31 December 2012 - Karmin - Crash Your Party

I suppose it doesn't surprise too many of you that my pick for Album of the Year would have been Hello by Karmin if it had more than seven songs.  If maybe they had slid this song on the album, I'd feel better about that choice.

I cannot say enough good about these two.  I don't really give a damn what Gawker says about them. Frankly, this post was our third biggest of 2012 - and with this link, I'm pretty sure it'll jump to 2nd.  So.... well, someone likes this white-girl rap.  Count me among that someone.  They're fun, they're musically sound, and there is nothing wrong with enjoying them.

As far as this song, a late-2011 release, it's fun, it's different, and the video is pretty cool.  I really wish they'd re-release this as a single.

I'm a little irked they didn't get a Best New Artist Grammy nomination, but I guess we can't everything....



Thank you for reading this little blog in 2012.  We'll be back next year with more - but probably not quite so much Karmin.

28 December 2012 - Silverchair - Anthem for the Year 2000

Silverchair were - are? They haven't made their breakup clear - an Australian band of kids - they formed in 1992, when they were 12 - that sound a lot like Pearl Jam.  That doesn't mean they don't have some fun songs.

This song isn't fun.  It's angry and energetic and was woefully under-appreciated in 1999, when it was released.  It's a heavy, anthemic song that should have garnered more attention for the band.  Instead, it was a middling hit on the mainstream charts in the US, and a minor hit elsewhere.  But I didn't forget either the song or the adventurous video!

27 December 2012 - Phillip Phillips - Home

Ahhh back to the guilty pleasure goodness after a month of holiday cheer...

It's funny how most of my Wicked Guilty Pleasure posts come to me during commercial breaks on the country radio stations I listen to in my truck. Much like Peyton Manning with all of his checkdowns, when the commercials come on I go to the alt rock station, then the indie station, the pop station and finally the AAA station looking for my best option. I recently scored a touchdown (so to speak) when I heard today's song on the AAA station. Oddly enough, I first thought I was hearing a song off of the new Mumford and Sons disc (which I still haven't picked up yet). To my surprise the DJ actually announced who it was -- 2012 American Idol champ Phillip Phillips. Considering how many records I own by former contestants (and yes, I did pick Phillips' fantastic debut) I should really start watching the show. Come to think of it, maybe not. I don't think I could actually put up with Mariah and Nicki.

26 December 2012 - Cher Lloyd - Want U Back

I didn't think the Christmas season would be so hard to fill with music. But, especially with guilty pleasures like this, it's easy to get back to it.

Cher Lloyd lost to One Direction on the X Factor, and thus far, she hasn't had the huge hits those five boys have.  She has had this - a bubbly, angry, hip-hop fusion.  She doesn't look as bad-ass as she really is.  This video was made for the US audience, and I hope you enjoy it.



While the US video is fun and bubbly and angry, the UK version of the video, where Cher is moving around in still pictures, is much cooler looking. Plus, there's a hip hop guest star that you've never heard of, to increase the street sensibility.... Nah, just kidding.  But enjoy!



UPDATE: I found a live acoustic version of the song that has a completely different feel.  No "Ugh!" or sounding like a helicopter, though.



UPDATE: (28 August 2013)  We found this epic version of the song, a live duet with the unmistakably tall Taylor Swift on 19 August, 2013, and had to share it.  Enjoy.

21 December 2012 - Billy Squier - Christmas Is The Time To Say I Love You

It was 1981.  MTV had just hit the airwaves.  The network turned to a big star of their early days to bring out a rock 'n' roll Christmas song.

The result? A mildly rockin', good feeling Christmas tune that really fit the season.  With Martha Quinn and Nina Blackwood on background vocals! It's cheesy, yes, but it's warm and fun and different.

And seriously.  Check out Martha Quinn's dancing.  Appalling.

20 December 2012 - Jill Sobule - Merry Christmas from the Family

Looks like this is my last scheduled Holiday post here at Wicked Guilty Pleasures. Figured I might as well go out with a laugh. Here's the wonderful Jill Sobule playing the Robert Earl Keen classic Merry Christmas from the Family. Hope y'all have a great Christmas.

18 December 2012 - The Pogues (featuring Kirsty MacColl) - Fairytale of New York

When Tony and I came up with the idea of posting Christmas videos here all month we had to come up with some ground rules. This mostly consisted of calling "dibs" on certain songs. Tony already knew what song I wanted to claim and graciously let me do "the Fairytale post." I'm a huge fan of The Pogues. But I'm even bigger fan of Kirsty MacColl, who was sadly taken away from us 12 years ago today. Fairytale of New York isn't just my favorite Christmas song, it's one of my all-time favorite songs any time of the year.

