Monthly Archive

A few weeks ago I happened upon White Denim’s “ShakeShakeShake” off SXSW 2007 Showcasing Artists while bouncing around the Intertubes. After finally listening to the track in me Pod I had to pick up a copy of their one and only release, the EP Let’s Talk About It (2007).

This is some good stuff people. Somewhat rough. Very genuine. If you enjoy off-the-wall ‘Cowbell Rock’, then give White Denim a whirl. I don’t think there is a track on the EP that doesn’t have a cowbell either featured prominently or hidden within the fabric. Sah-wee-tah.

   White Denim - ShakeShakeShake
   White Denim - I Can Tell

If you like what you hear, you can listen to more on the White Denim website and their MySpace page, which I think has to have been written while under the influence … or by a 12-year-old. Of course, this just adds to their goofball charm.

And, yes, that’s the best picture of White Denim I could find that wasn’t on flickr. That’s how damned new and undiscovered White Denim is.

The Strokes have an all new spectacular, futuristic site. They also made an alternative video for “You Only Live Once”. It’s lovely, very 2001: A Space Odyssey, but not boring.

This song is so cool that it has been covered by everyone from The Beatles to The Smashing Pumpkins. Barrett Strong first released the single in 1959 and it climbed all the way up to the number 2 spot in America. He became a prolific lyricist for Motown and the song became so popular among other artists that it probably has its own manager.

   Barrett Strong - Money (That’s What I Want)

I listened to most of the other artists versions listed on the song’s Wikipedia page and more and here are my three favorites topped by The Sonics:

   1. The Sonics - Money (That’s What I Want) (1965)
   2. The Beatles - Money (That’s What I Want) (1964)

The Sonics probably took their lead from the earlier Beatles’ version. In fact, you can clearly hear a progression from the original soul version of Barrett Strong, to The Beatles, who still kept the piano intro and the steady rhythm, to the uninhibited choppy garage rocking version of The Sonics. John Lennon’s raspy voice gave the song a rawer edge, but then The Sonics totally went wild with it and took the song to all new stomping heights.

   3. The Flying Lizards - Money (That’s What I Want) (1979)

This one is just really fun and so different from the original. I especially like the woman’s very proper, bored-with-life voice.

I guess most of you blog hoppin’ folks have these songs on four different I-pods already, but I’ve missed a few things that have been going on in music. So if you’ve been out of the loop as well and want to catch up on what the über cool in-crowd is talking about music-wise:

Kanye West has a new video for “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” from his new album Graduation:

The Battles’ video for “Atlas” is just amazing. It reminds me of Magneto’s suspending plastic prison:

Then there’s my favorite one, the Pharoahe Monch song that rocks so hard I had to buy new socks … ha:

The elderly are finally planning a revolution after years of complaints about ‘the youth today’. Check out The Zimmers’ video for “My Generation”:

Here are some interesting “leaky” mp3s as well:

First up Lauryn Hill’s contribution to the Surf’s Up soundtrack. I used to be a huge fan of hers but when she fell off the radar I forgot how good she was at this:
   Lauryn Hill - Lose Myself
[from SynnerNation]

Yum-yum, this new Okkervil River song is so so good. Listen to their latest and an older favorite of mine:
   Okkervil River - Our Life Is Not A Movie Or Maybe [from YouAin'tNoPicasso]
   Okkervil River - For Real

Art Brut’s song “Direct Hit” is yet again a catchy, riotous hunk of burnin’ crazy:
   Art Brut - Direct hit [from Idolator]

Then there’s this Queens Of The Stone Age song going around from their new album Era Vulgaris. This song excites me more than should be allowed:
   Queens Of The Stone Age - Make It Wit Chu [from Idolator]

Editor’s Note: The Bean has been swamped this week and it’s finally caught up with her. So, Tamboosh and aDawgg decided to collaborate to bring you Those Zany Charts …

We thought it’d be fun to see what the Japanese charts are up to. You would be forgiven if you thought the Japanese would be on the cutting edge of music, given the future-looking nature of the products we always hear about coming out of the Land of the Rising Sun.

Well, what does the May 21, 2007 singles chart (compiled by Oricon Style) look like? Take a very quick scan below. See the difference? No? Look again. Correctamundo. No Avril Lavigne. If you peruse the current charts around the world you can’t escape Ms. Lavigne. Or Linkin Park. Not in Japan. We’ll have none of that here. This is a local chart. For local people. It’s as if Lavigne or Linkin Park don’t exist.

And now for the moment you’ve all been waiting for. The Zany Grainy Oh So Judgemental YouTube Revue of the May 21, 2007 Japanese Singles Top 10!

#1   B’z - “Eien No Tsubasa”

A: This is some of the best music video (or as the Japanese call them, promotional video) acting I’ve seen in a long time. That busted up leg action the main character sports really has me believing they beat the crap out of him before the shoot.

T: I think I might be dead inside. Everybody in this video is crying and I got nothing. Though it’s good to hear that power ballads are still going strong in Japan.

#2   Kiyoshi Hikawa - “Abayo”

T: No. Freaking. Way. This is just … there are no words. Well, there is one thing: Why exactly does he look like a French Captain Stubing?

A: I don’t even know how to react to this song or video. Apparently, this gentleman is the ‘Prince of Enka’ style J-Pop, which the Wikipedia write-up likens to U.S. country ‘theme and audience’-wise. I’ll tell you what: I don’t see this guy lasting very long in a country bar.

#3   Kiyoshi Hikawa - “Kiyoshino Soranbushi”

T: Oh my god, it’s that guy again!! Why is he so popular?!?

A: This is a frackin classic. It’s like a joke. Except it’s not. I have to admit, I think it’s very catchy.

#4   Remioromen - “Hotaru/Run”

A: Not unlike ‘our’ indie, but boiled a few times to appeal to the tastes of a wider audience.

T: Awesome video though. Hmm, you know what, I kinda like this. Cute song, spaceships and dinosaurs. It’s the full pop package.

