Misc. Singles II

Airplanes (featuring Haley Williams) and Nothin’ on You (featuring Bruno Mars) (B.o.B.) – This guy flew under my radar, but since two of his songs are on iTunes Top 10 purchases, I think that’s my bad. Nothin’ on You will sound familiar, and its success moved up the release of the album. Airplanes uses the tried and true formula of pairing him with a female, and it works here as it has for many others. I personally think B.o.B. sounds a lot like Kanye West, although I’m not sure his lyrics are quite as catchy. Kudos to anyone who manages to rhyme the word elephant in his song, though (elephant/relevant- pretty close). I would recommend both of these songs.

Little Secrets (Passion Pit) – I had heard this song on the radio once or twice and think this group has a very different, cool sound. The album this song is on actually came out about a year ago and this song topped out at #39. This is a relatively new band and they have a unique sound, so even though this song might not be the next great song, I think we'll hear more from this group. Despite the fact that I really like this song, I could not really understand any of it and had to Google the lyrics, which I also found a bit hard to interpret. Cool sound, though!

Crash Years (The New Pornographers) – Don’t be put off (or titillated) by the name of this band- it’s not Playboy on your iPod. This group has been around for quite some time but just came out with a new album this week. I’ve never really paid attention to or sought out this group in the past and I swear I think I really was put off by the name of the group, but the lead singer (on this song anyway) is Neko Case, who I really like. This particular song is energetic and you'll find yourself singing it to yourself after you've heard it a few times. This is a good song- get it.

1901 (Phoenix) – If you have felt inexplicably compelled to purchase a Cadillac before the age of 70, it might be because this song is used in their commercial, and if you watch as much t.v. as I do you’ll recognize the song immediately. I actually bought the song because it was recommended by a friend, not because of the commercial. I was not familiar with Phoenix before this song, so I was suprised to learn that they're an alternative band from France- cool! They actually won the Grammy this year for best alternative album for Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, which contains this song. Good song and probably a band to watch.


The Weekenders (The Hold Steady) – The Hold Steady has been called the “new Bruce Springsteen”, and I can hear why that comparison would be made, but as Lloyd Bentsen would say, “Senator, you’re no Bruce Springsteen.” This isn’t a bad song, but I don’t love it. I theorized that this is more of a “guy” sound, a theory I tested on an adult male in my house, and I have to say that he immediately made the Bruce comparison all on his own, but he wasn't hooked either. Perhaps one song isn’t enough to judge, but so far The Weekenders doesn’t get me excited to hear more of the album.


Nothing But the Whole Wide World (Jakob Dylan) – This is another song I don’t dislike but don’t love either; kind of forgettable, nice background music to nap by. It has a slight country sound and there is some faint female backup vocals that sound nice (which I subsequently read includes Neko Case, also of New Pornographers), but this song just isn’t anything special in my opinion. If you liked the Wallflowers, which I was also kind of indifferent about, you will probably enjoy this.


Whole Lotta Love (Mary J. Blige) – Okay, this one was recommended by RS and I am a BIG fan of Mary J., so I didn’t hesitate. Perhaps I should have made the connection that this is a remake of the Led Zepplin song and I am NOT a Zepplin fan. She sings the song faster than Robert Plant and adds her hip hop zing to it, which I like, but there are still a lot of parts of the song that are pretty dang true to the original version. It took me a while to get used to the song and not continually feel like I was listening to Zepplin, but it’s growing on me now. If you happen to be both a fan of Mary J. Blige and Led Zepplin (and it turns out Mary J. IS a Zepplin fan and also did a cover of Stairway to Heaven) you’ll probably like this song, although I’m not too sure how many crossover fans there are.



Blue Blood Blues (The Dead Weather) – I am frankly getting tired of trying to keep up with Jack White’s various bands. This is his latest (following the White Stripes and the Raconteurs), although I have now learned that this is actually The Dead Weather’s second album- must have missed the first one. He does not have a gentle voice or sound, so one of things I have liked about previous songs is that they’re fast and interesting, but I don’t think this one is particularly either- it just seems like noise to me. If you’re a Jack White fan you’ll like this. If you’re a fair-weather Jack White fan (like I am) you might want to pass.


Better Things (Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings) – This was one of those free cards I picked up at Starbucks and has turned out to be my surprise favorite of this whole group- great song! It has such a 60’s soul vibe to it, and you can almost picture them standing around the ‘hood singing (although I might have that image because of the cover). A little research revealed that Sharon doesn’t like to digitally enhance any of her songs, so they sound really true to the real sound. Also, the Dap-Kings contributed on more than half of the songs on Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black album, which probably had a lot to do with the overall sound on that album. I love how Sharon belts out “I’ve got better things to do than remember you”. Oh Sharon, you are so wise! If you happen to see one of these cards sitting around Starbucks pick it up, but otherwise it’s worth buying.



