Category: Music

Hey there, Hi there, Ho there, folks.

This week, I’m doing one of those rarest of entries, a themed Friday Music.

WIth the sucktastic crapfest that is commercial radio, I pretty much find new music now by three methods: music blogs, college and internet radio, and television commercials. Over the past decade or so, ad agencies have gotten pretty forward-thinking in their use of music, and it’s now a regular occurance for me to say “what’s that song? I have to find it,” after a particularly good commercial. Thanks to the magic of Teh Intarwebs, searching for the info is pretty easy.

So, here are some tunes from current commercials that I like quite a bit:

Nike’s latest ad campaign poses an interesting irony. They’ve used a track by alternative hip-hop artist Saul Williams (who works with music production by Trent Reznor). Very cool. However, the song, playing over shots of almost exclusively African-American athletes is a song which just happens to be about a demand for the paying of Reparations to the African American community. (Of course, the song only uses the first verse, which makes it less obvious). Ranks right up there with using a song about heroin addiction as an ad for a cruise line (Iggy Pop’s “Lust for Life.”) Anyway– regardless of clueless (or intentional?) ad men, the song is AMAZING: Saul Williams – “List of Demands (Reparations).”

Korbel’s popping cork is backed by a track from a group I’ve featured before, Bitter:Sweet. This thing is brassy, Bondian trip-hop at its best. Love. Bitter:Sweet – “Mating Game.”

The Dentyne Ice commercial which features a CGI princess kissing a CGI dolphin and other retch-inducing images which have sod-all to do with gum…also happens to feature perhaps the strongest ear-worm on this list. Tracking down this song (which I *had* to do) is what led to this entire theme week. The group is a UK band, and this track is from their debut album. Ben’s Brother – “Stuttering (Kiss Me Again).”

JC Penny has a new ad campaign which uses a wistful, blue-grassy song which I really responded to — and I was pleased to discover that it’s a track from the new Robert Plant / Allison Kraus duet album. I love the vocal blend on this. Robert Plant and Allison Kraus – “Killing The Blues.”

In the same almost-country vein, an insurance company (Liberty Mutual) uses this song. Although I’m still not seeing the connection to their pitch, apparently all of their ads will be using this band’s music, which means that I’ll get to hear more, which is a good thing. Hem – “The Part Where You Let Go.”

Evil Telecom Assholes AT&T have a “heartwarming” ad about a dad on a business trip with a stuffed monkey. The song, however, is a brilliant bit of 30s-esque ukelele-strumming Americana. Amos Lee – “Sweet Pea.”

Not a new song, but a good one, used in the new M&M ads. I never expected to hear one of my favorite, but waaaay obscure (at least in the US) bands from the 80s in a commercial: The The – “This is the Day.”

Lastly, one of ‘s favorites, the ad focusing on the existential angst of not remembering which side of your Kia Spectra has the gas tank, accompanied by this bouncy lament: Joe Purdy – “Can’t Get It Right.”

There you go.

Off we go again….

UNKLE is releasing More Stories, a collection of tracks from the sessions of their last album, War Stories, that didn’t make the cut. The first track has leaked, and is brilliant. I suspect this collection of almost-made-its will be better than most other bands’ actual albums. UNKLE – “A Wash of Black.”

Here’s some more Bondian trip-hop from the Supreme Beings of Leisure’s new album, 11i. I’m loving this album. Supreme Beings of Leisure – “Pieces.”

A track from my past — in 1986, my friends and I were weirdos, because we listened to “college music”….including experimental industrial from West Germany: Einsturzende Neubauten – “Yü-Gung (Fütter mein Ego)”

Which, of course, isn’t to say that we didn’t also enjoy the odder side of pop music….for example: The Art of Noise – “Peter Gunn Theme (The Twang Mix)”

Some more Mark Ronson goodness, this time featuring Lily Allen (who, interesting enough is the daughter of the guy playing the Sheriff of Nottingham in the awful new “Robin Hood” series) doing a Kaiser Chefs song: Mark Ronson ft. Lilly Allen – “Oh My God.”

Some really interesting new rock from a New York-based guitarist and songwriter, from her debut album In Advance of the Broken Arm: Marnie Stern – “Every Single Line Means Something.”

Lastly, a little-known album cut from Duran Duran, from 1988’s Big Thing. For me, it was tracks like these, rather than the singles, were the band really shined….and this is one of my favorites: Duran Duran – “Too Late Marlene.”

There you go. Enjoy.

I had considered doing a “Leap Year” edition, but it turns out there aren’t a lot of theme songs that fit. :)

Well, there’s this one, kinda-sorta. It has fuck-all to do with Leap Year, but it’s one of my favorites. Billy Bragg – “Waiting For The Great Leap Forwards.”

There’s a French James Bond fanfilm called Shamelady (after the estate in Jamaica that Fleming bought, and re-named “Goldeneye”) — not your typical fan film. They hired models, spent some money — actually have an Aston Martin, fer chrissakes. They used the following track as the theme song — Bond composer David Arnold collaborated with The Cardigans’ vocalist Nina Persson for the theme song to the 2000 remake of Randal & Hopkirk (Deceased), and the song is very, VERY Bondian: David Arnold & Nina Persson – “Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased)”

A little bit of 90s one-hit-wonder love for ya: Geggy Tah – “Whoever You Are.”

Also from the same decade — another group that had a single and not much else. I always loved the lyrics of this one. Eve 6 – “Inside Out.”

Here was one of my favorite headphone tracks while walking through NYC. Because sometimes, you just need a song that grabs you by the cock and goes “RAAHHH!!!” (Seriously. That’s a technical term. Look it up.) Kid Rock – “Bawitdaba.”

Speaking of NYC — here’s another smoothed-out jazzy hip-hop track from Digable Planets, this time from their first album. Digable Planets – “Where I’m From.”

Getting an ear-worm out there. This track is used in the trailers of the forthcoming Juliana Margulies series, Canterbury’s Law. I really don’t have any interest in watching another show about a fiesty lawyer, much less on FOX….but the song is hot. Rilo Kiley – “The Moneymaker.”

Lastly, from the cobwebbed-bestrewn days of the 80s….Echo & The Bunnymen – “Lips Like Sugar (Single Version).”

There you go. Enjoy!