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": "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": "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": "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": "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": "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": "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": "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)": "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)": "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 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": "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": "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": "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": "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 takes on Love and Rockets. I like it - but where is the new album??"
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": "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":
"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."
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