Pick To Click: Crystal Castles feat. Robert Smith - "Not In Love"

The Cure's front-man emerges from the shadows and lends his distinct vocals to Crystal Castles' remake of a 1984 Top 20 hit by Platinum Blonde.

Freedom For Suu Kyi? Revisiting Damien Rice's "Unplayed Piano" and U2's "Walk On"

The Associated Press reports this morning that mounting pressure from regional neighbors may finally convince the military junta of the nation of Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) to release Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi after elections are held in mid-November. The democracy icon has been imprisoned or held under house custody for 15 of the last 21 years. (In 1990, she received 82 percent of the vote in her country's elections, but was denied power by the ruling dictatorship.)

The talented, but publicly withdrawn, Irish singer-songwriter Damien Rice was approached by the US Campaign For Burma back in 2005 with a request to contribute an existing song for a benefit album to call attention to the plight of Aung San Suu Kyi. In an rare interview that year with The Guardian, Rice did not want to be pictured as another Bob Geldof, and was loath to be seen as a political activist: "He is just a regular guy, he says somewhat beseechingly, a musician 'who has seen something that is wrong and is trying, in some small way, to help'."

After visiting Burma and learning more about the situation, Rice penned an original piece entitled "Unplayed Piano," one of the more affecting songs of the past decade. A duet with then-partner Lisa Hannigan, the lyrics spotlight the isolation of the prisoner and a solemn, but respectful, plea to not forget a leader in what is now one of the most closed countries in the world:

Unplayed pianos
Are often by a window
In a room where nobody loved goes
She sits alone with her silent song
Somebody bring her home

Here are Rice & Hannigan performing "Unplayed Piano" at the Nobel Concert in Oslo in 2005:


Because of the 9/11 attacks and U2's appearance on a national US television special shortly thereafter performing "Walk On," that song is associated with uplifting the spirit of Americans in the wake of the deadly terrorist actions. But the lyrics written by Bono for "Walk On" are actually inspired by Aung San Suu Kyi. In a piece written for a website dedicated to the Burma leader's well-being and release, the Dublin bard writes:

Suu Kyi is a real hero in an age of phony phone-in celebrity, which hands out that title freely to the most spoiled and under qualified. Her quiet voice of reason makes the world look noisy, mad; it is a low mantra of grace in an age of terror, a reminder of everything we take for granted and just what it can take to get it. Thinking of her, you can’t help but use anachronistic language of duty and personal sacrifice.

U2 wrote the song “Walk On” to honor this amazing woman who put family second to country, who for her convictions made an unbearable choice—not to see her sons grow and not to be with her husband as he lost his life to a long and painful cancer. Suu Kyi, with an idea too big for any jail and a spirit too strong for any army, changes our view—as only real heroes can–of what we believe to be possible. The jury is still out on whether we deserve the faith she has put in us.

U2 has used "Walk On" as a centerpiece in many of its concerts, inviting Amnesty International and One volunteers to the stage who don Aung San Suu Kyi masks and hold lanterns in tribute to the peace prize winner.

Preview The New Brian Eno Album

TNOP UK correspondent Miles Gallagher reports that the new Brian Eno album, Small Craft On A Milk Sea, will be released here in the States next Tuesday 2 November. The enigmatic Eno has been on a creative roll as of late, collaborating with David Byrne on the fine Everything That Happens Will Happen Today and producing U2's No Line On The Horizon. This set of originals, assisted by Jim Hopkins and Leo Abrahams, is said to have been inspired by some of his favorite motion pictures. Pretty Much Amazing is streaming two of the new titles, "Horse" and "Emerald and Stone." And you can go to the NPR site to listen to the whole album.

This Date In Rock History: 26 October

On this date in 1951, bassist and funkmeister extraordinaire William Earl "Bootsy" Collins (aka "Casper The Funky Ghost" and "Bootzilla") was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. A happy funky birthday to Bootsy, with a wish for many more, because we all want the funk and we all need the funk.

To celebrate, let's dance, if only because it's de-groovy . . .

Your Weekly Dylan Cover [#22]

The Morning Benders

"Outlaw Blues"

Original Dylan version found on Bringing It All Back Home (1965)

The first side of Bringing It All Back Home is a watershed event in the career of Bob Dylan. It is the introduction of electric rock and roll to the masses from a singer-songwriter idealized by many for his acoustic folk songs that galvanized the masses in support of political causes.

"Outlaw Blues" seems to call the public out. The fifth song on the album, Dylan's rollicking, jangly blues has him spitting out the famous line Well I might look like Robert Ford/But I feel just like Jesse James. Now seen as a typical ying/yang lyric that Dylan is associated with, at the time it probably reflected the desire of the writer not to be identified with any cause, but rather an artist seeking to blaze his own trail.