17 December 2012 - Amy Grant & Vince Gill - Tennessee Christmas

Y'all know I love Amy Grant.  This song is from her first Christmas album - she's done at least two - but this version is done with her then-future husband Vince Gill.  It's simple, beautiful.... and not Bible-thumping.  Enjoy it.

14 December 2012 - Lucille Ball - We Need A Little Christmas

This Christmas song is from the musical "Mame".  Let me give you some context.  The setting is late November, one week before Thanksgiving.  Everyone thinks Auntie Mame is nuts for wanting to decorate for Christmas.  But she deems it necessary, to raise everyone's spirits.

Now, we see Christmas stuff in stores in early September.  Who's buying this stuff?!

Anyway, as a Christmas song, this works great - it portrays the season as a real morale booster.  And it is!  And Lucy - who we all love - isn't much of a singer, but she is perfect in portraying the improving mood of this delightful song.

13 December 2012 - Sunny Sweeney - One More Christmas Beer

I really don't have much to add here. This hilarious and relatable Sunny Sweeney Christmas song pretty much speaks for itself.

12/12/12 - Everclear - Santa Baby / Eartha Kitt - Santa Baby

This is a song meant to be sung by a girl.

Art Alexakis is not a girl.

So why does this version work?

But it does.  It's slightly creepy, and it's still compelling and fun and brings something that others just couldn't.  Plus, it sounds great with guitar (and that bassline!).



And, for those of you who think this version is an abomination.... here's Eartha Kitt.  She wasn't Catwoman yet, but she purrs through this song beautifully!

11 December 2012 - Lady Antebellum - A Holly Jolly Christmas

Here's the ridiculously cute A Holly Jolly Christmas video from Lady Antebellum's recently released On This Winter's Night record (which I still haven't picked up -- yet). The kid in this video is freaking brilliant.

10 December 2012 - Cocteau Twins - Frosty the Snowman

I've always loved Elizabeth Fraser's voice on this classic song.  It practically oozes cool.   As in, a chilly winter.  It's not QUITE as light and airy as other Cocteau Twins tunes, but it's light and airy enough.



I don't usually do this, but here is a link to download this tune yourself.  Have a nice day, and Happy Holidays!

7 December 2012 - Adam Sandler - Chanukah Song

Chanukah is.... a festival of lights.  And it starts tomorrow.

Sure, he's a little schticky, but Adam Sandler certainly has an encyclopedic knowledge of famous people who are Jewish.  This song started off life as a one-off on Saturday Night Live, when he was a cast member, but it has taken on new life, for its celebration of Jewish culture.  Yes, people take this song seriously.  And really, even through it's a joke, it's also a serious assertion that Christmas isn't the only holiday happening this time of year.



Actually, Adam takes it seriously, too.  So seriously that he revisited the same joke twice more.  This is Part 2.  I'm not certain I agree that Courtney + Lenny = a funky, bad-ass Jew.



Here's Part 3.  It might be my favorite of the trilogy, if just for the cameo by Rob Schneider.



He also turned this song into an awful animated movie, called Eight Crazy Nights.  I won't insult your taste by posting anything from that.

(Update: 18 December 2020) Adam did this a FOURTH time...

6 December 2012 - Colbie Caillat - Christmas in the Sand

This October, the always adorable Colbie Caillat released her Christmas in the Sand album. The record is a mix of original and classic Christmas songs performed in Colbie's California sunshine way. Here's the video for the title track. This is my kind of a Christmas party...the beach, Santa surfing, a bunch of elves, some cocktails and of course Colbie.

5 December 2012 - A Christmas Wrapping Special

Perhaps the greatest Christmas carol ever written and recorded was released in 1981 by The Waitresses.  A tale of missed romance and mellow celebration, with a twist ending, this song brought a different slant on the season.  The title is a sly reference to the new "rapping" music style that the band was demonstrating in the song.

Sadly, they didn't actually make a video for this song.  But at least one nice family was kind enough to set their lights to the tune.



This song has been often covered. Here, The Donnas deliver the song with a much harder edge, while still retaining a lot of the original charm. We've featured The Donnas in the past on Totally Covered.  They're a lot of fun, and that shows on this song.



Not everyone should be doing a cover of this song, though.  Here's one by Carly Shay Miranda Cosgrove.  Someone born in 1993 should not be singing the line "most of '81 passed along those lines." Nevertheless, even though it is a lot poppier than the others, it's a respectable version.


Did you know that the cast of Glee did this song, too?  I'm kind of sad that I know that.



Save Ferris did a slightly different take on the song.  They rewrote it completely, and sang it from a Jewish point of view. There are some fun Hanukkah reference in this version.  See if you can catch 'em all!



I'm a little embarrassed to admit it, but this is one of my favorite covers of this song.  The Spice Girls - really just Sporty and Baby Spice doing a duet - did a cover with slightly changed lyrics.  I admire the fact that they knew their audience well enough to know that cranberries are not a UK staple and they were in 1998, not 1981.  Again, this is a very poppy version, but it works, partly because of the lyric changes, and partly because their best vocalists were on it.  I reiterate the statement that I made on January 21st of this year - there are four talented women in this group (OK, three plus one marginally), plus Victoria.

