1. Robots- Flight of the Conchords

• "It is the distant future-the year 2000, we are robots, the world is quite different ever since the robotic uprising of the late nineties, there is no more unhappiness...affirmative." The first time I watched an episode of HBO's Flight of the Conchords I didn't know what to make of it. The more I thought about it the more I realized how hilarious and brilliant it was. For the unaware, Flight of the Conchords is a New Zealand music comedy duo featuring Bret McKenzie (pronounced Britt with a New Zealand accent) and Jermaine Clement. "Robots" comes from the band's self titled full length studio album; an album composed entirely by the duo. After the humans are destroyed "robotic beings rule the world" leaving us with two dances- the robot and the robo-boogie. The "binary" solo in "Robots" is one of a kind. With the Super Bowl around the corner I should mention that I can see a future where football is played solely by robots, with robo-concussions becoming the ethical dilemma of the day.

2. Mercy (live)- John Mayer

• "You got me begging you for mercy, why won't you release me? You got me begging you for mercy, why won't you release me? I said release me, if you know what's good." The first time I heard this song live I didn't realize what it was. I figured it was an old blues cover or a new blues number written by Mayer. It turns out that it's neither. It's an R&B/pop song from singer Duffy (from the 2008 album Rockferry). I wouldn't have realized this the 2nd time I heard the song either had it not been for the acute ear of a lovely female concert companion. The song is so thoroughly rearranged in a traditional blues style that I don't feel like too much of a jackass. Like the song "Gravity", Mayer uses "Mercy" as a vehicle to show off his blues guitar prowess in concert...stretching the number 8 or 9 minutes with solo after solo. I ended up downloading the original version which is quite good in it's own right. If you like the neo-soul Amy Winehouse sound then the original "Mercy" is right up your alley. If you prefer Clapton style blues theatrics then the Mayer cover will not disappoint; however you'll need to dig around online for a live recording as a studio version does not exist.

3. When The Stars Go Blue- Ryan Adams

• "Laughing with your pretty mouth, laughing with your broken eyes, laughing with your lover's tongue, in a lullaby...where do you go when you're lonely, where do you go when you're blue, where do you go when your lonely, I'll follow you- when the stars go blue." Ignorant people, rednecks, and ignorant rednecks think this is a Tim McGraw song. It's really not. "When The Stars Go Blue" was written by Ryan Adams and is featured on his 2001 masterwork "Gold". The "Gold" album is so good from top to bottom that I don't always think of "When The Stars Go Blue" right away when thinking about the album....yet as I listen to the song now it is breathtaking. Some critics dig at "Gold" by claiming Adams pays homage to his 70s influences to the point where the material is derivative. I couldn't disagree more. Adams admittedly set out to make a "classic rock" album and hit it out of the park with songwriting rarely matched by his contemporaries.

1. I'm Blessed- Brendan Benson

• "My mother raised me single-handedly, in a Louisiana hell called Harvey, I never know what I'm supposed to be, turned over every rock for clues, of what it is to be me, and I'll never know what's going on, but I'm blessed..." My iPod certainly has it's own tastes, which is to say that it has favorites out of my collection. Apparently Brendan Benson's "One Mississippi" album is a favorite-that's fine by me as the love is mutual. "I'm Blessed" is power pop meets punk meets garage rock and the results are quite nice. Benson admits to feeling "shattered", "clouded" and "a little scattered" but the "I'm blessed" refrain is somewhat optimistic I suppose. A more loose low-fi version of "I'm Blessed" is featured on the hard to find "Well Fed Boy Demos" EP.

2. Who Stole The Soul?- Public Enemy

• "Jack was nimble, Jack was quick, got a question for Jack ask him, 40 acres and a mule Jack, where is it why'd you try to fool the Black?, it wasn't you, but you pledge allegiance to the red, white, and blue suckers that stole the soul." In 1990 Public Enemy released their groundbreaking "Fear of a Black Planet" album which features songs like "911 is a Joke", "Welcome to the Terrordome" and "Fight The Power". I'm more partial to their previous release; 1988's "It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back" (an album I include in my desert island top 5) but "Fear of a Black Planet" is a masterpiece in it's own right. "Who Stole The Soul" slams the government for targeting black celebrities like James Brown and Redd Foxx while calling out the general history of oppression/discrimination against black people. Public Enemy sticks it to the man better than anyone before or since. The "40 acres and a mule" Civil War reconstruction reference is brilliant. In hip-hop circles KRS-One is known as "the teacher" but Chuck D has been schooling listeners for years as well.

3. Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)- Journey

• "Someday love will find you, break those chains that bind you, one night will remind you, how we touch and went our separate ways, if he ever hurts you, true love won't desert you, you know I still love you, though we touched and went our separate ways." "Separate Ways" is an 80's classic. To fully appreciate it though you need to check out the video. The band alternates between playing their instruments (or at least pretending to since this is a music video) and being an "air-band". Personally for me the "air keyboard" performance is the video's crown jewel. At some point last year I found myself in the Jiffy Lube waiting room (can anyone beat their signature series oil-change?) listening to my iPod. The iPod shuffle selected "My Melody" by Eric B & Rakim, while the Jiffy Lube waiting room music played Journey's "Separate Ways". The "Separate Ways" keyboard intro blended seamlessly with Rakim's old school flow. If Girl Talk is reading this, feel free to steal that mash up for your next release. Oh, and if you are wondering...I won't stop believing.

Leadoff Edition

Staff Notes: Spotlight on Teddy P. The world of music lost a soul icon earlier this week with the passing of Teddy Pendergrass. Before launching a successful solo career, the Philadelphia native fronted Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes and cut hits like "If You Don't Know Me By Now", "The Love I Lost" and "Wake Up Everybody". Pendergrass helped define the Philadelphia soul sound of the 1970s. About 12 years ago I was fortune enough to spend some time in Sigma Sound Studios where the legendary singer recorded so many classic songs. R.I.P.

1. Excursions- A Tribe Called Quest

• "Back in the days when I was a teenager, before I had status and before I had a pager, you could find the abstract listening to hip hop, my pops used to say it reminded him of be-bop." "What you gotta do is know that the tribe is in the sphere, the abstract poet, prominent like Shakespeare." Most great albums start off with a great song. "Excursions" kicks off things in style for A Tribe Called Quest's "Low End Theory". MC Q-Tip delivers his trade mark laid back flow over a jazzy baseline, drums and horns. The chorus samples vocals from The Last Poets, who along with Gil Scott-Heron stand as undeniable hip hop progenitors. I love the pager reference- it may see dated now but in 1991 it was cutting edge. My first "real job" after college set me up with a pager. Even when cell phones came in vogue it broke my heart to part ways with my pager.

2. Jane- Barenaked Ladies

• "I bring her gold and frankincense an myrrh, she thought that I was making fun of her, she made me feel I was fourteen again, that's why she thinks it's cooler if we just stay friends." "No promises as vague as heaven, no Juliana next to my Evan." "Jane" is the lead song from the 1995 album "Maybe You Should Drive" from the Barenaked Ladies. It went on to become a live favorite and was featured on the band's greatest hits compilation. Built on a gorgeous acoustic guitar riff the song features a number of memorable lyrics. My favorite lyric may be the reference to the then-popular Lemonheads. Sadly, in the liner notes for the greatest hits CD, lead singer and songwriter Steven Page wrote that he regretted that reference as he felt it dated the song. As a vocally challenged guitar player I'm still searching for the "Juliana next to my Evan". If you enjoy trivia- the inspiration for the title character (Jane St. Clair) in the song came from the intersection of two streets (Jane Street and St. Clair Avenue) in Toronto.

3. Burning in the Sun- Blue Merle

• "Well I had a girl, she was the best around, and I was in love, now I'm just hanging out." "And I'm burning in the sun, and losing my mind, hearts break in the summertime, I'm burning in the sun, and losing my mind." In the spring of 2005 I stumbled upon Blue Merle as an opening act at a concert in Baltimore. Later that summer I made a point to see them headline at the famous Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach while on vacation in California. I picked up their debut CD after the show (which sadly would be their only full length CD) and it became the soundtrack to my vacation which included a drive up and down the coast from San Diego to Pasadena and back again. "Burning in the Sun" is the lead song and title track for the album; an album I'd put in my all time top 10. After Blue Merle disbanded, front man Lucas Reynolds went on to form Pictures and Sound. I saw Pictures and Sound in concert in Philadelphia and the band played a new arrangement of "Burning in the Sun" that was one of the show's highlights. I chatted Lucas up after his set at the merch table and was pleased to learn that he's as down to earth as they come.