[A side note: It is fascinating to note that "Outlaw Blues" was recorded in New York at Columbia Records Studio A on January 14, 1965. During the same three-and-a-half hour session, master takes of "Love Minus Zero/No Limit," "Subterranean Homesick Blues," "She Belongs To Me," and "Bob Dylan's 115th Dream" were also all recorded and selected for the final album.]

Our cover this week is from the San Francisco area quartet The Morning Blenders. Their version of "Outlaw Blues" - which sounds like a channeling of Grizzly Bear - was only recently recorded as part of a digital tribute to Bringing It All Back Home, a compilation which also includes performances by folk rockers J. Tillman (Fleet Foxes), Laura Viers and Peter Moren (Peter, Bjorn & John), to be released on 2 November.

In an interview earlier this month with the AP, band member Christopher Chu said he wanted to make "Outlaw Blues" sound creepy. "[Dylan] arranges his songs so perfectly that it's hard not to just want to do a 100 percent faithful rendition," Chu said. "But at the same time, that's not what I wanted to do with a cover. I wanted to pick a song where I could change it up a bit."
Chu, 25, knows Dylan's music well. Dylan is one of the first artists he began to obsess over as a young fan, along with the Beach Boys and Neil Young. He's convinced that he missed out on a golden era of music. His favorite Dylan album is Highway 61 Revisited. "His influence is so wide that no matter what age you are, you eventually run into Dylan," Chu said.

Original Listening: Bob Dylan, "Outlaw Blues" (Bringing It All Back Home, 1965)

Another Cover: The White Stripes, "Outlaw Blues" [excerpt] (Under The Blackpool Lights DVD, 2004)

And Another Cover: The Great Society, "Outlaw Blues" (Live At The Matrix, 1989)

Buffalo Springfield Reunite

For the first time in 38 years, Neil Young, Stephen Stills and Richie Furay performed under the banner Buffalo Springfield at the 24th Annual Bridge School Benefit Concert this past weekend in Mountain View, California. The video captured below is a little Shakey (sorry about the pun, but it seemed appropriate), but the sound quality is fine. The Springfield perform their most enduring song, "For What It's Worth." This one is a fine, bluesy take with Stills in as good of voice as we've heard in many a year and Young jamming the acoustic solo.

We'll comb through the video catalogs being posted and bring you more highlights from the Bridge Concert, which continues to be one of rock music's highlights of the calendar year.

Dawes & The Morning Benders Collaborate

If there is one album that The Night Owl should have elevated to its Top 10 in 2009, it is Dawes' North Hills (it was in our second ten). The debut of this Laurel Canyon, California group has continued to enjoy regular rotation on the turntable at TNOP World Headquarters. Dawes continues to hone its craft on the road in support of that strong effort, and are also in the process of introducing new tunes, to the approval of audiences.

Dawes recently went into the Yours Truly studio to record two of the stronger songs off of North Hills, collaborating with Chris and Jon Chu of San Francisco's The Morning Benders. [The Benders released their second long-player earlier this year, the fine Big Echo.] The guests lend a particularly strong harmony to the affecting "If You Let Me Be Your Anchor." Enjoy.

Pick To Click: Johnny Flynn - "Kentucky Pill"

The first single from Johnny Flynn's new album Been Listening finds the Brit stretching his legs and veering a bit from the folkie circle he shares with Laura Marling, Noah and the Whale, and Mumford & Sons. Embracing Americana with a twist of Mexicali, "Kentucky Pill," the opening track on the CD, sounds fresh and ready for repeated listens.

The National - "Terrible Love" (Alternate Take)

The National's expanded, double-disc edition of High Violet, complete with unreleased tunes, live songs and this alternate take on "Terrible Love" will hit the racks on 22 November.

Tom Berninger directed the very likable film above, highlighted by the boys' appearance this past month at a mammoth political rally in Madison, Wisconsin, highlights from recent tour dates and Matt Berninger's perfect spit take (take that, Jerry Lewis!).

Aloe Blacc Rocks Le Metro Paris

One of the more interesting musical stories of 2010 has been the emergence of American soul singer Aloe Blacc. Born to Panamanian parents, Blacc (born Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins) grew up in Southern California and earlier in the decade was a rapper of some note in his home state. But with the release of his second LP Good Things on 30 September (Stones Throw Records), Blacc joins the ever-growing neo-soul movement. And with impressive results. His exploration of social injustice and relationships are alluring to the listener.

The perfect example is "I Need A Dollar," a tune that definitely captures the recession-era U.S. The song broke on to the music scene as the theme to HBO's How To Make It In America. Blacc's style reminds one of the stark truth in the voice of 1970's era Bill Withers.

Our friends at La Blogotheque recently captured Aloe Blacc and his band in the Paris underground. Here's a two-fer for our listeners: "Hey Brother" and the aforementioned "I Need A Dollar." Dig it.