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11-05-10 Footnotes
Show 258: Best Coast Live, Reviews of Bryan Ferry and Kid Cudi
Listen to the MP3 Stream of this show: (link)
Download the Podcast: (Download the MP3)
1 Taylor to Kanye: Nanny nanny boo boo
The country pop singer has reason to gloat this week. First week sales for Taylor Swift’s album Speak Now hit a million in only its first week. Only 16 albums have achieved this feat since SoundScan began tracking sales in 1991. And, Jim and Greg add, this is especially significant in an age when digital music is king.
2 Also in the news is the death of Ari Up, one of the founders of the influential female punk band The Slits. Born Ariana Forster, the singer had a long battle with cancer, and her death was announced by her stepfather, and fellow punk icon, John Lydon. Forster was just 14 years old when she put together the band that would later merge dub reggae with punk. Jim and Greg play The Slits’ “Typical Girls” to honor a girl that was anything but.
3 Next up Jim and Greg are joined by the members of Best Coast. The indie trio, named for lead singer Bethany Cosentino’s beloved California region, has a unique combination of shoegaze rock and ‘60s throwback harmonies reminiscent of the Beach Boys and the Mamas and the Papas. Their debut Crazy for You was a surprise hit for an indie release—reaching the Billboard Top 40. Cosentino talks to Jim and Greg about her own musical roots (Dad performed with 70's rock band War), rock heroes (Stevie Nicks) and personal writing style. She’s joined by band mates Bobb Bruno on guitars and Ali Koehler, formerly of The Vivian Girls, on drums for a live performance in the studio.
Check out their performance here: VIDEO
4 There are few figures in rock as cool as Bryan Ferry. This remains the case even 30 years after the break-up of Roxy Music. Now Ferry is back with a new solo album, Olympia, which is comprised of mostly original material—a rarity for a singer who takes such command of covers. Greg explains that it would be no overstatement to say that Roxy Music changed the face of rock and roll. But there hasn’t been a lot of changing of Ferry’s sound since then. Jim agrees. He’s still combining sly humor, sex appeal and lounge singer style. But this consistency is still great, and Olympia gets a double Buy It.
5 Bringing us full circle, we again think of Kanye West. But this time, we don’t ponder his dismissal of Taylor Swift, but rather his influence on a new movement of introspective hip hop. Drake, Lupe Fiasco and now Kid Cudi are all embracing self-examination, as well as rock and roll. And, explains Greg, Cudi is the great existentialist. His new album, Man on the Moon II: The Legend Of Mr. Rager, is a continuation of his last concept album. It is full of interesting narratives, wordplay, rock instrumentation and cameos. Both Jim and Greg are hugely impressed and give the record another double Buy It.
Songs Featured in Show #258
Taylor Swift, "Mine," Speak Now, Big Machine Records, 2010
The Slits, "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," Cut, Island, 1979
The Slits, "Typical Girls," Cut, Island, 1979
Best Coast, "Boyfriend," Crazy For You, Mexican Summer, 2010
Best Coast, "Crazy For You," Crazy For You, Mexican Summer, 2010 Live on Sound Opinions
Best Coast, "When The Sun Don't Shine," Crazy For You, Mexican Summer, 2010
Best Coast, "Goodbye," Crazy For You, Mexican Summer, 2010
Best Coast, "I Want To," Crazy For You, Mexican Summer, 2010
Pocahaunted, "Riddim Queen," Island Diamonds, Digitalis, 2008
Best Coast, "Summer Mood," Crazy For You, Mexican Summer, 2010 Live on Sound Opinions
Best Coast, "Boyfriend," (2:19) Crazy For You, Mexican Summer, 2010 Live on Sound Opinions
Best Coast, "The End," Crazy For You, Mexican Summer, 2010
Bryan Ferry, "Song to the Siren," Olympia, Virgin, 2010
Bryan Ferry, "Heartache By Numbers," Olympia, Virgin, 2010
Kid Cudi, "Erase Me," Man on the Moon, Vol. 2: The Legend of Mr. Rager, Motown, 2010
Kid Cudi, "REVOFEV," Man on the Moon, Vol. 2: The Legend of Mr. Rager, Motown, 2010
Kid Cudi, "Maniac," Man on the Moon, Vol. 2: The Legend of Mr. Rager, Motown, 2010
Violent Femmes, "Telephone Book," 3, Slash, 1989
Bill Frisell, "Spell," Where in the World?, Nonesuch, 1991
Shriekback, "Nemesis," Oil & Gold, Island, 1985
David Bowie, "Chant Of The Ever Circling Skeletal Family," Diamond Dogs, Virgin, 1974
Pink Floyd, "Time," The Dark Side of the Moon, Capitol, 1973
ELO, "Fire on High," Face the Music, Legacy, 1975
The Doors, "The Soft Parade," The Soft Parade, Elektra, 1969
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