The brief glory days of AM rock radio

If you’re younger than I am or if you didn’t grow up in America, you might not know what I mean by AM rock radio, so I’ll try to explain.

The transition of music and music listeners from radio to the Internet reminds me a lot of something I’ve seen before: the late ’70s/early ’80s trend away from playing music on AM radio. If you listen to music on the radio at all, you are probably doing it on the FM band. Nowadays, AM is reserved mostly for news and talk radio. It wasn’t always that way.

AM was where you heard all the top hits of the day for many many years. That was still true when I was a young adolescent in the mid-70s, just getting a taste for rock ‘n’ roll. The sound was a bit trebly and not in stereo, but that was normal. No one thought anything of it. FM radio existed at that point, but there were very few FM stations, at least in my neck of the woods, in the Texas Hill Country. Usually there was one classical station (if you were lucky) and one station that played elevator music (pretty much guaranteed, if there was only one, that would be it). And there was a problem called FM drift. You had to keep retuning the dial every few minutes, cuz the signal would drift to the left or right and it would be off the station.

There was a brief golden age, between about ‘75 and ‘79, when the music on AM radio was especially good. I’m talking about rock and pop stations, but the country music stations were also pretty good at that time also. It basically ended when disco began to take over and you heard nothing else for a few years till everybody got fed up and people started smashing their records and wearing “Disco Sucks” T-shirts.

There were some basic rules to AM rock radio. For one thing, it couldn’t rock too hard. For another, it had to be clean. Sex and drug references had to be well-disguised in metaphors. It was for the kids, but Mom and Dad were going to be listening, so no shenanigans. Strangely enough, those vague restrictions led to some pretty good songcraft.

Here are some of the songs you might typically hear on one of those stations during that time:

Gerry Rafferty – Baker Street

Elton John – Daniel, Tiny Dancer, Someone Saved My Life Tonight

Little River Band – Reminiscing

Billy Joel – Honesty, Only the Good Die Young

ELO – Strange Magic, Evil Woman, Telephone Line

Firefall – You Are the Woman, Just Remember I Love You

Todd Rundgren – Hello It’s Me

Linda Ronstadt – Allison, You’re No Good

Seals & Crofts – Summer Breeze, Diamond Girl

The Who – Mama’s Got a Squeezebox

Chicago – Color My World, 25 or 6 to 4, Saturday in the Park

James Taylor – Shower the People, Up on a Roof, Smiling Face

The weird thing is, I didn’t realize how good it was at the time, only in hindsight. (All I thought back then was, couldn’t we rock a little harder?) There was some dreck on the airwaves to be sure, but any hour of a popular AM station playlist from ‘76 would blow the crap they play today right out of the water. Maybe somebody else can come up with other examples.

[Via http://musicmissionary.wordpress.com]

Music Video Playlist February 27, 2010

A couple months ago I posted, “A Few Thoughts on Music Videos”, anyway, I just watched a few music videos in succession, and thought I’d post the playlist along with a bit of text commentary if you will.

Here is the playlist:

Brick & Lace – Bad to Di Bone
Pink – Funhouse
Rah Digga – Breakfool
Sugababes – Overload
Sugababes – Run for Cover

I liked the Brick and Lace video for the sole reason the singers Nyanda and Nailah Thorbourne are in it. The video was nothing too special, but Nyanda and Nailah Thorbourne are definitely easy on the eyes! It was the first time I saw the video for that song. It seems it was one of two songs that was released on the re-release of their album that was not on the original Love is Wicked album.

Pink’s video for “Funhouse”, again nothing too spectacular. The video provides imagery that works with lyrical content. I was watching the uncensored version thank you very much! Oh, and Ms Moore is not too bad looking in the video either!

I had never seen the video for Rah Digga’s “Breakfool”. It was nice to see her. It is too bad her album from circa 2004 Everything Is A Story never saw the light of day. The video version I believe is slightly different from the LP version. The video version seems to have more pronounced beats.

The last two, old Sugababes videos from the original line up, and first album. “Overload” being the first singe, and “Run for Cover” the third single. “Overload” is a pretty good video, as it is mostly just the group members singing their respective parts. And assuming it is true to the studio version, we get to see exactly who is singing when, and who is involved in the vocal melodies. “Run for Cover” is not too great, but not a bad early Sugababes track.

[Via http://toomuchmusic.wordpress.com]

Getting Started In The Business

So you’re ready to get serious about the business. You’ve done the local talent shows, you’ve recorded some demos in your cousins bedroom, and you’ve watched all the VH-1’s “Behind The Music” shows. You are ready to tackle the big leagues, right!? Good! Here’s what you need to do to get started.
First, READ! Read A LOT! And I’m not talking about consumer magazines (ie. Blender and Hip-Hop Weekly), but respected industry books (ie. Billboard, Urban Network, and the bible of the music industry, All You Need To Know About The Music Business). These will let you know what’s really happening in the industry, who’s making moves, and most importantly, help you see how things REALLY operate in this unique business.
Second, if you want to be one of the greats, play with the greats. There are a lot of opportunities for you to mix and mingle with industry insiders. You just have to know where to go. There are music conferences held throughout the year, everywhere from New York to California, down to Nashville, Atlanta, and Texas. Conferences like SXSW, Urban Network, Atlantis, and several mixshow summits. Do some research and find one happening somewhere close to you. They don’t cost much (some as low as $50), and on top of learning valuable information from the best in the business, you will get to meet people who may be able to help take your career to the next level.
Lastly (for now), is STUDY YOUR CRAFT!!! Playing small gigs at your family reunion, local talent show/open mic, and in your boys basement are good places to develop, but if you plan on competing with the artist who dominate the airwaves, you have to constantly improve your sound. If you’re a singer for example, learn to play an instrument, consider taking vocal lessons, and/or learn a few dance steps. Watch the artists you’d like to open for, and find what it is that makes them stand out so much. Don’t just copy what they do, find ways to improve and make it your own. Don’t ever get caught feeling like you’ve perfected everything there is to do. Fans will always look for something new, and if you don’t provide it, someone else will.
Doing these few things can give you the foundation required to build a successful career and give you an upper edge against the thousands of other artist fighting for their time in the spotlight.

