MORPHINE: Pioneers of Low Rock

From L to R: Mark Sandman (Bassitar), Dana Colley (Baritone Sax), & Billy Conway (Drummer) of Morphine

It’s been too long since the last post so I decided to post a chunk of my favorite tracks by Morphine, a Massachusetts band with a signature sound. Immediately recognizable by the tune downed two stringed bass, baritone drone of the sax, and the dark croon of Mark Sandman’s voice are the perfect soundtrack music for a laid back chill Blue Moon evening (such as I’m enjoying now).  Enjoy your dose!

A Dose of Morphine (download link)

The Night (stream)

Let’s Take a Trip Together (stream)

Cure for Pain (stream)

A Good Woman is Hard to Find (stream)

Whisper (stream)

Top Floor, Bottom Buzzer (stream)

I’m Free Now (stream)

So Many Ways (stream)

Eargasm

Been listening to lots of different stuff in the last few days and I have a few here for your ears to indulge in. The selections from Mike Slott and Floating Points are just nice beat heavy tracks – can’t wait to pick these up on vinyl. Beats like these just get me in all the right spots and my tastes have been moving more in this direction as of late.

Also included a new one from Yeasayer off of the new LP Odd Blood, who from the last album sound like they went raving, dropped lots more acid, and bought a shitload of new electronic gear to tinker with. I feel its a huge departure from the standouts from the last record (2080, Wait for the Summer) but at the same time most of it is growing on me. A drastic departure is the kind of leap I like to see on a second record — you can’t really say they played it safe on this one.

I know Panda Bear has been out for awhile, but his record Person Pitch is seriously amazing! Bros, the third track off the album is pretty long, but it morphs into like three songs along the way so you won’t even notice!  The Ruby Suns, shorter in duration and pleasant on the ears, is a band from New Zealand that was featured on a Dublab EP I picked up at Fingerprints recently. The bassline that anchors the track is really nice, but this one also takes a few different twists and turns along the way. I particularly love the breakdown at 2:23, which reminds me of “Be My Baby” by The Ronettes and the Beach Boys “Heroes and Villains” melding together, but maybe I’m trippin’! Either way, so many bands these days seem to be really expressing that Brian Wilson influence — from Grizzly Bear, Panda Bear, and maybe even the Dirty Projectors based on those crazy harmonies they are playing around with. It’s about time he gets his due and what better way than other artists re imagining that sound through their own.

This group Washed Out I don’t really know too much about, but I’m really enjoying the Life of Leisure EP. Nice vibe all across this one! Last track I’ll include is this heavy piece of goodness from the new Massive Attack record Heligoland! The bass line and the snap of the snare just set you up for a sweet ride and then Horace Andy’s sweet wail tops it all off.

Mike Slott – Knock Knock (ysi)

Floating Points – Love Me Like This (Nonsense dub) (ysi)

Yeasayer – O.N.E. (ysi)

Panda Bear – Bros (ysi)

The Ruby  Suns – Kenya Dig it? (ysi)

Washed Out –  Feel it all around (ysi)

Massive Attack – Girl I Love You (ysi)

 

First Contact

Alright, I’ll kick this blog off with a select 3 tracks that have major importance for fueling my musical appetite. The three, for me, just mean too much to convey in words (although I’ll try) but they strike a chord with me everytime!

Hugely influential to my musical sensibility . . . Jimi laid the foundation for everything else

Jimi Hendrix – “1983, A Merman I Should Turn To Be” (ysi)

Epic Sci-Fi/Apocalyptic seed of Jimi’s mind. He was more than just a songwriter and guitar badass, his explorations on the Electric Ladyland album and the question of where his progression would have took him can be glimpsed in this tune. The bass solo (played by Jimi!!) is worth the listen alone!

On par with the previous tune, similar apocalyptic visions and sick bass playing, but this is like a mix of that future/spiritual jazz that Miles, Coltrane, Pharaoh Sanders were pursuing mix with drum & bass — future sounds colliding and it is just the perfect blend.

"Loveless" by 4Hero always evokes this painting by Alex Grey that I first came across on the Beastie Boys Ill Communication (1994) record.

4Hero featuring Ursula Rucker – “Loveless” (ysi)

Ursula Rucker’s lyrical contributions blew me away when I first heard this circa ’98 via Garth Trinidad on KCRW and immediately sought it out on vinyl. As a matter of fact, this may have been the first piece of vinyl I picked up when I started to DJ. It was a set of 5 12’s called 21st Century Soul – – “Loveless” of course being the standout cut.

All accapella on this one – – just the simplicity of layering voices on top of each other and hitting record.

Huge influence after the tough transition from '97-'02 when it seemed the only music was Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, and other's of that period . . . TVOTR (as well as the YYY's and the Strokes) changed the game like how the grunge bands did it a decade before.

TV on the Radio – “Mr Grieves” (ysi)

Tunde’s rendition of this Pixies track (from Doolittle) foreshadowed the amazing quality of this band and what great music that would come from them throughout the beginning of this decade. Now there are 3 albums + a few EP’s in and they still have my attention — they are da bomb!

Stay tuned to this spot for more to come!