Clang & Clatter

Just shufflin’ my way through Friday with IckMusic’s Friday Five.

Crunchy - “Jerk Store” (All Day Sucker, 2001)
Fun power pop from the debut album of Monty Colvin’s first post-Galactic Cowboys project. Low, distorted bass, catchy chorus, great harmony vocals, and it’s based on a George Costanza joke. Nice.

Rush - “The Weapon” (Signals, 1982)
Well it looks like Rush is here to stay for my Friday Fives, and you know what? I’m OK with that. I’ve really grown to love Signals over the years despite it being instrumental in ushering in Rush’s more-synths-less-guitar period. “The Weapon” is one of the high points on the album.

I Mother Earth - “Hello Dave!”/”Like a Girl” (Scenery and Fish, 1996)
I’m cheating again. “Hello Dave!” is the 48-second nonsensical album opener from I Mother Earth’s second release, so I included the track that follows it as well. I Mother Earth can be an acquired taste at times, and “Like a Girl” is no exception. It continues the heavily percussion-based funky grooves found on their excellent debut Dig, but they dropped some of the Latin flair and jam-band attitude and added a more post-grunge alternative feel. Unfortunately, vocalist Edwin left the group after this album, and I Mother Earth seemed to continue to struggle to find its sound, changing styles from album to album. Their releases can sometimes be fairly hard to come by at a good price in decent condition, making it difficult to check this band out if you’ve never heard them before.

Galactic Cowboys - “The Buzz (coughing)” (The Horse That Bud Bought, 1997)
“The Buzz” contains none of the progressive leanings or quirky sense of humor present in other Galactic Cowboys tunes. Short and sweet (clocking in at only 1:26), this is straight-ahead, heavy, aggressive metal.

Geoff Tate - “Every Move We Make” (Geoff Tate, 2002)
What’s the deal with iTunes shuffle?! How does it repeatedly decide to pick songs from the same albums week after week? Anyway, here’s a low-key, laid-back, soft-groove tune from the Queensrÿche frontman’s solo disc, although I think it’s a better song than last week’s pick by iTunes.

Just shufflin’ through tunes on a Friday for IckMusic’s Friday Five.

Rush - “Manhattan Project” (A Show of Hands, 1988)
Another Friday Five, another live Rush track to kick off the list, this time from their more polished, synth-based period. Though this is not the Rush I was first introduced to, nor is it the Rush I immediately reach for, I really liked their 80s output. This is a great album, although it is so polished you forget at times you’re listening to concert performances.

King’s X - “Far, Far Away” (Out of the Silent Planet, 1988)
Excellent track from the debut album of my favorite band. Some of the songs from this disc are beginning to sound dated, but I love Ty Tabor’s guitar tone, the vocal harmonies, and the swirling sitar in the background. This is the beginning of the sound that King’s X perfected on its next release Gretchen Goes to Nebraska and the sonic palette some fans wish the trio would revisit.

The Waiting - “Nobody’s Love” (Blue Belly Sky, 1998)
Poppy upbeat fare from a 90s jangly alterno-pop Contemporary Christian band that I had a brief infatuation with. Their lyrics and musical style set them well apart from their CCM kindred whose sickly-sweet bubblegum pop sounds filled the airwaves on my local CCM FM station.

The Isley Brothers - “Love the One You’re With” (Givin’ It Back, 1971)
I love the vocals on this Isley Brothers take of the Stephen Stills song. They seem to be feeling it more than Stills ever did.

Geoff Tate - “Grain of Faith” (Geoff Tate, 2002)
The Queensrÿche frontman’s solo album was quite a bit different stylistically from the music his main gig was putting out a the time. A bit more on the pop side, the songs still have some guitar crunch tempered with more electronic and ambient elements and drum loops than you might expect. But that voice is ever-present throughout. Worth a listen if you’ve never heard it before.