Best of 2011

It's on its way... and I think it's a list with a few surprises on it... including a last minute choice for album of the year!

Watch this space!

Happy Chanukah

I just wanted to say a quick Happy Chanukah!  What better way to celebrate than in song (...and no not Adam Sandler's "Hanukah Song.")  I thought something from three nice Jewish boys from Manhattan would be suffice.

Song In My Head

One of the more unique things about the legendary post-punk band The Fall is their willingness to do cover songs. They've released nearly 30 studio albums, and virtually every one includes a cover song. The one that's in my head today is "There's a Ghost in My House", originally done by Motown's R. Dean Taylor in 1966 and popular in Northern Soul clubs. Here's The Fall version from 1987, which peaked at #30 on the UK charts.

Forgotten Songs

There's a lot of lousy music lists out there... you know, the 100 best guitarists of all time, or the 500 best songs from the 1990s. (Really? Were there 500 good songs in the 1990s?) But I recently read a pretty creative list in a magazine published by the folks who bring us NME and Uncut of the 500 Lost Songs You Need To Hear Now.

Rather than counting down 500 songs in some contrived way, the lengthy list is broken down into sub-categories, for example "Soul" and "Punk" and "Krautrock" and so forth. But there's also subcategories encompassing specific artists -- like #191 to #182, all reserved for Blur. ("Young and Lovely" tops the Blur sub-list, and I can't disagree. You can really hear the band take a huge creative step forward with the songcraft of that tune.)

Other notables: At #340, it's Wire's "Outdoor Miner" from 1979, a song that was pretty much on the soundtrack to my live circa 1995. And somewhere between 252 and 281, The Clash make the list for "This is England", which is a phenomenal song despite being on the universally panned Cut the Crap LP.

Matisyahu Shaved!

Ok, so it's not quite like Atlas Shrugged. But the world's only Hasidic reggae superstar is now clean-shaven. However, he says he's just as religious as ever.

For memory's sake, here's his 2005 breakthrough tune "King Without a Crown".

Song In My Head

"Spanish bombs, yo tequierro y finito Yote querda, oh mi corazon"

Ice Cube, Design Icon

Here's a little-known fact about Ice Cube: He studied architectural drafting. Yep, he never thought he'd make it as a rapper so he was preparing for a fallback career. And that's just one nugget out of an interview he did with the New York Times as part of a film he appeared in about mid-century designers Charles and Ray Eames. Check it out here.

Not so fast...my FAVORITE Supergroup

Ok, there are super groups, and then there is Me First and the Gimme Gimmes!  Me First and the Gimme Gimmes are a mix-up of new-school punk band members. Drawn together by a mutual love of '60s and '70s music, the Gimme Gimmes work exclusively as a cover band, covering random acts such acts as Neil Diamond, Billy Joel, and John Denver.  Singer Spike Slawson (of the Swingin' Utters) originally formed the Gimme Gimmes in 1995,with NOFX bassist Fat Mike, Lagwagon singer/guitarist Joey Cape, No Use for a Name guitarist Chris Shiflett and Lagwagon drummer Dave Raun. Never originally aiming to put out a record, the band made appearances on punk compilation albums through much of the early 90's.

 In 2004, the band tackled a set of classic rock hits, easy listening numbers, and even "Hava Nagila" on the "live" album Ruin Jonny's Bar Mitzvah, which included enhanced video footage of their actual perfamrnace at the Bar Mitzvah.

In 2011, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes released the Australian-themed Go Down Under EP, featuring a great version of INXS' "Never Tear Us Apart."  They followed it up with an EP of Japanese covers titled Sing in Japanese - which is yes, all sung in Japanese.

Here's just a sample.  I picked Bill Withers, "Ain't No Sunshine."

A Not So Super Supergroup

ELP, Asia, Cream, Electronic, Audioslave, Them Crooked Vultures, The Good the Bad and the Queen, The New Pornographers -- let's talk Supergroups. Here's one you might not know about -- Tinted Windows. The band featured guitarist James Iha of Smashing Pumpkins, bassist Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne, drummer Bun E. Carlos of Cheap Trick and vocalist Taylor Hanson of Hanson. In 2009, they had a single - "Kind of a Girl" - that really didn't go anywhere. Here's the video.

Video Vault

Here's the video for "Scarecrow" by Pink Floyd. This 1967 Syd Barrett classic and its bizarre video of the band members carrying around a stick-figure scarecrow through the English countryside before falling victim to a serious case of the slow-motions. Musically, it's a pretty direct line from this to Robyn Hitchcock and early Blur, don't you think?

