“Stump the Spotify!” with Will Knox: Playing the Music Discovery Game at FLUX Studios

EAST VILLAGE, MANHATTAN: What would you do if you were given the magical power to hear any song you could think of, at any moment?

Beware of Spotify... while benefitting from its magical powers.

While the economic implications of Spotify to artists are a topic certainly worth of debate, I have to say that the goblin-green platform has given me – and all of us – just such alchemic capabilities. As music professionals, Spotify may or may not be a threat, but as music lovers – which all of us started out as – it’s a blessing undisguised.

In light of my starry-eyed affectation, I recently devised a new game called “Stump the Spotify!” and invited a couple of sonically-inclined friends to take part. The objective: sit down in front of a computer, free associate the song each of us want to hear next, then talk it over as the sweet sounds radiate from the speakers.

The rules for song selection? Look into your soul, let a song appear — and forget about what anyone else thinks! Bonus points for naming a song not yet in Spotify’s catalog, followed by a shot of scotch (optional) to dull the disappointing pain.

Not surprisingly, the entrancing NYC singer-songwriter Will Knox accepted the challenge, hot on the heels of his imaginatively-crafted EP release, Lexicon. So did FLUX Studios’ Account Manager Chris Sipes, who arranged for the inspiring Fabulous production/writing room to serve as our host venue for 60 minutes of Stump the Spotify!

Listening to a plethora of songs though Focal monitors in a beautiful mixing/mastering suite, the environment was an incubator for musical insights of all kinds. Here’s what went down (and feel free to pull up these songs yourself and listen along!):

Song 1:  David Weiss selects… “Blackest Eyes” by Porcupine Tree, from the 2002 album In Absentia

David: I really like the power of this song. This is one of those songs that I wish I had written.

Will: I haven’t heard this in a while.

David: The drummer is so good in this song, and it has an interesting song structure. The two choruses happen so fast, they’re so satisfying. Then they’re gone and the chorus doesn’t come back again.

Will: My roommate in college used to rock out to this all the time. He had long hair, and he used to be really into metal. He would just crank it and rock out to it. It’s such a strange song, because it starts out so hard. It could be Pantera. But when this soft vocal comes in, there’s a bit of a balance to it. It almost sounds like the guitarist came up with a riff, and the singer also had a song. They said, “We don’t know what to do with this, let’s put it together!” But it works.

Chris: I never heard this song before. I love it.

2Pac's "How Do You Want It"

Song 2:  Chris Sipes selects… “How Do You Want It” by 2pac, from the 1996 album All Eyes on Me

Chris: I like this song, because this is why I started listening to Tupac. I was in a hotel room as a child in Orlando, FL, and saw this video.

Will: I love this, I love Tupac. I’m a big fan of ‘90’s rap, don’t ask me why. It’s the opposite of what I write, so I can get some release from something that’s completely off the spectrum. This is what I listen to on the road. Absolutely, it’s stress release – it allows you to relax.

David: The deep funk and gospel groove of this song is crushing. I never heard it before! I really like it.

Will: Good choice, Chris!

Song 3:  Will Knox selects… “Pink Moon” by Nick Drake, from the 1972 album Pink Moon

Will: Nick Drake is from England. He died in the ‘70’s, this was his last record, released in 1972. He only released three records, and this was his last solo album.

Chris: He sounds like Bob Dylan…

Will: He was a different case – a tragic case really. He never saw success when he was alive, and he died of an overdose of sorts, passing away when he was very, very young – way before his time.

He’s a phenomenal writer that’s only been heard on the scale he deserves in the last 10 years or so. A song of his was used for a TV commercial, and people said, “Wow, who is this guy?” He still does have a cult following, like Elliot Smith. He’s wonderful. He’s probably my biggest influence.

David: Hey, I was born in 1972! This is from my year.

Will: The tape machine I bought the other night was made in 1972. A TEAC 1230 reel-to-reel, and the most amazing thing about it is that it still works. It came with a couple of reels of ¼” tape. It sounds beautiful, just so warm – just so not like Pro Tools, if that makes sense. It takes away something harsh, and makes everything sound sweeter.