#5   Aqua Timez - “Shiori”

A: Again limp indie. This time more boy band-ish that Remioromen (see #4 above).

T: Alright, so they did squeeze all the RAW out of rawk, but they don’t suck so bad.

#6   Arashi - “We Can Make It!”

A: Yep, this is what happened to Boyzone. I have very few words for Boyzone and can’t muster anything for this.

T: No no, you see the thing that happened was, when these guys were dismissed from the military - where they got those very not-gay jackets - they became firemen. Hence the sliding off the colorful poles. Again, very not-gay.

#7   Yukari Tamura - “Hoshizora No Spica”

T: It’s your average J-Pop hit. In fact, I think I fell on my face once while I was trying to Dance Dance Revolution my way through this song.

A: See, for some reason, I dig this stuff more than the power ballads sung by men. She sounds like she’s having fun telling us whatever she’s telling us.

#8   Masafumi Akikawa - “Sen No Kaze Ni Natte”

T: Aah! It’s like Il Divo, except it’s just the one guy and he’s not butchering an existing song with his operatic shenanigans. As far as I can tell …

A: Tamboosh pretty much captures this one.

#9   Kannivalism - “Small World”

T: Is that a dude? Either way, this is great! The drama, the band name, the David Bowie eyes, the sexual ambiguity. Emo sounds so much better in Japanese.

A: I think it is a dude.

#10   Redballoon - “Gin-iro No Sora”

T: I don’t hate it, but then again I don’t anything it. It’s like the kind of rock you can buy at the supermarket. You know, by the check out, next to the Danielle Steele novels.

A: Tamboosh is right. That emotion generates much smoke but not much fire.

For those of you who made it this far. Congratulations.

Signing off from Japan, this has been another installment of Those Zany Charts …

I’m normally not a quiz taking kinda girl but so many bloggers have done this one and I wanted to be one of the cool kids too! Plus I got bored with playing digital Sudoku, so here it goes:

Directions: If your life was a movie, what would the soundtrack be?

1. Open your mp3 library
2. Put it on shuffle.
3. Press Play.
4. For every question, type the song that’s playing.
5. When you go to a new question, press the Next button.
6. No skipping to up your cool.

My Movie:
1. Opening credits: White Stripes - God Makes No Mistakes
2. Waking up: Poor Boy Johnson - Ain’t Doing Too Much Talking
3. First day of school: The Boy Least Likely To - I See Spiders When I Close My Eyes
4. Falling In Love: Lynyrd Skynyrd - Free Bird
5. Breaking up: Band Marino - Every Time I Make A Girl Cry I Know I’ve Done My Job
6. Prom: The Coup - Underdogs
7. Life’s okay: Goran Gora - Slow Down
8. Mental breakdown: Good Shoes - Photos On My Wall
9. Driving: Oh Brother Where Art Thou - Didn’t leave Nobody But The Baby
10. Flashback: The Maccabees - About Your Dress
11. Getting back together: Jesus H Christ &The Four Hornsmen Of The Apocalypse - She’s A Six
12. Wedding song: Tapes n Tapes - Ten Gallon Ascots
13. Birth of first child: The Most Serene Repubic - Content Always Was My Favorite Color
14. Final battle scene: The Mountain Goats - Woke Up New
15. Death scene: Ima Robot - STD Dance
16. Funeral song: New York Dolls - Pills
17. End credits: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Satan Said Dance

Some of them are a bit mean, like my Breaking Up and Getting Back Together tracks. First of all, if that Band Marino song wasn’t so damn good I would boycot it, because that hurts. Second of all, my mom says I’m a TEN, dang nabbit! There also seems to be some confusion as to how I died, was it an STD or all the pill poppin’? Or a happy combination of the two? I do love the fact that my movie soundtrack starts with God and ends with Satan … just like real life.

When We Were Dead … was first released, I read a few iffy reviews of it by people who seem to like one type of Modest Mouse sound but not another. I don’t get that. It seems to me that the variety - maybe even contradictions - in Modest Mouse is exactly what makes them so great. Summer anthems about our pointless lives, gritty yelping over cheerful woo-hoos, sad near-lullabies on the same album as maniacal violin stomps.

The themes haven’t changed all that much since Good News … - Isaac Brock is still concerned with our fleeting mortality, the absurdity of everyday life and human behavior, the futility of dealing with any of it. Which is exactly what makes Modest Mouse so fascinating - music about these kind of things would normally be depressing rainy day music, but I think of Modest Mouse as ideal for summer. It’s music that should be played loud on a sunny day, music that will get my heart pumping when I’m feeling down. What’s interesting about Isaac Brock’s lyrics is that he’s not exactly lamenting the crappy things about the world - they’re just facts that we just have to learn to live with. We don’t have to be happy about it, but life is what it is.

Musically, the greatness of Modest Mouse lies in the details. Songs that might normally just be good indie-pop are made classic by tiny bits and pieces that you barely even notice at first - it took me many listens before I heard it, but I can’t explain how happy that little offbeat bell in “Education” makes me now. I love that “Parting Of The Sensory” starts acoustic-y and gradually becomes a violent mess of handclaps and violins. “Fly Trapped In A Jar” sounds almost disco-y in that middle part. Those are the things that keep me addicted to Modest Mouse.

   Modest Mouse - Parting Of The Sensory

(Update: Mp3 link is now fixed, I just realized that I never actually typed the name of the song. Oopsy. That’s what I get for posting in the middle of the night.)

The only way I can describe Patrick Wolf’s latest single, “The Magic Position”, is as an explosion of unadulterated joy. What’s not to love - layer upon layer of absolutely glorious sound. It’s fabulous. It’s my favorite track from an album I already gushed about, so there’s no way I wouldn’t have picked it for Single Of The Month (despite some very stiff competition from Pop Levi’s “Pick-Me-Up Uppercut”, also my favorite track from his album). God forbid Patrick Wolf release any more singles from The Magic Position or Single Of The Month will just turn into a monthly Patrick Wolf lovefest.

