26 June 2013 - The Innocence Mission - Bright As Yellow / I Haven't Seen This Day Before

Forget for a minute the irony that the video for this song has not a hint of yellow.

A beautiful song by a band that hasn't gotten nearly enough attention, this was a 1995 single release from their album Glow.  This is most likely their best known song - it was featured on the soundtrack to the movie Empire Records - but it was by no means their biggest hit.  Not that they had any big mainstream hits (which is criminal), but they were a modern rock radio darling for awhile.

Let's stop right here and talk about Karen Peris's voice.  She brings such a light, airy joy to anything she sings (and writes, as she is the songwriter for this tune).  Despite the light, airy joy of her voice, it's still really powerful.  That's a special skill, this light, airy power.



By the way, The Innocence Mission are still around.  Here's a more recent recording (of a song from their 1999 album Birds of My Neighborhood) featuring Karen along with her husband (and fellow band member and songwriter) Don Peris. Again, a shiny happy song by, as their Twitter profile clearly states, a "shiny, happy band from Lancaster, PA."

25 June 2013 - She & Him - I Could've Been Your Girl

I never would have considered She & Him to be a guilty pleasure. I loved the first two records. Then the New Girl happened. I know a lot of people like it, but I couldn't even make through the first season (but to be perfectly honest in the last 10 years I've pretty much hated every TV show I've seen, so making it through half a season is quite the accomplishment). I foolishly misplaced my boredom for a TV show to a perfectly fine band. Dumb. When Volume 3 came out last month I didn't even think about getting it. But a couple weeks ago Amazon put it on sale for $5 so I said, "what the hell." Admittedly, I still haven't had a chance to listen to it yet, but this single and video certainly brings the goodness and reminds me of why I liked them in the first place.

24 June 2013 - Madonna - Hung Up

I don't know that I've ever professed my love of Madonna's music.  I know I have posted her music in the past.  One of these days, I'm going to do a super post about her.   But today, I want to talk about one of her recent hits.

This song is very complex musically, with a ticking clock and a sample from an Abba song making the bulk of the dense backing track.  Madonna's lyrics are sung with urgency, but are very simple in contrast to the music.  However, this video is all about the dancing - I've never seen moves like some of these!

So, enjoy this video, enjoy the song, enjoy the Abba music.

21 June 2013 - Katrina and The Waves - Walking on Sunshine

No song personified mid-80s optimism quite like this one.  The only U.S. hit by Katrina and The Waves, Kimberley Rew (who was one of the Waves) wrote it as a ballad.  Katrina had other ideas, and belted the song.

She made the right choice.  Now, they've together crafted one of those songs that you just can't help but smile when you hear.



Katrina Leskanich is still singing the hell out of this song. Here she is in a television performance from 2010.

20 June 2013 - Clan of Xymox - Obsession

Let's go dark wave on this 80s Thursday. I was always intrigued by Clan of Xymox (AKA Xymox), but never really owned any of their records until a few years ago when I got 1989's Twist of Shadows from a now defunct CD trading site (RIP Lala.com). I can't say I listen to it often, but it's certainly filled with electro-gothy goodness. Here's the video for Twist of Shadows' highest charting single.

19 June 2013 - Morris Day & The Time - Jungle Love

Few people can successfully steal the spotlight from Prince.  Morris Day, however, did just that in Purple Rain. He truly stole the show.  And this song, from their 1983 album Ice Cream Castle, was one of the highlights of that.

Here's what you don't know, though.  The song, cowritten by Morris Day and Jesse Johnson, was performed on record by three artists.  Morris Day provided the vocals, Jesse Johnson some guitar.... and Prince Rogers Nelson himself played the rest.  There is some debate over whether Johnson even did guitar! Day was required to follow Prince's vocal track note for note. Since they were signed to Prince's label, he had full creative control.....

....which led to tension and a rift between Prince and The Time, who were themselves accomplished musicians and producers.

But forget about all that drama for five minutes.  Listen to this great, funky song!

18 June 2013 - New Radicals - You Get What You Give

"Fashion shoots with Beck and Hanson/Courtney Love and Marilyn Manson/You're all fakes run to your mansions/Come around we'll kick your asses." It's lines like that from You Get What You Give that are sorely missing on modern rock radio today.

The New Radicals should have been HUGE. Certainly this song was. But somewhere between the release of the first two singles off of Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too, the band's leader, Gregg Alexander, decided he'd much rather be the man behind the scenes (producing and writing for others). Good for him, but I often wonder what could have been. Well, at least we got this late 90s gem.