[Via http://knowthebiz.wordpress.com]

Pinoy Twee

I was looking in vain for YouTube footage of Orange Juice playing “Moscow Olympics” and discovered that there’s a band named after the song.  You’d guess such a band would be pretty good, and you’d be right.  But you might not guess they’d be from the Philippines!  I didn’t know before tonight that there’s a healthy scene of Filipino bands making pop records that sound like they were made 15 years ago in Sweden — see and hear, for instance, The Wentletraps.  (I like the instrumental “Vignettes.”)  I’d like to hear their cover of “Just Like Honey,” but I can’t find it online.  OK, maybe you knew there was a Filipino twee pop scene — but did you know there was a Filipino Christian twee pop scene?  These guys can’t be the only Christian pop band in the world called “Grace Period” but I’ll bet they’re the best.  (Listen:  “Can’t Get Away From You.”)

Anyway, if this is all too bright and sweet for you, cleanse that palate with a really disturbing ukulele version of “Helter Skelter” by Karinne Keithley.  OK, I’ll concede this is bright and sweet too.  But in a “Helter Skelter” kind of way.

helterskelter.mp3

[Via http://quomodocumque.wordpress.com]

The Franken-Pod

It’s a scary old world this. One minute you’re standing in a seedy old pub, surrounded by drunken, bearded mammoths with skin heads and Slayer T-Shirts on, setting up your guitar to play what will be the most disheartening and un-well received gig of your life  and the next minute, you’re sitting in your room playing Aphex Twin records. Music tastes change. I am a walking advertisement to this fact.

3 years ago, if someone asked me what musical genre I was into I would have told them Heavy Metal. More specifically, progressive heavy metal that swayed more onto the technical side. Now, I’m not going to lie to you and tell you that I don’t listen to that any more. I still like to indulge in a bit of Sikth or Devin Townsend from time to time, but over the past year my musical taste has taken, what the metal community might call; “a nosedive in quality” Obviously I would disagree with them, but let’s both agree that it’s definitely expanded. The main type of music I listen to now is Electronica. Artists such as: Aphex Twin (And all his variations) Mike Paradinas AKA Mu-Ziq, Squarepusher, Venetian Snares, Boards of Canada, Bjork, Portishead, The Prodigy and all other kinds of things. The thing is, a lot of these acts are more technical than the most technical of Heavy Metal, be it in a different way. Most obviously, Aphex twin is an absolute diversity gold mine from album to album, giving you anything from ridiculously layered and never repeating beat structures accompanied by eerie synth work and at times, tribal percussion to die for. At other times though Richard D James (The Aphex Twin himself) can produce the most beautiful and unique piano arrangements or dark, brooding ambient soundscapes. And what does the Metal community do to this music? Well it usually accuses it of lesser musical credit because it doesn’t choose to use conventional “natural” instruments. This is of course an utter crock. If only these people realised how much of their music is improved by such means. Hardly any electric guitar sound you hear nowadays is of an analogue sound format. Digital is the way, and those astronomically precise double bass drum rushes you bang your head to are actually probably double layered with an artificial drum map software. We are in the future people, I’m telling you.

The reason I bring all this up is because I am really sick of people who relate their musical tastes to their dress style and personality. It’s that common anti-Emo defence. We don’t hate you because of the way you dress or because of what music you choose to listen to. It’s because you call yourself an Emo and think you need to subcatagorise yourself. My Ipod is like Frankenstein’s monster at the moment. It can go from Outkast to Strapping young lad and then back to Aphex. And on the subject of Franken-Pods and Monsters, my latest addition to my Ipod was in fact, the current Queen of Pop, Lady Gaga. And guess what? I’m proud of that. I fought her charms for too long, and now in the style of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, I’m going to sit back and give into absolute pleasure. The album is great. Sure, there are some bum tracks. It’s 24 tracks long, it’s going to have some stinkers but I was really amazed at how many of the songs I actually knew. She shits out hits.

Don’t think I’m a musical push over though. If there’s one thing I cant stand it’s this conversation: “So what kind of music do you like?” “Oh you know, everything and anything” No! you cant like anything. I wasn’t really asking you what genres you liked, I was asking you what artists specifically you’re into at the moment. I mean really, get an opinion for shit’s sake.

Event he crappiest genre has it’s occasional hidden gems

Except boybands. Boybands can be eliminated.

[Via http://cranialfarting.wordpress.com]

The Crayon Fields

I know I have been ridiculously lazy in updating this- but you must believe that for me to wake up from my writing slumber to post this, it must be good. And oh- it- so- is.

During one of my regular music swapping session with a friend, he slipped “The Crayon Fields” into my USB. They are a four piece band from Melbourne that are just amazing in a simple and talented way. The soothing array of vocals are paired with cute melodies and instruments in the variety filled album “Animal Bells”. I love it so. Yes I do realise that this is an old album put out in 2006, just before people start accusing me of sounding like Nova (cough- new music?). Their new album “All the Pleasures of the World” was released last year (2009) so you should go and buy both albums and enjoy.

Links:
The Crayon Fields MySpace
The Crayon Fields Facebook (Unofficial)

[Via http://hotgeneration.wordpress.com]

Try to contain yourself

My lack of posts lately will result into one massive, super-post with a shit load of tunes that I’ve being going mad for. Read on my friends, read on.

In my eyes, Jack White can do no wrong, and he has confirmed my belief with the discover of The Black Belles. It seems as though Jack as found 4 ladies that are the female version of him, well, at least the sound just like the White Stripes, which I believe to be fantastic. So take a listen to their lead single ‘What Can I Do’ off their forthcoming album.

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Big Stereo, one of my favourite music blogs has decided to follow in the footsteps of Neon Gold, and turn themselves into a record label. The have picked Baby Monster to launch the start of their label. I’m not sure I can even begin to explain the extreme love I have for this song, it makes me ‘come alive’. Bad jokes aside, She Comes Alive’ is an enchanting track that is going to make you want to do nothing but dance, dance, dance.

