Song of the Night (#15) Hugo Largo - Turtle Song

I'd never heard of Hugo Largo until listening to the Moby song "Into The Blue", which would be a formulaic Moby effort but for the contributions of Mimi Goese.

Goese possesses an amazing voice. Hearing that soaring, wondrous voice leads me to seriously debate the relative vocal merits of cherubs and seraph. A more mundane comparison would be to Lisa Gerrard, if Gerrard sang in English and stopped sounding scary. 

More than a little impressed, I hastened to check out the music of Goese's previous group, and was not disappointed. 

Hugo Largo songs are languid art-pop of the 4AD mold - stark, beautiful and evocative of your most introspective daydreams. This can be explained partly by the group's unusual instrumental makeup, and partly by Goeze's inimitable presence. A more conventional electric guitar and percussion setup would easily clash with Goese's mannerisms, but Hahn Rowe, Tim Sommer and Adam Peacock are always up to the task, providing at times intimate, at times boundless spaces with which she can let loose.

The Turtle Song, off their second and final album, emphasizes the group's strengths. Goese's stream of consciousness musings are playful and quixotic, her voice rising and falling as if every word was a new adventure; Rowe's violin is beautifully subtle and sweeping; and Sommer and Peacock weave a dextrous counterpoint with which to accompany Goese's vocals.

Despite the group's separation after a mere two albums, their musical identity remains fully formed and unique. Goese herself has moved on to various other musical projects, though none are as powerful and intimate as her first.

Song of the Night (#14) Swervedriver - Duel

My favorite song of all time was introduced to me through an unlikely source. As a kid, I played the PC version of the only videogame to meld motorbiking and fisticuffs: Road Rash. The first time I booted up the game, I was smacked in the face with this:

This was how I began my lifelong obsession with Swervedriver, one of the most frustratingly underrated rock groups of the 90s. 

Duel is perfectly representative of the group's sound and style. Swirling guitars that manage to be both punchy and gorgeous. Basslines that are as sharp and massive as their guitar counterparts. Tight, yet unobtrusive drumming. And lastly, Adam Franklin's distinctly languid vocals; he seems constantly lost in daydream or reminiscence. The actual lyrics aren't very important - I got the impression that they're pleasant, but totally subservient to the song's melodies. Every sound, every nuance is superbly engineered and not at all wasted.

The song begins as a spirited, rebellious melody, but gradually softens into its dreamy, hypnotic conclusion. Many of Swervedriver's songs could be described in roughly the same way, and they're all great. The ability to meld hard-rock crunch with shoegazer gorgeousness made Swervedriver  compelling to me. For years, every time I entered a record store, my first instinct was to find the band's albums, and I've succeeded twice - such is the rarity of their music.

This rarity is the result of the band being lost amidst the crush of more famous groups: Dinosaur Jr., My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth... you could go on for awhile. The band's leader, Adam Franklin continues to perform in solo fashion, but his former group is doomed to cult status, revered by a blessed few.

Song of the Night (#13) Marillion - Garden Party

I don't know what "neo-progressive rock" is, exactly, but it seems that British rock group Marillion is cited as a prime example of the genre. Despite reading about them all the time, I was rather put-off by the "progressive rock" description, and chose to give them a pass.

This was until I heard Garden Party.

Now, I haven't heard much of Marillion's discography. I can't judge on how representative this one song is of their overall output, but this particular song is brilliant, brilliant gem.

The titular Garden Party is a gathering of the social elite and wealth-stuffed fools, and the song's every lyric satirizes their excessive habits. For his part, vocalist Fish gleefully roasts the hell out of his targets; he might well be a voyeur to an orgy ("I'm fucking"). Oddly enough, despite the jesting tone, the melody soars to heights I can only describe as... heartwarming!

Yeah, there are the requisite prog-rock touches (namely the stop-start groove and a gorgeous synthesizer solo), but while most prog is unfocused and annoying, Garden Party is compelling in its concision.

Now that I've been properly introduced to Marillion, I'm going to have to absorb the rest of their music. Here's hoping it's as fantastic as this song.