Song 4:  David Weiss selects… “Don’t Stop ‘Till You Get Enough” by Michael Jackson, from the 1979 album Off the Wall

The FLUX Fabulous room -- a decidedly swell suite to Stump the Spotify!

STUMPED! The song is not in Spotify.

Will: It’s not there? How can you have a party without it?!

Song 5:  David Weiss selects… “Road to Somewhere” by Goldfrapp, from the 2008 album Seventh Three

Chris: I’ve never heard this. It’s very emotional music. I’m usually less on the introspective side of music – I wouldn’t have heard this if you hadn’t pulled it up, but I like it.

Will: I never listened to Goldfrapp, but I got really into this song. You’ve got to be in the right mood for it. And right now, chilling out with nothing else on my mind but listening to music on a great sound system, drinking whiskey, this works absolutely perfectly. I suppose you listen to music for specific occasions, and right now, that’s exactly what I wanted to hear.

But it’s definitely one of those things that, if you heard it in the wrong environment, you might not pay as much attention and give enough appreciation to it as you should. But that’s the same as with any music, isn’t it?

Song 6:  Chris Sipes selects… “Come as you Are” by Nirvana, from the 1991 album Nevermind

Will: I think I remember buying this on my 12th birthday…

Chris: I never liked the Foo Fighters, but I like Nirvana. This reminds me of “Where Did You Sleep Last Night?” off of the (1994) MTV Unplugged album, which is about him burning his ex-girlfriend and burying her. It’s a murderous song. You can hear he’s on the heroin in that song.

Song 7:  Will Knox selects… “Get In Line” by Ron Sexsmith, from the 2011 album Long Player Late Bloomer

NYC artist contemplates songwriting 24/7.

Will: Do you guys know Ron Sexsmith? He’s one of the great songwriters of our generation.

David: I don’t know anything about Ron Sexsmith.

Will: No one knows anything about Ron Sexsmith! Which is the phenomenal thing about him. He works with some very famous songwriters, like Feist’s song “Brandy Alexander” (on her 2007 album The Reminder).

As a lyricist and melody writer, I just think he’s so solid. All of his songs are very catchy, and so well-crafted. His lyrics are so tasteful, so clever. I think he’s one of those writers that doesn’t get enough credit for what he does.

He’s got quite a cult following. If you say you’re a Ron Sexsmith fan, people will come out of the woodwork and say, “Oh, you like him too?” Hopefully he’ll get the recognition he deserves.

Song 8:  David Weiss selects… “Synchronicity 1” by The Police, from the 1983 album Synchronicity

David: The Police were a band, that’s what I love about them.

Chris: That’s one of those amped-up songs – you put that in and it changes the room.

Will: You think, how would they produce that song now? Without that keyboard sound, for example – what would you replace? And would the Police be able to get listened to now?

David: Will, what do you think of the Police as songwriters?

Will: Well, I don’t know if you can really fault Sting for much that he’s done in his songwriting career. He’s a very solid songwriter. Even if you don’t like the Police, something’s gotta be said about the hits that they’ve written.

And Sting has had a lot of hits for a lot of reasons. His voice is so distinctive as well – he’s a high tenor, I guess? He wasn’t afraid to be experimental, which was interesting, because a lot of his songs are quite simple at heart. Lyrically and melodically, they’re basic themes.

Song 9:  Chris Sipes selects… “Born to Roll” by Masta Ace Incorporated, from the 1993 album SlaughtaHouse

FLUX's Chris Sipes has the power to look deep into souls using Spotify.

Chris: I had this one tape-recorded off of a radio station. This is a unique song. Its got some classy beats – “Low Rider”-hypnotic and slamming! With really cool lyrics. Very Snoop-sounding.

Will: Its ‘90’s rap. You can’t go wrong!

