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Thursday, March 29, 2018
M10 this week
Like I said, no Time Machine this week-but the M10 rolls on.
And it rolls on a bit somberly due to our lone debut. You see, earlier in the week, I ran into a story about Cambodia. Among the many things you may not know about that land ( as I didn't) was that they had a vibrant rock'n'roll scene in the 60's and early 70's- until the butchers that laughingly called themselves a government, the Khmer Rouge, slaughtered it. (Any time any liberal wants to bash the US for what they tried to do in Vietnam and Cambodia, you just bring it on.)
Anyway, that scene has met a resurgence, and one night an Aussie musician named Julien Poulson heard the voice of a $2 a night karaoke singer called alternately Kak Channthy (which I believe is her proper name, last first) or Srey Thy (which I THINK is a nickname). They formed a band that quickly became popular calling themselves the Cambodian Space Project. They fell in love, married, separated over the time from 2009-2018, but made some really neat music.
Tuesday- and the reason I tumbled onto the story), Channthy was killed in a car accident. Her Tuk-tuk (a three wheeled, motorized, open taxi) was struck by a Prius some claim was speeding. Channthy was thrown out and struck her head on the roadway.
She was 38, and leaves behind a 13 year old son.
I got exploring their tunes. I enjoyed the poppy silliness of Have Visa Have No Rice; the brooding power ballad Whiskey Cambodia; and the obligatory cover of House Of The Rising Sun- which, while it MAY not beat the Animals, blows hell out of Frijid Pink's remake. And then I hit this one. A duet with Australian star Paul Kelley, from the 2017 lp Spaced Out In Wonderland, the debut at #10...
A last little bit of trivia- produced by Dennis Coffey, the Detroit Guitar Band frontman who had the big 70's instrumental Scorpio.
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And now, the rest of the M10.
A bad kind of Irony for Dinosaur Jr this week...
... the song that loses its place this week was the Moondoggies' Easy Coming, which went 10, 10, 9, 6, and 7 in five weeks. D Jr's Hold Unknown is following the path, 10, 10, and 9 this week after 3 weeks.
Shilpa Ray, the "door girl", is a little closer to the back door this week...
... as Rockaway Blues slips 2 to #8 in its 7th week.
Another song that battered its head the last two weeks against the Iron Ceiling...
...is Dan Croll's Tokyo, slipping from 5 to 7 in week #4.
Last week's newbies move up-
...Molly Rankin and Alvvays moving up a pair to #6 with Not My Baby...
...and Lucius leapfrogging them from #9 to #5 with Eventually.
Meanwhile, No. 1 is still not #1....
...as Major Murphy hit the Iron Ceiling last week, smacking into the #4 spot with a splat, and sticking there this week.
Which brings us to the Iron Ceiling- the three songs that refuse to yield to any but each other. For a fourth week now, they control the top 3 slots... and it's looking pretty good for next week too! This time, at #3... is NOT Sunflower Bean...
...but Beach House, who spent the first two of those four weeks on top, and this time- while it was a near thing again- slide one to #3 with Lemon Glow.
And fluttering down to #2...
....Mikaela Davis' Little Bird. And that means that in their third attempt, after 3 weeks in the third spot, we have the first number one....
....for Sunflower Bean!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Twenty Two moves up 2 spots to take the crown and become the M10's 74th #1!
For the video though, I'm a little disappointed to hear that they left out a very powerful verse....
If I could do it, I would fly into the sun
I would become warm
And I meant it when I said you're my favourite son
With your finger that is reaching
For the trigger of the gun
And you know you've got to prove it
To yourself and everyone...
But, you know the politically correct days we live in, mustn't say anything controversial... ah, but I've been political enough this post. Hope you enjoyed, and I'll see you all when I emerge from my den Friday night!
Chris:
ReplyDelete---Cambodian Space Project...not a bad tune. A shame what happened to Channthy.
---While I'm not a fan of a LOT of the SE Asian music scene (much of it sounds like strangling birds), this one could be a keeper.
(and, she wasn't bad on the eyes)
---That "iron ceiling" seems to be doing what it's intended to do with those songs...heh.
---No surprise at the top 3, either.
---Sunflower Beam...VERY good vocals...
---Crazy how politics is even becoming a greater influence with music today than in times past (more like a bloody NUISANCE).
Very good coverage for the M10.
Catch you on the "flip side", brother.