Song of the Night (#12) Queen - Kind of Magic

This has to be my favourite Queen song. Just one of many songs written for the movie "Highlander" (which, coincidentally, I've never seen), "Kind of Magic" was written by drummer (and sometimes singer and bandleader) Roger Taylor. In spite of its lesser known status in comparison to other Queen songs, (*cough* *cough* Who Wants to Live Forever) 'A Kind of Magic' provides a suitably rousing finish for (what I've heard to be) an epic movie.

The album arrangement of the song is inspiring enough; you have Freddie Mercury's heroic, brilliant voice conveying magic and wonderment throughout. His vocals are backed by an upbeat bass-line, steady groove, and most importantly, Brian May's wondrous, soaring guitar lines.

The music video above is a fan creation combining a remixed version of the song and brilliantly placed scenes from the Highlander movie. The exciting action scenes strengthen the feeling of triumph present in the original song. I don't listen to very many "happy" songs, but 'A Kind of Magic' never fails to make me smile.

Song of the Night (#11) Meredith Brooks - What Would Happen

You probably remember Meredith Brooks for her 1997 hit Bitch. This charmingly titled ditty was most memorable for the singer admitting (or declaring, rather) herself to be a "bitch", "lover", "child", "mother" and other things within the span of a single chorus.

Being a guy, I can only guess that the song's appeal to its many female fans lay in its unabashed embrace of feminine archetypes. Critics dismissed the aggressive, cathartic tone of the song and its parent album Blurring the Edges as being inferior to the music of a certain other angry female singer.

Somehow, they overlooked the fact that Brooks is a good deal sexier than Alanis.

"What Would Happen" positively smokes with sensuality. There's no dirty language; no mid-coital moaning; nothing more explicit than a french kiss, and yet the song is hotter than any other I've ever heard. Sure, it's about nothing but an imagined tryst, but damn if you can't feel the lust, the yearning in every word. One of Brooks' greatest strengths was her smoky, tantalising voice, and this song plays to that strength perfectly.

(The music video bears a similar erotic intensity, but it's marred by laughable fetishism and the presence of Severus Snape.)

Song of the Night (#10) Billy Joel - Captain Jack

Now *this* is a great Billy Joel song. Not the overheard sing-along that's Piano Man, nor the annoyingly upbeat Only the Good Die Young. In my mind, Joel is at his best when performing songs of heart-breaking honesty. Despite its fame and renown as a radio-staple, Captain Jack strikes me as so much more potent in mood and expression than Piano Man.

You could make a very good argument that Piano is mired in the same level of despair and restlessness that pervades Captain Jack. And much as I can't stand Piano Man, I have to admit it that it's catchiness merits its reverence as a 70's Pop treasure. But the working-class lamentations that featured in Piano Man can't really compare to Captain Jack's drug-addicted loser. This is a deadbeat whose life is so empty, so pointless that his meeting with the titular dealer is his only excitement.

Yet the downer mood several times gives way to an uplifting and powerful chorus. It's hard to listen to this wash of excitement without a grin, without feeling a high of your own. The mood of this roaring, lively break is deceptive; the soaring guitar and vocal hooks are as fleeting and devastating as a cocaine rush. But goddamn if it isn't incredible while it's there.

And then it's gone. All that's left is the withdrawal captured by the forlorn piano and sad-sack keyboard, the guitar petering out. Reality sets in with each and every one of the junkie's encounters (save the most important one). Throughout it all, Joel vocally knocks it out of the park, going from resignation and mockery to roaring excitement.

The broken dreamers in Piano Man are heart-felt in their appreciation of the eponymous performer, encouraged by his heart and adroitness. They would react to Captain Jack's meandering twenty-something with pity and scorn. There is awful tragedy in the sense that there never was, and never will be any hope for him.

Song of the Night (#9) Rush - The Pass

Those with a passing knowledge of Rush might see the group today, scratch their heads, and wonder to themselves, "How are those guys still around?" They have good reason to be skeptical, as Rush were just one of the many 70's Hard Rock groups to revel in excess and bombast. In defiance of their three-man membership, Rush were well known for blasting out pompous, over-extended science-fiction epics best appreciated while stoned (see Exhibit A).

One could be forgiven for thinking that a sound like this would forever confine Rush to the Classic Rock relics. But Rush never gave (or broke) up. Popular music was changing, and Rush knew that they had to change along with it. Contrast the dated clumsiness of Fly By Night with the sleek, timeless feel of Moving Pictures.

