Prince - "When Doves Cry"

Prince - "When Doves Cry": "It seems like Purple Rain keeps being played around me lately, both at bars and on cable. Years later, it's fascinating to watch Prince's obvious mystique sandwiched between his non-acting and over-acting, depending on the moment. It often seems like the best acting in the movie is when Wendy chews Prince out in the dressing room - although it's probably just a pretty genuine moment for her. At least it's better than when the apparently poor Apollonia gives Prince - who has largely been a total dick to her - a fancy guitar...and then gets smacked around, simply for joining Morris' group. (OK, I know it's supposed to be a 'betrayal' to Prince, but come on, he got a guitar from the lady! And Morris does put her in some very fine lingerie...on stage anyway. Prince, in return, only gives Apollonia a questionable hoop earing.)
Purple Rain itself aside, this song is classic, even if it has some very 80s elements into it. The group "ooh-oh-whoa"s are solid and nothing can top Prince's "AAA! AAA! AAA!" cries, done as only Prince can."

Rilo Kiley - "Under The Blacklight"

Rilo Kiley - "Under The Blacklight": "Even though the songs are wildly dissimilar as a whole, the vocal melody in the first verse really reminds me of the theme to Dollhouse, even if it's just a split second similarity. (I've just recently gotten into Dollhouse, just in time for it to be cancelled, naturally.)"

Adam Ant - "Desperate But Not Serious"

Adam Ant - "Desperate But Not Serious": "I have a band-aid on my face today (long story), so I'm just going to tell people that I'm starting a new fashion trend, as if I was Adam Ant from back in the day."

The Folk Implosion - "Free To Go"

The Folk Implosion - "Free To Go": "Lou Barlow touches his poppy side with this catchy tune, even if there's still something sad behind the electro-tinged indie rock bounce."

Aqua Teen Hunger Force - "All I Want For Christmas Is My One Front Tooth"

Aqua Teen Hunger Force - "All I Want For Christmas Is My One Front Tooth": "Merry Christmas, everyone!"

Failure - "Saturday Saviour"

Failure - "Saturday Saviour": "The lead-off track from Failure's amazing Fantastic Planet. They did 90s alt rock better than the bands who got famous for just that, with their major riffs and pounding drums, but it just didn't happen for them, in that commercial sense. Make up for this wrong by listening to this right now."

Belly - "Full Moon, Empty Heart"

Belly - "Full Moon, Empty Heart": "I remember how deeply I fell in love with Belly's Star when it came out, a love that continues to this day. There are still records coming out that I listen to a lot, maybe even obsess over, but it's been a while since I fell head-over-heels for a complete album, the way I did for this one (and others from the same time period). Perhaps it's just nostalgia? Or perhaps it's just hard to duplicate the blend of pop, quirk, melancholy and melody the way this album did."

The Jets - "You Got It All"

The Jets - "You Got It All": "To Rocky - love, Walgreens"

Peter Bjorn and John - "Nothing To Worry About (Rhapsody Originals Version)"

Peter Bjorn and John - "Nothing To Worry About (Rhapsody Originals Version)": "The original is catchy, if a little too clean, so this looser and rougher live version is a welcome reworking. (Plus the song has grown on me from all the It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia promos it got used in.)"

Mick Jagger - "Memo From Turner"

Mick Jagger - "Memo From Turner": "Mr. Jagger at his swaggery best, from the movie Performance, even if it still sounds like a Stones tune. Probably my favorite part of that movie as well."

A Place to Bury Strangers - "Keep Slipping Away (Richard Fearless Remix)"

A Place to Bury Strangers - "Keep Slipping Away (Richard Fearless Remix)": "Not a radical reworking of the original, instead with Richard Fearless (Death In Vegas) taking the various song elements and tweaking them in subtle ways. I particularly like the new drums, which are retuned from the original crispness into something even more abrasive and drum machine-y."

