Buried Treasures & Alex Ross
Many great albums are released each year, but only a handful get the attention they deserve. Jim and Greg share some of their Buried Treasures of 2016: the best albums that flew under the radar.
Buried Treasures
Looking for new music that's out of the mainstream? Jim and Greg uncover some buried treasures: albums from 2016 that you need to hear!
Greg
- William Bell, This is Where I Live
- Eryn Allen Kane, Aviary: Act II
- The Black Watch, Highs and Lows
- Eszter Balint, Airless Midnight
Jim
- Honey Blood, Babes Never Die
- La Femme, Mystère
- Sneaks, Gymnastics
- Skylar Spence, Prom King
Listener Picks
- Peter from Chicago: PJ, Rare
- Mark from Columbus, Ohio: Pinegrove, Cardinal
- Peter from Honolulu, Hawaii: Fictionist, Free Spirit
Alex Ross
Jim and Greg spend most of their time on Sound Opinions talking about music they love. Music they connect with, music that tells a relatable story, music that stirs an emotional reaction. But Alex Ross from the New Yorker magazine came on the show to talk about a different reaction to music, music as a weapon. His recent article When Music is Violence explores the use of music to sinister ends. Alex talks with Jim and Greg about the history of music as a weapon, from the use by the Nazis, to attempts to overthrow Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega with Led Zeppelin, to how classical music keeps kids from loitering in 7-11 parking lots. Alex says that ultimately music is not a sacred space, and the "music we love the most...can be deployed in some horrifying way."
Featured Songs
- William Bell, "Born Under a Bad Sign," This Is Where I Live, Stax, 2016
- Honeyblood, "Walking At Midnight," Babes Never Die, FatCat, 2016
- Eryn Allen Kane, "How Many Times," Aviary: Act II, 1552, 2016
- PJ, "Gangster," Rare, Atlantic, 2016
- La Femme, "Septembre," Mystère, Born Bad, 2016
- Kenny Rogers, "Buried Treasure," Eyes That See in the Dark, RCA, 1983
- Tori Kelly , "Treasure," Foreword, Capitol, 2013
- Pinegrove, "Old Friends," Cardinal, Run for Cover, 2016
- The Black Watch, "Pershing/Harvard Square," Highs and Lows, Pop Culture Press, 2015
- Sneaks, "No Problem," Gymnastics, Merge, 2016
- Fictionist, "Free Spirit," Free Spirit, Red Owl, 2014
- Eszter Balint, "Trouble You Don't See," Airless Midnight, Red Herring, 2015
- Skylar Spence, "Can't You See," Prom King, Carpark, 2015
- LÉON, "Treasure ," Treasure, Columbia, 2015
- Alice Cooper, "No More Mr. Nice Guy," Billion Dollar Babies, Warner Bros., 1973
- Led Zeppelin, "In My Time of Dying," Physical Graffiti, Swan Song, 1975
- Christina Aguilera, "Dirrty," Dirrty, BMG, 2002
- City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (Walter Weller), "Beethoven: Symphony #8 in F, Op. 93 - Allegretto Scherzando," The Complete Symphonies Volume II, Chandos, 1989
- The Boston Pops Orchestra (Arthur Fiedler), "Wagner: Lohengrin - Prelude to Act III," Wagner's Greatest Hits, RCA Red Seal, 1971
- Lou Reed, "Metal Machine Music A-2," Metal Machine Music, RCA Victor, 1975
- Enya, "Orinoco Flow (Sail Away)," Watermark, Geffen, 1988
- Death, "Symbolic," Symbolic, Roadrunner, 1995
- Elvis Costello & the Attractions, "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding ," Armed Forcers, Columbia, 1979
- Madonna, "Hung Up," Confessions on a Dance Floor, Warner Bros., 2005
- Big Star, "September Gurls," Radio City, Ardent, 1974
- Green Day, "Wake Me Up When September Ends," American Idiot, Reprise, 2004
- Hawksley Workman, "Autumn's Here," Love/Fighter, Universal Music Canada, 2003
- Neil Young, "Sugar Mountain," Sugar Mountain – Live at Canterbury House 1968, Reprise, 1968
Dear Listeners,
For more than 15 years, Sound Opinions was a production of WBEZ, Chicago's public radio station. Now that the show is independent, we're inviting you to join the band and lend a hand! We need your support more than ever because now we have to do all the behind-the-scenes work that WBEZ handled before (like buying insurance and paying for podcast hosting, ugh). Plus, we have some exciting ideas we'd like to try now that there's no one to tell us no!