I'm moving ahead in the Rush timeline to 1989: the Presto album.

It should be clear that the song concerns suicide. In contrast to the typically heavy-handed, downbeat lamentation on a very difficult topic, The Pass is an outstretched hand: an encouragement to the downtrodden and depressed. At the same time, it is candid in portraying the consequences of suicide.

"No hero in your surrender/
No daring in your escape/
No salutes for your surrender/
Nothing noble in your escape

Throughout it all, Neil Peart's lyrics are heart-felt and moving, and the melody is, at different times, hopeful and pensive. With powerful and profound songs like The Pass, Rush has proven that they have remain both relevant and respected.

Song of the Night (#8) Steve Vai - Blue Powder

I gave up on listening to virtuoso guitarists because... well, after awhile, their songs tend to sound the same. Their works tend to be either spacey blues-jams or pedal-to-the-metal shred-fests, and it is ironic that the remarkable techniques they employ only make their sounds more predictable!

If I had to pick one out of the bunch that I enjoy more than the rest, I'd have to settle with Steve Vai, known for his stints with Frank Zappa, David Lee Roth as well as his unquestionably flamboyant playing style. 

As a song, Blue Powder perfectly exhibits Vai's musical trademarks. Yeah, there's the requisite technical-perfection, but more important is the incredibly expressive sonic palette Vai wrings from his instrument (it doesn't hurt that he's backed up by some absolutely ace musicians). It's clear that Vai pulls out every trick in the guitarist's bible in service of this song, and the results are amazing to behold. In spite of lacking lyrics of any kind, the song manages to evoke an aura of introspection, weariness and spirituality. It is the profound emotion in Vai's music which makes me favour him above every other instrumental guitarist.

Song of the Night (#7) Health - We are Water

Some days are simply horrible. I screw up everything I attempt, wonder why I bothered getting out of bed and suffer every lousy minute wanting nothing more than to explode. The song below is a good idea of the shrapnel howling through my head on days like these. The music video below is excessively violent, but I consider the violence integral to experiencing the song's intensity.

For those of you who might (understandably) be unsettled by such bloodiness, here's a less explicit link:

No hidden meanings, no pretense. Just three minutes of raw, sonic catharsis. I don't know how this song might make you think or feel. I just know that I no longer need to scream when something else is doing it for me.

Song of the Night (#6) Joy Division - Disorder

I'm a neophyte in regards to Joy Division's discography and history. The most obvious cause of this is my ignorance towards New Wave music, but a more important reason is the musical legacy left behind by such influential groups. This legacy was the Post-Punk genre, an arty and inwards response to the unbridled rebellion of Punk Rock; it has forever confounded me as a listener, seeing that I prefer my rock music straightforward and unambiguous.

And then there's this song. As I said above, I care little for Joy Division's reputation. But briefly listening to their music taught me that this was a very special band, especially in conveying feelings of ambiguity and ominousness. I began listening to Unknown Pleasures (Joy Division's debut), and realized that it was possible to combine the focused feel of a traditional rock song with ambitious emotional undertones.

The sensation of listening to this song is much like drifting off into space, lulled by that pensive bass line, soaring guitar riffs and echoing drums. Above it all is Ian Curtis, recounting episodes of ennui, loneliness, paranoia. The barely-contained despair only reaches its apex at the song's end; this is a portrait of a man on edge, listless and emotionally disconnected from everyone around him. Despite this dark subject matter, the surrounding melodies are nothing less than gentle and compassionate.

Brilliant stuff.

Song of the Night (#5) Iron Maiden - Bring Your Daughter to The Slaughter

I love my Heavy Metal music, yes I do! Tonight's selection is the aptly titled "Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter", a tale of horror as menacing, bloody and cheesy as it sounds.

No debate concerning the Best and Most Influential Bands of Heavy Metal is complete without the inclusion of Iron Maiden. Born kicking and screaming from The New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM), Maiden unarguably shaped the nascent Heavy Metal genre with their theatrical tales of horror, war, mythology and misanthropy. Thanks to Iron Maiden and their Eighties peers (Judas Priest, Venom etc.), Heavy Metal became the terrifying beast it is today.

