Jeremy Jay - "Airwalker": "I caught a part of Jeremy's set at SXSW and just realized I had never made him part of my SXSW `08 coverage. This song is one of my highlights from him - the vocals are a tad understated but the music sounds like a great 70s roller-skating groove."
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Ex-Boyfriends - "The Sound of Your Music": "The backing vocal 'oh-owoah-ho's are completely narcotic, while the guitars recall a blend of first-rate 90s indie rock, the kind that is simultaneously melancholy and exuberant - the drums in the chorus particularly supporting the latter."
The Lovin' Spoonful - "You Didn't Have To Be So Nice": "The song is kind of dopey, but the lead guitar part melody is the real star of the song - and its backbone as well."
Marianne Faithfull - "Sex With Strangers": "Beck sexes up Marianne Faithfull with a full Midnight Vultures makeover. She's all proper-sounding spoken word, but it still sounds like a slinky runway walk-off, punctuated by 'aaah's - probably by Beck - and dirty, burbling synths."
Franz Ferdinand - "The Fallen (Ruined By Justice)": "I don't know that I actually like this remix, but I do applaud how Justice totally re-invented this song in a way where the original elements can still be recognized without sounding at all like they did in the original version."
ZZ Top - "Rough Boy": "I know it makes the songs cheesier, but I love the synth-era ZZ Top tunes - even this 'sensitive' ZZ number. It's also probably because I have fond memories of its 'car wash in space' video, which is cooler than it sounds (but probably not nearly as cool as I remember it). They somehow found a way to get the ZZ Top car, girls, sci-fi elements, girls, searing guitar work, girls and Dusty all in one video and there's a certain magic in that combination."
The Kills - "U.R.A Fever": "I didn't like this track at first, but it's since grown on me. The minimalist programming of the initial verses still throws me off a little, but the stomping chorus, followed up by guitar stabs, is a great blend of dirtiness and crispness."
Meg Hentges - "This Kind Of Love": "New wave power pop with a Fountains of Wayne vibe, but the chorus is catchy and that's what you really need to know. The song is also appropriate for closing out this particular month."
Club 8 - "The Friend I Once Had": "Sweet and pretty, but also sad - you get the gist from the title. Kind of like a strummy Smiths song, but with soft female vocals."
Liz Phair - "6'1"": "I got to see Liz Phair doing Exile on Guyvile live in its entirety last night (thanks ATO!) and it reminded me how much I missed listening to this record. It came out when I still made mixtapes for myself and I swear that I must have put half of this album on various ones. It also made me realize that I never did the 'song-by-song' comparison between this album and the Stones' Exile on Main Street (which Guyville is a response to) - which is kind of odd, since that's one of my favorite records. Regardless, last night was a pleasant moment of nostalgia, even if it freaked me out that the record is 15 years old already."
The Foxglove Hunt - "A Concealed Weapon": "The music is so New Order, it's insane - but I mean that in the best possible way. The vocals are different, so it doesn't feel like a total NO knock-off, but it does glean some of their best elements from them. (No surprise that this band involves Joy Electric's frontman, Ronnie Martin, who made similar New Order-y grooves in the Brothers Martin project.)
Thanks to Matt Graves for this one."
Helium - "Silver Strings": "Even though I seem to recall the rest of this EP being overwhelmed with RenFaire Prog touches, this song doesn't share that baggage. Mary Timony's guitar leads spread magic across the song, the bass and drums propel her along and synth handclaps are just the frosting on top."
New Order - "Crystal": "Get Ready may not be the best New Order album, but I think this track stands up with some of their best. Many of the guitar parts are classic New Order (even the ones buried in the mix - some of those at the end deserve their own song!), but the production and programming makes the track feel fresh, especially with a harder vibe not seen much since "Blue Monday"."