The Strokes - "Soma"

The Strokes - "Soma": "I remember when this album came out - I was living in the world's smallest apartment in Manhattan and there were a lot of arguments with friends about if this band was worth the buzz or not. The press might not have been able to contain their excitement, justified or not, but there is a certain charm to this album, even with the distance of time. It's fun in a pompous-yet-casual way and the light fuzz gives everything a warm feeling."

The Raveonettes - "Last Dance"

The Raveonettes - "Last Dance": "It took me a while to warm up to it, but this is the happiest-sounding 80s movie/new wave tribute that's really about death. I suppose it's the sound of a double-decker bus crashing into us...
(You can also download it for free here.)"

Alan Parsons Project - "Eye In The Sky"

Alan Parsons Project - "Eye In The Sky": "R.I.P. APP vocalist Alan Woolfson. This song is your smooth rock radio gold."

Spoon - "Chicago At Night"

Spoon - "Chicago At Night": "I'm not in Chicago tonight, but this late night feels like this song anyway."

The Jealous Sound - "Broad Shoulders"

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"

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"

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"

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)"

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 - "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"

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"

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"

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)"

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"

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"

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"

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"

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)"

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 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"

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"

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"

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"

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."

The Go-Go's - "Vacation"

The Go-Go's - "Vacation": "That's right folks, even I eventually take a vacation. See y'all in a week!"

Michael Penn - "This Is The Life"

Michael Penn - "This Is The Life": "Michael Penn may talk about having an anti-technology bias, particularly with digital music, so I have to praise him for releasing his three new tunes from the IFC mini-series Bollywood Hero as a digital EP, just to make sure the fans could have it. It would have been a shame not to have songs like this, a classic Penn ballad."

The Wombats - "Moving To New York"

The Wombats - "Moving To New York": "I've already started seeing Xmas displays at retailers all over the place - and it isn't even Halloween yet, which I thought was the current calendar line of demarcation for such things (since it was already no longer Thanksgiving). Anyhow, it reminded me of this song's lyric: "Christmas came early for me". Great song."

The Big Pink - "At War With The Sun"

The Big Pink - "At War With The Sun": "This works my 90s British alt-rock soft spot, so of course I like it. It's an upbeat rush of warm fuzz and a touch of melancholy melody."

The Psychedelic Furs - "I Don't Mine"

The Psychedelic Furs - "I Don't Mine": "From the bleak and under appreciated Book of Days album. Some of the harsh sound comes from what I suspect is a poor digital transfer, but it still works with the chilly vibe of many of the songs, including this one. I particularly like the overlapping vocals at the end and the intentional contradiction of the song's title."

Idlewild - "Hidden Ways"

Idlewild - "Hidden Ways": "It always mystifies me when bands leave great songs off albums, like this one (a UK b-side and a bonus track on the US version of Make Another World). There's still a touch of the "R.E.M. - but more rocking" sound they conjure from time to time and I'd be interested in hearing R.E.M. cover it, now that they too are rocking again."

Cyndi Lauper - "She Bop"

Cyndi Lauper - "She Bop": "The Captain Lou Albano news (RIP) couldn't help but make me think of this song...which makes me feel odd, given what this song is about."

James Brown - "Get Up Offa That Thing"

James Brown - "Get Up Offa That Thing": "I have so much I need to get done today and this is the sound of me psyching myself into it. Just something about JB yelling "I'm back!" before getting seriously funky gets me all hyped, like I'm going to run a race.
(Also, this gives me an opportunity to link back to this earlier James Brown post, which is one of my favorites from this blog.)"

Electric Six - "We Were Witchy Witchy White Women"

Electric Six - "We Were Witchy Witchy White Women": "Another rocker from Electric Six that brings you tongue-in-cheek silliness with the straightest delivery possible. I like to think this song is about a coven of Stevie Nicks/Rhiannon wannabes. (Probably because it then makes me think of the urban legend about Stevie Nicks needing to be coaxed out from her pre-concert dressing room in the 70s by her handlers telling her, through the closed door, 'You are Rhiannon! You are the witch!')"

