Category: Music

Buncha good stuff this week, so let’s not waste any time….

First up, thanks to an i09 post I started looking into the candy-coated confection that is “K-Pop” (Korean girl groups). This track became an absolute earworm for me (helped considerably by this smoking-hot video, and was quickly added to my weekly playlist: 4minute – “HuH (Hit Your Heart).”

Moving on to girl-pop on this side of the planet, Kate Nash has released her new album, and she’s definitely going for a 60s-girl-group vibe with it, as can be evidenced in these two tracks: Kate Nash – “Kiss That Grrl.”, and Kate Nash – “Paris”. The new album is called “My Best Friend is You.” It’s a different sound that her debut, to be sure — but I like it.

UK group The Noisettes take the 1978 Buzzcocks classic, and mix in a bit of Bollywood rhythms and a synth riff that reminds me of Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love” — I’m a huge fan of the original track, but this cover is a pretty good re-interpretation: The Noisettes – “Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t’ve).”

One of those tracks that crystallizes a time and place for me — this is always going to be Summer 1983, riding my bike downtown in Babylon NY, to pick up comics at the first specialty comic book store I ever went to. StevieNicks – “Stand Back.”

A short two to three years later, I was listening to things like this: Einstürzende Neubauten – “Yü-Gung (Fütter Mein Ego)”. The comic books were still there, though.

Lastly, the source of the inspirational quote I have on my desk, from Jay-Z’s contribution to this song. Jay-Z and the Shirley Bassey Bond-theme sample are the best things about this track, enough to tolerate sub-standard work from Kanye: Kanye West- “Diamonds from Sierra Leone (Remix feat. Jay-Z).”

Enjoy.

Not a lot this week, due to the usual busybusy.

The World Cup starts next week, and I haven’t really heard any Cup anthems yet. I have, however, found a track that already has come to represent the cup in my head. I discovered this past week that one of my favorite artists, Johnny Clegg, released an album in 2007 that I had completely missed. So, I picked it up, and discovered this track — which he had written for the South African rugby team. It applies just as well to the Cup, and I’ve been playing it incessantly. “Jongosi” literally means “strong young ox”, and is an idiom for “young warriors” — and now most often applied to athletes. The refrain: Hayi Wemajongosi (Hey, young warriors) Azovimba phambili (They will overcome all challenges ahead). Johnny Clegg – “Jongosi.”

One of my favorite 80s tracks, reimagined by the songwriter. I actually like this acoustic version better than the original — this is taken from Men At Work frontman Colin Hay’s solo album, Man @ Work — Colin Hay – “Overkill (acoustic version).”

After being introduced to Kula Shaker, the English neo-psychedelia band by their single “Tattva”, I went out and grabbed their debut album, “K” in 1996. This track from the album quickly became one of my favorites: Kula Shaker- “Govinda.”

Lastly, a kick-ass mash-up, combining three seminal sounds — the drum loop from Run DMC’s “Walk This Way”, the guitar riff from Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love”, and vocals by James Brown: Fissunix – “Whole Sex Lotta Machine – The Drumloop, The Guitar Riff, The SuperBad.”

Sorry for the short one this week. More later.

Jeez, I have been slack in blogging recently. I blame the launch hullaballo surrounding ICONS.

Regardless, here is this week’s Friday Music — and it’s a big ‘un.

Trent Reznor has a new side project, How to Destroy Angels, which features his wife Mariqueen Maandig on vocals. Their EP launches next week — and you can have it sent to you in 320kbs mp3 format for FREE (or lossless for $2.00) by signing up here, which also will give you an instant download of the single “The Believers.” Here is another single that’s been making the rounds: How To Destroy Angels – “A Drowning.”

In other free-album downloads, the DJ team of Diplo and Switch, known together as Major Lazer, have teamed with La Roux and released a head-to-toe remix of La Roux’s debut album, available here as a FREE download. As a sample, here’s the remix of the hit La Roux single: Major Lazer & La Roux – “Bulletproof (Nacey Remix ft. Matt Hemerlein).”

And, if your free album download tastes lean towards unofficial remixes, like the Grey Album or The Beastles, check out Mos Dub— a brilliant free album of tracks mixing Mos Def vocals with classic roots reggae. As a sample, here’s one using Desmond Dekker’s seminal “OO7 (Shanty Town)”: Mos Dub – “History Town.”

I read an article on io9 this week about Christina Hendricks appearing in a forthcoming video for the Broken Bells (click to check out the pics — hommina hommina hommina!). The Broken Bells are a project featuring Danger Mouse and James Mercer of The Shins. This is the track for which the divine Ms. H played a sci-fi android: The Broken Bells – “The Ghost Inside.”

Laura and I have been watching the Martin Scorsese-produced film series “The Blues” from a few years back (it relates to something she’s working on), and in the sixth installment, “Godfathers and Sons”, it featured this piece — a 2003 collaboration orchestrated by Marshall Chess (the son of Chess Records founder Leonard Chess) which took Muddy Waters’ “Mannish Boy”, and updated it with members of the 60s-era Electric Mud band, Chuck D, Common, Rahzel and Kyle Jason. I tracked down an mp3 of the song: The ElectriK Mud Kats – “Mannish Boy.”

Sticking with blues — here’s a brilliant version of an old blues-spiritual, which was used in the penultimate episode of Season 5 of Supernatural, playing over the introduction of Death as he entered Chicago riding a pale horse (well, a bone-white 1960 Cadillac). Absolute chills. Jen Titus – “O Death.”

Taking a step back into the 80s. Everybody plays “Sister Christian”, but this is my favorite Night Ranger song — because my adolescent self thought that it RAWKED. Night Ranger – “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me.”

Sticking with the 80s for a moment — the biggest splash made by a Kansas City band during the era: The Rainmakers – “Let My People Go-Go.”

Lastly, a new single from M.I.A.’s forthcoming album, Maya. This one is a bit more pop-friendly than her “Born Free” (especially with that song’s brilliant-yet-disturbing video — I like it: M.I.A. – “XXXO.”

There you go kids. Enjoy!

….and I’ll stop the blog-slacking next week. I promise.