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No Mercy-The Stranglers (1984)

The Stranglers became part of the emerging 1970’s UK punk scene but they were never really strictly a punk band. As the years since punk hit the masses it has been defined a million times over and become part of the corporate landscape so much so that the original vibe of that music/time/feeling/climate has long been forgotten, however, in simple terms, when it first started to make noise all it really had to do in order to spit at people and be considered punk was: be loud, angry, fighting against something and all you really needed was to know how to play 3 chords…..so in those simple requirements, The Stranglers really didn’t fit because they were musical and all could play the shit out of their instruments. However, part of the punk scene they were lumped nonetheless and even played the first Ramones London gig in 1976. There was no doubt that their behavior fit with the punk scene as they gained a reputation for trashing dressing rooms and telling off audiences but one of my favorite Stranglers stories is when the BBC reluctantly booked them for Top of the Pops and instead of trashing the dressing room the band rounded up cleaning supplies and a vacuum and left the place cleaner than when they had arrived. Never quite a household name in North America, however, over the past 30 years the band has scored more that 20 top 40 UK hits and I’m pretty sure you’d recognize their tune “Golden Brown” that was used in the movie Snatch. One of my favorite Stranglers tracks is from their 1985 album “Aural Sculpture”: No Mercy.

9th Wonder-Digable Planets (1995)

Before The Digable Planets had a hit with the track “Rebirth of Slick” from their debut album “Reachin” in 1993, they were literally broke. Having to take the dollar bus from The Port Authority in NY to New Jersey everyday to hit the studio while at the same time apply for any job they could find to keep food on the table; the group makes a pretty strong case for the old music biz theory that “it only takes one song”. “Rebirth of Slick” was “that one” of many excellent tracks from the first album but “that one” managed to break the band fast and before they knew it, the Digable Planets went from not knowing how to pay their rent to being flown out to LA to do the show “In Living Color” which snowballed into a top 20 hit and a Grammy for best New Group. “Rebirth of Slick” is one of those songs that everyone has heard, if not back in the day then in a movie or most recently in Tide commercial. However, the success that caught the 3 members of The Digable Plants so off guard also led to their early dismantling when their 2nd album didn’t have the same mainstream success which directly led to the typical lack of support from a label who now had invested money into a group (who just had a huge hit) and that group wasn’t recouping the label’s investment fast enough. The pressure and tension of the business led to personal pressure and tension which led to the end of the band. The quick emergence and just as fast exit of this group, with the exception of “that one song” has kept them still a very much underground loved hip hop band on the topic of their records which haven’t gotten their due in the shadow of a Gold single and quick breakup. That 2nd album, Blowout Comb, was and still is one of my favorites and was the last we heard of The Digbale Planets until they made a lot of people happy in 2005 when they reunited for a world tour.

You Got Me-The Roots f/ Erykah Badu and Eve (1999)

Your homework this week, go listen to the Roots. What else can I possibly say?
Here’s an interesting story behind their Grammy winning duet “You Got Me” with Erykah Badu which was co written by Grammy award winning poet, singer and songwriter Jill Scott. Jill actually sang on the original version of the tune and this was the version that was supposed to appear on the 1999 Roots album “Things Fall Apart” but the Roots record company at the time (MCA Records) insisted they needed a higher profile name for the lead off single…… Erykah Badu got the call. Don’t get me wrong, Erykah Badu is wonder woman and a duet between her and The Roots is music worth drooling over but it does suck more than a little bit that an artist like Jill Scott couldn’t get the exposure she most certainly deserves because of a marketing decision. You can however check out the Roots performing “You Got Me” with both women in the film “Dave Chappell’s Block Party”. Another side note, Eve appears in the 2nd verse of this tune but because she’s not in the video she generally doesn’t get credited with the appearance.

A Little Love-Meaghan Smith (2008)

Sometimes the soundtrack of a movie is so good that it helps the movie and this is exactly what happened with the 2009 flick “500 Days of Summer”. The track listing was stacked with tunes from Simon and Garfunkel, The Smiths, Black Lips, Wolfmother, Feist, Hall and Oates and Regina Spektor; all names that you have heard of before I’m sure. There is one name that sticks out on the list however and that is of a Halifax singer Songwriter named Meaghan Smith who covered the Pixies tune “Here Comes your Man” (youtube it because she did a kick ass job). But let’s talk about her own original creations; she has just been nominated for best new artist at the Juno’s for her music, you can admire the animation she helps create in her music videos or check out her website and see some of her paintings that have been selling faster than Justin Bieber calendars. www.meaghansmith.com

Breaking the Chains of Love- Fitz & The Tantrums (2010)

I am a Paul Simon junkie, happy to admit as much, and up to this point he has appeared twice in the short life of Matt Tracks (“One Trick Pony” and “Getting Ready for Christmas Day”); the ONLY music to appear more than once….until now. LA based soul and funk band Fitz and the Tantrums has become the only other music that has tickled my ears so much that I had to have them back. Go check out their album “Pickin’ Up the Pieces” to cure what ails you.

Thanks for listening,
=m