Video Vault Friday!

OMG!  This might be the greatest video I have ever seen!  Poor Rick James.  He is so tied hand-in-hand with Dave Chappelle.  It's no wonder, he is almost a caricature in this video.  From the moment he stumbles out of the car drunk, to where he stops in the bedroom, pauses, and opens up his shirt to show the bare chest, you know what you are in for: hot tubs, limos, winking at the camera, to attempting a menage a trois, Rick does it all! I think :51 seconds in is my favorite moment.  You can stop watching the video at the second hot tub scene, for it looks like Rick was willing to let the cameras roll and make this a porn shoot!  The only thing missing in this video is the coke when he enters the bathroom.  Enjoy!

Song in My Head

Do you know of an artist you like, but do not have anything by them?  Joe Jackson is one of them for me.  I think the guy is talented.  Coming in with some of the early "new wave" artists from Britain, Joe covered various genre's with his Look Sharp! album, to the reggae infused Beat Crazy to the Cole Porter influenced Night and Day.  I heard "Steppin' Out" the other day, and it's been in my head.  It's not my favorite by him, but if you truly listen to it, it's an interesting mix of a driving synth, Prince stylized drumming, with a classical piano.  He's a talent that kind of just disappeared.  He showed up helping out William Shatner in one of our favorite's, his cover of Pulp's "Common People."  I also know Joe is against all the anti-smoking campaigns around New York and other major cities.  Interesting fellow.

Song in My Head

Here's a new one I just discovered (and will no doubt make my end of the year Best Of list): Washed Out's "Amor Fati". I'm a sucker for 80s sounding chillwave (Neon Indian anyone?) and this fits the bill -- warm synths, a cool, ambient vibe and almost unintelligble vocals (who needs words anyway?). And the video was shot in Iceland. Washed Out is the stage name of Ernest Greene, a rural Georgia boy who started making music after moving back in with his parents after earning a Masters degree in Library Science. He couldn't find a librarian job and the rest is history. (He also gave us the terrific theme song to the IFC show "Portlandia".) Enjoy!

Someone's Missing on Rolling Stone's 100 Best Guitarists List

You'd have to be in a hole for the last 40 years not to guess who Rolling Stone named as the best guitarist of all time: Jimi Hendrix topping the list is predictable. But there's 99 other guitarists on the list, and not one of them is named Johnny Marr. What's up with that?

Mashed Up Madness

Part 1

Part 2

I finally finished Simon Reynolds' great book Retromania a few weeks back, and now I'm having another round of researching all the references I dog-eared in the book. And there are a lot. First up is Osymyso's "Intro Inspection" -- a 12 minute long creation that stitches together the intros of more than 100 well-known pop songs. It's fun to listen and try to pick out the samples, or you can cheat and watch the samples as they pop up here and here.

See if you can guess my favorite moment -- alright, I'll tell you. It's at about 2:48 on Part Two, when Duran Duran's "Is There Something I Should Know?" is layered alongside "Sweet Dreams" by Eurythmics along with Dee-Lite's "Groove is in the Heart." That triumverate goes on for about 15 seconds before Yello's "Oh Yeah" comes in and hands off to Blur's "Song 2" and New Order's "Blue Monday" -- both intercut with the Kinks guitar riff from "You Really Got Me." Although I do like when Depeche Mode's "Just Can't Get Enough" is mashed up with Chaka Khan's "I Feel For You."

It's fun, and certainly a remarkable achievement. But it's really just a novelty song in my opinion. And musically, I don't even think it hangs together cohesively as well as the stuff I've heard by people like Girl Talk.

Thoughts?

R.I.P. Heavy D

And to paraphrase your most famous question, Now that you've passed on, what are we gonna do?

Song in My Head

"Weekend Wars" by MGMT. Never mind that these retroglamsters are so derivative it hurts -- 2008's Oracular Spectacular was a very good record -- and I still haven't figured out which of three or four very strong tracks ("Kids", "Time to Pretend", "Electric Feel" and this one) I like the best. Today, it's the neolitihic yet progressive "Weekend Wars." I just woke up singing it.

Song In My Head!

Man, this one is bad!  On the bus ride to our District Semi-Final game, we were talking about songs in movies, more specifically, the montage.  One of my favorites comes from the highly over-rated Rocky IV (I am much more of a III, Clubber Lang guy.)  The terrible song I cannot get out of my head is the one hit spectacular "There's No Easy Way Out," by Robert Tepper.  I even included the montage.  I enjoy watching Stallone run through the gears like he's playing a video game.  Also the classic "You Got A Friend In" Pennsylvania liscence plate.

