Power Pop Messiah: Nick Lowe, Jesus of Cool
Nick Lowe’s 1978 album, Jesus of Cool is a mockery of the music business. The album cover says it all; music is a living parody of itself, which in turn, becomes a product. Who does Nick Lowe want to be? Whoever the hell he feels like…
One thing is for sure. Imitation is the highest form of flattery. He imitates other musician’s hit songs throughout the album. At this time I would like to bring up some outstanding similarities:
“So It Goes”
Sounds like: Elvis Costello covering Steely Dan’s “Reelin’ In The Years”..
“Nutted By Reality”
Sounds like: Paul McCartney boyish dancing the ska with Franki Valli’s cynical twin brother.
“(I Love the Sound of) Breaking Glass)”
Sounds like: Sarcastic white-boy funk ala David Bowie’s “Sound and Vision”:
You can pick up the 30th Anniversary Edition of Jesus Of Cool from Yep Roc Records.
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Nick Lowe-I Love The Sound Of Breaking Glass
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Rock Out in Your White Denim!
White Denim’s unruly, garage-fueled track “Darksided Computer Mouth.” from their EP Let’s Talk About It, is one for the people by the people that literally, around the 35 second mark, asks that eternal Rock and Roll question: “Hey you wanna sing?” An unspoken “yea!” launches an Iggy Poptastic, Frank Zappattack full of shrieks and beeps. Let ‘em rip!
Let’s Talk About It is self-released and available via the band’s MySpace page.
White Denim – Darksided Computer Mouth
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Hey Bear Stearns, Jonathan Richman Understands!
Poor Bear Stearns. For financial buffs worldwide, the unfortunate situation of this fallen hedge fund giant has been the talk of the watercooler all week. I figure that Stearns’ employees are probably shuffling around their Madison Avenue offices in a daze, baffled by the deterioration of their livelihood.
This Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers tune goes out to you, Bear Stearns. Download this mp3 to your Ipod, take a walk around the city, and reflect on the realities of risky investment banking.
Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers – Lonely Financial Zone
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The Chromatics Go On a "Killing Spree" in New Video
Well, not quite, but the video is disturbing nonetheless. Like some lost John Carpenter student film or a modern day Giallo excursion, The Chromatics video for the instrumental piece “Killing Spree,” directed by Glass Candy’s Johnny Jewel, is a stark and disparate visual experience that amplifies the songs creepy minimalism, but it’s only the censored version, so you aint scurrrred:
Hmmm, wonder what the uncensored version is like…
Download some of the band’s music and order their full album, Night Drive, directly from them on their MySpace page.
Those Dancing Days Are Just Beginning! Kick Off Your Shoes To "Hitten"
ALERT! “Hitten,” the superb single from Those Dancing Days, The Cutest Girl Band in Sweden, will be stuck in your head for the rest of the day. This fabulous femme fivesome was brought to my attention this morning, courtesy of Dodge over at My Old Kentucky Blog.
This single is just enough 60s girl-pop and just enough soulful vocalizing. Both sincere and catchy, it successfully steers clear of kitsch and bubblegum pop classification to ring clear as a solid kickoff track from a young, upbeat group. Additionally, the video is the most endearing thing I have watched all week. Please indulge yourself.
So get excited: Those Dancing Days self-titled EP is available now, and are due to release their debut full-length album soon!
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The French New-Wave Revival Creeps Me Out
“Polaroid/Roman/Photo” released in 1985 by French electronic musician Thierry Muller, under the moniker Ruth, is the aural equivalent of mannequins coming to life. And I don’t mean in the zany Andrew McCarthy sense.
Don’t get me wrong I dig the song in general, but I must say that its schizophrenic “Showroom Dummies” meets Melody Nelson dynamism gives me the New-Wave willies. Maybe that’s why I like it…
More creepy French 80’s New-Wave can be found on the new comp Bippp: French Synth Wave 1979-1985, courtesy of Everloving Records.
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Jack Mudurian Downloads His Repertoire
When I get to be a senior citizen, I hope I’m as fun as Jack Mudurian. He was a good natured resident of Boston’s Duplex Nursing Home in the early 80s with a penchant for music. In 1981 the activities director of the nursing home, David Greenberger, picked up on Jack’s affinity for song and challenged him to sing for 45 minutes straight. Downloading the Repertoire is the unedited 129-song result of Greenberger’s request. Pick it up over at Duplex Planet and see if your musical lexicon is as rich as Jack’s.
Jack Mudurian – Pep Talk/ South of the Border
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Jack Mudurian – Chiquita Banana
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Slade Vs. The Monkeys – The Finest in Rock Caricatures
High fives all around to Goner Records for publishing Slade vs. The Monkeys, 50 pages of phenomenal, laugh-out-loud musical caricatures drawn by the artist Crowbar. Look at some of these illustrations- they are brilliant!
Get Pumped With The Governator
The year was 1984. It was the year Arnold Schwarzenegger would star in the action-packed, tough as nails, big screen blockbusters The Terminator and Conan The Destroyer. It was also the year he would release his Total Body Workout album and encourage listeners to blast their biceps in time to the disco beat of “It’s Raining Men.”
Arnold Schwarzenegger – It’s Raining Men
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Arnold Schwarzenegger – Don’t Stop Believing
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Erin Go Braugh! The Snakes are Gone From Ireland!
Be like Bing Crosby! Pour yourself a Minute Maid on the rocks and sit back to enjoy this clip of a March 16, 1960 performance of Bing Crosby singing a medley of Irish classics on Perry Como’s Kraft Music Hall show.
If you can’t get enough cockles and mussels Bing’s My Favorite Irish Songs, is just the record you need kickstart your sloppy Bushmills and Guinness craic. Bottom’s up!
God Less America
Bluegrass may not be Michael’s thing, but Rock and Roll certainly isn’t for the Hi-Fi Guys. Their Louvin Brothers styled “Rock and Roll Killed My Mother,” doesn’t lend itself to roadtrippin’ music but it will get one thinking about the deconstructive effects of Rock and Roll.
The God Less America compilation on Crypt Records is chocked full of wonderfully bizarre Country and Rockabilly songs from the 50s and 60s. This is the finest grade of DIY C&W eccentricity you will ever hear.
Believe it or not, this hard to find album is actually carried by Amazon!
The Hi-Fi Guys – Rock and Roll Killed My Mother
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Schuman the Human Makes Me Like Bluegrass
Me? Nah, not a fan of Bluegrass music especially. But when Schuman the Human, aka Mark Foster, came into my life with his punchy and very modern sounding tune “Coming to Pieces,” that all changed. It’s a great song, led by an up-tempo bango, that will easily make its way onto my next road-trip mix.
Check out other great tunes on his full-length album Showtime For Schuman, available on Ugly Nephew Records.
Schuman the Human – Coming to Pieces
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