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Butter 08 - "Butter of 69": "It's funny how much I enjoy what's essentially a throw-away, one-off album from a veritable who's who of quirky alt/indie rockers from the 90s. Russell Simins brings the grooves of Blues Explosion (without Jon Spencer's overbearing swagger), while Miho and Yuka (of Cibo Matto) offer quirky touches associated with their main band, except in a much more rough and electric setting. It's all in good fun, wrapped in a strange butter obsession."
The Twilight Sad - "Some Things Last a Long Time": "Uber-Scottish band The Twilight Sad take on the Jad Fair/Daniel Johnston melancholy classic (which has also been covered, with equal but different magic, by Built To Spill). Here, the vocals are impassioned, while the music is minimal and ghostly, creating a powerful - if fragile - dirge."
Marvin Pontiac - "Runnin' Round": "John Lurie masquerading as a slightly unhinged bluesman (the imaginary Marvin Pontiac) leads to great grooves and off-kilter lyrics - which is actually not that surprising, factoring in his offbeat acting roles. The album kind of got buried because it came from someone who didn't actually exist, but that doesn't mean it's not captivating in its blend of bar blues-rock and head-scratching lyrics - see also "Bring Me Rocks"."
David Bowie - "After Today": "This Bowie outtake from Young Americans overcomes its safe sax and sometimes-strained falsetto with a casually swinging vibe and a bit more earthiness than most of the other YA tracks. It feels like a refreshingly naked view at what were, otherwise, very polished sessions (albeit amazing, polished sessions)."
Joy Division - "Transmission": "What an awesomely kinetic song! I especially love the drums, the guitar lead that kicks in at the 1:42 mark and the vocals/chanting at the song's end ("and we can daaaaaaaaaaaance!") - all bursting with energy. Never fails to feel electric, no matter how many times I've heard this."
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Radiohead - "Myxomatosis": "Great later-period Radiohead - The drums are off-kilter and a bit frantic, the keyboards are aggressive and ominous, and Thom Yorke's vocals run the gamut from disaffected to panicked. It's a dark number filled with unease - not unlike falling down a long staircase - but it shakes the arty detachment that is often the downside of their recent work."
Aimee Mann - "Long Shot": "Great power-pop guitar riffs tempered with cool-but-sweet vocals and pretty guitar leads equal a more subtle take on alt rock - appropriately catchy and crunchy, but with better restraint."
"It's strange to find two very different, but almost equally perfect versions of the same song, but if anyone's done it, Yo La Tengo has.
Yo La Tengo - "Blue Line Swinger"
In the Original version, from Electr-o-pura, "Blue Line Swinger" is a sprawling 9+ minute epic that grows gradually until the cymbals and guitars crash like building ocean waves. By the time you reach the sweetly reverbed "ba ba ba ba"s at the song's conclusion, they're the candy-coated life preservers in an ocean of sound. (In fact, few do "ba ba ba"s as well as YTL - especially on this record - and, here, they're freaking perfect.)
Yo La Tengo - "(thin) Blue Line Swinger"
In the "thin" version, from the Camp Yo La Tengo EP, the song has been edited and remixed down to a roughly four-minute version. While one could argue that the song has definitely been reined in, it somehow segues together key parts of the original, but in new ways. This is most notable in the intro, which strips the instrumentation to the acoustic guitar largely buried in the chaos of the original, building up musically from that instead of the multi-minute intro jam that originally birthed it.
It always amazes me that YTL were able to craft a new song out of their own work - as opposed to a third party remixer finding the different pieces for themselves.
It's a great song either way, so it just depends on which version you're in the mood for."
Marilyn Manson - "Long Hard Road Out Of Hell": ""Not that different than many other Manson rock numbers, but the female backing vocals (which I think come from the Sneaker Pimps??*) definitely provide a nice contrast to Marilyn's brooding, especially the "doo doo doo" part after the chorus. The "I wanna LIVE! I wanna LOVE!" delivery building up to the explosive, thrashy chorus, also provides the song with a great dramatic flow. Highly enjoyable.