Song In My Head

I'm going Old School with this one -- it's "Getting Better" by the Beatles. I pulled out Sgt. Pepper's this weekend and played it during the snowstorm as the kids and I build Legos. Alex especially liked this song -- which has long been one of my favorite non-exotic Beatles songs. And let's hope things are getting better... for all of us.

Happy Halloween!

In the spirit of all things ghastly, I offer the haunting song "Caermaen" by the British group Belbury Poly. It samples a 1908 folk recording of a traditional English song, and its spookiness is fitting for this day. Check out Belbury Poly and other bands on the aptly named Ghost Box label.

My 15 for 15 (based off of NME's selections.)

Sorry for the delay on this.  I have been swamped, but called Court to talk about this.  I was extremely disappointed in the selections that NME came up with for the best songs over the past 15 years.  I KNOW I can come up with 15 great songs that were not even considered.  So, based off of their list, here is what I came up with.

#15 - Smile, Lily Allen (NME's rank - 104)

A cute little song about bad boyfriends and revenge.  Pretty "poppy," but I think it earned its stripes.

#14 - Bloc Party, Banquet (20)

Court turned me on to this.  I think we will never hear from them again, but pretty cool song.

#13 - Pumping Up Your Stereo - Supergrass (124)

Such an upbeat, moving song.  I think if I were cleaning the house, this would keep me motivated.

#12 - Young Folks, Peter, Bjorn, & John (93)

I don't know if I would really want to listen to this song at this very moment due to overplay, but it doesn't take away from the fact that it's a great song, that YOU KNOW you were whistling along too!

#11 - Take Me Out, Franz Ferdinand (27)

I am not one who loves to dance, but I find myself tapping my feet to this one.  It's that driving beat!  I love the way the song changes ala Paul McCartney (1971-1979).  Terrific.

#10 - Paper Planes, MIA (15)

This song took a long time to warm up to.  My kids like it.  They would play it, and it grew on me.  I know they have no clue what the song is about. 

#9 Paranoid Android, Radiohead (1)

I must admit, I am not crazy about Radiohead like others are.  I respect them.  This song and video intrigued me.  I bought OK Computer and enjoyed it.  I am not as warm on Kid A, or others like so many others are. 

#8 - A Punk, Vampire Weekend (62)

Probably the most exciting new thing that I bought into when it came out.  I just felt they were so fresh.  I can still enjoy this song now. 

#7 - Song 2, Blur (79)

It's a shame Blur is best know for this 2:00+ "grunge" song, when they are so talented.  Many great songs to chose from, but man this song gets you pumped up!

#6 - Ms. Jackson, Outkast (81)

Next to the B-Boys, I feel these guys are it in the hip-hop world.  Andre 3000 is the thinking man's wrapper.  Here he promises to be a good father to his child with Erikah Badu, even if they aren't together.  "I am for real!"

#5 - Clint Eastwod, Gorillaz (141)

141, really?  A weird concept, but works in all dimensions.  Plus, it revived the career of Del, the Funk Homosapien!



#4 - Reptillia, The Strokes (129)

I love the Strokes.  It may not be their best song, but ti gets stuck in my head anythime I hear it. 

#3 - Maps, Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs. (55)

Man this song is moving.  Such emotions when listening to this song.  I love how, much like the Velvet Underground, the song goes form soft to hard.  Terrifc song.

#2 - Jesus Walks, Kanye West (69)

I'm sure it might be shocking that Kanye makes my list, especially this high.  The College Dropout is a fantstic album before West cracked and let stardom get to his head.  A very heartfelt and honest song about religon in pop culure with the dramatic strings and chanting.  I would say it is in constant rotation on my iphone. 

#1 - Where It's At?, Beck

One of the most creative and innovative musicians out there today.  Has tried (and succeeded) with many different styles and genres, but is at his best with the non-sensical rhymes and the Dust Brothers sampling.  I don't think there was a record like thsis ever made again.

Well, that's my list.  "I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor," by the Artic Monkeys, "Hate to Say I Told You So," by the Hives, "Firestarter" by Prodigy, "The Hindu Times" by Oasis, and "The Scientist" by Coldpay all got consideration.  Once again, the list left off soem great songs & heavy hitters. 

