Salsatic Vibrato VIII

"Jump Into My Caddy"

[This is one post in a series about my music mixes.  The series list has links to all posts in the series and also definitions of many of the terms I use.  You may wish to read the introduction for more background.  You may also want to check out the first volume in this multi-volume mix for more info on its theme.

Like all my series, it is not necessarily contiguous—that is, I don’t guarantee that the next post in the series will be next week.  Just that I will eventually finish it, someday.  Unless I get hit by a bus.]

Both Smokelit Flashback and Shadowfall Equinox have achieved sixth volumes in this series; in the unpublished category, there is only Paradoxically Sized World.  So far Salsatic Vibrato remains the only published volume VII, and only SfE can realistically challenge that on the unpbulished side.¹  And now here we are at volume eight.  Of course (as I may have mentioned before), the mixes that achieve these rarified heights tend to be the ones I utilize most: Shadowfall Equinox is my primary work soundtrack, and Paradoxically Sized World is a set of music preferences I share with one of my children.  Smokelit Flashback mainly has the advantage of being the very first of the modern mixes, and it had two volumes before there was a volume I of anything else.  (And also whenever I’m feeling non-specifically weird, it’s what I reach for.)  And Salsatic Vibrato?  Well, that’s the mix I want when I’m feeling happy and I want to double-down on that feeling.  If I’m doing any sort of work (whether in my professional life or just work around the house) that doesn’t require any brainpower, SVb is the perfect accompaniment: it’s brassy, and upbeat, and just ... happy-making.

So what can we expect from this outing?  Certainly we can’t have a volume without Big Bad Voodoo Daddy (we certainly havne’t had one so far), and they’ll make their twelfth appearance here.  In the only-missed-one-volume-so-far camp, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, and Lou Bega are all here (SNZ for their eleventh appearance, so they’re only a bit behind BBVD).  Other returning artists include the Brian Setzer Orchestra (who have only missed two volumes so far), Joe Jackson (who returned last volume after a long absence), the Swing soundtrack, electro-swing artists Caravan Palace and Caro Emerald, infrequent contributors Madness, Oingo Boingo, and Indigo Swing, recent discoveries Tape Five, Swing Republic, and Electric Swing Circus, one more brass-funk masterpiece from Earth, Wind & Fire, and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones are back after last being seen way back on volume II.  And there’s still room for 6 first-timers.  So I would say this volume leans a bit heavily on established doctrine, but isn’t afraid to branch out into bold new directions at the same time.

And we’ll kick it off with the opener for BBVD’s all-time best album, Americana Deluxe.  Now, I’ve mined this album extensively: of its 12 tracks, I’ve used four on previous volumes of this mix, and several others are slated for other mixes.²  I haven’t used a track from it recently, though, and I really wanted to return to it.  “Boogie Bumper” isn’t quite a bridge, but it’s a gorgeous, mostly instrumental intro track, and I thought I’d honor that by using it open this volume.  From there we launch directly into “Master and Slave” by CPD off their best album, which is another track I’m surprised it took this long to get around to, and, continuing the trend, I thought I’d go back to the Brian Setzer Orchestra’s best album too: “This Cat’s on a Hot Tin Roof” is the opener for their amazing The Dirty Boogie, which, if you’re into this type of music enough to still be here eight volumes later, I’m sure you already own.  This latter tune is the primary one to stray from strict retro-swing into that 50s-reminiscent, often brass-infused, retro-rock-and-roll that I’ve struggled to find an appropriate label for.  For the remainder of the retro-swing, Indigo Swing is one of the bands in the subgenre that misses more than it hits, but their eponymous track is pretty hoppin’; the Swing soundtrack and Joe Jackson’s Jumpin’ Jive album are (as I’ve noted before) not so much retro-swing as just modern takes on classic swing.  The title track from the Jackson album was originally done by Cab Calloway, who was arguably the best swing artist of all time; “Gotta Get On This Train,” as rendered by singing-voice stand-in (for the film’s lead) Georgie Fame, is one of those tracks that the Swing soundtrack does so well: co-written by co-star (and fantastic singer in her own right) Lisa Stansfield, it’s a song created for the movie that utterly sounds like it was conceived in the 40s at the height of swing’s power, and Fame’s voice³ really sells it.

And all but one of these are right in a row, a powerful retro-swing pentad to open the volume.  From there we branch out, first to the retro-mambo of Lou Bega—“Baby Keep Smiling” is one of his slower numbers, but still sunny (and provides our volume title)—and then the retro-hot-jazz of the Squirrel Nut Zippers, with one of their rollicking instrumentals.  “Lugubrious Whing Whang” serves as a bridge to the volume’s more experimental middle stretch.  But it’s electroswing that dominates the volume’s back half (which is, to be fair, more than half the volume, by length).  Caravan Palace is back with one of their most experimental (and frenetc) compositions, “The Dirty Side of the Street.” The magnificent Caro Emerald is back too, with another track off her best album, Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor.  “You Don’t Love Me” slows us down just enough to be a great closer without losing the vibe: it’s a bit melancholy, but still manages to be peppy at the same time.