Ben Lee - "Cigarettes Will Kill You"

Ben Lee - "Cigarettes Will Kill You": "This song is the moment for me where Ben Lee shifted from vaguely-annoying-but-catchy offbeat teen troubadour to adult musician. I particularly like how the song is largely driven by a fairly simple piano line without sounding like a repetitive loop."

Warpaint - "Billie Holiday"

Warpaint - "Billie Holiday": "I stumbled onto this band opening up for School of Seven Bells at Slim's the other night. This song is a weird, dream-like chant - all wrapped around a moody reworking of "My Guy" at its core - which is the highlight....even if it does kind of recall a chorus of Cat Powers singing together, which is not necessarily a bad thing."

Julian Plenti - "Fun That We Have"

Julian Plenti - "Fun That We Have": "As I'm sure many of you know, Julian Plenti = Paul from Interpol. This song is more playful and less ominous feeling than most Interpol tunes, but it still feels like it would have been a more solid song had it been performed with the full-band oomph of Interpol. (Which is not to say that the chorus didn't drill itself into my head regardless.) I kind of hope it sets the tone for their next album, where they perhaps might take a stab at it."

Gaunt - "Hit The Ground"

Gaunt - "Hit The Ground": "Rawk with a drumbeat like a horse galloping double-time and a band more than willing to keep up, even if the music is closer to melancholic Superchunk otherwise."

Starflyer 59 - "Mall Monarchy"

Starflyer 59 - "Mall Monarchy": "SF59 frontman Jason Martin is a product of Riverside and Orange Counties, CA, so it makes sense for him to sing about malls...except it turns out this is a cover. No matter, it still sounds like a authentic SF59 track!
(Bonus fact: the original is performed by Compulsion, featuring Garrett Lee - now known as 'Jacknife Lee', producer of R.E.M., Snow Patrol and others.)"

The Cribs - "We Share The Same Skies"

The Cribs - "We Share The Same Skies": "Clearly this is some kind of nasty breakup record for The Cribs (check out song titles like "Cheat on Me" and "Emasculate Me"), but they've smoothed out their sharp edges instead of sounding angry. Perhaps that's also because they traded the production of Franz Ferdinand's Alex Kapranos, from the last record, for having The Smiths' Johnny Marr actually in the band - and the 'influence' swap plays out exactly as you think it would. Still, this track recalls gems from the previous record like "Girls Like Mystery", without sounding like a tired retread because of the related sonic shift."

Shaan - "Milo Na Milo Main Milane"

Shaan - "Milo Na Milo Main Milane": "Love Story 2050 is a trainwreck of a Bollywood sci-fi movie, especially at its near 3 hours of running time, but this song is definitely the movie's centerpiece and probably it's shining moment. It's got a certain Timbaland-meets-Eurodance vibe to it that's cheesy and cool."

Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears - "Bitch, I Love You"

Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears - "Bitch, I Love You": "This is a very classic sounding song with some very...uh, modern lyrics. Other than that, I think the song best speaks for itself. Listen."

Noisettes - "Beat Of My Heart"

Noisettes - "Beat Of My Heart": "A new wave-styled rocker from the new Noisettes record. Singer Shingai Shoniwa puts a twist on the proceedings with her retro rock'n'soul vocals, giving the tune a little extra character, not to mention helping the whole thing feel like a 60s pop tune with modern production."

Deftones - "Change (In The House Of Flies)"

Deftones - "Change (In The House Of Flies)": "When I first heard the Deftones, I hated them. I thought they were just abrasive music with screaming and I pretty much immediately wrote them off. Then, with only two albums of said music under their belt, they stepped up their game to deliver an album (White Pony) that was heavy but just as moody and often, oddly, delicate. This song is a great example of their blend of crushing chords, nuanced atmosphere and almost lush vocal parts. This record may have made them bigger than they had been before, but it's still completely underrated."

