Monthly Archive

Blogger wouldn’t let me do anything last night - it’s looking like Poptastic Day will forever be running a day late. So I’ll keep this short and just get to the good stuff.

Perry Como must be one history’s greatest bringers of Cheese. Just look how wholesome he is - the kind of fun the whole family can enjoy together. “Papa Loves Mambo” was, according to The Story of “Papa Loves Mambo”, Mr. Como’s 98th hit song and stayed on the charts for 18 weeks. We just don’t have hits and hitmakers like that anymore. I do enjoy getting down to some Justin Timberlake grooves, but I don’t see him having 98 hit singles. So here’s some corny, white-ified mambo for your Poptastic fix this week.

   Perry Como - Papa Loves Mambo

I’m very fortunate that my brother, sister and I get along the way we do, but our tastes are so different, especially when it comes to music, it’s hard to find songs one of us doesn’t hate. It’s always pretty exciting when we find something we all three agree does not suck.

My brother has been listening to this song by the Teriyaki Boyz almost everyday at least once. It’s from one of those fast and furious car movies that I hate and he loves, but this song is pretty awesome.

   Teriyaki Boyz - Tokyo Drift

I asked my fifteen year old sister what she wanted her input to be for this post and she made me listen to a bunch of songs that I hope to God are just a phase, like that year Ace Of Base ruled my world. Ah well, she considers it a compliment when I ask her what on earth she’s listening to, she thinks the music I listen to stinks of sweaty socks. So I went through her list thinking Ace Of Base wasn’t that bad after all, when I came across a really great Beyonce song from her new album B-Day. Beyonce’s latest singles haven’t been as anthemic as her last album’s, but “Suga Mama” reminds me of my favorite Beyoncé song “Work It Out”. It is such a celebration of the days of swinging soul it’s impossible to sit still.

   Beyonce - Suga Mama

I first heard about New Rhodes at the beginning of last year when they released “You’ve Given Me Something That I Can’t Give Back”. I bought the single because it had a nice cover and I’d heard their name somewhere. Not great reasons, and a potentially risky system for buying singles, but it paid off with New Rhodes.

They released another single last year but have gone quiet since then. But this week - much to my surprise and excitement - New Rhodes’ debut album, Songs From The Lodge, was released. (A new single, “The History Of Britain” was released last week.) They’ve been lurking around for so long, chances are that you’ve heard at least their singles already. If, by some chance, you haven’t, go to their official site and listen to “You’ve Given Me Something … ” - just because it’s an absolutely brilliant single - and a few other songs. You can hear completely different songs on - where else? - their myspace page.

I think blogger hates me. They wouldn’t let me in yesterday. Bastards. I don’t really mean that Mr.Blogger, you are the wind beneath my wings.

Ok let’s talk Tiffany! At the ripe old age of sixteen, she was known as The Queen Of The Shopping Malls and The New Kids On The Block used to support her. That was how big she was in the late eighties.

Her biggest hit was a Tommy James & The Shondells original, who are Poptastic veterans. Her fresh face and the catchy song put the shopping crowds in a frenzy and she’s now forever part of popular culture. She has made some attempts at a comeback, but so far the people haven’t been as receptive as they were twenty years ago. I think many people think that there was a time and a place for her corny star to shine and that ship has sailed. Well I for one hope she makes it back, because just look at her! Who can have ill thoughts towards Tiffany?

   Tiffany - I Think We’re Alone Now

Sometimes you just can’t keep up with all the fantastic music in the world and you need a friend to watch your back, to make sure you’re not missing out on something big. Tam does that for me when I need it and it’s because of her that I’ve finally realized how awesome Two Gallants are. I knew they were good, but not this good. Tam is partial to What The Toll Tells but I’m a The Throes girl myself. It’s just too good.

So, in honor of how much we’re looking forward to seeing Two Gallants next month, and in tribute to their recent trouble with The Man (more links on Two Gallants’ official site), here’s my very favorite, the one I’ve listened to so much I think my beautiful new iPod is actually sick of it.

   Two Gallants - Drive My Car

I’m gonna break the rules a little, because I thought I had already written about Oh No! Oh My!. I’ve been listening to a few of their wonderful songs for a while, so I just assumed that they had come up. I’m not on top of my game when it comes to New Bands these days. Their self-released debut has been out for five whole months and I had no idea. Meanwhile all kinds of people have probably praised them all the way to mega fame, but I wanna put in my two cents as well. That’s the right thing to do when something brings you this much joy.

