17 March 2015 - Denis Leary - Traditional Irish Folk Song.

This always made me laugh.  Happy St. Patrick's Day!  Have fun getting drunk, America.

16 March 2015 - Letters To Cleo - Here And Now

I cannot believe I never posted this.

I mean, this song just OOZES mid-90's music.  It's happy and angry at the same time.  And, let's face it, Kay Hanley has an amazing and unique voice. And she can sing FAST.

I have to admit - I saw them live.  Water Street Music Hall, Rochester, NY, September 1995.  They were OK.  I was happy I saw them.  I wish I still had my Letters to Cleo t-shirt.

"The comfort of a knowledge of a rise above the sky above could never parallel the challenge of an acquisition in the here and now."

12 March 2015 - Britney Spears - Toxic

I remember when I had a co-author.

He used to post a Britney Spears song every year on my birthday.

Which happens to be today.

So here, Scott.  Doin' your work for you. 

10 March 2015 - Journey - Lights

This post is by a band I thought I would never post.  Ever.  (And I still will never post THAT song.)  This band (and THAT SONG particularly) is one that I have particularly disliked. 

As many of you know, I worked at a Xerox call center, where I was both the IT Manager and a DJ. 

9 Mar 2015 - Carly Rae Jepson - I Really Like You

I kept hearing that this song was more earwormy than "Call Me Maybe".  And from this blog's standpoint, that's a big deal.  That song was the first one of our posts to crest 100 page views.  (We've done better since).

I like the song.  Let's be clear.  It's sweet and inoffensive.  But to call it with such high praise....well, that's just throwing a wish in the well.  

4 March 2015 - BANKS - Before I Ever Met You

This might be the only artist on here who wants you to have her phone number...

By the way, it's (323) 362-2658.

And yes.  She answers.  Sometimes.  It's a cell phone.   So you can text her.

Bet let's not stalk our favorite buzzy musicians.  Let's talk about their great music, instead.  She didn't make a video for it or release it as a single.  But the song is so emotion-filled that I couldn't not post it.  The pain in BANKS's voice is tangible, like you can touch it, grab it with your hands.  It's a rare talent that can do that.  So, discover and enjoy.

2 March 2015 - James Newton Howard (featuring Jennifer Lawrence) - The Hanging Tree

So, here it is.

The song that blew everyone away with Jennifer Lawrence's untapped abilities.  But here's what you don't know....

If you've read the book, you know that the lyrics were written by author Suzanne Collins.  Two guys from The Lumineers did the music.  And, of course, Jennifer Lawrence provided the vocals..... but she didn't want to.

No.  She wanted Lorde. 

We're glad it's Jennifer who sang this.  It gave the song a less polished feel that fit the movie better than Lorde's voice would have there, and suited the intention of the song in a far greater way than Lorde could have....

No offense, Lorde.  We still love you. 

24 February 2015 (A Guilt-Free Extension) - Tanya Donelly - New England

It's June.
And I'm still wearing my boots.

Pretty much how you're feeling this year, right, New England?

Actually, this song just perfectly captures the dichotomy of life in the United States Northeast - New England and New York can probably be lumped together here.  Winter is hard, but the rest of the year.... just lovely and welcoming.

And, with the harsh winter New England is getting, I figured y'all needed a tribute.

(And yes, I did just mention Tanya Donelly.  Why do you ask?)

20 February 2015 - Throwing Muses - Counting Backwards

It was only a matter of time, people.  I was going to break this seal eventually.   I just needed to find the right way and the right time.

On March 12, 1991, Throwing Muses released The Real Ramona, two weeks ahead of schedule.  I walked into that record store with the full intention of purchasing R.E.M.'s Out of Time, which was also released that day.  But, as Throwing Muses was my favorite band (still is), I had to go see if, maybe, just maybe, there was a schedule change.