* - As well as debuted on the Spawn movie soundtrack"
David Bowie - "The Secret Life Of Arabia": "This song may be low-key, but it still blows me away. From the grand-standing dramatic poses that also seem to double as narcissistic sexual ambiguity ("I walk through a desert song as the heroine dies..."), the song feels like the 1920s by way of outer space. I'll always love the processed-sounding drums by Dennis Davis (as on Bowie's other late-70s work) and the (male? female?) backing vocals creating a sound that's simultaneously modern and retro."
Morcheeba - "What New York Couples Fight About (featuring Kurt Wagner)": "I'm not sure that this pairing of electronic-tinged Morcheeba and Lambchop frontman Kurt Wagner totally works - the beginning verses are particularly sparse and awkward - but the chorus is pretty alluring. A strange sing-song duet, it doesn't really sound like either band, but you can still pick out their respective sounds from it. It's like a science experiment gone wrong, but the chorus still bears fruit."
Ladytron - "Paco!": "I don't actually know for sure that this is a tribute to Are You Being Served?, but it sure feels like it is. It may not have the cash-register percussion of the show's theme, but it's still the coolest tribute to that show I can think of."
Family Fodder - "Debbie Harry": "I had posted about this song before, as covered by Unrest (which they revised as "Winona Ryder"), which is amazing, but the original still takes the cake. The Family Fodder's version is sexier (thanks to the French-accented vocals) and is simultaneously both funnier and more extreme ("Deborah Harry, I'm having your baby!"; "Debbie is ac/dc!"). Thanks to Chris O for pointing me at this many a year ago."
Weezer - "Pork and Beans": "The verses are throwaway (and creepily reminiscent of Sugar Ray - ew!), but the chorus is gold, even if it sounds like they're thieving from their debut album - at least they did it well!"
X - "Los Angeles": "This song still blows me away - and it's been around for how long now? The interplay between John and Exene sounds just as fresh today as it did when they made it - literally: I saw them do this song at SXSW this year and they still rock this live. The energy of this song is always infectious - a classic song for the City of Angels."
Autolux - "Audience No. 2": "Ladies and gentlemen, Autolux is back - and they are still excellent. As always, Carla Azar's drumming is a sparce but religious experience, so good it could be a song on its own. It just helps that it has woozy rock to go with it, making it even better."
Fischerspooner - "The Best Revenge": "The horns are a nice touch, but if this is the best they can do now, it seems like Fischerspooner is suffering from the law of diminishing returns..."
The Apples in Stereo - "Shine (In Your Mind)": "Yes! I am so excited that this track has surfaced. I discovered it as a bonus track on an old Spin Art sampler years ago - and, even then, I could not believe how such a great song could be abandoned on what was essentially a retail sampler. I'm glad that the Apples have finally put out a new odds-n-sods collection and put this on it. It's jangly, pretty and sweetly infectious. I get tingly just listening to it."
Revolting Cocks - "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?": "This take on the Rod Stewart original pulls the disco out and replaces it with a sleazy, mechanical bump and grind rhythm. It's probably a bit too scary to be a stripper anthem, but that doesn't mean that still shouldn't be one anyway. Some sly changes to the lyrics, the old-style organ replacing the sax lead and other touches show the humour behind the lasciviousness, even if it's hard to notice behind the spoken-word dirty Brit vocals - which are also aces."
Dio - "Rainbow In The Dark":
"Dio is awesome. Why, you ask?
Because he can take a song with MAD STUPID lyrics like this one (HELLO!!: "you've left been left on your own / like a rainbow in the dark!"...uh...what???) and make it sound not only good, but bad-ass. Sure, it helps that there's some shredding guitar parts in this song, but Dio brings the real magic. (And it's pretty cool that - a la "Holy Diver" - he yells out "LOOK OUT!" - as only Dio can - near the end of this tune.)"