   Patrick Wolf - The Magic Position

Selecting the best - ever - of anything is a bold move. But, it helps when you share the burden with others. Byron Crawford gave me a heads up on two bloggers who collaborated in ranking the best hip hop albums - ever. Based on the votes of a ton o’ bloggers, Straight Bangin’ and The Passion of the Weiss ranked the top hip hop albums of all time. Hell, they even made the ranking spreadsheet of the votes available and everydamnthing.

Ah, a spreadsheet, rankers in my own style.

Here is the Top 10 of their All Time Top 25 hip hop albums:

1. Nas, Illmatic (1994)
2. Wu-Tang Clan, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (1993)
3. Notorious B.I.G., Ready to Die (1994)
4. Raekwon, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx … (1995)
5. Dr. Dre, The Chronic (1992)
6. Public Enemy, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (198
7. A Tribe Called Quest, Midnight Marauders (1993)
8. A Tribe Called Quest, The Low End Theory (1991)
9. Eric B. & Rakim, Paid In Full (1987)
10. Mobb Deep, The Infamous (1995)

A formidable lineup and all very very highly recommended if you don’t own them already. I’m not sure my list would be exactly the same as the consensus results. It’s maybe a bit heavy on 1991-1995, but the list is strong enough you can’t really argue with it too much.

To be honest, I can’t really add much more than the collaborative run down on both their sites. But, I can share three of my selections from among them in an effort to get you to skip a couple coffees and a lunch or two, save up the cash, and chase up some of the greatness of these albums for yourself.

   Wu Tang Clan - Bring Da Ruckus
   Raekwon - Knuckleheadz
   Eric B. & Rakim - Paid In Full

A short while ago, our lovely friend Tamboosh posted a very Brady birthday treat for me. I couldn’t come up with anything quite so perfect for the Tamboosh, who celebrates her own birthday on this very day, so I had to think about what she likes. Tam likes cheesy pop songs. She also likes fun glam rock. And, like all of us, she likes to boogie. On this most special of days, I think Tam should listen to this song really loud, do a little boogie, and know that she’s the most awesome thing ever.

A very Happy Birthday to our Mighty Tamboosh.*

   T Rex - I Love To Boogie

(*new awesome nickname courtesy of our other friend, aDawgg.)

Let me say right off the bat: If you’ve stopped by just to get all of Aesop Rock’s biggest numbers for free, then you’ve come to the wrong place. My role isn’t simply to dump free music into the Intertubes, clogging them up and shit. My role is to nudge and prod visitors in directions they might enjoy - especially if they’re not already enjoying them.

So, with that out of the way, I thought I’d backtrack to Aesop Rock, one of my favorite underground hip hop artists … who’s been buried under the piles of music I’m always wading through. The nudging and prodding part is achieved by sharing some tracks that give you a taste of what makes Aesop Rock and the Definitive Jux label so unique. (Def Jux is home to some of underground hip hop’s best known names, including C Rayz, Cage, Cannibal Ox, Mr. Lif, RJD2, and The Perceptionists, among others.)

Our man in question has been recording strange, obtuse, and interesting tracks since 1997 (check out Music For Earthworms), but really established himself as an underground name with Float (2000) and the classic Labor Days (2001). Aesop’s next full release, Bazooka Tooth (2003), received less acclaim, but, personally, I enjoy it just as much for different reasons. Between and around those releases are a number of quality EPs and albums I highly recommend picking up.

This write up doesn’t really do the man justice, as I need to rush off to work. But, you don’t really want to hear me describe him anyway. Do you? You want to describe him yourself. The following three samples should give you reason to dig up and buy more with your hard-earned cash.

And, of course, you can hear even more by finding Aesop Rock on MySpace.

From the 2005 Definitive Jux Presents Bucket Of B-Sides Vol 1:

   Aesop Rock - Kill Em All (RJD2 Remix)

From the 2005 EP Fast Cars, Danger, Fire & Knives:

   Aesop Rock - Rickety Rackety (ft CamuTao, El-P)

From the 2005 Cage album, Hell’s Winter:

   Cage - Left It To Us (ft Aesop Rock)

I know yesterday was New Band Day, but I found out that I don’t have class because Jesus flew to heaven today or something … Anyway I had some time to kill, so I was looking through the home of Bromheads Jacket, my new favorite label Marquis Cha Cha’s list of artists. I’m not even halfway through it and I already cannot wait to tell the world about three of the bands!

First up is Let’s Wrestle. They sound like a bunch of sulky post-punk teens who might just refuse getting out of their garage even if they made it big. They oooooze cool, like only the early garage bands could, without even trying. My favorite song on the myspace is the minimalist Art Brut-type ruckus of “Let’s Wrestle”, though the new single that came out two days ago with the excellent title “Song For ABBA Tribute” is really amazing too.

Then there’s Thomas Tantrum. This band rocks as hard as the lead singer is adorable. Her voice flows through arty, guitar driven melodies like Dorothy through a field of poppies. I already can’t choose which song I like best. “Pshandy”, the soon to be released follow up to their debut single “Armchair”, starts as a hypnotizing, almost grungey affair, but the chorus makes you sit up and salute their surprisingly poppy brilliance.

Check out the video for the lovely “Pshandy”:

Finally, I would like to direct your attention to Electric Spoon. They’re a cross between Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and even Cat Stevens, if they could pick a guitar like erm, Blind Willie Mctell. If you don’t like any of these artists you should still give them a chance, because they’re really a brand on their own. They’re fresh and new, but they make soulful, bluesy rock music and remind me of the best the seventies had to give us.

Here’s the video for the beautiful, sleepy debut “You”:

Everybody’s talking about Vampire Weekend and for good reason, they’re flippin’ awesome. I should be fair and admit that aDawgg told me about them first but I stole them for New Band Day because of that previously mentioned awesomeness. A little googling showed me that Stereogum has already picked them as a Band To Watch and their description of Vampire Weekend as a brainy blend of Paul Simon’s Graceland and Talking Heads is perfect. The music is wonderfully charming and fun and feels like summer and I seriously can’t wait until we can hear some more of it. I’m already thinking about how great it must sound live - maybe in a park, as the sun is just about to set. They seem to be unsigned (not for long, I’m sure) but are releasing some songs digitally and on 7″ sometime this month (I haven’t been able to find a specific date yet). In the meantime, listen to two tracks on their official site and a couple more on their vampirespace.

