Song & Soul - A Playlist

A Very Cultured Playlist

Editor’s Note:

Not much to say other than - Happy Thursday! Enjoy Brady Putzke’s recommended songs for the week.

- Frank Theodat

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It’s Thursday, my dudes (and dudettes). Welcome back to my listening lounge. You know the score (buh dum tss). Big (but less so this week) orchestral work upfront and then a lively jaunt through the genres. Excellence only.

The list:

Aaaaaand, my trademark notes:

1. "Symphony No. 7 in C major, Op. 105" - Jean Sibelius (Berliner Philharmoniker under Herbert von Karajan): There is debate over whether this piece should properly be considered a symphony at all, being that it’s composed as a single movement (in contrast to the typical four movement structure) and has a relatively short runtime of about 23 minutes. Whatever you want to call it (Sibelius himself only labeled it a symphony after a time), it’s a truly stunning piece of orchestral composition. The performance I recommend here is in fact separated into 4 tracks and the publishers have apparently done this based on the tempo shifts that occur. Normally a symphony will have hard breaks in tempo and key to denote sections, while this piece is much more fluid in nature, though Sibelius still uses tempo to primarily mark the changes in feeling. I could reductively say that the piece is an extended exploration of the C major scale, which was considered at the time to be fairly played out. But as a general fan of mining gold from a supposedly tapped out vein, I can say that Sibelius succeeds triumphantly in digging up a whole range of profoundly moving human emotion from the simple raw material of the first scale a child musician learns. This is a short journey through the radiant possibilities inherent in simple materials and it will stick with you bigly. 

2. “1985” - Haken: Progressive metal fans might not like this take, but Haken is a very hit or miss band for me. The talent and skill is all there in spades, but a lot of the songs just don’t land for me. This one is an exception though. The tone is intentionally retro, fitting with the song’s title, and if you heard it in a vacuum the release date might surprise you. One clue to its more modern origin would be the production quality, which is tremendous, and the more absurdly impressive command of their respective instruments than was prevelant at the time of the song’s namesake era. All said, this is a tour de force of progressive rock/metal and it’s just a whole lot of fun. 

3. “Muskrat Ramble” - Wild Bill Davison: Some trad jazz straight from the streets of Nah’Lins. This is played with a mighty heaping helping of skill but the atmosphere is what will grab you. “Second Line” at its finest that’ll have you hankering for a good ol’ Mardi Gras parade. Something to listen for especially is the diversity of seeming solo lines happening at once that magically coalesce into something that has such an unexpected unity of sound.

4. “The Silent Life” - Rivers of Nihil: This is a divisive band in the metal world but we pay no mind to trends here. Metal fans will argue about subgenres and what tropes RoN are or aren’t adhering to for, umm, reasons? But the salient things here are the punishing wall of sound, aggressively melancholy lyrics, and the surprise instrumental appearance halfway through, that probably won’t surprise you too much if you’ve been tracking on some of my earlier metal recs. I have a soft spot for incorporating this particular instrument in metal at surprising times. 

5. “Bound for Another Harvest Home” - Stephen Foster (performed by tons of musicians I don’t want to type out here): Stephen Foster is widely considered the father of American music and was at one point probably the most famous songwriter in the US. And with good reason. This is a throwback to end all throwbacks and a glorious ode to the “simple gifts” of land and labor and family. Don’t miss out on this deeply moving classic.

6. “Play to Win” - Striker: If Mötley Crüe didn't totally fizzle out after their golden age (and they were so good, don’t get me wrong), this is probably the music that they would be making. A loving nod to the “hair” greats from a modern band who through tremendous melody writing and excellent performances rise above pastiche to revive a wonderful genre of music.

7. “Almost Like Being in Love” - Oscar Peterson Trio with Lester Young: Peterson is neck and neck with Bill Evans for my favorite jazz pianist and Lester is in my top five for tenor saxophone players (i.e. “real saxophone” or just “saxophone”, if you’ve been tracking on my abiding and strong hatred for the glorified kazoo that is alto sax (exceptions made for Cannonball Adderley and Parker)). This is a great standard tune from the Great American Songbook, played with understated skill and great care. One to lounge to and soak in the gentle swing. Some great licks to steal too if you’re a jazz player.

8. “Gates of Blashyrkh” - Immortal: No, I don’t have any idea how to pronounce that made up word. But it brings up the fascinating point that black metal icons Immortal have since the beginning had a dedicated band member just for lyric writing. He’s like their Bernie Taupin and they are black metal Elton, I guess. I mention this because the weird proper noun in the title is part of an intricate fantasy world that Immortal has built up as the setting for all their music. I confess I don’t follow the story through their albums but it gives an air of gravitas to their work that’s absent from those just trying to be dark and edgy. The second wave black metal riffing and vibes are on point as always. Trem picking and blast beats abound, but the real killer moment comes at the end of this one with the guitar breaks and pummeling drum fills that make up that gap. Headbanging par excellence here.

