Monthly Archive

OK first off, the most exciting news I’ve heard since I learned about deep fried mars bars, the New Kids On The Block are getting back together after 13 long years!! But Tamboosh, aren’t you sick of all the reuniting late eighties/early nineties bands? Uh yah, but this is NKOTB!! I was soooo an NKOTB-er between the ages of nine and ten. Yup, that is what I called myself. They are the pop equivalent of a black velvet painting, and they’re probably more like Old Men In The Suburbs by now, but they are Pop pioneers. Good God man, I played their cassette - that’s right, cassette - until it started to sound like an old news reel. I went so far as to buy a video of a behind-the-scenes look at the band. I would give my left pinky toe to still have that video, but my stupid, skanky friend (yes, even at ten) ‘borrowed’ it and never gave it back. She definitely didn’t have the ‘right stuff’. Zing!

Phew, what a bombshell. I got to wind down with some not-so-surprising news. Like Pete Doherty not showing up at his solo gig. These next headlines have less to do with music and more to do with the public’s hunger for sensational stories. You’ll be shocked to learn that Amy Winehouse is on drugs, people. A day doesn’t go by that we’re not given some supposedly new insight into the drama that is Amy’s and Britney’s life by the ‘press’. I’m not claiming the paparazzi made them turn to mind altering substances, but it doesn’t help. This latest tidbit prompted more informative debates about the wickedness of crack and such. Oh, and of course there’s the news that Suge Knight was named a member of a notorious Compton gang by the police. Again, shocker. He has been associated with that same gang ever since I can remember, but apparently now it’s news. I don’t think some people understand what the word news means. Pete Doherty showing up for a gig, Amy Winehouse sober, Suge Knight, beloved member of the boyscouts, now that’s news!

While Suge Knight accuses the police of using his name for publicity, The Enemy pull a similar stunt by calling the Arctic Monkeys dull. Do you really have to pull a Gallagher and slag off other bands to stay in the news? How is this in any way productive? They only upped the pressure on their following releases. They better be flippin’ brilliant, because todays XFM/NME darlings are tomorrows fodder for future up-and-coming bands to call dull.

Moving on to more surprising things. UB40’s lead singer is quitting the band. Ehm, did everybody know that they were still together??

Ah, a week doesn’t go by without me peeing myself over some free mp3s. This time the providers of the delicious swag are The Charlatans, who plan to give away their CD next month, and One Little Indian, label of Dan Sartain, Jesse Malin and Asobi Seksu among others has a free CD featuring their artists on eMusic.

NME reports that Busta Rhymes escaped prison. No, not in a daredeviling Michael Scofield kinda prison break; he got away with a fine and community service for assaulting his driver and a fan. Foxy Brown didn’t have as much luck when her petition for early release was denied.

Oh for crap’s sake. How many times do you think a person should be allowed to nickname themselves?!? I thought that once was enough, ok maybe twice, because when you’re bald and named Curly it’s kinda funny, but when your hair grows back and it’s straight it’s just weird. In those rare cases it’s OK to change your name again, but P.Diddy takes the cake. He went from Puff Daddy, to P.Diddy, to Diddy, and now he wants the world to call him Sean John. Come on, pick one and stick with it, man. I’ve had it, I’m just gonna call him Hey-Diddle-Diddle from now one. So there.

   New Kids On The Block - You Got It (The Right Stuff)

Sons & Daughters’ second album, This Gift was yesterday’s second exciting release - it still sounds like them but it’s pretty different from their previous releases. Where Love The Cup and The Repulsion Box sounded like a dank and dripping basement that may or may not have been the scene of a crime, This Gift sounds like the band that would be playing in a slightly greasy bar, where locals are gossiping about that basement and what really went on there. That slightly threatening edge Sons & Daughters previously had has softened in places - this album sounds like a mix between their older releases, some glam rock, a dollop of The Long Blondes, and just a touch of Kylie Minogue here and there (or at least on “Darling”, below). That may not sound like a winning combination, but it really does work wonderfully well. If my crazy attempt at a description isn’t winning you over, have a listen to a few tracks for yourself at Sons&DaughtersSpace.