I’ll deny it when I get over the shock that Sweden didn’t win, but I watched the whole Eurovision Songfestival final with some friends for the first time ever last Saturday. It was predictably cheesy, camp and well, crap. So I was surprised when Sweden’s act The Ark with their song “The Worrying Kind” didn’t suck at all. It’s glammer than Ziggy Stardust rolling around in pink glitter with a golden guitar and it’s so much fun. Ok, it’s not hard to sound good in between the Eurovision entries, but I don’t think this was just a polished turd in a lake of stinky poo, - ew sorry - I think they were genuinely good.

Shaggy has had many many hits since he burst onto the pop scene with “Oh Carolina” in 1993, but in my opinion none of them come close to that song. Nope not even “Boombastic”. I never really wondered where the awesome old skool intro and beat came from, but it turns out there’s an interesting history behind this seemingly simple catchy song.

“Oh Carolina” was a hit by the The Folkes Brothers thirty years before Shaggy’s souped-up version. Apparently, it is widely recognized as the most important single in Reggae, Ska and Rocksteady history! Before “Oh Carolina” Jamaican radio was filled with exact imitations of American Rhythm & Blues songs by Jamaican artists who seemed to have abandoned their culture in music. Until The Folkes Brothers, accompanied by legendary Rastafari drummer Count Ossie, unprecendeted use of the local singing style and African beats established a distinctively Jamaican sound. Artists started to combine their roots with the R & B elements and suddenly the tiny island became a significant influence in music. Three decades later Shaggy’s rendition of the song broke another musical barrier and became the first underground New York Dancehall single to make it onto the mainstream charts.

That blows my mind, I never thought that the tune that I danced to at every single kid’s party when I was twelve had such a big impact in music history. Find out more about the song, including the original lyrics here.

Phew, I had a hard time finding it, but here is the wonderful original Folkes Brother’s version urging girls not to cry. You can clearly hear that it stands at the cradle of the musical styles we now associate with Jamaica:

   The Folkes Brothers - Oh Carolina

And here’s Shaggy urging girls to wind their body. Oh, how times have changed:

   Shaggy - Oh Carolina

In the universe where George Clinton rules funk, Sa-Ra Creative Partners are, as one of their sites describes their totality of sound and production, the hip hop ambassadors of “Afro Magnetic Electronic Spiritualism”.

The resumes of Sa-Ra, collectively, or individually, as Om’Mas Keith, Shafiq Husayn, and Taz Arnold, encompass mixing and engineering, managing and producing for and with the likes of Kanye West, John Legend, Jurassic 5, Ice-T, Lord Finesse, Foxy Brown, Mobb Deep, Jam Master Jay, Pharoahe Monch, Heavy D, Bilal, Dr. Dre, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, Hit Man, 8 Ball, Mobb Deep, Jesse West, and Grand Mixer DXT.

In case you can’t tell, that’s serious experience and clout. And it comes in handy as hell when you decide to do step up and do an album yourself. Enter The Hollywood Recordings, out this month on Babygrande Records. You will go right 8 or 9 times out of 10 when the featured artists on your debut include - in order of appearance - Rozzi Daime, Ty (from Ty & Kory), Talib Kweli, Capone-N-Noreaga, Lord Nez, Bilal, Erykah Badu, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Kurupt, Erika Rose, Pharaohe Monche, and the late J Dilla.

If you’re ready for a new hip hop experience, you need to give this 19-track opus a spin. You can’t pigeon hole the Sa-Ra influences, but the selections below give you a glimpse into the specturm of sound you can expect to flood into and swirl around your adventurous dome.

   Sa-Ra Creative Partners - Glorious
   Sa-Ra Creative Partners - Feel The Bass (ft Talib Kweli)

For more, visit the Sa-Ra site and their MySpace page.

Update: I didn’t complete the mp3 URL correctly in the original post. This has now been corrected. Sorry about that! I’m only human!

Just over a month ago I wrote about Balkan Beat Box’s self-titled debut and noted their follow up, Nu Med, was due out this month. Of course, I purchased an advance release. The verdict for those hungry for quirky music? It’s a cracker!

This offering has more instrumental tracks and leans more to the Mediterranean compared to the Eastern or Southeastern European sounding Balkan Beat Box. Tracks that immediately jumped out and grabbed me by both ears: “Hermetico”, “Digital Monkey”, “Mexico City”, “$20 For Boban”, “Habibi Min Zaman” and “Balcasio”. But, the entire album is an organized cacophony that slaps you like one of the Three Stooges and plasters a tremendous smile on your face.

Don’t trust me? Give “Mexico City” a try and then get yourself a copy of Nu Med.

   Balkan Beat Box - Mexico City

If you visit Jdub Records you can hook yourself up with downloads of “Hermetico” and “Digital Monkey” … if they’re still available by the time you read this. Whaddya waiting for? Geez.

We recently received the opportunity to get an advanced listen to the city-state’s first feature length album, Monument, due for release May 15 on Liberty Fuse Records.

My comrades in blogging passed on it and, initially, so did I. I wasn’t immediately tackled and wasn’t easily won over. However, I’ve listened to the sneak preview stream and the two downloadable tracks a few times and I think there’s something there for me — and others — to like.

The quartet from Washington D.C. have been compared to Interpol and British Sea Power and are certainly more emotionally low-key than I tend to have in the rotation. But, hell, it often takes me a while to warm up to a group, especially when they tend to roam outside my sonic comfort zone. “Mary”, “This Place”, “Arlanda Terminal”, “Idea” and “You Wait-Wolves (A Study In Her vs The Mirror Orchid Remix)” intrigued me enough to purchase their previous release from emusic, the 2006 five-track EP Wolves +4.