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A friend of mine recently introduced me to the musical stylings of her friend Christina Maria. Christina is with out a doubt an artist that I am sure you will be hearing more of in the new future. Hailing from Vancouver Christina Maria released her album on February 15th. Here’s her video for her single ‘Straight Lines’.

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Yes Giantess have released, yet another fantastic track. It may just be the best track to come out yet this year. Starsmith, the pop producer behind the fantastic Ellie Gouliding track ‘Under The Sheets‘. Starsmiths pop influences are easily heard on this upbeat, hypnotizing track.

[Via http://musicjuices.wordpress.com]

Justin Bieber Back with the Help of Ludacris

Canadian singer Justin Bieber was born in March 1994 and immediately became Usher’s protegé upon being discovered by the manager Scooter Braun via YouTube. My World was released in November 2009 as the first part of his debut album. The set has resulted no less than four singles – “One Time,” “One Less Lonely Girl,” “Love Me” and “Favorite Girl.”

‘The second part called My World 2.0 is set to be released in March this year, and the first single “Baby” has already been issued. The track featuring rapper Ludacris and was written and produced by Tricky Stewart, The-Dream and Christina Milian (of “AM to PM” fame). A second single is expected to be “Never Let You Go.” “Baby” will be included on the next WelcheMusic compilation out soon.

Justin Bieber is one of the singer’s on the new version of “We Are the World.”

[Via http://welchemusic.wordpress.com]

UNGU

Ungu adalah grup musik Indonesia yang beranggotakan Pasha (penyanyi), Makki (bass), Enda (gitar), Oncy (gitar), dan Rowman (drum). Sampai tahun 2007 mereka telah menghasilkan 4 album dan 2 album mini.

Karir

Ungu terbentuk tahun 1996. Motor pembentuknya adalah Ekky (gitar) dan saat itu vokalisnya adalah Michael, sedangkan drum dipegang oleh Pasha Van derr Krabb. Tahun 1997, saat Ungu hendak manggung, Pasha Van derr Krabb ‘menghilang’ dan posisinya digantikan oleh Rowman. Enda yang sebelumnya adalah roadies-nya Ekky juga ikut bergabung dengan Ungu.

Tahun 2000, Ungu mulai mempersiapkan album pertama mereka, yang akhirnya dirilis 6 Juli 2002 bertajuk Laguku. Sebelumnya, Ungu ikut mengisi 2 lagu di album kompilasi Klik bersama Lakuna, Borneo, Piknik, dan Energy. Ke dua lagu tersebut adalah “Hasrat” dan “Bunga”. Single pertama album ini, “Bayang Semu” menjadi ost. sinetron ABG (RCTI). Meski terbilang sukses, album ini baru mendapat Platinum Award setelah hampir 2 tahun album ini dirilis.

Saat hendak masuk dapur rekaman untuk album kedua, Ekky memutuskan keluar. Oncy yang saat itu baru keluar dari Funky Kopral dipilih untuk menggantikan Ekky. Album kedua Ungu Tempat Terindah dirilis Desember 2003. Album ini menjagokan “Karena Dia Kamu” sebagai single pertama dan “Suara Hati” dipilih sebagai single kedua. Baru empat bulan dirilis, penjualannya telah mencapai 80.000 (delapan puluh ribu) kopi. Jumlah yang cukup signifikan jika dibandingkan dengan album pertama yang ‘telah’ mendapatkan platinum (150.000 kopi) dalam hitungan waktu satu setengah tahun.

Pada tahun 2005, Ungu menjadi salah satu artis yang berkolaborasi dengan Chrisye di album terbaru Chrisye, “Senyawa”.

Album Melayang dirilis Desember 2005. Di albumnya yang ketiga dengan single “Demi Waktu”, Ungu mendapat double platinum. Dengan hits Demi Waktu mengantarkan Ungu jadi MTV Exclusive Artis di bulan Desember 2005. Gaung “Demi Waktu” merambah negeri Jiran, Malaysia. Empat perusahaan label berebut untuk mendapatkan hak edar di sana. SRC, perusahaan yang menaungi Siti Nurhaliza akhirnya keluar sebagai pemenang.

Ungu mengeluarkan sebuah mini album untuk menyambut Ramadhan 1427 H bertajuk SurgaMu yang dirilis September 2006. Hanya dalam tempo sepuluh hari sejak rilis mini album SurgaMu, telah terjual sebanyak 150 ribu keping. Bahkan Wakil Presiden Yusuf Kalla memberi penghargaan ‘Inspiring’ atas album religi SurgaMu. Sayangnya, saat hendak menerima penghargaan di istana Wapres, Ungu yang mengenakan setelah jas yang dipadu celana jeans ditolak masuk ke dalam istana, dengan alasan pakaian yang tak sesuai dengan protokoler istana.

Dalam Penghargaan MTV Indonesia 2006, Ungu masuk dalam 3 nominasi, yaitu Most Favorite Group/Band/Duo, Best Director “Demi Waktu” Abimael Gandy, dan Video of the Year “Demi Waktu”.[7]

Ungu dengan dukungan “A Mild Live Productions” dan “Trinity Optima Productions” membuat buku biografi. Buku yang diberi judul “A Mild Live Ungu Book Magazine” itu diluncurkan pada Kamis, 10 Mei 2007, di Jakarta.[8] Dicetak sebanyak 40 ribu eksemplar, buku tersebut memuat biografi masing-masing personil, diskografi Ungu, foto-foto, dan bahkan chord lagu-lagu Ungu.

Ungu juga sering terlibat dalam pembuatan album soundtrack. Ungu pernah menyumbangkan lagu untuk film Buruan Cium Gue yang dilarang edar. Ungu pun menyumbangkan 3 buah lagu untuk film Coklat Stroberi yakni dua lagu baru, “Disini Untukmu” dan “Sahabatku”, serta mengikutkan lagu “Berjanjilah” dari album ketiga mereka Melayang.

Dalam ajang “SCTV Music Awards 2007″ di Balai Sidang Jakarta (JHCC), Ungu mendapat 4 kemenangan. Album SurgaMu yang diproduseri Trinity/Prosound membawa Ungu menjadi penerima penghargaan ‘Album Religi’, ‘Lagu Paling Ngetop’ dan ‘Video Klip Paling Ngetop’ untuk lagu “Andai Kutahu”. Sedangkan Melayang dengan lagu andalan “Tercipta Untukmu” memenangkan kategori ‘Album Pop Rock Duo/Grup’.