15 for 15

NME is out with its top 150 songs of the past 15 years. There's a lot on their list, but the songs that I'd consider the best of the past 15 years are nowhere to be found. More on that later. For now, here are my Top 15 from NME's 150, with their ranking in parentheses:

#15 Vampire Weekend - "A-Punk" (62)

#14 TV on the Radio - "Wolf Like Me" (46)

#13 Blur - "Out of Time" (73)

#12 Franz Ferdinand - "Take Me Out" (27)

#11 Johnny Cash - "Hurt" (35)

#10 M.I.A. - "Paper Planes" (15)

#9 Futureheads - "Hounds of Love" (89)

#8 Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Zero" (39)

#7 Animal Collective - "My Girls" (91)

#6 Beck - "Where It's At" (76)

#5 The Strokes - "Hard to Explain" (36)

 #4 Bloc Party - "Banquet" (20)

#3 Jay Z - "99 Problems" (24)

#2 Gorillaz - "Clint Eastwood" (141)

#1 The Verve - "Bittersweet Symphony" (9)

Honorable mention goes to "Milkshake" by Kelis. Just kidding. Santogold's "L.E.S. Artistes" and Belle and Sebastian's "The Boy with the Arab Strap" just missed my Top 15. As did "Maps" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs (I went with "Zero"). And MGMT was a late cut as well.

But my overall thought is that the NME list really missed the mark. How does Hole's "Celebrity Skin" make the list but "Malibu", a far better song, get left off? And I appreciate the love for LCD Soundsystem --- after all, "Someone Great" might be the single best song of the past 15 years. But it's nowhere to be found. Yet "All My Friends" is on the list at #118. Art Brut's "Formed a Band" is #102 -- I would have included "Direct Hit" instead. And "Men's Needs" by the Cribs is a fine song, but their better work came after Johnny Marr joined the band. Let me go on: The Streets "Dry Your Eyes" (#87) should have been "Has It Come To This?" or "Geezers Need Excitement" or -- if you needed to keep the schmaltz, "It's Too Late". I would have liked to include Radiohead and Arcade Fire -- but I wasn't thrilled with NME's choices. And don't get me started about Super Furry Animals. The song NME chose - "The Man Don't Give a F---" - wouldn't even make my top 15 of SFA songs.

This post was John's idea... so I'm eager to see what his list looks like... John?

I've been reading Simon Reynolds' book Retromania (as I've mentioned at least once!) and I have a lot of fun doing YouTube searches on some of the old bands he writes about. Of course, so much of it is garbage -- like the Thamesbeat bands (like The Look) that were the UK equivalent of The Knack. And other stuff just isn't my style -- like the garage bands like Thee Milkshakes. But there is some good stuff in there -- some of the other Mod revival bands couldn't hold a candle to The Jam, but they weren't awful -- bands like The Chords and The Purple Hearts. But I found a genuinely good song in The Flamin' Groovies 1976 single "Shake Some Action." It's definitely pub rock -- and different from their earlier stuff (which sounded like the Rolling Stones) but you can hear the beginnings of Power Pop in there. And what's more, there's a nice jangly guitar riff that predates something similar by REM. Take a listen:

Hammer Time in San Francisco

It's been 22 years since M.C. Hammer hit it big with "U Can't Touch This" and now he's back... kind of. He stars in a creative political ad for San Francisco's interim mayor Ed Lee, who's trying to get elected in his own right. There's lots of other Bay Area luminaries in the video -- like Giants closer Brian Wilson, will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas and NFL Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott. And there's some great lyrics. If I lived in San Francisco, I'd have to seriously consider voting for Ed Lee based on this ad alone.

Video Vault -- More Spike Jonze

Here's the video for Arcade Fire's "The Suburbs", directed by everyone's favorite video director Spike Jonze. This one isn't in the same mold as his other work -- it's dark and serious and not very fun at all.

The song's a bit dark, too. I especially like this part of the lyrics:
"So can you understand?
Why I want a daughter while I'm still young
I wanna hold her hand
And show her some beauty
Before this damage is done

But if it's too much to ask, it's too much to ask
Then send me a son"

Fujiya & Miyagi Not Japanese, Not a Duo

Thanks to "The Mighty Boosh", my renewed interest in Gary Numan has piqued my interest in the British band Fujiya and Miyagi. Their latest album Ventriloquizzing was released back in January, and it has a dark, synth sound reminiscent of Numan and some of the Krautrock bands like Can from the 70s. No surprise on the latter -- F&M have made no secret of their love for those German bands. Here's the kinda creepy video for "Sixteen Shades of Black & Blue".

The Mighty Boosh!!!

