Helium - "Ocean of Wine": "This has been stuck in my head all day, mainly because of Mary Timony's sweet "oooo"s, over the different keyboard parts (retro lead melody, fake strings, etc.) It's a strange blend of modern and 70s retro elements that are hard to describe, but extremely enjoyable."
NOFX - "Creeping Out Sara": "I would love to hear what Tegan & Sara think of this song...but I have a feeling they don't think it's that funny...but hey, I could be wrong."
Portishead - "Strangers": "The nearly a cappella part near the beginning is nice, but I really like it for the counterpart it provides to what it leads into - a echoing beep, followed a nasty fuzz guitar and a deep bass beat. (Actually, this song does kind of make me want a lowrider that bounces.) When you add all that to the powerfully pained Beth Gibbons vocals, not to mention the 'snag' at 02:11 in the song, it's almost too much for me. I am totally feeling this right now."
Cave In - "Inspire": "I just stumbled back onto this record yesterday. I know their non-major-label titles (all but this one, I believe) are heavier sounding, therefore more fan faves, but I still really like this record. As with many tracks on the record, this song recalls both Failure (think "Undone", in particular) and No Knife with its blend of thick-sounding rock that comes out swinging and clear melody."
Tears for Fears - "Change": "I guess 'change / you can change' could be a positive message, but it feels more like 'change' in a bad way. Either way, it's a great, dark pop song, especially with the chiming percussion tones. As far as the video's concerned, I'll never forget how something as pedestrian as a metal statue getting up and walking seemed so revolutionary at the time. Of course, videos were pretty fresh and new at the time..."
Electrik Red - "So Good" (edited): "Doesn't this sound like a 'women of Prince' (Vanity, Apollonia, etc.) song from the 80s, with the crisp drum machine and funk bass poking out at points? I picked the 'edited' version for this post because I (surprisingly) find the profanity in the original really unnecessary. The women of Prince said some really dirty stuff, but usually without the actual expletives..."
Verbena - "White Girls": "From Verbena's sadly-overlooked final album, La Musica Negra. While I do miss the sweet-but-pained harmony vocals from former bassist/singer Anne-Marie, this album loses the overly-crazy aggression of the previous album (Into The Pink), while regaining some of the pop melody of their debut EP (Pilot Park) without being anywhere near as saccharine. This track is a great example of that."
Fine Young Cannibals - "Don't Look Back": "I know everyone is sick-to-death of 'She Drives Me Crazy', understandably, but The Raw and The Cooked is a solidly enjoyable pop record that jumps through different genres (from 60s soul to dance) without sounding schizophrenic. Too bad they didn't do anything else after this!"
The Lightning Seeds - "Change": "Even though it's not fluffy or mindless in the slightest, it's hard for me not to think of this song (as well as many other songs by The Lightening Seeds) as a feel-good song. (Is there something wrong with me that I equate "feel-good" and "mindless"?) I love the vocals and the keys in the 'oh you fool / you got me started' outro in particular."
Beastie Boys - "Shadrach": "I think think Paul's Boutique is my favorite Beasties record because it sounds like music from different years and styles being put into a freaked-out blender, then served up with sharp-yet-silly rhymes. The blink-and-you'll-miss-it sampling helps to take some pretty big musical pieces and somehow still turn them into a sum greater than its parts, becoming one of the best arguments for sampling in the modern era."
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