19 February 2015 - Mary's Danish - Don't Crash The Car Tonight & It'll Probably Make Me Cry

Totally had to do a double today. But I had a good reason.  Mary's Danish was one great band with two amazing voices.  Gretchen Seager's voice was clearly well-suited for straight-ahead rock music.  Her voice was - is - raspy and powerful.  Take her lead vocal (with Julie Ritter taking background here) on their first single, "Don't Crash The Car Tonight", a drunk driving PSA waiting to happen....

Julie Ritter's voice, on the other hand, has a more bluesy feel.  Their 2nd single featured her voice (with Gretchen on background here) on a meloncholy ballad with a countryish - cowpunk, maybe - feel.

In both cases, their harmonies made the songs work, but it made for a versatile band.  Sadly, they broke up under label pressures in the early 90's, but their music lives on.

18 February 2015 - Angel Olsen - Forgiven/Forgotten

So far this week, I have given you music from the 80's and called it guilt-free.  Well, guilty is in the eye of the beholder.

So I had to bring you back to today.  Well, really, last year.  2014.

Angel Olsen's album Burn Your Fire For No Witness was, inarguably, one of the best of 2014 (on my list, it tied for #1).  It is criminal how ignored by radio - country, rock, whatever - this album was.  It was certainly in my heavy rotation all year long, and it will remain there for years to come.  

The entire album reminds me a lot of another classic album - Liz Phair's Exile in Guyville.  Both are angry and brilliant and occasionally profane.   Both are lo-fi masterpieces.  Both vacillate between electric fuzz and acoustic melancholy.

This was Angel Olsen's first full-band album (and only her 2nd overall).  Who knows what brilliance is to come?  

As an added bonus, here is Olsen, performing the song live in 2013, before her album was completed.  It's a little sparser, but it is amazing, still.

17 February 2015 - Concrete Blonde - Still In Hollywood

You might wonder how I selected the songs for this Guilt-Free week. 

I put my iPod on Shuffle.

And Track #2 was this song, the first national single for Los Angeles band Concrete Blonde.  No one knew who they were, and then they disappeared for a few years.  This song is angry, and brilliant, and paints a much different picture of Hollywood - a more true one, if you've ever been - than you see in the movies.  

16 February 2015 - The Cars - Just What I Needed

I don't mind you coming here

And wastin' all my time

'Cause when you're standing oh, so near

I kinda lose my mind

Who among us have not felt this way?  Rik Ocasek is just singing your feels.  So, I've decided to kick off Guilt-Free Week with a classic by The Cars.

13 February 2014 - Special Guilt-Free Friday Edition - Blake Babies - Brain Damage

Many of you don't know who the Blake Babies are.  But you do know who Juliana Hatfield is.  Well, if you were paying attention to the cover of Sassy magazine in the 90s, you know who Juliana Hatfield is. 

Or this blog, I guess.

Before she was Juliana Hatfield, she was lead singer of a band called the Blake Babies, featuring John Strohm and Freda Boner (who recruited Juliana) and occasionally their buddy Evan Dando, who later went on to found The Lemonheads (who occasionally had Juliana and John as members).  The Blake Babies broke up in the early 90's, but the four of them (not the well-received three-piece) got back together in 2001 for one last hurrah.

By far, the best song on God Bless The Blake Babies was this duet featuring Juliana and Evan. It's a dark, cool, angry, sad song that will worm its way into your ears and hook itself into your brain.  It isn't a typical Blake Babies song - it's much darker and more mature, to be sure - but it's close enough that you know it's them. 

The song was so good, and the chemistry between the two singers so strong, that they toured together as solo acts without the rest of the band and reprised this song. Check out the ad lib in this one!!!!!!

9 February 2015 - Charli XCX - Need Ur Luv

You all wanted a Charli XCX post.

You aren't getting the one you expected.

This isn't yet a single.  I really hope that it is.  The song that closes Sucker, it is, in this writer's opinion, the best song on the album.  It is full of ache and angst and hurt and love. It deserves to be a gigantic hit, and I hope it is.

This live performance from The Late Show With David Letterman begs two questions:

1. When did Charli stop getting dressed for public appearances?

 

2. Why did Dave give Charli a Cat Paw?

4 February 2015 - T.I. feat. Iggy Azalea - No Mediocre

On the surface, this song is hugely misongynistic.  Gee, T.I. has pretty high standards in women...