4 December 2012 - A Fine Frenzy - Wish You Well

OK, I know that this is a video blog site, but sadly I couldn't even find a live video of the lovely Alison Sudol (AKA A Fine Frenzy) playing Wish You Well. The song is simply too sweet not to post so just imagine someone walking in snow covered woods in quiet contemplation. Or monsters. BIG ASS SCARY FREAKIN' MONSTERS!!!

Whoa. Where did that come from? Anyway, A Fine Frenzy's Oh Blue Christmas is one of the finest Christmas cds I've bought in the past few years. So enjoy this song and then head on over to YouTube and watch some of her other videos -- Come On Come Out off her 2007 debut One Cell in the Sea is a personal favorite of mine.

3 December 2012 - The Pretenders - 2000 Miles / The Mighty Mighty Bosstones - 2000 Miles

It's one of the sappiest songs The Pretenders ever did.  It's also a Christmas song....ish. It's been called "good enough to NOT be a Christmas song" because it is a song that doesn't need the holiday to make it relevant.

And Chrissie Hynde hated it.  Which is why it was only a B-side in the United States - to "Middle of the Road".  In the UK, however, it was released as a single in its own right, reaching #15 there.  And now, it's a Christmas staple.  It's a slower-paced, mournful song, written not for long-lost lovers, as it seems, but for James Honeyman-Scott, the band's original guitarist who had recently passed away, a victim of cocaine intolerance.

 

This song has been frequently covered.  One recent cover I thought you'd enjoy is one done by Boston staples The Mighty Mighty Bosstones.  This video contains a lot of rare footage and home movies by the band, adding to the song's legacy as a mournful look back at Christmastime.



I wanted to give you frequent readers of this blog a gift.  So, here is an uncredited (in the title of this post, anyway) third version of this song, by KT Tunstall.  She is the one who made the earlier declaration that this song was "good enough to not be a Christmas song".  And her version is absolutely beautiful, and faithful to the original.

30 November 2012 - Karmin - Sleigh Ride

I think, by this point, I have sufficiently declared myself a fan of Karmin. You might want to take a look at this, this, this, and of course this for evidence of that.

So, when I found out that they did a Christmas song..... and released it two days ago (after I did my last post on this blog!), I had to seek it out and share it with you.   It is certainly an off-kilter, interesting arrangement of a song that I think we've already featured three times.   Between the change-of-tempo horns and the Nebraskan white girl hip hop that we love so much, this is an interesting and fun arrangement that has quickly become one of my favorite Christmas songs.



By the way, this song is available for FREE download, from Coach.... the people that bring you very expensive but very good purses.  Go here to get it, and also find out what Amy and Nick are getting each other for Christmas.  

29 November 2012 - Los Straitjackets - Here Comes Santa Claus

Nothing screams the holidays more than four dudes wearing lucha masks and playing some seriously righteous rockabilly. So of course I had to witness the Los Straitjackets Christmas Pageant with The World Famous Pontani Sisters in 2005. It was a rockin' good time daddy-o. I ended up buying two copies of their Tis The Season For Los Straitjackets Christmas CD. One for me and one to give away as a Christmas present.

28 November 2012 - Luscious Jackson - Let It Snow

Today is the day that I, once again, set my ringtone for the holiday season.  This is my ringtone, straight from a Gap commercial.

Here is Luscious Jackson, performing their fantastic "Let It Snow", interpolating a little play on Gary Numan's "Cars".  This was performed live on Jay Leno's Tonight Show.  It's not the same without Carson.



They did release a real live video for this song.   It's cute, but it doesn't include "Sleds", which is pretty amazing.  Still, here it is.  It's a cute video - Jill Cunniff and Gabby Glaser make sure we know they aren't REALLY in snow thanks to their wardrobe - and a good version of the song.



Of course, this song was first performed as part of a Gap Christmas ad campaign, where Gap took artists they used through the year in their hip commercials and had them reinterpret Christmas tunes (This is Luscious Jackson's original commercial).  It is THIS version that is my ringtone, and has been for many Decembers.  30 seconds is enough to realize genius on this song.

27 November 2012 - KT Tunstall - Sleigh Ride

In case y'all haven't figured it out, Wicked Guilty Pleasures is celebrating the holidays for the next month. I for one support this plan (well, seeing that it was kind of my idea it's hard not to get behind it). Like Tony, I can't wait for Thanksgiving so I can bust out my Christmas music collection. The first song I listened to Thanksgiving night was KT Tunstall's cool version of Sleigh Bells. Here's an live acoustic version.