Ungu kembali merilis album reguler keempatnya bertajuk Untukmu Selamanya. Album ini di-launching di empat negara sekaligus, yaitu 9 Agustus 2007 di Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 10 Agustus 2007 di Singapura, 12 Agustus 2007 Hongkong dan puncaknya 15 Agustus 2007 di Jakarta, Indonesia. Lagu andalan dalam album ini antara lain, “Kekasih Gelapku”, “Cinta dalam Hati”, “Apalah Arti Cinta” dan “Ijinkan Aku”.

Menyambut Ramadhan 1428 H, Ungu merilis album religi lagi yang berbentuk mini album bertajuk Para Pencari-Mu. Dalam album ini Ungu berkolaborasi dengan ustad Jeffry Al Buchori.[13] Album ini hanya berisi lima lagu, yaitu “Para PencariMu”, “Sembah Sujudku”, “Surga Hati”, “Sesungguhnya”, dan “Tuhanku”. Sebelum mini album ini dirilis, tiga dari lima lagu telah terpilih sebagai soundtrack sinetron religi yang tayang selama Bulan Ramadhan.

Ungu kembali meraih penghargaan untuk kategori ‘Band Ngetop’ di ajang SCTV Awards 2007, yang berlangsung di JCC Senayan Jakarta, Jumat, 24 Agusutus 2007. Dalam ajang itu, Ungu berhasil menyisihkan grup band lainnya, seperti Ada Band, Peterpan, Radja, dan pendatang baru yang mendadak populer, Kangen Band. Pada tahun 2007, Ungu bersama Samsons dan Naff, dijuluki ‘The Rising Star’ band oleh penyelenggara konser musik akbar Soundrenaline, A Mild Live Productions dan Deteksi Productions, juga oleh raksasa label rekaman Musica Studio.

Kasus

Ketenaran, selain membawa penggemar yang banyak, juga menimbulkan dampak negatif. Seringkali konser Ungu ‘memakan’ korban. Saat konser di Mojokerto, Jawa Timur, 30 Maret 2006, puluhan wanita pingsan. Sembilan bulan kemudian, tepatnya 19 Desember 2006, konser “Popcoholic with Ungu” di Stadion Widya Mandala Krida, Kedungwuni, Pekalongan berakhir dengan kericuhan yang mengakibatkan 10 orang meninggal dunia dan enam lainnya luka serius karena terinjak-injak dan kekurangan oksigen ketika puluhan ribu orang berdesakan keluar usai menyaksikan konser mereka.

Dibawah ini video  salah satu lagu   dr album mereka untuk selamanya  yang berjudul” waktu yang dinanti”

[Via http://iswandi023ip1.wordpress.com]

the morning benders - BIG ECHO (Review)

Just stumbled on this album which won’t drop on March 9, 2010.
the morning benders is a indie pop/rock band from Berkeley, California.
The members consist of:

• Chris Chu
• Jon Chu
• Julian Harmon
• Tim Or

Listening to the whole album, very blown away on how great this album is.
Full of great indie pop/rock with a bit of that Beach Boys sound.
Not sure if one track “Cold War (Nice Clean Fight) if they were being political and being anti-war.

From what I read on how they made this album.
It took them eleven days to make this album with Chris Chu and Chris Taylor of Grizzly Bears producing it.
With ten tracks, it wants you leaving more.
Best tracks:

• Excuses

Video by Yours Truly
• Promises
• Cold War (Nice Clean Fight)
• Hand Me Downs
• Mason Jars
• All Day Daylight
• Stitches
• Sleeping In

The band will be making a stop in Canada.
The dates are:
April 14, 2010 – The Drake Hotel – Toronto
April 15, 2010 – La Sala Rossa – Montreal

[Via http://mwmusic.wordpress.com]

ALBUM REVIEW: Erik Hassle - Pieces

Regular visitors to my blog will know that I have been championing the up-and-coming Swedish talent Erik Hassle for an awful long time now, and so I am delighted that his debut album, Pieces, has finally been released here in the UK!

As usual, I have compiled a song-by-song album ‘review’ / set of quick notes taken whilst I was listening through:

Bump In The Road

My absolute favourite Hassle song – loved it since first hearing it last year! One of my stand-out songs of 2009.

Hurtful

His first widely promoted single in the UK – unfortunately this track came in at a rather disappointing #59 in the UK charts, which I really think doesn’t do it justice! He’s been doing even more promo since then, so hopefully his next single will fare better!

Don’t Bring Flowers

Another favourite of mine, a funky baseline to it and a little bit Calvin Harris-esque in vocal, though with an over-familiar sounding synth sample (Hurtful anyone?).

Isn’t It Obvious

A nice little song with some awesome sweet/tender lyrics – but as is always the case, an album track I think.
The Thanks I Get

Piano track (I love a prominent piano!), very stripped back song, another nice album track. A little strange… it seems to be a rather bitter-sweet lyric, but there’s never the ‘explosion’ of emotion/music that I as a listener really wanted.
Standing Where You Left Me

I love the synths on this track – it has me wanting to dance from the outset. Edgier vocal, anthemic chorus – potential single?

Bitter End

(sorry, no YouTube!)

Nice ‘laid-back’ sounding track, I really like the sound of the bridge on the track.

First Time

This is a rather catchy song, another potential single I think. I love the guitar riff and the lyrics are rather sensual – ha!

Love Me To Pieces

Not too sure on this track, it seems to go off to one side, and then go off to another – quite a disruptive listening experience. Kudos for the (albeit brief) prominent violin notes about half way in!

Wanna Be Loved

A great 80s synth-pop sound to the verses of this track, and a nice simple catchy little chorus.

Back to Bed

Another guitar track that gives a fairly jarred listening experience, especially with the timing being a little strange on the track, but I think it’ll grow on me.

Amelia

Raw guitar track – love it a lot!! Really showcases his voice well.