....until Iggy Iggy turns it into a brilliant call-and-response rap.   There are few people who T.I. would allow to knock him down a few pegs.  Iggy Azalea is one of them.

3 February 2015 - Meghan Trainor - Lips Are Movin'

I was NOT a fan of "All About That Bass", which was a body shaming song against body shaming wrapped up in some back pride.

I AM a fan of "Lips Are Movin'", which has a lot of the same do-wop sensibilities, white-girl rapping.... and a kitty cat dress.  Let's face it.  We all love the kitty cat dress.

Truthfully, it's an angrier song, but it's a lot more fun.  And I am truthfully happy to see someone with a lick of songwriting talent become more than a 1-hit wonder.
 

2 February 2015 - Sam Phillips - I Don't Want To Fall In Love

It was a brilliant idea.

Get an unsung, excellent musician to score the TV show Gilmore Girls. Best show ever, by the way.  But that's for another day;

Sam Phillips was that musician.

This song is from her first album as Sam (her real name is Leslie, under which moniker she performed as a Christian artist), and it is brilliant and quiet while still conveying the ache of the song.
 

30 January 2015 - The Pierces - Secret

Let's just open right up with a fact:

This song is the theme song to the television series Pretty Little Liars.

That's pretty much the only reason these two ladies are on this blog.  This song, away from the context of the show (the song predates the show), is dark and sinister and devilish.  It's got a different feel - different harmonies - than some of their other work.

And it's delightful fun.  So enjoy it.

29 January 2015 - Guided By Voices - Hold On Hope

I started off writing this not knowing exactly what song I would choose.  It's the first time I knew I wanted to do a blog post, but I didn't know what I wanted to write.  You see, it's been a tough day. I had a lot on my mind today.

But I came out of today with one thing, and that was hope.  And this song, which might be the most beautiful thing Guided by Voices ever did.... this song popped in my head.  It was on an episode of Scrubs, so it totally counts.   And if I am being honest... it makes me teary, every time.  I hope you enjoy it, too.

26 January 2015 - Taylor Swift - Shake It Off

Sigh.  Yes.  I am posting this.

I can't help it.  The song is damned catchy.  Admit it.

22 January 2015 - Luscious Jackson - Citysong

When I'm about to go crazy, 'cause I'm still livin' here
I just get my friends together and we dance, dance, dance.

I find it slightly ironic that Kate Schellenbach left The Beastie Boys, over creative differences surrounding the hip hop direction that band was taking, to join Luscious Jackson, a group that's for more hip hop than punk.

I mean, I'm glad she did.  First of all, I like Luscious Jackson a hell of a lot more than I ever liked The Beastie Boys.  The contrasts in this song between Gabby Glaser's cool verses and Jill Cuniff's frantic chorus are not atypical in Luscious Jackson's style.  Even through there's a significant Curtis Mayfield sample here, Kate's drum beat is important. 

(I am not discounting Vivian Trimble here.  Don't worry, keyboard fans.  She's important, too.)

Anyway, this is a group that sat in the shadow of the Beasties for a very long time, and didn't get proper recognition.  Today, we are here to give them proper recognition.

21 January 2015 - Gordon Lightfoot - Sundown

It's a cheap throwaway song about getting high and being in a bad relationship.  And it's an instant classic.

20 January 2015 - Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories - Do You Sleep

Part of the point of this blog is to shine a light on all that music that we really do like, whether we want to admit it or not.

A lot of my friends really like Lisa Loeb.  Almost all of them are afraid to admit it.  So, this post is my duty, a public service to all those friends.

But let's talk about this song, a clear breakup song, which is most likely the 2nd song you every heard by the band (I mean, we keep talking about Lisa Loeb like Nine Stories isn't in the room), after the huge, HUGE hit song "Stay".  This song is far more complex than that one, as is the video - no one-take wonders on this one.



