More of wot I have heard…

Yo La Tengo – I am not afraid of you and I will beat your ass

This was an impulse buy for me as I needed to add something to my Amazon order to get free delivery (good sales tactic by them). I had heard several of their tracks before and I found this Indie-rock styled band interesting .Admittedly it is not to every bodies taste, and I don’t think it will get ‘high rotation’ at our home.

The band has been around for about twenty years but they have never really made it in the mainstream media (not that I hold that against them – most of the bands I like are not part of the mainstream pap).

When it comes to music, don’t be afraid to try something new.



Various Artists – Songs of America

I heard of this album on a late night BBC Radio 2 program by Stuart Maconie and thought it would be an interesting collection of songs. It is probably more for someone who wants to see the progress of American folk and is an intriguing documentary of the genre than for an evening of easy listening but there are some wonderful re-interpretations of classic standards in this collection and I am glad I bought it even if the motivation for creating it does appear to be a bit on the ‘worthy’ side.


Song Of America is a 50-song, 3-disc album that traces the history of the United States through its folk and popular musical traditions. The idea was the brainchild of President's Clinton's former Attorney General Janet Reno, whose premise was that music can be used as a great tool to teach the ideals and mores of the American peoples. Enlisting her nephew, producer Ed Pettersen and teaming up with David Macias of 31 Tigers (who won a Grammy for Beautiful Dreamer: The Songs Of Stephen Foster), this set has been nine years in the making. The result is an incredible musical journey.

Disc 1 extends from the famous date of 1492 up to 1860, a broad sweep including John Wesley Harding's version of 'God Save The King' through to Beth Nielsen Chapman's spine tingling negro spiritual 'Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child.'

Disc 2 from 1861 to 1945 sees songs from the Civil War in the anti-war song 'Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye' (Janis Ian) through to the Depression and then to war again, this time on foreign soil with the lament of 'Over There' (Jen Chapin).

Disc 3 brings us up to date from post war optimism, with the science will save us 'The Great Atomic Power' (Elizabeth Cook & Grascals), the civil rights protest inspired pride of 'Say It Loud' (The Dynamites), the affirmation of 'I Am Woman' (Martha Wainwright), and ends with John Mellancamp singing 'This Land Is Your Land'.

This seemingly impossible project has turned out to be not just about fantastic musicians and songs, it’s a living representation of the story of the most powerful nation on earth. And its relevance to today? This is answered with a final word from Janet Reno, who notes in her introduction: "It is important to know history to understand the importance our own actions have in shaping our future".