And now here's the awesome version from The Hotel Cafe Presents Winter Songs album (I imagine I'll be posting a few more from this record as the month goes on). Just try not dancing around the room like a happy fool when you hear this one. I dare ya!

26 November 2012 - The Sonics - Santa Claus

A little late? Yes.

But here is a garage band classic of a Christmas song that everyone should know - especially if you read Totally Covered - but hasn't gotten enough attention by anyone that isn't my 8 year old daughter.  Enjoy!

23 November 2012 - Arthur Fielder and the Boston Pops - Sleigh Ride

Christmas begins now.

What better way to celebrate Black Friday than the song that defined the Christmas season for me as a kid, and still does today?  Arthur Fielder's interpretation of Leroy Anderson's 1940's classic - the two often worked together - is both delightful and bombastic, and remains the gold standard for orchestral holiday music to this day.


Even The Gap found this version cool enough to feature in holiday commercials.  Here it is, slightly remixed.

21 November 2012 - The Divinyls - I Touch Myself & Temperamental (& Pleasure and Pain)

In 1991 - I think - I saw the DiVinyls live.  Riverside Park (now Six Flags New England), Agawam, MA.  I went with Heather Deane, and we were right up next to the stage.  Her ears are probably still ringing from that show.  They put on a great one, too! Sure, they were playing all their new songs.... but they weren't all that bad.  Straight-ahead pop rock, and the gravelly vocals of Christina Amphlett really sold it all.  That was great fun with a great friend (who I really should call sometime).

This was the DiVinyls only hit single in the United States, but it was a doozy that everyone - EVERYONE - knows.  We all know what it's about.  It's mildly naughty.



The one thing that bothered me is that they didn't do much of their older catalog - they used a familiar old song during sound check that I heard when I was on the amusement park rides.  They did do one older song, which I was not as familiar with before, but has become one of my favorite songs by them afterwards.  Here it is, performed live.



Update (22 April 2013): Christina Amphlett will be missed.  She passed away over the past weekend from complications from MS and breast cancer.  In tribute, I have added that song they played during the sound check.

Not surprisingly, she sings about getting off.

20 November 2012 - Abra Moore - Four Leaf Clover

Seeing that I posted Jen Trynin and Heather Nova last week, I might as well keep the 90s alternative female singer/songwriter party going. Here's Abra's most well-known song off of 1997's Strangest Places record.

19 November 2012 - Edie Brickell & New Bohemians - What I Am / Mama Help Me / Edie Brickell - Good Times

I remember when "Shooting Rubberbands At The Stars", the debut album by Edie Brickell and New Bohemians, came out.  It was different than anything else on the radio - a little lazy, a little light-hearted.  I had never seen anyone open their mouth as far as Edie Brickell when she sang.  All in all, this brought a new, fresh sound to radio, and it was fantastic.

And, by the way.... it's Edie Brickell and New Bohemians.  If Edie had her way (and many years later, she did), her name would not have been above the title.



By the time their second album - "Ghost of a Dog" - came out, listeners had moved on, and it flopped commercially.  However, the first single from that great album deserves some notice.  They retained their hippieesque sound, while adding a more rock feel, and it worked well.



Well, that 2nd album's failure was enough to bust up the band, and so, Edie went on her own.  She married Paul Simon, too, but that's not important right now. What is important is that she recorded a solo album, the first single of which was a song called "Good Times".  It's a much more adult-contemporary song than anything New Bohemians did.  And, really, it wasn't a hit song.....

...... but it did come with Windows 95.  This video is on your Windows 95 CD.  Go ahead.  Take a look. I'll wait while you dig it out.

16 November 2012 - Cornershop - Brimful of Asha

In 1997, I decided to get a satellite dish. My satellite provider offered MTV2 as an option.  Now, for those who don't know, MTV used to play music videos.  In the mid 90's, MTV got tired of people complaining about how they no longer played videos, so they made MTV2.  Eventually, MTV2 became just like MTV and stopped playing videos, but in 1997, they played a lot of them.  It was then that I discovered Cornershop.  Cornershop were a UK band, led by men of Indian descent.

Turns out, in the UK, there are a lot of corner shops owned by people of Indian descent.  Hence, the irony of their name.

Their name wasn't the only influence that the band took from Indian culture.  From their use of instruments not normal used in the West - like a sitar - to rapid-fire Bollywood pop culture references, they relied heavily on their heritage for their sound.  In particular, this song is full of them, starting with the title - a tribute to Bollywood vocalist (rarely seen, but her voice is in more Bollywood movies than just about anyone else's) Asha Bhosle.  If you care about the rest of the references, read on after the video.



Early in the song, you hear references to someone - saddi rani - dancing behind movie screens.  That phrase is the Punjabi phrase meaning "our queen", and, because Asha Bhosle was rarely seen, she was BEHIND movie screens.  And, as is made clear in the video, many of her song were released on 45 RPM singles.  Finally, concerning her, you notice Tjinder Singh pronounces her name "Asher" quite a bit.  That's not accidental.  It is homage to Indian pronunciation.

