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The Friday Five: May 25, 2012

I’ve been waiting all week for the Friday Five at Popdose.

Sixpence None the Richer - “I’ve Been Waiting” (Divine Discontent, 2002)
Known more for the hit “Kiss Me” and their cover of “There She Goes,” you’ll have to trust me when I say there’s much more to Sixpence than that. This song is—as is much of the album—soft, quiet, lush, introspective, and beautiful. While I miss the loud-indie-rock-guitar moments from This Beautiful Mess, I’m just fine with this version of Sixpence.

Arcade Fire - “The Suburbs” (The Suburbs, 2010)
I’ve already admitted in other Friday Fives to having missed the Suburbs train when it first rolled by, and this album opener might be one of the reasons why. It’s not that it’s a bad song, it’s just that it doesn’t go anywhere until Win Butler’s falsetto parts in the chorus. It’s odd that I don’t like this more as it reminds me quite a bit of The Hold Steady’s “A Slight Discomfort,” which I do like. Weird.

Foo Fighters - “Let It Die” (Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, 2007)
This one’s a slow builder from the arpeggiated acoustic intro and main theme to the bombastic end section with Grohl screaming “Why’d you have to go and let it die?”

Cake - “Mahna Mahna” (For the Kids, 2002)
Written by an Italian composer for an Italian film about sexual practices in Sweden, made popular by TV in the U.S. shows Sesame Street and The Muppet Show and British comedy The Benny Hill Show, and covered in true Cake style and fashion for a compilation of new renditions of “children’s songs.”

Caedmon’s Call - “Prove Me Wrong” (Long Line of Leavers, 2000)
One of a handful of songs written or co-written by former (and along with Derek Webb, primary) lyricist (though never full band member) Aaron Tate. This was the last Caedmon’s album to feature Tate’s songs, seeing them transition to collaborating with quite a few professional CCM songwriters before Andrew Osenga from The Normals joined the band as one of the primary songwriters. Long Line of Leavers sees Caedmon’s Call move further in a pop-oriented direction started with 40 Acres, and while the album as a whole is fairly strong, actually containing a couple of my all-time favorites from the group, this particular song has never really grabbed me.

The Friday Five: December 16, 2011

The tree is up, the lights are on, the shopping is (mostly) done, and I’m finally in the mood for an all-Christmas Friday Five shuffle. Enjoy!

Bing Crosby - “Do You Hear What I Hear?” (I Wish You a Merry Christmas, 1962 rereleased in 2006 as Bing Crosby Christmas Classics)
Few others do Christmas as well as Bing. ‘Nuff said.

Sixpence None the Richer - “Angels We Have Heard On High” (The Dawn of Grace, 2008)
We go from a crooner to the sweet, wispy voice of Leigh Nash (although her vocal style can take a bit of getting used to). Sixpence reunited after a four-year hiatus to release this set of Christmas songs.

Elvis Presley - “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” (Elvis’ Christmas Album, 1957)
I almost wish this one had been “Blue Christmas,” “Here Comes Santa Claus,” or “Santa Claus Is Back in Town” from the same album. Elvis definitely injected his own style into anything he did.

Phillips, Craig & Dean - “Go Tell It on the Mountain/Amen” (Repeat the Sounding Joy, 1996)
Upbeat, blue-eyed soul version of this old gospel spiritual by a CCM trio of pastors-turned-musicians.

Frank Sinatra - “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” (A Jolly Christmas from Frank Sinatra, 1957)
Ol’ Blue Eyes’ take on this Christmas standard popularized by Bing Crosby is quite a bit different than the King’s interpretation, starting off like “Silent Night” before taking a left turn into the classic we all know and (should) love.

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Sixpence None the Richer - “Angeltread”

Tony Cummings of UK Christian music media outlet Cross Rhythms recently talked with singer/songwriter Tess Wiley, formerly of CCM act Sixpence None the Richer, about growing up in a musical family, her music career, moving to Germany, and how her faith has played a part in all these aspects of her life.

I first encountered Wiley as the guitarist on the group’s second release This Beautiful Mess, before the band was beset with financial and legal troubles related to their record label’s bankruptcy, prompting several of the members, including Wiley, to quit. Unfortunately people are more familiar with Sixpence’s breakthrough hit “Kiss Me” and their cover of The La’s “There She Goes” than they are with the excellent material found on This Beautiful Mess.

The entire article is an interesting read, and it doesn’t hurt that she name-drops my favorite band King’s X. Here’s what she had to say about her tenure in Sixpence and her experiences with the Christian music industry:

Tess is an artist with little time for the way the music industry and some fans have divided up music between Christian and non-Christian elements. She commented, “I think the divisions are lame. I never really knew much about the Christian music scene, having, at best, listened to Amy Grant and Petra while growing up. King’s X opened my eyes really wide, and the fact that they were from Houston, Texas was, ‘like, totally awesome’ for a 14-year-old. Then I joined Sixpence None The Richer and was blown away by the whole indie scene. I came to see the drawbacks quickly, though, when recording ‘This Beautiful Mess’. The record company wanted more mention of Jesus and more obviously Christian lyrics. I witnessed a lot of, um, bullshit - ‘scuse me - and wanted nothing to do with it. Christian business people are, in my experience and that of my husband, more often unscrupulous than their secular counterparts. Plus, I feel, as many will agree, that the bar is simply too low among Christian artists, and that leads to lower-quality art. People are so excited for a band or artist to be believers that they don’t need for them to prove ability before consuming their product. But, of course, there are a lot of great artists in the scene, and lots of great believing artists outside the scene, too.”

Enjoy!