Song 10:  Will Knox selects… “The Day We Caught the Train” by Ocean Colour Scene, from the 1996 album Moseley Shoals

Will: I was excited to see if some of my favorite Britpop ‘90’s bands were here…Oh yeah, they’ve got it!

David: There’s a very “Day in the Life” feel to this song, at least at the start: A two-songs-in-one setup. Hey, it’s got real drums! Real jamming! Real emotion! And I like the fadeout.

Will: They put me in a time and a place that I remember being very happy. They’re one of those bands that comes from such a specific time in your life – Ocean Colour Scene was the soundtrack to everyone’s life in 1996.

Chris: It’s a nostalgic experience.

Will: Don’t you think that a lot of music is just nostalgia? I listen to a lot of songs now that I listened to at that time.

Song 11:  David Weiss selects… “Iris Art” by Echobelly, from the 1993 album Lustra

STUMPED! The song is not in Spotify.

David: I’m bummed. I think that’s a powerful rock song, but also very beautiful at the same time.

Song 12:  David Weiss selects… “Babelonia” by School of Seven Bells, from the 2010 album Disconnect from Desire

SonicScoop's David Weiss

Will: I like it, but there’s so much space in this song without lyrics. This is beautiful music — it’s blasting, I’m dancing, this is great – but I’m a little lost without lyrics. It’s a time-and-place thing again: I wouldn’t want to put my head in the headphones and listen to this. I’d want to dance to this.

Chris: I would watch this band perform. I’ll bet it would be very interesting – the value is in the performance.

David: I saw them live at Le Poisson Rouge.

Will: That’s the thing: So much music sounds better live, and when you buy the CD, the music transports you to that experience. If you hear a recording you wouldn’t understand it, but you see them live, and you want to convince your friends how good they are live.

Chris: Like you had to be there. But this is cool – it makes me want to go dancing with the people in the band.

Song 12:  Chris Sipes selects… “MotownPhilly” by Boyz II Men, from the 1991 album Cooleyhighharmony

Chris: I needed to mix it up! When I got a Sony CD/tape player, this was one of five CDs I got at the same time. It was this, Genesis, Tanya Tucker, the Boomerang soundtrack, and I don’t remember what the other one was…Oh! Def Leppard — Adrenaline.

Will: I had Def Leppard’s (1996 album) Slang.

David: And I bought (1983’s) Pyromania!

Will: Isn’t it funny that between us we spent $30 on Def Leppard, but in this new streaming society with Spotify its free, or its $10 a month for Rdio? So for that, all three of us can listen to all the music we want.

Times have changed. If Silicon Valley explodes tomorrow, the next generation is in trouble. They won’t have access to a whole ton of music.

Chris: Yeah, not to mention the CD covers you hung on your wall.

Will: Can we talk about this album cover? Look at their coats! But I almost don’t have an opinion of this song. It just is what it is! (laughs) It’s so dated, that it just sounds like one of those songs you can have a good time to.

The ghost of Hendrix was a fitting end to Round 1 of STS!

Song 12:  Will Knox selects… “Woke Up This Morning and Found Myself Dead” by Jimi Hendrix (featuring Jim Morrison), from the posthumous 1980 live album of the same name (originally recorded in 1968)

Will: I haven’t stumped Spotify, but I think I can: I have a vinyl collection with this live record by Jimi Hendrix, with Jim Morrison on it. The song is “Woke Up This Morning and Found Myself Dead”. If Spotify has this, I won’t say anything else bad about it. I’ll tip my hat.

The Hendrix original is not there, but Spotify delivers a cover by the band The Bollocks Brothers, from their 1986 album 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse:

Will: What a name for a band! And this sounds just like “You Can’t Touch This”. They must have sampled it. In the original, Jim Morrison is so high, he’s screaming profanities throughout the entire thing. Not just regular curse words – he goes above and beyond.

This actually makes me feel better, that Spotify didn’t have the Hendrix version. Because it’s on vinyl, and its not on Spotify: It means you can collect vinyl, and you’ll have stuff that Spotify won’t.

— David Weiss

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