Cherry Chapstick- Yo La Tengo

Yo La Tengo is an indie band from Hoboken, NJ that has been around for a bit. They formed in 1984 and are still making music today.  Since 1992, Ira Kaplan (vocals/guitars/piano), Georgia Hubley (vocals/drums/piano), and James McNew (vocals/bass) have composed Yo La Tengo. Their latest album, Fade, was released this year. According to Wikipedia, "Yo La Tengo has been called "the quintessential critics' band".

I cannot even begin to describe Yo La Tengo's sound as it is so different. One song can be folksy, the next  is filled with distorted guitar riffs then you can have a structured noisy chaos (oxymoron, why, yes it is). There are a lot of songs and I don't love them all but I love enough, also they do a lot of great covers. I seem to be partial to the songs Georgia Hubley sings.

There are actually two version of "Cherry Chapstick". The fast, upbeat version can be found on the album, And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out and the slow, mellow version on the EP, Today Is The Day! Both are Awesome!

Someone else's date in someone else's door

There's a girl with Cherry Chapstick on and nothing more

It's such a lurid pose and she seems this close

But not to me

I would hop around and try out all Yo La Tengo's albums. My favorites include: Fade, I Am Not Afraid Of You & I Will Beat Your Ass and Fakebook.

Hell's Bells- Cary Ann Hearst

Here's to the start of a new week. Today I have "Hell's Bells" by Cary Ann Hearst. I heard this song during an episode of True Blood and downloaded it as soon as it ended.

Cary Ann Hearst is a folk/rock singer from South Carolina. "Hell's Bells" can be found on her album Lions and Lambs.

Well hell's bells, what you trying to sell?

Put it on the table before they take us to jail.

What you say, got a bottle to your head,

And you never saw it coming, and you pretty white shirt is red!

Well, guess that's what you get!

Ask- The Smiths

The Smiths, another great band that broke up before I even made it out of grammar school. Lucky for me, they were a cult favorite and easily accessible to a teenage me. 

This is the first of many Smiths' songs I will be posting but since it is the weekend let's go with the catchy, playful tune "Ask". "Ask" was released as a single in October of 1986 but not on a full length album.  

The Smiths were formed in 1982. The members were vocalist Morrissey, guitarist Johnny Marr, bassist Andy Rourke and drummer Mike Joyce. The Smiths are hailed as one of the most important independent alternative bands of England from the 1980's. Morrissey and Marr collaborated on all of The Smiths' songs. The music was a mix of rock with a bit of pop & rockabilly and the end of New Wave music. The duo were never afraid of being controversial in their lyrics. There was awful tension between Morrissey and Marr. This eventually led to the demise of the band in 1987. Morrissey and Marr have stated they will never reunite the band and both are still active in music today. Although these days, Morrissey is known more for his nasty and erratic statements in interviews. 

"Ask" reached #14 on the UK Singles Chart. 

So, if there's something you'd like to try

If there's something you'd like to try

Ask me, I won't say "No", How Could I?

Coyness is nice, and

Coyness can stop you

From saying all the things in

Life you'd like to

(Ha, Ha nothing ever stopped me!!)

Have a Great Weekend and hopefully it is sunny and warm wherever you are. :)

The Devil Went Down To Georgia- The Charlie Daniels Band

I remember being very young when I first heard "The Devil Went Down To Georgia". As a matter of fact, it was probably the first song besides children's songs that I remembered the words too. That must have been some sight, a 6 year old spitting out Charlie Daniels lyrics. Besides this one there was "Nobody" by Sylvia and "Harden My Heart" by Quarterflash that rounded out my eclectic tastes. It may have been that I was a Catholic school girl and the devil playing the fiddle was just unbelievable yet fantastic. Just imagine what my young mind visualized. Very conventional childhood, indeed.

In the early 1980's country music made it way into the popular music charts. Artists like Eddie Rabbitt, Juice Newton and Dolly Parton got plenty of air play. The movie that helped this happen- Urban Cowboy, yes another John Travolta movie. City folks were wearing cowboy hats and turquoise jewelry. "The Devil Went Down To Georgia" was one of the songs featured on the Urban Cowboy Soundtrack. This soundtrack is awesome, a lot of good music and artists. This is grown up me speaking not the 6 year old.

Charlie Daniels was born in North Carolina and has been active in music since the 1950's. In March of 2013 he had to have a pacemaker implanted to regulate his heart rate. He is 76 years old. Devil was a #1 country hit for him and made it to #3 on the Top 100. I confess, I know nothing else by the man. But this song brings back good memories so why not. It's Friday! Have a Great One!

(If you every thought, "what did he just say?" well here are some lyrics.)

Fire on the Mountain." Run, boys, run! 

The Devil's in the house of the rising sun; 

Chicken's in the bread pan picking out dough.

Granny, does your dog bite? No, child, no.