Semi-Obscure Songs: God's Gift to Man?
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The Kinks: Autumn Almanac
Is there anything The Kinks can't do? Their brilliant singer/writer, Ray Davies, stands beside Pete Townshend as the most important English musician of the 60's, in my opinion. This song is a brilliant example of the band's quirky style and oft-commented-on archetypical British sense of humour. The song was written in 1967, around the release of the band's album, "Something Else from the Kinks".Whenever I hear it, I have to smile. How could one not? Pure silliness never felt so crucial.
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Kate Bush: Wuthering Heights
If you haven't heard me speak of this song, you've probably been dead for a year. The first time I heard it, I was disgusted. The second time...mildly turned on. I played this song 64 times the first day that I downloaded it, and I've heard it every day since then. The lyrics, of course, reference the classic novel by Emily Bronte, which I was naturally compelled to read (it's great!). Obsession, lust, betrayal, vengeance...it's all in there. Kate Bush herself is a really interesting English singer, discovered by Dave Gilmour of Pink Floyd in the mid-seventies and less famous only because of her shy demeanor in the spot-light.
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The Pixies: Velouria
I originally heard this song as performed by another band on this page, Weezer. It was catchy, but didn't have enough oomph. Then, I was introduced to The Pixies by an...old "friend" of mine (hey, we all know he had great taste in music). This original version has more of a popping, 80's backbeat, while at the same time miraculously preserving a hard rock sensibility. This song means a lot to me because I used to play it at that really tough point a while back. It's mood is basically the definition of "bittersweet".
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Weezer: Falling For You
When Megan first played this song on the boom-box in art class, the rest of the kids looked around skeptically. I, however, was intrigued like hell. The innocuous beginning that leads to crashing guitar, the chorus that winds up like some sort of perverted Beatles tune. What really strikes me about this one is its fundamental filthiness. There's this whiny, needy quality about it that's jarring while at the same time, relatable. This is the song of PMC for me. I think raw desperation was just about the only thing I felt going into that one. Luckily I came out with some of my best memories (That's for you, Alana! Oh, and the rest of the Hackley junior sextet, that is).
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David Bowie: Boys Keep Swinging
How could I ever omit the King of Kings, Bowie? This song is a sort of raunchy celebration of masculinity, picking up with confidence where I think "All the Young Dudes" left off. This song really struck me originally because of the music video, in which Bowie is flanked by a singing trio of women, who are really just himself in drag. The song stands well alone, though. Most impressively, like most of his work, it never seems dated. Who woulda thunk this was from the same era as disco?
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Other Great Finds (Not as obscure):
Thom Yorke and the Venus in Furs: Ladytron
Radiohead: Karma Police
Badly Drawn Boy: Everybody's Stalking
The Beatles: Hey Bulldog
The Who: Success Story
The Clash: Train in Vain
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