Sound Opinions, being the scholarly work it is, has provided footnotes to help you navigate through the show's vast maze of musical knowledge.
Because, let's face it—sometimes even we have no idea what the heck Jim and Greg are talking about.
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02-25-06 Footnotes
Listen to the Real Audio Stream of this show: (link)
Download the Podcast: (Download the MP3)
1 This week Jim and Greg play scientist and talk to two professors, P. Jason Rentfrow of Cambridge University and Duncan Watts of Columbia( University, about recent studies that seek to find out why we like the music we do. The first study asked college students to rate each other based on their favorite music. According to Dr. Rentfrow’s findings, people who like music with a lot of vocals were found to be more extroverted.
In addition, people who have eclectic taste in music were considered to be more open-minded and intellectually curious—a fact that bodes well for Sound Opinions listeners.
2 The second experiment conducted at Columbia University confirmed two widely held suspicions: most people are sheep and you can’t predict a hit. Duncan Watts and his graduate students asked participants to go online, listen to a selection of songs and download what they liked. The results showed that people tended to choose songs which had already been chosen a number of times. This fact would account for why some songs stay on the Billboard charts for as long they do. The study also found that there was really no formula for song popularity. One song, “Lockdown” by 52Metro, ranked first in one test, but only 40th out of 48 in another.
3 The next story involves the perpetual newsmaker Michael Jackson. After Hurricane Katrina first devastated the gulf coast, Jackson announced that he would produce a single to raise money for disaster relief. Well that was many moons ago, and the world has yet to hear a song. Recently, however, an announcement was made regarding the song’s status by the Prince of Bahrain, the king of pop’s newly crowned representative. Sheik Abdullah bin Hamad Al Khalifa, will release the record on his own “2 Seas” label. While the song reunites Jackson with fellow partner in crime R. Kelly, as well as Ciara and Snoop Dogg, it does not have the star power of previous releases like “We Are the World.”
4 This week’s guest is Leslie Feist, an up and coming singer/songwriter. Born in Calgary, and bred in the Toronto music scene, Feist is one of many Canadian indie acts rising in popularity. It seems that our neighbor to the north is the next Seattle or Portland. Bands like Broken Social Scene and Peaches, who can both claim Feist as collaborators, The Arcade Fire, Wolf Parade, Metric, Stars, The Constantines, Hidden Cameras, Death from Above 1979 are all coming out of Canada (and are all a far cry from Shania Twain or Bryan Adams). During her interview with Jim and Greg, Feist performs her song “Gatekeeper,” “Mushaboom,” and a cover of “Secret Heart” by Ron Sexsmith. There are a number of covers on her latest album, Let it Die, including “In and Out” by The Bee Gees and “Now at Last” by Blossom Dearie.
5 The album up for review this week is Ballad of the Broken Seas by Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan. Many people know Lanegan from his days with the Screaming Trees in the 90s. Campbell recently left Belle and Sebastian, a band Jim and Greg reviewed last week, and her first move was asking Lanegan to join her for a duet album.
6 Before our hosts review the record, they take a look back at a few of rock’s noteworthy “Beauty and the Beast” duets:
“Love Hurts” by Emmylou Harris and Gram Parsons
“Bonnie and Clyde” by Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot
“Always on Time” by Ja Rule and Ashanti
“Some Velvet Morning” by Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood
After listening to some of Lanegan and Campbell’s predecessors, Jim and Greg discuss the Ballad of the Broken Sea’s modern take on the “Beauty and the Beast” formula. While in many of the songs above, the Beast seems to be preying on the poor innocent female, it is Isobel Campbell who is controlling most of the content on the album. Her voice is a sweet counterpart to Lanegan’s low, masculine rumble, but she was the songwriter and the producer. Both Jim and Greg give her efforts a “Buy It” rating.
7 Jim picks a song to add to the Desert Island Jukebox this week. All that talk about Canada got him thinking about one of his favorite bands—Rush. This band might not always get a lot of respect, but Jim believes they gave virtuoso prog rock performances. He chooses not to go with one of Rush’s epic songs, which could take up half a show, and instead picks a track called “Trees.” This song, released on the band’s 1978 album Hemispheres, tells the story of a battle of the wills between maples trees and oak trees. If that doesn’t convince you of the band’s greatness, listen for drummer Neal Peart’s woodblock solo!
Songs featured in Show #13
Michael Jackson - Want to Be Starting Something
Feist – Gatekeeper
Feist – Secret Heart
Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan – The False Husband
Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan – Revolver
Emmylou Harris & Gram Parsons – Love Hurts
Serge Gainsbourg & Bridgitte Bardot – Bonnie & Clyde
Ja Rule & Ashanti – Always on Time
Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazelwood – Some Velvet Morning
Credits: Rush – Trees
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