   Sons & Daughters - Darling

Hearing the Vampire Weekend EP last year was so exciting to me, I’ve been literally counting down the days until their debut full-length release. It’s finally here and I have fallen head-over-heels in love with it. The most unique sound I’ve heard in quite some time, their blend of African influence, indie pop, and post-punk is delicious like a sno-cone on a hot summer’s day. But, c’mon, you already know what they sound like - you just want to know if it’s worth a portion of your hard-earned paycheck. You bet your ass it is. I’m on my fourth listen since yesterday and it just keeps getting better. Get it at your favorite record shop or, if you want some instant enjoyment (and I know you do), right here at emusic.

   Vampire Weekend - The Kids Don’t Stand A Chance

Every so often I listen to Led Zeppelin and realize just how good these they actually were. Seriously, whatever music you enjoy, they have something for you. If you’re old enough to remember them, then get reacquainted. If you’re too young to have listened to them, you need to give them a whirl. “Immigrant Song” is one of the many Led Zeppelin songs I like to bust into mouth-jams with and sometimes sing along to. And Jimmy Page is wickedly relentless on this track.

If you’re wondering what mouth-jams are. Well, you try to combine the sounds of as many instruments as possible coming out of your own mouth. We all know more than one isn’t possible. The art is in making it seems like more than one. If you’re advanced you can add some knee-slapping and stomping for the percussion section. This works very well with television theme songs, as well, and the Bean and I are currently employing effectively for Flight Of The Conchords and 30 Rock.

And, yeah, it sort of looks as dumb as it sounds.

   
Led Zeppelin - Immigrant Song

Welcome to 100best, our new monthly feature. Here’s how it works: we each pick what we think is the best song by a particular band or artist, and have to make our case in 100 words or less (our name gives us the opportunity for all sorts of semi-gimmicky shenanigans). For this first edition of 100best, we’ll take a look at the Ramones, the band whose wonderful music gave us our name as well as an extraordinary number of classics. But what’s their single best song?

aDawgg:

   Ramones - Needles & Pins

So many songs to choose from! “Needles & Pins” – written by Sonny Bono and Jack Nitzsche and originally recorded by Jackie DeShannon (1963) and prominently by The Searchers (1964) – captures The Ramones perfectly. While “I Wanna Be Sedated” stole the limelight on the band’s fourth album, Road To Ruin (1978), “Needles & Pins” boldly declares their 1960s influences. Yet, they managed to make the song their own, breaking the public image – or stereotype – of what punk was and is. Don’t try to cram us into what you want us to be. Don’t like it? Suck it! Punk.

Bean:

   Ramones - Sheena Is A Punk Rocker

“Sheena” represents all those little things we love about the Ramones in one short burst. It’s a perfect combination of pop and punk: surfer music, 60s girl groups, a peppy chorus you can’t help dancing to, Johnny Ramone’s chugging guitar, and Joey’s beautifully odd voice. It’s got incredibly simple lyrics, telling a story that will appeal to anyone, anywhere, who doesn’t quite fit in. All the kids were going to the discotheque, but Sheena had to go to New York City, where she could be free to be a punk rocker and just be herself. What’s more punk than that?

Tamboosh:

   Ramones - My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down (Bonzo Goes To Bitburg)

I’d written about my favorite, “Beat On The Brat” when one google result showed a thread that debated whether people should keep Ramones records due to ‘Nazi imagery’. Seriously?!? Never mind the fact that Joey was Jewish and any mention of Nazis is obviously tongue-in-cheek, “My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down” protests Reagan’s visit to a cemetery where SS soldiers were buried! When it mattered they were suitably outraged and didn’t limit their show of disapproval to the music they listen to. So here’s my vote for 100best, because thanks to this song we can all enjoy “Blitzkrieg Bop”, guilt-free.

100b encourages you to share your opinions in the comments but if we have to follow the rules, so do you: let us know what you think the Ramones’ best is (or even why we’re wrong), but do it in 100 words or less. It’s harder than you think.

