Culture Greyhound

Today I continue my ongoing feature showcasing my personal picks for the best songs of the past decade, posting ten songs at a time.

240. Menomena – Wet and Rusting

The finest track from Friend and Foe begins with Menomena’s trademark effects layered across an odd strumming pattern.  By the time we reach the second chorus, the track turns into a cavalcade of rolling drums and scaling piano lines.  And to top it all off, it’s simply beautiful.

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Up until about a month ago, I lived in the blue part of that “map” up there – I recently transferred to deep in the red, but I have been a Texan my whole life.  And there’s no place like it.  Anyone visiting will tell you: there’s something about the Lone Star State, a vibe, a sense of pride you can’t find anywhere else in the Union, or the world for that matter.  And I don’t plan on leaving anytime soon.

One of the best things about Texas is the music – from the country background of our capital to the rock and roll roots of the South Plains, to the Dirty South “Screwston” scene, to the metal movement based in DFW.  Harlem, Willie, Buddy, Pantera, Paul Wall, we’ve got it all.  I invite you to listen to the new mix Subservient Experiment has posted featuring only the finest in the state’s indie rock offerings.  It’s an awesome sampling of great tunes from such a huge land mass, and it has inspired me to make my own mix.

So enjoy a helping of tracks from the friendliest region on the planet.  I think you’ll agree: everything’s bigger in Texas, even the sounds.

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Today he’s a boring, coffeeshop Good Morning America staple, but back in the 70’s, James Taylor led the songwriter craze of pop, alongside the likes of Carole King and Joni Mitchell.  I still get a lot of flack for loving Taylor, but anyone who has heard his bestselling Greatest Hits album knows the scope, brevity, and sheer genius of the man.

Originally a product of the Beatles’ ill-fated Apple label, Taylor went on to become one of the bestselling artists of all time.  His music is completely accessible and your mom loves it, but from a historical perspective Taylor was the forerunner of a movement in pop music, the early 70’s answer to the overdone, overproduced, over-dramatic bands of the late 60’s.  With the Vietnam War still raging and the US in a period of civil unrest, James Taylor and his acoustic guitar represented a more laid-back, back-to-basics side of rock and roll.  And the music was pretty amazing, too.  Actually, it’s timeless.

He may not “rock” in a traditional, cliche, loud-guitar sense, but for any fan of true music and beautiful songwriting, James Taylor totally rocks.  Some hits after the jump.

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Discovered by FADER, praised by Pitchfork, and Buzzworthy’d by MTV, 18-year old Tampa native Dominique Young Unique is a wild hip-hop upstart with a flow that venomously deceives.  She may look and act sweet in interviews, but the quick and wit of this new female lyricist is intimidating.  My good friend Eric opened my eyes to DYU, whose new amazing mixtape Domination just hit the Internet this week (download it for free here – HIGHLY recommended); throughout, the girl’s got a flow that would stop peers Kid Sister and Rye Rye in their tracks.  Check a sampling of swagger below.

Dominique Young Unique – Blaster

Dominque Young Unique – War Talk

Dominique Young Unique – Show My Ass

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Paste Magazine

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–Variations on a Theme: The Seven Faces of Michael Cera

–10 Ways The Internet Wants To Get You Excited About The World Cup AWESOME

–Ten More of the Creepiest Kids’ Movies of all Time

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Randomness.

When I was around the age of 12, every Saturday from 10 AM to noon, I would sit by my radio and listen to the Dr. Demento Show.  I was in love with Dr. Demento and his “mad music and crazy comedy” he brought to the airwaves every week.  I even joined his fan club – the Demento Society; I still have an autographed picture of the Doctor taped up in my childhood bedroom – the man even announced my birthday on the air! I encourage everyone to visit his website and listen to some of his shows and samples – to this day, it’s a radio show unlike anything else ever done before.

For those unfamiliar with the program, Demento specializes in comedy and novelty music, and covers funny tunes from pretty much every era of recorded music ever.  The Doctor, whose real name is Barret Eugene Hansen, is an avid record collector, and his collection of records, tapes, and comedic discs new and old is as far-reaching and vast as the man’s knowledge of satirical music.  Long before Adam Sandler was making terrible music albums, long before George Carlin wowed us on compact disc, Demento was spinning the most hilarious, and often risque, records on the planet.

Probably the best thing the Doctor is known for is bringing Weird Al Yankovic to national attention and eventual superstardom.  Without the help of the Doctor’s then-popular and widely syndicated program, no one would have ever heard Yankovic’s early parodies of popular songs that would lead him to become a pop star on his own, receiving airplay on MTV, performing to sold-out crowds, and even making his own film, the cult classic, UHF (Demento himself has a cameo in the movie).

I’m giving the Doctor praise today because last week was his last show on traditional radio.  A statement published on his Web site explained that financial hardships have forced the show to cease FM radio syndication and instead broadcast solely online.  In fact, the only station still carrying the program’s online episdoes, at least for the time being, is the station I discovered Demento on, KACV FM in Amarillo, Texas.

While it’s great that the program is still able to continue via the Internet, the ceasing of traditional broadcasts marks the end of an era for the historic 40-year program, and just another modern-day example of the decline of the business of FM.  And so, after the jump, I have provided a short tribute to the Doctor and his weekly whimsical wackiness – just a few of my favorite songs I heard on the Dr. Demento Show.  Though I may not be able to literally “wind up” my radio anymore, I’ll be certain to stay demented for years to come.

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