1. The Shape I'm In- The Band

• "Has anybody seen my lady, this living alone will drive me crazy, oh you don't know the shape I'm in." "I just spent 60 days in the jailhouse, for the crime of having no dough, now here I am back out on the street, for the crime of having nowhere to go." After spending their early years backing up other artists (including Bob Dylan) The Band came up with the perfect name when they started recording and performing their own material. "The Shape I'm In" comes from the group's 3rd album "Stage Fright" released in 1970 and is featured on various The Band greatest hits compilations. The Band was made up multi-instrumentalists and alternated lead vocal responsibilities while guitarist Robbie Robertson served as the group's principle song writer. "The Shape I'm In" (written by Robertson) has a great rootsty down home rock feel- 4/5ths of The Band were from Canada but if you didn't know better you might think these guys were from the American south. In addition to the lyrics and harmonies, the organ work on "The Shape I'm In" is rather splendid.

2. Rael 1 & 2 (Remake Version)- The Who

• "The Red Chins in their millions, will overspill their borders, and chaos then will reign in our Rael." "Now captain listen to my instructions, return to the spot on Christmas Day, look toward the shore for my signal, and then you'll know if in Rael I'll stay." The Who embraced psychedelia in 1967 with their concept album "The Who Sell Out" which paid tribute to pirate radio, consumerism and pop art. How "Rael" fits into that concept, or what the song is really about is beyond me. "Rael" is considered the Who's second "mini-opera" (the 1st being 1966's "A Quick One While He's Away") and consists of a few musical movements. Perhaps the song is most notable for one of the musical sections that would be used later as the song "Sparks" from the album "Tommy". Pete Townshend was certainly not opposed to reusing and re-purposing his own work. The song "It's a Boy" (also from"Tommy") features a minor lyrical rework to an earlier song called "Glow Girl". Even the great Beatles weren't above recycling. If you pay attention to the bridge to the 1965 single "We Can Work it Out" you'll clearly hear the musical basis for the 1967 song "Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite" from "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band".
  

3. Dark Horse- George Harrison

• "I'm a dark horse, running on a dark race course, I'm a blue moon, since I stepped out of the womb, I've been a cool jerk, looking for the source, I'm a dark horse." The tensions between Paul McCartney and John Lennon are often credited as the root of The Beatles demise. While that may ultimately be true, George Harrison was the first member to say he had enough. Some of his frustration came from his inability to contribute more than a song here and there to The Beatles later LPs. His 1st proper solo album "All Things Must Pass" from 1970 is a masterpiece. The same probably can't be said for 1974's "Dark Horse" album, but the title track functions as one of Harrison's greatest hits. Acoustic guitars, keyboards and a flute (where have all the rock flautists gone?) build the foundation for this uptempo number. On personal George Harrison note, I am the proud owner of his first solo effort "Wonderwall Music" (1968) which is now out of print on CD (and selling for over $200 on Amazon at the moment). If you couldn't guess, the "Wonderwall Music" soundtrack was the inspiration for the Oasis hit "Wonderwall".
  

1. Roll Over Beethoven (Single Version)- Chuck Berry

• "You know my temperature's risin', the jukebox's blowin' a fuse, my heart's beatin' rhythm and my soul keeps singin' the blues, roll over Beethoven...tell Tschaikowsky the news" In 1997 Chess Records celebrated it's 50th anniversary by releasing greatest hits compilations from it's stable of legendary artists like Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Eta James and Chuck Berry. "Roll Over Beethoven" is just one of the many gems from the Chuck Berry hits package "His Best, Volume 1". The song is an early anthem for rock itself. Few artists help define the sound of rock and roll as much as Chuck Berry. It's hard to overstate the influence of his distinctive guitar work. John Lennon was quoted as saying "If you had to try to give rock 'n' roll another name, you might call it Chuck Berry". The Beatles would pay homage to Berry by recording "Roll Over Beethoven" on their sophomore LP "With the Beatles"....they do a nice job with it (they are the Bealtes after all) but even the Fab Four can't touch the original. Hail, hail rock n roll.

2. Everything Is Not Broken (live)- John Mayer

• "That nature rains, on flames we've made, should tell you everything's not broken." "That you could be, oh here with me, tells me everything is not broken, no everything...is not broken, if everything's not fine." "Everything Is Not Broken" is an unreleased song that John Mayer began performing in concert shortly after the 9-11 terrorist attacks. Like "Covered in Rain" the song is a reaction to the events of that day. The song was first performed on 9-17-01 in Birmingham Alabama. I caught John Mayer in concert at the 9:30 club in Washington DC six days later (at the tail end of a whirlwind best weekend ever) and the song was included in the show. The lyrics for "Everything Is Not Broken" would change over time as it was performed as a work in progress as much as anything else. "Covered in Rain" would see the light of day on a pair of official live CDs issued in 2003 and 2004 but "Everything Is Not Broken" remains a rarity.