What many of you do not know, however, is that this song predates "Stay" by a fair bit.  It appears on their self-released Purple Tape, which was literally a purple cassette tape demo (reissued years later, of course, because that's how things go).  That really was Lisa Loeb, and here it is.

19 January 2015 - Lorde - Bravado

Before there was Pure Heroine, there was The Love Club EP.  That was an EP that Lorde released on Soundhound... featuring a little song that ended up being a big hit.  This post is not about that song.

This post is about "Bravado", a song about someone who is withdrawn, doesn't want to be, and breaks out of her shell.  Kind of seems to me like Lorde might be talking about herself.  I personally love how this song starts out quiet and builds huge with her confidence.

I'd like to remind all of you that this was released in 2013 and recorded in 2012.  She turned 16 in 2012.  She was barely 16 when she recorded this, and obviously already had it written.  And yet, the maturity in both music and lyic are amazing. 

(Edit: 13 Nov 2020)  The official video disappeared, so here's a fan-made one featuring scenes from the movie Moonlight.  

 

When Lorde went to Live on Letterman, she didn't forget this song, even if it didn't make her album.  Her live performance built up just as much as the song does on record.

16 January 2015 - Suzanne Vega - Tired of Sleeping

How does one follow up an unexpected hit song ("Luka") and album (the great Solitude Standing)?  That's always a challenge. 

Suzanne Vega did it in 1990 with a Grammy-award winning album (Days of Open Hand) that went a little further from her acoustic roots and more to piano and organ music. And, at the time, I liked it, but didn't love it.  Some songs, however, jumped out at me and wouldn't let go.  Even 25 years later, this song, which was not released as a single, but was the lead song on the album, still haunts me.  There's no video, but you can hear the richness of the song, the layers, the depth.  Lyrically, it's about dreams, but it's also a scary, haunting song about being a daughter having bad dreams.

This is a live version from Sessions on West 54th.  It's quieter and doesn't have the pipe organ part (clearly replaced with a concertina).  It's slightly less haunting, but well performed.

As Suzanne Vega has commonly done, she's gone back and, rather than just release a greatest hits album, and rerecorded and reinvented her songs.  This one was done in a completely different key, and only acoustic, with a mandolin accompaniment replacing the organ.  

12 January 2015 - Steve Aoki & Angger Dimas ft. Iggy Azalea - Beat Down

Did you even know this was a thing?

It's a thing from 2012 is what it is.  Way before anything that resembled a hit single.  But it's amazing and it is awesome and this song is what paved the way for the Iggy Iggs we all know and love today.

(Update: 8 June 2021):  In tribute to the greatness that is this blog, I thought I'd give you guys a treat - Iggy Azalea performing this song, live in 2016.  Even after she was a big hit maker, she never forgot where it all began.

7 January 2015 - Röyksopp and Robyn - Do It Again

What happens when you mix a pop artist from Sweden with Norway's greatest electronic export?

Arguably the best single of 2014. 

It's just that simple.

6 January 2015 - Ashlee Simpson - Little Miss Obsessive

It was three years ago that Scott and I opened this blog with this song, professing our adoration for all things Ashlee Simpson.  It only makes sense that we post her last song to chart in the United States (#96 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2008) from her third album to kick off Year 4.

By the way, not an easy video to find.  Almost as if she wants us to forget about this song.  I don't know why - it isn't her best work, but that doesn't mean it's bad.

2 January 2015 - Marina and the Diamonds - Froot

I always end the year with something remarkable from the prior year - an artist that made a difference to me over the year.  I don't usually post a brand new single.

So, I just didn't post an end of year song.  I decided to start fresh in 2015. 

Thank you, Marina, for forcing me to bend my rules slightly.  It's been a long time since Electra Heart.  Froot is almost certain to be the 2nd ever album I ever preorder (Sucker being the first).  But this song is just too, too cool to ignore.

22 December 2014 - Chloe Wang - Uh Oh

I've been saving this gem for quite a while now.