There are several other icons of Bollywood mentioned in this song - people like Mohammed Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar, who also did singing behind the scenes for Bollywood film.  But there are other pop culture references, to All-India Radio, which is India's public radio station where a lot of these songs are played, and 2-in-1s, which were combination cassette player/radio devices popular in India.

There's one other reference I want to explain.  "We don't care about no government warnings, about their promotion of a simple life, and the dams they are building."  These are very specific references to things that were going on in Indian government, and this references makes this something of a protest song.  The Indian government - their culture in general - tends to be conservative, and so not always fond of the "obscene" and grandiose Bollywood movies.  The dams are a reference to a typical corrupt project undertaken by government contractors - to use up tax dollars, the government would order the building of ridiculous dams.

I won't insult your intelligence by explaining why everyone needs a bosom for a pillow.  Single greatest lyric ever written.

And now, your patience is rewarded with a live version of this song.



Norman Cook - AKA Fatboy Slim - was so taken by this song that he did a remix that became a huge hit in the UK.  He loved the song so much, he did it for free.  And he did it well, too.  Here it is, in a fan-made video. Frankly, I found the video creative and well-made, so I decided to feature it here. Enjoy.

15 November 2012 - Jen Trynin - Better Than Nothing

I know it's supposed to be 80s Thursday, but I had a feeling Tony was going to steal this one away from me after my Heather Nova post a couple days ago. He's sneaky like that. And I couldn't let that happen. So we'll hit the 80s cheese again next week.

Like Heather Nova, I was a big Jen Trynin fan. Sadly Jen's solo career only lasted two records before she got sick of the playing the music industry game. She was probably smart to get out, even if I do miss hearing her songs. At least we have those two fine albums which I still play from time to time. Here's the video for her breakthrough hit from 1994's Cockamamie album. I still put this one on pretty much every roadtrip mix I make.

14 November 2012 - Paula Abdul - Vibeology

Before she was an American Idol judge, and after she was the Laker Girl main choreographer, Paula Abdul had a singing career.  This was the 4th single from her 2nd album, and was a top 20 hit in 1992.  Strangely, it was an even bigger hit in Canada, where it remained on the charts for 26 weeks, reaching #3, It's different than the songs she released before and after, insofar that it is even more up-tempo.

Also, any song that features "horny horns" is OK by me.

13 November 2012 - Heather Nova - Walk This World

I don't know if today's song is a guilty pleasure or not, but Heather Nova was a mild obsession of mine in the mid 90s through the mid 00s. Somehow she dropped off my new music buying radar, which is unfortunate. I think I'll have to remedy that and check out her last couple records as soon as possible.

Anyway, here's the very cool video for her highest charting song (No. 13 on Billboard Modern Rock Track) which appeared on 1994's fantastic Oyster record.

12 November 2012 - The Archies - Sugar Sugar

Perhaps the greatest single to ever come from a cartoon.

Oh, you didn't realize that, when we say The Archies performed this song, we were referring to THE Archies, from the Archie comic books and popular television series?  Don't be embarrassed.  Most people don't.

But it's true.  Reggie plays bass, Jughead is on the drums, Veronica Lodge is on the keyboards, and Betty Cooper is on the tambourine.  Of course, Archie plays lead guitar and sings.  I mean, the band does carry his name, right?  It's a simple song, with simple chord progressions, but it builds - it is quiet at points, but it moves to frantic as the song wears on.



Of course, we all know that cartoons require voices.  In this case, the singing voice of Archie Andrews was provided by a man named Ron Dante.  Here he is, singing his signature hit in real life.  The real musicians were session musician, recruited by none other than the great Don Kirshner.  As you can see and hear, it is the same song, but Ron Dante just doesn't look as appealing as an animated Archie Andrews.

9 November 2012 - Ke$ha - Die Young

Finally!

I know we've written about Ke-Dollar Sign-Ha before - and that was a completely worthy tune. When I found out her new single was out, I sought it out, listened to it.... and found it to be the most catchy and complex song she's ever released.  An acoustic opening..... an acapella middle.  And the song itself - danceable, catchy... and just plain fun!

Plus, part of the video is in 3-D, so get your glasses ready.

8 November 2012 - Blondie - Rapture

Faithful readers, I'm sorry I'm late with today's post (I like to have them ready for your lunch breaks). Oddly enough, I was ACTUALLY working in an office in DC all day, as opposed to my usual couch office where the commute is much better and the co-workers (the cats) are WAY more fun. Anyway, when I got on the DC Metro this morning Rapture popped into my head (Yeah, I know, you'd think it should have been The Metro by Berlin ... as I always say it's best not to analyze what actually goes on in my head). So get up and groove to the Blondie beat. I'm not watching you, don't worry.

