You gotta hear this one song. It’ll change your life, I swear: Jackson 5 - “I Want You Back”
Jackson 5 - "I Want You Back"
If there ever was a song that could make even the most morose of people happy, it's "I Want You Back." Any time I've ever been anywhere and this song has come on, the entire mood of the room has changed. Seconds into it and people begin dancing. This is why so many people still feel such a strong affection for Michael Jackson even after all the creepy stuff he did later in life. It's also one of those songs that seems to have no boundaries. People of all skin colors, sexual orientations and religions can't help but love it. There will never be another performer quite like young Michael Jackson.
I challenge anyone to find a more uplifting song.
You gotta hear this one song. It’ll change your life, I swear: Charles Mingus - “Wham Bam Thank You Ma’am”
Charles Mingus - "Wham Bam Thank You Maam"
Oh Yeah isn't your typical jazz record. It isn't even a typical Mingus record. Released in 1962, it's one of those rare records that Mingus handed over all bass duties to another skilled musician—in this case Doug Watkins. Mingus focused his talents on the piano and vocals, while the rest of the band was filled out by Booker Ervin (tenor sax), Jimmy Knepper (trombone), Dannie Richmond (drums) and most importantly multi-instrumentalist Rahsaan Roland Kirk (flute, siren, tenor sax, manzello, and strich).
"Wham Bam Thank You Ma'am" is one of the many wild compositions on Oh Yeah, filled with exceptional musicianship, unexpected shifts, and Mingus' scat vocals.
You gotta hear this one song. It’ll change your life, I swear: Mr Bungle - “Desert Search For Techno Allah”
Mr Bungle - "Desert Search For Techno Allah"
When all you've ever heard in your life is straightforward rock music and then you hear Mr Bungle's Disco Volante, your entire perception of music changes. In the 12 songs contained within their sophomore effort, Mr Bungle crams in a full spectrum of musical styles that can be overwhelming to young ears, but they manage to do it in a way where everything fits together without total chaos. For me, this was my introduction to a more experimental realm of music. Despite its rock leanings, it's the influences of experimental jazz legends like Ornette Coleman and John Zorn combined with world music and the work of Ennio Morricone that makes Disco Volante so very remarkable.
"Desert Search For Techno Allah" is only one of many highlights, and it sounds nothing like anything I've ever heard. Taking the electronic sounds of techno fusing it with sounds of metal, tribal percussions and chanting, it is something new entirely.
You gotta hear this one song. It’ll change your life, I swear: Slowdive - “Crazy For You”
Slowdive - "Crazy For You"
Some songs have the power to transfer listeners to another dimension. "Crazy For You" is an amazing psychedelic drug, able to lift you up into the clouds and carry you into space. Any sense of existing in reality is lost within the first minute. Things become hazy, colorful and beautiful, an altered-state-of-being that should be embraced. It is everything that shoegaze was and is supposed to be about. As My Bloody Valentine's legacy built up into God-like status, Slowdive's influence and greatness has been under-appreciated.
You gotta hear this one song. It’ll change your life, I swear: Beulah - “Me And Jesus Don’t Talk Anymore”
Beulah - “Me And Jesus Don't Talk Anymore”
mp3: Beulah - “Me And Jesus Don't Talk Anymore”
Beulah's Yoko was and is the ultimate breakup album. It's an indie treasure that goes terribly overlooked and always finds its way into my headphones during the times when music feels most purposeful. Every minute is honest and sincere, both lyrically and musically. The poppier Beulah of earlier records takes a backseat but doesn't disappear entirely, which is exactly what makes it work so well. For every moment of tension and despair, there is that little bit of hope provided.
Album centerpiece "Me and Jesus Don't Talk Anymore" is the pinnacle of the successes of the album. Opening slowly with Beatles-esque harmonies over a gradually building piano melody, it takes over a minute before the vocals finally come in pleading "Don't be sad that I'm going." Give the some more time and the sadness turns a poppy tune with a gorgeous steel guitar, and then the strings come in. It's as if the song encapsulates all of the feelings of a breakup within just under 5 minutes. Sadness, desperation, realization, joy and so many other emotions all find their way into this one incredible song, and it's only a hint at the bigger picture that is Yoko in its entirety.
Very few records have ever spoken to me at this level or have meant as much to me.
