If you have not yet discovered the delightful strangeness of mashups, then let me introduce you. This is the art form whereby a performer (DJ, singer, instrumentalist, etc.) combines two distinct songs into one. Mashups provide a sound case against the absurd contention that electronic musicians are not artists, since most mashups are done with […]
Category: Music
Unusual Christmas Music 2: Hanging Up My Stockings
Welcome back, friends, to round 2 of the unusual Christmas/holiday music series. Up for discussion today is a gem from those quirky purveyors of old-time jazz music, the unforgettably-named Squirrel Nut Zippers. (Named for an old candy, made by Necco. The same people who make the bland Necco wafers, which Catholic children have used to […]
Unusual Christmas Music: River by Sarah McLachlan
The holiday season sometimes seems like a prostate exam: unpleasant and invasive, but something that you simply have to endure. After all, you can’t so much as go to the store for toothpaste without being bombarded by snowmen hawking cinnamon-scented kitty litter and limited-edition Christmas lunchmeats, while the saccharine sounds of Michael Bublé drip cloyingly […]
Joe Walsh: Life’s Been Good
Some people remember where they were when JFK was shot; others know with certainty what they were doing when Apollo 11 landed on the moon. I remember where I was the first time I heard Dire Straits’ “Sultans of Swing” or “Down by the Seaside” by Led Zeppelin. I can also remember where I was […]
Song for Cold Weather: Dear Old Greenland
I once heard a man declare that all contemporary music is founded in pessimism. Much as I wanted to disagree with him, I couldn’t find the evidence. (On reflection, however, I didn’t try very hard. I was in a pretty dark mood at the time.) But lately, I’ve been kind of overwhelmed by art that […]