As I’ve noted before, electro-swing is almost entirely a European phenomenon, and we’re covering the continent pretty well here.  Caro Emerald is from the Netherlands; Caravan Palace is from France, as is our newest electroswing discovery: Lyre le temps.  From Strasbourg, they tend a bit more towards the electro end of the spectrum of the spectrum than their Paris-based compatriots, although our CP selection here certainly pairs well with “Hold the Night,” which has that same frenetic, jitterbug-adjacent pace and experimental feel.  We also cover Denmark, with more traditional electroswing artist Swing Republic—“On the Rooftop” is perhaps not quite as awesome as last volume’s “Mama,” but close—and Germany with another tune from Tape Five—again, “Bunga Book” isn’t the equal of their tune from last volume, but it really oozes that 40s swing vibe, primarily via a (presumably deliberate) similarity to Louis Prima’s “I Wanna Be Like You.”⁴  And we mustn’t forget the UK, where the Electric Swing Circus continues to be unfairly underappreciated.  “Valentine” has some shades of “Bella Belle” (their selection from last volume), but adds a certain electronic darkness that makes it slot perfectly between “The Dirty Side of the Street” and our two most experimental tracks of all (which we’ll come to in just a bit).

We’re a bit light on the ska this time, but I thought we’d return to the Mighty Mighty Bosstones (who we haven’t seen since volume II), and of course the original two-tone ska boys: Madness, missing here since volume V.  From the former, “That Bug Bit Me” is another track off Let’s Face It; I favor the two previous selections (which is why we saw them first), but this one is pretty rockin’ too.  Madness’ eponymous track is an early B-side of theirs, which you can find on their excellent compilation album Complete Madness.  It’s silly and fun, as most Madness tracks are, and I thought it was an excellent penultimate track for this volume.  I also thought it was a good time to circle back to the funk classicists with an awe-inspiring horn section: Earth, Wind & Fire.  I’m pretty partial to “Shining Star,”⁵ but “Let’s Groove” is pretty badass too (with some of the best use of voice-processing I’ve heard), and I thought it broke up our two ska tunes kinda perfectly.

Salsatic Vibrato VIII
[ Jump Into My Caddy ]

“The Boogie Bumper” by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, off Americana Deluxe
“Master and Slave” by Cherry Poppin' Daddies, off Zoot Suit Riot [Compilation]
“The Indigo Swing” by Indigo Swing, off All Aboard!
“Gotta Get On This Train” by Georgie Fame, off Swing [Soundtrack]
“Jumpin' Jive” by Joe Jackson, off Jumpin' Jive
“Baby Keep Smiling” by Lou Bega, off A Little Bit of Mambo
“Lugubrious Whing Whang” by Squirrel Nut Zippers, off The Inevitable
“Same Man I Was Before” by Oingo Boingo, off Dead Man's Party
“Another Day in the Big World” by Eurogliders, off This Island
“Disenchantment [Intro Theme]” by Mark Mothersbaugh [Single]
“Don't Stop That Crazy Rhythm” by Modern Romance, off The Platinum Collection [Compilation]
“The Dirty Side of the Street” by Caravan Palace, off Panic
“Valentine” by the Electric Swing Circus, off The Electric Swing Circus
“Farligt Monster” by Analogik, off Søens Folk
“Bootleg Brass” by Stepcat [Single]
“Bunga Book” by Tape Five, off Swing Patrol
“Hold the Night” by Lyre le temps, off Lady swing
“On the Rooftop” by Swing Republic, off Midnight Calling
“This Cat's on a Hot Tin Roof” by the Brian Setzer Orchestra, off The Dirty Boogie
“That Bug Bit Me” by Mighty Mighty Bosstones, off Let's Face It
“Let's Groove” by Earth, Wind & Fire, off Greatest Hits [Compilation]
“Madness” by Madness, off Complete Madness [Compilation]
“You Don't Love Me” by Caro Emerald, off Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor

Total:  23 tracks,  79:22

Which leaves us with the less likely candidates.  We’ve heard Oingo Boingo here before,⁶ and they certainly have the horn section to back up their creds for this mix.  Wikipedia wants to call them “ska and punk-influenced new wave,” which ... sure.  Why not.  “Same Man I Was Before” is also from the excellent Dead Man’s Party and is satisfying both musically (with great brass hits and interesting synth sounds) and lyrically (the singer goes from “not the same man I was before” to “not the same boy I was before” and finally to “not the same ghost I was before,” who can “disappear, disappear, disappear whenever it may please me”).  Contrariwise, this is the first appearance anywhere on these mixes for the Eurogliders, an Australian band who caught my ear in my freshman year in college with “Heaven (Must Be There).” That’s more of a ballad, but they can also do upbeat, and on that album (This Island) in particular, they supplement singer Grace Knight’s saxophone work with two trumpeters, who are put to good effect on “Another Day in the Big World.” It’s just so upbeat and happy I thought it would work well here, so here it is.

