Song du Jour: January 12, 2012

Beverly Hills

by Weezer

OMG!  Sweater Vests!

I'm feeling an odd mix of nostalgic and ironic today....I must admit, a little good old-fashioned nerd rock is in order.  For the record, I effin' love weezer.  In my opinion, Weezer is one of the most iconic bands from my generation (meaning all you 90s kids) and if you don't have a little respect for their body of work -- well, you must not have a soul.  Or a sense of humor.  Great music and great lyrics and more often than not, it cheers me up to hear them on the radio.  Today's selection is Beverly Hills, because I've been feeling a little philosophical, wrestling with my demons and whatnot.  I've gotten this crazy idea in my head that I want to live a simpler life, with a Tiny House and tiny garden and a Pomeranian named Killa'.  But then I turn on the TV and one of them Kardashian b*tches is on the screen and I can't help thinking "Man, if I was a billionaire....I would show them how it's done."  Dual personalities dueling it out within my mind.  I should've been born a Gemini, but I digress.  By far one of the coolest songs to listen to while chillin' on the couch with your crew of anarchistic, wanna-be neo-punk friends--because we all know everyone has a token.  Favorite Line: Take my picture by the pool/'Cause I'm the next big thing.  True story, my friends.  Now excuse me....I have to pretend-shop for furniture for my Tiny House.  I'm thinking Ikea, baby.  Gimme, Gimme. 

Song du Jour: New Find

Weatherman

by Dead Sara

Today's song of the day is new music courtesy of 98.7.  I must admit-- the first few notes I was a skeptic.  I was worried I was in for scream-o and thought America was over that nonsense.  Let me just reiterate my stance on scream-o:  I've been to a lot of punk shows and from my experience, whenever one these bands shows up, it's usually a case of sh*tty vocals covering up even sh*ttier lyrics in addition to amateur instrumental back-up.  Barely even music, in my opinion--noise.  But, this time, I was pleasantly surprised.  Now, I'm going to take a stab at describing my impressions of this song:  the actual music felt very 80s hair metal influenced--Guns & Roses, if I had to approximate a guess--with a little Heart mixed in, with Joan Jett at her most powerful singing lead.  Lyrics-wise, this song reminds me a little of EMAs "Milkman," which  if you remember was featured as the first Song du Jour on this blog.  Based on their Reverbnation bio, I think--at least for this song--I've hit it close to the mark.  The band is influenced by an eclectic mix of everything (much like yours truly) and doesn't want to corner itself into a specific genre.  And, as always, I'm always looking for great female-fronted bands and Dead Sara doesn't disappoint--the band is lead by the dynamic duo of Emily Armstrong and Siouxsie Medley.  Try not to have a seizure while watching the video (a serious amount of editing and projectors were involved.)

Album Release Tuesday!: January 10th, 2012

Today is a little bit light on releases--only 6 are being featured on Spinner.com, but maybe this is a good thing.  Perhaps on my next day off (Thursday), I'll spring one of my detailed reviews on you.  But for now, I'll just list the gems I've found and hope you take a moment to listen to them on your own.  I have taken a moment to preview a couple of songs on each album and, bien sur, the asterisk denotes that I'm interested in hearing more. 

• Dark Matters by Expensive Looks -- Pop electronica that sounds like Tame Impala or Portishead. I was digging track #2, "Nothing More."
• Normal by Run Dan Run* -- Low key garage rock with haunting guitar melodies.  Check out "False-Hearted Lover."
• Grand & Noble by Grand & Noble* -- Indie rock, with bluesy roots.  Sounds like Spoon.  I'm liking "Paris (and Danielle)" and I'm really interested in doing a full listen when I get more time.
• Passenger by Kayln Rock -- Singer-songwriter, reminds me a little of Regina Spektor and definitely reminds me of Rachel Platten. I like the heartsick sweetness of "Valentine" but perhaps because I'm feeling hopelessly romantic.
• m4w by Uncles-- Tongue-in-cheek storytelling lyrics combined with a folksy guitar.  The singer's voice, although nothing special, has that evocative quality of simpler times that is a hallmark of folksier tunes.
• The Fall by Public Jones* -- Technified, sci-fi ballads that rely heavily on keyboards and bouncy percussion.  Spinner says it sounds like Massive Attack or Muse, but I'm leaning more towards Backstreet Boys when they went through that one latex phase, but with more intelligent lyrics.  Singer's voice has dark, breathy quality that I'm enjoying.  Check out "Mustard." Strange name, interesting results.