Clearly, America is lacking for good television. And equally clearly, Britain gets all the really good stuff. Like "The Mighty Boosh", the surreal comedy series from 2004-2007 that's part "Flight of the Conchords" and part "Pee Wee's Playhouse".

I've watched one episode -- the sublime "The Power of the Crimp" -- and I'm hooked. And I'm posting the YouTube clips here so you can watch, too. Even if you know nothing about the show, the basic premise is there are two friends named Vince Noir and Howard Moon who work in a boutique by day and make music by night. They seem to keep some very bizarre company -- like Naboo the Enigma and an anthropomorphic ape DJ named Bollo. And there's a sleazy American nightclub owner named Bob Fossil -- and he's fantastic, too. Here are the clips:

There's great little references all over the place -- like Vince Noir's love of Gary Numan. In the episodes posted above, Howard keeps Gary Numan in a closet to cheer up Vince. In another episode, Vince and Howard are driving and are debating what to listen to. Vince pulls out one cassette and says "This is the best of the sixties." He pulls out a second cassette and says "This is the best of the seventies". Finally he pulls out 20 cassettes and says "And this is Gary Numan." Brilliant! Watch it here:

This is seriously must-see TV. And the complete series DVD has just shot to the top of my Christmas list.

Stone Roses Reunite, Will Tour

There must be something to this Retromania stuff. Seminal Manchester band the Stone Roses have announced they've put their differences aside, are re-uniting, and will tour in the coming year. Here's the link from the BBC:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-15348374

While we wait for those tour dates, here's "Fool's Gold".

Song In My Head... or Riff In My Head

I was listening to Sonic Youth the other day and the opening bars of "Brave Men Run (In My Family)" have been stuck in my head ever since. The rest of the song has less relevance to me, but that opening guitar riff is so powerful and menacing. I may be conflating history somewhat, but hearing the opening to that song brought me right back to my brother's house on Pawnee Street in South Bethlehem, circa 1985.

"Wicked Game" Redux

I'm reading Retromania, the new book by Simon Reynolds, and he references the song "Infinity" by the British band The xx. His reason for mentioning the song is its so obvious derivation from Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game". Reynolds writes "It really is a study, an exercise in technique, in the sense that the band have written a new song entirely within the very specific and immediately recognizable texture palette and emotional atmosphere of Isaak's original." Listen and hear for yourself.

Song In My Head

"Ladies and Gentlemen We are Floating in Space" by Spiritualized.

Video Vault Friday!

I'll keep the theme going with one of Spike Jonze's earlier videos -- "100 Percent" by Sonic Youth. Note skateboarder turned actor Jason Lee ("My Name is Earl") in the video. I was actually watching this -- and a bunch of other Sonic Youth videos -- when I noticed John's post about Spike. Pretty cool.

And while we're at it, here's another typically Spike video -- "Car Song" by Elastica. Stick around until the ending and you'll know what I mean.

Video Vault Friday!

Ok, I'm going with two today!

The first video was probably the apex of J. Mascis' and his band, Dinosaur Jr.'s career.  The video, "Feel the Pain" was created by Spike Jonze, probably one of the best directors of videos in the video era.  Too bad he really couldn't save the genre.  I figured most people know his videos "Sabotage" "Buddy Holly," "Undone (the sweater song)," or "Weapon of Choice."  This is one of his sillier video as the band golfs through Manhattan. 

The second video, "California" by Wax is a song that, if you are lucky,(you)  will hear on an alt-90's station on a rare day.  A quick song that is a whole 2:15, and shot with a single shot.  I was always fascinated with the song & video.  The song was quickly banned from MTV daytime, but is a true masterpiece. 

Song In My Head

"Monkey Gone to Heaven" by the Pixies. I just started singing it out of the blue. My favorite part about this song is Black Francis saying "Rock Me, Joe" right before Joey Santiago's guitar solo. As far as I'm concerned, that's an essential part of the song that must be replicated in any live version or by any band covering this song, even if the lead guitarist isn't named Joe.

Song In My Head

"Mass Romantic" by The New Pornographers. It literally just popped into my head. Hugely great under-rated band, and listen to Neko Case just kill these vocals.

Video Vault Friday Pt. 2!

In honor of Birmingham, home of Aston Villa, and some great bands, here is my favorite, The Beat (looking quite young,) with "Mirror in the Bathroom."  Ranking Roger looks quite young and spry.  Love the white shoes, and how literal parts of the video are compared to the song. 

Video Vault Friday!

Here's the video for "The Prisoner" by Howard Jones. It was innovative for its day - mixing photo and video elements at a time when computer-enhanced graphics weren't widely available.

