Bloggerhythms

I've been searching in vain for some appropriate music that would allow me to combine today's Thanksgiving holiday with Forgotten Music Thursday. Unfortunately, the only Thanksgiving song I could come up with was Arlo Guthrie's "Alice's Restaurant Massacree," and that epic is hardly forgotten. However, with Guthrie on my mind while perusing my old LP collection, I came across a song from his 1974 eponymous album called "Presidential Rag," a very dated but totally cool political screed ripping the late President Richard Nixon for his roll in the Watergate scandal. There really isn't a whole lot to write about concerning "Presidential Rag." The best way to appreciate the song is to just listen to it. History buffs and those of us old enough to remember the whole sordid affair will understand and maybe sympathize with Guthrie's anger while leaving everyone else out in the cold. Trust me, I'm not trying to start a political ar...

The ska music and the party vibe are a little less prevalent than on previous releases and the lyrics are a bit more serious on Cinema , the latest CD from The Cat Empire. On "Reasonably Fine" they offer the following thoughts, "I lost my shoes, I lost my wife, I lost my keys, I lost my kite, and though I'm young at heart I'm so much older." However, don’t let lyrics such as these prevent you from stomping your feet or singing along with the Aussie horn band at your next Saturday night keg tapping because the combination of a scratchy turntable, a percussionist, and a drummer can make any set of lyrics danceable. The eccentric lead vocals of Felix Riebl and Harry Angus are still pleasing, the rhythm section continues to burn, and the keyboard work of Olliver McGill is outstanding once again, especially on the coda to "Shoulders" and on the electronics that dominate "Only Light." Of course, great musicianship rarely matters if the ...

It only took all of two minutes listening to twenty year old Lucy Schwartz to realize that she should demand stardom. On Life In Letters , her second full length CD, the singer-songwriter composed some top notch pop-rock songs, vocalized with gusto, and played a pretty mean piano. She did it all with the confidence and professionalism of a performer twice her age. In some ways Schwartz is already a veteran. Her songs have appeared in the movie Shrek Forever and on TV's Grey's Anatomy , Brothers and Sisters , ER , Private Practice , and Parenthood . She has also played live on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno . Mitchell Froom, who also worked with Elvis Costello and Paul McCartney, ably handled the sessions, producing full sounding arrangements that enhance Schwartz's easily accessible melodies that get inside your head and just won't leave. The two opening tracks, "My Darling" and the single, "Graveyard" are tailor made for radio. The title...