Chloe Wang is a Chinese pop star.  She is a Chinese-American, born in Chicago to Stephanie and Bennet Wang. Put a pin in dad's name.  We're coming back to it in a minute.
She moved to China - at age 15 - to become a pop star.  Quickly learning Mandarin, she released her debut single - "Uh Oh" - in both Mandarin.....

...and English.

It's a fun song, to be sure.  There's not a lot of substance here - it's a light-hearted pop song.  But it doesn't pretend to be anything more than that.  And I have no problem with that - music is supposed to be fun.

Some of you in the United States are thinking.... "Hey, she looks familiar.  And yet I'm not up on Chinese pop stars. Where have I seen her before?"  Let me help you a little with that....

After she released a couple of singles in China, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career.  Of course, Chloe WANG sounds way too Chinese to appeal to American audiences, so she took her father's first name as her last.  Chloe Bennet.  Which is how she was billed on "Nashville" and how she is billed on "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.", where she plays Skye (or was that Daisy?).

And now you know.

17 December 2014 - Charli XCX - Breaking Up

You knew this post had to happen.   You just thought it would happen on Monday, the day when Sucker was released.

Nope.  I was too busy listening to Sucker. Highly recommended.  It isn't True Romance - few albums in the last 20 years are THAT good (and we had three in 2013 that were that good, in my opinion) - but it is a solid record.

And this song... Some of the comments online about it have not been kind.   It continues the fuzzed-up sound of "Break The Rules", but this is a much angrier song. 

It's not like this is a new song.  It was around at least in March, when Charli was at SxSW..... Lyrically, it's a little different, but not significantly, and it is clearly the same song.


Oh, in case you were wondering....  Night Time, My Time, by Sky Ferreira, and Pure Heroine, by Lorde. With True Romance, the three best albums of 2013. 

11 Dec 2014 - Mr. Probz - Waves

By now, you've all heard this song on the radio.  Seemingly out of nowhere comes this somewhat slow jam. It's cool, acoustic while still being a little bit EDM....

....but, as is the case with most songs that are hits elsewhere first - in this case, The Netherlands - it only became popular in the US a year after its release, after a significant remix.  Here it is, as it was originally intended.  It's no longer EDM, but a much slower jam.  And it remains cool.

28 November 2014 - Iggy Azalea ft. Rita Ora - Black Widow

If a single one of you is surprised that I am posting this, then you have not been paying attention for the last year.....
 
Two great talents, making one great song.  You cannot ask for more out of music, people!

26 November 2014 - Tove Lo - Habits (Stay High)

Look, the message of this song isn't the greatest.  I get it.

But the song itself - it's really cool.  Tove Lo - real name Ebba Tove Elsa Nilsson - has a really powerful voice, and brings a lot of passion to this song.  I don't think we're dealing with a one-hit wonder.

But, maybe for her next song, she can not promote substance abuse as an answer for depression, mmmmkay?


(Update! 18 June 2015) So since I posted this today.....  I just wanted you all to know that I still think this is a better song.... but since I've listened to Queen of the Clouds all the way through - by chance, really.  I was bored and had time to kill - I love it so much more.  And I no longer have the problems with the message, in context.

I also heard this bonus track, which, on the surface, is just a remix of this song.  However, it is a lot more than that.  In some countries (the UK comes to mind) this version was a bigger hit.  It's a sparser version, and in my opinion a completely different song, but it's still a valid good song - and a lot more nihilistic.

24 November 2014 - Nicki Minaj - Anaconda

She sampled the song and back beat of "Baby Got Back", a classic.  She even lifted the title right from that song.  So why the hell is this a pleasure?

Because Onika got this one right.  She took a great hook and added something great, making it her own. Even Sir Mix-A-Lot had to shout.... well, OK, he didn't shout, but he does love the song. (And the video - he is a documented ass-man, after all).

And I like it, too.  It's hummable, and let's face it, Nicki Minaj has got skills.  She understands hip-hop, both musically and culturally, like few other artists, male or female, do, and it shows.  I hope you enjoy this as much as I do.

