Bob Dey’s Tank Engine Man is produced by the unique partnership of Mr. Bob Dey and Mr. Talent. Mr. Talent acts as a sort of surrogate musician for Mr. Dey (who doesn’t have the time or training to pursue his musical aspirations himself) by recording and performing the songs that Mr. Dey writes. Together they create an interesting blend of many influences, which coagulate into what Mr. Talent refers to as “weird rock music.”
Jack Kittel / Psycho
This song has a disturbing theme, but the music and vocals are performed almost tenderly. Thus, by the time the lyrical content reaches you, it completely mows you down. Mr. Dey is always reminding me of the “Law of Contradiction” (the importance of balance and the inevitability of double standards) and this technique fits in quite well with that.
Roger Miller / Dang Me
The first verse of the song sums up the guilt I feel for being a musician. To commit yourself to being an artist, you have to lean on others for some things and when you realize that part of your job involves sitting around thinking while everyone else is moving around working, it can make you feel like a bum. Beyond that, it is just a great song from a great musician.
The Flaming Lips / Vein Of Stars
I respect The Flaming Lips for being bold in their musical undertakings while maintaining a firm grip on the pop music world. In many ways, it is what I hope to achieve through my own work with Mr. Talent. They often play very energetic music, but what attracts me to them the most is their sense of melody. And this track is one of the most beautiful rock songs I have ever heard.
Four Tet / Smile Around The Face
This is the type of record that can teach you to appreciate arrangement and instrumentation in songs. There is also a really good use of melodic noises That is, not everything on this record is what you might traditionally consider a musical sound, though it is still quite pleasing to listen to.
Prince / Kiss
I don’t particularly like Prince, but this is a great song. It is what I have always wished Prince would be. No offense to him intended.
Snehasish Mozumder / Misra Dhun in Dadra Tala
Perhaps it may seem cliché for a musician brought up on western musical tastes to site Indian music as an influence, but this is a truly fine track off of a record by Northern Indian mandolin player Snehasish Mozumder’s album titled Mandolin Dreams. It is a track that is very accessible to western ears, with a clear repeating riff which shows itself throughout the raga. But is by no means inauthentic. And the Indian mandolin has a beautiful sound.
Brian Eno / Fat Lady Of Limbourg
There is a subtlety to this entire track that baffles me. It is a seemingly boring song (there is no build, there is no drop), with most if its sounds subdued (in particular, there is a cymbol crash that appears, here and there, so lightly that you might miss it on the first few listens), and yet is brings you to where ever the place may be that a song like this could be happening.
Vampire Hands / No Fun
This is a contemporary band that I have been listening to lately. They have some really neat production sounds on their recordings, sounds that you might not expect to hear from an up and coming band. And their melodies are great to listen to.
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