By the way, Howard Jones is touring and playing his first two studio albums in their entirety: Human's Lib and Dream Into Action. I don't think I'd bother going to see that show, but I've always that HoJo was a pretty decent musician and guy.

Birmingham's Best - Do You Agree?

I stumbled on this listing from the Birmingham Mail -- the top 10 bands from Birmingham. And I'd love hear what you think:
#1 - Black Sabbath
#2 - Duran Duran
#3 - ELO
#4 - Ocean Colour Scene
#5 - The Move
#6 - The Beat (The English Beat)
#7 - The Moody Blues
#8 - UB40
#9 - The Twang
#10 - The Streets

I think it's hard to argue with the first two. Personally, I'd move the Beat and UB40 higher. I think Ocean Colour Scene and The Move can come down a bit. The Twang have promise, but haven't been around long enough. And I think you know how I feel about The Streets. Mike Skinner's the man.

Here's the link to the full article.
http://www.birminghammail.net/news/top-stories/2011/10/05/birmingham-s-top-ten-bands-do-you-agree-with-our-list-97319-29542854/

Song In My Head

 

Das Racist's "Fashion Party." Okay, I've had this song in my head for about two months now. I just love the juxtaposition between Chairlift's Caroline Polachek -- who's probably pretty fashionable -- and the DR guys who sound and rap like they're anything but. It's a great parody -- and be sure to listen for some great lines -- like Heems saying "Garbageman Lanvin/Why you call it Lan-van?/People very educated out here in the Hamptons/Yes I'm tanned and Taliban chic/Shorty said I look like a Taliban freak/Mr. Talley Man told me I'm bananas last week/I'm Heems working on a line with Khalif." I just love how Heems builds up that rhyme.

My other favorite line is earlier in the song when Kool A.D. says "I'm like a fountain pen/I look like mountain men/But I'm not a mountain man/I'm a f---ing mountain, man/I f--- with fashion trends/My trends are fashion forward/Two dollar jeans and Gucci visors from the Dollar Store." The "mountain man"/"mountain, man" rhyme is so subtle.

Seriously, though, these guys are the real deal.

There's so many good lines in this song. And you really get the sense that the DR guys are at the party for the free food and drinks and probably the girls.

Song in My Head

XTC - Senses Working Overtime

I don't know what to think of XTC.  I remember a friend in college whose older brother loved them.  I know Andy Partridge, their lead singer and creative force of the band was once rumored to work with Blur, but he kind of fell off the face of the earth (well, at least mine.)  Most people might know the from their Christmas sng "Thanks for Christmas." I like that in "senses" the weird guitar played throughout the verses.  Such an anti-single until you get to the chorus.  Even funnier, this song was covered by Mandy Moore.  Ugh.

Song In My Head

"Paper Planes" by M.I.A. I always thought it lacked the bite that her earlier work has ("Fire Fire" and "Galang" which incidentally was co-written by Elastica's Justine Frischmann), but it's incredibly catchy with that Clash sample and schoolyard chant, and as violent as it sounds, it's actually not about violence. Someone ought to tell that 50 Cent and Lil Wayne, both of whom ruined the song with their versions. Someone ought to tell Wayne and Curtis that there's a difference between gang-banging and the perceived notion in society that immigrants are dangerous.

Happy RUSH Hashanah !?!

These are the words that flashed across my screen as I was flicking channels and came across VH1 Classic.  Needless to say, I stayed for about an hour watching the 2010 documentray Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage.

Here's the trailer - it says it all...

The documentary was well made, filmed in HD, and featured some great and interesting musicians who all seem to love Rush.  My favorite was this one (just a snippet of his interview.)

Neil Pert's take on things was actually interesting.  I liked that he said that he never gets sick of playing "Tom Sawyer."  He feels the song is so difficult, that when he does get it right live, (which he claims doesn't happen often) he feels great about it.

Also, has there been a more male-centric audience in music than Rush?  Think hard.  Name a girl, who not only might like Rush, but could name a Rush song.  Strange, I never really got into them.  I remember in college, all my fraternity brothers were jacked to go see them, and they were shocked, knowing I was a music guy, who had no interest in them at the time.  Oh well.  I passed on other great shows too.

Lastly, in a recent comedy that no one has seen, I Love You, Man, Paul Rudd and Jason Segel find each others as "bros" and share a love for all things Rush.