White Gold and The Calcium Twins - "Tame The White Tiger": "I stumbled across a commercial about this 'band' on Comedy Central. The 'rock god' + 'milk' concept was pretty over the top for a milk ad, so I couldn't help but laugh. After realizing there was a tag to hear their music on Rhapsody (!), I went online and checked out their three-song EP, thinking it was a pretty crazy thing to come out of a milk ad. To my great glee, I realized it was ballsy rock music about milk and its calcium-y goodness - provided by Electric Six's Dick Valentine in all his insane glory. This song may be the coolest advertisement I've ever been aware of."
M83 - "Skin Of The Night": "I know I'm breaking my own blog rules by posting about the same album more than once in a single week - especially when I hardly blog about the same album twice ever - but I've been obsessed with this M83 album since December - and now that I can finally share it, it's like popping a cork on a bottle of champagne. I can't hold myself back!"
M83 - "Kim & Jessie": "Synth-shoegaze as only M83 can do it. Beautiful, gauzy, shimmering - this track is aces. You should love it as I do! Check it out exclusively at Rhapsody now!"
Hum - "Green To Me": "After "Stars" became a fluke hit on their previous record (You'd Prefer An Astronaut), people's expectations were unrealistic for the next Hum record - at least in terms of commercial success. While those hopes were sadly unrealized, the album (Downward Is Heavenward) is filled with heavy-sounding songs that still have melodies tucked inside the walls of noise, like this one. (The major label polish that pulls the vocals out of the fuzz of their previous records have something to do with that - making the experience a bit less spacey, but a bit sweeter in the trade-off.)"
Soulwax - "E Talking" (Nite Version): "Starts out like Blondie's "Heart of Glass", then the real drums and synth hand claps kick in, then the keys. You think the song is building, but then this bass line kicks in and it's like the bottom dropped out - and then the song really kicks in. Knowing that Soulwax did this to their own song makes it all the more brilliant.
(Bonus points for having Nancy Whang from LCD Soundsystem add some spoken word. Makes it even cooler!)"
White Shoes & The Couples Company - "Tentang Cita": "Another band I fell in love with at SXSW. Imagine what the band that did the Love Boat theme song looks like - but from Indonesia and in their early 20's - and in the present day. Their earnest interest in 70s soft pop - often sung in Indonesian - is what elevates their music over mere kitch. This is not some irony-filled NYC hipster band, these kids really love this sound.
Live, their secret weapon is lead singer Aprilia who, while cooing at you softly, swings her arms around in a gentle and completely hypnotizing way. You may not understand what she's singing about, or even what her 'hand dances' mean, but she's completely mesmerizing anyway."
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Whale - "Crying At Airports": "This band was, understandably, written off as a minor, novelty one-hit wonder for "Hobo Humpin' Slobo Babe" - and, if that's all you heard, I would understand. Turns out they had much better music in them, it just hadn't come out yet. Aside from having a great title, their later album All Disco Dance Must End In Broken Bones is, at turns, moody, quirky, and packed with nervous energy. "Crying At Airports" is probably my favorite track on the album, propelled by druggy bass and vocals, punctuated by a Swedish-accented speed rap, and still oddly catchy. Definitely more than a mere curiosity."
The Wombats - "Lost In the Post": "Giddy British rock with a touch of snottiness, ofset my great backing harmonies and energetic riffs. A Rhapsody U.S. premiere!"
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Does It Offend You, Yeah? - "Dawn of the Dead": "This album brings the party in a serious way, but not nearly as much as they do live, as I witnessed recently in Austin. Strangely, with all the robodance on the album, it's this awesome new-wave-influenced track that wins me over, even if it is a bit out of place with the rest of the record. Hell, I'll admit - it's probably the synth hand claps. Always a sucker for those."
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Ringo Deathstarr - "Down On You": "I missed these guys at SXSW because I got the memo about them too late - but missing them is what made me check out their EP, which features this highlight track. Fabulous noise-pop, it takes the lurching melodic buzz of the first Lilys record to an even sweeter conclusion."