They’re three guys from Texas who, according to Brikabrak Records, had switched genres and band names twice before deciding on the name and kind of music we know and love now. I get excited just thinking about their song “Party Punch”. They would probably fit nicely between your Arcade Fire, CYHSY and Wolf Parade cds, but they make it a point to sound different while giving you a beautiful catchy song with a seemingly simple tune. “Walk In The Park”, for instance, sounds exactly as the title suggests, like it was written in two minutes, but it’s so nice to sit back and enjoy how uncomplicated liking a song can be and then they hit you with a line like ‘nice day for a drive-by shooting’. That kills me! (excuse the pun)

Swipe your own copy of their debut at insound. You can listen to more songs on Brikabrak and of course on their Oh No! Oh MySpace!. Sigh, yes I hate me too, but I couldn’t resist.

   Oh No! Oh My! - Walk In The Park

I don’t know why - maybe because of my New Band Day post last week - I’ve been thinking a lot about the way most people seem unable to allow indie/punk/alternative/whatever to co-exist with pop. Why? I’ve read a bunch of reviews of an indie album I love from a few different websites that I actually respect (I won’t mention any names) and they all seem to agree that the album in question is good, but also that it’s quite poppy. Which means, apparently, that it can’t get a properly good review. It’s like a few points are immediately deducted if a band shows any pop influence. I don’t understand why exactly, but I don’t think we’re supposed to ask. (This threatens to crush my theory from the other day, but I think reviewers of the indie/alternative persuasion will probably always be The Resistance.) I’m always the first to complain that most pop - especially right now - is pretty bad, but I don’t mean that anything with poppy elements to it must by nature be terrible.

Which brings me to my Poptastic choice for this week: the one and only Billy Idol. Yes, he was part of the punk phenomenon in England and then used it to become a pop star. But I really have to ask: So what?! Everyone that’s dorky about music knows that this is the cycle that all music makes in the end. A new sound is born, goes through the underground and eventually towards the charts, and then pop versions of it start sprouting up all over the place. It happened to hip-hop (Vanilla Ice), to grunge (Staind, Nickleback), and, yup, it also happened to punk. You can go ahead and blame Billy Idol, but someone else would’ve done it if he hadn’t. (That’s assuming he was the first, which I don’t actually know for sure.) So when this happens to the music we love, why can’t people separate the original stuff from the pop and enjoy them both on their own merits? Why is anything poppy automatically horrible music?

So no, Billy Idol can’t really be considered “real punk” (the solo years, at least), but he sure was fun. I guess I don’t understand why that isn’t enough sometimes. Why can’t we love The Clash and understand what they meant and have a giggle dancing with ourselves every once in a while?

   Billy Idol - Dancing With Myself

The change in weather must be messing with my moods. I’m not happy, not exactly sad, just blah. So I’ve been in need of some serious joy. The Bean told me that I should definitely buy The Fratellis’ CD, because it’s so much fun, so I did. She was very very right, it did cheer me up lots. It’s funny, I’ve written about them twice but the release of their CD totally slipped my mind. I also bought the new Decemberists and The Rapture albums, all in all I’ve had the best time shopping for happy.

I’ve been told that retail therapy doesn’t really work and that it’ll just leave you with an empty wallet and a closet full of stuff you didn’t really need in the first place, so I always go for books and CDs. It’s impossible to have too much of either. There’s definitely no buyer’s remorse this time. I love every single CD I bought yesterday and I listened to them over and over. Then it was time to walk away from those bands, because I listened to them non-stop, so I put on this random mix I made myself. It’s full of old songs that have no other purpose then to cheer you up and make you want to dance like you live in a small town where dancing is strictly verboten and you’re the new guy in town about to shake the establishment aka John Lithgow with your awesome big city moves.

ANYway, speaking of the wonderfully corny things from the eighties: One of the songs that made sure I wouldn’t slip back into a funk was “Go” by Tones On Tail (right after The Sweet’s “Little Willy” and followed by Devo’s “Gut Feeling”). I always forget the band’s name and I don’t know anything about them, but sometimes I’ll just be standing in line somewhere and all of a sudden I can hear the bass and the clapping in my head and it’ll just have me grinning like a madman. Best therapy ever.

   Tones On Tail - Go

I wish I wasn’t so exhausted right now because I’m quite enthusiastic about 1990s and I’m not going to be able to sound like it at all. I honestly do think they’re fantastic, you’ll just have to trust that I really mean that.

