"Children of the Revolution" by Kirsty MacColl and Johnny Marr (of The Smiths, and now of Modest Mouse) was released on the 1991 album "Electric Landlady." It should not be confused with the song of the same name by T-Rex.
The song starts out with a huge amount of reverb that eases in Johnny's guitar work. Quickly the song takes a latin sound, with Conga and the Timbal work of Mark Quiñones. Were it not for the lyrics, the calm yet bright groove of this song would lead one to believe it was an upbeat number. I've picked this song not only for its beautiful feel, but also for its great juxtaposition: the song's lyrical content follows the dark undercurrents of children who have seen all too closely the horrors of war.
"Children of the revolution getting off the boat To face the ignorance and prejudice that keep this land afloat Children of the revolution make a brand new start Running through the rubble of a thousand broken hearts"
This song, and indeed, the entire "Electric Landlady" album, was produced by genius producer Steve Lillywhite, who at the time was married to Kirsty. Steve went on to produce albums for U2, Guster, and the 2007 redebut of Crowded House, as featured on this very blog.
In 1985, the band Crowded House was formed by Neil Finn and drummer Paul Hester (formerly of Split Enz), along with bassist Nick Seymour. Over the decade or so in which they were active, they had such hits as "Don't Dream It's Over," "Something So Strong," and "Distant Sun." The group had a farewell tour that culminated with a free concert on the steps of the Sydney Opera House in 1996. After disbanding, and Neil Finn went on to have an accomplished music career, both with his brother Tim as the duo "The Finn Brothers," and on his own with the release of "Try Whistling This" (1998) and "One Nil" [UK 2001]/"One All" [US 2002].
When working on a third solo album, Neil brought in former Crowded House bassist Nick Seymour to play bass on several tracks. As the album progressed it became more of a purely collaborative effort. Finally, multi-instrumentalist Mark Hart, who had originally joined Crowded House in 1989, was called up for the "we're reforming the band" talk. The end result is an amazing album called "Time on Earth," released in 2007 on ATO Records.
Some--including Neil Finn himself--had said that Crowded House would never reunite, after the death of original drummer Paul Hester in 2005. The album is dedicated in his memory. After 20 days of auditions for a new drummer, they brought on Matt Sherrod, who used to be a drummer for Beck, as a full member of the new Crowded House. The album was recorded, mixed, and produced by an ensemble that includes producer Ethan Johns, Tchad Blake, and Steve Lillywhite.
"Even a Child" features Johnny Marr (The Smiths, Modest Mouse) on electric guitar and 12 string acoustic, and his daughter, Sonny, on backup vocals. Johnny also makes an appearance on electric guitar for the song "Don't Stop Now," which he co-wrote with Neil. "English Trees" features Neil's son and current indie pop darling, Liam Finn, on harmonies.
Favorite tracks: 1. Nobody Wants You, 2. Don't Stop Now, 6. Even a Child, 10. English Trees
Good news - Matthew Sweet's long awaited next album, originally thought to be jokingly titled "Rock Bottom," will be released on July 22nd. Sweet regulars Ric Menck (Velvet Crush), Richard Lloyd (Television), Ivan Julian (Voidoids), and Greg Leisz return on this disc, which will be released by Shout! Factory and distributed by Sony BMG. A press release from Shout! is up at here.
One of KZSU's finest DJs, Wedge, is covering for me this morning. While I am out galavanting about at the National Association of Broadcasters' annual convention, Wedge is bringing you the finest power pop that Palo Alto can buy, so you won't miss a beat. Tune in from now until 9AM PST/Noon EST at kzsulive.stanford.edu.
If you ever have a hankering for awesome experimental free improvisation, noise, and the outside edge of jazz, check out Wedge's show Memory Select on Fridays from 3pm-6pm PST, 6pm-9pm EST. As always, keep it locked to 90.1FM...
The Scotland Yard Gospel Choir.. isn't a gospel choir. In their third release, their self titled album on Bloodshot Records, they've packed the roster with all of the indie Rockers from the Chicago scene. The SYGC does straightforward Belle and Sebastian style vocals, mixed with the some punky pop/folk/chamber pop reminiscent of Darren Hanlon.
The Belles are a band from Kansas, consisting of Christopher Tolle and Jake Cardwell. The song "Next Said Anything" is a deceivingly bright number with harmonious falsettos, but an underlying bittersweet current about a relationship gone wrong. I really love the "Ooooh you never said" lines in this song, and I would die happy if the likes of Jason Falkner would cover this tune.
"We're in a bad way. But tonight my love, it only gets worse.
Oh you never said there was anything Oh you never said there was anything wrong"
