4 March 2014 - Avicii - Hey Brother

OK, I know Tony wrote about Avicii in January, but hey, that doesn't mean I shouldn't have a say as well. Besides, I have a hook, which is usually not the case with me. We must embrace the hook. Embrace it!

Last week I received a cryptic message from my mom while on vacation: "Do you have A v i c i L cd?" Confused, I jokingly replied: "Do you mean Avril or Avicii because I have both. Now if it's some odd collaboration between the two, then no." Her response: "Avicii. Send it to me when you get home?" She's direct like that. I certainly did not expect that answer. Is the senior citizen-set now into EDM collaborations?

That also got me thinking about a couple things: First, does a 60-something mom wanting this CD make it a Wicked Guilty Pleasure? It probably should, but not in this case as I'm fairly certain that the on-the-pulse teens I coach probably dig it too (they seem to like anything EDM-related . . . kids these days). This record really is universal.

Second, I'm really curious as to what song she heard that piqued her interest? She does like pop music and country music as long as it's not "too country" (if you know what I mean). I suspect it was Hey Brother featuring bluegrass great Dan Tyminski as I know she has the O' Brother, Where Art Thou? Soundtrack. That's why I picked it up, well, that and it was $3.99 at AmazonMP3. I suppose I'll have to ask her on our weekly phone call and maybe give her a pat on the back for liking good music.

3 March 2014 - Marina and the Diamonds - How To Be A Heartbreaker

OK, folks, I'm back.  Scott has done a fantastic job supporting and embracing all that is Wicked Guilty Pleasures while I was off being obsessed with curling pants.  Seriously.  But I did do some posts, and I hope you go back and check them out.

Today, however, we are talking Marina Diamandis and the Diamonds.  Sure, she sees days of the week and musical notes in different colors - seriously, she does, thanks to a condition known as synethesia - so maybe that's why she makes such fun, interesting, different pop music. Sure, Scott has shown his love as well.  (Actually, so have I).

But, really, I want to talk about the absolute versatility of this amazing singer/songwriter.  First of all, listen to this version of the song, from the official video.   Although guitar-driven, there's a strong electronic aspect to this song.  And it's entertaining, to be sure, but it would be really easy to dismiss this as heavily AutoTuned. 



But now listen to this, a live version from The Today Show. It starts off as an acoustic ballad, and although it eventually reaches the tempo of the original, it stays acoustic. And sans AutoTune. Also, as much as I like Florence and the Machine and Katy Perry, I don't at all get the comparison.

20 February 2014 - House of Pain - Jump Around

Some days are much harder for me than others to find "guilty pleasure" videos to post (Tony seemingly does not suffer from this affliction, for which I am extremely jealous). After alternating between staring at a blank screen and my Twitter feed for the last two hours I thought all hope was lost. Pack it in buddy. Admit failure. Blow it off yet again. Come back refreshed in 10 days. And then it hit me with all of the subtlety of a Jock Jams Compilation - JUMP AROUND BY HOUSE OF PAIN!!!

. . . And with that, my meteoric rise to mediocrity continues . . .

18 February 2014 - Lily Allen - Air Balloon

Tony is probably going to kill me for posting Lily Allen's new video for Air Balloon. Chances are he won't realize it until after Olympic curling ends and by that time I should be on a plane to the Dominican Republic to hide out. Or vacation. Anyway, we love Lily Allen here at Wicked Guilty Pleasures. Actually, we should seriously think about inducting her into Wicked Guilty Pleasure's Hall of Fame which currently has two members: Pink and Katy Perry. So kick back and enjoy the fun video for Air Balloon while I consider changing my ringtone back to the chorus of Lily's epic song F*ck You from her It's Not Me, It's You album.

17 February 2014 - Phantogram - Black Out Days

The new Phantogram album Voices is out tomorrow.  This is the first single, as well as the lead track off their EP from last year.  It's a little less dark than their prior stuff, and more hip-hop influenced (probably thanks to Big Boi) but it's still clearly Phantogram.

6 February 2014 - Broken Bells - Holding On For Life

James Mercer (The Shins) and Danger Mouse, collectively known as Broken Bells, returned this week with their second full-length album After The Disco. While they just released a lyric video for the atmospheric second single Leave It Alone, I think the album's first single Holding On For Life is just so freaking cool . . . so let's watch that one instead.

4 February 2014 - Jamie Lynn Spears - How Could I Want More

To be honest, I know very little about Jamie Lynn Spears other than the fact that she's Britney's little sister. Recently though, there's been a lot of buzz about her new country single How Could I Want More. I kind of shrugged it off in one of my fits of arrogant snobbery that sometimes still rears its ugly head when it comes to music (trust me, I've gotten A LOT better about this and I think this blog has certainly proved that point). I finally caught the video on CMT Pure a couple days ago and I was pretty much blown away by the time the first chorus hit. It's a finely written song (co-written by Jamie) that is sung with a strong, yet vulnerable voice. After hearing the song a few more times I have to say that I certainly wouldn't mind if Jamie Lynn Spears becomes the next big pop country star.