The beauty of music and the Intertubes is there is something out there for everyone and city-state could be right up your alley. Learn and hear more at the band’s website and TheirSpace.

   city-state - Mary

The Cribs’ new video for their upcoming single “Men’s Needs” is deemed too shocking to show before 9PM on MTV2, according to NME.com. The Cribs have a special place in our hearts so we didn’t need an incentive to watch or listen to anything they make, but it is a brilliant move. Banned videos always garner extra publicity and chatter. The only bit that made me dry-heave a bit was when the naked lady felt herself up with the drummer’s arm she just cut off. There, I did my bit of Cribs PR, if the ban didn’t want to make you see it, severed limbs and a naked lady sure will …

Check it out. Too shocking or just shocking enough?

This month Shakira and Beyonce are topping the charts, right under them lurks Timbaland who had his hand in about a zillion other songs in the list. Not that exciting, so it made me wonder what was going on in music a decade ago. Let me take you back to a long forgotten time … time … time …

Aaaaah 1997, Tamagotchis and Baby-G watches are the must-have gadgets and we carry them around in our mini-backpacks that match our platform sneakers, while the phrase “Oh my god, they killed Kenny” still got a lot of laughs. I came across the top 20 MTV European pop chart from this exact same week in May 1997. I always had the idea that the nineties were not a great time for music, but when Bean and I swapped High School mixes last year we came across a lot of amazing songs, some featured in this list.

   #20 Daft Punk - Around The World
   #18 Chemical Brothers - Block Rockin’ Beats
I cannot believe these are from ten years ago. They’re timeless, I’m sure they would be huge hits if they were released now. I think it’s because they both appeal to lovers of pop, alternative and dance music. And that Daft Punk video is still the most mesmerizing thing I’ve ever seen.

   #15 U2 - Staring At The Sun
I honestly can’t imagine a yearly chart without U2 in it. They have the amazing ability to apply their sound to the current trends, like the way “Staring At The Sun” has hints of that mid-nineties alternative rock stylee.

Two songs that had ‘Girl Power’, a term that the Spice Girls made popular and ruined for all of us:
   #14 No Doubt - Just A Girl
   #11 Republica - Ready To Go
Every girl whether a goth, a punk or a teenybopper LOVED “Just A Girl”. It was our “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”!

We’ve come to the top 10 and it’s topped by … Michael Jackson? With a song called “Blood On The Dancefloor”. Is it weird that I don’t remember this at all? I thought he stopped topping the charts after that awful “Earth Song”, the same song that made Jarvis Cocker storm the stage in 1996. Hee! The peculiar thing is that I can’t find any images of the incident, not even a bad quality youtube clip! It was during the Brit Awards and I find it very hard to believe that not one camera was pointed that way and no photographer thought ‘That might be worth a snap’. I smell a conspiracy …

   #9 B-Real, Coolio, Method Man, LL Cool J & Busta Rhymes - Hit Em High (The Monstars Anthem)
   #8 En Vogue - Don’t Let Go Love
Two very different songs from two very different movie soundtracks. The first is from Space Jam, making the bad guys of the movie a thousand times cooler than Michael Jordan’s team. An absolutely mind-blowing all-star line up … and Coolio. Just kidding, we loved Coolio. My favorite part is Busta, with his particular brand of crazy at the end, and B-Real. I love B-Real. The second song is the super passionate ballad that can be found on the Set It Off soundtrack. This is a great song to sing into your mirror. Every member of the group tries to top the other, which means there are many moments that need you on your knees reaching for the sky with a look of utter agony.

   #6 White Town - Your Woman
   #3 Apollo 440 - Ain’t Talkin’ Bout Dub
“Your Woman” is White Town’s one and only hit and it features the lyrics “I will never be your woman”, but it was sung by a man. I loved this song, but I’m still not sure why. “Ain’t Talkin’ Bout Dub” is brilliant, anyone who can combine a drum & bass beat with a Van Halen sample is a musical giant.

   #2 Depeche Mode - It’s No Good
I never really gave the band a chance until Bean told me that they were definitely worth it and she was more than right. Thankfully, nobody else shared my initial doubts which landed them the number two spot.

Finally it is now time for the number one!!!

   #1 Spice Girls - Mama

… A bit of an anti-climax. It’s not their best song, but it was near Mother’s Day, so let’s say that big love for our moms is the reason why it was the top song that week. Totally ignoring the fact that it’d been number one for two whole months. We must really love our mothers.

Is it just me or do the pop charts seem more diverse ten years ago? It looks like the lines between styles of music are so blurred now that they’re starting to blend towards one great pop sound. Nobody looks up anymore when Akon (Why is he famous?) appears in a song with Gwen Stefani AND Bone Thugs & Harmony (They’re back?!?). I don’t think this is a bad thing, it inspires the bands and artists on the fringes to experiment more and to come up with new and exciting music. Until that too is gobbled up by the ever expanding massive new pop genre.

Most of us know Shel Silverstein as the playful author of Where The Sidewalk Ends (from 1974) and A Light In The Attic (1981), among other classics. He’s beloved by children everywhere as the poet who actually wrote for children, not their parents. (How many children’s writers would publish a poem like “Little Abigail And The Beautiful Pony” - the tale of a little girl who dies of heartbreak because her parents won’t buy her a pony - and advise the reader to read it “to your folks when they won’t buy you something you want”?) But Shel Silverstein was a giant of a man who did much more diverse work than most of us realize. He was a poet, a cartoonist, and a playwright. He published books for adults, wrote for Playboy magazine (and lived at the Playboy Mansion), and co-wrote the film Things Change with David Mamet.