7 November 2012 - Belly - Feed The Tree / Slow Dog & Throwing Muses - Not Too Soon

This band is a particularly strong guilty pleasure for me, more so than most others.

Since the mid 1980's, my favorite band, ever, has been a band from Newport, RI called Throwing Muses.  Its leader and usual lead vocalist - and since 1992, only lead vocalist - Kristin Hersh is a truly unique musical voice.  I cannot say enough nice things about her. I've written about her other ventures as a solo artist and in another band previously.

Her stepsister was Tanya Donelly, and they started Throwing Muses together.  Kristin was the primary songwriter and lead vocalist, and Tanya took lead guitar and occasional songwriter and vocalist.  Eventually, Tanya became a better songwriter, finding her own voice instead of trying to emulate her stepsister's. Once that happened, she started branch out on her own, first as a founding member of The Breeders (although she never got anywhere near a Cannonball), and then as leader of her own band, Belly.

Belly was a really good pop/rock band.  However, anyone expecting the dark feel of Throwing Muses were sorely disappointed.  Tanya wrote jangly pop songs that fit her voice and style.  This was her first American single (she released an EP overseas before returning to the States), and it was a bigger hit than anything Throwing Muses had ever done... which really pissed me off for awhile.  I've made my peace with it.  Tanya wrote some good songs during this era, and I still enjoy them.  I hope you do, too!



That aforementioned EP, by the way, was called "Slow Dust", based on two of the songs on there - "Dusted" and "Slow Dog".  Belly later released a remixed version of the later song in this country, and they even made a fun video for it.  Check out Tanya's jangly guitar work.  And lyrically, the song loaded with enough metaphor to make Kristin Hersh proud.


As a little bonus, here is the last song that Tanya did with Throwing Muses - a full year before any work with Belly - and the only one written by her that the band ever made a video for.  It's not my favorite Muses song, but you can see that Tanya is clearly on the path to Belly.  The bassist with Throwing Muses at this time - Fred Abong, who was not an original member - left with Tanya to form Belly three months after the album this was on was released.

By the way, this was one of the first songs Tanya wrote, and was on some early Muses demos.  Trust me.  This version is better than the earlier ones.

6 November 2012 - Miranda Lambert - Only Prettier

I've had the chorus to this song in my head pretty much all morning. Gosh, I wonder why? Anyway, here's one of my favorite videos by one of my favorite singers. You gotta love the good girl/bad girl thing she and her friends Kellie, Hillary and Laura have going on in this one.

5 November 2012 - Hyun-A - Ice Cream & Bubble Pop

Those of you who follow K-Pop must have known this post was coming.

By now, you've all heard the last great Korean pop classic (and read my post about it), "Gangnam Style".   At this point, it's our second biggest post ever.  And it's the #2 pop song in the country as of this writing, even this long after its initial discovery here.

Look back at that video, and you'll see that PSY has a female protagonist in his video.  That female is Hyun-A.  She also did a version of "Gangnam Style", callled "Oppa Is Just My Style" - that was also featured on our previous post, by the way - that has also gotten a lot of attention.  So, PSY really owes a lot of his success to Hyun-A, one could say.

Which is why he makes a cameo appearance at the beginning of this video.

But don't let that cameo fool you.  This song is all Hyun-A.  It's the in-your-face power K-Pop that she is well-known for in her home country, complete with envelope-pushing themes and outfits.  Her cleavage in this video is something of a minor scandal in Korea. She also weaves a little bit of English into her song and her video - check out the signs that the crowd is holding in the video.  And try not to laugh - English isn't their first language here.

Plus she runs over a clown with her ice cream truck.



Now, here's a little trivia.  What's the most seen K-Pop video of all time?  Easy one, right? It's "Gangnam Style."

So, what's the video it dethroned?

It was another Hyun-A song!  Here, she exhibits the same power pop - a little more pop, and a little less power, but both are still there.  More importantly, she exhibits a skill not often seen in K-Pop - rump shaking.  Seriously, this song borrows heavily from American hip hop, in both style and music.  Check out the breakdown at 2:18.

4 November 2012 (Special Standard Time Edition) - Night Ranger - The Secret of My Success

Would you like to know the secret of Night Ranger's success?

They're alive 25 hours a day.

Seriously, I couldn't pass up posting this song, a fun 80's rock romp from the movie of the same name, starring Michael J. Fox and Helen Slater.  Their music ain't Tchaikovsky - it's just fun rock and roll music.  With keyboards.  And lines like "The secret of my success is I'm alive 25 hours a day" seem especially appropriate today.

2 November 2012 - Prince - Raspberry Beret

I am a huge Prince fan, and I have been for a very long time.  There's not much that this man has done that isn't brilliant on some level.

