CHIRP: The Chicago Independent Radio Project

Michael Bennett writes

Friday iPod/mP3 Shuffle -- Happy Birthday Blake Schwarzenbach Edition

Jawbreaker was a groundbreaking emo band, and their legend has only grown over the years. Indeed, when their sole major label effort, Dear You, came out, a lot of folks felt they had sold out. Now, the album is pretty beloved (at least that’s what I’ve heard). The voice of Jawbreaker was Blake Schwarzenbach, and his sore throated vocal delivery (and he had throat surgery before, by the way) is real distinctive. He went on to form Jets To Brazil, and I personally think Four Cornered Night, the band’s second album, is a classic. Blake has tried two other bands since Jets dissolved and he now teaches English at Hunter College in New York. Let’s pay tribute to this emo godfather by grabbing your iPod or MP3 player, hitting shuffle and sharing the first 10 songs that come up.

1. Nicole Atkins — War Is Hell (Mondo Amore): The new Nicole Atkins album is pretty darned good sophomore release, as she tries to expand her stylistic range while making sure she plays to the strengths of her debut. This song falls in the latter category, as its a beautiful ballad that could have fit well on her wonderful debut, Neptune City. Atkins has a terrific voice and a classic songstress sound.
2. Robyn — Include Me Out (Body Talk, Pt. 2): I’ll be the millionth person to say it: Why isn’t Robyn a big star? There is nothing non-commercial about her dance pop. Her songs are hook filled, have great beats and she has a bit of personality. Hmm…maybe that’s the problem, having personality. Well, she goes over gangbusters in Sweden and if she keeps turning out great songs like this slamming electro number, she’ll break through.
3. The Jim Jones Revue — Big Len (Burning Your House Down): Jones used to be in Thee Hypnotics, and now leads a traditional garage rock band that definitely comes across as a descendant of Jerry Lee Lewis and The Sonics. Jones shouts pretty well and the band plays with a lot of fire. Their live show is already legendary.
4. Ann Peebles — Until You Came Into My Life (The Complete Ann Peebles): My wife did not know the original song when she suggested that we use this for the first dance of our wedding this past October. She had heard a cover by Joe Henry. That was nice, but it didn’t have the magic of Ms. Peebles’ version. Willie Mitchell’s Hi Records crew gives this just the right groove, and Peebles, best known for “I Can’t Stand the Rain”, penned an incredible live song.
5. The La’s — Feelin’ (The La’s): One of the great one shots of all time, The La’s just wrote great ’60s styled pop songs. This number is a bit Beatle-y, especially in the little guitar hook at the end of every verse, which is sounds like George Harrison could have played it.
6. Henson Cargill — WIldflower (A Very Well Travelled Man): Cargill had a crossover country hit in the ’60s with his anti-racism song “Skip A Rope”. He had a low key style, but his records were produced to ring every bit of drams out of his baritone delivery. Here, a wildflower is used as a metaphor for not falling in love with a prostitute (“I know I can never own her…never take a wildflower home.”).
7. The Clash — Koka Kola (London Calling): A lesser track from what may be the best rock album ever. Of course, The Clash were so on top of their game at this point, that this less than two minute track is still energetic, has interesting lyrics and really cool middle eight.
8. June & The Exit Wounds — Hey Hey Hey (“A Little More Haven Hamilton, Please”): This Parasol Records release is a hidden soft pop gem. The album is littered with ’70 AM gold styled songs that conjure up the best of Bread, Todd Rundgren, Danny Wilson and other like minded artists. It’s a shame that the band never followed this up.
9. Kid Creole & The Coconuts — Imitation (Tropical Gangsters): This was the album that made Kid Creole a star throughout Europe. It was the first of his albums to finally capture both his mastery of mixing up everything from funk to Broadway to R & B to salsa to calypso and beyond, with production that fully made the grooves sound great. Three more top notch albums followed this one.
10. Supergrass — Eon (Supergrass): The third Supergrass album is really underrated, as the band further delved into softer sounds. Gaz Coombes is a master of conjuring melodies that are wistful and sad, yet still a tad hopeful. This song has the grandeur of ’70s Who without the bombast. Lovely stuff.