You gotta hear this one song. It’ll change your life, I swear: James - “Sometimes”
James - "Sometimes"
In America James will always be known for one song, "Laid." Tragically they are what we called a one hit wonder. And as good a song "Laid" was it wasn't even the best song on the album of the same name. "Sometimes" showcases Tim Booth's powerful voice and even greater gift for lyricism. It's anthemic, personal, and introspective, and very few people in America may ever hear it.
You gotta hear this one song. It’ll change your life, I swear: Kaada - “Care”
Kaada - "Care"
I recently rediscovered Kaada's debut masterpiece Thank You for Giving Me Your Valuable Time and it immediately restored my faith in contemporary music, after a decade that ended with Nickelback as the top selling band, and the indie rock hype machine making stars out of a smattering of boring uninspired bands with clever names, 3 chords, and a lot of distortion. Kaada took the ideas of sample-based trip-hop pioneer DJ Shadow and combined them with sounds from the 50s-70s. The end result is an inspiring cinematic work—soulful, jazzy, and timeless.
On opening track, "Care," Kaada creates a perfectly complimentary duet, and rides it over an unforgettable bassline. Part trip hop, part Morricone western, part soul, and part doo wop, among other things, it's hard to imagine that it's a creation of spliced bits and pieces.
Along with DJ Shadow's Endtroducing, The Avalanches' Since I Left You, and RJD2's Deadringer, Kaada's Thank You for Giving Me Your Valuable Time should have been seen the foundation of the future of music. Unlike the current trend of mashup records that use many of the same creation techniques, these records have their own distinct sound separate from the songs used in the creation. Girl Talk is fun and all, but lacks the heart and soul found on Kaada's Thank You for Giving Me Your Valuable Time.
You gotta hear this one song. It’ll change your life, I swear: Phoenix - “Too Young”
Phoenix - "Too Young"
This was Phoenix's breakout year, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is now definitely a hit, but long ago in 2005, they wrote a song that could easily have been the biggest hit of the decade if it got the right attention. "Too Young" is the ultimate feel good song. The moment that fluttering guitar starts up, everyone within a 10 mile radius is instantly happy. Some may recognize it from Lost in Translation. More amazing is that this band now creates entire albums of songs comparitively as good as "Too Young."
You gotta hear this one song. It’ll change your life, I swear: The Veils - “The Nowhere Man”
The Veils - "The Nowhere Man"
mp3: The Veils - "The Nowhere Man"
Not since Jeff Buckley have I heard a man sing with such emotional heft. The vocals of The Veils' Finn Andrews have a way of hitting you in a way few singers are capable of. His pain becomes your pain, or maybe it's that Finn just reaches into your soul and turns your pains into beauty. Most amazing is that Andrews was only 19 when this was written and recorded.
You gotta hear this one song. It’ll change your life, I swear: Small Faces - “Afterglow (Of Your Love)”
Small Faces - "Afterglow (Of Your Love)"
mp3: Small Faces - "Afterglow (Of Your Love)"
Often lost amongst all of the other great hits of the 60s, Small Faces "Afterglow" should live on forever as a classic. It comes from the infamous Odgens Nut Gone Flake record, which is maybe more well known for its unique packaging, but "Afterglow" and the entire record is a feel good 60s psychadelic masterpeice.
You gotta hear this one song. It’ll change your life, I swear: The Walkmen - “The Rat”
The Walkmen - "The Rat
Bows & Arrows, 2004
"The Rat" hits with more urgency than any song of the last decade. Opening with an organ and a drum beat that grows more and more rapid, there is an immediate tension in the first few seconds. The rest of the instruments build in and 50 seconds into "The Rat", out come the first words—"You've got a nerve to be asking a favor." This is Hamilton Leitheuser and The Walkmen at their most tense, and most aggressive. This is the sound of punk roots coming through. Normally, The Walkmen display more classic influences like Harry Nilson, Roy Orbison, and Velvet Underground. There is a tension, but it's less aggressive. On "The Rat," names like Minor Threat and Fugazi come to mind. It's a rare kind of song, because normal punk bands don't have the type of chops, vocalist or lyricist to pull off anything this good.
Placed in the context of their woozy, more deliberately-paced 2004 record Bows & Arrows, the impact of the song is even greater. It comes from out of nowhere and hits with the force of a Mike Tyson uppercut. If there's been a better song in the 21st century, I haven't heard it.
You gotta hear this one song. It’ll change your life, I swear: Shellac - “Squirrel Song”
Shellac - "Squirrel Song"
mp3: Shellac - "Squirrel Song"
It's been a long day and stress is piling up, and so just to hear the brilliant opening line of Shellac's "Squirrel Song" makes me smile.
