You know, the Darling Buds weren't THAT prolific.
And yet we're in our EIGHTH year posting their music, in which we have seen old classics and new favorites. This one is a 2:22 power pop wonder from their debut album. The song is thirty years old (!) but it still sounds as fresh as yesterday.
Will we be doing this next year? DOUBTLESS!
24 April 2019
24 April 2019 - Folk Implosion - Natural One
Chances are, if you watched MTV in the 1990s, you know this song well. But you might not know about what Folk Implosion actually was.
The Folk Implosion was a side project from a band called Sebadoh, itself formed when founder Lou Barlow couldn't get his prior band, Dinosaur Jr., to record his songs. This particular side project was very different - more folky - than Sebadoh. And it was obscure.
Until a movie named Kids came out, and Lou Barlow was commissioned to build a soundtrack, dominated by Folk Implosion and Sebadoh. The movie itself was controversial - an NC-17 affair that made the Weinsteins a fair bit of money - and so got a fair bit of attention. This song got into MTV heavy rotation, which propelled this obscure little project form Amherst, MA into the Billboard Top 30.
It was well deserved. The song is catchy and you're singing it to yourself now.
The Folk Implosion was a side project from a band called Sebadoh, itself formed when founder Lou Barlow couldn't get his prior band, Dinosaur Jr., to record his songs. This particular side project was very different - more folky - than Sebadoh. And it was obscure.
Until a movie named Kids came out, and Lou Barlow was commissioned to build a soundtrack, dominated by Folk Implosion and Sebadoh. The movie itself was controversial - an NC-17 affair that made the Weinsteins a fair bit of money - and so got a fair bit of attention. This song got into MTV heavy rotation, which propelled this obscure little project form Amherst, MA into the Billboard Top 30.
It was well deserved. The song is catchy and you're singing it to yourself now.
23 April 2019
23 April 2019 - Tripping Daisy - I Got A Girl
This video is TERRIBLE. It's awful and doesn't tell a story that at all matches the song.
And while the lyrics of the song make it pretty clear that these guys are also terrible, the song is a fun, raucous romp.
And, of course, that pretty terrible persona is an act. In reality, these guys were young but had a lot of respect for the punk acts that came before them - they covered Bad Religion live - and were close enough that the death of a band member broke them up (and caused the formation of Polyphonic Spree) for nearly 20 years.
But back to this song. It's fun, it's irreverent, and it's one that instantly brings you back to 1995.
And while the lyrics of the song make it pretty clear that these guys are also terrible, the song is a fun, raucous romp.
And, of course, that pretty terrible persona is an act. In reality, these guys were young but had a lot of respect for the punk acts that came before them - they covered Bad Religion live - and were close enough that the death of a band member broke them up (and caused the formation of Polyphonic Spree) for nearly 20 years.
But back to this song. It's fun, it's irreverent, and it's one that instantly brings you back to 1995.
12 March 2019
29 January 2019
29 January 2019 - Men Without Hats - The Safety Dance
Some days, I miss having a co-author on this blog. Scott Colvin was a great partner to write with, and he made this blog better.
Nearly seven years ago, he wrote a piece about a Canadian band that is essentially a one-hit wonder in the United States - Men Without Hats. He wrote about a different great song. I am telling you about the one hit wonder he didn't like as much.
"The Safety Dance" came out when I was 10 or 11. It is the first song I can remember ever being my favorite song. I thought the song was fun, the video was fun, and the dance was fun. Little did I know how subversive the song was - although not a call for safe sex as some think, it WAS a protest against bouncers at clubs who didn't like the pogoing a lot of new wave music fans were doing - and how indicative of future musical tastes it would be.
And I really didn't know that such subversion would be allowed in the US Billboard Top 5.
The official video, which only featured one band member - lead singer Ivan Doroschuk - was built around the short single version of the song. This fan cut version is the longer, more synth-forward version that a lot of people have heard nowadays. Compare, contrast, enjoy.
Nearly seven years ago, he wrote a piece about a Canadian band that is essentially a one-hit wonder in the United States - Men Without Hats. He wrote about a different great song. I am telling you about the one hit wonder he didn't like as much.
"The Safety Dance" came out when I was 10 or 11. It is the first song I can remember ever being my favorite song. I thought the song was fun, the video was fun, and the dance was fun. Little did I know how subversive the song was - although not a call for safe sex as some think, it WAS a protest against bouncers at clubs who didn't like the pogoing a lot of new wave music fans were doing - and how indicative of future musical tastes it would be.
And I really didn't know that such subversion would be allowed in the US Billboard Top 5.
The official video, which only featured one band member - lead singer Ivan Doroschuk - was built around the short single version of the song. This fan cut version is the longer, more synth-forward version that a lot of people have heard nowadays. Compare, contrast, enjoy.
25 January 2019
25 January 2019 - Iggy Azalea - Mo Bounce
It's been a while since we checked in with Iggy Iggs. Let's see what she's up to.
It had been awhile since she had released music, and she actually delayed the release of new music after her engagement to Nick Young went south. But just because she was down, it doesn't mean she was out.
In 2017, she released this very bouncy single. While it wasn't a huge hit in the United States, it was worldwide. She does use a particular word repeatedly (motherf***in') that didn't really make this accessible to US radio. It doesn't mean that it's not a great song to twerk to, though.
It had been awhile since she had released music, and she actually delayed the release of new music after her engagement to Nick Young went south. But just because she was down, it doesn't mean she was out.
In 2017, she released this very bouncy single. While it wasn't a huge hit in the United States, it was worldwide. She does use a particular word repeatedly (motherf***in') that didn't really make this accessible to US radio. It doesn't mean that it's not a great song to twerk to, though.
24 January 2019
24 January 2019 - Trisha Yearwood - She's In Love With The Boy
When the first single off your first album is a gigantic hit, you've probably got a good career ahead of you. This was the case of Trisha Yearwood, who would ring the #1 bell four more times after this single.
But in 1991, she was just a country artist with a huge voice and a great song that told a simple story. Give it a listen.
But in 1991, she was just a country artist with a huge voice and a great song that told a simple story. Give it a listen.
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