Our From the Closet feature this week involves one of those bands I’ve been jamming to for quite some time, and it’s a band that recently made news this week, as it was announced that Domino Records would be releasing Coals to Newcastle on October 9th, a six disc box set including all sorts of work from Orange Juice. Personally, I first got into the band via Belle and Sebastian, who I feel the band used a lot as a reference point in their early songwriting. Singer Edwyn Collins sort of distanced the band from the rest of the post-punk bands in the early 80s by taking a more direct, almost tongue-in-cheek, approach to writing songs–as opposed to political minded lyrics. Their combination of R&B, funk, soul and punk always made them a lot more danceable, and a hell of a lot more endearing than many of their peers. If you like anything involving twee, you need to visit this band, and if you just like great music, then you need to check this group out. The following track isn’t my personal favorite (“Love Sick” is), but it’s a good starting point for casual listeners. Can’t wait to get our hands on all the gems from the newest box set.
[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/07-Rip-It-Up.mp3]
Download: Orange Juice – Rip It Up [MP3]
You can always count on this lady to bring hip-hop and dance to the ATH table. This round of picks was inspired by a comment @DaveRupert made on one of my past articles, Songs That Make You Dance. He said a good follow up would be about the songs that make you rap, and here we are. These are a few of the rap songs we all love and know most of the words to. You may not know all of the lyrics, but when that chorus line approaches, dayum you’ve got it down. No matter your race, ethnicity, age or level of hip-hop knowledge, you know these songs (or at least that hook line).
