Song in My Head

One of the greatest, unheralded bands would be Big Star.  Sure, some of you might know them from their song, "In the Streets" which was the theme song for That 70's Show.  They used the original for the 1st season, and then  Cheap Trick performed it from there on.  I feel Big Star, and more specifically, key songwriter, guitarist, and singer Alex Chilton is one of the great originators of the power pop genre.  Their 1974 song, "September Gurls" is one of those great lost classics. It's one of those songs that when you hear it, you can tell the influence it had on so many other musicians.  Even today, Katy Perry's producer was such a fan, that he asked her to spell out her song "California Gurls" with the "U" as a tribute to the band.

The song is ranked in the top 200 songs of all time by Rolling Stone magazine, but seriously, how many of you truly know it?  I like the studio rehearsal version best, but here is the record version.

Enjoy.

Mickey Mouse Meets Joy Division

The Disney Store was actually selling a Joy Division-inspired Mickey Mouse T-shirt. The familiar mouse shape is comprised of the waves imagery from the Unknown Pleasures album cover. And no, it's not a joke.

But alas, all good things must come to an end. Disney says the shirt is no longer for sale. A representative for the empire is quoted on Pitchfork saying: "As soon as we became aware there could be an issue, we pulled it from our shelves and our online store to review the situation further."

Here's the original link to the T-shirt on the Disney Store website.

Song in My Head

Ok, this song is truly in my head.  Maybe because I have heard it three times in two days (thanks Sirius, Spotify, Rolling Stone.)  God save the queen!  We mean it MAAAN!!! 

Politics Makes Strange Bedfellows... in Music

So in my day job, I cover politics. And on Saturday night, Newt Gingrich won the South Carolina Primary. As we waited for Newt to take the stage to deliver his victory speech, the Gingrich campaign had a few songs playing to rev up the crowd. There were two on heavy rotation -- basically back to back, over and over -- and as a pairing, they make no sense:

First, Toby Keith's "American Ride". Keith is about as Republican as you can get. And you know that any song with the word "American" in it will be played at a Republican campaign event. Even if it has lyrics like "Momma gets her rocks off/watching 'Desperate Housewives.'"

Second, Blur's "Song 2". Sure, it's a rev-'em-up kind of song that you always here at sporting events, and face it, politics is sport. But I found it really funny that Blur -- pioneers of Britpop -- were paired with the jingoistic and uber-American Toby Keith on heavy rotation as the world waited for Newt Gingrich's victory speech.

Quiz Time!

Stockton, California

So in an earlier post I asked what Grant-Lee Phillips, Stephen Malkmus and Chris Isaak all have in common.

The answer? They all grew up in the rather grim city of Stockton, California. Also, they all got the hell out of a city that -- according to polls and studies -- is at once the "most miserable", the "least literate", and tied for the most obese metro area in the country.

Video Vault Friday

Johnny Cash is one of the coolest people to ever live.  Who else could have every prisoner in America in the late 60's have your back, and still record Shel Silverstein poems?

My favorite Johnny Cash song is "Cocaine Blues."  There is something about the C&W baseline that drives the song along like a freight train.  No remorse for what the main character did, just lay off the drugs. 

Surprisingly, I like the Joaquin Phoenix version form the movie Walk the Line.  He does a nice job embodying Cash, and much like Val Kilmer's take as Jim Morrison, received few accolades for a great performance. 

This live version is not a strong as the Phoenix recorded soundtrack.  I respect Phoenix for going in the studio and recording all the songs himself instead of using a Cash soundtrack.  He does a pretty good job.  Maybe too good, for he thought about becoming a hip-hop star after this.

Quiz Time!

 






Quick. What do Grant-Lee Phillips, Stephen Malkmus and Chris Isaak all have in common?

And, no, none of them have been in my kitchen, but that's not the answer we're looking for.