Digable Planets are a band I used to listen to back in the early ’90s - I’m pretty sure aDawgg had their first album on tape* but I liked them enough to get it, as well as their second album, on CD for myself later on. Reachin’ (A New Refutation of Time and Space) was released in 1993 - I remember watching the video for their first single, “Rebirth Of Slick (Cool Like Dat)” on MTV all the time and knowing even then that they were doing something really different. I’ve always gravitated towards the softer, more melodic, side of hip-hop. I suppose you could argue that Digable Planets laid the foundation that later led me to look even further back in time and discover groups like A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul.

Blending elements of hip-hop, jazz, and a vocal style that was more spoken word poetry than rap, Digable Planets represented an intellectual pop that doesn’t show up very often. Much like their contemporaries Arrested Development, they looked back to traditional African-American sounds - a huge contrast to artists like Onyx, Dr. Dre and Ice Cube (all hugely popular back in 1993). Reachin’ made it to #15 in the Billboard 200 albums chart (#5 in the R&B / Hip-Hop Charts). “Rebirth Of Slick” also got up to #15 in the Billboard Hot 100 (#1 in the Hot Rap Tracks), and won them a Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group, but their mainstream success was pretty much limited to that single.

   Digable Planets - Rebirth Of Slick (Cool Like Dat)
   Digable Planets - Where I’m From

It turns out that there was only a tiny window for their sound and it had already passed by the time the second album, Blowout Comb, was released in 1994. They never had another release in the charts (you’ll notice that Arrested Development’s popularity fizzled out around then as well). They didn’t really change much up for Blowout Comb - it’s basically just a continuation of what they were doing on Reachin’ - though it does sound like they were a little influenced by the beats of more popular hip-hop. But Blowout Comb just doesn’t quite have the charm and innocence that the earlier album had. It’s definitely not a bad album, but it doesn’t keep my interest the way that Reachin’ still does.

   Digable Planets - Borough Check

It’s true that Digable Planets’ sound is a little dated now - it takes you right back to the early ’90s when we watched Where I Live on Friday nights - but is still just as unique and enjoyable now as it was then. Good thing, because Digable Planets reformed, released the compilation Beyond the Spectrum: The Creamy Spy Chronicles, and toured in 2005. Rumor has it that they are or will be working on a new album. I seriously doubt there’s room for them in the charts nowadays, if they still sound anything like they used to - I think they’re a little too intellectual for current Top 40, but you never know. I guess we’ll see …

* Remember when we bought albums on cassette? aDawgg had an insane hip-hop collection on tape back then and I would sneak into it and listen to the songs I liked when he was out. For some weird reason I thought he would be mad, so I’d check where each tape was before I played it and then rewind it back to that spot before I put it back. Good times.

Yeah, it’s understandable when people just don’t get excited about an album of covers. When the covers are the long-playing debut of a band, well, that could be a worry. But, sometimes, you should be excited. Sometimes you shouldn’t worry.

The Dynamics’ Version Excursions, released by the German Groove Attack label, is just that: 14 covers of classics old and new covered in a chilled-out old school reggae that manages grab and hold your attention while soothing you at the same time. The track list speaks more to the variety than any attempt to single out specific highlights:

   01. The Dynamic Sound
   02. Girls And Boys
   03. 7 Nation Army
   04. Land Of 1000 Dances
   05. Lay Lady Lay
   06. Miss You
   07. Rockit
   08. Brothers On The Slide
   09. 90% Of Me Is You
   10. Whole Lotta Love
   11. Feel Like Making Love
   12. The Creator Has A Master Plan
   13. Fever
   14. Move On Up

Frackin sweet.

To get a taste of what you’re in for when you buy this album, here’s what Patchwoks, Dapper Ray, Stevie Levi, Mounam and Flab Master Flab have done with the White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army”:

   The Dynamics - 7 Nation Army

For more from The Dynamics, slid over to their DynamicSpace.