All in all, I thought that this was a rather good first album (with Bump In The Road being the stand-out track). I hope that he is able to garner a lot more success as his career progresses – this chap is clearly very talented and it would be a travesty if he wasn’t able to break through into the UK charts and achieve some recognisable success!

For those who would like to have a proper listen to the album before purchasing a copy, it has just been made available to all membership tiers on Spotify.

Also well worth a visit is Erik’s official website -  especially as he’s quite ‘hands on’ with the online community/fan base.

[Via http://garidavies.me.uk]

The Asteroid Galaxy Tour tastes like candy

More than an indie pop band. There’s an essence of nostalgic folk – somehow – mixed in with the electronics and the horns.

 Maybe that’s the draw … or maybe, it’s just gotta be sugary sometime.

[Via http://modplexi.wordpress.com]

your document

Recently, my homeboy Dave (aka. D-Hurt, aka. fuck-you-and-yo’-city) loaned me a CD by Korean musician Han Hee Jeong, Vol. 1: your document, and I peeped it right away. Though it was nothing outside of this world, it grabbed me right away because she has a very mellow but moving voice and creates a good atmosphere in her songs with
varied instrumentation.

Sometimes she flirts closely to a mainstream sound in certain sections, but in general it’s pretty fresh. The instrumentation itself isn’t wholly amazing (i was dying for an electric guitar solo in some places, but that’s just me), it’s very atmospheric and at least not typical. It’s really her melodies that make her work exciting, though. They move around in all the right places and are catchy too, even when slow and soothing.

Here is a song off the album. I couldn’t find my favorite because i don’t know how to type out the Korean but this will do as an introduction to anyone else:

I was a bit surprised about the style of music, I had thought i’d be something else judging by the cover, but she’s a serious musician. I always also surprised to find out that she wrote, arranged, and produced the album. I’m not sure if she couldn’t get a legit producer, but i’m a little dubious about people producing their own albums sometimes (unless the record label is offering you some mainstream hack that will limit you), but she did a good job over-all.

[Via http://crowconscious.wordpress.com]

Faith

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[Via http://ifiprupi.wordpress.com]

2010 Grammy Awards Performances

So of course we had to pay tribute to the remarkable artist and entertainer, Michael Jackson. Whether he was disliked or loved.. his message was simple: Spread Love. Producer, Ken Ehrlich told ET’s Kevin Frazier,

“The people that we picked to perform this 3D version of ‘Earth Song’ are the people that I really feel Michael would have wanted to be there — Celine Dion, who was always one of Michael’s favorites. Carrie Underwood, who we talked about the night that I met with him. Usher, who we know he loved. Smokey Robinson, his mentor. And Jennifer Hudson, who performed at the memorial service that we did, but was also someone that Michael really admired a lot.”

Lady Gaga with her heel-less heels and outrageous wardrobe presents “Pokerface” with a following performance with Elton John. This chick stands out for sure with her many many outfits… but the world loves her music regardless.

And finally, Beyonce. {smile} I thought her performance was amazing… a little bit too much at the end with the head banging lol.. but awesome nevertheless. She really put her all into this one and it was probably one of her best live performances in her career thus far. Check it out.. if you missed it.

[Via http://mymuzblog.wordpress.com]

The NBT Review 50

With The Eye Of A Skeptic… – Bill Price (Grass Magoops Records)

This is old time Country dance, girl boy harmonies against a roots rocking band led by the jubilant skitter of the Cittern (a sort of large bodied mandolin.) This is not all though; this is the personal political, the thoughtful, the wishful, the dreamer making songs, the watcher singing.

We hear about the Junkman who learns about life in the bits and pieces he collects, the secrets we throw away without even knowing it. We debate within a blues swing room about the soul of modern art then to the strains of a lilting lullaby like tune we are taken flying.

In his dreams, in this flight years roll by jumbled, villains are given the chance to be heroes , history is scrambled and re-sighed re-written hope is rescued from the cynic’s prison.

Price may see these things, these choices, with the eye of a skeptic, but his belief in good, in the right decisions maybe being made, the fact that the future is really fragile and can be broken into something beautiful is what makes this collection a gift.

In the song ‘’Foot In The Dirt’’ the simple act, the lucid description of how it feels..Just to cast away the heavy of the day and ..Walk, touches this listener because that escape has often been MY escape too.

So jump slow and jump calm into these songs and stories, get caught up in the seemingly effortless virtuoso playing of all involved and welcome this gentle raconteur into your home.

http://www.billprice.info

Analog Love – Cassis and the Sympathies (Wunderblumenmusik)

Benign, serene coming down from the clouds willfully we slow dive into Analog Love, a neon lit lounge, default setting on sultry, though  soon enough we allow the lady to take our hand and dance us into a wide open cinema land.

This is new wave old romantic, ambient, impulsive, addictive, a darker Julee Cruise, a content Nico, still slightly dangerous, a sweetly lethal bubblegum, deep blue tripping over the rhythm disguised as sighs.

There is that skewed perspective that Lydia Lunch gave on Queen Of Siam, though this time the chanteuse is backed by a mixture of Yello and seemingly old time wicked jazz musicians playing for their souls.

In these songs disturbing desire is just, always JUST,  a finger click away. These are invitations to a languid version of Hell, an acceptably edgy version of Heaven. Piano and Accordion entice and bewitch in the guise of slick warped ballads, tears and escape, they urge us to close our eyes and

Sink.

A cool journey away from the modern normal.

http://www.cassisvision.com/

Hear Tracks from BOTH these albums on the NBT Podcast going out on the 23rd Feb 2010

http://nextbigthing.libsyn.com/

[Via http://nbtmusic.wordpress.com]

Don't Judge

It’s late… I just worked until 1 am and now I have to study for my exam tomorrow morning so maybe I’m not thinking straight but…..  I think I’m gonna post the new Justin Bieber song.  Off of his next release, My World 2.0 is ‘Pick Me’.  This song has a real nice beat  (thank you SoundZ) that I think is what makes me like it so much, but I can’t deny this kid can sing as well, so the vocals aren’t half bad as well.  Enjoy!