Song in My Head

Ok, I am going back in the way back machine for this one.  Some song I heard driving to work on Tuesday triggered this one.  It's called "Esatto!" by Francesco Salvi.  It was the #1 song in Italy in the spring of 1989 while I was visiting there.  It's nonsensical!  It has farm animals sampled over an 80's synth & piano riffs - yet, the Italians loved it.  Looking it up, it was bounced from #1 for Madonna's "Like a Prayer."  the video is probably just as disturbing. Enjoy! 

Song in My Head

I just picked up lunch and ABC's "Be Near Me" was playing. I hadn't heard it in a while but it brought me right back to 1985 (when I had the single). It's probably not as good as the band's earlier stuff -- like 1982's Lexicon of Love album, but it's still a great tune.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0RcHdbdIjc

Video Vault

I got a kick out of this SNL skit featuring Michael Buble doing Christmas duets with various other singers, all played by guest host Jimmy Fallon or the SNL cast. I laughed out loud at Kanye West (complete with Auto-Tune) and M.I.A. And Fallon doing Sting is pretty good, too.

I know virtually nothing about Michael Buble but good for him for having the sense of humor to do this.

Video Vault Friday

This is an MTV classic: Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore trying to interview Beck on "120 Minutes" back in 1994. Beck's doing everything he can not to be interested -- or at least look like Johnny Rotten on Tom Snyder's "Tomorrow" show -- and Thurston Moore is trying about as hard as an indie rocker hipster dude can try to salvage what is not a very good interview. My favorite line: "I inhaled a whole bag of goose feathers."

Best of 2011 - Yet ANOTHER list???

This was the 1st "Best of 2011" I received.  It's from my brother Jim.  Curious to see your responses...

"Turn Your Face" - Title Tracks

"Die" - Girls

"No One is (as I are be) - Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks

"I'm His Girl" - Friends

"212" - Azealia Banks

"Ice Cream" - Battles

"Is This Power" - The Field

"Shameless" - Man Man

"Peeping Tomboy" - Kurt Vile

"Always Looking" - Dum Dum Girls

"Shadow" - Gringo Star

"Powa" - Tune Yards

"Black Night" - The Dodos

"The Grey Ship" - Ema

 "Pure Radio Cosplay" - And You Will Know Us By The Trail of the Dead

Best of 2011 - A Second Look

As I looked back on 2011, I was a little underwhelmed.  Many of these songs might not have made the list in previous years.  Funny thing is: I probably listened to more music this year than I have in previous years.  I embraced Spotify & used Grooveshark.  I downloaded from itunes, and my SIRIUS radio played non-stop.  I just couldn't get a great feel for what the year was.  Here is the collection I archived.  Every time I heard a song I liked, I tried to add it to the list for the year.  Here is what I came up with:

"Machine Gun Blues" - Social Distortion

These guys are the greatest least-known band in America.  Some 30+ years, and still cranking out that 50's retro/punk sound. A great chorus makes this song fly.  I was glad to see they got a little push by opening for the Foo Fighters on their world tour.  Hopefully they earned a few new fans.

"Make Some Noise" - Beastie Boys

Yes, my second old-timer band makes the list.  I so anticipated this record, and was a bit disappointed.  The first single and the video did not disappoint, though.  Yauch still is the greatest MC to rock the mike.  Plus, a great cowbell solo - how can you go wrong?

"Around My Head" - Cage the Elephant

This is one of my favorite newer bands.  This is the second time I have included them on a "Best of" list.  Their sophomore record, Thank You, Happy Birthday was a critical success.  This was my favorite song off it. The video is a bit of a gory Weekend at Bernie's. 

"Pumped Up Kicks" - Foster the People

Ok, so I think Court selected this song last year, but it was only released online then.  The album, Torches,  was released May 23, 2011, so I will count it for this year.  This anti-hit, was super catchy.  It was one of the songs that would be on when my kids were in the car that I liked.  The band even chuckled that lyrically this should never have been a hit, but, damn that whistling gets to me!