Song du Nuit

Paperbag

by Fiona Apple

Have a bite, My Pretty....

Today's song du nuit is courtesy of a confusing dream I had last night that starred a young man whom I miss dearly.  I love Fiona Apple--I don't think there is a singer-songwriter out there who captures my inner thoughts so accurately as much as she does.  Perhaps it's because I've had similar life experiences to the things she sings about.  Isn't that why we listen to music?  To find ourselves in the beauty of it all?  Je ne sais pas, mes amies.  You'll notice I'm in one of those dreamy, philosophical moods right now....probably because I've been thinking about events that happened so long ago and ruminating on the nature of Fate.  Anyway, her voice has a great husky, sexiness to it, which is so much bigger than her tiny self.  Definitely one of my favorite artists to sing at kaoroke.  Paperbag is one of my Fiona favorites, particulary because it has that misty, jazz singer vibe to it-- an aspect that is played upon in the video after the cut.  Enjoy!

Song du Nuit: Welcome Back!

We Are Young

by Fun

Ho Hum....So Bored...

I actually heard this song over a month ago and I'm just now getting around to sharing it with you.  I love the chorus: Tonight/We are Young/So I'll set the world on fire/We can burn brighter.  Just an amazing example of modern indie pop that makes you feel good and has great lyrics that hearken back to the days when songwriting was a real art and not just something you did on Saturdays to make a paycheck. I do hear an 80s influence, perhaps a pinch reminiscent of Billy Joel and Keane, but then again, I just write about music so maybe it's just me.  The band also utilizes an wide array of instruments, which adds another level to complexity--it's not just a keyboard and a synth, which I feel has been an unavoidable trend for pop music in the 2000s.  A little more information on the band-it is a super band, meaning that it's members are also known for other works.  Fun is:  Nate Ruess, formerly of The Format; Andrew Dost, of Anathallo; and Jack Antonoff of Steel Train.  On tour, the usually call in some other well-known musician friends to beef up their sound, as well.  They most recently toured with Janelle Monae's The Campus Consciousness Tour.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.  I have to admit, it's one of those songs that gives me that "Hell yeah, rock on" feeling. 





I'm going to buy myself something nice....like a Smiths album...

Hello Music Sluts,
I'm back from my hiatus. I've noticed I have a couple new followers, so welcome and I apologize for the lack of updates.  I've been reading a few comments I've been getting lately when I was like "Oh yeah....I do have a blog....One that I was fairly excited about once."  Well, with the new year, my enthusiasm has been renewed--my number 1 resolution for 2012 is to write at least an hour everyday, which includes this blog for which I also have some exciting post ideas. But first....my life, thus far, in a nutshell.

I've been absent for two main reasons--one being that I've become a corporate call center drone in order to bring in a paycheck.  A fairly sizeable paycheck and all for the price of my soul.  This has one extremely beneficial outcome for all you music sluts out there-- for once, I can actually purchase some music on my wishlist (which, as you know, has literally 1000+ songs/albums on it and growing).  My goal is to buy 1-3 albums every month and considering a fair bit of artists I'm interested in aren't exactly mainstream, this is an achievable outlook. And since my life has taken a sh*tty turn since we last met, I'm feel like I'm entitled to buy myself something nice....like a Smiths album....or a Florence + the Machine album....or both, if I'm so inclined. 

The second reason is personal and it's one of the few really personal things I will share with my readers.  I know some of you aren't particularly interested in my actual existence but seeing how it does deeply effect my productiveness for posting, I might as well share and get it off my chest.  My mother is bipolar and is currently entering a major manic episode.  Suffice it to say, you might be hearing Song du Jours that are either really uplifting or really depressing.  Thank you for understand and don't forget--You've been warned.

That's it for the low-down-and-dirty on my slacker-liness.  I'll try to do at least 3 lengthy posts a week, in addition to a Song du Jour/Nuit Monday-Friday and Album Release Tuesday.  That's my rant....Happy Listening!

Random Goodie

....Because I've become a real slacker.  Part of it is having a job, part of it is pure laziness. 

This song gets me through the day.  Through long hours training.  Through watching the political/moral unrest throughout the world....this song gives me hope like nobody's business.  And it motivates me to keep pushing, even when I don't feel like it.  So, when life sucks....shake it out.  Good night, fellow Music Sluts.