Disco, Post-Disco, Avant Garde, Experimental or whatever you wanna call him Arthur Russell, 17 years after his death, seems just as relevant and influential as ever. With a 2008 documentary on his life and music called Wild Combination, a biography by Tim Lawrence and the recently released "Go Bang: A Tribute to Arthur Russell" (from the UK's Electric Minds label) it seems he is having a better late '00's than a lot of living artists. I think Russell's music still resonates with people because, as simple as it sounds, he just did whatever he wanted and created music for himself first. He weaved all sorts of different genres and ideas together to create something absolutely unique and personal.
As far as this latest tribute album, I feel like it really doesn't do Russell's songs justice for the most part. Yam Who? & Shovel's version of "Pop Your Funk" has a kind of 80's electro vibe that makes it a stand out and My Tiger My Timing's take on "Arm Around You" has a cute, 90's feeling that lets the sweetness of Russell's lyrics really come through. Otherwise, I'm not impressed and would rather just listen to the original versions.
Here's the My Tiger My Timing track, the Atlas Sound remix of "Answers Me" and the original version of "Wax The Van".
Disco, Post-Disco, Avant Garde, Experimental or whatever you wanna call him Arthur Russell, 17 years after his death, seems just as relevant and influential as ever. With a 2008 documentary on his life and music called Wild Combination, a biography by Tim Lawrence and the recently released "Go Bang: A Tribute to Arthur Russell" (from the UK's Electric Minds label) it seems he is having a better late '00's than a lot of living artists. I think Russell's music still resonates with people because, as simple as it sounds, he just did whatever he wanted and created music for himself first. He weaved all sorts of different genres and ideas together to create something absolutely unique and personal.
As far as this latest tribute album, I feel like it really doesn't do Russell's songs justice for the most part. Yam Who? & Shovel's version of "Pop Your Funk" has a kind of 80's electro vibe that makes it a stand out and My Tiger My Timing's take on "Arm Around You" has a cute, 90's feeling that lets the sweetness of Russell's lyrics really come through. Otherwise, I'm not impressed and would rather just listen to the original versions.
Here's the My Tiger My Timing track, the Atlas Sound remix of "Answers Me" and the original version of "Wax The Van".
Disco, Post-Disco, Avant Garde, Experimental or whatever you wanna call him Arthur Russell, 17 years after his death, seems just as relevant and influential as ever. With a 2008 documentary on his life and music called Wild Combination, a biography by Tim Lawrence and the recently released "Go Bang: A Tribute to Arthur Russell" (from the UK's Electric Minds label) it seems he is having a better late '00's than a lot of living artists. I think Russell's music still resonates with people because, as simple as it sounds, he just did whatever he wanted and created music for himself first. He weaved all sorts of different genres and ideas together to create something absolutely unique and personal.
As far as this latest tribute album, I feel like it really doesn't do Russell's songs justice for the most part. Yam Who? & Shovel's version of "Pop Your Funk" has a kind of 80's electro vibe that makes it a stand out and My Tiger My Timing's take on "Arm Around You" has a cute, 90's feeling that lets the sweetness of Russell's lyrics really come through. Otherwise, I'm not impressed and would rather just listen to the original versions.
Here's the My Tiger My Timing track, the Atlas Sound remix of "Answers Me" and the original version of "Wax The Van".
Surprisingly, in my downtime, I don't often listen to any sort of dance music. I was raised more on a lot of singer-songwriters, punk bands, and The Beatles (surprise surprise). I often find myself in a raging battle between the camp eurodisco and the calm organic sides of myself in terms of music. If you ask anyone I've ever made mixtapes for, there is a clear defined line between shaking the butt and sitting on your porch on a summer afternoon when the AC unit has broken. Growing up, I faced the same problem between the dancefloor and relaxation time. In my first post, I wrote about how I felt there was no music that successfully merged those two together. I was wrong...
Matmos fills this bill quite amazingly. Consisting of Martin Schmidt and Drew Daniel, two uber intelligent might as well be married gay men, they merge my love of bedtime music and electronic beats so well it can't be denied. It's dancey enough to get me moving but can also be the background soundtrack for a nice day with a book. Their label Matador Records (also home to a host of other brilliant bands like The New Pornographers, Sonic Youth, and Cat Power) has put up some free mp3s from a few of their albums.
Another musicians I've fallen madly in love with again is Arthur Russell. In the past months, he has gained much popularity for his output of solo work, whether it be the country tinged "Love Is Overtaking Me" to the more dance influenced album "Calling Out Of Context". Either way, his work is pure genius. One of my favorite songs ever "A Little Lost" blends his use of string arrangements with the most beautiful, melancholy vocals and lyrics. Unfortunately, there will never be any new recent work from Mr. Russell, as he sadly died from AIDS in 1992. But I'm glad he's getting recognition because he totally deserves it.
Another favorite artist of mine, Jens Lekman, recently (like in the past year or so) released his own cover of "A Little Lost" and again, it came out beautifully. Here's a video clip of him performing the song on a thumb piano.
Sarah Dougher is a prolific artist in the sense that by name you probably wouldn't know her. However, you do know her projects. She was a member of the band Cadallaca (with Corin Tucker of Sleater-Kinney), The Crabs, and helped organize the Rock and Roll Camp For Girls. I remember picking up her album "The Walls Ablaze" on an impulse (I was really into her then label Mr. Lady, which sadly has shut down) and instantly loving it. The guitars are intricate yet strong (courtesy of Jon Nikki) and there is some drum work from Janet Weiss (of Sleater-Kinney, Quasi, and Stephen Malkmus' band The Jicks). Strangely, there is no mention of her on any music blogs, so you guys are just gonna have to listen to it over here. That should influence you to buy the album. You can also head over to her website at Cherchez La Femme, her new record label she owns.