This single, one of my favorites - and a song that I can sing word for word unprompted - was one that Prince, a perfectionist, worked on for almost four years, before he released it as a single.  And, for a song first recorded in 1982 and released in 1985, it still sounds fresh and new and unique.  This is a testament to the musical genius of Prince - he is multi-instrumental, deals with themes in his lyrics that no one else does, has a tremendous grasp of how to properly use a metaphor, and surrounds himself with musicians that are as strong as he is.

To that last point, look at how prominently Wendy Melvoin, on guitar, is featured in this video.  In fact, the entire Revolution - including a strings section - are featured at several points.  To those who claim Prince to be an egomaniac, I point you to the 3:38 point in this video, when it is made clear that Lisa Coleman is the 2nd vocalist.  This is a theme that recurs through several Prince videos.  The man knows music, and he knows he can't do it alone.

1 November 2012 - Thomas Dolby - She Blinded Me With Science

It's time for another 80s Thursday. Here's a gem with an interesting, if not sometimes confusing storyline. I'd take the time to analyze it and make some funnies, but my head hurts. Regardless, I always thought this was a pretty rad tune. Hate to admit it, but it's probably the only song by him that I know...I think.

31 October 2012 (part 2) - Concrete Blonde - Bloodletting

Concrete Blonde might be the most underrated cheesy band of all time. (Discuss.)  Born from the ashes of Dream 6, they released several albums but only had one hit.

I've always loved Johnette Napolitano's gravely voice, and it sounds extra creepy on this song, a tribute to author Anne Rice.  It's not my favorite song of theirs, but it's one of them - this isn't the last you'll see of these guys on here - and it's appropriate for today!

31 October 2012 - Ministry - Everyday is Halloween

Happy Halloween, everyone!  We'll have multiple posts throughout the day, celebrating the day in song.

There's no better way to start the day than this early Ministry tune.  Later music by Alain Jourgenen's industrial project would be much harder edged than this early, 808-influenced song, but we still hear echoes of dark themes here.    Sure, the song sounds like it was largely composed on a Casio keyboard, but it's still aurally interesting, especially given Ministry's later history.

The video is fan-made and not for the squeamish.

30 October 2012 - Spacehog - In The Meantime

Had to scrap the post I painstakingly pre-wrote yesterday as none of it thankfully turned out to be true. So instead, here's Spacehog and their hit single from 1995.

29 October 2012 - The Carpenters - Rainy Days and Mondays

In the threat of Hurricane Sandy, is this a little bit of a cruel joke of a song choice?  Yes.  Yes it is.

But c'mon - face it.  It's a nice song.  Talented drummer Karen Carpenter pulls out her big vocals for this song, a classic from the early 1970's, a song that grows in intensity as it wears on.  I was never a huge fan of The Carpenters, but this song is one of their best.

26 October 2012 - The Firm - Radioactive

When I was a wee lad in the mid 80's, this was a minor MTV hit song.  At the time, I was really into what would later be called "alternative" music.

A supergroup featuring members of Led Zeppelin, Uriah Heap, Manfred Mann and Bad Company did not fit into those musical tastes.  And yet, this song had powerful vocals, a great jangling guitar hook, and a fantastic baseline.  All in all, it was - and is - a really cool song, no matter which rock dinosaurs might be performing it.

So, now, enjoy your dinosaurs of rock supergroup.

 

25 October 2012 - Adam & The Ants - Ant Rap

I can't even imagine the massive amounts of drugs that were consumed in the story conception and production of this video. I'd try to analyze it to make some jokes, but my head's still spinning after two views. See for yourself. And if you can make any sense of what's going on, please clue me in.

24 October 2012 - Kanye West - Golddigger (ft. Jamie Foxx) / Stronger

Scott, imma let you finish, but this is one of the best videos of all time.

In all seriousness, Kanye West might be a gigantic jackass, but he makes some catchy, compelling music.  This song is really sparse musically - a little horn, mostly heavy bass and drum - but combines the hip-hop rap style of Kanye with the soulfulness of Jamie Foxx's voice.  It's a nearly perfect song.



Kanye has a tendency to make perfect songs.  This one, a tribute to his bravado, is far less sparse, and still, despite the fact that he's a complete jackass lyrically, is brilliantly catchy.  Lyrically, it's cocky, but any song that can make an Apollonia reference is OK with me.

23 October 2012 - Taylor Swift - We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together

OK, I've written about Taylor Swift here at Wicked Guilty Pleasures before, so there's no need to rehash my fandom (you can click on that happy little link to see that post). No, today I have a different tale to tell.

Taylor's fourth cd Red was released yesterday. That big box store with the red bulls-eye logo had a deluxe version with extra songs and I was like, so there.

