. While some are not as crazy about early Depeche as their later material, I think it's great. Songs like "Dreaming of Me," "See You," and "Just Can't Get Enough" stand up great to my ears, even on the same disc as such awesome, awesome tunes as "Blasphemous Rumours," "Everything Counts," and "Somebody." Anyone looking to start or supplement a Depeche Mode collection could do far worse than to look here.

Tracks:
1. Dreaming of Me
2. New Life
3. Just Can't Get Enough
4. See You
5. The Meaning of You
6. Leave in Silence
7. Get the Balance Right
8. Everything Counts
9. Love in Itself
10. People Are People
11. Master and Servant
12. Blasphemous Rumours
13. Somebody
14. Shake the Disease
15. It's Called a Heart
16. Photographic (Some Bizarre Version)
17. Just Can't Get Enough (Schizo Mix)

Song of the Day: "Can't Get There From Here"

ARTIST: R.E.M.
TITLE: "Can't Get There From Here"
YEAR: 1985

"Can't Get There From Here" was a single from R.E.M.'s classic 1985 album Fables of the Reconstruction. It's a great song from a great album, and one for, whatever reason, came into my head. It's a cool song that still gets some replay, and deservedly so.

Take a listen to the song here. It is available on R.E.M.'s Fables of the Reconstruction and, I imagine, a compilation or two.

The Day Is Brave (Brendan James)

I was quite taken with Brendan James's song "Green" when first I heard it, so I was happy to be able to pick up his album The Day Is Brave thanks to a nice coupon from Borders. James has a unique voice and songwriting sensibility, with the majority of the tracks on the album seeming to be very personal for him, leading to heartfelt performances. Overall, this is a solid debut (I believe) from James and I certainly would recommend that people into "singer-songwriter"-type performers check him out.

Tracks:
1. Green
2. All I Can See
3. Hero's Song
4. Early April Morning
5. The Other Side
6. Run Away
7. Begin
8. The Sun Will Rise
9. Manchester
10. Let Your Beat Go On
11. Take the Fall

Five Live (George Michael with Queen and Lisa Stansfield)

Five Live came on the heels of Freddie Mercury's death. To give a pretty good idea of how and why this inspired George Michael, Queen, and Lisa Stansfield to collaborate on this live performance at Wembley, here are some quotes from the liner notes:

GM: "Special thanks to Roger, Brian, and John for their kind invitation, and of course to Freddie, who probably saved me from life as a waiter. P.S. Thanks again, Lisa."
"All artist royalties and record company net profits from this compact disc will be donated to the Mercury Phoenix Trust for the distribution to AIDS charities worldwide in memory of the incomparable Freddie Mercury."
GM: "I think a lot of people, not necessarily people who have anything against gay people, are probably taking some small comfort in the fact that although Freddie died of AIDS, he was publicly bisexual. It's a very, very dangerous comfort. The conservative estimate for the year 2000 is that 40 million people on this planet will be infected by HIV, and if you think that those are all going to be gay people or drug addicts, then you are pretty well lining up to be one of those numbers. So please, for God's sake and for Freddie's sake, and for your own sakes, please be careful."

As for the music itself, it's all quite good. There's really nothing more to be said. Listen and enjoy.

Tracks:
1. George Michael & Queen: "Somebody to Love"
2. George Michael: "Killer"
3. George Michael: "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone"
4. George Michael & Queen with Lisa Stansfield:" These Are the Days of Our Lives"
5. George Michael: "Calling You"
6. Queen: "Dear Friends" (this is an album cut for Sheer Heart Attack)

Chariot Stripped (Gavin DeGraw)

Since I enjoyed Gavin DeGraw's recent self-titled release fairly well, I decided to give his Chariot album a chance. I was happy to find a used copy of the 2-disc edition, issued with a "stripped" version of the album that ends with a rendition of Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come." Overall, the album makes for a good listen, both in original and stripped form. Some songs don't work quite as well in their stripped forms, but it still makes for a cool bonus disc. Highlights on the album include "Follow Through," "Chemical Party," and "I Don't Want to Be" and "Over-Rated."

Tracks:
1. Follow Through
2. Chariot
3. Just Friends
4. (Nice to Meet You) Anyway
5. Chemical Party
6. Belief
7. Crush
8. I Don't Want to Be
9. Meaning
10. More Than Anyone
11. Over-Rated

The stripped disc replicates this track listing in stripped versions, with final track "Change Is Gonna Come."