But this here is a music blog and, you guessed it, Silverstein also made music which was, just like his writings, widespread and varied. I think the only way to cover even a small selection of his work is to just give you a few highlights: His song “A Boy Named Sue” was made popular by Johnny Cash, originally recorded on Cash’s 1969 At San Quentin album. Johnny Cash sang another of Silverstein’s songs, “25 Minutes To Go”, at Folsom Prison (as well as on a previous album). Then he wrote “One’s On The Way”, “Here I Am Again” (both in 1972), and “Hey Loretta” (1974) for country goddess Loretta Lynn, all three of which provided her with Top 5 hits in the Billboard Country charts. Around the same time period, he contributed to the award-winning Free To Be … You And Me album (1972) and TV special (1974). In 1984, he won a Best Children’s Album Grammy for his recording of Where The Sidewalk Ends. And in 1990, Silverstein was nominated for an Oscar for the music he co-wrote for the film Postcards From The Edge.

   Johnny Cash - 25 Minutes To Go
   Loretta Lynn - One’s On The Way
   Tom Smothers - Helping (from Free To Be … You And Me)

Phew. And those are just highlights. In fact, the BMI database lists 810 songs as written by the incredible Mr. Silverstein.

He is probably best known for his involvement with Dr. Hook (And The Medicine Show). Dr. Hook, a bar band from New Jersey, was discovered by a scout looking for a band to record Silverstein’s songs. Their partnership continued through several albums; he wrote pretty much all of Dr. Hook’s songs, including their most famous hit, “The Cover Of The Rolling Stone” (1972). Which makes perfect sense - the poem “Rock ‘N’ Roll Band” (from A Light In The Attic) is basically a G-rated version of the Dr. Hook song:

     If we were a rock ‘n’ roll band,
     The people would all kiss our hands.
     We’d be millionaires and have extra long hair,
     If we were a rock ‘n’ roll band.
        (”Rock ‘N’ Roll Band”)

     Well, we’re big rock singers, we’ve got golden fingers,
     And we’re loved everywhere we go.
     We sing about beauty and we sing about truth,
     At ten thousand dollars a show.
        (”The Cover Of The Rolling Stone”)

   Dr. Hook - The Cover Of The Rolling Stone

Of course, Shel Silverstein recorded his own music and, after so many projects where he worked behind the scenes, it’s lovely to hear his voice. I suppose I probably made up a voice for him, after reading his poetry for so many years, and it’s almost what I imagined. It’s not exactly a skillful voice, but it’s kind and full of heart. Exactly as I like to imagine he must’ve been. If you’d like to hear him for yourself, Amazon has two free downloads available, from Silverstein’s 1979 album, The Great Conch Train Robbery:

   Shel Silverstein - So Good To So Bad (Amazon free download)
   Shel Silverstein - June 25 At The Fourth Of July (Amazon free download)

Considering all of this (and more) incredible work, it seems reasonable to call Shel Silverstein a legend. Sadly, he died in 1999 at the age of 68, though it seems to me that he should’ve been allowed to live forever. A proper biography - A Boy Named Shel: The Life and Times of Shel Silverstein - will be released this coming November. I’m looking forward to it like I look forward to new Harry Potter books. Given how many bits and pieces I gathered from various websites and books without any definitive source of information, it’s about time somebody took this project on.

If you’re interested in knowing a bit more (especially about Shel Silverstein as a writer), Lisa Rogak (author of the upcoming biography) wrote this lovely article, and The Shel Silverstein Archive has quite a large selection of reviews and articles. Also, be sure to check out his official site, which claims it’s for kids, but we all know better.

My beloved Black Wire released their new single, “See The Blood / Brother, We Had A Choice”, this week. I’ll never understand why more people don’t listen to these guys. They’re poppy enough to dance to, but punk enough to get your blood pumping. Plus, this is definitely what the Top 40 will sound like after the zombies come for us.

   Black Wire - Brother, We Had A Choice

Buy the very limited 7″ single (that I wish I had) from HMV.

In hip hop circles the new leak around the Intertubes is Common’s new Kanye West-produced “The People” off the forthcoming Finding Forever.

I’ve had a few listens. Using a method gleaned from artsy-fartsy wine-tasting types, I cleansed my musical palate by firing up the Cold War Kids’ Robbers & Cowards (ah, refreshing) and drinking a large-ass coffee between multi-listen samplings.

Definitely a sound, um, common to Common. Soft, smooth, and yielding, but with a hint of a gritty vein twisting its way through the production. This is what we’ve come to expect from the maestro of smooth hop. While I haven’t heard anything else from the album, I’m concerned it might follow the formula that produced success for Be in 2005. Not that anything is wrong with that exactly. It’d just be quenching to get something completely different from the Windy City’s best known hip hop export this side of collaborator Kanye West.

“The People” definitely benefits from muscular volume. Could be the not-so-subliminal message kicking off the song. So, if you listen through headphones, (carefully) increase the volume to reasonable levels, ensuring your ears don’t begin to bleed. If you’re at home or in the car, pump it and do your best to disturb others as much as possible.

   Common - The People

Arrogant before. Now on the verge of losing his mind.

Drowned in Sound reports Robbie Williams is planning on making a hip hop album.

Perhaps this is just a prank.

Speaking of pranks and dumbassness, according to the recent scientific poll at Byron Crawford 50 Cent’s upcoming Curtis is more anticipated than Cam’Ron’s diss Courtesy Curtis. People anticipating Half-a-Buck should be sent to the Arizona prison in the desert where they make you where pink and live in tents.

I’ll take a recording of Cam’Ron’s telephone calls laid over a Casio samba beat before I consider anything new from Fiddy worth actually anticipating.

No person or group left an early hip hop impression on me like the uncompromising Carlton Ridenhour (bka Chuck D) and the crew of Public Enemy. The first PE album I bought was the 1988 It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back around the time of its release. There was no turning back.

I must have listened to It Takes A Nation Of Millions … a sonnuvabitchin lot back because I can still hear it banging in my head. You know, back in the day, when we used tapes? And we listened to them so often the track listings and information would rub right off? And how you’d pop it into your Walkman and it’d be the wrong side and you’d have to pop it out again to get to Side A. Unless, of course, you had one of them fancier Walkmans that let you switch directions on the fly to listen to the other side.

Sweet.

As one of the most influential and historic hip hop albums of all time - and, more importantly, one of my favorites - the album features prominently on the soundtrack of my life.

School yourself on the album.