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The Killers - "Shadowplay": "I know I shouldn't like The Killers doing Joy Division, but I have to admit that I do. While it clearly doesn't have the raw electricity of the original, this crisper-sounding take on the song is no less dark, while having a 'cooler' sound and is maybe even a bit sexy (although I hesitate to use that word)."
Be Your Own Pet - "The Kelly Affair": "I'm not sure that I like this tribute to Beyond The Valley of The Dolls, probably because I love the original just too darn much, but I do love that they recreate Ashley St. Ives' screams of "Bentley! Rolls!" during the guitar solo."
A Place to Bury Strangers - "Don't Think Lover": "I stumbled onto these guys at the Hot Freaks party at the Mohawk. It starts off like harsh JAMC, before shifting into `60s guitar rock in an echo chamber, before shifting back to JAMC distortion, then back again to 60s rock with a wistful, garage-y guitar lead. It's not nearly as jarring as it sounds."
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Cut Copy - "Lights and Music": "These guys helped people to get their dance on at our party (Rhapsody Rocks Austin), despite it being 2:30 in the afternoon! Not radically different from their first album, although not in a bad way, this track manages an excellent blend of 80s synths with catchy guitar riffs to make a futuristic jam."
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Robyn - "With Every Heartbeat": "I first got turned onto this song when on vacation in London last fall, but it wasn't until the tidal wave of attention started for her in the US that I really got into it. Robyn's candy-coated but emotional vocals paired pulsing synths are a simple but great combo - made even better by the fact that she can bring it live, as I witnessed first hand at SXSW last week."
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Santogold - "Creator": "So, yes, I can see the similarities to M.I.A., but having been familiar with Santi White's (a.k.a. Santogold) past work (which spans rock to R&B), I know she's just a chameleon and this is just one element of what she does. Plus, I'm in love with her female dancers - dressed in clothes that mix military and flight attendant looks, they do funky robotic dances/poses while they sing, all behind dark shades. I know it sounds like a gimick, but it lets Santi party while her girls hold down the Kraftwerk lock and step around her. It's tight."
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The Ting Tings - "Great DJ": "I feel like this was one of the breakout songs of South by Southwest this year - lots of people went to see them live and I heard this song played at other parties too. It takes a second to get exciting, but every time they get to the chorus, there's some serious electro-rock pogoing going on. I'm sure it'll be in a commercial soon enough!"
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Chikita Violenta - "Laydown": "This sounds like great Brit-styled alt-rock, even with a touch of shoegaze-tinged hushed vocals, except that this band is from Mexico! Thanks to IODA's SXSW day party for helping me to stumble onto them quite accidentally!"
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Wire - "1 2 X U": "So simple and with so few words, but with so much energy that it's brilliant - not to mention economical, at under two minutes long."
The Carpenters - "Superstar": "I re-discovered this at the karaoke bar the other night. It's so amazingly cheesy, especially the "baby baby baby baby oh baby" part - but that's the part that got everyone in the bar singing along. Total guilty pleasure. (And, no, unlike "Let's Dance", I did not sing this one.)"
David Bowie - "Let's Dance": "I did this song for karaoke last night at my friend Courtney's birthday party. She thought I did a good job with it, but I wanted to go back and listen to the original to hear how it's really done!"
Ex-Boyfriends - "Private D": "This song reminds me of everything I loved about indie rock in the 90s. Not unlike the-dear-to-my-heart Superchunk, this song is melodic, it rocks - and dammit, when they harmonize with all their lungs while singing "...like a private detective!" in the chorus, I challenge you not to sing along with them. Hell, once you know it, you'll sing along with the whole chorus. It's like pop music wrapped in crunchy rock and filled with heart."
M83 - "Couleurs": "I first heard this song two months ago and I'm still obsessed with it now. PLAY IT! PLAY IT! PLAY IT!"
Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova - "Falling Slowly" - "This song won the Oscar last night for Best Song and I couldn't be happier. It's a beautiful and heartfelt tune that was far less calculated than its competition in that catagory, yet far more emotional. I only hope that a whole new audience will discover it now."