My all-time favorite nineties movie soundtrack is from the movie Panther. It was directed by Mario Van Peebles in 1995 and it chronicled the story of The Black Panther movement … or so I’ve been told. I have to admit that erm, to this day I still haven’t seen the movie, but the line-up for the soundtrack was so spectacular I just had to buy it. The movie’s theme “Freedom” is incredible, it’s anthemic and empowering and I always get goosebumps when the chorus kicks in. Though I haven’t seen the movie yet, I can’t imagine its impact can be more powerful than this song. The list of contributing artist is a who’s who of popular female artists from the nineties, some I’ve never even heard of:

Aaliyah, Felicia Adams, May May Ali, MC Lyte, Amel Larrieux, Az-Iz, Blackgirl, Mary J. Blige, Tanya Blount, Brownstone, Casserine, Changing Faces, Tyler Collins, N’Dea Davenport, Da 5 Footaz, E.V.E., Emage, En Vogue, Eshe & Laurena of Arrested Development, Female, For Real, Penny Ford, Lalah Hathaway, Jade, Jamecia, Jazzyfatnastees, Billy Lawrence, Joi, Brigette McWilliams, Milira, Miss Jones, Cindy Mizelle, Monica, Me’Shell NdegéOcello, Natasha, Nefertiti, Patra, Pebbles, Pure Soul, Raja-Nee, Brenda Russell, SWV, Chantay Savage, Sonja Marie, Tracie Spencer, Sweet Sable, TLC, Terri & Monica, Vybe, Crystal Waters, Caron Wheeler, Karyn White, Vanessa Williams, Xscape, Y?N-Vee, Zhané.

Oh man, I totally forgot about the Jazzyfatnastees and Y?N-Vee! What great band names. Anyway, I’m not sure this song belongs on Poptastic Day, now that I think about it. It definitely suits the Classics better because it’s just too good and I love it so very much, but once I listened to the song again I couldn’t wait to do this post, so here it is:

   Various Artists - Freedom (Theme From Panther)

The video shows all these amazing artists in action:

Oh, woe is me. My preferred music provider is causing me problems and I was unable to complete Those Zany Charts … Sadly, we will have to wait until the next one comes up to be wowed by insights into the weird and wonderful world of popular music.

Many many apologies dear readers. 100b will make it up to you. Thankfully, until our next post you have some deliciously tasty musical nibblets posted yesterday.

Vampire Weekend - Oxford Comma
Ryan Adams - Pearls On A String
Maximo Park - Our Velocity
Kylie - 2 Hearts
Devendra Banhart - Shabop Shalom
The Raveonettes - Sad Transmission
Interpol - All Fired Up
Blanche - I Can’t Sit Down
Killers ft. Lou Reed - Tranquilize
Shout Magic - Branch Davidians
The Bees - Who Cares What The Question Is?
The Rakes - We Danced Together
Sons And Daughters - Gilt Complex
Dizzee Rascal - Sirens
Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings - 100 Days, 100 Nights
!!! - Must Be The Moon
Menomena - Wet And Rusting
LCD Soundsystem - Someone Great
The View - Same Jeans
Klaxons - Golden Skans
Arctic Monkeys - Fluorescent Adolescent
The Royal We - All The Rage
Pharoahe Monch - Body Baby
Johnny Flynn & The Sussex Wit - Tickle Me Pink
M.I.A. - Boyz
Black Kids - I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You
Jack Peñate - Spit At Stars

These songs sound that much better combined with their videos:

Sonny J - Can’t Stop Moving

Cloud Cult - Chemicals Collide

The Go! Team - Doing It Right

Snoop Dogg - Sexual Eruption

Jumping right in to our overview of things that may or may not be considered news, this morning brought us the announcement of this year’s Bafta nominations. Definitely the best news I’ve seen all week is that Control has been nominated for Best British Film, and Samantha Morton for Supporting Actress. I honestly can’t see why she should be nominated and Sam Riley not for his extraordinary performance (though Ms. Morton is quite good herself), but at least he’s been listed for the Orange Rising Star Award (voted for by the public, which means us, so get your votes in). I could treat you to a massive rant about how certain types of actors and movies get ignored by awards, but it’s not like you don’t know and this isn’t really the place (maybe someday, though, if you’re really lucky). In any case, I’d hoped that the Baftas would actually acknowledge Control since it’s British and they’re usually more open than their US cousins so, even with the Sam Riley snub, I’m pretty pleased.

