Center Of The Universe #12
Giant Sand, “Center Of The Universe”
Welcome to the Center Of The Universe, where unfortunately we have to pretend my sardonic, nasal voice is popping up between every three or four songs. We're gonna go from our theme song to the Church single that followed "Under The Milky Way," the Electric Six song that followed "Dance Commander" on Fire, and a Led Zeppelin song I was shocked to learn John Bonham deserves a lot of credit for. I also was recently surprised to learn I now rate III a tiny notch over IV. Both IV and Houses Of The Holy are classics by my estimation, but more in the sense of epic glories the occasional epic meh. III's got a flow.
The Church, “Reptile”
Electric Six, “Electric Demons In Love”
Led Zeppelin, “Out On The Tiles”
Iris DeMent just dropped her first album since the summer of 2015, which also happens to be her first album since "Let The Mystery Be" got that HBO theme bump. The title track of Workin' On A World is good sequel to that song, equally accepting of the unknown while making clear we don't have to be passive about the future. After that is the Holy Modal Rounders' parody of Johnny Cymbal's "Mr. Bass Man," which I shared on the 1963-centric third "episode." I really have to wonder if this track inspired that scene in Inside Llewyn Davis. Then we've got a bonus track on the SpinART edition of Clem Snide's debut album You Were A Diamond and Latimore's biggest hit.
Iris DeMent, “Workin’ On A World”
Holy Modal Rounders, “Mr. Spaceman”
Clem Snide, “Estranged Half Brother”
Latimore, “Let’s Straighten It Out”
The hits keep coming! Next up is blues piano legend Leroy Carr's first hit in 1928, followed by the Coasters' last Top 40 hit in 1961. Then Ashford & Simpson's first Top 40 hit in 1979, not counting their appearance on Quincy Jones' "Stuff Like That" and the countless smashes they'd written for other people the previous decade or so.
Leroy Carr, “How Long, How Long Blues”
The Coasters, “Little Egypt (Ying-Yang)”
Ashford & Simpson, “Found A Cure”
I know close to nothing about Slowthai, other than he's a British rapper and often getting in trouble for "antics," thankfully rather than "violent crimes." I haven't listened to the whole of Ugly yet, so I can't tell you if it's underwhelming compared to his solid previous album Tyron. Liked this track, though! Following it Primus, because that's what we do. "Did It In A Minute" is my favorite Hall & Oates hit that isn't on Rock & Soul, pt. 1 but could have been. Tom T. Hall is no relation to Daryl, but I think "Salute To A Switchblade"'s narrative of the least honorable narrow escape from death by an American soldier in Germany would at least get a smirk from the latter.
Slowthai, “25% Club”
Primus, “Jerry Was A Race Car Driver”
Daryl Hall & John Oates, “Did It In A Minute”
Tom T. Hall, “Salute To A Switchblade”
I've written about the Futureheads' fantastic cover of Kate Bush's "Hounds Of Love," and "Man Ray" is the song that follows it on the band's 2004 debut. "Brussel Sprout" by Young Nudy sounds like it could be a joke rap hit hypothesized by a forty-something sarcastic white dude like myself, until you actually hear it. After that is a "deep cut" from last year's Phoenix album and the 22nd or 23rd song on Double Nickels On The Dime, depending which tracklisting you're hearing.
Futureheads, “Man Ray”
Young Nudy, “Brussel Sprout”
Phoenix, “Artefact”
Minutemen, “My Heart And The Real World”
I don't think the Soft Boys, when describing the bloody transience of human violence compared to nature, were making a metaphor about how the only survivors of Altamont in 1980 were the Rolling Stones. But man - what if they were?! After that big thought is the only Inspiral Carpets song I'm aware of enjoying. Then a 2008 Drive-By Truckers song by Shonna Tucker, my favorite of the band's third bananas (yeah, I said it). And Portishead, typically anguished and atypically inventing a word.
The Soft Boys, “Only The Stones Remain”
Inspiral Carpets, “Commercial Reign”
Drive-By Truckers, “The Purgatory Line”
Portishead, “Undenied”
I obviously delight at making genre leaps on here that still manage to flow (by my estimation). If I never manage to make a "set" as good as the next four, I'm ok with that. The title track of Ornette Coleman's 1988 album, followed the second hit by the Presidents Of The United States Of America. The longest song on the Junior Boys' debut album Last Exit, and the title track of my favorite Genesis album, named after the structure of an earlier version of the song. Which they sing on the song. And with that, we leave the Center Of The Universe. Thanks for your time! Truly.
Ornette Coleman, “Virgin Beauty”
Presidents Of The United States, “Peaches”
Junior Boys, “Under The Sun”
Genesis, “Abacab”