Clinic is always in my shuffle because I like organs, guitars, and a nice bassline. I would describe them as raw all the way through and creatively hard most of the time. They’re great live, they wear surgical masks, and I can’t really compare them to any other band. My absinthe brewer friend who we call Sideshow Bob turned me onto these guys, and he always tried to argue that Radiohead ripped their later style off this band.
It’s challenging to pick one song from five good albums, so I picked a mellow track from Winchester Cathedral. It’s a beautiful song, and I wish I knew all the words. “The Majestic #2” makes #2 sound good. Clinic released a new album Do It! in April.
It is impossible to talk about Metaform without comparing him to DJ Shadow, RJD2 and even The Avalanches. Metaform, the moniker of a mysterious and somewhat unknown man, is the second coming of eloquently placed samples.
Standing on the Shoulders of Giants, released in February, has 19 tracks of deep breaks, eerie vocal samples and cinematic sound waves from a lifetime supply of backroom vinyl. Layered with his own instrumental samples, it’s a mixtape of epic jazz, funk, soul, disco or chill out electronica.
“Heaven Can Wait” breaks up the first third of the album with a haunting piano melody, familiar drum breaks and an Eraserhead sample. Anyone familiar with the movie, or with a Pixie’s live show will recognize “in Heaven, everything is fine.” Go ahead and nod your head. This isn’t just good sampling and producing, it’s a solid debut of music discovery.
We like to think of Tuneage as a blog aiding music discovery, but it’s also about music appreciation, and Laurie Anderson’s “O Superman”, over 8 minutes long, is a track that certainly deserves a certain some appreciation.
It was first released in 1981, reaching an unexpected #2 in the UK singles charts. Anderson wrote it as a cover of the aria “O Souverain, o juge, o père” from Jules Massnet’s 1885 opera Le Cid, after listening to a recording of it made by Charles Holland. It was released to mixed reception, but stands today as a widely lauded piece of music.
The Wikipedia page for the song has a lot more information about the song, and makes up a surprisingly interesting read.
I was lucky enough to see this SoCal super group twice last year during their West Coast House Of Blues tour. Comprised mostly of members from Rx Bandits, Circa Survive, and Finch, TSOAF are an experimental bunch. In addition to mid-show (and sometimes mid-song) personnel changes, they include choreographed dancing and some wild freestyle ‘art’ off to either side of the stage. Combining elements of poetry, spoken word, and Eastern culture, the songs are extremely phrenetic and often out of control. If you’ve been following my posts, note that while this song does not stray from my preferences, the band itself does.
The tune is an aberration from their fundamental sound - thrash, screamo, punk, & prog. It becomes grandiose, for sure, but it is definitely more accessible to East-coasters and Midwesterners who, like me, feel strongly about screaming in music. Read: They hate it.
Here at Tuneage, we try to bring you good music you may not know is out there, and this is one song I can say with 100% certainty that you didn’t know was out there.
Mitchell, a 22-year old schoolteacher living in Forrest City, Arkansas, is a friend of mine who makes music in his spare time. He’s sent me a number of songs over the past few years (all with varying influences), but it’s this latest track that I can’t get out of my head. I can usually place Mitchell’s influences, but the main influence on this track has me completely stumped. If you think you know it, please let sound off in the comments.
Mitchell’s MySpace page is in the works, but rest assured we’ll link to it when it goes live. He’s also looking to find a singer with which to collaborate (close proximity to Forrest City not required), so if you’re interested, send Tuneage an e-mail and we’ll put you in touch with him.
For those that are unfamiliar with Ween, please don’t let this be the last song of theirs you hear. They have an uncanny ability to break down any genre and create brand new satire soaked, often hilarious jamtunes. From rock odysseys and punk anthems to country twangers and lovey-dovey ballads, Ween has done it all with a wry smile. This creeptastic one (off last year’s La Cucaracha) should get you ready for that sketchy weekend you’ve been planning…
**Big ups to the Tuneage crew for the opportunity to contribute!!**
Most of the world has been listening to glitchy post-rock quartet 65daysofstatic’s debut The Fall of Math since 2004, but for whatever reason, they never released it in the US. Lucky for you, it’s finally going to be out on Monotreme records sometime in March. They’ll also be releasing a brand new EP called Dance Parties on April 29th.
They’re also touring Europe right now, with dates in France, Spain, and the UK to look forward to in the next month, and a US tour with The Cure planned for May and June.
With acts like Cougar, it’s more about the live act than the album. Nevertheless, Law is a great album that’s perfect to relax to. It’s a purely instrumental album, that layers beautiful, downbeat melodies on top of their complex guitar loops, creating dense, organic soundscapes. Imagine a slower, more subtle Explosions in the Sky, with just a tiny bit of Ratatat to give it some punch. Pitchfork described it as a “soundtrack to a personalized nightscape”, and I don’t think anyone could top that description.
Tuneage aims to bring you music you haven't heard before, be it brand new or forty years old. If you have something you'd like us to listen to, send us an e-mail or use our submission form.
All songs posted here are for promotional purposes only, we don't knowingly offer any songs for download without permission. If you are the copyright holder of any song posted here and would like it removed, please contact us.