In rather different news, Michael Jackson has yet again found a way to alienate the few fans he has left and, even worse, those of us who still at least consider him a former musical genius. It seems Thriller will be getting a reworking - starting with “The Girl Is Mine”. Not only that, he’ll be ruining what could’ve just stayed a track off of a classic album by including Will.I.Am. This is just wrong and horrible and here’s why: 1. There are thousands, bazillions maybe, of blogs out there showcasing new, exciting, innovative artists so it must be out there to enjoy. Why, oh, why must everybody keep digging in the attic for old stuff to replace new stuff with? Pretty soon, current music will just be a shadow of our glorious music history, a crap-heap of former classics that have been remixed, re-recorded, and reunited and nobody will give a tiny rat’s ass about any of it anymore. Why do the Powers That Decide This Dumbass Crap not understand this? And 2. If you’re an artist trying to pretend you might still be any good, don’t do it by showing us what you used to do well (yeah, I’m talking to you, too, Paul McCartney) and, for god’s sake, don’t do it by including a Black Eyed Pea. Seriously.

And you just can’t get away from it: the planned re-creation of Johnny Cash’s Folsom Prison concert was cancelled earlier this month. Thank god.

While I take a second to calm down, have a look at this fantastic post from Lefsetz Letter (thanks to No Rock And Roll Fun for pointing it out) about how, while record sales may be declining, it’s not in the way that the big labels want you to think. Best sellers are selling less than they used to, but people still want to buy music. As Lefsetz Letter writes, “People still want music. In prodigious amounts. They just don’t all want the same thing.” Funny isn’t it - I could swear music fans have been saying this for years, ever since the start of all this ‘downloads are killing the music industry’ nonsense started, but I must’ve imagined it. Good thing these new numbers say it for us. This is seriously fascinating stuff, and a great analysis of it, go read more at the link above.

And since the rest of this week’s ‘news’ is just utterly ridiculous (Amy Winehouse’s new hair, Britney’s never-ending antics, rappers on steroids), I’ll just leave you with this song, to remind you of the good times we had back at the beginning of this post, before I got all irritated by stupidity and stuff.

   Joy Division - Interzone

Today, ladies and gentlemen, I climbed my Everest, I harpooned my big white whale, I Avada Kadavra-ed my Voldemort! I passed a class that I was so sure was going to be the death of me. To wind down from all the exam stress I’ve been watching Harry Potter, but it’s time to really celebrate and everybody knows nobody brings the house down like The Carpenters. Harry Potter and The Carpenters … man, do I walk on the wild side. Booyeah!

I used to be a little bit embarrassed about my deep deep love for some of The Carpenters’ hits because their songs are on the cheesy side, but their version of “Superstar” especially is almost impossible not to love. It was originally a soul song by Delaney, Bonnie & Friends (featuring Eric Clapton) who called it “Groupie (Superstar)”. The original is actually really wonderful too, but I first heard and fell in love with it performed by The Carpenters. As usual, Karen’s voice is so sweet, deep and crisp, but I always get the feeling she’s straining to keep her emotions under the surface, which is heightened by the knowledge of the tragic way her life ended. The song is about a groupie who has to love her idol from afar, now that he’s moved on to bigger, better things, but not before he whispered sweet nothings into her gullible, vulnerable little ear. The lyrics express such excrutiating loneliness and longing, I can’t help but get swept away by the agony of it all. It’s pure lyrical beauty and I don’t care who knows it.