21 November 2014 - Snap! - Rhythm Is A Dancer

Sure, I've been taking a break from this blog for awhile.  I've been listening to a lot of new pop music, and I want to share it all with you.  But, today, I want to talk about a different epidemic.

Yeah, I'm talking about THAT SONG.  That stupid, atonal song by Jeremih - "Don't Tell 'Em" - that just sounds whiny and out of tune.  First line of his song is "Rhythm is a dancer", but there's no energy behind it.  There's no.... passion.

And there's certainly no soul companion.  There's no soul at all.  I can't feel it, no.

Compare that to the power of the 1992 single by German dance group Snap!  It's passionate, it's powerful.  Thea Austin on the lead female vocal has a huge voice, and doesn't let the power of the words or the synthpop overcome her.  It's a song that is still remembered more than 20 years later, and not just because Jeremih lifted a couple of lines from it.

To be fair, Snap! did get a songwriting credit on "Don't Tell 'Em".....  And, as you will see next week, it's not always a bad thing to lift pieces of other people's songs.

15 October 2014 - Zedd (feat. Foxes) - Clarity / Foxes (feat. Matthew Koma) - Clarity

I waited an awfully long time to post this.  Mostly because I got really sick of it when it was overplayed.  I mean, it's a well-written song, and Zedd is a pretty good DJ, and Foxes has a pretty solid voice, and was able to own this very emotional yet heavily electronic song despite being so young and untested.

Then I heard this.  And I heard the ache and longing.  I heard the power of Foxes's voice - who really makes this song hers with a simple piano accompaniment - and I heard the power of Matthew Koma's (who wrote the song and is an excellent performer in his own right) (and who still couldn't stand up to Foxes) and suddenly I wasn't sick of it anymore.

10 October 2014 - 5 Seconds of Summer - She Looks So Perfect

Forget that these very photogenic boys are being compared to and adored to the levels of One Direction (they are colloquially known as 5SOS).  Forget all the comparisons to Blink 182 and Green Day. Forget how absolutely boring "Amnesia" was. Forget the clear American Apparel name drop.  Forget how ridiculous this video is and how many people they got to take off their clothes for it.

This song absolutely rocks, from the opening rift to the last chord.  No one can forget that or deny that.

9 October 2014 - Transvision Vamp - I Want Your Love

I don't know why I haven't posted Transvision Vamp, one of the most underrated bands of the 80's and early 90's, before today.   Why were they underrated?  Probably because Wendy James was too sexy, had hair that was too blonde, and showed too much boob and leg.  Oh, yeah, she was blonde AND British AND dared to be the front person of a rock band, so they must be just like The Darling Buds (let's not even get into the fact that Andrea Lewis is Welsh here.  We'll do that on May 6th.) and The Primitives (Tracy was going more Marilyn with her look than sexpot). 

The fact that Transvision Vamp had their roots in Agent Orange and X-Ray Spex (Anthouny Doughty), and members went on to somewhat successful solo (Wendy James) and band (bassist Dave Parsons was in Bush after TV) careers... that doesn't seem to matter.  But the fact is, they were an excellent power pop band with two great albums and a 3rd that wasn't awful.

And I'll say it.  I'd love to hear a 4th.

This is a song so good, it was on both of their first two albums, the excellent Pop Art and the woefully underrated (in the United States) Velveteen (in my opinion, one of the five best albums of all time) The song was only included on US pressings of Velveteen, but I still have my copy purchased on the day of its release to prove it was there. 

But this song is just a perfect piece of power pop that will get you going even on your worst days.  A top 5 hit in most of the civilized world in 1988, it failed to chart in the States.  Which is just a crime.

3 October 2014 - Natalia Kills - Zombie

I am on a bit of a Natalia Kills kick of late.  Scott posted one of her songs more than a year ago, and that is a gem.  Of course, that song is called "Problem", which just happens to have the same title as a little Ariana Grande song that did a little better on the charts (and was also a gem).