Of course, like a sit-com character buying condoms or porn, I had to be discreet, even if I was shopping at a box-store and not a record store where every musical purchase is scrutinized. Regardless, it still looks weird for a dude in his late-30s to be buying a cd most people presume is for teenage girls (they'd be mostly wrong if they just listened...but that's another post in and of itself). No one is ever going to buy the "yeah, it's for a friend" excuse, so I needed a "cover." So there I was, shopping for other items to make it look like I didn't just go to the store to get the new Taylor Swift cd (as I said, in sit-com character mode). I started in the men's clothing section. Nothing. Not good, as I really didn't need any groceries, household decorations or small appliances. I was going to have to hit the CD section with no "cover." Great...

So I sauntered over to the new release section. There was a clearly marked Taylor Swift Red Oct. 22 sign. The cd wasn't there. Walked to the country section. Nope. Walked to the pop/rock section. Nada. This damn store always screws up their new release orders so I wasn't surprised. I was mildly annoyed though and for more than having to wait to get the new record. Now I was going to have to ask some questions. So much for being discreet.

Naturally, the first person in a red vest that I see is a 20-something metal looking dude. Fantastic. Here's a brief transcript of the conversation.

Me (pointing at the aforementioned Taylor Swift sign): "Excuse me, did you not get this in today?"
Metal Dude In Red Vest (smirking): "yeah, follow me."
Me (muttering): "it's uhhh, for a friend." (why did I not say for my daughter? That would have been totally plausible)
MDIRV walks me to the huge display not even remotely near the cd section. Makes total sense to me.
MDIRV (smugly): "Here you go, we also have Taylor Swift shirts, books, school supplies and make-up if you're interested."
Me: "uhh, thanks, the cd is all I was looking for." Jerk.

After that exchange, paying for it was no problem (after of course finding the little old lady cashier). The moral of the story -- next time, pre-order it online.

As for the cd itself, I'll hold off on my review as I've only listened to it once, but I pretty much like it. I will warn that it's not a country record or even a pop-country record (kind of a bummer). It's mostly pop and rock. There's really only one song that I hated on first listen. There's a couple more that I need to give a couple more spins before I make up my mind. Time will tell if it makes any top-10 lists (including my own), but it's certainly a very good record.

Wow, that may be my longest post ever, and I still haven't even talked about the video. Here's the truly awesomely fun video for the first single, the extremely catchy We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together. Cool fact about this video: It was shot in just one take.

(edit: 26 December 2021)

Tony does not usually edit Scott's posts.  However, I am adding Taylor's Version to all our Taylor Swift posts.  

ALL. OF. THEM.

22 October 2012 - Amy Winehouse - Rehab / You Know I'm No Good / F*** Me Pumps

We've never done a proper tribute to the late and troubled Amy Winehouse.  That poor, troubled woman had a huge voice, and she is missed.

There is some (intentional) irony to her biggest hit song.  Amy's gigantic, husky, achy voice makes the song, of course, but the horns from her backing band - the Dap-Kings - make the tune even bigger.



The Dap-Kings also add something to this song, which was my first exposure to Ms. Winehouse. However, whereas "Rehab" is straight-ahead soul singing, this song brings a darker, hip-hop feel, and show a little versatility in her voice.



The Dap-Kings were on loan from a singer named Sharon Jones, who is a woman with an equally huge voice - and who we will feature some other time.  But Amy Winehouse had a singing career before she hooked up with them. This is my favorite tune from her first album - it really gives Amy's torch song qualities shine over a hip-hop beat, with a much jazzier song, as opposed to the deep, heavy soul of her later work.

I also want you to look at how Amy looks. There were four years between her first and second album, and you can see how she transformed and aged.  Drugs are bad, kids, and they took this talent far too soon.

19 Octubre 2012 - Julieta Venegas - Me Voy

Julieta Venegas started off life as a Latin alternative star - a female singer/songwriter who happened to be mejicana.

Somewhere along the way, she became a big hitmaker.  Mostly, this involved a big balloon and Julieta's accordion skills.... and this song, a huge hit in Mexico and on Latin radio in the United States.


So, her name should ring a bell by now.  Recall that she wrote and provided background vocals to Monday's song, and also performed on one of Wednesday's songs.

She also did an MTV Unplugged performance that was really strong.  This is the song with which she closed.... Even more than the studio version, this captures the true ranchero feeling that the song is supposed to convey.



Now, after all this, I'm going to tell you a little secret about Spanish-language artists in general, and Julieta Venegas specifically.  This is a performance she did for the NPR station KCRW, on their popular show Morning Becomes Eclectic. She performs Me Voy at about the 19:45 mark, but I encourage you to take some time and listen to the whole thing.  Notice that she proves that she is multiinstrumental - she's playing keyboard, and not accordion, in this version.

And she speaks perfect, unaccented English.



(Update: 20 May 2013) I decided to get gimmicky and add a 3D video.  Not kidding.  Get your glasses.