Famous For Being Famous: The Music of The Celebs
I love me some Devo-inspired music, and The Celebs are just that…and more. Take one look at them and you’ll see that they are totally famous…for being famous. Sure, diamonds mean nothing to them, but they certainly appreciate their millions of adoring fans and have an affinity for old-school Whitney Houston. Adorable.
Contact the band for their full length, A Diamond is Whatever.
The Celebs – Lets Get Ambulatory
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Pearls Before Swine: The Led Zeppelin of Folk
Pearls Before Swine were an anti-war folk band from the mid 60’s to the early 70’s. Lead singer Tom Rapp, with his sorrowful, almost biblical voice penned fairy-tale-esque songs using ecclectic instruments and sound effects.
However, it was Tom’s lyrics that were the most effective. In the case of the song “There Was a Man,” from the 1968 album Balaklava, Rapp’s focus is not on the music, per se, but rather, the lyrics. Mixing negative sentiments about the Vietnam War and mystical imagery akin to say, Led Zeppelin, Rapp transports the listener to a surrealistic world as he tells us the cryptic story of a wizard-like character who is weakened by society’s ills.
Download Balaklavia and their other albums at Other Music.
Pearls Before Swine – There Was a Man
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Criminally Ecclectic: 80’s French New-Wavers, The Honeymoon Killers
In the 80’s, The Honeymoon Killers, named after the 1970 film, created music as if it were intended for some perverse French noir-sex-thriller-comedy. Have a listen and you’ll hear an ever-mutating sound collage of so many things that came before it. Compare the saucey dance groove and seductive vocals of “Histoire a Suivre” and the cutesy, off-kilter electro of “Decollage” and you’ll get a taste of the band’s range. Other songs in their catalog, like the Serge Gainsbourg inspired “Route Nationale,” add even more eclecticism to their sound. Check out this awesome live clip from 1983, as they perform “Histoire À Suivre:”
Download all of their songs at the newly improved Other Music Digital Store.
The Honeymoon Killers – Decollage
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The Honeymoon Killers – Histoire a Suivre
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Help Yourself to Some Bubblegum Lemonade
Bubblegum Lemonade is mainly one guy named Laz, living in Glasgow, writing romantic, 60’s style pop songs in the vein of The Byrds, Galaxie 500 and Sunny Sundae Smile-era MBV. Remember that mediocre Tom Hanks movie, That Thing You Do? Well, he covered the title song…and made it better. His originals, like “Tyler” and “My Dreams of You,” are jangly pop bliss…especially with taht 12 string…delicious! It’s well-crafted, serious music for daydreamers.
Have a few refills by picking up his EP, Ten Years Younger. Refreshing!
Bubblegum Lemonade – Tyler (From Manitee Compilation)
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Bubblegum Lemonade – My Dreams of You
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Stuck in My Head: The Ting Tings’ "That’s Not My Name"
What’s that you say? What exactly is a Ting? Well it’s just so many tings:
1. an administrative unit in the Qin and Han dynasties in China, 10×10 li in area
2. a carbonated grapefruit beverage popular in the Caribbean
3. a cellular phone service marketed by the South Korean firm SK Telecom
4. the sound a bell makes
5. slang in the trading card game Magic: The Gathering for a lucky draw
6. the name of a really fun new band from Manchester
Sure, a lot of bands from Manchester are dark and/or depressing, but not The Ting Tings. Unsigned and on the rise, this boy/girl duo has written one of the catchiest and most fun songs that I have heard in a while.
“That’s Not My Name” is pure bubblegum soul music, with lush, layered harmonies and a super contagious hook…guaranteed to have you head-nodding and hand clapping all day!
Also check out the results of their live record sleeve design event. Very cool!
The Ting Tings – That’s Not My Name
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Awesome Video Alert: Snoop Dogg Goes Cosmic Disco/Electro with "Sensual Seduction"
So I haven’t posted anything today, because nothing has turned me on…until just now. Thanks to Vulture Droppings, I have now seen what may be the best music video of the year. Direct from outer-space, Snoop is back…
and I am officially seduced!
