“It’s completely different – they’re manufactured people now… like ice cream. Every now and then somebody comes out and I really like them – I really like this Lady Gaga.”
– Ozzy Osbourne, on the state of the music industry
SONGS I LOVE: “Magnificent Oblivion”
You know that moment shortly after you start drinking (or enjoying your intoxicant of choice) when you haven’t been feeling anything quite yet… but then you toss your head back and suddenly feel awesome?
The song “Magnificent Oblivion” by the Fleeting Joys is the perfect song for that moment. Have a listen and tell me what you think:
[audio:oblivion.mp3]
Cuteness Overload!
Here’s Au Revior Simone’s new video for “Another Likely Story”, one of my favorite songs from 2009:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MESdwdFY4iQ&feature=youtu.be
It’s not the best video I’ve ever seen, but the girls are super cute in it!
Enjoy!
One More Thing
Oooops! Forgot to put this in the previous post:
– British band Spandau Ballet are set to become the first band in space! According to reports, the newly-reformed band “have signed on to play a weightless, out-of-this-world rendition of one of their hits — like ‘I’ll Fly For You,’ ‘Gold’ or “‘True’ — in five minutes on board mogul Richard Branson’s commercial spacecraft, the Enterprise“.
How it came to this, I’ll never know. Read more about it here.
Tipsy Lyrics Post
Sighed, when I cried I know,
It all makes us see how we lie
We sigh, some say
But you know all this
Sighed, when I cried I know,
It all makes us see how
We lie, we sigh
Some say, but you know
– Cocteau Twins
“Sigh’s Smell of Farewell”
SONGS I LOVE: “Minutes in a Day”
I sometimes wonder how much great music there is out there that will one day be lost forever.
You’ve probably heard about the thousands of movies slowly turning into dust in film vaults. Likewise, there must be millions of great albums, singles and cassettes released by bands that either existed before CDs, or who just weren’t popular enough to make the leap to CD – and thus, easy ripping to mp3 or other digital formats.
As turntables and cassette players continue their march towards obsolescence, people don’t know what to do with their old vinyl and tapes, and eventually just give or throw them away. And then there are people like me, who continue to hold on to their vinyl in hopes of one day converting it to digital format, but just can’t get around to it. Either way it’s a shame.
Take the Atlanta band 86 for example. One day I was at the Book Nook, an iconic used book and record store in the city, when I stumbled across their EP Minutes in a Day. I bought it and took it home for a listen. Most of the EP is just OK, but I quickly fell in love with the title track. The desolation of the opening made it my perfect “drive home song”. When I listen to it I think of driving home on almost empty interstates at 4:30 on a Sunday morning, and the eerie stillness of everything at that hour. And it makes me smile.
I searched high and low on the Internet for the EP for years, but never had much luck. Given that the band broke up in the early 90s and didn’t have much of a following outside Atlanta, I didn’t have much hope of their music ever turning up on iTunes or at Amazon’s mp3 store. However, thanks to a “magic Google search” yesterday, I was finally able to snag a copy in mp3 format from a music blog. So now I can share it with you!
Have a listen and tell me what you think:
[audio:86.mp3]
SONGS I LOVE: “Higher Than the Stars”
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart is a band from – you guessed it: New York, New York…where all the bands I listen to these days come from.
Aside from having a pretentious name, the band has a great sound.
Their first album has as much indie cred as necessary… but the single “Higher Than The Stars” coats it all in a nice, creamy layer of delicious synthpop that sounds a bit like New Order meets The Smiths.
“The Pains” also have some connection to Saint Etienne (one of my all-time faves) as well, as there is a “Saint Etienne visits Lord Spank Mix” of this song as well.
Have a listen and tell me what you think!
[audio:pureatheart.mp3]Check out their MySpace page here.
MORE FRIDAY FUN: For the ATL peeps!
Holla if you remember this:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJcg0ZPf8NU&feature=player_embedded
Man, that’s from the way, way back machine!
SONGS I LOVE: “Born Slippy”
If you’ve ever seen the film Trainspotting, you’re probably familiar with the song “Born Slippy”, as it was featured prominently in the film.
The song has an interesting story behind it: the original version, by electronic band Underworld, was completely instrumental. The b-side of the single had lyrics, and was known as “Born Slippy .NUXX”, allegedly from a computer error which appended the NUXX extension to one of the tracks in the song. The lyrics are supposedly the “internal dialog” of an alcoholic (band member Karl Hyde was a functional alcoholic at the time). The band didn’t give the tune much thought until director Danny Boyle used it in Trainspotting, which caused the tune to hit #2 on the British charts.
This version is a cover from the German band Get Well Soon. It’s very slow, with a haunting piano line running throughout. To me, the original is a dancy, almost poppy tune. You can easily ignore the lyrics while gyrating on the dance floor or driving around at top speed. But this version forces you to listen to the desperation and sadness of the lyrics. It’s not something you want to cue up on the iPod at at party… but it is something you’ll listen to while lying on your bed with the room spinning out of control later on that night.
Have a listen and tell me what you think:
[audio:bornslippy.mp3]
Alison Moyet: Lookin’ Good!
Many folks of the 80s Generation will remember Alison Moyet, lead singer of the band Yazoo (Yaz in the US). She was one of those musicians who, at the height of their fame, turned their back on the music industry that brought them such fame and riches. Moyet has begun popping up again in the UK, and she’s looking really good these days:
Check out this article for an in-depth interview to find out why the woman who sold 25 million records left fame and fortune behind.