Duran Duran - "Hold Back The Rain (US Album Remix)"

Duran Duran - "Hold Back The Rain (US Album Remix)": "When Rio first came out, I got it on cassette - and never had it any other way until I traded up for a compact disc, years later. Imagine my surprise when I found out that "Hold Back The Rain" (and several other songs, including "My Own Way") now appeared in abridged or completely alternate versions from what I knew. It turns out that the cassette version of Rio was taking advantage of the 'new' cassette format and used extended versions of tracks, as opposed to the vinyl release. That's all well and good, but overlooks the fact that the versions on the cassette were AWESOME - like this one. Now all the versions I know and love have been collected, along with the 'original' vinyl versions, on Rio (Collector's Edition). Good on ya, EMI."

The Bravery - "Slow Poison"

The Bravery - "Slow Poison": "The Bravery take the jagged alt rock of their first record, apply the softer corners of their second record and wind up with this catchy (if upbeatly gloomy) homage to...well, probably Echo and the Bunnymen and other new wave Brit rockers.
(And, an odd footnote to yesterday's post, this song is from the guy who helped write Shakira's 'She Wolf'. How weird is that?)"

Death Cab For Cutie - "Meet Me On The Equinox"

Death Cab For Cutie - "Meet Me On The Equinox": "I was kind of surprised that the lead single from the upcoming Twilight soundtrack uses the word 'equinox' - but since this is the same year where Shakira used 'lycanthropy' in a song, I guess we're raising the intellectual pop stakes now. All that aside, this is an interesting blend of the vibe of "Soul Meets Body" with the more adventurous musical style of Narrow Stairs - and feels like the 'missing' single that record should have had. I hope the Twilight association powers it to some extra airplay."

Ringo Deathstarr - "In Love"

Ringo Deathstarr - "In Love": "Forget about the usual "sounds like Band X meets Band Y" band description - if you've ever wondered what it would sound like for the Jesus and Mary Chain to cover "Soon" by My Bloody Valentine, you need not wonder any longer. Not that I mind - I like the sound - but that's almost eerily exactly what it is."

Jay-Z and Alicia Keys - "Empire State Of Mind"

Jay-Z and Alicia Keys - "Empire State Of Mind": "I'm glad the VMAs shined a light on this song - I think it was a good choice for the show and a good song. Although am I the only person who thinks Alicia's chorus vocal part is reminiscent of Res' "They-Say Vision"?"

A Place to Bury Strangers - "In Your Heart"

A Place to Bury Strangers - "In Your Heart": "New music from APTBS. It's not quite as overwhelmingly fuzzed as the debut record, but it's still abrasive and pounding - and I mean that as a complement. That's the way they should sound!"

Snowden - "No Words No More"

Snowden - "No Words No More": "Snowden takes on Love and Rockets. I like it - but where is the new album??"

Isaac Hayes - "Chocolate Chip"

Isaac Hayes - "Chocolate Chip": "Solid, if somewhat standard 70s funk - but it's the nearly-non-chorus of "What's my name? Chocolate chip! Chocolate chip!" that helps it to stand out, even if in a somewhat odd way."

Hope Sandoval and the Warm Inventions - "On the Low"

Hope Sandoval and the Warm Inventions - "On the Low": "I want a little more mellow in my day today and this song is going to help me do it. On my favorite track from her first solo album, ex-Mazzy Star frontwoman Hope serves up a lazy groove with her trademark vocals up front, keeping things simple with a few lush touches. It's laid-back but with enough energy to keep your head nodding in time with the beat. I'm pretty sure she's the one rocking the harmonica, too."

Redd Kross - "How Much More"

Redd Kross - "How Much More":
"How much more can I take before I go crazy again???

But seriously, this is a fun, flipped-gender take on the Go-Go's original, but possibly even more bubble-gummy. Total power pop."

Violent Femmes - "Kiss Off"

Violent Femmes - "Kiss Off": "Y'all can just kiss off."

