Evenin' all. And many happy returns to each of you. It seems like a long time since I rapped at ya, what with Hey Jude, the Brits and a brief dalliance with the beautiful game, it's been a busy week. But I very much enjoyed this week's selections – there seemed a strong bent towards the spacey and the sonically experimental (ish) and that was all right with me.
I'm off on holiday for a couple of weeks now, so I hope this blog greets you at midnight not 9am. The good news is Rob F is returning to cover my absence and I hope you all have fun together.
A-list: Einstürzende Neubauten – Seele Brennt; Spirit – Like a Rolling Stone; Jimi Hendrix – If Six Was Nine; Violent Femmes – Blister in the Sun; Dusty Springfield – The Look of Love; Isobel Campbell – The Breeze Whispered Your Name; Madonna – Justify My Love; Nina Simone – Isn't It a Pity; Ying Yang Twins – Wait (Whisper Song); The Cure - Lullaby.
And straight on to the B:
Brenda Lee – Sweet Nothings
A little whispered dialogue at the top and a silly whispered refrain throughout make this the week's best example of whispering as pop conceit. All of which is put into the shade by Lee's girly, gurgly vocals.
Mogwai – I Chose Horses
Perhaps the only nomination for whispered Japanese this week and it's backed by distinctly Scottish music. I found it entrancing, even if it does sound like it was created to accompany moving images.
Rahsaan Roland Kirk – Ain't No Sunshine
I'm taking the low, rasping noise Kirk makes by muttering into his instrument to be the flautist's equivalent of a whisper. Perhaps misses some of the poignancy of the original Bill Withers version but it has a spark to it all the same.
Sandy Denny – Who Knows Where the Time Goes
What a beautiful, vulnerable and ambiguous song that could be about loneliness as much as love.
Atlas Sound – Cold As Ice
Animal Collective-y messed up loops, with echoey whispered vocals. Underneath, a wonderful melody passes calmly.
Bobby Bare – Singing in the Kitchen
I have to say it's not Bare's whispering but the gaggle of screaming kids that makes me like this tune.
Songs of Green Pheasant – Alex Drifting Alone
With lyrics that are as much mumbled as whispered (and therefore practically indecipherable), this sleepy, woozy, melancholic piece is disrupted by the sound of distant trumpets and brought to an enlivened, blissful climax.
Joe South – Hush
There is no whispering in this as far as I can tell, but it is a bit of a cracker so I've let it pass.
Nino Ferrer – Freak
This is a gateway tune. Whispered imprecations to take a sneaky drag result in one giant psych freakout. You've been warned.
Sinead O'Connor – Just Call Me Joe
This has a bit of a lullaby about it, especially in the way the guitars roll along and Sinead's vocals enhance that effect. That's not to say there isn't a threat of menace lurking beneath the surface, of course ...
This week's topic may look restrictive, but I would encourage broad interpretations (especially if they're justified). It's the articulation of the sensation I'm after ideally, but the action could be falling in love, falling into a dream, or falling to the ground, shot dead in a duel. Evocative lyrical passages are where it's at this week, I do hope you agree.
The rulebook:
DO NOT post more than a third of the lyrics to any one song.
DO Post your nominations before midday on Monday if you wish them to be considered.
DO Post justifications of your choices wherever possible.
DO Be nice to each other!
The toolbox:
