The Witches of Elswick – Bring Us a Barrel
The ladies go a capella boozing. I love that you can hear their accents, and they certainly sound like they are having fun. This always reminds me – in spirit – of the scenes involving Falstaff and young Hal in the hostelry in Shakespeare’s Henry IV part 1.
Zalamanda
Rykarda Parasol – Drinking Song
From my 2011 album of the year, ‘For Blood and Wine’, this has a touch of Siouxsie-Sioux-meets-Patti-Smith about it. Many more dark and mysterious lyrics on the album, but I know nothing about Ms. Parasol and am hoping someone (Fintan maybe?) can enlighten me…
Debby(M)
Queen – Sheer Heart Attack
Proto-thrash metal? Freddie’s gauntlet-throwing response to the punk explosion?? A one-chord throwaway demo/jam promoted to full release to hide a dearth of new ideas??? No idea which of these theories (if any) is true, but by ‘eck I still love the rush this gives me!
DarceysDad
Atari Teenage Riot – Sick To Death
The reformation of ATR this year has had me listening back to old 12″s. I bought this when it came out in 1997 and thought it was the most extreme and just plain best thing I had ever heard. It still sounds pretty full-on 15 years later! (Aficionados of underground 70s punk – that’s you Wyngatecarpenter! – may recognise the appropriation from the Users.)
Panthersan
YUI – Never say die
YUI is my all time favourite singer songwriter but she does do a lot of pop rock type tracks as well as the typical acoustic guitar singer song writer stuff. This is such a positive track and as soon as I hear it I want to start to dance ! ! ! It was released in 2009 as a double A side with “It’s All Too Much” and was her 5th consecutive number 1 single.
Hoshino Sakura
Warren Zevon – Don’t Let Us Get Sick
Absent a lifelong phobia of doctors, Zevon’s cancer might have been caught before it was too late. He spent the year between diagnosis and death doing what a true artist would do – record a last album. It is a mightily poignant work from one often dismissed as lightweight because of his earlier wittier work.
tincanman
Please send earworm contributions to earworm@tincanland.com. Thank you!
It is a really nice set and varied but still flows nicely. Well done Zala ! ! !
I will listen again tomorrow and comment then when I have more time.
I liked them all very much ! ! !
I’m too much of a luddite for the Shakespeare reference, but I loved Witches (which I first read as of Eastwick, so you can tell what I was reading instead of Willie). Straight a capella folk is usually too precious but the different voices and accents give it a rough-hewn, kitchen table realism that makes it top of the week for me and a perfect companion to Drinking Song. Good comparisons DebbyM, and I can hear a little Them in the rhythm section too. How can it be so 70s and not sound dated?
Because the songs loaded out of order the Zevon played next and that did it for me. Sat staring out the window for awhile.
Queen was my hair shaking band in high school DsD so good to hear that again. Whichever Queen it was that had Keep Yourself Alive was my first hard rock album, and Tie Your Mother Down was a staple of my air band.
Alas the Atari is too loud for me anymore, and Yui sounds like regular radio pop. I think my age is showing.
Very nice varied set though, and even though it goes from punk to pop it holds together really well.
I too usually download the Earworms to listen, but I’ve taken to renaming the files with 01…02…03 in front as appropriate, so I listen in the curator’s intended order. It seems a bit cheeky to ask Zala to do this as part of the Earworms service, so I er…. won’t.
But I already did that, DP. For my own benefit.
Ah. The numbers are present in the WordPress files (the links in the post go to those). But the very kind person who quietly creates the dropbox folder every week has tidied up my filenames and removed the numbers!
You just don’t want us to download that picture, do you?
If you ak me nicely I’ll send you the full res. version with no watermark or sticking plaster… but I just don’t want random people I don’t know to get a-hold of it.
*asks nicely*
Yes please!
Are you creating these to go with the playlist or finding something from your back catalogue* that fits?
* pile in the corner
TFD, look in the ‘box.
Tin, mostly created for the playlist. This one would have got painted anyhow but just got painted slightly sooner and had a sticking plaster added to make it fit the playlist better (and to make it different to the one on the blog). So far, all the photographs have been especially created. Including next week’s.
Ooh ta
An interesting set.
The Witches Of Elswick. The sort of folk I can deal with in very small doses. Maybe if I was a boozer it would mean more to me!
Rykard Parasol. This I quite liked. The backing musicians were extremely good.
Queen. Sorry, DsD. Can’t abide Queen at any price.
Atari Teenage Riot. Sounded like a bunch of kids shouting and yelling over a not very musical backing. Sorry.