Pick Me

[Via http://a2unes.wordpress.com]

Music Monday on Tuesday -- Crash Kings

Three guys + bass + keyboard + drums = rock band? I know, I was skeptical too. I mean, who has ever heard of a rock band without a guitar? (I know my music savvy readers will correct me.) But after a day of solid listening I’ve been made a believer. Apparently some kickass bass playing, strong drum beats, and a non-sissy keyboard does make a pretty cool rock band. Who knew?!

Crash Kings is made up of two brothers, Tony (keyboard/vocals) and Mike (bass) Beliveau and Jason Morris (drums). And apparently a band involving brothers includes a TON of chemistry and really is a lot like Oasis part deux or 75, because these guys do fight, like good siblings should. Although from what I’ve read, they’re not punching each other in the face, so that’s a major bonus or not, I guess it all depends on how bloodthirsty you are. I get all my fight needs met by watching hockey, so… Moving on….

According to drummer Jason Morris:

Brothers have a much closer relationship and are much quicker to fight than strangers or friends who get into a room together to make music. At the same time things move faster because brothers tend to think similarly and ideas get out more quickly.

Of course, if you have siblings, you can relate.

The group formed in 2006 and was discovered by Linda Perry who met Tony while he was working at a restaurant and happened to be waiting on Perry. She signed them to her label, Custard Records, shortly afterward. She hooked them up with Universal Motown and from there they went on to work with producer Dave Sardy, who produced their self-titled debut album, which was released in May last year. They then went on tour with Chris Cornell. They’ve also toured with a wide array of artists ranging from David Cook, Mason Jennings, and Stone Temple Pilots.

I spent a good deal of time trying to classify the sound of this band, and I can’t quite pin point it. Dave Sardy was quoted as saying, “The Crash Kings are the missing link between Queen and Rage Against the Machine.” I’m not sure I totally agree with that, but I guess I don’t disagree either. Although I don’t really see any sort of connection to be made between Queen and Rage Against the Machine, but perhaps that’s just me.

Whatever category you place this trio in, I can guarantee that there won’t be another group that sounds like this. The music alone is wonderfully orchestrated. You don’t even miss the guitar when you’re listening. In fact, there were a few times I swear I heard a guitar, but upon further research I learned that the group uses various tools to add a TON of necessary fullness to their tracks.

With tube overdrive and multiple amps Mike’s bass brings heaviness to the band’s sound. On top of that Tony plays a clavinet (a keyboard with guitar strings), which has been customized with a large whammy bar allowing him to bend notes like a guitar producing an entirely new sound.

The sound of the album varies quite a bit throughout the album. Again, maybe it’s just me. There were a few times where I was faced with the feeling that I’d heard the music before, perhaps in my past life, that I have yet to prove I didn’t live. But then I’m hit with a feeling of newness that makes me like the group even more. I’ve been dealing with a lot of that “Gahhh, kids these days just can’t make good music to save their trendy little souls!!!!” (I’m an old 28…so I can say that.) So when I heard Crash Kings I think a little part of me regained some hope that new music can exist, not just the same old crap re-branded.

Another reason to like these guys, the name of their band, “I came up with the name because we are all very absent minded and accident prone which makes for great Rock and Roll,” says Mike. I KNEW I should have focused my accident prone nature into something productive, you know, like music! If that’s what it takes to make great rock and roll, then I could be the greatest artist ever in the history of music!! (just kidding, talent is a pretty vital too.)

Now onto the good stuff…my favorite songs!!

Mountain Man – This is song has that bit of an edge that I would expect to hear from a rock band. It was also one that struck me with a vague feeling of familiarity, and after the 7th or 8th time I’m thinking I get a little hint of Jack White in the vocals. Or some Josh Todd, from BuckCherry? Either way, it’s a great tune, the bass really carries the tune, and again, you don’t even miss the guitar.

It’s Only Wednesday – I can’t figure out why this song sounds familiar, but I like it. It’s catchy, the keyboard is wonderful, and it has a relatively simple yet thoughtful arrangement. The “faux-guitar”/uber-distorted bass(?) toward the end of the song is just awesome and adds a “rock” feeling to an otherwise pretty poppy song.

14 Arms – Another one of my favorites. I spend most of the time listening to this song trying to dissect the different elements in the song, mostly trying to separate the bass from that pseudo-guitar sound, but I think my ears are broken. The only thing I dislike about this song is that horrible “screaming/singing”, it’s not easy on the ears and actually makes me cringe a little, thankfully it’s not throughout the entire song.

You Got Me – An edgy song that tends to get caught in that place in your brain that loves a good melody. The lyrics are a bit on the “hmmm…” side, but aside from that, the arrangement is composed pretty well, and there parts in the song, like the chorus, when you can really hear the 3 basic elements combine perfectly yet it doesn’t feel stripped down and empty.

My Love – This song gives me flashbacks to listening to The Beatles or Elton John, I can’t quite describe it, but there’s something there…HELP! Either way, it’s a great little song, and I love the keyboard sound driving it forward with the steady march of the drum following close behind.

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On a completely unrelated note: I’m apparently still not back to 100% as far as normal brain function is concerned. (Yeah, that’s what I’m going with, doctors say everything is fine, but it shouldn’t be THIS hard to think. Seriously.) So, sorry my posts aren’t as awesomely awesome as my posts usually are. (hahaha) One of these days I’ll be back in fighting form and kick this blog’s ass like I used to, like that one week back in October. (lol) Thanks for reading, you guys are awesome!

[Via http://randomlycandice.wordpress.com]

SNEAK PEAK OF RIHANNA'S NEW VIDEO "RUDE BOY"

Rihanna has vivid new images in her new video “Rude Boy” and you can get the sneak peak here.  These are all shot in front of a green screen so who knows what the final shots will look like but things look crazy right now.

Looks like Def Jam is pushing this video real hard.  Will be interesting to see how this video turns out.