18 Septenber 2014 - Barenaked Ladies - The Old Apartment

When the Canadian band Barenaked Ladies released their Born on a Pirate Ship album in 1996, it signaled a new era for the band.  More to the point, it was far darker than the lighthearted fare that had been the hallmark of their earlier songs ("If I Had $1,000,000" comes to mind).  While Steven Page had not lost his penchant for obscure words ("blending into dull tableaux") and Canadian references ("the Danforth" refers to Danforth Ave. in Toronto), he used it not for humor but for drama and nostalgia.

The resultant song is a gem, full of emotion and angst, that would be the first of several US Top 100 hits for the group.   That's right.  This was the first. This is the song that paved the way for "One Week", one of the very first songs posted on this blog. 

27 August 2014 - Charli XCX - Break The Rules

True story - I did consider starting a Charli XCX-centered blog.  I mean, I post enough of her stuff here.  

But I didn't.

I am, however, a fan of hers on Facebook, and I was discussing with other fans who were bemoaning the end of True Romance-era Charli, calling songs like "Fancy" and "Boom Clap" a "different kind of creative."  Others shouted down that comment, but I agreed.  Evolution isn't necessarily bad.  Sucker - her upcoming album - will be poppier but solid.  We had already heard the sugary "Boom Clap" (which is also on the new album) and the pop/EDM of "Superlove" )which is also presumably on this album - Charli said that it was there last year, but it isn't on the pre-announced track list, which I find odd).  So we are looking at a more mainstream pop record. So I thought.

I wish I had heard "Break The Rules" first. This song here is why I never should have posted "Boom Clap".  This should have been the big hit song, not that.  But this could be a big hit song.  I'm hoping this is a big hit song.  This song reminds me of the great "Nuclear Seasons" - dark and punky, while retaining its pop edge.  By the way, that song will be your #1 suggestion at the end of this video.  Thanks, YouTube!

Back to this song..... so far this and others I have heard from Sucker (NOT named "Boom Clap") really have a straight-ahead rock feel - very Runaways-inspired.  This song is what I think what we would hear if Joan Jett discovered EDM. 

Also, she quite famously cannot dance. Any number of live performances of "Fancy" should have told you that.  Or the first 30 seconds of the "What I Like" video. This video leaves no doubts. Just check out her moves on the top of that bus.  Or this live performance of the song..... which I'd like to add sounds really good even without all the effects on Charli's voice....

26 August 2014 - Katy Perry - Birthday

You know, I hadn't really been a fan of a lot of Katy Perry's latest songs.  I don't know why.  They just weren't doing it for me.   But, then again, a lot of her songs in the past have taken awhile to grow on me - "E.T." being the most noteworthy example.

Well, then came "Birthday".  And my faith in Katymanity was restored.

The video - Katy Perry in disguise crashing birthday parties - is amazing.  And don't worry, folks - she didn't really ruin anyone's day.  (Check out 5:40 in the video to see how she made a whole bunch of kids happy.)   But, even without the video, it's a fun song, worthy of our Hall of Fame.

25 August 2014 - Ariana Grande - Break Free (ft. Zedd)

This is. The part when. I say I like this song, even though it's derivative EDM/pop.

This is. The part when. I claim Ariana is the future of pop, even though people call her a cut-rate Mariah Carey clone.

Yes, I know it is a tear in the space/time continuum that Ariana Grande is the big hit pop star and not Victoria Justice. (Or, for that matter, Jennette McCurdy).  Yes, I know Zedd isn't a spaceship pilot.  Yes, I know Ariana's boobs just turned into missiles. Yes, I know this video is completely Barbarella redux.

This is just a fun song, by a young artist collaborating with another young artist.  And it isn't half bad.  Enjoy it for what it is.

21 August 2014 - Fine It's Pink - Secret Island

Let's get the formalities out of the way.

Fine It's Pink formed in Romania in early 2013.  They may be the first band featured on here younger than Wicked Guilty Pleasures.  That they were so new I did not know when I featured their cover of "When I'm Small" on Totally Covered.  The band has gained comparisons to Sigur Ros......