Then rock these bells.

   Public Enemy - Night Of The Living Baseheads
   Public Enemy - Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos

Finally, close the circle by picking up your own copy of the album.

It’s worth it.

Today we’re celebrating the birthday of the most badass chica this side of the Rio Grande, who just happens to be a truly amazing friend to boot. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEAN!

Last year I sent her a birthday song by the New Kids On The Block. Needless to say, I had a hard time finding anything that could possibly be as good. I believe I have found its match in this awesome clip of the animated series of the Brady Bunch! Though the song has been featured on the “real” show, this clip is so, ahem, beautifully illustrated any Brady fan would jump to see a glimpse of it. I think.

“Time To Change” isn’t a secret message to The Bean to change, on the contrary. It is a coming-of-age song that is nothing if not appropriate for a twenty-something girl, excuse me, woman. Bean’s love for the Brady Bunch is well recorded, but the thing that clinched it for me were the lines “A little bit of living, a little bit of growing all adds up to you” and “A girl’s a woman too”. True that.

Have a very Brady birthday Bean, enjoy! (Sorry about the annoying, magic, rhyming bird, I have no idea what he’s doing there …)

Due to my own bad timing and a backlog of newly purchased and received music, Alberta Cross just missed out on recent New Band Day selections. So, in lieu of a longer write up, I’m briefly tuning you in to their debut LP - The Thief & The Heartbreaker - on Fiction Records, home of The Maccabees, Snow Patrol, Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

What to say?

If you enjoy the country-folky-rocky genre, then the Swedish (Petter Ericson Stakee and his brother John Alexander Ericson) and English (Terry Wolfers) troubadours of this London-based band may just be for you. It’s not music to jog to (not that I jog, but you get the point). More like music to gently sooth your frayed nerves without being frustratingly whimpish and sucking the life out of you. There’s definitely Americana oomph there. Think Neil Young teaming up with Ryan Adams. Perhaps.

But, don’t just sit there and take my description as gospel. Find out for yourself. Sample the title track then head over to Alberta Cross on MySpace to catch some more, before purchasing the whole shebang at any store or site where fine music is sold.

   Alberta Cross - The Thief & The Heartbreaker

Back in 2004, I downloaded a song called “22 Grand Job” by a band whose name I’d read somewhere or other. It immediately became my most often played mp3 and I spent a lot of time hunting down more information about these Rakes guys. It’s pretty well known around these parts that The Rakes are now one of my very favorite bands and it all started with “22 Grand Job”.

I was totally blown away by this track. At the time, there was nothing else quite like it. You could dance to it, but it talked about job salaries, for god’s sake. It had a driving beat that made your heart pound but still sounded like a day at the office. “22 Grand Job” was first conceived by Alan Donahoe after a job interview, as he told the BBC: “I thought I had the job but I didn’t. But I was walking down the street singing ‘22 Grand Job in the city that sounds nice, 22 grand job in the city that sounds nice’ over and over.”

After two full albums, The Rakes are still at their best when they are dissecting the steaming pile of blah that is everyday life, from going to work hungover and stinking to reading ridiculous tabloid headlines. But as much as I adore everything they do, they’ve not yet topped this classic.

   The Rakes - 22 Grand Job

We at 100b buy a lot of music. Sometimes it gets all backed up and great albums get lost in the black hole of our collections. And sometimes there’s something wonderful from way back in the day that we haven’t listened to in years. So we decided to set up a day to explore those lost albums. In honor of the first Backtrack post I set out to pick one album every day from my still-not-listened-to pile. Which is quite large, by the way, and ever-growing. This worked out rather well as a diversion from spending a depressing amount of time packing boxes this week (and not getting all that much done).

So to start the week off right, I went for The Gaskets’ Loose Change, an album I’ve tried to listen to several times but have only managed to get through the first few tracks. (Which is absolutely not a reflection of the quality of the album, only crappy timing on my part.) If you’re not aware of The Gaskets, they are described on their official site as “a duo … who make electronic music with a rock attitude. While many ‘hip’ two-pieces are influenced by punk and cleverly combine its aesthetic with dance music, Gaskets listen exclusively to Michael Jackson.” So there. I think “Left Hand”, the track that got me interested in the first place, is still my favorite, but the whole album is pretty great. Check out “Deportees” (below), “The Easy Life”, and “A Movie About You” if you need some convincing.

   The Gaskets - Deportees

The Russian Futurists’ Our Thickness was up on Tuesday. This album was by far the highlight of the whole exercise. I first heard “Paul Simon” on a mix the Tamboosh made me a very, very long time ago, which may be one of the most perfect, fun, danceable songs ever. I loved Our Thickness so much, I don’t even know how to explain it to you. It’s got this incredible mix of sounds and beats that makes everything feel like a sunny day. Just listen to this, one of my favorites, and see for yourself. (And if you’re new to The Russian Futurists, be sure to get yourself Me Myself & Rye: An Introduction To The Russian Futurists.)

   The Russian Futurists - Three Seven Notes

Those bleedin’ boxes had gotten to me by Wednesday. I had to resort to The Sweet to sort me out.

On Thursday, I finally cracked open my copy of Johnny Cash, At San Quentin. Yes, it’s shocking that I’ve had this for ages and still haven’t listened to it, I know. But I actually found it a little underwhelming. Don’t get me wrong, of course I enjoyed it, it’s Johnny Cash - I’m not a communist or anything. But At Folsom Prison is one of my all-time favorite albums and I feel like At San Quentin lacks a lot of the belly fire that makes At Folsom Prison so exciting to listen to. But like I said, it’s still The Man In Black, so it’s all relative.

   Johnny Cash - San Quentin (live at San Quentin)

Today I found a CD I’d been looking for all week, Dan Sartain Vs. The Serpientes. I’m a huge fan of Dan Sartain, and I picked Join Dan Sartain as one of my top albums of 2006, but I forgot I had his previous album sitting right here. This man is a rockabilly whirlwind, his maniacal energy is totally contagious - excellent music to pack boxes to.

