Evil, Sexy Tango

August 29, 2014 4:57 PM

Three of my favorite songs share a similar sort of vibe, a vibe that I tend to think of as sort of tango-like, but with a sort of snarling, sinister edge. I'd like to find more stuff like this so that I could make a mix tape in this vein.

The songs:

Joe Henry - Stop (possibly more familiar via his sister-in-law Madonna's remake, "Don't Tell Me")
Firewater - Bourbon & Division
Cory Branan - The Snowman

Note: I am aware I am playing fast and loose with the word "tango." I'm less interested in busting out the pedantry and parsing out the right terminology than I am in finding more songs like the ones above.

Thanks in advance!

posted by DirtyOldTown to Media & Arts (17 answers total)

Tom Waits, 'Jockey Full of Bourbon' seems like a good start.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 5:09 PM on August 29, 2014 [6 favorites]

Grace Jones, "Libertango (I've Seen That Face Before)"?
posted by Merzbau at 5:10 PM on August 29, 2014 [2 favorites]

Whatever Lola Wants, Gotan Project cover of this awesome Sarah Vaughan song!!

Nthing Grace Jones.

You'll like other Gotan Project songs, too, I bet.
posted by jbenben at 5:18 PM on August 29, 2014 [1 favorite]

Tom Lehrer, "The Masochism Tango."
posted by MonkeyToes at 5:49 PM on August 29, 2014 [1 favorite]

Murder by death have some good ones.

On the Dark Streets Below.
One More Notch.
posted by St. Sorryass at 6:08 PM on August 29, 2014 [2 favorites]

Tindersticks, Rented Rooms. Or really you might like the vast majority of their stuff.
posted by jesourie at 6:36 PM on August 29, 2014 [1 favorite]

Didnt listen to the links but im throwing out: To the End of Love by JackBeats.
posted by oceanview at 6:52 PM on August 29, 2014

You want Nick Cave's Red Right Hand.
posted by kestrel251 at 7:48 PM on August 29, 2014 [4 favorites]

More Tom Waits: Telephone Call from Istanbul, Bad as Me, Everything Goes to Hell, and probably more I'm forgetting or not even aware of.
posted by usonian at 8:28 PM on August 29, 2014 [2 favorites]

Jason Webley's Dance While The Sky Crashes Down
posted by mannequito at 1:54 AM on August 30, 2014 [3 favorites]

Gotye, Coming Back
posted by sylvanshine at 5:56 PM on August 30, 2014

Ha, "evil, sexy tango" is a great description of a lot of Tom Waits' material.

I don't know that he's exactly in line with your seed tracks, but you may like Dr. John - old stuff like Babylon (69), Gumbo (72), In The Right Place (73) and new stuff like this track with Derek Trucks.
posted by stinkfoot at 6:02 PM on August 30, 2014 [1 favorite]

A lot of Johnny Dowd fits this description; Worried Mind is a pretty good example of this.
posted by carrienation at 6:57 PM on August 30, 2014 [1 favorite]

"Jezebel" by Reverend Horton Heat is kinda like that.
posted by mimi at 5:50 AM on August 31, 2014 [1 favorite]

Honey honey, Little Toy Gun.
posted by slateyness at 6:55 AM on August 31, 2014 [2 favorites]

Also, lots of Nick Cave's stuff fits this bill, especially Up Jumped the Devil.
posted by jesourie at 2:25 PM on September 2, 2014

You might like Elbow - The Fix.
posted by nosila at 3:08 PM on September 4, 2014 [1 favorite]