YUI. Nice sound.Very listenable.
Warren Zevon. Very poignant. Reminded me of Johnny Cash’s work with Rick Rubin. My favourite track of the week.
Cheers, Zala. Now off to Westminster to shout at Cllr Tony Ball with the Dale Farm Support group!
Definitely different sort of set!
Afraid that i found the Witches kind of rough going, it never really kicked in for me. And i’m not adverse to a drink or 2 in a pub! Still unfortunately feeling the aftereffects of the other night. (Great painting though!)
I really loved the Rykard Parasol. Probably pick of the week, will probably have another listen.
DsD has yet again surprised me with a different view of a band i had otherwise dismissed as kind of meh. I like Queen ok, a few songs a lot, but i’m not a big fan. To the extent that i am, its primarily due to Freddie’s pipes.
If i’d heard this one before, i have no recollection of it, but it’s ace! At the risk of incurring a huge fight, i’ll say that i never considered Brian May as approaching axe-hero status. This tune (assuming that’s May) could well change my mind. If Freddie takes a backseat so Brian can shine, it’s a fair enough trade here. Thanks and tip of the hat, DsD!
Was hoping for a nice blast from Panther and wasn’t disappointed! Loved it. Problem is, i was planning to go back to sleep but thanks to you two, that’s probably not going to happen.
I’m afraid that i’m with Tinny in seeing the Yui as regular radio pop. Not that i didn’t enjoy it, i certainly did. But nothing i’d seek out again either, but may also be losing something in not understanding the lyrics.
Warren Zevon can’t really do much wrong in my eyes. Wouldn’t ever dismiss his witter work as lightweight, in fact i think i prefer it, there is some bite there. The gravitas comes from the voice. I enjoyed Keep Me in Your Heart from the last album, and this one as well. Sorely missed.
Thanks to all and to Zala!
Drinking in moderation is OK, you know, and may even be beneficial…
Bring Us A Barrel: I’ve gone off the Unthanks in a big way lately but these I really really like. My sort of music. I’ll be looking out for them and the other bands they’re involved with.
Drinking Song: yes, I thought this was quite Patti Smithish too. Liked it a lot.
Sheer Heart Attack: yes, I liked this better than the usual Queen stuff too, except for those funny noises near the end, which I didn’t like and neither did the cat.
Sick To Death: big grin on my face all the way through this one. I’m not sure I’d want to hear it again though.
Never Say Die: not really my sort of thing I’m afraid, Sakura. Too relentless, too poppy.
Don’t Let Us Get Sick: my favourite this week – straight on to the ‘Pod with it! Thanks, tinny…
…and thanks, Zala, for a fab playlist.
I know what you mean about the Unthanks, TFD. I really, really liked them to start with, but now they seem rather ordinary. Maybe it’s just too much of the same, maybe they did float a bit mainstream-wards. Anyway, The Witches did 2 albums, one of which is very expensive (l don’t have that), the other (Out of Bed) is more readily available. As far as I know, the only member of the Witches to have recorded since then is Fay Hield. Her Looking Glass is jolly good, I reckon.
On Wiki it says they’re also in the band Witchnotes, and one of them is in the Demon Barbers.
Ooh! I didn’t know that.
It was that Christmas special that finished the Unthanks for me. They were just so creepy.
Everybody, it’s too late to buy the tankard painting, because I just have.
Nice quirky playlist Zala.
Top Pick for me was Rykard Parasol. Great stuff and I totally loved it. Next up for me was Atari Teenage Riot which I also loved. Next for me was Witches of Elswick.
Although I like some of Warren Zevon and Queen’s stuff, these songs weren’t way up there for me and Yui is not my bag, particularly.
Wow, this is a great playlist! So good I’m onto my second listen. Wasn’t sure the Witches would be my thing to begin with but they had won me over by about second 18. Reminds me of “Fathom The Bowl” off the Rogue’s Gallery album:
I really really like it.
I can definitely hear both Siouxsie and Patti in Rykard Parasol – nice analysis, Debby! I think this may be one for beth! But me too – I loved it.
Curse you, DsD, for almost making me not hate a Queen song! I like the references to “I saw her standing there” at the start – well, I like that I spotted them; makes me feel dead clever, innit. Not totally my bag but fun in a Rocky Horror sort of way. (Yeah yeah, I’m sure Rocky Horror is fun in a Queen sort of way…) Oh and I’m afraid I’m with tfd and the cats on those squealing noises. Blimey, abrupt ending!
