Days of the Week Songs & Yeasayer Review

Jim and Greg celebrate the best Days of the Week songs.

Days of the Week
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The verdict is in: three members of the Russian punk band Pussy Riot have been found guilty of "hooliganism" and are sentenced to two years in prison. Pussy Riot caught international notice when they performed their song "Punk Prayer" in Moscow's foremost Orthodox Cathedral in February, calling upon the Virgin Mary to "banish Putin." The Russian government responded with a Soviet-style show trial, making Pussy Riot the darlings of the West. Yoko Ono, Paul McCartney, and Madonna are just a sampling of the pop music illuminati who have publicly supported the group. Jim's impressed that in 2012, punk music still has the power to seriously rile governments. To those who think rock music is just entertainment, he says, "think again." Greg points out that Pussy Riot aren't the first musical act to suffer serious consequences for politically charged music. They join a list that also includes Fela Kuti, Gilberto Gil, and The Plastic People of the Universe.

In other news, the RIAA's profits are way down according to their latest tax filings. Membership dues from the major labels fell 50% in two years, reflecting the hemorrhaging of the industry as a whole. Unsurprisingly, the RIAA's executives are still doing just dandy. President  Carey Sherman and VP  Mitch Bainwol each pulled down million-plus salaries last year.

Days of the Week Songs

To Jim and Greg, each day of the week has its own special flavor. Sensitive songwriters pick up on this; it’s one of the reasons rock n’ roll is rife with Days of the Week songs. This week, Jim and Greg run down their favorites:

  • Joe Jackson, "Sunday Papers"
  • T-Bone Walker, "Stormy Monday (But Tuesday is Just as Bad)"
  • The Rolling Stones, "Ruby Tuesday"
  • Charles Mingus, "Wednesday Nigh Prayer Meeting"
  • Morphine, "Thursday"
  • Cee Lo Green, "Bright Lights Bigger City"
  • Elton John, "Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting"
  • Etta James, "A Sunday Kind of Love"

Fragrant World Yeasayer

Fragrant World

Jim and Greg review Fragrant World, the third album from Brooklyn band Yeasayer. Yeasayer started gaining buzz in the indie underground shortly after their 2007 debut, All Our Cymbals. Critics praised their inventive merging of shoegaze and world rhythms. Fans couldn't get enough of the hooks. Fragrant World promised to be something a little different: band members said they were inspired by Aaliyah's work with Missy Elliot. Fragrant World would be their take on R&B. Greg says the new album isn't as immediately hooky as past efforts, but when it comes to taking R&B to an alien landscape, Yeasayer succeeds big time. It took him a road trip with the record to be won over, but now he says it reminds him of Bowie's alien soul and funk in the seventies. Jim was a convert on first listen. The hooks are there, he says, but what really gets him is how the band downplays the novelty of their Eastern and African-tinged percussion, folding those drums seamlessly into electronic grooves. Fragrant World gets a double Buy It.

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