Wang Chung - "Fire in the Twilight"

Wang Chung - "Fire in the Twilight": "This is totally 80s-tastic, but still completely enjoyable new wave. From The Breakfast Club, so this is also my belated John Hughes tribute."

Mew - "New Terrain"

Mew - "New Terrain": "It's literally backwards and forwards at the same time - and during most of the song, I can't tell which. In concept, it's amazingly irritating but, in reality, it sounds right despite being like nothing you're used to hearing. That's what makes it brilliant."

Radiohead - "Climbing Up The Walls"

Radiohead - "Climbing Up The Walls": "A little spooky, but it's arguably the sound of Radiohead turning the corner from their early work to the band we know today."

Phil Collins - "Don't Lose My Number"

Phil Collins - "Don't Lose My Number": "I don't know why, but this song popped into my head when I just went to get coffee. I really am at a loss as to why."

Keane - "Spiralling"

Keane - "Spiralling": "It has some overly polished moments - which is what initially kept me off this song - but I've since come around to it. The group "oooo!"s are pretty fun and there's a joyous white funk edge to things, miles away from the soppy 'Somewhere Only We Know'."

Marianne Faithfull - "Ooh Baby Baby"

Marianne Faithfull - "Ooh Baby Baby": "How did I not know about this when it came out? Or, better question: how did Antony (of Antony and the Johnsons) and Marianne Faithfull wind up recording this dramatic reworking of Smokey Robinson & The Miracles' "Ooh Baby Baby"? I can't even imagine how those pieces came together and, man, is it surreal! Antony sounds sublime, as usual, and it works better for Marianne than you might expect (only in that Smokey's original is smooth and Marianne, though awesome, is not what generally comes to mind when you think of smooth). It doesn't hurt that the original song is classic."

Samantha Fox - "Touch Me (I Want Your Body)"

Samantha Fox - "Touch Me (I Want Your Body)": "Hearing about Samantha Fox's (apparently lesbian!) wedding today totally put this song back into my head - which is great, because I had gone too long without listening to it. This is the night! (The sex noises are just a bonus.)"

Medicine - "She Knows Everything"

Medicine - "She Knows Everything": "A blast of delicious sweet-and-sour noise to help wash away this week."

Steely Dan - "Any Major Dude Will Tell You"

Steely Dan - "Any Major Dude Will Tell You": "Any major dude with half a heart surely will tell you my friend /
Any minor world that breaks apart falls together again"

Stars - "The Aspidistra Flies"

Stars - "The Aspidistra Flies": "I can't quite explain why, but I want to give this song to Jeremy, for Meg. I know the song won't make anything better now but perhaps someday it will because he'll know she knows too."

Duran Duran - "New Moon On Monday"

Duran Duran - "New Moon On Monday": "All this press about the recent vampire entertainment craze (largely focused around HBO's True Blood and Twilight: New Moon)...really just makes me think about "New Moon on Monday" by Duran Duran instead. I hope someone figures out how to get it on the New Moon soundtrack so the tweens can discover it's awesomeness. Besides, I hear that the Twilight vampires sparkle...not unlike Duran Duran's Nick Rhodes."

Shakira - "She Wolf"

Shakira - "She Wolf": "I can't get over how there is now a pop song whose lyrics include 'this is lycanthropy' - and doesn't automatically kill the flow of the song. I even kind of like the disco-club vibe of the song, even if I still somehow prefer parts of in Spanish. (Perhaps someone will mix the two versions together...) I just wish she didn't actually howl in the song, in either version."

Sarah Michelle Gellar - "Teen Horniness is Not a Crime"

Sarah Michelle Gellar - "Teen Horniness is Not a Crime": "I stumbled onto this track completely by accident - I had no idea it was on the soundtrack to Southland Tales, the convoluted-yet-fascinating (if in a train-wreck kind of way) movie by Richard Kelly of Donnie Darko fame. SMG performs this track as her character in the movie, Krista Now, a porn star/recording artist/talk-show host. Even if you haven't seen the movie, just knowing that it's SMG performing this song should make it entertaining enough."