   The Carpenters - Superstar

And here’s an amazing feedbacky version by Sonic Youth:

   Sonic Youth - Superstar

stellastarr*’s debut was one of the high points of 2003 to me. It’s filled with uplifting songs that seemed to be inspired by early grunge, Pulp, and John Hughes movies. The perfect experience from start to finish, they could break my heart and lift it up at the same time. So when their follow up Harmonies For The Haunted came out two years ago, you better believe I was there with bells on. When I brought my precious copy home and listenend to it, I remember being a bit disappointed, because they seemed to have lost a bit of the silliness and playfulness. As a result, I only listened to it a couple of times and whenever I felt like listening to the band I invariably reached for their debut. I don’t think that’s entirely fair of me, I was so in love with their first album it was almost impossible to follow it up by my standards.

Now that I’ve required a proper amount of distance from both albums, it turns out the follow up to stellastarr* is a great piece of work. Maybe it’s not as exuberant and enthusiastic, but it’s equally surprising and poppy. It eases you in with “Lost In Time”, a love ballad with a big, big sound. My favorite is definitely “Damn This Foolish Heart”. It plays with your feelings as the mood swings up and down like a bipolar seesaw. They’re now working on their third album which will be “faster, less mid-tempo, more energy, more rock, slightly more aggressive”, according to lead singer, Shawn Christensen. So faster, agressive rock … sounds deeelicious to me!

   stellastarr* - Damn This Foolish Heart

•   15. Bloc Party, A Weekend In The City
          essential tracks: “The Prayer”, “I Still Remember”
•   14. Kings Of Leon, Because Of The Times
          “Ragoo”, “Fans”
•   13. Architecture In Helsinki, Places Like This
          “Heart It Races”, “Like It Or Not”
•   12. Elvis Perkins, Ash Wednesday
          “While You Were Sleeping”, “May Day!”
•   11. Arcade Fire, Neon Bible
          “(Antichrist Television Blues)”, “No Cars Go”
•   10. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Some Loud Thunder
          “Satan Said Dance”, “Underwater (You And Me)”
•   9. Feist, The Reminder
          “I Feel It All” (mp3), “1234″
•   8. Bonde Do Role, With Lasers
          “Geremia”, “Tieta”
•   7. Kate Nash, Made Of Bricks
          “Foundations”, “Mariella”
•   6. Pop Levi, The Return To Form Black Magick Party
          “Pick-Me-Up Uppercut”, “Dollar Bill Rock”
•   5. The Shins, Wincing The Night Away
          “Turn On Me”, “Australia”
•   4. Jamie T, Panic Prevention
          “Brand New Bass Guitar”, “Sheila”
•   3. Modest Mouse, We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank
          “Dashboard”, “Parting Of The Sensory”, “Steam Engenius”
•   2. The White Stripes, Icky Thump
          “Icky Thump”, “300 M.P.H. Torrential Outpour Blues”
          “Prickly Thorn, But Sweetly Worn”
•   1. Patrick Wolf, The Magic Position
          essential tracks: all of them.

This list isn’t the same as my usual year-end lists. Normally, I carefully consider and mentally rank things like originality and impact and consistency. Those qualities are all present here but this list is probably more representative of myself than it is of 2007’s offerings. If you think of the albums you listen to as your own personal soundtrack, this list is the soundtrack of my 2007. This is the music I listened to while moving to a new country, the albums I still wanted to play while I went through a brief music slump, the artists that felt good to hear while I was missing my old home and exploring the new one. It’s quite possible that all music is at the mercy of your mindset right at the moment you first hear it - it’s not unreasonable to think that you might at first be unimpressed with a slow or sad album if you’re celebrating good news on a beautiful summer evening. But under different circumstances, you might have loved it instantly.

In any case, these are the albums I loved last year. There are probably others that are better and there a good number that might have appeared here if I had kept up with new releases better. But these are some great albums here, full of magnificent sounds and wonderful voices.

