Much excitement as we return The Listening Room to it's standard Monday time slot. Much excitement as we welcome a first-time contributor to this week's installment. Much excitement because as I skim this week's entries, I see a lot of great music worth listening to and discussing.
These may not be the best songs ever, they may not even be our favorites, but they kept us entertained last week. You could do worse than to try a few of them out and see what they do for you.
DJRadiohead: "Milk It" from In Utero by Nirvana
“Milk It” uses nearly every element of the Nirvana playbook. The soft/loud dynamic is used. Sonically, producer Steve Albini's fingerprints seem to be all over this song. The detuned guitars have that very In Utero ambiance. Cobain's guitar doesn't exactly create a melody during the verse, nor does it serve the rhythm. Instead it plinks out nonsensical notes, bathed in the glorious Albini effect. In addition to loving the guitar sounds Cobain and Albini crafted together, Krist Novoselic's bass has the gorgeous boom and buoyancy to it.
I might be alone in this, but I find it brilliant that Kurt Cobain could toss out a line like “Look on the bright side of suicide” with a mix of fury, menace, and humor. Cobain tosses out a string of contradictory lines that sound like nonsense on the surface and a few biting or funny one liners.
You don't have to reinvent the wheel when you have a great formula and a great song. “Milk It” is not a lead song, it's a supporting one. It isn't the reason In Utero is a great album, but In Utero wouldn't be great without it.
Connie Phillips: "We Will Rock You" from Queen Greatest Hits by Queen
Last weekend I accompanied my daughter and other members of her Pony Club to this year's Quiz Rally – A knowledge based competition between all the clubs in the Great Lakes Region. Quiz Rally is much like any other academic competition, except it's a test of horse knowledge. As with most USPC events, part of the process is to teach the kids to work together and perform as a team while having a healthy competitive spirit.
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Article comments
1 - Connie Phillips
Great selections this week everyone. Thanks to the contributors for keeping this going, and thanks to DJR for not only contributing but continuing to compile it for our reading and listening pleasure.
There's a handful I'm not familiar with and will spend some time later today searching out. And several that I've been reminded should compose a playlist in my iPod.
2 - DJRadiohead
Yes, Connie, some great selections this week. I have spent the last two weeks with "Seattle" music. I am going to try to branch out this week to something else.
3 - Mat Brewster
Man, I haven't listened to "In Utero" in a long time. I'm not even sure I know where it is, or if I even own it anymore.
Whenever I hear "We Will Rock You" I always think of one of the opening bits on "cheers" where someone starts tapping on the table with a pencil, then another clicks their glass and it slowly moves into a full on version of the song. Classic.
4 - Connie Phillips
Oh my goodness. I remember that scene too, Mat.
Something happens to a song when it gets associated with sports, it takes on a new life and never really seems to go away. Probably by design, then to be ones with either uber contagious lyrics, rhythms or melodies.
5 - Mat Brewster
It was a great bloody scene on a great bloody show. "We Will Rock You" has that anthematic beat coupled with lyrics that really fit a sporting event. And everybody gets to clap and stomp. Always a plus.