This is a sad fuckin' song
We'll be lucky if I don't bust out crying
How does it feel?
Your night light, your curling iron
Lit up by the sweat of others,
For many's the day
But not from November to May
The floor is littered
With woodchips and apple cores
And hulls (holes?) of acorns
There is a chattering sound
Because they were squirrels; real squirrels.
(And there were thousands)
This isn't some kind of metaphor,
Goddamn, this is real
You gotta hear this one song. It’ll change your life, I swear: The Replacements - “Unsatisfied”
The Replacements - "Unsatisfied"
mp3: The Replacements - "Unsatisfied"
The Replacements may have changed everything we thought about rock music when they introduced themselves to the world with a new brand of scrappy, drunken rock. This was rock music being played out of pure enjoyment and passion, an admirable trait during a time where synths and production were adding a slick sheen to the music of the early 80s. Paul Westerberg's songwriting kept progressing, and all of a sudden we received a real gift with 1984's "Unsatisfied," the centerpiece of Let It Be, arguably The Replacement's best record. Utilizing a 12-string guitar beautifully, "Unsatisfied" was Westerberg's "heart on his sleeve" anthemic ballad of frustration, and would become a theme for an entire generation. In many respects, its is the 80s "Smells Like Teen Spirit."
You gotta hear this one song. It’ll change your life, I swear: Afghan Whigs - “Be Sweet”
Afghan Whigs - "Be Sweet"
mp3: Afghan Whigs - "Be Sweet"
Ladies let me tell you about myself/I've got a dick for a brain/and my brain is gonna sell my ass to you
Greg Dulli's opening line alone is reason enough to immediately love Afghan Whig's "Be Sweet". It's not just in the words, but also in the cool, calm, collected way Dulli delivers them. It's smooth as butter, and he finally needs to let loose with a scream he does. And Gentlemen, the album from which it comes, is easily one of the best albums of the 90s. If you don't own it, do yourself a favor and go out and buy it.
You gotta hear this one song. It’ll change your life, I swear: Blur - “1992″
Blur - "1992"
There are 2 songs that best represent Brit Pop icons Blur. The bouncy Parklife opener "Girls & Boys" is as fun a song as there's ever been. It's the song that makes Blur the kings of the Brit Pop movement, just as Parklife is the album that defines it.
"Song 2" represents the Blur most of America knows. It was a hit, and you'll hear it at countless sporting events in the US. And even though Blur was one of the biggest bands in England during the 90s, most Americans see them as a one hit wonder thanks to "Song 2" which is one of the most un-Blur-like songs they ever recorded.
Released in 1999, Blur 6th album 13 was their most experimental work—drifting far from their poppier sound of the early 90s. It's a dark album inspired by by Damon Albarn's breakup with Elastica singer Justine Frischmann. But as much as it was Albarn's album, guitarist Graham Coxon may be the star, playing on his final Blur record. "1992" would be considered a deep cut from the album. It wasn't a single, and nor should it have been, but there is something really magnificent about it. It's slow, it's sad, and it drifts along in a hushed manner, but then Coxon's guitar comes along and rips the whole song to shreds. Possibly Coxon's greatest finest moment, if played loud enough there will be chills sent down your spine. It's the sound of your mind expanding.
You gotta hear this one song. It’ll change your life, I swear: New Order - “Age of Consent”
"You gotta hear this one song. It'll change your life, I swear" is a new feature on jonnyleather.com. It is a play on Natalie Portman's memorable line in Garden State about The Shins song "New Slang." These songs will very likely change your life, they already have changed mine.
New Order - "Age of Consent"
mp3: New Order - "Age of Consent"
There's no other song I could start this column with. "Age of Consent" is the greatest song I've ever heard. The loss of Ian Curtis was one of the saddest the music industry had ever seen. Joy Division was a completely original new musical force, and Curtis' dark, monotonous voicecaptured a sadness like no other. But with death comes new life. After Curtis' death, the rest of the band moved on and formed New Order. It's the perfect example of tragedy breeding new life into people. Anyone who's ever heard this opening track off their classic sophomore record Power, Corruption, & Lies can recognize it instantly thanks to Peter Hook's incredible opening bass lines. "Age of Consent" essentially marks the beginning of dancey post-punk, and the influence of New Order and this song in particular lives on endlessly in seemingly every band who's ever picked up a synthesizer.