Gladys Knight & The Pips - "I've Got To Use My Imagination"

Gladys Knight & The Pips - "I've Got To Use My Imagination": "Miss Knight gives it to you rough and the Pips give it to you smooth. The music is taut, using lush strings and horns in what is largely an economic arrangement, all as a perfect stage for Gladys' raw-but-strong lead vocals."

Servotron - "I Am Not A (Voice Activated Child Identicon)"

Servotron - "I Am Not A (Voice Activated Child Identicon)": "Following up on yesterday's 'robot' track, here's another. This time, evil-Devo-on-speed rockers Servotron become a murderous version of pre-teen humanoid robot Vicki from television's "Small Wonder" - now plotting the death of all humans, chanting "HARRIET TERMINATED! HARRIET SHALL DIE!" while hunting the show's precocious red-headed neighbor. Twisted and brilliant."

Royksopp - "The Girl And The Robot"

Royksopp - "The Girl And The Robot": "Pulsing Giorgio Moroder synths back Robyn's glorious vocals for a tale of girl-on-metaphorical-robot love and drama. I don't like the way she says the song title, for some reason, but everything else sounds terrific."

Culture Club - "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me"

Culture Club - "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me": "I will always love the video for this song, where Boy George:
- emerges out of a pool completely dry!
- wears a shirt with Hebrew on it, but only to be different!
- is thrown into jail after harassing stuffy old rich men for some reason or another!
- is then freed from jail by 'magical' Caribbean women who open his cell by simply holding onto his cell bars and dancing. Boy helps by looking at them and pouting.
Then again, he is hurt.

Of course, it helps that this is a great song, equal parts soul and pop, with a touch of island rhythm."

I Was a King - "Norman Bleik"

I Was a King - "Norman Bleik": "This album reminds me of Olivia Tremor Control's retro vibes turned back in a more straight-forward manner, but this song specifically echoes 60s California pop, with its Byrds-y jangling and energetically hushed androgynous vocals."

Messiah - "Temple Of Dreams"

Messiah - "Temple Of Dreams": Remember when rave culture seemed like the biggest trend ever? This song can't help but make me think of that time, but also listening to KROQ in LA, circa `92. I'm pretty sure the "stomp your feet" sample is the 'Spirit Child' from Prince's Lovesexy album, but the real sample gem is - obviously - Richard Dawson from The Running Man movie. Survey says 'awesome'."

The Human League - "The Lebanon (12'' Extended Mix)"

The Human League - "The Lebanon (12" Extended Mix)": "I know that I've already posted about "The Lebanon" before, but this version is even more Lebanon-y than the original - which means a few extra go-arounds of the bass line that I love so well."

Spoon - "Got Nuffin"

Spoon - "Got Nuffin": "A new, lean, mean rocker from Spoon. I got a little worried on the last record when we started getting horns and stuff, but this is a good blend of their older, angular tunes with their newer sound."

No Knife - "Academy Flight Song"

No Knife - "Academy Flight Song": "Even though there is a Jimmy Eat World-meets-Jawbreaker quality to songs like this, No Knife keeps up the rock while working in some less obvious instrumental shifts. (I also can't help but wonder if this is a nod to Mission of Burma's "Academy Fight Song", since No Knife does also recall MoB in some ways.)
The album as a whole (Fire In The City of Automatons) is a under-appreciated slice of straight-forward modern rock mixed with subtly adventuresome song structures and instrumentation."

Fischerspooner - "In A Modern World"

Fischerspooner - "In A Modern World": "I was originally going to post that, despite coming from a somewhat milquetoast record, this track has a subtle charm - but then I noticed, in the spoken word interlude, that the female narrator says "call everyone you know / text everyone you know". Text?? Why not tell folks to get a ringtone? I just hate unecessary cell phone references in songs and I wished they had left it out."