And thence on to Mark Mothersbaugh, who is both famous for being one of the primary songwriters for Devo, and also for a metric shitload of soundtrack work, mainly for Wes Anderson and cartoons.⁷  He’s written for Rugrats, Pee-wee’s Playhouse, Yo Gabba Gabba! (where he also taught kids how to draw), and, most important for our purposes, Matt Groening’s foray into fantasy, Disenchantment.  The main theme for this show is so infectiously brass-filled and joyous, containing a counterpoint that I’m pretty sure is tuba and accordian, that I just had to download it from YouTube and stick it here as a bridge from our first two 80s tracks to our final one.

And that final track is from Modern Romance.  You may recall, when we last saw them (on 80s My Way II), I pointed out that I was originally scouting them for inclusion here.  “Don’t Stop That Crazy Rhythm” was a decently big hit in their native UK (#14 in 1983), but somehow it never made it over here to the US.  Which is just insane to me: it’s an amazing, super-brassy, dancey, salsa-inflected (our only one this time, sadly) tune that defies you to sit still while it plays.  I was just blown away when I discovered it, and wondered how in the hell I’d been missing out on this music for almost four decades.

And from there we hit the most exciting pair of back to back tracks in the whole volume.  We kick it off with Analogik, a Danish ... well, Wikipedia says that “their music mixes elements including jazz, electronica, reggae and Balkan music,” which is another of its infamous descriptions that fairly makes your head spin.  But I suppose it’s not too far off.  I found them because they did a tune for LittleBigPlanet 3 that I wanted to feature in Paradoxically Sized World,⁸ but I found the whole album so interesting that I started looking for where else to put them.  “Farligt Monster” is a weird, trippy little tune that isn’t quite what you’d call “glitch,” but perhaps borrows some elements from that subgenre.

And thus it makes the perfect flow into a proper glitch-hop tune—in fact, it’s easily the best transition on the volume.  There’s a bizarre little appendix on “Farligt Monster” that bleeds beautifully into the abrupt bursting into being that is Stepcat’s “Bootleg Brass.” Now, glitch-hop is distinct from glitch—the latter is just using sonic “mistakes” such as feedback whines, CD skips, hiss from vinyl, distortion from speakers, etc to make something in the general neighborhood of music.  But glitch-hop takes the basic elements of glitch, samples them, chops and recuts them to form a strong beat and more melodic tracks.  One Internet source says that it combines elements of lo-fi and hip-hop with the building blocks of glitch, and that’s a pretty good description.⁹  Now, a lot of glitch-hop doesn’t employ brass—and, I gotta be honest with you, I’m not sure whether several of the tunes on this particular volume, including this one, are employing real, live brass instruments—but I came across this magnum opus of Stepcat’s and I was just blown away.  It’s utterly amazing, and 100% belongs here, even if all the “brass” is just synth-generated or sampled.  It’s gorgeous, and thus perfect as the centerpiece of this volume.

Next time, we’ll check out the intersection of dreamy and trippy.

⇐ Salsatic Vibrato VII

Salsatic Vibrato IX ⇒

__________

1 There is technically a Smokelit Flashback VII, but to describe it as neotonous would be generous.

2 Including one which has already been published: Moonside by Riverlight II.

3 Which you may not think you’ve heard before, but you probably have.

4 Whether it’s sufficiently different from that classic is of course in the eye of beholder; though I felt it deserved inclusion, I certainly wouldn’t put it on the same volume as any version of the classic song from The Jungle Book.

5 Which we featured as the closer on volume V.

6 Specifically, on volume V.  Again.  I’m just now realizing how much repeat traffic we’ve got here from volume V.

7 I’m pretty sure that’s not a redundant statement.  Pretty sure.

8 It’s called “God Russik,” and I haven’t managed to work it into a volume yet.

9 Fun fact: this same source says KOAN Sound (who you might remember from Paradoxically Sized World volumes II, IV, and V) are glitch-hop, at least with their later tunes.  I can sort of see it with “Introvert” and “Dynasty,” but honestly “Lost in Thought” is just too peaceful for that.  But it’s interesting to contemplate nonetheless.