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."
David Bowie - "Fashion": "Just because I'm happy that Project Runway is back on the air. It's total fluff, but I still haven't tired of the Tim Gunn-isms and the friendly orange glow of Michael Kors."
Prince - "If I Was Your Girlfriend": "This song is from Prince, as a girl, who was maybe kind of a guy, singing to his/her not-quite-girlfriend? This song just operates on a level outside of logic and still brings the funk, even while the song is almost skeletal in arrangement. It's hard to imagine anyone else other than Prince being able to pull it off and have it be a great song."
The Human League - "The Sound Of The Crowd (12'' Version)": "What's better than 'The Sound of the Crowd'? More 'The Sound of The Crowd'! Sure, it's unecessary, but this 12" version make the fun of the song last a little longer, without really tinkering with it and breaking its' vibe, like so many other 80s remixes do."
Kylie Minogue - "2 Hearts": "Ladies and gentlemen, it's Kyliefrapp! Even though it's not as dancy as Supernature's glam disco stomp, there's something Goldfrapp-y about the new Kylie single - but in the best way. Since the new Goldfrapp (out in `08) will be a return to their more mellow roots, this might have come along at the right time. (This was also a musical souvenir from my recent time in Europe, BTW.)"
Suede - "Metal Mickey": "My goodness - has it really been fifteen years since Rodney on the ROQ turned me onto this tune, back when I still lived in L.A.? I loved it when I heard it and it wound up not even being my favorite song on the record. This whole album's a keeper and I'm glad we finally have it live in Rhapsody!"
Eurythmics - "Sing-Sing": "The reason there was such a large gap in my Rhapblog was because I was going around and about Europe for two weeks. I'm going to start filling in those missing days with songs that came up on my trip in some way or another. This one is mainly just a French tune I thought of while I was in Paris."
Fergie - "London Bridge": "How scary is it that I thought of this song when I went over the actual London Bridge?"
Morrissey - "Hairdresser On Fire": "I kept thinking of this song on my first full day in London, especially when I wound up in Sloane Square! It was as if all of these places I hadn't given much thought to in Morrissey songs were all coming to life for me."
David Gray - "Say Hello Wave Goodbye": "Perhaps not quite as 'pure' as the Soft Cell original, but I thought this version was worth flagging as well. Gray translates the original's icy synths to acoustic guitar and his delivery is very different than Almond's, but it captures much of the same sadness, except blended more with melancholy than bitterness."
Soft Cell - "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye": "Deceptively simple synth-pop, but Marc Almond's lyrics and delivery are so straight-forward and confessional that they provide a depth far beyond the simple keys that back them. It's so tough and bitter on the surface, but clearly very sad at its' core."
Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine - "The Only Living Boy In New Cross": "Wow - until today, I probably hadn't heard this song in fifteen years, but I still remembered the whole thing. From the low-key piano and organ intro through the electro-Brit-thrash core of the song, they somehow blended punk and Pet Shop Boys elements into something really exciting. It seems like this should have been a bigger alternative radio hit than it was..."
Lene Lovich - "Lucky Number": "A little wacky fun to brighten up a rainy, dreary San Francisco day. 'Ah-ooo-eeeoo-ooo!' indeed. This one's for you, Joe."
David Bowie - "Untitled No. 1": "People often associate David Bowie with theatricality - but here, Bowie winds up presenting an understated electropop number flavored with subtle undulating instrumentation. There's a certain romantic quality about the song that, despite having a certain intangible quality, imbues it with emotional qualities generally missing from his late-'80s work that proceeded it."
Mick Jagger - "Just Another Night": "It may play like a weak Stones demo, but Mick's attitude still comes through so strong that you can practically see him strutting around, in his jerky little way, while singing this song."
Trunk Federation - "Truck Lover": "Off-kilter, whimsical and a little dumb at times - but still definitely catchy noise-pop. (From Alias - same label to bring you Archers of Loaf - which is why the review of this track sounds a little simiar to my recent AoL post...)"
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