Ach, the Scots are the greatest. Frightened Rabbit is an indie rock band from Selkirk, Scotland, but based mainly these days in Glasgow. (My sources tell me that the name of the band came from the lead singer’s mother, who called him a frightened rabbit when he was a kid because he was so shy. I know.) It’s so hard to pick a song from them to highlight, but this song fits my mentality the best. This past week was pretty tops, for a whole variety of reasons, and the week sounded like this song: fast-paced, joyous, with shifting tectonic plates producing new, exciting formations. And now it’s Saturday! Hooray, weekend!
Month: February 2014
Funk Friday, Part II: “(There’s A) Freeze On Funk,” Olympic Runners
StandardOH SNAP! Didn’t see that coming, did you, Tune-Up fans? I had to split today into two parts. Part One: Normal funk Friday to get you in the mood. Part Two: Funk appropriate for the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremonies! The only people I could call on to help us get down to the Sochi groove is, obviously, the Olympic Runners. This song in particular is apropos – not only because it’s mind-bendingly cold in Sochi, but…how to put this delicately…Russia’s government has been an active participant in every aspect of planning for these winter games. (See: euthanizing roaming packs of dogs, hotel rooms so unfinished the guests are bartering lightbulbs for door handles, the whole “there are no homosexuals in Sochi” thing, the list goes on.) I for one am extremely curious to see how Russia will portray itself during the ceremonies tonight. As a serious aside, let’s all toss in some good thoughts that things will stay safe and calm.
Funk Friday: “Straight Fire,” The Jive Turkeys
StandardDamn, I love The Jive Turkeys. This awesome, relatively new quartet is from Cincinnati, Ohio, one of our funkier states. There isn’t a single song they’ve put out that’s been dull or sub-par. I highly recommend going on a YouTube walkabout to discover their other stuff. “Straight Fire” is a pretty solid place to start. I mean how can you resist that organ? You can’t. It’s not possible.
Throwback Thursday: “Symphony No. 5 in D, 3rd movement,” Ralph Vaughan Williams
StandardIf you hear movie soundtracks in this piece (or a bit of Downton Abbey), you’re not hearing things. Vaughan Williams was such a master at capturing undefinable moodiness that he inspired a whole generation of movie and TV score composers. I had once wanted to be among them based solely on his works. There isn’t a sound so lush as a Vaughan Williams string section; I don’t think it’s possible to cram any more instruments or harmonies in there. I particularly love the range of his orchestration at the beginning, from the lowest notes of the double basses to the highest notes of the violins. Combined with the vaguely eastern chord progression, and the solo oboe (a classic Vaughan Williams tell), it makes for a very evocative beginning. Until the strings settle into something a little more standard around 0:50, and we remember, oh right, we’re in England.
This particular symphony is an excellent gateway drug to the rest of his body of work. Vaughan Williams’s most famous pieces are The Lark Ascending and Fantasia by a Theme by Thomas Tallis, but you’d be better served by diving a little deeper. If you like this piece, check out his Norfolk Rhapsody, whose simplicity surely must have inspired Aaron Copland.
Worldly Wednesday: “Glasgow,” Shout Out Louds
StandardHej, Sverige! It’s two-for-one day at The Daily Tune-Up! This fun indie band is from Stockholm, Sweden, and the first half of this track has been going through my head all week. I love the driving energy of this song, which makes it good for a mid-week pick, and also explains why it’s been in heavy rotation on my running playlist. The lyrics are amusing, memorable, and fun to belt out when you’re commuting to and from work. And it also sounds like a song that would be used in a slick TV ad to sell shoes or beer or cardigans or something – so now you can feel even cooler having heard it here first. You’re welcome.
The second half of this track sounds like what the protagonist in the song would listen to the morning after the adventures in this song take place. I really like it when artists complete the thought, as it were – when the music switches gears to give you a glimpse into the next part of the story the lyrics portrayed. It’s like the end of the movie “The Graduate,” when the camera just keeps rolling after the young lovers made a break for it. It sounds like real life. There’s always a next stage.
Termagant Tuesday: “Walking Stick,” Leon Redbone
StandardTwo words: Tuba, castanets. Question: Could there be two instruments so perfectly suited? Answer: No. Postscript: Duh. I admit, I had a bit of a problem figuring out what “mood” this song puts me in. I don’t know whether there are words that exist to explain whatever mood it is. That probably goes for the whole Redbone oeuvre. I always get a kick out of the fact that Leon clearly enjoys playing this song so much that it speeds up to almost twice the original tempo. What a strange, inexplicable song.
Modernism Monday: “Wind From The South,” The Gertrudes
StandardThis respite from that wretched “polar vortex” gag has me dreaming of spring already, so of course The Gertrudes popped into my head. This is such a chipper, happy song. It’s also a great driving song, and, as your Yankette got home from a super fun road trip late last night, it’s vaguely apropos. And, because I got home from a super fun road trip late last night, this is a very short post, so I apologize I’m not more verbose, Tune-Up fans. I promise I’ll be extra wordy on Tuesday. Happy Monday!
Sacred Sunday: “St. Ludmila,” Antonin Dvorak
StandardGood morning! This will put some adrenalin in your coffee. The bassoon that supports the tune at 0:42 makes me smile every time. And of course the chorus at 1:31 and 2:59 grabs you by the lapels until you get out of bed. This is sacred music, Czech style. Hospodine, pomiluj ny! Mighty Lord, have mercy on us.
Salubrious Saturday: “Walking in the Sun,” Fink
StandardYou ever have those moments where you feel like you can look at yourself from a removed vantage point? I had one of those moments not too long ago. I was sitting in my office at work, and, all of a sudden and out of absolutely nowhere, I was able to look behind me (in my mind, of course) and see the path I’d walked on to get to where I was in that exact moment – doing what I was doing, wearing what I was wearing, all of it. It was the strangest and most wonderful feeling. I could see the places I had made an active decision, the places where an outside force had cleared a few feet of the path ahead, the places where I’d stumbled and made a slight course correction. There were It made my life today seem both inevitable and accidental at the same time, in that everyone is a product of their own decisions but no one exists in a vacuum. It was a beautiful moment.
That is what this song reminds me of.
The Daily Tune-Up 