In a mere 165 seconds, Lennon takes us on a tour of his beautiful imagination and versatile voice. A somber intro (0:00 to 0:14) gives way to 30 seconds of anxious, disturbed harmonies (0:15-0:44), which meets a release in a fabulously dirty guitar solo (0:45-0:58) into the lurching verse of a fiend (0:59-1:12); then comes Mother Superior, the lovely and strong Yoko (1:13-1:35), followed by the ultimate payoff doo-wop/spoken-word section (1:36-2:45).
Not many people will be able to follow all the time changes and weird phrasing, but anyone can get down with John pouring out his soul into five little Dixie Cups of rock magic. ”Happiness Is a Warm Gun” is a shining example of what Roommate Aaron calls EPIC SHORT SONGS. I challenge you, reader, to name a song in the comments as epic and short and awesome as this one.
King Crimson has gonethroughmanyincarnations in its four decades of existence, and only guitarist Robert Fripp remains from the original lineup. Besides Fripp, the only things that stayed consistent were the band’s relentless pursuit of the progressive edge of rock and roll, and its failure to garner a mainstream following. Bet you didn’t know it was King Crimson’s “21st Century Schizoid Man” that’s sampled in Kanye West’s recent hit, “Power.” Kudos to Kanye for picking out a gem from 1969 to sample.
“Starless” is my favorite King Crimson song. I think it’s the best rock and roll song that no one knows. Maybe it’s because it’s a whopping 12 minutes long, and therefore would be impossible to play on the radio. It was the closing track on the band’s 1974 masterpiece, Red, which was said to be one of Kurt Cobain’s favorite albums. I promise you won’t get bored at any point in the 12 minutes.
What’s your favorite song that’s over 10 minutes long? Chime in in the comments. A few of my other favorites are Yes’s “Close to the Edge,” Pink Floyd’s “Dogs,” and Sufjan Stevens’s “You Are the Blood.”
The Kia Soul commercial with the hip-hop hamsters makes me want to cry, it’s so good. How did those genius animators make hamsters look so cool? Yet, as good as that commercial is for its animation and humor, the best thing about it for me was that it placed this hip-hop gem into my consciousness. It’s a shame it took 17 years for me to become aware of Black Sheep (and through a car commercial no less… but then again… Nick Drake came to me under similar circumstances… hmm), but better late than never, right? Dres’s emceeing is so damn effortless, and his overall style is timelessly cool. I bet whoever animated those hamsters modeled the one with the black jacket on him. He’s clearly the coolest hamster.
The 2010s are off to a good start for musical releases. So far this decade, I’ve had intense love affairs with albums by She & Him, Vampire Weekend, Frightened Rabbit, and Dr. Dog, as well as flings with The Tallest Man On Earth and Broken Bells. And then came The National. Well, not yet actually. Their fifth album, High Violet, doesn’t officially get released until next Tuesday, but it’s streaming in its entirety on NPR’s site (I heart NPR), and a resourceful person with flexible morals can find it for download in the wilds of the internet.
I count The National’s last two albums, Boxer and Alligator, as two of my ten favorite albums of the Naughty Aughties. I consider the band itself one of my five favorite active bands in the universe. I haven’t had enough time with High Violet to bestow the hyperbolic praise that I’m sure I eventually will give it. The track, “Anyone’s Ghost,” however, already fits nicely in my list of favorite National songs.
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