Killing Joke - "Love Like Blood": "This awesomely Goth-ish (Goth-esque? Avant-goth?) Brit-rock number shows just one of Killing Jokes' many faces, proving themselves here both dark and danceable."
Pino Donaggio - "Body Double (from Body Double)": "I watched Body Double the other week for the first time, while I was home sick. It had its moments, despite being a pretty brain-dead take on Vertigo and other Hitchcock, but this 'song' from the score stayed with me. This is the tune they play every time the male lead watches a mystery woman do a private dance - through his telescope. The synths are pretty 80s Euro-cheese - as are the breathy female vocals - but it's catchy anyway."
Jane Wiedlin & Sparks - "Cool Places": "Jane Wiedlin and Sparks' Russell Mael's low-key interplay makes them sounds like dorks trying to party...but that still makes them cool, doesn't it? New wave gold."
The Posies - "Coming Right Along": "I'm not really familiar with the Posies, but Rhapsody put this song in my (user-responsive) Personal Playlist and I was immediately fascinated by the dirge-like, ominous tune. There's something about the minimal presentation that plays up the dark, eerie qualities of the instrumentation. Heavy."
The B-52's - "Mesopotamia": "A warped history lesson featuring Fred Schneider, the B-52s walked like an Egyptian before the Bangles did, complete with the Kate/Cindy vocal harmonies that made their songs so glorious."
Beck - "Deadweight": "Lazy insects buzzing over South-of-the-border swaying winds up sliding down backwards behind sticky falsetto and fumbling Hammond organ fingerings. A great Beck tune that you can really get lost in."
Tsunami - "In A Name": "Wow, I haven't heard this song in so long. This is from the time that my best friend was turning me onto all this indie rock and noise pop, a lot of it female-fronted bands anywhere from Belly to The Frumpies. Tsunami was part of this group and it wasn't long before I was ordering 'how-to' guides on starting a record label from their label, Simple Machines. (Not that I started one, in the end...)"
The Whigs - "Like A Vibration": "We premiered this song - in an exclusive, live Rhapsody Originals version - several months ago. Now we're premiering the studio version on their new album, Mission Control. The good news is that, even when they took the song into the studio, it still rocks hard."
Guns N' Roses - "You Could Be Mine": "This song always makes me think of T2 and: "'You could be miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnneeeee!!!!' Oh, Axl, what happened?"
The Bee Gees - "Nights On Broadway": "This one's for Stephanie. I can see why she likes this tune!"
Kent-"Elvis": "Fabulous Britrock, a la Buffseeds or darker Travis (think 'Re-Offender') - except that these lads are Swedish! Sadly, they didn't hit U.S. gold, so Americans never got to hear Hagnesta Hill - their next, and even better record, which only came out in Europe."
Kaiser Chiefs - "Everything Is Average Nowadays": "Depends on how you define average, no? I'll take this song as tongue-in-cheek and vote it definitely above-average!"
Isaac Hayes - "Run Fay Run": "Speaking of Isaac Hayes, here's a great Hayes instrumental number - all jittering with percussion, while an electric guitar machine guns peppers the track...and then the horns and strings kick in. Funky and tasty."
Hooverphonic - "2Wicky": "Remember when trip-hop was the big new thing? For those of you who don't, it was largely UK-based artists conjuring smokey atmospheres over sparse beats, usually with an altered soul sample somewhere in the mix. I realize this is a pretty rough distillation of the genre, but I think this track is still a great example of that concept, with the killer mood to match.
Oh - to the point of the soul sample, a huge chunk of this track comes from Isaac Hayes' cover of 'Walk On By'."
The PeeChees - "I Could Have Loved You": "Raucous, energetic and lightly abrasive - I dare you not to thrash and pogo to this rocker. Its brutal simplicity is part of its charms, especially with lyrics like 'I could have loved you / but you, but you / DON'T! LIKE! ME!' You could take the second to realize it's a song of unrequited love, but you should be too busy burning down the barn to notice."
