08 November 2012

8 November 2012 - Blondie - Rapture

Faithful readers, I'm sorry I'm late with today's post (I like to have them ready for your lunch breaks). Oddly enough, I was ACTUALLY working in an office in DC all day, as opposed to my usual couch office where the commute is much better and the co-workers (the cats) are WAY more fun. Anyway, when I got on the DC Metro this morning Rapture popped into my head (Yeah, I know, you'd think it should have been The Metro by Berlin ... as I always say it's best not to analyze what actually goes on in my head). So get up and groove to the Blondie beat. I'm not watching you, don't worry.

07 November 2012

7 November 2012 - Belly - Feed The Tree / Slow Dog & Throwing Muses - Not Too Soon

This band is a particularly strong guilty pleasure for me, more so than most others.

Since the mid 1980's, my favorite band, ever, has been a band from Newport, RI called Throwing Muses.  Its leader and usual lead vocalist - and since 1992, only lead vocalist - Kristin Hersh is a truly unique musical voice.  I cannot say enough nice things about her. I've written about her other ventures as a solo artist and in another band previously.

Her stepsister was Tanya Donelly, and they started Throwing Muses together.  Kristin was the primary songwriter and lead vocalist, and Tanya took lead guitar and occasional songwriter and vocalist.  Eventually, Tanya became a better songwriter, finding her own voice instead of trying to emulate her stepsister's. Once that happened, she started branch out on her own, first as a founding member of The Breeders (although she never got anywhere near a Cannonball), and then as leader of her own band, Belly.

Belly was a really good pop/rock band.  However, anyone expecting the dark feel of Throwing Muses were sorely disappointed.  Tanya wrote jangly pop songs that fit her voice and style.  This was her first American single (she released an EP overseas before returning to the States), and it was a bigger hit than anything Throwing Muses had ever done... which really pissed me off for awhile.  I've made my peace with it.  Tanya wrote some good songs during this era, and I still enjoy them.  I hope you do, too!



That aforementioned EP, by the way, was called "Slow Dust", based on two of the songs on there - "Dusted" and "Slow Dog".  Belly later released a remixed version of the later song in this country, and they even made a fun video for it.  Check out Tanya's jangly guitar work.  And lyrically, the song loaded with enough metaphor to make Kristin Hersh proud.


As a little bonus, here is the last song that Tanya did with Throwing Muses - a full year before any work with Belly - and the only one written by her that the band ever made a video for.  It's not my favorite Muses song, but you can see that Tanya is clearly on the path to Belly.  The bassist with Throwing Muses at this time - Fred Abong, who was not an original member - left with Tanya to form Belly three months after the album this was on was released.

By the way, this was one of the first songs Tanya wrote, and was on some early Muses demos.  Trust me.  This version is better than the earlier ones.

06 November 2012

6 November 2012 - Miranda Lambert - Only Prettier

I've had the chorus to this song in my head pretty much all morning. Gosh, I wonder why? Anyway, here's one of my favorite videos by one of my favorite singers. You gotta love the good girl/bad girl thing she and her friends Kellie, Hillary and Laura have going on in this one.

05 November 2012

5 November 2012 - Hyun-A - Ice Cream & Bubble Pop

Those of you who follow K-Pop must have known this post was coming.

By now, you've all heard the last great Korean pop classic (and read my post about it), "Gangnam Style".   At this point, it's our second biggest post ever.  And it's the #2 pop song in the country as of this writing, even this long after its initial discovery here.

Look back at that video, and you'll see that PSY has a female protagonist in his video.  That female is Hyun-A.  She also did a version of "Gangnam Style", callled "Oppa Is Just My Style" - that was also featured on our previous post, by the way - that has also gotten a lot of attention.  So, PSY really owes a lot of his success to Hyun-A, one could say.

Which is why he makes a cameo appearance at the beginning of this video.

But don't let that cameo fool you.  This song is all Hyun-A.  It's the in-your-face power K-Pop that she is well-known for in her home country, complete with envelope-pushing themes and outfits.  Her cleavage in this video is something of a minor scandal in Korea. She also weaves a little bit of English into her song and her video - check out the signs that the crowd is holding in the video.  And try not to laugh - English isn't their first language here.

Plus she runs over a clown with her ice cream truck.



Now, here's a little trivia.  What's the most seen K-Pop video of all time?  Easy one, right? It's "Gangnam Style."

So, what's the video it dethroned?

It was another Hyun-A song!  Here, she exhibits the same power pop - a little more pop, and a little less power, but both are still there.  More importantly, she exhibits a skill not often seen in K-Pop - rump shaking.  Seriously, this song borrows heavily from American hip hop, in both style and music.  Check out the breakdown at 2:18.




04 November 2012

4 November 2012 (Special Standard Time Edition) - Night Ranger - The Secret of My Success

Would you like to know the secret of Night Ranger's success?

They're alive 25 hours a day.

Seriously, I couldn't pass up posting this song, a fun 80's rock romp from the movie of the same name, starring Michael J. Fox and Helen Slater.  Their music ain't Tchaikovsky - it's just fun rock and roll music.  With keyboards.  And lines like "The secret of my success is I'm alive 25 hours a day" seem especially appropriate today.

02 November 2012

2 November 2012 - Prince - Raspberry Beret

I am a huge Prince fan, and I have been for a very long time.  There's not much that this man has done that isn't brilliant on some level.

This single, one of my favorites - and a song that I can sing word for word unprompted - was one that Prince, a perfectionist, worked on for almost four years, before he released it as a single.  And, for a song first recorded in 1982 and released in 1985, it still sounds fresh and new and unique.  This is a testament to the musical genius of Prince - he is multi-instrumental, deals with themes in his lyrics that no one else does, has a tremendous grasp of how to properly use a metaphor, and surrounds himself with musicians that are as strong as he is.

To that last point, look at how prominently Wendy Melvoin, on guitar, is featured in this video.  In fact, the entire Revolution - including a strings section - are featured at several points.  To those who claim Prince to be an egomaniac, I point you to the 3:38 point in this video, when it is made clear that Lisa Coleman is the 2nd vocalist.  This is a theme that recurs through several Prince videos.  The man knows music, and he knows he can't do it alone.




01 November 2012

1 November 2012 - Thomas Dolby - She Blinded Me With Science

It's time for another 80s Thursday. Here's a gem with an interesting, if not sometimes confusing storyline. I'd take the time to analyze it and make some funnies, but my head hurts. Regardless, I always thought this was a pretty rad tune. Hate to admit it, but it's probably the only song by him that I know...I think.