Nick Cave – Dig Lazarus Dig

Well, who knew. I had heard of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (such a cool name) for a long time but never really listened to him before. I had seen a movie he wrote called “The Proposition”, but never really listened to the music. Then a Highlands Music Club member played some music from a band called Grinderman at one of our meetings. Grinderman was a side project of Nick Caves. Many of us quite liked it.

Anyway, in March of 2008, the band released Dig Lazarus Dig, and based on my limited previous exposure to Nick Cave – along with a few good reviews – I decided to give this a try. Am I ever glad that I did. Wow, this record rocks – it’s just that simple. No other words are necessary.

Here are some links to some reviews and youtube videos. I hope you enjoy.

Reviews: Allmusic, Metacritic

YouTube Videos: Midnight Man,  Hold On To Yourself, Albert Goes West

And a couple of Websites: Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, Myspace

Sad Songs

What is a sad song? Is it when a couple breaks up? Is it a man giving up on the world? Is it the pain and suffering that comes with war? Is it a child that suffers at the hands of his parents or an illness? Is it someone stuck in a rut that they can’t get out of? Songs have been written with regards to all of these things, which ones are the saddest depends on you and your experiences. That’s the beauty of music.

Spinner.com has put together a list of what they think are the saddest 25 songs. I don’t know if any of these songs will be in the musical rotation – on Tuesday November 18 8pm at the HIghlands Lounge – as the Highlands Music Club gathers to celebrate sad songs, but there are sure to be some tear jerkers. So bring some beer, whiskey, soda pop – whatever it is that you turn to when experiencing grief – and your selection of songs and share some tears with good company.

Next Meeting

The next meeting of the Highlands Music Club is 8 pm on November 18, 2008 at the Highlands Lounge (11333 62 Street Edmonton). We have returned to a theme for this month. The theme will be the saddest or most depressing songs you know. So bring the music and something with which to drown your sorrows.

See you there.

Meeting – October 14, 2008

The Music Club met on October 14th. There was no theme for this meeting, just bring a few songs that you enjoy and wanted to share with others. We had a couple newcomers in James and David. Welcome and thanks for coming out.

Here is the playlist – it was quite the mix – along with some links to the video on youtube and their myspace page and website. Enjoy.

• Shout Out Louds – Shut Your Eyes (video, myspace, website)
  
• Peter Bjorn & John – Young Folks (video, myspace, website)
• The Concretes – Chosen One (video, myspace, website)
• Dungen – Gor Det Nu (myspace, website)
• Thanksgiving – George Winston (video, website)
• Autumn Leaves – Rita Reys (website)
• The Lakes of Canada – The Innocence Mission (video – sort of, myspace, website)
• The Sun’s Coming Up – The Innocence Mission (myspace, website)
• I Have Not Seen This Day Before – The Innocence Mission (myspace, website)
• Tool – Album:Salival – No Quarter (video, myspace, website)
• Tool – Album:Salival – You Lied (video, myspace, website)
• Dead Can Dance – Yulunga (video, website)
• Radiohead – 2 + 2 = 5 (video, myspace, website)
• Datarock – Computer Camp (video, myspace, website)
• The Shins – Phantom Limb (video, myspace, website)
• Mamani Keita & Marc Minelli – Macary (website)
• Beady Belle – Big Baloon (myspace, website)
• Beady Belle – Boiling Milk (myspace, website)

Portishead 3

A review, for those of you who want to hear it.  I’ve waited a long time for this album to come out, ten years in fact.  I thought it would never come.  But, at long last, here it is.

It all depends on if you like their other albums.  This one, just as dark in many ways as their others, is different.  They are trying some new things, and I like them.  They have lost a lot of the sampling, dark lit movie theatre feel of their other albums.  They have changed their sound a little bit, modernized it some, but haven’t lost what made them lovable. 

Beth is terrific.  Her voice has actually improved if that’s possible.  She is still sometimes harsh, sometimes haunting, but always perfect for the situation.  The lyrics are good, never anything that is going to change the world but solid.  That’s never been their strong point anyway. 

The music is great.  They’ve updated a bit from pure samples and beats and become more musical.  The music is more complex now but still pure and clean.  This CD could easily be the soundtrack for a film, some sort of brooding independent number with a lot of rain, dark streets and a wayward love interest that goes bad. 

Get this cd, listen to it, even if you don’t like them. 

Blonde Redhead

So I have listened to Blonde Redhead for a little while, but their latest CD – 23 – has really caught my ear. Before it was crunchy guitars – I like crunchy guitars – but maybe it wasn’t quite as melodic or “tuneful” as I would have liked. But this new album is great. The songs are better. They’ve added some electronic influences to the guitar work and it sounds awesome. So far my favorite song is Spring and by Summer Fall. You can listen to it here.

Of course you can check out other videos on youtube.com.

You can read about them at allmusic.com here.

They have their own myspace site and of course their own here.

Banned Song List

Each member of the club is allowed to ban one song from being played at the meetings. It’s not a total ban, but the songs on the Banned List will be limited to 10 seconds. So far the list includes

1. Old Time Rock and Roll – Bob Seger

2. Moni Moni – Billy Idol

3. Werewolves of London – Warren Zevon

Next Meeting of The HMC

The next meeting will be held on February 19, 2008 at the Highlands Lounge (11333 62 St) in Edmonton. The theme of this first themed meeting will be “Songs that remind you of your first girlfriend/boyfriend”. So bring your song and the story that goes with it. Bring some money to help pay for the drinks. Bring yourself.

First Meeting of the Highlands Music Club

The first ever meeting of the Highlands Music Club was held on Tuesday January 22. It was a small but enthusiastic group of music lovers who wanted to get together to exchange musical memories and to share new musical discoveries.

The idea is that for each meeting we will have a couple of hosts who pick the musical theme for that meeting. It could be anything from bring in a song that starts with the letter Z, bring a song that has a name in the title, watch a musical movie or whatever. The hosts decide. The hosts also bring a beverage that they want to share – a favorite beer, scotch, martini or whatever.

The club will meet on the 3rd Tuesday of every month ar the Highlands Lounge in Edmonton, Alberta.