Hola! Kleph here. Todd's all busy getting "Yea Alabama!" finished up and he asked me to handle the random ten this week. A couple of interesting if obscure selections popped up on my MP3 player but one I want to make special note of is the incomparable Nick Drake.
A fantastically obscure artist, Drake recorded only three records before his untimely death in 1974 at the age of 26. The power of his music inspired a legion of guitarists and songwriters - although he was almost completely unknown beyond that. Then, in November 1999, Volkswagon debuted TV spot shown above featuring the title song from Drake's final album Pink Moon. Within a month, more of his records sold than had over the three decades prior. His songs have been steadily gaining popularity ever since.
Drake's music is often described as "goth-folk" or "autumnal" but, as the VW spot demonstrates beautifuly, it's also perfect for those warm nights of summer. Kleph says, "check it out." Now... on with the list:
1) Mission of Burma - "Max Ernst"
2) The Cure - "The Perfect Girl"
3) Massive Attack - "Mezzanine"
4) Kashmir- "Petite Machine"
5) The English Beat - "Rotating Head"
6) Ed Motta - "A Vontade"
7) The Shins - "Red Rabbits"
8) Nick Drake - "Pink Moon"
9) Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians - "Unsettled"
10) Sonic Youth - "Totally Trashed"