   Dan Sartain - Tryin’ To Say

Just think - all that great music just wasting away on a shelf. What’s in your pile?

Oh-oh-oh my dog - that’s me having a mental orgasm - a new Interpol song! It’s all over the internets and when I read some of the stuff people were saying about it, my head almost exploded. I don’t mean to start blog wars or anything, but someone actually called it a better version of Editors. That would have been a compliment if Editors weren’t a weaker version of Interpol to start with. If that makes me a 100bitch, I’m totally cool with that.

   Interpol - Heinrich Maneuver (not the radio rip)

Mmm, M.I.A. Sexy in a raw way before. Now, with the ‘official’ leak of “Hit That” off her late-Summer release, Kala, she just got dirty hot. I mean, come on, she says ‘chocha’ for fricksake. (If you’re wondering, look it up in the Urban Dictionary.) I haven’t heard that in the rotation since I last listened to Clipse and, before that, Missy Elliot. Not perving, just making a point. And one I think she’s making herself anyway. So, I’m actually just validating.

From what we’ve heard so far, it looks likes Kala isn’t going to be a sophomore dud of a follow up to Arular. If this is any indication, Kala will definitely be a must buy.

   M.I.A. - Hit That

You can catch “Birdflu”, another post-Arular track, at her M.I.A.Space.

The bewitching “Tickle Me Pink” off of Johnny Flynn & The Sussex Wit’s debut 7″ The Epic Tale Of Tom And Sue has haunted me ever since I first heard it. Not because it is so catchy - it’s too unusual for that, but because it creates such a quaint and magical mood. It took a few listens for it to grow on me, whereas the B-side “Cold Bread” I fell in love with from the get-go. I would describe it as an industrial folk song, but as far as I know there is no such genre.

Johnny Flynn is a 23-year-old Shakespearean actor from London who just happens to make beautiful music as well. Psh, if he is as good an actor as he is a musician, I’m going to be a bit peeved at the Gods for such an unfair distribution of remarkable talents. His next single comes out on the 18th of June, and I can only hope it’s going to be as amazing as these two songs.

   Johnny Flynn - Tickle Me Pink

I’m ashamed - teetering on the cusp of appalled - I’d never heard of Brother Ali until three days ago. It’s like I’ve been living in a cardboard box in my living room for a few years. No, seriously, it’s embarrassing now that I’ve stepped blinking into the light.

You see, I’ve been getting NewsFire up-and-running on my laptop and am now reading Oh Word regularly. Catching up on back posts I read a write up about a Brother Ali remix there (more on that in a sec). The voice really pulled me in, so I dug around for some more samples.

Based on what I found, I bought Ali’s most recent album, The Undisputed Truth, yesterday. After a few times through it, I bought the (I now know) acclaimed 2003 Shadows On The Sun and 2004 Champion EP, all on Rhymesayers Entertainment. (That sound you hear is me crumpling up my cash and flinging it in the face of Big Music.)

Try these two examples of what make this man a great underground rapper. Visit Brother Ali on MySpace. Do a search and read more about him and his story.

Then pick up the albums.

   Brother Ali - Truth Is (Clean)
   Brother Ali - Whatcha Got (Clean)

(I don’t normally like clean versions of anything. However, the clean versions of the two tracks above are well done and don’t completely distract from the listening experience.)

The ROBOTOBOTS remix of “Truth Is” Oh Word turned me onto completely transforms the sound. It’s turns it into a Boxing Anthem, those songs you can imagine yourself, the challenger, head down and hidden beneath the hood of your robe, entering the arena in order to walk away with the title.

The remix is available here because I’m scared you might miss your chance to download it. Head over to ROBOTOBOTS and pay your respects.

   Brother Ali - Truth Is (ROBOTOBOTS Remix)

It’s New Band Day! I have three brand spankin’ new bands for you today. These bands are very, very different from each other, and are a testament to the diversity and originality of the British music scene right now.

First Up is Butterfly Bangs. This band’s debut single “On The Street” comes out in ten days exactly. It’ll pick you up faster than you can say superkellyfragalisen … tric … Oh forget it, it’s upbeat, fast and catchy! Listen to the three other songs and tell me that this band is not totally schizophrenic. I have no idea what their next song is gonna sound like, but I can’t wait to hear it. They have an additional MySpace page with extra songs for your downloading pleasure.

Hands On Heads make the kind of music that the FBI would play loudly for days and days to get militant cult leaders to surrender. These guys play psychedelic punk and they’re guaranteed to give you audio vertigo, but they’re different and they push boundaries which is always exciting. Here’s one of their friendlier songs:

   Hands On Heads - Romantic Aorta

Even though Hands On Heads is a bit of a challenge to get into, nothing beats these three peculiar girls. The strangest song I’ve heard this week would have to be The Duloks’ “Help! I’m Turning Into Mick Jagger”. Listen to it on their official site. I honestly don’t think I can take a whole CD of the insanity, but the songs on their sites are quirky and you’re gonna want to tell your friends about them. “Bad Vegetarian” almost had me squirt Coke out of my nose. The drink, obviously … with songs like these I don’t need mind altering substances, unlike Keeeeeef! Har-har.

Bumped into Vivek Shraya samples at MISSINGTOOF during my Weekend Adventures On The Internets. Some interesting stuff, I think. Don’t ask me why, but I’m going to call him the indie-disco-pop Justin Timberlake. That’ll surely insult someone. Maybe one of his Toronto-based hometown fans. Maybe Vivek himself. Nevertheless, the indie-disco-pop Justin Timberlake he shall be to me.

(Vivek, if you’re searching for yourself on the Internets and happen across this … It’s meant to be a compliment. Oh, and Vivek … It’s okay to search for yourself on the Internets.)

If We’re Not Talking is out on May 15 on Skinsong in the US. So far, no UK label that I could find. Cop a listen over at hisspace. Each of the three songs available (”Chemistry”, “Your Name (ft SaraQuin)”, “Fevered”) is sufficiently different I can’t easily classify a genre into which he can be pigeonholed. Make up you own mind.