None more so than Patrick Wolf, who I’ve posted about a number of times and whose latest release is one of the best I’ve ever had the pleasure of listening to. Perhaps not since the first time I heard The White Stripes have I been this enthralled with an artist. It is incredibly rare to find a musician with as unique a voice and outlook as Patrick Wolf - his use of industrial beats, electronica, and classical instrumentation still blows my mind ever time I listen to The Magic Position. His blend of music style and influence is unlike anything I’ve ever heard. His voice - his literal singing voice, that is - is absolutely captivating. His lyrics are beautiful yet deceptively simple. “The Magic Position” is, as I said back in May, is a joyous cacophony. “Magpie” is magically melancholy, a fairytale for the haunted. “Let’s Go (Get Lost)” is definitely the most real description of being in love that I’ve ever heard. The Magic Position is the kind of album that reminds you of all the most important things in your life, of both the beauty and the pain in the world, and of the profound effect music can have on you. And you just know that you’ll listen to it forever and never stop being amazed by it.

   Patrick Wolf - (Let’s Go) Get Lost

UK indie label Alcopop has just released Alcopopular Vol. 2, a cassette tape (yup, it’s true) mix of some of their up-and-coming artists. Some of this stuff is sounding great - I’m suddenly wishing I hadn’t just gotten rid of that little mini-stereo I had been hanging on to because it was the only thing I had that still played tapes. If you, unlike me, thought ahead and still have a cassette player, this compilation can be yours for a measly £ 4. For this tiny portion of your hard-earned pay, you’ll get tracks from The Young Playthings, Harry And The Potters, Jeremy Warmsley, Sam Isaac, Kid Carpet, and a whole bunch of bands that you probably haven’t heard of yet and probably should. There’s the Weezer-esque pop of The Honey Brothers (whose drummer is none other than Adrian Greenier of the always excellent television show Entourage), some frantic madness courtesy of Johnny Foreigner (which I recommend, I’m enjoying their myspace tracks as I type), and wonderful charming loveliness from Decades. I’m still checking some of the bands out myself - I’m sure there’s more greatness to be found on there. So, if you have a tape player, get your order in now before they’re gone!

Now you know this shiznit is gonna slam when the emcee is Kevie ‘Waterbed’ Kev (a.k.a. Kevin Strong) from The Fantastic Five. He’s a ladies man and that’s all there is to it.

Don’t believe me? Check this 1983 track out …

   Kevie Kev - All Night Long (Waterbed)

Touch it, why don’tcha.

Happy New Year everybody! 2007 was named Year Of The Dolphin by the United Nations Environment Programme, it was Year Of The Pig in the Chinese calendar and, my favorite, European Year Of Equal Opportunities For All! I didn’t know years got themes, is that new? I like it, it sounds like a communist hippie came up with it. I have no idea what they thought was going to happen after they gave the year such a magnificent moniker. I don’t think anybody else knew the EU thought up themes for us either, so I have a feeling that we didn’t get more equal opportunities than other years, but it’s a nice sentiment. This year’s theme is Intercultural Dialogue! Right … or as they say in Swahili: Vizuri. Anyway, it’s still a little early for nostalgia, but let’s have a look at the songs that rocked our world last year.

Here’s the World’s Top Ten most popular singles of 2007 according to the United World Chart:

10. Mika - Grace Kelly
9. Plain White T’s - Hey There Delilah
8. Justin Timberlake - What Goes Around Comes Around
7. Avril Lavigne - Girlfriend
6. Timbaland ft. Keri Hilson & D.O.E. - The Way I Are
5. Maroon 5 - Makes Me Wonder
4. Gwen Stefani Ft. Akon - Sweet Escape
3. Fergie - Big Girls Don’t Cry
2. Nelly Furtado - Say It Right
1. Rihanna ft. Jay-Z - Umbrella

All in all a good bunch! I do however have an inherent aversion to Fergie and Avril Lavigne’s lyrics are so painfully bad that it hurts me a little to listen to it. Oh and, “Hey There Delilah” makes me yawn. It’s monotonous and dreary, there’s no change in mood or pace, but it’s good music for pondering life, or ending it. Alright I’m sorry, I started out positive but it turned into a bitter moan fest. The rest really is testimony that 2007 was not a bad year in Pop music, maybe a bit unadventurous, but not bad at all. We got Mika who sounds like a Bee Gee channeling Freddy Mercury with “Grace Kelly”. And there’s Gwen Stefani who shows a hint of Kylie post-Neighbours with “Sweet Escape”. It doesn’t touch Gwen’s best work, but it is sweet. I didn’t really get Akon’s popularity, but he does deliver the good pop, so one of my new resolutions is to stop bitching about him. And then there’s Justin. He could sing about the traffic, for all I care, and I’d listen to it and like it. But there can only be one who rules all! This year Rihanna sang her way into our collective cerebella-ella-ella. Though “Umbrella” is a great song, I can do without the barrage of cover versions by Biffy Clyro, McFly, My Chemical Romance, fellow chart mates Plain White T’s, that pretty Youtube chick and more, Mandy Moore.

