can't complain

Like the song says, it's gonna be a good year.

I've posted on Witchdoctor before, and I have been glad to see him getting a little more attention recently. He was one of the original Dungeon Family rappers along with Outkast and Goodie Mob, that came through in the mid-90's, but never really saw much mainstream success aside from a song on the Bullworth soundtrack. This has probably profited him integrity-wise, it's not likely he's going to drop a World Party anytime soon or attempt Idlewild-style cinematic blowout, but it would be nice to live in a world where artists are recognized proportionally to their accomplishments.

That said, this song isn't heavy on lyrical acrobatics or complex concepts, it's just a optimistic ode to a new year, which I am feeling.

Witchdoctor - Best Year

before i write you

I happened to catch part of Exit Clov's set when they opened up for Cloud Cult last spring and was only half paying attention; but one song they played stuck in my head for days after. I ended up looking it up and became mildly infatuated with it for a while.

Fast forward to a couple weeks ago, when a friend put another of their songs on a mix and I immediately recognized the voices from somewhere. The distinctive dual female harmonies rang out, and while the tone of the song is completely different than MK Ultra, I knew it was them. I'm really into the reverby 1950's guitar sound, it's the perfect song for sitting late at a diner somewhere contemplating the realized and unrealized permutations of love, (see also "Sleepwalking").


Exit Clov – For Abednego

worth two in the bush

The weirdest and most beautiful song on an album already superlatively weird and beautiful, "Bird in Hand", comes out of the speakers like a smoky spell from another time. It's impressive to consider that Lee "Scratch" Perry pulled off this song using only a 4 track, and potential witness to his claim, "It was only four tracks written on the machine, but I was picking up 20 from the extra terrestrial squad. I am the dub shepherd."

The lyrics I first assumed were sung by Perry in a language possibly from the same extra terrestrials assisting him on the boards, or some African dialect, but after some research I discovered this interesting article. The song is sung by collaborator Sam Carty, and the lyrics were taken from the Hindi love song, "Milte Hi Aankhein", from a 1950 Bollywood movie. I have reposted the lyrics and their translation below:

Milte hi aankhein dil hua deewana kissi ka
Afsana mera ban gaya afsana kissi ka
Puchho na mohabbat ka asar, haay na puchho
Dam bhara mein koyi ho gaya, parwaana kisika
Afsaana mera ban gaya, afsaana kisika

As soon as our eyes met, somebody's heart went mad
My tale has happened, somebody's tale
Don't ask me love's effect, oh, don't ask
I took a breath and somebody happened, somebody's lover

Lee "Scratch" Perry & The Upsetters - Bird in Hand

failure

I'll spare the obligatory hand-wringing over the definition of "emo" and its present self-clowning incarnation, and I will even spare you the lecture about how late 80's Dischord was really the only true embodiment of the genre. What I won't spare you is exposure to the delicious self-flagellation of this song. When I really want to feel good about not liking myself, this song does the trick every time. For bonus points I can reminisce about the one time I met Ian Mackaye and made an ass of myself by asking him what he thought about some kid wearing a NOFX shirt at his show; and being subjected to probably the 2,342,345,325,345th time he chewed someone out for bugging him about his relation to straight edge.

Embrace - Building