3. Untitled- DJ Shadow

• "Maureen's got five sisters, they all got ass, one of 'em has eyes as big as jolly ranchers, beautiful girl, she's a beautiful girl." This untitled cut from DJ Shadow's debut "Entroducing" features spoken word from MC Lyrics Born over the instrumental song "Grey Boy" by the soul/funk band Human Race. It marks one of the few times that original material is used in the album that is comprised almost entirely out of sampled music. The song itself is only 25 seconds and serves as a light hearted segue between the more serious "What Does Your Soul Look Like (Part 4)" and "Stem/Long Stem/Transmission 2"- a song that contains my favorite musical moment from the entire album. "Stem/Long Stem/Transmission 2" samples "The Madness Subsidies" by Pekka Pohjola which features a mellow trance inducing/hypnotic/other-worldly keyboard loop. The sound is so amazing DJ Shadow brings the sample back later in the LP on the song "Midnight in a Perfect World". Getting back to "Untitled", if you find yourself with a girl who has ass and eyes a big as jolly ranchers you've got yourself a keeper.

1. When I Fall (live)- BareNaked Ladies

• "Can't look below me, or something might throw me, curse at the windstorms that October brings." "I wish I could step from this scaffold, onto soft green pastures, shopping malls, or bed, with my family and my pastor and my grandfather who's dead." On occasion guitarist Ed Robertson would handle lead singing responsibilities for the BareNaked Ladies. "When I Fall" is one of those occasions. Originally featured on the "Born on a Pirate Ship" album and later on the live "Rock Spectacle" (pronounced speck-tack) "When I Fall" finds Robertson singing the tale of a high rise window washer behind a beautiful acoustic guitar riff. This particular version comes from the band's 1st live concert performance since the departure of long time lead singer Steven Page. The "Barenaked Ladies Live at Universal Studios 3-7-09" album was available for free on the band's website and featured a number of shaky vocal moments, but "When I Fall" sounded about as good as ever. It closed that particular show and I'd imagine when the band resumes regular touring it would serve that role most nights.

2. 42 (live)- Coldplay

• "Those who are dead are not dead, they're just living in my head." "You thought you might be a ghost, you didn't get to heaven, but you made it close." Coldplay made the live "LeftRightLeftRightLeft" album available to fans who caught their last tour as a CD and those who didn't attend a show had the opportunity to download the songs from the band's website. The studio version of "42" comes from the hugely successful "Viva La Vida" album. The band is obviously radio friendly, but "Viva La Vida" has a few songs (42, Life in Technicolor) that fit well within the concept/flow of the album that wouldn't work as well as stand alone radio songs. "42" is made up of 2 musical movements in four sections. The 1st part is a mellow ballad built around Martin's vocals, piano and strings, the next section is an up tempo instrumental, the 3rd part features a catchy pop chorus and the final section a refrain of the beginning of the song. I'm not sure what the song is about lyrically but it's clear that Martin had salvation (or a lack thereof) on his mind when writing "Viva La Vida". "You didn't get to heaven but you made it close" and "I know Saint Peter won't call my name" being the best examples.

3. Crosseyed- Brendan Benson

• "My friends think you're ugly, mmmm they don't see what I see, I love my crosseyed baby your secret's safe with me." "I'll never tell about what I found out, about a crosseyed girl who can surely make you shout." Brendan Benson started off with a bang in 1996 with his album "One Mississippi" even if no one was paying attention. "Crosseyed" is one of many great songs from the alt rock singer/songwriter's debut. I was able to pick up a free copy of "One Mississippi" over ten years ago while doing an internship at a rock station in Philly and it remains one of my favorites to this day. The hard to find demo version of "Crosseyed" is available on a limited CD re-release of "One Mississippi" as well as on the even harder to find "promo-only not for sale" "Well Fed Boy Demos" vinyl LP....which I have framed on my wall. When you are a collector these types of items are invaluable. The movie Ghost World hit the reality of the collector mentality dead on. Steve Buscemi plays Seymour who is based on real life collector R Crumb- Seymour: "You think it's healthy to obsessively collect things? You can't relate to other people, so you fill your life with stuff... I'm just like all these other collector losers." Amen.

