am/fm

I was talking to my sister the other day, and she mentioned that she had an idea for a blog post: "What about songs that sing about other songs. Like in Regina Spektor's 'On the Radio.', she sings about listening to 'November Rain.' It always seems a little jarring to hear her talk about another song."

I agreed and brought up Pavement. In "Range Life," they name check Stone Temple Pilots and the Smashing Pumpkins — which lyric, if you'll recall, allegedly upset Billy Corgan so much that he refused to take the stage at Lollapalooza if Pavement was allowed to perform.

What we're talking about, by the way, is not songs which quote or refer obliquely to music which has come before — that's how art is made. This is a straight up reference to the act of listening to another band. Maybe a subtle distinction, but a distinction nonetheless.

Why Regina talking about GNR is weird, we theorized together, is because a pop song is like it's own little world; the experience of listening to music is very in-the-moment, and to break that little bubble and refer to other moments in pop culture is unexpected. Or, like — and this may be more for storytelling reasons than anything else — people on TV don't often watch TV (or talk about other shows, unless its some kind of winking cross promotion), and people in books don't often read books (or watch TV ... although they do listen to music, especially if the book you're reading is by Nick Hornby). Each cultural construction is self-contained.

So, for the blog entry, my sister suggested a list of songs that name check other songs/bands. Turns out, sorry L, that this is not an original idea. Though the criteria is a little different for each list, it's the same basic idea.

But if you can think of any others, give a shout in the comments.

eh.www.amNY.com

After about a month's hiatus, 10 CDs is back. I toyed with the idea of doing penance for shirking my duties by listening to 40 CDs (or at least 40 first cuts) in one day, but that's just madness.

New Rivals s/t
This sounds like every band from the turn of the century. You remember the sound: glossed up mall punk with a little bit of ska rhythm: Blink, Goldfinger (which, full disclosure, I could not stop listening to in the summer of 1999), those guys with the "Little Black Backpack" song, Eve 6, etc.

They're from Sayville. That kind of explains everything.

AM Syndicate "Liberation"
An indie band that seems a little confused about their sound. Are they mellow pop with electronica undertones? Sensitive singer/guitar music? Something's not quite gelling for me.

Putamayo Presents "Tango Around the World"
A step (or several) above those compilations you could buy at Old Navy (are they still doing that?), Putamayo is still scoffed at by serious music collectors. But for the casual world music listener, these collections are perfect. This CD makes me wish it was still 80 degrees outside and I was chillin' by the pool, sipping on a piña colada.

The tracks are very cinematic sounding, if that makes sense. Like, any one of these could be from a film score. For real life listening, I'm not entirely sure where they fit in. It's not dinner party music, but it's not party party music either. It is good seduction music, if you're not worried about coming off as too pretentious...

KT Tunstall "Holiday Collection"
There's so much to say about this album before I even press play. First off: ugh, Christmas music. I can't stand it (I'm sure you'll be hearing much more about this in the next two months).

Also, according to a promotional sticker, this album is available for $6.99 at Target; I don't know why, but that's the funniest, oddest thing I've seen all day. Like, why even have that sticker? If you're already at Target, you just need a price sticker. If you're somewhere else, well, the establishment you're patronizing doesn't need you to know the price of their competitor — unless they're offering it for cheaper, I guess. If you've received this album as a promo, well, price is irrelevant.

And, The KT Tunstall Holiday Collection is brought to you by NBC's "Sounds of the Season." This CD just weirds me out, and we haven't even gotten to the actual music, which, well, let me just reproduce the track listing for you:

1. 2000 Miles
2. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
3. Mele Kalikimaka (Christmas in Hawaii) [Seriously, Bing Crosby was an institution in our home growing up. My sisters and I can sing the whole album, including every throwaway aside Bing utters, from memory.]
4. Sleigh Ride
5. Fairytale of New York
6. Lonely This Christmas

Yes, you read that right. KT goes from "Sleigh Ride" to "Fairytale of New York" — one of the most depressing (if totally awesome) holiday songs ever written, even when it's not sung by a man with no teeth. I say, stick with the Stars version (or, of course, the original).

If you're curious, the lyrics are mildly censored on the "Holiday Collection," but that's really not surprising.

Overall, the record is mostly harmless and minimally annoying. It could be much worse, but if that's all you achieve, why do it at all? Did NBC really think we needed covers of modern standards in an inoffensive country-tinged style?

More after the jump...

Free outdoor concert series River2River kicked off this weekend, and I made it to not one, but two events!

Roky (which is pronounced Rocky, BTW, not Row-key) was at Castle Clinton in Battery Park. Unfortunately, due to poor planning, by the time I got there, the free tickets were gone. But we could hear fine sitting out on the lawn. The enterprising couple next to us brought a picnic. I wasn't so familiar with his music beforehand, in fact, all I really knew was this song, which was on the "High Fidelity" soundtrack:

In person, he was much rockier — and 40 years older. From what I understand, he's somewhat of a troubled figure, with a history of both mental illness and substance abuse. Neither was evident from his performance. Even from outside the venue, I could feel his energy and rapport with the crowd. I don't have much else to say, except than laying in the grass on a fine summer evening and listening to rock and roll has to be a perfect night out.

As we were nearby, after Roky let out, we strolled down the Battery Park City Esplanade (which is beautiful, you should go) to the Winter Garden at the World Financial Plaza (pictured above) to catch part of the Bang on a Can marathon. I have no idea who it was we saw, and I'm pretty sure I'll never hear anything like it again. It was pretty cool, though.
What I thought was really neat was the mix of people who were there. It really was like a slice of the diverse NYC population. Everyone was so supportive and the energy and wonder between the audience and performers was wonderful. We sat near two young (late teens/early twenties) boys who looked to be camped out there for the night. If you're reading this right now, they may still be there — the concert continues until 10pm tonight. It's an awesome totally New York thing, and I'm mad at myself that I've never gone before now. Oh well.

—eh, www.amNY.com

I've always thought Valentine's Day was kind of a silly holiday, designed to make singles feel inadequate and couples feel pressured to do something "extra special" to prove the worth of their couple-ness.
I'm not a romantic, you could say.
To that end, I made a special Valentine's Day mix, with songs about couples in dysfunctional relationships or people with unhealthy passions. It's funny and sad, for a day that's mostly pathetic.

1. Alone Again Or - Calexico
Yes, there's been a lot of these guys on the site as of late, but I'm really digging them right now, and this song (originally recorded by Love) is a great one about loneliness and wanting to be loved.

2. Apply Some Pressure - Maximo Park
I liked this song the first second I heard it. Lead singer Paul Smith sounds so manic and so desperate.

3. Modern Romance - TV on the Radio
This is a cover of the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs song, but something about TVotR's a capella version is all the more haunting.

More after the jump.