Phil Spector’s Wall Of Hair
The contributions Phil Spector made to advance music production during the 1960s are unquestionably remarkable. His influence has canvased multiple genres, from Doo-Wop to R&B, Rock to Punk and more. Spector will forever be credited as pioneering the Wall of Sound production technique…and for walking away from 2nd degree murder charge by way of a mistrial. The following three YouTube clips celebrate his 60s sound in all of its reverberated glory.
The Ronnettes, “Be My Baby”
The Righteous Brothers, “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling”
Darlene Love and the Crystals, “He’s a Rebel”
Back To Mono (1958-1969) is an all-inclusive Spector box set that was released in 1991. I own it and so should you!
He’s the Boss Whether You Like It Or Not
You’re either gonna love this post or hate it, there is no way around it, and that is fine. It boils down to this: you either love Bruce Springsteen or you hate him. I subscribe to the team who pretty much loves him. Not everything mind you, but the majority of his stuff, especially the early records, I find to be downright impressive. To the readers who aren’t as blown away by the Boss, let me offer you this. “Candy’s Room” is a song off the 1978 album Darkness On The Edge of Town. It is rhythmically evocative of Roxy Music’s “Street Life” AND there is a little “Scary Monsters” era David Bowie in there for good good measure. True, there still is that xylophone but no rock saxophone! Check out this live 1978 performance
Even though I really want to post a few more older videos that give me goosebumps, I’ll save them for later. In the meantime listen to this mp3 and learn to love all that is Springsteen.
Bruce Springsteen – Candy’s Room
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Sparks Ain’t No Hipster Drink
Sparks know what heaven sounds like. In fact, they recorded the “#1 Song in Heaven.” It’s true. Even the Archangel Gabriel plays a synthesizer solo that’s enough to make Brian Eno repent.
A Music Video with "Character(s)"
My name is Robin, and I am a typomaniac, a typophile, a veritable typography nerd. I get giddy about music videos that use letterforms. My heart races over animated alphabets.
Sylvie Vartan and her video for “Cette lettre-là ” from 1965 might be one of my favorites. Ever. The French translation is a narrative about sending a love letter and worrying that it will be rejected.
Today, Vartan has traded in her sweet go-go boots for cowboy boots, performing her own mix of dixieland swing tunes. And whoa, FYI: She is currently over the age of 60.
Watch Sylvie Vartan dance with assorted characters in her younger days…
Buy a few decades worth of Sylvie Vartan albums at Amazon.
Mark Sultan Cooks Up Some Tasty Garage Rock
Mark Sultan is the BBQ side of The King Khan and BBQ Show, a pretty rad garage/doo-wop band from Montreal. Joseph over at Admiral Jeffrey calls his song “Cursed World” from the Satanic Verses LP…perfect. Well, my dear Jacob…allow me to get out me knife and fork.
Now it’s true that I love me some BBQ…King Khan and BBQ Show that is, and since Mark Sultan is the BBQ side, I expected this song to be extra tangy. Yep, it’s delicious alright! With its greasy drumming, sticky grooves and slightly charred vocals, the song definitely has flavor. But is it perfect? Have a bite and decide for yourself.
And if you are still hungry, buy the whole damn cook-out over at In the Red.
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Duh, GANG is Music For Smart People
Did you know that Albert Einstein was into electronic music? Specifically, the Philly new-wave/opera/hip-hop/etc ensemble GANG? Ya. It’s troo. Oh, I forgot to mention that the word “troo” is a mixture of truth and poop. I just made it up. Hold your applause! I have yet to tell you about this band.
Ok, it’s simple. GANG’s music, and “Past, Present, Future” in particular, is what Klaus Nomi would have sounded like if he was a 4 piece band, featuring 2 blonde haired girls, 1 brunette and a dude guy on drums. Don’t worry, dude guy is just as sexy electro as the goyles. But wait! Who the hell was Klaus Nomi? If you click the link above, you’ll learn that he was this awesome avant garde new wave/opera singer from the 80’s. If you look below you’ll learn that our own Walruser, Joe, dressed up as him for Halloween:
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