[Via http://lifepulseblog.com]

Hot Chip - One Life Stand

Themes of marriage and commitment work surprisingly well in music that isn’t rock. In “My Love”, Justin Timberlake asks if his girl would “date him on the regular” and refers to a “ring” that “represents his heart”, over one of the finest R&B tracks in living memory. More recently, Beyonc used “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)” to implore young men to make that commitment, in order to prevent the pains of post-breakup jealousy. Conversely, in rock music, similar subjects all-too often fall flat and limp and mawkish. It’s little wonder some of my favourite music is so dark, because an awful lot of empowering music is unavoidably dull and derivative.

Hot Chip fall neatly into this marital R&B turf, boasting an array of catchy hooks and melodies that would function just as well were they not to be serviced by an arsenal of squelching synths and chart-reflecting beats. Their music veers exceptionally close to soul, and also to the old-school songwriting of Robert Wyatt and Paul McCartney, albeit with a modern instrumental bent. Following the everything-and-the-kitchen-sink approach taken on 2008’s Made In The Dark, the band has toured relentlessly, refocused, and emerged with a triumphantly mature new record, entitled One Life Stand. No more a bachelor, and now encumbered by the responsibilities of fatherhood, frontman Alexis Taylor has helped forge an album that is considerably more pruned down, and lacking the quirky excesses that previously plagued some of their weaker material.

One Life Stand is… solid. In places, as on the New Order-ish opener, “Thieves In The Night”, it is inspired. Elsewhere, it sees the band knuckle down and write richly melodic and warming songs about the joys of companionship and brotherhood. The album’s opening quartet of songs recall various eras of dance music – synth pop, disco, house, piano-stomping Motown. To the band’s credit, it never sounds too well-trodden, and, in the title track, they re-earn the truly great electro-pop crown previously bestowed upon “Ready For The Floor” and “Over And Over”.

Then, the band tones thing down for a middle section that some will find… slushy (sorry!), but other will cherish for its broad and smile-inducing balladry. Of particular interest is the afore-referenced “Slush”, which emerges from a bizarre vocal warm-up exercise and takes a while to get going. But when it does, it is properly good, and fashioned from a very McCartney II-esque mould. Four minutes in, a beautifully subtle brass arrangement combines with almost tear-jerking steel drum, creating a final two-and-half minutes of downbeat, melancholy yet utterly compelling music which defies genre. As the song is swallowed up by a foetal fog of atmosphere dust, you would be a cold-hearted creature not to be touched by it in some way.

The final three tracks see a return to Hot Chip’s preoccupation with electronic music. “We Have Love” is shadowy and danceable, and unfolds like a less crazy version of the last album’s “Don’t Dance”; “Keep Quiet” is sinister and rides along vaguely tropical percussion and synth glows that would not have gone amiss on the Fever Ray album. Finally, we are left with the triumphant house of “Take It In”, which performs the band’s great trick of shifting suddenly from a faintly worrying minor-key verse to an anthemic major-key chorus, with precision-honed perfection.

One Life Stand will probably bore a lot of listeners. It doesn’t radically alter the landscape of quasi-dance music; it doesn’t permit the band to indulge in their more insane electronic compositions. Instead, favouring a more subtle strategy of writing more-than-competent pop songs, the band’s new focus and concision pays great dividends. Never messy or sprawling, One Life Stand is a well-sequenced work that never outstays its welcome, and I think Hot Chip have finally created an album-lover’s album.

[Via http://mymuzblog.wordpress.com]

The NBT Review 48

Some Moths Drink The Tears Of Elephants – Boister (Piano Parasite Productions)

Ah this delightful disturbance, this redemption in the darkness. Do you know how ghostly carnival lights seem, from a distance, on a rainy night? This is the soundtrack to that feeling.

Produced by legendary maverick/storyteller Jim Dickinson, who once channeled the sweet twilight of Big Star into something eternal, this collection, seems to be ancient Pop, perhaps even tomorrow’s Americana, Though with wonderful contradiction,  there is a fragmented European soul breathing between the lines too.

It starts with a languid gasp perhaps sigh , definite slow motion thoughts catching up to the moment, the music subtly builds, the room the picture fills with detail, the story unfolds ragged yet elegant. Funeral music that makes you feel very much alive.

Then a lullaby morphs into a sly grin take on Brecht, the band swaggers, the curtains, windows, thrown open onto a vibrant street gathering, a party full of tension.

Then a drum thing that seems to be slowed fractured down sympathy for the devil grooving into horns and guitar, washing up against the vocals, then without noticing we have slid into a perfect rock song sway, a gift with gentle hooks that we will be humming months from now.

These are tunes that are built fragile, crafted intricate standing there, the title track: quick take a snapshot before it all falls down, but it never falls down, no matter how harsh the rhythms that swirl around it, rudely affectionate.

Then the weirdest thing: I hear the east, the far east, not east America, but also: I hear almost a ska thing going, I hear the islands, come on dance and Thank You.

Then invited into this strange tent at this strange market, we shiver into an exotic fumbling before the band throws another cruel ballad or three our way, and as they are wrapped in the most beautiful melodies, we catch them easy, we are captured easier.

Layered and complex, yet never contrived this is a near perfect release.

http://www.boister.net

Catch tunes from this release on the NBT Podcast going out on the 23rd Feb 2010

http://nextbigthing.libsyn.com/

[Via http://mymuzblog.wordpress.com]

Conrad Murray Will Surrender Voluntarily Monday Morning.

Okay now Enough Is ENOUGH. He Killed Michael Jackson; He Knows It, We ALL Know It! So WHY The Hell Are The Authorities Playing With This Fool? All week  Michael Jackson’s personal physician, Conrad Murray, was said to be turning himself in. Now they’re saying he will walk into court on his own free will Monday and face the judge after being charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of the King Of Pop. Word on the Blok is that counsel for Murray spoke by phone with members of the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office this morning and the D.A. agreed Dr. Murray could surrender without being arrested. Unless the LAPD intervenes on its own and hooks Dr. Murray up, word is he’ll show up in court with a bail bondsman on Monday. Also, word is the recommended bail will be $25,000, which will be posted on the spot. The arraignment will take place at 1:30 PM on Monday.

The judge will order Dr. Murray to go to an LAPD station for booking. It’s unclear how long Murray will have to appear at the station.

-”The BklynBandette.” Mr. Hollywood’s Co-Defendant.

