The Jealous Sound - "Broad Shoulders": "There was new Jealous Sound last year? And I just found out about it now? Damn.
It sounds like a slightly more upbeat take on their Kill Them With Kindness sound, their 2003 full-length, but that's a good thing!"
The English Beat - "Sole Salvation": "Smooth 60s-style pop with an 80s sophistication, a sound two members of The Beat would later revisit and refine on the first Fine Young Cannibals album as members of that band."
Sluts Of Trust - "Meanwhile in Rocksville": "Who would have thought that a band that sounds so garage-y would also be so charming? Tongue firmly planted in cheek from the 'meanwhile, in Rocksville...' intro on, the Sluts also taunt you with the meaning of the F-word and the heavy Scottishness of the whole thing adds to the aforementioned charmingness.
Totally unrelated: Happy Thanksgiving!"
Superchunk - "Foolish": "I find this song completely hypnotic, with its overlapping guitar melodies and waves of feedback distortion. The drum part is also strangely calming to me, even if it almost feels like a loop. One of my favorite songs ever. (Posted today for @mgrooves)"
Shakira - "Give It Up To Me (Featuring Lil Wayne)": "I don't think I'm going to get as obsessed with this as I did with "She Wolf", but there's something super-catchy about the 'is this what you wanted? / is this what you wanted?' and 'world music' breakdowns."
Mew - "Introducing Palace Players": "Mew is both wonderful and frustrating to me. They come up with such wonderful musical elements, but they always arrange them in a way that seems kind of...off, so you have to work to like it. Here, you can easily fall in with the jagged, post-punk guitar melody, but the drums behind it seem a breath off, like when a record is being played back at not quite the right speed. Then again, maybe that's the charm of it."
Melba Moore - "You Stepped Into My Life": "I had no idea that Melba Moore took on my favorite song re-discovery of the year, the Bee Gees' "You Stepped Into My Life" - and made it even more disco-fied than the original, which should have been impossible. It doesn't touch the glory of the Gibb original, but it's still fun to listen to."
Adina Howard - "Freak Like Me": "I have no idea what made this just pop into my head. Maybe it was all the 'baby' songs this week, but I just got the bridge and chorus in my head, both being amazing.
'I need a freak in the morning, freak in the evening, just like me!'"
Wham! - "Everything She Wants": "All of yesterday's talk of 'giving [someone] a baby' made me think of Mr. Michael's emphatic "having my baby" cry in this 80s pop classic. I think I remember doing yard work to this album when it came out..."
50 Cent - "Baby By Me (featuring Ne-Yo)": "In case it's unclear, I think 50 wants to give you a baby. This is not the only recent song to involve, um, giving people babies in that way, so I'm wondering if this is a new trend.
That second link, by the way, is to a new Hurricane Chris song and it makes the 50 song seem positively classy by comparison. NSFW."
Built To Spill - "Carry The Zero": "Led by guitarwork both meticulous and spacious, this song sounds like the template of so much indie rock to follow, but that BTS never got credit for. Frontman Doug Martsch really shines here, starting off mellow and unassuming, but becoming more passionate as the song continues. A real classic of 90s 'indie rock'."
Morrissey - "Don't Make Fun Of Daddy's Voice": "Um...this is just ripe for interpretation, but I should probably leave it alone."
Bad Lieutenant - "Twist of Fate": "It's hard not to hear New Order in this, what with NO frontman Bernard Sumner leading the band, but it's not a bad thing. It sounds like New Order's poppier work, but performed in the guitar-focused style of Get Ready. It's still a lot more fresh-sounding than that description might suggest and it's always a pleasure to hear Bernard rock out."
The Damnwells - "What You Get": "Enjoy this little slice of Replacements-style (but more taut) rockin'. Short and sweet, you'll wish it lasted twice as long."
LCD Soundsystem - "Starry Eyes (Original)": "Just another entry in my ongoing fascination with Nancy Whang, as previously noted in my posts about Soulwax and The Juan MacLean. If this continues, I'm going to have to make a Nancy Whang tag for the blog..."
Tori Amos - "New Age": "Tori takes on the Velvet Underground, although - interestingly - she picks the live 1969 version of this song as a template, not the album version from Loaded. I really like the keyboard treatment that supports most of the song, keeping things mellow, until the full band kicks in, allowing the song to simmer, subtly, to Tori's ending boil. "
Those Bastard Souls - "Good Luck Split Town Today": "This song comes across like young hubris and drunken mischief disguised as the effortless cool that comes from being blessed by dumb luck. It may sound straight from the garage, but it's not that simple - ex-Grifter Dave Shouse is single-handedly manning all the instruments, making its sloppy energy all the more amazing."
White Lies - "A Place To Hide": "Is it just me or does the intro musical section recall Giant Drag's "This Isn't It"? Granted, the song then goes in a much different direction, but I still can't help but notice the similarity.
(Not trying to knock White Lies, since they also have songs that stand on their own, for example: "E.S.T.".)"
Lady Gaga - "Paparazzi": "With Lady Gaga in the press all the time, I keep getting this song stuck back in my head, even when I try not to! I think there's some kind of subliminal programming in it..."
The Whigs - "In The Dark": "Less crunchy but no less energetic than previous efforts, this song is totally awesome. Can't believe we have to wait until next year for it to come out."
Posts
All Comments