.....but I don't really see it so much.  They're clearly fans of Phantogram (see previous post), but they have upped the ethereal to Cocteau Twins levels while increasing the fuzz on their guitars.  This is their latest single, off their upcoming album.  Check it out.

Did I mention they're from Romania?  Not much music makes it out of Romania, and that's a shame,  because this is amazing, and if it is indictive of the Romanian music scene, we are missing out.

 

By the way, you can also follow the band on Twitter.  I bet they'd appreciate that.

18 August 2014 - Disclosure - Latch (ft. Sam Smith)

The Disclosure album Settle was listed by many publications as one of the best of 2013.  Which is why, when I first heard this song on pop radio as a big hit, it didn't register with me that it was the same artist.  I mean, as much as I love pop radio, I know not everyone does, and it isn't usually considered the best of ANYTHING.

But this song, originally released in the UK as a single in 2012, is different.  First of all (and this will make more sense to those of you who know music), the song is in 6/8 time, unlike the usual 4/4 so popular on pop radio.  This is an EDM song, meant for clubs.  Lyrically, it's a little creepy. 

And yet something so very weird is a massive worldwide hit.  Compare it to everything else on pop radio.  This song is weird.  But perhaps it is that weirdness - musically, lyrically, comparatively -that makes it resonate with so many.  Sam Smith's amazing vocal range - Sam is a guy (a fact that shocked the guys in Disclosure when they met him), by the way - only deepens the allure of the song even more.


As an added bonus, here is Smith performing the song without Disclosure, with a piano accompaniment.   It's a little more torch song-like than the original, and beautiful.  You can truly hear the ache in the lyrics.

28 July 2014 - Laura Cantrell - All The Girls Are Complicated

I know it is quite strange that such a fantastic artist such as Laura Cantrell, who has drawn comparisons to the great Lucinda Williams and Nanci Griffith, would be featured on THIS blog.  But hear me out.

I fell in love with Laura's music when listening to an episode of Mountain Stage.  Mountain Stage, for those who don't know, is a weekly 2-hour live music radio show from West Virginia, and it attracts big-time artists.  She did a lot of old-timey covers - I remember hearing her version of "When The Roses Bloom Again", which she thought was a Woody Guthrie song when she found it.  I've written about this song before - and just loved the old-timey Americana country feel to her music.  It was something I wasn't hearing anymore in country music.

Earlier this year, Laura released a new album.  She went to Nashville (and not her current New York home) to record it.  This song, the opener on the album, does not have the Americana country feel of her earlier work.  It almost feels (gasp!) poppy.  The whole album is like that, and it's fun.  I love her covers, but it's nice to hear original music as well.

A special treat today:  Not only do I have a performance of this fun song - from this year's SxSW - but NPR has a free download of it.  You can grab that here.



By the way, if you are in the Columbus, OH area, and you happen to see this on the day I publish it, go see Laura - she's opening for Camera Obscura tonight.  (I wish I was)

18 July 2014 - Charli XCX - Boom Clap

I have a confession to make.  

I long ago wrote this post.  I knew this song was coming, because, even though I've kept it a secret, I'm a little bit of a Charli XCX fan.

This is most likely my least favorite Charli XCX song.  I really, desperately want to like it.  It's not a bad song, to be sure - it's got a nice beat, and lyrically, it's smart and sweet, like a lot of the other great songs that Ms. Aitchison has written.

But what I do like is that this is a hit song, and so, for that reason, I am going to take a little bit of guilty pleasure in the fact that an artist that I have been touting for the better part of a year and a half is finally getting recognized for her work.



(I mean, you all knew I had to post this, right?)

7 July 2014 - Twisted Sister - I Wanna Rock

In the 1980's, it was considered OK for a man to wear excessive amounts of makeup if he was a big rock star.  And Dee Snider took full advantage.

This was the 2nd single by Twisted Sister, following the blockbuster "We're Not Gonna Take It".  I always liked this song a little better.  It rocked harder and showcased the band's personality and performance much more expertly than its predecessor. 

Plus it had the better video.