Dinosaur Jr - "Goin' Home": "The softer side of Dinosaur Jr. I revisited this record over the holidays and I remembered how much I like it, but also realized how scary it is that it's now been 15 years (!) since it came out."
M83 - "Teen Angst": "The beat has the steady clip of someone running, but the keyboards sound like wave crashes with the vocals as the resultant spray on top. Dreamy.
(Related note: I've heard the new M83, out next year, and it's freaking awesome. I cannot wait for it to come out!)"
Michael Penn - "Now We're Even": "Once a part of Michael's Free For All album, this track vanished when RCA re-issued Free For All and his debut record, March on one disc. Strangely, the track was not resurrected for the Palms and Runes, Tarot and Tea compilation on SBMG/Legacy - but at least my pals at Legacy were willing to play ball and attach the track to the digital version of the record. It's bad enough when b-sides fall off the face of the earth as formats change and time passes, but an album track suffering that fate is pretty horrible. Thanks to Legacy for not allowing that to happen here!"
Ludacris - "What's Your Fantasy (Remix)": I love this song for two reasons:
1. The yelling of "Remix! REMIX! REMIX!!" at the beginning of the song. I just think it's funny to call it out like that.
2. It's awesomely nasty, but catchily so. Serious parental advisory on this one."
Lusk - "Backworlds": "Despite featuring a former member of Tool, this song couldn't be any more dissimilar from that band. Here, lush production swirls hushed vocals, squiggly keyboards, metallic guitars and atmospheric washes into a offbeat pop wonderland.
There are probably only four people who get this joke, but - I wonder, is Paul D'Amour still on honeymoon in Turkey?"
Cake - "Never, Never Gonna Give You Up": "Cake does Barry White and it actually works, in a fun way. I seem to recall that this is from the American Werewolf In Paris soundtrack, which I might have had at the time (for some reason? maybe someone gave it to me?), so it's triggering a 1997 flashback for me.
(The track now appears on Cake's new b-sides/rarities comp.)"
Giant Drag - "This Isn't It": "Normally, I don't blog about the same artist three times, let alone three songs from the same record, but I am here, for Giant Drag's "Hearts and Unicorns". (I know, I checked.) The vocals are sweet and sad, the music is fuzzy, the chord progression really works for me and...damn, I just love this record. It almost scares me to hear whatever they do next, because it might never be this good."
Snoop Dogg - "Sensual Seduction": "This song is a pretty cheesy love jam and one that would be unbearable if it wasn't coming from Snoop Dogg. Somehow, in his hands - despite the fact that he's singing now - this song becomes a real pimp anthem. And I don't mean 'pimp' as in booty-kickin' street pimp - I mean 'pimp' as in smooth seducer...which is basically what the song's about. I should be lamenting this soft turn for him, but it actually makes me respect him more."
Serge Gainsbourg - "Panpan Cucul": "A belated souvenir from my trip to Paris. I picked up a bunch of Gainsbourg comps (unreleased in America, although most of the material is still available here in one form or another) and, while catching up on my foreign purchases last night, I turned up this track. I hadn't heard it before, but hearing Serge hiss about spankings (if I translated correctly) over a slow 70s-style piano-and-guitar groove is just...well, awesome."
The Teenagers - "Starlett Johansson": "I admit this track caught my eye because of the title, but it proves interesting beyond that - a weird mix of Euro spoken word and breathy indie pop, all somewhat about Ms. Scarlett Johansson."
Superchunk - "Tie A Rope To The Back Of The Bus": "...mainly because I am sitting at the back of the bus on the way to and from work every day, on the MUNI. But also because I love this song!"
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Barbara Lewis - "Hello Stranger": "One of my favorite 'oldies radio' songs, along with Eddie Floyd's "Knock On Wood". It's just a really smooth song with suave backing vocals, enough rhythm to be interesting and a perfect touch of both longing and 'come hither' from Barbara herself."
