Sonic Boner

A hesitant mission statement: not to be a musical snob, not to collect oddities for the sake of being odd, but to abandon pretensions and just pick what I think is good.

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Lisa Hannigan - Passenger

From the 2011 album Passenger.

An incredible live version of the song. She has the most calming way to song-whisper ever. 

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Tycho - Dive

From the 2011 album Dive.

This is not the type of music I'd ever expect to be good live, but they perform the song incredibly well, all the little variations flowing into it naturally and I have no idea how that android on the drums thinks he can hide when he's clearly a living metronome.

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Esbjörn Svensson Trio - Serenade For The Renegade

From the 2002 album Strange Place For Snow.

Already posted the CD version of this but seeing it live and hearing the variations they do just adds to it. Strange fusion of droning ambient and jazz from Sweden.

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Mazzy Star - Fade Into You (Live at Later with Jools Holland)

Originally from the 1993 album So Tonight That I Might See.

Great live performance of a song that makes me melt into my seat whenever I hear it.

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Muddy Waters - Got My Mojo Working (Live at American Folk and Blues Festival)

Originally from the 1957 single.

This performance taped sometime around 1963. Very swinging version.

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Dredg - Ode To The Sun

From the 2005 album Catch Without Arms.

Great live rendition of their layered art rock sound.

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Tom Waits - Tom Traubert's Blues (Live on Old Grey Whistle Test)

From the 1976 album Small Change.

Commonly thought to be "Waltzing Matilda" because of the lyrics. One of the best renditions I've heard, Waits is at his best blend of growling storytelling and singing.

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The Stone Roses - She Bangs The Drums

From the 1989 album The Stone Roses.

Some of the best of the Madchester scene.

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The Chameleons - Second Skin (Live at Camden Palace 1985)

Originally from the 1983 album Script of the Bridge.

Wonderful dark driving post punk beat.

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Shook Twins - What We Do

Unreleased.

A very funky alt country/folk tune from little known (no Wiki page, seriously?) group featuring identical twins on vocals, to very interesting effect. Can't find this on either of their albums unfortunately.

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The Tiger Lillies - Living Hell

From the 2012 album Rime of the Ancient Mariner.

This is a beautiful video for an unusually timid song from The Tiger Lillies. It captures the dark cabaret sensibilities perfectly. Music to drown to.

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The Reign of Kindo - Help It

From the 2013 album Play With Fire.

A group of very talented musicians that make an odd jazz rock fusion sound that's very unique.

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Kaki King - Playing With Pink Noise (Live on Later With Jools Holland)

From the 2004 album Legs to Make Us Longer.

While she later changed her musical style to include more instruments, vocals and production, this is a tune in her earlier instrumental guitar style. It involves a number of interesting playing techniques, including playing over the top of the neck, percussive slams and fingertapping.

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David Axelrod - The Fly

From the 1969 album Songs of Experience.

Feel classy with some instrumental music from the space age bachelor pad era. The album name and track name is taken from a book and poem by William Blake. 

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Screamin' Jay Hawkins - I Put A Spell On You

From the 1956 album At Home with Screamin' Jay Hawkins. 

According to legend, this song took shape in a drunken recording session that Hawkins himself didn't even remember afterward. On a bet, he later performed the song emerging from a coffin, which evolved into this proto-shock rock act. 

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Russian Circles - 309

From the 2011 album Empros.

Some great music from the more aggressive side of post-rock called post-metal.

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Rory Gallagher - Bad Penny (Live At Montreux 1985)

Originally from the 1979 album Top Priority.

A blues rock guitar god that is usually forgotten among namedrops like Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan, but definitely belongs up there.