I do have this theory that I’m going to try to get out coherently. Ever since Franz Ferdinand burst forth from their arty parties, it’s been a lot more acceptable to be both Pop and Indie at the same time. They rather famously said that they wanted to make music to make girls dance, that there was no reason that Pop had to be a dirty word. They made Pop music for the Indie Kids and everyone, all over the world, ended up loving it. After Britpop (and before Franz Ferdinand), Pop stayed over there, on the other side of the room. But now everything is upside down - Indie bands made of scruffy boys now have a fighting chance to have actual chart-topping hits. And recent releases are reflecting that - The Fratellis, The Blood Arm, The Long Blondes, Hot Club De Paris, and now 1990s are all making a new kind of Indie Pop. I’d like to take a moment and personally thank Franz Ferdinand - there’s a time and place for more serious music, but sometimes girls just wanna have fun.

Anyway, my theory even does this cool full-circle thing, because some members of Franz Ferdinand used to be in The Yummy Fur, the same band that some members of 1990s were in, which takes me right back to the original purpose of this post. Ah, I love it when a plan comes together. They’re fun and I love them. They sound, oddly enough, like something that reminds me of the ’90s, but I can’t seem to put my finger on what exactly. (I told you I’d suck at this part. If you know what their sound is reminding me of, please leave a comment and put me out of my misery.) They also have elements of The Modern Lovers and probably other stuff that I’m too sleepy to think of right now. Go to 1990s myspace page to hear the should-be-an-anthem “You Made Me Like It” (their first single) and more.

Creem magazine is back! It’s in digital form (for now?) but the premise is still the same as far as I can tell. It’s a “rock n roll magazine for the people” as Barry Kramer the original founder of Creem Magazine put it in 1969. Now I’ve never read the original Creem mags, because I wasn’t born yet, but I have read a little bit about music criticism and rock ‘n roll history and it seems to be impossible to discuss either topic without mentioning Lester Bangs’, and therefore Creem’s, influence.

Creemmagazine.com has great reviews and new articles about the latest music news, but what really makes me come back are the archived articles from the days of yore and the beautiful old magazine covers from all the issues up to 1988. The first old articles I read were also the oldest two articles in the archive; I was a bit overwhelmed and I didn’t know where to start, so I figured I’d read them chronologically. The one is a description of a venue and a review of a bunch of concerts at that venue including the MC5 and the other is about the ‘Paul is dead’ hoax. Especially the latter article is really interesting. Among other things, I learned that Creem had a big contribution to spreading the hoax. I did not know that and it tickled my inner geek so I thought that would fit nicely into 100B’s School of Learnin’s alley.

When I read contemporary reviews and articles, I never really notice how much they breathe the time they are written in because I’m right in the middle of living it. Things have and haven’t changed much since those earlier articles. Most people who love music still write passionately about it, but don’t use words like “greaser” anymore. Creem’s old articles give us an impression of how the bands were received at the time and how they were talked about, but also how opinions about certain bands have changed since then. For instance, there is an article about the Beastie Boys from way back in ‘87 when “Licensed to Ill” had just ushered them into the limelight. The article makes them sound like a bunch of crazy talented punks. I guess that hasn’t changed much, but it also mentions that though their album is brilliant, they weren’t much to look at live. Last year 100b went to see them live and they were anything but underwhelming. ANY band that can roll a mariachi band on a stage belongs on a pedestal reaching the heavens as far as I’m concerned.

My favorite article so far is the one announcing that The New York Dolls were voted Best New Group of 1973 by Creem readers, BUT that same poll also voted them the Worst New Group! Now three decades later, the three remaining Dolls are touring again and I just happened to see them play on Jonathan Ross last Friday. It was still absolutely thrilling and for some reason the 1973 vote seems totally appropriate. They’re too sleazy and out there to appeal to everybody, but they’re just too good to ignore.

I think I’m gonna waste away many many hours foraging through the Creem Archives, so I for one am happy they’re back and I think they came at a good time too. Music is so diverse and exciting right now, who could cover it better than the rag that gave us the term “Punk Rock”?

Many rappers back in the day criticized MC Hammer, or as he was later known Hammer, for his use of samples and his simplistic lyrics, but he never pretended to be anything but a Poppy rapper in the first place. “Too Legit To Quit”, was a shout-out to all those rappers who dissed him and told them to back off, because he is just too damn legit.

Nowadays, old pop songs are dusted off and sampled all over the place. Jay Z sampled a freaking Annie song and he was praised for his originality. Ok, Jay Z is an awesome lyricist and the song kicks ass, so that helps too. But I can’t think of one rapper that hasn’t made use of his All-Time Favorite Hits CD to support his rhymes. I’d like to think that MC Hammer opened the door to all those rappers who strive for pop greatness for them. Since the early nineties hip hop in general has gotten a broader audience and now that the emphasis has gone more and more on album sales, you can flip over backwards if you have to to make people run to the stores or even add a loud hot chick to your repertoire (I’m looking at you Black Eyed Peas).