Krokus - "Screaming In The Night": "This post comes with thanks to Nick and the Interweb. While watching Metal Mania on VH1 Classic with Nick the other night, I described to him this video I remembered from the early days of MTV, where a metal band were some kind of slaves in a future world, but somehow wound up in a 80s-style diner, watching their 'former world' on the diner TV. The problem was, I couldn't remember who the band was or what the song was - or, likely, never knew in the first place.
Turns out, I didn't quite remember it all correctly, but - after 24 years (!) of not knowing who/what the video was, it turns out the correct answer was Krokus and 'Screaming In The Night.' Now the long-running mystery has been solved!
It's not the best transfer, but if you want to see the video, you can watch it here and read this great written summation of the video here. Seriously awesome 80s metal video."
Heart - "Barracuda": "I finally started playing Guitar Hero III this weekend and I was very excited to try my hand at this little number. Of course, I sucked my way through the first take, since I once again* underestimated the wicked guitar work of Heart - but never again!
* - See "Crazy On You", along with my initial Guitar Hero post on the Rhapsody Staff Blog.
P.S. - Since last month, it's hard for me to think of this song without thinking of Glenn F's impression of Celine Dion doing this song. Priceless!"
Barcelona - "Studio Hair Gel": "The keyboards are excellent and the sassy female vocals, taunting about bad `80s taste and hipsterism, add up to sharp new wave."
William Shatner - "Theme From Cyrano / Mr. Tambourine Man": "Actually, this might be even more amazing than the other Shatner tune I just posted. How the hell did he come up with this?"
William Shatner - "How Insensitive": "Pure Shatner magic, `60s vintage."
Benny Benassi - "Satisfaction": "Normally, this song would make me think of sexy robots (kind of like in the Bjork video for "All Is Full Of Love", but much faster) - but, for anyone who's seen the video, it's hard not to think of jiggling."
The Gossip - "Standing In The Way of Control (Soulwax Nite Version)": "In the original version, The Gossip started an indie dance party. Now Soulwax transforms the song into what I can only describe as riot disco, somehow keeping the original's thrashy vibe while pumping up the bass and the Beth Ditto."
A. A. Bondy - "No Man Shall": "Verbena's Scott Bondy - now performing as A.A. Bondy - fully reveals his mellow, melancholy side on this first solo record. We've seen elements of this before in Verbena ("Me and Yr Sister")", but here he allows that side of him to take full reign and, even without the distorted rock that was the cornerstone of Verbena anywhere to be found, it's a suprisingly fulfilling affair. (Thanks to Dick Huey for flagging this one for me. Without him, I don't know if I would have made the Scott/A.A. connection.)"
The Locust - "The Half-Eaten Sausage Would Like To See You In His Office": "I know I essentially said 'Happy Thanksgiving' yesterday - but this song really says Happy Thanksgiving. So, uh, once again - gobble gobble."
Belly - "Feed The Tree": "Most of us will be feeding our bellies tomorrow - and here, Belly feeds the tree - so, basically, this is my strange way of saying Happy Thanksgiving.
(And I'll never pass up a chance to show my love for Belly.)"
Res - "They-Say Vision": "Another cross-genre casualty! Much like other artists who don't fit neatly into one category, like Nikka Costa, Res never quite nailed an audience. Her album crossed R&B, reggae and other genres - while this song, one of my favorites, was almost alt-rock in nature. People didn't know what to do with her, so she faded away, but this track is a gem."
The Rolling Stones - "Sway": "It's dark, it's down, it's dirty and it's one of my favorite Rolling Stones songs."
Office - "Company Calls": "When the song starts off with lyrics like 'you're a big city woman / with big city responsibilities', it feels like it might veer off into Rick Springfield grand-standing pop-rock territory. Instead, the chorus kicks in, trading off lead vocals with group vocals, like cascading rockets filled with 80s new wave goodness, glistening with a light Arcade Fire sheen."
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