After a relaxing post-Christmas hiatus, 100b is back in action. This is my first News-ish Roundup so I’m a little nervous. I often feel like I have no idea what’s going on in the world of music. On the whole, I just bumble into stuff I like or that’s new and exciting. So, when I’m asked to provide psuedo-news y’all should be a little worried. However, I’m willing to give it a go if you are.

All those year-end best and worst lists are a great way for those of us - by us, I mean me - with our heads up our asses to catch up on the past year, streaking past all the fluff and garbage to get to the oh-so-delicious center of the Tootsie Pop. Anyway, when I realized a few days ago that I was due up to bat for the New-ish Roundup, I scrambled to get some information together. Unfortunately, as the blog-savvy already know, this was a bad week or so to accumulate items from my RSS feed aggregator. I don’t have any scientific evidence to back this up, but post frequency definitely feels like it drops between December 24 and December 31. So much so, I thought my aggregator was broken or had just given up after so little use.

After fans - and anyone that just wants to cop shit for free - have had two months or so to download their latest album online for a few shekels or a potato, Radiohead’s In Rainbows is hitting shops this week. I suspect some music industry executives are actually praying for it to sell exactly 23 copies worldwide in order to justify their worse digital download prognostications and views of the music-buying public. Make Radiohead proud people!

Idolator announced its 2007 winner of the Worst Album Cover: Eagle Records for Ted Nugent’s Love Grenade. Look, Bill, it’s a grenade! In her mouth! Like she’s a pork roast! Ha ha ha! (If you head over to Idolator, check out their own Year-End Top 40 List Of Awesomeness. Warning: It’s heavy on the American side of awesome.)

Stereogum combined forces with bootlegger team9 to produce a Year In Singles mashup, heavy on the indie. Band Of Horses vs. Guns N’ Rose vs. 2 Live Crew. M.I.A. vs. The A-Team Theme. Arcade Fire vs. Smokey Robinson vs. The Gunsmoke Theme. How can you not want this stuff? It’s fully downloadable per track or all of them together. Get it before it goes away!

Did his *cough* retirement from hip-hop finally get in the way? On December 24 Jay-Z announced he’ll be departing as the President of Def Jam at the end of his contract. Based on the article over at Billboard, one reads all the trademarks of a shove out the door. He may be a hip-hopreneur, but sounds like too many fingers in too pies finally made L.A. Reid realize it could be a good idea to have an actual president of the company. But, what the hell do I know? Maybe Def Jam got what it wanted the past few years and Jay-Z really does just want to pursue other opportunities to make some cash-money-money-money.

Ice Cube still throws it down as an O.G. Exhibit #1: “Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It” …

Seriously, people chill the fuck out. Will Smith is not a Nazi and isn’t a Nazi apologist. Damn. Sometimes people just start popping off the minute a celebrity says anything without even considering what the person actually said. Bol over at XXL gives the story some typically funny coverage.

Personally, my sonic isolation abilities are crap, so I probably can’t hear the difference. But, if you have the time, Rolling Stone published a long feature on “The Death Of High Fidelity”
by Robert Levine.

Here’s a factoid: According to a story from the New York Times, Apple users are around three times more likely to have paid for a music download in the last financial quarter.

And, for those of you that just come for the free stuff or as a treat for the regulars for bearing with my New-ish Roundup, here’s a track from the debut album by Grande, Uppers, Downers, Screamers & Howlers …

   Grande - Rhythms Of Sin