Music Library: Silver Scooter, Simpsons, Sir Richard Bishop, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Six, Six Organs Of Admittance, Skeets McDonald, Skeletons And The Kings Of All Cities

Silver Scooter - The Other Palm Springs (1997), Goodbye EP (2000), and Blue Law (2001). Indie rock from Austin. Pretty good! Some of these guys later turned up in Fivehead.



The Simpsons - Songs In The Key Of Springfield (1999) and various audio clips. It's a credit to the Simpsons writers that every single one of these audio clips still cracks me up.



Sir Richard Bishop - While My Guitar Violently Bleeds (2007). The guitarist for the Sun City Girls cranking out trippy guitar jams that look forward to Rangda.



Sister Rosetta Tharpe - Rock Me (1941-43). Sister Tharpe blended jazz, swing, gospel, and blues a provided a pretty clear path to the music that would become rock and roll, all while cranking a mean guitar. A short list of artists who called her an influence: Little Richard, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Aretha Franklin, Jerry Lee Lewis, Isaac Hayes. Amazing.



The Six - Trying Must Count For Something (1983). This is a Canadian band about whom I know nothing. But they do a sweet cover of "I'm Your Puppet."



Six Organs Of Admittance - Six Organs Of Admittance (1998), "All That They Fear (For Molly)," Dust and Chimes (2000), The Manifestation (2000), Dark Noontide (2002), Compathia (2003), For Octavio Paz (2003), School Of The Flower (2005), Sun Awakens (2006), 666 Days Of Blood Live (2006), Shelter From The Ash (2007), and RTZ (compilation, 1999-2003, 2009). Ben Chasny is a busy guy, playing in Comets On Fire and Rangda (with Richard Bishop), all while releasing many, many Six Organs Of Admittance albums. Six Organs is a Fahey or Robbie Basho-like folk project, featuring fingerstyle acoustic guitar overlayed with electronic sounds, feedback-laden guitar freakouts, occasional drums, chanting, and lots of psychedelic awesomeness. The greatest of these are the 2005-07 releases, all of which are intensely moving. RTZ is a bit of a throwback that I only recently learned consists of older pieces. I haven't picked up anything new in a few years, unfortunately.



Skeets McDonald - Don't Let The Stars Get in Your Eyes (compilation, 1952-8) and Rockin' Rockin' (compilation, 1952-8). Rockabilly and country from one of the great 50s artists who stood on the sides of both.



Skeletons And The Kings Of All Cities - LUCAS (2007). An interesting example of the panglobal kitchen-sink aesthetic in indie-rock. Thanks, Talking Heads!