Thursday, August 14, 2014

Three From the Train: RXRA (Eric Serra), Switchfoot, Budos Band

Every morning that I decide to drag myself to the city, I have a little over an hour to listen to music on the train. I put the iPhone music player on shuffle, and off I go. Calling my collection eclectic would be an understatement. It's often an interesting mix. There are songs though, that I really want the world to appreciate as much as I do. Songs that make me say, "Ooh, listen to THIS! Isn't it great?!"

This morning was another tough one to choose from. But I will not break my own rule - 3 songs. Period. I'll also try to not repeat the artist, too often. Here's what I heard this morning:

RXRA (Eric Serra): "Little Light of Love"
This song is from the soundtrack of the wonderful 1997 film, The Fifth Element. When I first heard it, I thought it was yet another amazing Peter Gabriel tune I had somehow missed. But it's not Peter. It's Eric Serra. There are so many hooks in this song - it's infectious. And Nourith Sibony's amazing vocals on the end of the song, along with the guitar part that echoes the melody, are hypnotic. I can listen to it over and over again.



Switchfoot: "Dare You to Move New"
This alternate version of the hit song is from 2004's The Beautiful Letdown. My favorite parts of this version are the percussion behind the first verse, the killer guitar in the second verse, and the build into the final chorus. Switchfoot cranks out great rock-pop songs with really hopeful messages. This is definitely one of those.



The Budos Band: "Budos Rising"
This 10-piece band from Brooklyn offers up Latin-flavored instrumentals (they call it Afro-Soul), heavy on the horn section, produced in a very rough 70's style. Even on CD, you can practically hear the scratches and pops as you listen. I first discovered them about a decade ago and they now have three albums and an EP. This track is from The Budos Band II. I always think, if the World's Most Interesting Man had a theme song, this would be it.



Until next time...

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