Recap:

Hit:
· Airplanes and Nothin’ on You (B.o.B.)
· Little Secrets (Passion Pit)
· Crash Years (The New Pornographers)
· 1901 (Phoenix)
· Better Things (Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings)

Miss:
· Blue Blood Blues (The Dead Weather)

So-So:
· The Weekenders (The Hold Steady)
· Nothing But the Whole Wide World (Jakob Dylan)
· Whole Lotta Love (Mary J. Blige) – this one has the potential to move up to “Hit”


Have a good weekend and make it full of good music!

Ke$ha: Animal

There is a lot of buzz about Ke$ha these days, and I believe youngsters may soon begin asking their parents if they should brush their teeth with Crest or “a bottle of Jack” because they’ve heard Tik Tok so many times, so reviewing Animal isn’t exactly cutting edge, although it might be for someone my age.

Ke$ha had one of those hard-luck childhoods where she and her single mom drifted about. She actually is from the Nashville area and still lives with her mom there when she’s not on tour; early influences growing up were largely country. Although she’s only 23, she’s been trying for a number of years to break onto the scene and added the ‘$’ to her name sarcastically during the early years (I know, I was also surprised to learn that her given name didn’t include the ‘$’, her actual birth name being just plain Kesha). To illustrate the hard times she went through early on, she sang backup on Paris Hilton’s album- yikes. I did not know (or remember anyway) that she also sang on Flo Rida’s hit song, Right Round. Fun fact: Ke$ha is nearly six feet tall- isn’t that interesting?

Okay, the music… My first impression after listening to Animal all the way through is that little Ke$ha needs an intervention and possible some self esteem classes to choose better boyfriends- oh my! D.A.R.E. officers could use this album to relate cautionary tales of the bad things that happen to you when you’re drunk because Ke$ha details many of them with an unapologetic attitude (although she claims the bad behavior is large in the past tense). I should have realized the direction things were going while perusing the song titles: Your Love is My Drug, Hungover, Party at a Rich Dude’s House (in which she describes throwing up in a closet, which she apparently really did at Paris’ house), etc.

Once the shock of the lyrics wore off I actually did enjoy the album. I definitely liked the more upbeat songs more than the slower ones, which seemed kind of depressing to me. If you’re not offended (or concerned) about the lyrics and just take them as a youngish party girl sharing some of her tales, you might like this album.

Aside from the radio hits, which now also include Blah Blah Blah and Your Love is My Drug, I would recommend Dinosaur, which is very fun and bound to hit the radio at some point, and Take It Off. Overall, I think I would save the album for a younger group and be satisfied with a few song rather than all.

Now that I’ve reached the end of this post I would like to mention how annoying it is to type Ke$ha’s name repeatedly!

P.S. If you enjoy reading these posts, please bookmark my page and consider recommending it to a friend. I’d also love to hear from people who have tried any of my recommendations or people who have music of their own to share. Thanks for reading!

Misc. Singles

I know a lot of people are more “singles” people than “album” people, and I can totally appreciate that. We can’t always commit to 9 or 14 songs at once. This is a collection of singles I chose to try for various reasons. Some hits, some misses, some kind of in the middle…

Relator (Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johannson)- First, I did not misspell the title of this song- not sure why it is spelled that way and am actually not discerning anything related to real estate in the lyrics. I was interested to hear what Scarlett can do and was intrigued by the pairing with Pete Yorn, who is pretty well respected. Turns out this is a good song! She has a nice voice and they sound good together. I would recommend this song.

New Fang (Them Crooked Vultures)- I was curious about this song because it is Dave Grohl’s (Foo Fighters) new “supergroup”. His sound definitely comes through. Overall, I’m neutral about it- don’t love it but don’t mind it either. It’s a little screamy for me. I’m not sure I would buy more songs by these guys.

You Must Be Out of Your Mind (The Magnetic Fields)- This was recommended to me, largely because of its quirky lyrics, which they definitely are! Any song that compares a relationship to the absence of anesthesia during an appendectomy is intriguing. I’m giving the song a little more time; it’s growing on me and I am still wondering if I’ll end up really liking it. I do have to say that the vocals grate a little, but the overall sound isn’t bad.

Bye Bye Bayou (LCD Soundsystem)- I bought this song because Rolling Stone magazine seems to love this group and I’ll generally try anything they’re very hot on. This is not working for me, though. It’s very techno, the kind of song I imagine they would play in a club that I’m not cool enough to frequent, where everyone is skinny and doesn’t smile (probably because they’re hungry). In all fairness, I chose this particular song to try by LCD because it was most popular on iTunes when I pulled up their songs. I would be cautious about trying another LCD song, definitely trying the 30-second version before plopping down $1.29 for it (although was this one $0.99? Either way).

Born Free (M.I.A.)- You might remember M.I.A. from her performance at the Grammy’s last year- she was 9 months pregnant and delivered the baby (you know, Ikhyd) just days later. I had no qualms about trying this song, which I had read about, because I really liked her hit song, Paper Planes, from Slumdog Millionaire. I am now finding out that Paper Planes did not represent her usual sound, but this song apparently does (unfortunately). Honestly it sounds like a high school band jamming in their garage (heavy on the drums) with her singing/yelling through the door in a way that doesn’t have anything to do with the music in the background. Not a fan.

