MOG

This one is for the Salve Restaurant, a stop I make on every trip to Finland... last time I was there I ordered the Hawaiian, which they couldn't explain in english, but somehow I knew it was chicken....

Anyway each month I create a play list in my iTunes of the tunes that for what ever reason caught my ear or that I just felt like adding to the list. At the end of each month I go ahead and play that list and write a few lines about each song. These songs are presented in the order they were added..... so with out further ado....

Arms wide open by Branded Women this if from the CD that my brother Stefan picked up for me in Finland (The group is from Helsinki). It starts off with a very Lee Hazelwood feel, despite the female vocals. It's a nice feeling poppy garage psych tune that has some higher energy lounge elements. Something about it makes me think of The Hives tune 'Another Girl'.... but I digress... this band is what you should be hearing on The Current instead of the general snorecore stuff that they play...

Hey by The Cocktail Slippers I think that I wrote about these guys last month and I might have even mentioned this tune, but right now I am too lazy to go back and look over last months entry.... still The Cocktail Slippers play killer girl group/ power pop jams... their album is perfect for cruising around and blasting over the summer..

Cursed by Miss Treatment More great stuff from Helsinki, this time from a very psychobilly/ pop punk inflected outfit. Like Branded Women this is a record that I saw in the shops last September in Finland and failed to pick up.... in this case it's a solid EP from another band that makes me want to pick up and move to Finland..

Engine Engine # 9 by Southern Culture on the Skids From their great new album Countrypolitan Favorites, S.C.O.T.S play fun bouncy covers of fun and great county and rock songs that add up to one of the best albums released so far this year. I picked this up used on my latest trip to Michigan and wish that I had held out for the vinyl version...

Funnel of Love by Southern Culture on the Skids Another track from the Countrypolitan Favorites album, this time of the classic 50's rockabilly track made famous by Wanda Jackson. This version recalls the 45 Grave cover of Riboflavin..

John Wayne by Guadalcanal Diary I was a late comer to the cult of the Duke. Growing up he was the poster boy for right wing bloodlust, but watching Stage Coach, The Searcher and mostly The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance made me a fan of the Duke. Guadalcanal Diary were part of that whole Georgia/ south eastern coast scene and musically were kinda cowpunkish... this tune is like 'I'm not your stepping stone' crossed with Marty Robbins 'Gunfigher Ballads' filtered through the 80's anti western vibe... is that making sense?

All Along the Watchtower by Jimi Hendrix Classic version of this tune, no other version really stands up to this one... I love it's vibe of darkness and doom, and those drums in the background that just stomp along with out end... like even the looming end of the world can't be stopped... I was inspired to add this song because of it's use in the last episode of Battlestar Galactica..

A few thought before I close out this months review... first that in the past I have felt a bit of a slave to the iTunes play count, and in fact a few of these have only been played once on my computer, but they were played several times on cd in the car or on my stereo. Second this month was kinda light... I am not sure why, only that I had been out of town this past month, and not listening to as much music as I normally do.... ok, it's late, I am tired and a little intoxicated, and it's time to sign off...check out these bands and these tracks (I have provided links for the ones that I could) and let me know what you think... until next time...