The Icicle Works - Birds Fly (Whisper to a Scream)

Some things take forever
But with building bricks of trust and love
Mountains can be moved

Love come, down upon us 'til you flow like water
Burning, with the hope of insight
Feathered, look they're covered with a bright elation
Stolen, in the sight of love

We are, we are, we are but your children
Finding our way around indecision
We are, we are, we are ever helpless
Take us forever, a whisper to a scream

A few things I love about TMIS: First, we cover several genres of music so there are lots of shifts in mood and energy on the playlist; second, we're not limited to just new releases and new band discoveries (although those are prevalent and exciting); and finally, the occasional fun facts or amazing videos we uncover. Fun facts for this 1984 New Wave throw-back: their US label wouldn't release it until they removed the spoken word overdub at the start (included here), and reversed the name of the song, AND dropped the "The" from Icicle Works. Seem like nonsense changes to me, but maybe those were magic tricks - the song made it to #37 on the US Billboard Hot 100 for the year, while it peaked at #52 in their native UK. Also: I didn't realize The Icicle Works released five whole albums! This first single was their only hit stateside. 

RIYL: Modern English, Big Country, Aztec Camera

Wyldlife - Desperate Times

New York rockers Wyldlife are pretty rockin' for a band that shares a name with the middle schooler version of the religious group Young Life. Their latest album, Out On Your Block, showcases a terrific mix of punk, glam and garage and is full of catchy, anthemic cuts that are mostly about rocking out and having a good time. Hat tip to my brother, Steve, for the recommendation.

RIYL: The Strokes, The Cars, The Exploding Hearts, The Clash

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Beastie Boys - A Year And A Day

M.C. for what I am and do
The A is for Adam and the lyrics; true
So as pray and hope and the message is sent
And I am living in the dreams that I have dreamt
Because I'm down with the three the unstoppable three
Me and Adam and D. were born to M.C.
And my body and soul and mind are pure
Not polluted or diluted or damaged beyond cure
Just lyrics from I to you recited
Arrested, bailed but cuffed and indicted
Enter the arena as I take center stage
The lights set low and the night has come of age

Not a well known Beasties track (and maybe cheating since it's a slice from a 12-minute suite), but fitting title for the day-after our first blogiversary! We're also just a few days past the fifth anniversary of Adam Yauch's passing. The Beastie Boys were very formative to me, frequently misogynistic lyrics notwithstanding. I already liked a lot of rap/hip-hop but knew I wasn't really included in that scene, as a white middle-class middle-schooler, until Licensed to Ill came out. We've strived to put a little something of everything we like in the music world on The Most Important Song during it's first year, and hope that means it has something for everyone on it. Let us know on FB or twitter if we've missed your old or new favorite!

RIYL: Run-DMC, Public Enemy, House of Pain, Digital Underground, Twenty One Pilots

The Sugarcubes - Birthday

She lives in this house over there, has her world outside it.
Grapples with the earth with her fingers and her mouth, she's five years old.
Thread worms on a string, keeps spiders in her pocket, collects fly-wings in
A jar scrubs horse flies and pinches them on a line. she's got one friend
He lives next door, they listen to the weather, he knows how many freckles
she's got,
She scratches his beard. she's painting huge books, glues them together,
They saw a big raven; it glided down the sky, she touched it.
Today's a birthday, they're smoking cigars, he got a chain of flowers,
Sows a bird in her knickers, they're smoking cigars, lie in the bathtub, chain of flowers.

It's our birthday! That's right, it's been a year since we launched this ship and began our musical adventure together. And we're keeping it going y'all. It's been at times a bit of a challenge to keep up with the day-to-day grind, but mostly it's been a lot of fun and we've discovered and shared some really great music. 

To celebrate we went with one of my favorite songs from The Sugarcubes, "Birthday". Happy birthday to us!

RIYL: Bjork, Breeders, Cocteau Twins, Lush

The Dirty Nil - Verona Lung

You're leading me on
Come alive and run amuck
You marvel around sugar gal
Verona Lung corrode my tongue and be on my side babe

Ontario's The Dirty Nil have another rockin' garage hit with their recently released collection of their earlier singles and EPs, Minimum R&B. It's got a bit more rough edges than last year's Higher Power, but in this case, that's a great thing.

RIYL: Meat Wave, Beach Slang, PUP, Single Mothers

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