Grand Duchy - "Seeing Stars"

Grand Duchy - "Seeing Stars": "I get a little skeeved out when famous musicians put out records with their significant others, especially when the significant others are not as well known. While I had this trepidation about Grand Duchy, featuring Pixies' Frank Black/Black Francis and Mrs. Black/Francis (Violet Clark), it defies those concerns, even if it's still easier to evaluate this on its own merit when you forget about who the dude is in this band."

Michael Jackson - "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)"

Michael Jackson - "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)": "I'm not sure how I'm supposed to be feeling, after his passing. I love songs like this, but it's hard to reconcile that Off The Wall/Thriller magic with his latter works, if not his personal activities since then as well. No matter what you think, it's hard not to agree that something so right went wrong, somewhere along the way."

Swell - "Song Seven"

Swell - "Song Seven": "The elements of this song are rather simple, allowing something subtle like additional electric guitar in the last section of the song to be powerful, despite its otherwise minimalist addition. The drum part during the (wordless) chorus has always been a favorite of mine, even if it too is a simple part."

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - "The Pains of Being Pure at Heart"

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - "The Pains of Being Pure at Heart": "From Slumberland, the label that brought you the Aislers Set and Velocity Girl...
This is the song where The Pains of Being Pure At Heart hit that Jesus & Mary Chain, that Vaselines, that twee-pop-but-rockin' sweet spot that all the reviewers anoint them with generally. This is the song where it really all happens - and it's already named after them. (Imagine if they had actually put this self-titled song on their self-titled album...)

I also meant to include them in my SXSW `09 recap. So, better late than never:
It took a while for them to really amp up (no wonder, since they were playing a million shows down there) but once they hit a groove, it was good, sweet-n-buzzy fun, as one would expect from their record."

Wire - "Map Ref 41 Degrees N 93 Degrees W"

Wire - "Map Ref 41 Degrees N 93 Degrees W": ""I'm not sure if they're singing about map-as-metaphor or map as, well, map. It's Wire, so it could be either. Here (on 154), they're only two albums out from their debut, yet they've already morphed their angular rock away from visceral punk and towards a more detached artiness, but without abandoning their stumbled-into melodies."

The Walkmen - "In The New Year"

The Walkmen - "In The New Year": "I'm a little surprised that it took me so long to come around to this song. It's got a off-kilter retro-garage vibe much like that of the Rock*A*Teens (as well as the similar, if more centered, sound of Cut Off Your Hands), but it didn't really take with me until more recently. Then again, it always seems to take me a while to get into Walkmen and Rock*A*Teens songs because I have to get over the rough edges, which often become the parts I love the most."

Adam Franklin - "Surge"

Adam Franklin - "Surge": "Swervedriver frontman Adam Franklin rolls out some tasty solo work on his record Spent Bullets, which kicks off with this track. Despite being relatively mellow with acoustic guitar fairly prominent in the mix, there's still some classic Swerv-y elements, like the energetic-yet-melancholy melodies, without being derivative of that past work."

Pitbull - "Hotel Room Service"

Pitbull - "Hotel Room Service": "This song is obnoxiously catchy. I'd quote you some of my favorite lyrics, but I try to keep this a family blog."

The Horrors - "Scarlet Fields"

The Horrors - "Scarlet Fields": "Last time around, The Horrors were a goth-punk band that didn't really float my boat. Now they've apparently moved on to a more nuanced sound with elements of shoegaze and British new wave. Needless to say, I like them much better now, but particularly the keyboard lead in this song."

New Order - "Love Vigilantes"

New Order - "Love Vigilantes": "I recently heard this song when I was going through airport security, which was kind of cool, but a little disconcerting too. Hearing songs that are arguably about death when you're going through metal detectors is kind of odd."

Sonic Youth - "Dirty Boots"

Sonic Youth - "Dirty Boots": "You got some dirty boots!"

Casiokids - "Fot I hose"

Casiokids - "Fot I hose": "Short and wordless, this song is pretension-free dance rock that somehow simultaneously sounds both exactly like you would expect from that description and yet constantly surprising."