"Jesus Fever" - Kurt Vile

I really liked Philly's own Kurt Vile.  I was exposed to him via SIRIUS.  I followed up listening to his record, Smoke Ring for My Halo on Spotify and really enjoyed the relaxed nature of it.  He gets compared to Springsteen, which I find interesting.  I'm still listening for it. 

"Knuckle Down" - Man Man

Score another point for Philadelphia!  Man Man is one of the bands I NEED to see live.  Crazy stuff.  The video is only 14 seconds of the song, showing the crazy process of being Man Man.  Love the xylophone & vocals.  Big fan!  Look up the entire song.

"Get Away" - Yuck

It was the guitar solo that originally peaked my interest.  When I heard that it, I swore it was J. Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. Even though it has that guitar, it is so British Indie.  Catchy.  I love hearing it while driving on a cold fall day.  Reminds me a little of the Cribs.

"Lotus Flower" - Radiohead

I, admittedly, am not the biggest Radiohead fan, but I like this one.  I downloaded it from their site almost immediately after hearing it.  It's tight & sophisticated sounding.  My question is: will I hear it in a Banana Republic within a year?

"If I Had a Gun" - Noel Gallagher & the High Flying Birds

Take away my love for Oasis, and this still is a pretty great song.  Noel shows a much softer, dreamier side here, that Oasis lacked.  They (Oasis) could get sappy, but this doesn't feel it (except the title line.)  Much to my Oasis loving friend's chagrin, I think the talent for the band lies here.

"Lonely Boy" - The Black Keys

I feel they are the "it" band at the moment.  They are in magazines, on TV, all over the radio, and yesterday, I found out this song is in my son's video game.  El Camino is probably not as good as their previous record, but they showed they have staying power.  The video alone, warrants recognition.  I got a good chuckle at the single shot video.

"Never Tear Us Apart" - Me First & the Gimme Gimmes

I think the Gimmes do a great job taking pop songs and giving them an edge.  This year's covers are either from Australia or Japan.  Who better than INXS to cover at full speed in 2:05 seconds? 

"Sad Song" - The Cars

No, it's not 1978, but listening to this song, you might think it was.  The song sounds like it should have been an outtake from Candy-O, but it's all new with all original members except the late Benjamin Orr.  With the hand clapping, and synth sound, you've heard from previous Cars records, you'd be shocked that it was written in 2011.  Funny thing, the song doesn't sound sad at all. 

"Little Talks" - Of Monsters & Men

Truth be told, this was not my pick, but my wife's.  It was her favorite song of 2011.  I included it for I found her fascination with this six piece Icelandic band surprising.  Looking it up, it has only gotten heavy play in Seattle, Columbus, and 104.5 out of Philadelphia. 

"Hello" - Martin Solveig

Once again, a late 201 release, but had it's success in 2011.  I downloaded a bunch of junk for my kids, but this one was catchy.  A French DJ & a Canadian electro-pop act with a catchy bubbly dance track.  I am already starting to regret this pick knowing it was covered by Alvin & the Chipmunks in the movie Chipwrecked!

Best of 2011 - A Second Opinion (By Darius)

Here's my Best of 2011 tracks - hope you like them.

"Go Tell Everybody" - The Horrible Crowes



I have to admit that I was a little apprehensive about Brian Fallon (of The Gaslight Anthem) striking out on his own with a guy I never heard of (Ian Perkins), and the first track I heard from the album "Elsie" ("Black Betty and The Moon") was certainly not what I expected. It took a few weeks, but it grew on me, alot. It was slow and soulful, which is a bit of a departure from The Gaslight Anthem's straight ahead rock. When they released "Go Tell Everybody" just prior to the album's official release, I was taken by surprise again, but this time I came around more rapidly. Fallon's raw emotion when he sings "I was a man of great sympathy..." is simply unmatched. Just listen to the first 30 seconds, from the beating high-hat intro to Fallon's swagger singing: "I've been known to wear a fine black suit, and murder a tie, I've got miles on my shoes, that your brothers can't buy." In my opinion, this is the album of the year. I saw them perform most of it live in Los Angeles, and it was even better than on record. Bottom line, I will never doubt Brian Fallon again.

