12 September 2012

12 September 2012 - Panjabi MC - Mundian To Bach Ke / Jay-Z & Panjabi MC - Beware of the Boys

A song.... entirely in Punjabi..... that samples the Knight Rider theme song.   Strange but true, it was a worldwide hit in 2002.  Panjabi MC is from England, of Indian descent, and built quite a career out of remixing Indian music.  The video for this song has a real Bollywood movie feeling.

And did I mention the Knight Rider theme song sample? That show had a great baseline.



Jay-Z discovered this tune, and decided to add his own lyrical formula to the song.  This made the song an even bigger hit.  Here is Jay-Z performing the song, live. "Mundian To Bach Ke" translates into English as "Beware of the Boys", hence the new title.



The song returned to some prominence earlier this year with the release of the classy movie "The Dictator".   Here, it is featured in this trailer, which only showcases highbrow humor.....

11 September 2012

11 September 2012 - Gnarls Barkley - Crazy

The Voice returned last night! Seems like a Purrfect opportunity to post a Cee Lo Green video. Here's a "little known" song from his collaboration with DJ Danger Mouse.

10 September 2012

10 September 2012 - Bran Van 3000 - Drinking In L.A.

Bran Van 3000 are, according to Wikipedia, "an electronica collective from Montreal, Quebec."  I'm not 100% sure what that means.  

I am 100% sure that this is the greatest slacker anthem about screenwriting I've ever heard.  The combination of live and sampled instruments bring a dreamy feel to the song. See if you can catch all the mid-90's pop culture references, including multiples to Snoop Dogg.


(Update: 15 February 2021)  The band revisited this song in 2014, nearly 20 years after its initial release, in celebration of the 30th anniversary of Audiogram Records.  It's a very different feel.  

07 September 2012

7 September 2012 - Skrillex - Bangarang

I asked an electronic music guru friend of mine if it was OK that I liked Skrillex, and to ensure that it wouldn't ruin my street cred.  She cleared it, so I am now posting this.

I didn't like Skrillex at first.  He's got the most pretentious haircut in music since A Flock of Seagulls.  However, the more I learn about the guy, the more I like him.  He is one of the nicest guys in entertainment, choosing to be active and engage with his fans, in person as well as on Twitter.  Plus, he's Ellie Goulding's boyfriend, which makes him even cooler.

His music brings to mind his roots as the lead singer of a punky rock band, From First To Last (billed by his real name, Sonny John Moore).  It's got a punky feeling - not only this song, but a lot of his others - while maintaining a clearly electronic sound.  So, rather than dwell on deadmau5's antics at the Grammys involving Skrillex (and follow that link to see just how nice he is!), enjoy this dark video, with one scene not for the squeamish (at 1:55 - it's not all that showy, but look away if you have an issue with hands being removed by car doors....)

06 September 2012

6 September 2012 - Berlin - Metro

It's 80s Thursday!!! Is there anything more "80s" than this Berlin video? I saw them a few years ago in Virginia Beach and they rocked. And before you ask, yes, Terri Nunn is still gorgeous.

5 September 2012 - Ashlee Simpson - Pieces of Me

OK, I forgot to post yesterday.  I'm sorry!  Here's some music from my favorite Simpson sister as the reward for your patience.

Ashlee's beautifully Wicked Guilty Pleasure music is the reason we started this blog.  Despite her Saturday Night Live debacle, this song does show her vocal range nicely.



(Update: 6 August 2013)  I felt like updating this post for no reason other than I wanted to find a version of this song performed live that I could pretty reliably determine to be live and not Memorex.  So, here it is, slightly more bombastic than the studio version.



And here is ANOTHER one, which is less bombastic, but more mature, from 2008 (the song was recorded in 2004, so she really is more mature and more controlled).

04 September 2012

4 September 2012 - Psy - Gangnam Style

Korean? Club music?

This song, released in June, is already the biggest K-pop hit in the US.... ever.  Psy is already a big star in Korea, but this tribute to the finer things in life - Gangnam is a district in Seoul known for being lavish and trendy - has made him a worldwide star. The video, a campy affair all around, was filmed on location in Gangnam.

And, for those not familiar with the cultural reference, Psy is NOT exhibiting Gangnam Style here.



This is how huge this song is.

1. It's charting in the United States, despite not being an English language song.
2. There are parodies.  Here's one done by the Oregon duck.....



Update: Hyuna, another Korean star, has done a slight reinterpretation of the song from a woman's perspective. Under a new title - Oppa Is Just My Style - it has been a hit, although somewhat criticized for its vocals.  You might have noticed that she appeared as a dancer (and Psy's love interest) in the original video.



(Update: 14 September 2012): Psy appeared on The Today Show today.  We got ahead of a pop culture phenomenon once again!  Also, look at how many of the English speakers suddenly are fluent in colloquial Korean!