I’m afraid Atari Teenage Riot are a bit too noisy for me too – sorry panth. Great energy though. For months now, I have been feeling slightly bad every time Sakura chan has nominated a YUI song on the Mothership that I haven’t clicked through to the link and listened. And now I’ve heard one! Yay the earworms! And I loved this. Really spunky and tuneful. And a great voice. In fact, I think this may be my favourite of the week, which I really wasn’t expecting.
Warren Zevon has always been a bit of a hole in my musical knowledge. “Werewolves Of London” of course. And I bought “The Envoy” album a couple of years back after hearing “The Hula Hula Boys” on a Word compilation freebie album… and “The Hula Hula Boys” was the only song I really loved. Don’tcha just hate that?! This is lovely though. Great lyrics: “I thought of my friends and the troubles they’ve had to keep me from thinking of mine…” And it feels like it brings us full circle to the Witches again tempo-wise. Ish.
Fantastic – and fantastically sequenced – playlist, Zalamanda (and contributors)!
Thats a line that stood out for me too bish
Thanks Zala –
Yes, I like the Witches – folk, booze, what’s not to like?
Rykard Parasol – yes, OK tho’ a bit too Adam Antish in places, somehow.
Queen – don’t mind Queen too much but this reminded me of Huddersfield bus station and listening to The Sweet over the tannoy. Ahgh!
Atari – no, sorry.
Yui – pleasant but wouldn’t search it out.
Warren Zevon – had a tear in my eye.
SO … first and last for me, this week. Thank you everyone.
Really liked the Rykard Parasol and …..against everything I hold dear….the Queen!
Nice one DsD, it’s definitely different to their usual fayre, which usually makes me cringe!
Somehow, I managed to lose the “a” off the end off Rykarda Parasol’s first name. This has now been corrected. Apologies, everyone.
This was a thought-provoking set on the theme of life, booze and death. My favourite tune to listen to this week was the Rykarda Parasol, I though the twangy guitar and the horn riff was distinctly Peter Gunn-ish, so I’ll add that thought to the Patti Smith and other flavours above.
My favourite Queen is Seven Seas Of Rhye, which came out when I was aged 12 and discovering the amazing power of the electric guitar. Sheer Heart Attack has great guitar too but I couldn’t stand the song, and I think my favourite Queen might actually be the only Queen I can stand. But I can’t disown them entirely.
Atari Teenage Riot I think needed to be either live or on 45rpm. An MP3 coming through headphones on the bus to work wasn’t the right way to hear it.
I enjoyed The Witches…,, YUI, and Warren Zevon is a strong song that had me thinking as others have said. My job is to do with better services for people with dementia, so the line about not growing stupid had me thinking. Cancer is a scary and nasty thing, but often people who are told they have months or a couple of years to live seem to get it together to put one’s affairs in order and sort out things-to-do-before-one-dies. That seems a healthy response that we need to promote for life and death with dementia.
Oops, that should say – my favourite Queen is Seven Seas Of Rhye….
Sneaking in at the back here to say that although I thought it was a good theme the only artist that realy clicked this week was Warren Zevon. Sorry.
Finally got a chance for a listen whist I shamble about tiding the abode. Nice list with a total surprise on the Queen effort. Never much liked Queen ’cause they seemed to posture too much but that one just grabs your balls & roars. Thanks to Tin for the Warren Zevon. It made me drag out his album The Wind for a listen. I think I only listened to it once or twice ’cause it hit too close too home but if it’s using honesty to “stomp on the Terror” Warren can’t be beat. Favorite by a landslide was Rykarda Parasol. Cant help Debbym out with any info ’cause they’re new to me (but soon to be added to current playlists). To the Siouxie-Surf-Patti sound I’ll add some Morphine(the band not the drug) because the bass & horns drone along similarly.
View from the Earworm chair…
I was really impressed by Rykarda Parasol. Probably because I have soft spots for the music of Siouxsie and Patti; nice analysis, Debby. Pleasingly tough yet not overly masculine, I thought. I have no objection to Queen in general – I even own the triple best of anthology – and this one was not new to me. Like the energy. Atari Teenage Riot might possibly overdo the energy for my palate – but it’s still a great, loud, shouty thing. I like the YUI song but I’m not sure that it managed to worm its way in to my ear very thoroughly. I suspect that I didn’t serve it well by placing it between the extremities of ATR and Warren Zevon‘s heartfelt poignancy, which uses wonderfully expressed sentiment to get under the skin.
For me, Rykarda Parasol and Warren Zevon were the standouts – one primarily for the aural effect, the other for the words.