This selection of songs is Trip-hop with subtle tones of Chill-Out – these are
late night intimate songs. This music
is my dedication to all the late night workers that haven’t forgotten that they
are sensual beings. I’ve had odd jobs
for many years and one of them was working overnights at a motel out in the
middle of nowhere. There were a few
gals from a strip club that would check in from time to time because you never
strip in your hometown, and gas money for driving home was more than staying at
a motel. These songs convey an image of
a private dance in a back room at four-thirty in the morning. It’s almost time to go home, but a client
has retained a lady for the evening.
She’s in the mood for something sensual and slow, making him suffer with
every bump and grind. He’s dressed in a
tux, but has his bow tie undone, chain-smoking unfiltered camels, drinking single
malt, and gazing at her beauty. She’s a
million miles away in her mind, but keeps her eyes on him, making him
watch. There is still vitality in her
eyes, though some of the other girls at the club are dead inside. The room is illuminated with subtle tones of
electric blue, which gives her skin a soft glow, but her eyes pierce the
darkness. As the performance ends, they
exchange glances; he gets up and offers her his coat as they exit the back door
where his car is parked. Standing in
the alley, he gives her his last cigarette, she cups the flame around the
lighter and glides her fingers down his wrist, taking the lighter. They drive off to the diner just down the
street as the sun begins to rise.
1. Portishead - “Glory Box”(1995)
Formed in 1991, this down tempo trip-hop band
stormed England with their chilled out vibe and innovative arrangements. This song may not be a feminist manifesto,
but it does give perspective of a temptress that wants to be loved as a woman
and not an object of lust. This video
is taken from the phenomenal show they did in 1997 at the historic Roseland Theater in New York and is one of my all time live concerts. Beth Gibbons (vocals) chain-smokes
her way though several sultry songs and conveys strength in fragile
beauty.
2. Tricky – “Hell Is Around
The Corner”(1995)
This song samples Portishead, from their
album “Dummy,” which features the song “Glory Box.” The genesis of Tricky (Real Name: Adrian
Nicholas Matthews) stems from hanging out with a group called The Wild Bunch,
which would eventually evolve into the group Massive Attack. Tricky rapped on their first album “Blue
Lines”(1991) and eventually embarked on his own solo career. He is noted as being one of the initial
innovators of the Trip-Hop sound.
3. Sneaker Pimps - “Post
Modern Sleaze”(1996)
This band was named after an article that ran in the
Beastie Boys publication Grand Royal magazine about a guy they
hired to track down classic sneakers.
This group, however, is comprised of Liam Howe and Chris
Corner, who then recruited Kelli Dayton (formerly of Lumieres,
now recording under the name Kelli Ali) for vocal duties. Kelli was dismissed from the group after the
promotional tour of their debut album, “Becoming X,” which is the origin
of this track. In the process of recording
their second album, Chris took over the vocal duties, though in my opinion, I
think they should have kept Kelli.
Their music is still good, but it’s just different. This album is a must have for this genre as
it has many memorable songs, including “6 Underground.”
4. Hooverphonic –
“2Wicky”(1996)
This is a Belgian rock group that formed in 1995 and
took up the trip-hop sound though they incorporate alternative, electronica,
electropop, rock, and a mixture of genres.
This has a celestial sound and it feels like you are on a space ship in
zero gravity. I like the duality of the
lyrics and how they incorporate science and sensuality. As with many bands of this genre, the lead
singer Geike Arnaert has left the band to purse a solo
career.
5. Massive Attack – “Angel”(1998)
The group is comprised of duo Robert
"3D" Del Naja and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall, and
work with co-producers, as well as various session musicians and guest
vocalists. They formed in Bristol as The
Wild Bunch in the mid-1980s and are one of the first homegrown soundsystems
in the UK. During the recording of
their album “Blue Lines,” Geoff Barrow, who worked as a trainee
tape operator at Bristol's Coach House studio, eventually went on to form the
group Portishead. I love how
several groups developed out of a handful of creative
individuals.
6. Emiliana Torrini - “Fingertips”(1999)
This song is taken from the album, “Love in the
time of Science,” and has a slew of producers including: Roland Orzabal
(Tears For Fears), Alan Griffiths (Apartment), Eg White
(Adele, Duffy, Will Young and James Morrison), Siggi Baldursson
(Sugarcubes, Þeyr, KUKL, Headpump, Bradley Fish and the Reptile Palace
Orchestra) and Mark Abis (solo work). Emiliana is from Iceland and really embraces the chill-out vibe
on this record. She took the title of
this release from Gabriel García Márquez' 1985 novel “Love in the
Time of Cholera.” There’s a rumor that this song is about female
masturbation, but it could also be about Quantum Physics and Metaphysics. Everything that exists is vibrational energy
and that everything is connected to that source energy, which is infinite love
and consciousness. You be the
judge.
7. Zero 7 - “In the Waiting Line”(2001)
Here is another duo that retains different vocalists
for their songs. Henry Binns and
Sam Hardaker formed the group in 1997 and featured vocalists Sia
Furler (on tracks "Destiny" and "Distractions"),
Mozez (on "I Have Seen", "Simple Things"
and "This World") and Sophie Barker (on "Destiny",
"In the Waiting Line" and "Spinning") on
their debut record, “Simple Things.”
Barker occasionally performs with the group, but has a solo with several
albums under her belt. This song, is
one of my all time favorites.
Bonus Videos:
Sneaker Pimps - “Six Underground”(1996)
There are two versions of this song, I think the
remix, which is this video, is the greater of the
two.
Train - “Mississippi”(2001)
This is the song, from my little story, that would
be playing on the radio after the strip club has closed down and they are off
to a dinner for a bite to eat.
8mm - “Stunning”(2006)
I like the play back and forth in what seems to be a
steamy moment between a couple infatuated with each other. *Goes off to smoke a
cigarette.*
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