Song in My Head

I cannot get much more British than this.  This is a band that 90% of America doesn't even know, yet have a place in British rock history.  Enjoy something new.  Here's Pete Doherty and the Libertines, "Boys in the Band."

Song In My Head

TV on the Radio's 2006 song "I Was a Lover". I always thought it was one of the strongest first tracks of any album of the past decade -- with that cool beat sampled from Massive Attack's "Teardrop" and then chopped up, twisted and layered with those other-worldly horns until it's nearly unrecognizable. "Teardrop" is a lovely little song -- used as the theme on "House" -- and featuring vocals by the Cocteau Twins Elizabeth Fraser (who was selected to record vocals over runner-up choice Madonna.)

Video Vault Friday!

I'm trying to be diligent!  Today’s video is an 80’s goodie, that many forget: it’s “Come Dancing” by the Kinks.  I loved the skeevy guy Ray Davies plays in the video as the sister’s boyfriend. 

Song in My Head

Ok, today's song is our 1st repeat!  This song has previously been chosen, but by a different band.  The song that has been in my head for two days now is "Common People" by Pulp.  I know Court chose the Shatner version a while back to celebrate Bill's 80th birthday, but hey, a good song is a good song.

REM calls it quits

After reading the little article about the demise of REM, I was moved to write a response.  REM seems to be a bad that will forever be overlooked for their importance of creatign alternative radio, and allowing so many other bands to find a little spotlight in the mainstream, get noticed, and hit pay dirt. 

No, they weren’t as cutting edge as New Order, Echo & the Bunnymen, the Smiths or the Cure, but they were the band that made me open that cellar door to check out what is on the other side of what I knew of as “classic rock & roll.”  The had a “sound.”  Not quite like anything else you would hear on staple FM channels, but accessible, yet quirky.  For me, it comes from Peter Buck's 12 string sound.  Songs like "South Central Rain," “Don’t go Back to Rockville,” “Superman,” and “Fall on Me” carry that sound that attracted me to them.

The group, sans Stipe most of the time, showed how tight they as a band with the highly underrated Hindu Love Gods project they tackled with Warren Zevon.; talking on blues favorites, and Prince. 

MTV & music videos helped the general public become aware of who this little Southern band was.  “The One I “Love” and “The End of The World” were somewhat in rotation on MTV, and gave them that initial radio play.  Then came “Losing My Religion,” and the whole thing blew up.

In this time, of immense popularity, REM was able to show many sides as a multi-dimensional band.  A silly song like “Stand” or “Shiny Happy People” evokes the B-52’s (and yes, I know Kate Pearson was on the latter.)  “Drive” has an eerie Pink Floyd feel, and “Orange Crush” lends a heavy rock sound. 

Much like Dylan when he “plugged in” I felt REM did the same (I know a stretch of a comparison) when they came out with the Monster album, and “What’s the Frequency Kenneth?”  Many fans turned away.  The band lost the sound that made them special - that rhythm section, and went a bit glam with “"Bang and Blame", & "Crush with Eyeliner."  I felt this was also a visible change in the band with Michael Stipe shaving his head, and Mike Mills wearing rhinestone suits. 

With the loss of drummer and contributing songwriter Bill Berry in the later 90’s, the band seemed somewhat lost and faded a bit into obscurity.  They would still put out a decent song once in a while, like “Leaving New York” but their star had obviously faded. 

Amazingly, they and U2 were the two bands that went head to toe as the leaders of the alternative movement to mainstream, yet, only one will be remembered as legendary. 

Video Vault -- Sexy Sax Man

In case you missed it, this is a great YouTube clip -- the Sexy Sax Man -- who plays that annoying sax riff from Wham's "Careless Whisper" in public places, defying rent-a-cops who threaten to have him arrested. Stick with it til the end -- it's only five minutes long. Warning: "Careless Whisper" will be in your head after watching this video.

Help Me Spend $50

Thanks to a generous in-law, I have some free money to spend on iTunes. And I'm looking for suggestions on how to spend it. Anyone hear anything good lately that I should buy? You can bet the new Das Racist release will be $9.99 of it -- so $40.01 to go. I want your suggestions.

Celebrity Sighting

I'm not one for spotting celebrities -- after all, they're entitled to their own lives free from the nosy eyes of little people like me. But I was in Urth Caffe in West Hollywood waiting for a Spanish Latte (yes that's what you'd call a comment!) and in walks a man guiding a rather heavyset man with braided hair and dark glasses right past me to the restroom. Immediate recognition on my part -- Stevie Wonder. Pretty cool. This wasn't one of those "wasn't he in that show with that guy" kind of moments. This was Stevie Wonder -- a living legend.

