Part of having a teenager in the house is that we end up watching American Idol. It’s usually worth some snark, but occasionally I end up discovering some musical tidbit. During this week’s results show, they had a previous contestant perform, and damned if it wasn’t a brilliant song. So, with absolutely zero apologies, here is a surprisingly excellent bit of neo-Funk: Fantasia – “Bore Me.”
Invisible Conga People are a NYC-based electronic duo, who record on a small label. I discovered this track via its posting on a couple of mp3 blogs that I read, and I really like it. Invisible Conga People – “Cable Dazed.”
Another new track from the sophomore album by Gnarls Barkley, The Odd Couple. It seems, from lack of radio play, that they’re falling into the “one-hit wonder” category — it doesn’t look like the larger American public has a taste for them beyond their initial single, “Crazy.” Too bad — the new stuff is good: Gnarls Barkley – “Going On.”
I always like playing this track to people who are only familiar with Men At Work from things like “Down Under” and “Who Can It Be Now.” Just like The Police featured album tracks written and sung by Copeland and Summers, which often sounded nothing like the rest of the band’s output, Men At Work had tracks written and sung by guitarist Ron Strykert — which had more of a New Wave feel than the more recognizable sound of the singles. Here’s one of my favorites, from the second album, Cargo: Men at Work – “I Like To.”
Sometimes, you need a song so classy, so smooth….that it has gone beyond smooth and into schmoooove. This is one such song. Lou Rawls – “You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine.”
Lastly — I think that this is one of the most beautiful songs ever recorded. I hope you’ll agree. Badly Drawn Boy – “The Shining.”