Skinny Little Bitch (Hole)- American’s little sweetheart, Courtney Love, is back with her band Hole after being freed from her parental responsibilities and that pesky daughter. I swear you would think this song was sung by a male- her new drug must be steroids. I really liked some of Hole’s previous songs, but this one doesn’t have as much of a “musical” sound to it the way something like Malibu did. For this one I feel like she’s just yelling, and I’m not sure why she sounds so angry toward people who are skinny because the recent pictures I’ve seen of her look like she has an eating disorder (maybe she's singing about herself). Chill, Courtney!

Acapella (Kelis)- Kelis is newly divorced from Nas and also a new mommy within the past year (Kelis opted for a more traditional name for her baby than M.I.A. did: Knight). I’m not yet sure if this song has the same hook that Milkshake or Bossy had, but I think she has a pretty voice and it’s showcased well in this song. The music itself has a bit of a techno sound to it, but her voice is what’s front and center. As a bonus, there is an actual acapella portion of the song!

Tighten Up (The Black Keys)- I have to confess that I am completely unfamiliar with The Black Keys and bought this song because it was recommended by Rolling Stone (after reading this post you might conclude that it’s easier to just read Rolling Stone yourself). This is a good song! I’d have to try other songs by The Black Keys to compare, but Tighten Up has kind of a retro sound to it, different than what you normally hear on the radio, but I think it could EASILY be popular- great sound. Since I like the song, I did a little research on the group and found out they have been around since 2001 and had a song on the School of Rock soundtrack- instant credibility. Their album comes out May 18th, so if you start listening to this song you will immediately be cooler than all your friends.

In The Sun (She & Him)- I heard this one on satellite radio and was curious about it because “She” is Zooey Deschanel (of 500 Days of Summer fame or, if you prefer, Elf), and at least on this song, we hear “She” but not so much from “Him”. Zooey has a nice voice and this is a pleasant sounding song. Actually, I shouldn’t knock Elf because that’s where it was discovered that Zooey can sing.

To recap:

Hit:
· Relator (Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johannson)
· Acapella (Kelis)
· Tighten Up (The Black Keys)
· In The Sun (She & Him)

Miss:
· Bye Bye Bayou (LCD Soundsystem)
· Born Free (M.I.A.)
· Skinny Little Bitch (Hole)

Somewhere in Between:
· New Fang (Them Crooked Vultures)
· You Must Be Out of Your Mind (The Magnetic Fields)

MGMT: Congratulations

I can tell you a little about MGMT and their sound with the following short story. A week or so ago I was working in the kitchen listening to this album and my 17-year old daughter said sadly, “I wish we liked the same kind of music.” The lesson here is: if your taste stops squarely with Taylor Swift and The Fray, you might not like MGMT. I, however, love this album.

MGMT was nominated for Best New Artist at the 2010 Grammy’s, and a couple of the songs from their first album, Oracular Spectacular, landed on Rolling Stone’s list of the 50 best songs of the decade in 2010. I bought those songs but didn’t love them enough to pull the trigger and buy the entire album, despite the recommendation of a trusted friend. When I started reading about the second album coming out, I decided to give it a try. I am not sorry!

MGMT was started by a couple guys who were attending Wesleyan, and I can only say they sound like they have a tumultuous relationship, going for months at a time without speaking to each other, despite being on tour together. The band has three other members, and the original name of the group was Management, but I guess they opted to just go with the abbreviation. They shy away from self promotion and there isn’t much information about them on their website, although you can submit some of your own artwork to be displayed on it if you want (random).

All of this is fascinating but doesn’t really tell you why you should try listening to MGMT. In fact, you might be put off initially because they sound “different” than what you’re used to, but that is exactly why you should try them. The main word I would use to describe why I like them is “interesting”. Their sound changes from one song to the next, and even within songs it changes- loud, soft, fast, slow.

I watched MGMT on Saturday Night Live last weekend and these guys are pretty freaky looking, so you might be better off just listening to them in case the sight of them makes you think they could carry you straight to the grunge scene. Apparently one of their moms pleaded with her son to stop discussing his drug use in interviews, but the interview I read had lots of drug references. It comes through a bit in some of their songs, and you might need to be a little patient to acclimate, but I promise the songs grow on you.

For beginners, I would recommend It’s Working, Someone’s Missing or Congratulations, which are my favorites. Fun fact: Paul McCartney chose MGMT to open for him during his 2009 tour. So now you have both me and one of the Beatles saying these guys are good, which should be reason enough to give them a try.

By the way, I will not remain this prolific for long if you’re fearful of the barrage of suggestions. Right now I’m listening to some unrelated singles and I promise I will not be recommending all of them. For now, however, enjoy MGMT!