"Wetsuit" - The Vaccines.



These guys made a pretty big splash this year, and the album "What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?" is on most critics Top 10 lists. I won't bore you with further details - it is everything the critics say and more. This track is a gem hidden amongst the more well-played "Post Break Up Sex" and "Wreckin' Bar".

"Montezuma" - Fleet Foxes



"Helplessness Blues" is a beautiful album, but I'm not telling you something you don't already know. Just like The Vaccines, this one made plenty of lists this year. Fleet Foxes have the feel of CSNY and 60s era Beach Boys, but with something current added. "Montezuma" is the first track and it hits you with lyrics like "So now I am older, then my mother and father, when they had their daughter, now what does that say about me...Oh man what I used to be...".

"Houdini" - Foster The People



Foster the People were a huge commercial success this year - I couldn't go anywhere without hearing "Pumped Up Kicks." In fact, I refused to buy the album because they were so overplayed and overhyped. So my freind bought it and I begrudingly listened. I was wrong - this a great band. "Houdini" reminds me of 80s era synth-pop from bands like Duran Duran - a total throwback, but also modern in their own right. Like other bands of the past year (Yeasayer, M83, Sleigh Bells) the sound is not uniqiue, but FTP pull it off in a very catchy way. If, like me, you hesitated on this band - hesitate no longer.

"People" - AWOLNation



Like most of you, I was drawn in by the brooding drone of "Sail", but the rest of "Megalithic Symphony" is surprisingly pop. This track is a prime example. A very interesting band with a fresh sound.

"Poison & Wine" - The Civil Wars



I think the first time I saw this duo perform was on Letterman (link below) - they were stunning, and I bought the album "Barton Hollow" immediately. When you see them perform it, you can feel the emotion and see it written on their faces - the mark of a great artist. The slow build of this song just draws you in more with each verse.

"Brendan's Death Song" - The Red Hot Chili Peppers



If anyone thought the Chilis were done, think again. I am a huge fan of John Frusciante's guitar work with RHCP, and I don't think they are the same without him. That said, John Klinghoffer has brought something just as good, but different, to the band. "I'm With You" is undoubtedly the Chilis, but it has a slightly different spin, which is refreshing. Its difficult to even pick a song from this album because they are all so good, and also very different. This one hit me right away - its the slow and melodic Kiedis voice that is always the most interesting (think "Under the Bridge").

"Diamond in the Rough" - Social Distortion



I keep waiting for Social Distortion to fall off (not that I want them to), and they never do - "Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes" is just as good as every other album they have put out over the last 20 years. Its hard to believe they started in the early 80s and are still going strong. I never miss them in concert when they come to town. "Diamond in the Rough" is classic Social D at their singalong best.

"MoneyGrabber" - Fitz and the Tantrums



Can't forget this one - beyond catchy, and the album "Pickin' Up The Pieces" is a welcome break from the rest of alternative radio. Just watch them perform it live with Philly legend Darryl Hall.

Best of 2011

Happy 2012... Time now for my best tracks of 2011.

Song of the Year:
"The Last Living Rose" - PJ Harvey

I just got into this amazing record at the end of the year, and it's been a long time since I've had an album I've wanted to listen to as much as this one. So much has already been written about the majesty and tragedy contained here -- and how Polly Jean has laid claim to the 'war album' -- in the same sense Hemingway can claim the war novel. This is a grown-up, mature record about war and its effect on society -- and it's at once horrific and beautiful. Every song on this album is a work of art but it's the quiet dignity of this one that grabbed me right away. Plus, the greatest opening lyric in a good long while. Oh and every song on the record has a video equally as beautiful as this one. Let England Shake truly deserves the high praise it's gotten this year.

It's difficult to put anything else on this list, which should give you some idea about how I feel about PJ Harvey's Let England Shake. But I realize I have to keep going (in no particular order)...