9. “Cradle Rock - Love from Cork City Hall” - Rory Gallagher: Criminally underrated rock/blues guitarist Rory Gallagher was a notorious hater of studio recording and this track shows you why. The energy is electric, the performance near unhinged, and it’s all operating under an air of wild abandon that is probably impossible to capture in a more sterile environment than the concert hall. The whole thing is a rollicking good time and Rory’s treble heavy Strat tone is often imitated, never duplicated. This is a treat for the guitar junkies and the sick organ playing doesn’t hurt anything either. 

10. “But Not for Me” - Chet Baker: Baker is my favorite jazz singer and it’s not even close. His singing voice is almost entirely unaffected. No silly vibrato, no unnecessary fills or frills, and tonally he sings almost exactly like he plays the trumpet. Just the notes, perfectly in tune, carrying classic lyrics with a gentle cool right to your eager ears and heart. 

11. “Mujer Enamorado” - Luis Villegas: I shared a bill with Mr. Villegas in high school and I have literally no idea how popular his music is outside of the fact that I met the guy and bought this album and fell in love with it. This is the choice track for me and it’s stellar. Great songwriting, killer guitar playing, and totally amazing harmony singing on the brilliantly written chorus melody. Guitar nuts will note the tasteful incorporation of very technically challenging flamenco elements to what is otherwise a bubbly latin pop tune. 

12. “I Hold Dominion” - Xerath: Xerath is the most cinematic metal band out there. Technically I think we’d class this as “symphonic metal”, but I think that label doesn’t quite indicate what you’re about to get. This is the soundtrack to an epic LotR style movie mixed with wild technical metal. Think Hans Zimmer meets Opeth meets the Skyrim soundtrack. Something like that. Overpowering.

13. "Só Danço Samba" - Stan Getz, João Gilberto, and Antônio Carlos Jobim: This is a lesser played cut from the seminal bossa nova album Getz/Gilberto, most famous for launching the iconic tune “Girl from Ipanema” into hearts, wedding receptions, and elevators everywhere. I jest somewhat, as I adore this album, but lame attempts to recreate the magic of this record have made bossa nova into a somewhat corny and boring genre. You’ll get none of that here, though. This is vibes upon vibes. A perfect album for a candlelit dinner and this is a standout track for me.  

14. “The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows” - Brand New: You already know I’m gonna sneak some emo in on you. This is the stuff of everyone’s angsty teenage years (who’s my age anyway) and it has a delightful nostalgic sheen to it. That said, if you don’t mind the whiny vox, it’s actually a darn good song. Solid pop melody writing, earnest performances even if they’re easy to mock, and surprisingly good musicianship. If that all sounds like an apology for liking this, it’s not. I’m end-of-8-Mile-ing you. This song rocks.

15. “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” - Hank Williams: The one and only. Imagine being so influential people just call you “Hank”. Same deal with Sinatra in Jazz. When you get a tune called and ask for the key they say “Frank’s”. In country, that’s how important this is. Beautiful lyrics and performance and if you ever take a country gig they’ll tell you to “play it like Hank”.

16. “Empire Falls” - Primordial: Technically I think this is black metal but the vocals are clean. Lyrically this is sort of the companion piece to Shelley’s incredible poem “Ozymandias” for me. As the title suggests, this is a song about the inevitable collapse of all man made monuments, both real and figurative. The music is tremendous, but the gut-wrenching sorrow of the vocal performance and the lyrics carry the day. Some of the text will really hit the modern man where he lives. “Where is the fighting Man?/ Am I he?/ You would trade every truth /For hollow victories/ And every empire will fall/ Every monument crumble/Forgotten men who watch - who watch the centuries". You get the idea.

17. “Now” - Eyedea & Abilities: I’m not going to front like I know a lot about this group. Eyedea is your MC and DJ Abilities mans the tables on the insanely impressive rap track. I saw them live opening for Del the Funky Homosapien and this song blew me away, like it continues to do today. Amazing metric modulations, mind numbing lyrical speed, and some gnarly scratching solos. A ton of fun. 

18. “This Magic Moment” - The Drifters: Beautiful classic rock and roll. You probably know this song from Back to the Future and that’s of course where I know it from. You don’t need any background info to enjoy this simple and lovely tune about young romance. Although, dig that strings line in the beginning (and really throughout). Great arranging. Just great. They don’t make ‘em like they used to.

19. “The Mother We Share” - Chvrches: This is the furthest thing from a deep cut, being the ultra popular single that launched Chvrches to fame. But here at P3 we’re all about that section of the Venn Diagram where commercial appeal and artistic integrity overlap. This tune exemplifies that. I instantly fell in love with it and never fell out. 

20. “I Am” - Theocracy: I could write an entire essay about how good this song is. Maybe I will. Look, James, don’t @ me about some of the theological quibbles we could have with it (they are minor in my opinion), this is one of the best musical examples of expressing the glory of God I’ve ever heard. Progressive metal is at first not the most obvious vehicle for worship music but, for me, this song has everything. Incredible lyricism that lays out the story of the gospel and the heart of God, mind blowingly good vocals, great guitar solos and riffs, and amazing musicianship all around. And the vocal descant on the bridge is just… wow. There are parts you can accuse of cheesiness but I don’t care. It’s meant with sincerity and should be listened to with the same. I love this song with a fiery passion.