If It Were Left Up To Me
by Dan
Please note: MP3s are only kept online for a short time, and if this entry is from more than a couple of weeks ago, the music probably won't be available to download any more.


 

Portishead - "Deep Water"

Much of the new Portishead (I hadn't thought about this band in about 8 years) sounds oddly mashed together, with new and fascinating beats bullying Beth Gibbons' totally time-capsuled (but still lovely) vocals to an effect much like the musicians aren't paying much attention to each other. But the shortest song, the 1:39 "Deep Water", is exactly in step, it shares glances and grins. Completely different from anything they've ever done, and probably will ever do, it's out of place on the album, but I'm very thankful they included it. As some kind of proof, some sort of document that even Portishead, the dreamiest of underwater trance-weavers, is sometimes awake, at the table, making music to a crumby morning. [get the LP and a 'P' USB stick]

--

from a Japanese bargain bin:

Lazy Knack - "僕は僕の手で君を選んだ"
song
lazy_knack.jpg
I can't say I'm totally disappointed with Lazy Knack, because I kind of knew what to expect. I was surprised, however, to find this cd came with a 32-page booklet. Usually reserved for collector's editions or retrospectives, Lazy Knack brought that out on their debut. But, true to their name, it's 24 pages of photos of them, all from the same photoshoot but with different backgrounds, and 8 pages of lyrics. In terms of the song, it's nice and peppy, it has a memorable, and even moderately likable chorus, and it's sung by two sexy sixteen year olds, it's a pretty run-of-the-mill moneymaking machine from 1995. But the booklet is what makes it worthwhile. It even reminds me of a hilarious part of my childhood brain I had forgotten; revealing people's blood type as some kind of "stat". Shimizu is type A and Katsuki is type O. But I didn't really need to tell you that, you can hear it in their voices. [Buy]

--

Elsewhere: Barrett's Book Report

Posted by Dan at March 21, 2008 4:06 AM
Comments

In Japan blood type is kind of like an astrology sign, no?

Posted by vinny at March 21, 2008 3:16 PM

This song just came on while I was washing dishes, and I realized again how much I like it. Sometimes I really need to listen to something unabashedly, buoyantly cheesy, and this song meets that need perfectly. Thank you.

Posted by Lindsey at April 11, 2008 2:01 AM

(Er. I meant the Lazy Knack thing.)

Posted by Lindsey at April 13, 2008 9:37 PM

Oh ho ho! I came across this while Googling pictures of LK to use...yes, Flash is a cheesily cute little album. It always amazes me to find anyone else who likes them at all...there is a reason you found that in the bargain bin. They were never as big of a hit as the other act produced at the same time by Daisuke Asakura - TM Revolution. Yeah, that TMR. Anyway, as you might be able to tell by my username, I'm a HUGE Yuna (Katsuki) fan, so yay, thanks for brightening my day here. (I'm type O too, same as him! Wonder if Japanese Red Cross harasses him with phone calls too.)

Posted by Yunakitty at May 17, 2009 6:52 PM

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Sean Michaels is the founder of Said the Gramophone. He is a writer, critic and author of the theremin novel Us Conductors. Follow him on Twitter or reach him by email here. Click here to browse his posts.

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Dan Beirne wrote regularly for Said the Gramophone from August 2004 to December 2014. He is an actor and writer living in Toronto. Any claim he makes about his life on here is probably untrue. Click here to browse his posts. Email him here.

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