FUCK YEAH: Black Mountain - Mary Lou [MP3]

MP3: Black Mountain - Mary Lou

Black Mountain are back with a score to Year Zero, a sludge looking surf film that has a trailer you can watch here. Some of the soundtrack's songs are old and reworked, some are new - like "Mary Lou", and it's a definite keeper.

Fables.

MP3: Fever Ray - The Wolf

I like Fever Ray because she sounds so goddamned evil. Her paycheck/contribution to the upcoming the-money-you-spent-on-this-movie-is-insane-for-such-a-dumb-idea-it-could-feed-third-world-countries-on-the-budget-and-that-includes-the-price-of-movie-tickets "Red Riding Hood" film is also evil sounding, so really nothing has changed and all is well.

Download "The Wolf" from us now and then wait patiently for a new FR LP.

Three tickets to Acapulco

MP3: Bob Dylan and the Band- Goin' to Acapulco

MP3: Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Goin' to Acapulco

MP3: Jim James and Calexico - Goin' to Acapulco

"Goin' to Acapulco" is a song I never paid attention to that much. Sure, "The Basement Tapes" from Bob Dylan and the Band is an enjoyable affair, but it's not exactly a stand out track by any means.

So why have Will Oldham and Jim James, some of my favourite songwriters and two of the greatest living American artists currently recording and performing, covered this song? Perhaps it is the general challenge behind it: it is not short and the instrumentation chosen to illustrate it are only semi-conventional. It must be the lyrics. After all, who cannot relate to wanting to escape somewhere far to a sweet woman's home, who puts it to you "as plain as day" and gives it to you "for a song"?

Taking a song away from it's lp is and making it create a completely different mini concept is hard, and backing that song's single with 2 songs you didn't write is damn near impossible. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy did just that when he released his single for "Lay and Love" earlier this year, adding 2 Bob Dylan covers to follow the title track, and (along with the artwork) created a 3 track ep of love. I believe Will Oldham covered "Goin' to Acapulco" because of the song's character "Rose Marie", keeping the song sparse other than a commanding trumpet and a rhythm section, slowing down to make sure all the feelings and emotions conveyed have their time to be taken in fully.

Jim James' contribution to the soundtrack of the upcoming "I'm Not There" Dylan biopic finds himself being backed by the mighty Calexico (who does multiple duties all over the album), almost leading the song with strong horns and wonderful drums but as we all know, it's impossible to trump the stellar vocals of James. The wonderful thing about these mp3s are that they're all led by unique and fantastic vocalists, and if anything what makes this special is completely all Jim James. As a whole it works, but without him, it is just any other cover, destined to get lost in the shuffle of obscure Dylan covers.

So while I passed over "Goin' to Acapulco" initially, hearing these 2 great interpretations from the people I trust made me want to go back and take the song in fully. I don't know if I understand it any better, but the covers help make the song a lot more fulfilling.

FUCK YEAH!: Early Man

MP3: Early Man - More to Me Than Meat and Eyes

Sorry for things being so slow, me and some friends are prepping for a big week next week. Posts from Sunday to Saturday, all with one theme. Stay tuned!

But in the meantime, what better time for a FUCK YEAH! post?! This song is more for me but I know there's a couple of people out there who had my problem: I searched high and low for Early Man's contribution to the Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters soundtrack and came up dry every time. Well the wait is over!

This song is pure Early Man for sure, though instead of lyrics about silver bullets and death, it's about a wad of meat. The music is spot on and makes me more excited for a new effort from the band. Soon I hope?