If I was gonna say anything about MC Hammer it’d be about all the darn synchronized dancing in either tight clothes or zoot suits three times his size. At one point in the video he’s getting his groove on in a fiery arena in a skin tight black leotard. Now, that’s not right.

MC Hammer - Too Legit To Quit (video)

Ok, so I’m a week late with my picks for September. Just pretend it’s last Sunday. It’s like time travel but without all the expensive machinery.

I had hoped to have a less predictable choice for Album Of The Month, but it’s really got to be The Black Keys’ Magic Potion. I admit I wasn’t sure about it at first, it didn’t knock my socks off on the first listen the way that Rubber Factory did. But its greatness is subtle and after a few listens, I knew it had to be my pick for September. It’s a shame, too, because there were some pretty interesting releases in September (Larrikin Love’s The Freedom Spark and The Rapture’s Pieces Of The People We Love, for example), but it’s not even a fair fight. Tam already wrote a really great post about The Black Keys and I can’t add much to it, except to say that we were lucky enough to see them live again this week and it was the best night I’ve had in a very long time. Their albums are great but, as a live band, they blow your ass away.

As for the Single Of The Month, I had no idea what to pick until earlier today. Actually, I haven’t heard most of the singles released in the last month but this is so good that it doesn’t even matter what else came out. It may even be up there at the top on the Singles Of The Year list. (You know, if we actually do one.)

   The Blood Arm - Suspicious Character

It’s so awesome I don’t even know what to say. It’s danceable like Franz Ferdinand, but sleazier. If this doesn’t get the indie kids on the dancefloor then there’s no hope left in the world. I don’t know how they do it, but every single The Blood Arm releases is even better than the last one, so I’m anxiously awaiting their debut (label-released) album, Lie Lover Lie (out in the UK on October 16th). Maybe it’ll end up being the Album Of Next Month.

100b went along to the Melkweg on Monday night to see The Datsuns celebrate the release of their new album, Smoke & Mirrors, which came out a week earlier here than in the UK. I hate to say it out loud - I always want to believe the best about the bands I love - but their second album, Outta Sight/Outta Mind didn’t have the same just-been-kicked-in-the-face quality as their debut. It wasn’t bad, just a little powerless. So I was glad for the chance to hear some of the new stuff before I decided whether to buy the new album or not.

I wasn’t disappointed. The Datsuns do what they do so very well, and it sounds like this album is a return to that ability that made us love them in the first place. “System Overload” (the first single, which you can listen to on their official site) is a Datsuns classic already, but the real standout song from Monday night was “Stuck Here For Days”. Who ever thought you’d hear your favorite classic rock/metal band make use of the slide guitar? Sadly, I do not yet possess the album, so you’ll have to take my recommendation and go seek out “Stuck Here For Days” yourself. Trust me, you don’t want to miss it.

Dang nabbit, I forgot it was Wednesday, so I’m gonna make it up to you with two new bands. That’s right, TWO!

The Rifles seem to be heavily influenced by The Libertines. I loved The Libertines, but lately there’s been a surge of New Bands who sound like they haven’t listened to anything but The Libs and it’s getting old. Though The Rifles are also London based, so I don’t know, maybe it’s something in the water that makes em sound similar. This is not necessarily a bad thing, because they combine it with a lot of other influences that give it so much more depth than just another Libertines cover band disguised as a new band. “Local Boy” could have been stolen out of Morrissey’s note book. It may not win Most Original, but it is a great song and there’s clapping at the end. I’m easy to please really, all I need is a great tune some clapping and a maybe a kazoo or a cowbell and I’m good to go, so I’m happy as a clam.

   The Rifles - Local Boy

Fortune Drive is a band with a frontman who can really sing and they have a more soulful approach to rock. They can sound dirty when they want to like in “My Girlfriend’s An Arsonist” or more polished like on “Recent Advances”.

   Fortune Drive - My Girlfriend’s An Arsonist

Dude, Ryan Adams is either an evil musical genius or some crazy man with a recording studio. It doesn’t really matter either way, because his timing suits me very well. Since we’re going to see the man himself tomorrow night, nothing could be more appropriate for Poptastic Day this week than the rap songs he’s posted on his website. I admit I was a little dubious at first, but his rhymes are HOT. And the most Poptastic things I’ve heard in a long time. So go check out his official site and decide for yourself: genius or crazy man? I’m going with genius.