Special pre-Turkey-Day edition:
My favorite track from fellow Long Island native Billy Joel doesn’t get a ton of airplay….never did, really. It’s too long, and almost operatic in structure: distinct movements, the whole schmear. I absolutely adore it, especially the movement which I think of as “the ballad of Brenda and Eddie,” which begins with a near-toccatta piano riff. Billy Joel – “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant.”
Absolutely brilliant mash-up here, mixing Green Day, the KLF’s “Doctorin’ The Tardis”, George Bush and Daleks. Dean Gray – “Dr. Who on Holiday.”
This song is terribly cheesy, filled with the sort of twee neo-pagan fluffy-bunny-ness that really gets on my nerves, and wrapping it up in a psychedelic package….and yet, I love it. Donovan – “Atlantis.” How can I not love a song that includes the line “my antedeluvian baby?”
The only track worth a damn on the 90s tie-in album Songs in the Key of X, aside from the X-files Theme itself, was this cover of a Gary Numan song by the Foo Fighters. They managed to take a creepy song and make it even creepier, and I’ve gotta respect that. Foo Fighters – “Down in the Park.”
A new band that I’ve been introduced to this past week: Rockit Girl – “Bright Lights, Big City.” Uptempo girl-fronted pop-rock with some nice harmonies. This wormed its way into my head and has stayed there.
Another new discovery — a band out of Norway that does synth-based alternative pop that reminds me of Joy Division a bit, perhaps with a bit of Depeche Mode, sung in English with a Norweigian accent: Boys of Scandinavia – “Beautiful As A Person.”
And another new one: A french downtempo/trip-hop group that produces some really amazing stuff: Mig – “Concrete Jungle.
This song is just perfect to end on, for obvious reasons: The Sundays – “Here’s Where The Story Ends.”
