Waffles Staff Picks - May Edition

Theme: Flowers

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icebox

Artist: The Primitives
Song: Thru The Flowers

A great bit of pre-Oasis britpop, when bleached blonde singers were the rage. Tracy Tracy was quite the pop star. Thru the flowers was one of their first indiepop singles, and that version is very C-86ish. The song was then rerecorded for their first major label record. Both are worth hearing. Pure pop sunshine.

izmo

Artist: Nobuo Uematsu
Track: Flowers Blooming in a Church

The beautiful track that plays when first meeting Aeris.

Recently I realized that her being called Aeris in the US was a mistake. The original name was meant to be Aerith, Aeris is based on the Japanese pronunciation. Since there is no th sound in the language it is replaced with s. I still say Aeris tho.

Another thing I learned recently is ramuné is based on the word "lemonade", although only a couple sites say this it seems exactly right.

Woodenhead

Artist: Catherine Wheel
Album: Ferment

This album always reminds me of spring (hence, flowers). I first heard "I Want To Touch You" on "freak night" (RE: alternative/indie music, before it was called that around those parts or popular there, always seemed to be on Thursday nights) at the clubs I frequented in the Golden Horseshoe area in the spring of '92; the full album came out later that summer, IIRC. Still a favourite, a very solid album for its style & time (the argument back then was that Radiohead got its start by ripping off the sound of this album), this is a great album for cruising the countryside when the blossoms are out in full force in the orchards, windows down after flicking that roach out the window. For me, anyway... Standout tracks: Flower To Hide, Black Metallic, I Want To Touch You.

MidniteRockr

Artist: Various Artists
Album: The Big Lebowski: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Track: Dead Flowers by Townes Van Zandt

This flower song was written by Keith Richards and Mick Jagger and is on the Sticky Fingers album, but Van Zandt covered it regularly and here is just a killer live recording of it. One of my all-time fave movies, maybe number one. My only regret about this soundtrack is they left off the Creedence! Dang. But at least they didn't include any songs by those nasty Eagles haha (If you've seen the movie you know what I'm saying). Except for of course the superb Gipsy Kings cover of Hotel California...

And you can send me dead flowers every morning
Send me dead flowers by the mail
Send me dead flowers to my wedding
And I won't forget to put roses on your grave

condon313

Artist: Somebody's basement
Album: Somewhere else
Track: Completely cracked

Somebody's basement hit's all the right "twinkle" emo buttons, and these bands are not unlike flowers. Hopeful, upbeat, melodramatic, but ultimately short-lived and really about sex.

Lorentz

Artist: Loess
Album: Wind and Water

When I think of flowers, I don't think of those nice pretty things that people imagine, but rather the hardy weedy types that grew everywhere around where I used to live as a child. As far as I know, the local landscape of the small town has industrialized, and it's not the cleanest place to be around anymore. Still, look close, and you'll still see a dandelion popping here and there, living through all that isn't natural. Album is strangely organic landscape, yet not at all, just like those dandelions.

Sowilo

Artist: Rome
Album: Flowers From Exile

lostsupper

Artist: The Pharcyde
Album: Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde
Track: Soul Flower

"People promise you bowl of cherries but don't forget there are pits..."