Late Night Edition

Staff Notes: 3 strikes 5000 recently doubled our number of followers (from 1 to 2). Very exciting times here at the blog. We know however that there are other frequent readers out there. Perhaps some of them are famous musicians...I'll elaborate. I was looking at a few celebrity playlists on iTunes, which is a pretty cool feature of the site/store. Specifically I was checking out the musical recommendations from Hall and Oates. In his playlist created on Oct 26th, John Oates (the one with the 'stache) called Patty Griffin "ethereal and earthy". If that assessment sounds familiar to you it may be because on August 15th this blog described Rachael Yamagata's sound on the song "Don't" as "both earthy and ethereal." I'm flattered to know that Oates (and maybe Hall) are fans of the blog.

1. Me Just Purely- Brendan Benson

• "This is only temporary, these songs are my worst habits, my looks and my skin and my temper and this town, this place I call my home well it's me just purely." In 2006 Brendan Benson gained some mainstream notoriety as "the other guy" in the band The Raconteurs, with "the guy" being Jack White of the White Stripes. This minor breakthrough came 10 years after the release of his debut solo masterpiece "One Mississippi" which was a commercial failure. I've lost count of the number of people who I've talked up "One Mississippi" to...usually describing it as "the best album you've never heard". "Me Just Purely" is a mid tempo acoustic number with minimal (lo-fi) production, relying largely on the outstanding hooks, lyrics, melodies and harmonies which at times soar. Power pop maestro Jason Falkner co-wrote a number of songs on the album and his imprint is audible. I very recently caught Brendan in concert at the World Cafe in Philadelphia. "Me Just Purely" was requested but was not performed. Luckily, "One Mississippi" songs "Sittin' Pretty" and "Crosseyed" made the cut. The Cardinals (as in Ryan Adams & The Cardinals) Brad Pemberton played drums for Brendan at the show...word came yesterday that Cardinals bassist Chris Feinstein passed away. R.I.P. Chris.

2. Up Around the Bend- Creedence Clearwater Revival

• "You can ponder perpetual motion, fix your mind on a crystal day, always time for a good conversation, there's an ear for what you say. Come on the rising wind, we're goin' up around the bend, yeah." There is a certain Beatles quality to most CCR songs. The feel is very different with the raspy force of John Fogerty's vocals and the down home grit that defines the sound of the band. But in both cases we are talking about brilliantly crafted pop songs that last about two or three minutes often built around a few basic chords. These songs are brilliant in their simplicity. "Up Around the Bend" gives us a distinctive CCR guitar riff, a solid groove and Fogerty's vocals- do we need anything else? In case you do this song has hand claps as well (a lost art). I have a friend that always wants me to play/sing "Who'll Stop the Rain" in order to hear me do my best "Fogerty" vocals. Who am I to deny her? For your enjoyment here is the one of the great CCR pop culture references from the Big Lebowski:
• Younger Cop: And was there anything of value in the car?
• The Dude: Oh, uh, yeah, uh... a tape deck, some Creedence tapes, and there was a, uh... uh, my briefcase.
• Younger Cop: [expectant pause] In the briefcase?
• The Dude: Uh, uh, papers, um, just papers, uh, you know, uh, my papers, business papers.
• Younger Cop: And what do you do, sir?
• The Dude: I'm unemployed.

3. Dumb (Unplugged)- Nirvana

• "My heart is broke, but I have some glue, help me inhale and mend it with you, we'll float around and hang out on clouds, then we'll come down and I have a hangover...have a hangover." The "MTV Unplugged in New York" album brought us live acoustic versions of a number of classic Nirvana songs. In many cases hearing these songs in a different context gave them a new feel. In the case of "Dumb" it doesn't sound all that different from the original studio version, which is fine. "I think I'm dumb, maybe just happy" is brilliant at best and clever at worst. Nirvana helped define the grunge era in the early-mid 90s. Kurt Cobain's suicide forever cemented the bands legacy, giving them what most would consider a legendary status. It also deprived listeners of hearing how the band might have grown/changed through the years as popular musical tastes and styles fluctuated. Would their sound evolve over time (Metallica) or would it largely remain the same (AC/DC)? Another unfortunate consequence of the band's early demise is that it left us with a fairly sparse catalogue of material- Philadelphia radio is currently playing the same 5-10 Nirvana songs into the ground. Maybe this is why I rarely flip on the radio.