Song In My Head

Suede's "So Young." Maybe it's because we're not really so young anymore. Either way, Suede's debut album from 1993 was a landmark moment in British music, melding Smiths-like melodic, inventive guitars with glam rock behind lead guitarist Bernard Butler. Suede helped usher in other bands that pushed the boundaries under the so-called Britpop umbrella. But unlike some of the imitators, this track has aged well. I picked up the CD used for four bucks at a great little shop in Carlsbad, CA, last week.

2010: An Underwhelming Year

OK, It's now September. We're two-thirds through with 2011 and I realize I never burned copies of my Best of 2010 CD. That's party because I've been busy, but mostly because 2010 kinda sucked musically. Here's my (admittedly weak) list:

"Pumped Up Kicks" - Foster the People

I realize these guys broke pretty big this year, but this song was my song of the year in 2010. Just a cool mellow summer vibe, and it would be deserving on a best-of list for any year.

"Primitive 3D" - Deerhunter

Neat little piece of 60s inspired psychedelia. You don't hear too many guitar/theremin solos.


"The High Road" - Broken Bells

Danger Mouse makes good things happen. And this collaboration with James Mercer of The Shins is no exception. Maybe my album of the year for 2010 -- I really dug this record. The video's a tad weak, though.

"Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)" - Arcade Fire

I'm a sucker for songs about controlling urban growth. And turns out, I'm not alone: Arcade Fire won a Grammy. Then again, so did Lady Antebellum.


"Rill Rill" - Sleigh Bells

The best M.I.A. album M.I.A. never made. I respect Sleigh Bells for sounding like no one else, except M.I.A. of course.


"What's It In For" - Avi Buffalo

Here's an under-rated gem by a teenager-fronted band from Long Beach. I first heard this song on a flight to Houston back in January of 2010 and it stayed with me all year.


"Heavens on Fire" - The Radio Department

OK, this is a bit preachy and obvious -- I chalk that up to the band being from Sweden (Quick - Name one really good Swedish band?) But on the positive side, this song's almost got a Madchester feel to it.

"Home" - Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

This is another exceptional track -- and it would stand out on a best of the past five years list. Reminds me of the big move we made late last summer. Plus, I'm partial to concept albums about messianic figures who are sent to save the Earth but fail because they keep falling in love with girls.


"Slow Motion" - Panda Bear

Very cool track -- with one shimmery phrase repeated and built on for the over-four minute duration. Also, if you search "Slow Motion Panda Bear" on YouTube, you also get this.

"Summer Well" - Interpol

These are the guys who get the credit for bringing back the Joy Division sound. Critics might chalk them up as a tribute band, but when you're paying tribute to the very best, that's OK. I thought their previous few efforts didn't live up to expectations, but they came through last year with this one.

"Out of Tune" - Real Estate

I had my own Real Estate trouble last year, but it had nothing to do with this Ridgewood, NJ band. Sweet Byrds-like jangle pop. Very melancholy but very catchy.


"I Walked" - Sufjan Stevens

This came out late in the year and when I first heard it, it blew me away. It still does. Ranks up there with "Chicago" as Sufjan's very best work.


"The Cave" - Mumford and Sons

I'm cheating here -- this track is an afterthought -- something I got into this year and retroactively am including on my Best of 2010 because it came out last year and I was late to the game.

"Fashion Party" - Das Racist featuring Chairlift

I'm cheating here, too. I only got into these guys this year, but they broke last year so again it's a case of retroactive inclusion. This is a totally cool track -- all chillwave and not entirely like the rest of the Das Racist catalog, from which I could have chosen any number of alternatives to include here. For some reason, this is a scaled down version -- I think the production on the mixtape version was a little fuller. BTW, the new DR CD is out on September 13th!

"I Can Change" - LCD Soundsystem

Turns out this will be the last LCD Soundsystem record. Nothing on the new record can touch 2007's phenomenal "Someone Great", which I rank among the five best songs of the decade.


"Glitter Freeze" - Gorillaz featuring Mark E. Smith

You had to figure anything featuring both Damon Albarn and Mark E. Smith would find its way on this list. From the very first moment - MES snarling "Where's North from here?" - you know it's solid.



"Stick to My Side" - Pantha du Prince

Cool electronica from German producer Hendrik Weber featuring vocals by Panda Bear's Noah Lennox.



So that's it. Again, it wasn't a great year -- but as I compiled this post, I realize it was better than I thought when I started. And as always, I welcome your thoughts!!!