"Amor Fati" - Washed Out
I'm a sucker for a chord progression that sounds like the 80s. And the repetitive D-A-E-B of this tune by Perry, Georgia's Ernest Greene does the trick quite nicely. Slap on a good dancy beat and some airy (dare I say washed out?) vocals and I'm hooked.

                                       

"Jesus Fever" - Kurt Vile
This is a great track from earlier in the year from Philadelphia's own Kurt Vile. The guitar work is terrific and the world-weary vocals are a perfect compliment.

"Hex Girlfriend" - Neon Indian
Alan Paloma does it again. I really liked Era Extrana. It's hooky and accessible and all in all a lot of fun. Might have been my second favorite album of the year (but clearly lacked the depth of Let England Shake.) Still, Neon Indian is emerging as a very reliable hitmaker for the chillwave crowd.

"M83" - Midnight City
Frenchman Anthony Gonzalez may have had the most ubiquitous song of the year with this it-came-from-the-80s smash. The synths are great -- and, gulp, so is the saxophone (and fadeout) that ends the jam. In a year that really failed to deliver anything new, it's the throwback sound of chillwave acts like these guys, Neon Indian and Washed Out that the year may be best remembered for.

"Sixteen Shades of Black and Blue" - Fujiya and Miyagi
I can't enjoy a sax solo for too long, so I figure this menacing tune by this Brighton band should be next on the list. You can certainly hear the sound of the Krautrock bands in their work, but on this particular track, the most obvious touchstone might be Marilyn Manson.

"A Million Miles" - Alexander
Another standout record for me this year. Alexander Ebert of Edwin Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros fame put out his solo debut, a folky, foot-stomping good time that does its best to take you back to the late 60s.

"Desert Raven" - Jonathan Wilson
Fast-forward a few years to the early 70s sound of the Laurel Canyon scene with this gentle piece of FM gold. The trouble with retro is that it's not that Jonathan Wilson is doing anything here that we haven't heard before, he's just doing something we haven't heard in a few decades better than it was done the first time around.

"Calyer" - Beach Fossils
And now back to the 80s. Maybe the early 80s sound of REM when they were still good -- full of jangle and unintelligible lyrics. Add a dash of early New Order by playing the guitar riffs over the verses and you've nailed oh, I don't know, 1982?

"As the Crow Flies" - The Advisory Circle
My biggest discovery this year -- thanks to Simon Reynolds (and my brother!) -- is the weird music of Britain's Ghost Box record label. The genre is Library Music or Hauntology --  all instrumental, with analog synths trying to recreate the sound of the imaginary worlds of old British science fiction. The best artist on the label is Belbury Poly - the alias of label co-founder Jim Jupp. (I highly recommend 2005's "Caermon"). But this year's release by The Advisory Circle was some of the first Ghost Box stuff I heard -- so I list it here to represent a big chunk of my listening this year.

"Santa Fe" - Beirut
My father is the biggest fan of Beirut that I know. No joke. Plus my father-in-law just moved to Santa Fe, so there you go. Zach Condon has been putting out Balkan brass band records for years -- and this is by far his poppiest and most accessible effort to date. And that's not a bad thing.

"Mona Lisa" - Atlas Sound

Bradford Cox always seems to make my list - whether it be for Deerhunter or his solo work as Atlas Sound.  

"Top Bunk" - Gauntlet Hair
This Denver duo is frequently labeled Shoegaze revivalists -- but the swagger of this track suggests something more 80s -- maybe Gene Loves Jezebel?

"Michael Jackson" - Das Racist

OK. I'll fully admit this isn't the best DR track I've ever heard. But I listened to older Das Racist this year about as much as any other individual artist, so I felt they warranted inclusion on my list with a track from this year's release.

"Street Halo" - Burial

Dark, mysterious dubstep from electronic musician William Bevan of London.

"Replica" - Oneohtrix Point Never
More haunted sound. Notice how the sad, Erik Satie style piano riff keeps repeating, yet never sounds exactly the same. And that video!