Interestingly, this song isn't revered like many of Maiden's past classics (eg Number of The Beast, Two Minutes to Midnight). Written by vocalist Bruce Dickinson for inclusion in one of the Nightmare on Elm Street movies (hell if I know which one), Bring Your Daughter is an often hilarious and tongue-in-cheek ode to that franchise's mythology. More Monster-Mash than Mass-Murder, it is as exhilarating as it is entertaining.

Song of the Night (#4) Gary Numan - Cars

I'm going to try to include in this feature more songs that our less dour and downbeat than my past selections. I fear that so far, this series is nothing more than a collection of late-night downers.

Hence tonight's choice: Gary Numan's 80s bouncy, up-tempo smash-hit Cars. If you've heard of Gary Numan, there's a 99.9% chance that it was through this song. As an old warhorse on many a Pop or Rock radio station, many a DJ has given this song a spin without bothering to consider the rest of Numan's formidable and eclectic discography. This has helped the perception that Numan is a so-called "one-hit wonder"(though only in America).

Enough digression. What are Numan's trademarks as an artist? When you listen to Cars, you'll be struck by that gorgeous, gorgeous synth melody. This is arguably Numan's most appealing strength as a songwriter. All throughout the 80's, he constantly experimented with the synthesizer, resulting in many an unearthly, haunting melody. These melodies were combined with grounded pop elements (ie humble guitar riffs; questing bass guitar and crisp drumming) to form appealing and listenable pop songs.

In spite of its rather fearful and inward lyrics, Cars has always proven to be an optimistic and uplifting soundtrack for my daily life. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Song of the Night (#3) Bob Seger - Beautiful Loser

Rocker Bob Seger is fairly well-known to many fans of Classic Rock and Oldies worldwide. Unfortunately, it's mostly for that overheard song Tom Cruise danced to in his underwear.

This reflects Seger's current status as one of Classic Rock's under-appreciated elder statesman, fit only to have one or two of his singles spun on the airwaves for nostalgia's sake. The reality is that Seger and his Silver Bullet Band were one of the best rock outfits of the Seventies; during this decade alone, the band produced nearly ten albums chock-full of excellent stuff. My personal favorites are Mongrel, Night Moves and Beautiful Loser, but every album of theirs from this decade warrants a listen. Musically, the song material ranges from anthemic rockers to slower, more reflective ballads.

I've chosen a song of the latter category for inclusion tonight, hoping to exhibit one of Seger's best qualities: he writes songs that are astonishingly honest and direct in emotion. Beautiful Loser is a masterpiece in weariness and disappointment, all the while being as gorgeous as its title suggests.

Song of the Night (#2) Poe - Haunted

I've always thought of Poe (aka Annie Danielewski) as an "indie" musician in status, though not in style. In spite of releasing two excellent records (1995's "Hello" and 2000's "Haunted), she has struggled to release another in the past decade, having been entangled in the record company troubles familiar to any struggling musician. She might lack for funding and support, but definitely not for talent, persistence or creativity.

As a musician, Poe's songs manage a pleasing balance between striking, pop melodies and lush, experimental flourishes. While not the mindless aural cocaine of most of the rubbish blaring over the airwaves, they are definitely accessible enough to attract general interest (her striking, willowy beauty doesn't hurt either).

Out of her tragically tiny discography, I've chosen "Haunted", off of the album of the same name. With its eerie, ominous beginning, one finds themselves enticed by Poe's sing-song vocals as if being led down a dark, dark path. The forest is foreboding, but the siren's confessions are far more alluring. 

Were there any justice in the music business, this song would've made Poe a superstar.

Song of the Night (#1) John Surman's Portrait of a Romantic

I'd never even heard of this John Surman guy until I did a brief search for avante-garde Jazz music and New Age music. Apparently, the man's an exceptional saxophonist with experience with a very, very impressive resume.

Of course, I didn't know this when I listened to the song. I knew something else: this was one of the most forlorn, mournful and gorgeous songs I've ever listened to.

It begins with a clarinet solo winding its way through the cold night air. Then a sprinkling of synthesizers, tinkling like glass wind chimes. And then the sax. Jesus, that Sax. I don't really have words for it, but I'll try anyways. I didn't think it was possible to express such loneliness with a sax.

When I hear this, I can picture a lonely, lonely stranger atop standing atop a grassy hill, staring into the darkness.