From: owner-seven-seas@smoe.org (seven-seas-digest) To: seven-seas-digest@smoe.org Subject: seven-seas-digest V6 #253 Reply-To: seven-seas@smoe.org Sender: owner-seven-seas@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-seven-seas@smoe.org Precedence: bulk seven-seas-digest Monday, February 11 2008 Volume 06 : Number 253 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 10 Feb 2008 19:44:45 -0500 From: Frank Coleman Subject: seven-seas Best new non-Bunnymen Bunnymen tune? So there I am stuck in traffic, idly flipping between radio channels to pass the time. I'm in the lower third of the FM dial in Manhattan, so there's a reasonable expectation of hearing something decent. And then this song comes on that has a pretty boppin, almost-rockabilly beat -- except it has... Mandolins mixed in with guitars. Strings in the background? A certain wide-open spacious feel to it. A "road" song, definitely. ...And the voice has a certain quality, alternating between breathless urgency and a keening on the choruses that itches the back of my cerebral cortex in a very familiar way. Oh my dear lord -- can it be? Is this a new Bunnymen tune? If it is... wow! Talk about a rebooting. It has a modern edge, it's uptempo, yet still with that classic emotional yearning in the hook. The kind of corner I've been hoping they would turn for years now. I pull over. That HAS to be Mac singing. Nobody sounds like that. There's some fast-strumming high notes on the mandolin -- shades of Ocean Rain. Man -- Will is reinventing himself yet again, by going both forwards and backwards. Acoustic-oriented, yet garage-like at the same time. Bloody marvelous. And getting airplay in NYC already. Amazing. I'm hooked. And then the DJ comes on. The song is "Keep the Car Running." By The Arcade Fire. Nominated for a Grammy this year. I don't know what to say. Except they ought to be sending royalty checks to Mac & Will. I'd never heard any of their songs before, but I know Chris Adams loves 'em... (/snark) best, FBC ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ **************Bunnymen Online Presence******************** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ http://www.bunnymenlist.com * http://www.bunnymen.info http://www.bunnymen.com * http://www.fotolog.net/sgtfuzz/ http://www.villiersterrace.com/ * http://www.angelfire.com/wy2/discog/ http://homepage.ntlworld.com/stevedoughty/index.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ * ------------------------------ End of seven-seas-digest V6 #253 ********************************