[Via http://heavenhollywood.wordpress.com]

Vlad Tepes Presents: Excerpts from Songs that I Have Horribly Corrupted

1. Blasphemous Rumours by Depeche Mode

I don’t want to start any blasphemous rumours

But I think on his balls that God has a tumour

And when I die, I expect to find him nutless

2. Take a Dump on Me by Abba

This may sound absurd

but if you have spare turds

Won’t you set them free

Take a dump on me

Stand above my back

Open up your crack

On the count of three

Take a dump on me

3. Han Solo by Def Leppard

I got to feel it in my butt, whoa-oh

I need your Jubba, don’t need your Hutt, whoa-oh

And I want

And I need

And I lust

Han Solo

4. Africa by Toto ( I am surely going to hell for this one and the first one)

Can’t believe what I did that night

Guess I should have stuck to ritual masturbation

Two wrongs never made a right

Still I think I’ll spread my wealth across the nation

But I won’t go without a fight, hurry boy, death’s wating there for you…

CHORUS: Gonna take a lot to get me away from you

Not something specialists could ever do

I got the AIDS down in Africa

Gonna take my time to spread this great and deadly pla-ayyyyyy-ayy-ague oooh-oooh

5. Don’t You Urinate on Me by Simple Minds

Will you stand above me

Whip out your golden shower rod

And rain keeps falling, rain keeps falling…down down down down

Sailing on the Yellow Sea

Call my name as we sword fight

And rain keeps falling, rain keeps falling…down down down down

[Via http://vladsprincipality.wordpress.com]

The Underground Lady [Page Twenty-Nine]

No one needs most of what we refer to as pop culture.  When we talk about consumerism being the production and sale of unecessary things, this is one of the things we mean.

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Necessity does not preclude the charming.  But most people’s sense of what is charming has been perverted and degraded—this, too, explains what we mean by taste.

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“Vulgarity is the only sin,” says Jouhandeau.  And he was immunized against it by excessive vice.

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Individuation requires intercourse with the Demon—and the Demon is never too simple.

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One cannot be blatantly subtle.  There is no such thing.

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It is more effective, in the end, to be intelligent rather than blunt, oblique rather than direct, opaque rather than transparent.  Intelligence usually wins out in a contest, the oblique phrase is better crafted than the straight-on one, and opacity is not so much a choice as a mode of survival.  Besides, the search for transparency quickly becomes a game in “eternal regression.”  What is finally transparent always escapes just over the horizon.

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The reader can change my words if he wants, and reuse the ideas, so long as the events, the movements, of thought here, remain the same.

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Philosophy is still not sufficiently modern.  Literature got there ahead of it.  This is why Deleuze, for instance, writes about literature in such a rapturous, and sometimes undeserved, tone.  He is pleading for a particular canon (a non-canonical one), and he really does believe in it.  (See his essays in Dialogues with Claire Parnet for example.)  Philosophy’s perpetual lagging behind art also plays a large role in his rejection of the history of philosophy.  If philosophy were more contemporary, like literature—more of  the contemporary scene, and thereby both more insightful about it, and more useful as a corrective against it—then he could have kept it.  Instead he jettisoned the history of philosophy pretty much wholesale.  And rightly so.  Still, he often gets literature wrong, especially when it comes to American writers.  Like Foucault, he is really unfamiliar with America and tends to idealize.

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One can only take so much prissiness in literature, and then it’s time to call in the vultures and jackals.  I mean the critics of course.

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Modernity in writing scares all upper-crust types, because it implies the end of rarefied language as a status identifier.

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Urbanity gets tiresome.  And then the danger of accepting the rube for the genius sets in.

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Modern literature should always be plain.  Beckett is the plainest of all modern writers.  He uses small words, always, and never gestures to his literary pedigree.  If he has influences, they are unimportant.

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From the photographs of him, one can see that Beckett had the hands of a farmer.  They were great hands, thin, but strong, and peculiarly large.

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**

Robbe-Grillet had this to say about Beckett’s characters:

“Murphy, Molloy, Malone, Mahood, Worm—the hero of Beckett’s narratives deteriorates from book to book, and faster and faster.  Feeble, but still capable of traveling on a bicycle, he rapidly loses the use of his limbs, one after the other; no longer able even to drag himself along, he then finds himself imprisoned in a room, in which his senses gradually abandon him.  The room, shrinking, is soon reduced to a simple jar in which a rotting and obviously mute trunk ultimately falls apart altogether.  At the end there remains no more than this: ‘the shape of an egg and the consistency of glue.’  …  …all these creatures which have paraded past us served only to deceive us; they occupied the sentences of the novel in place of the ineffable being who still refuses to appear there, the man incapable of recuperating his own existence, the one who never manages to be present.”**

This is our condition—diminishing, and at the same time, invisible to each other, to ourselves.

**

**

The Underground Lady says: I do not crave the company of simpler types, but rather the friendship of the country-person who has come to the city and been ruined by it.  Almost. 

_____________________

** Alain Robbe-Grillet in For a New Novel (tranlated by Richard Howard).

“

[Via http://theothergardener.wordpress.com]

Timbaland In Hot Pursuit Of LV In Las Vegas.

Rock stars are used to getting things their way, but it didn’t happen for Timbaland Saturday night, when he arrived in Vegas to perform at Haze nightclub at the Aria. After jetting in from LA, the Grammy winner was disappointed to see the new Louis Vuitton store on the strip was closed, and sent aides searching for a manager who would open the shop for him ahead of his show. “They were calling everyone as if they were handling a national emergency,” said a spy. But the effort failed and he had to wear a sweater from his suitcase for his show, watched by a crowd including Eliza Dushku and retired basketball player Rick Fox.

-”The BklynBandette.” Mr. Hollywood’s Co-Defendant.

[Via http://heavenhollywood.wordpress.com]

Number 787 - Eagle Eye Cherry

Excerpt ~ Def 1000 songs: “The son of legendary jazz trumpeter Don and the brother of proto-alternative singer Neneh, Eagle-Eye Cherry has obviously been affected by music ever since his childhood. Growing up in Sweden and later New York (and often touring with his father), he played drums and attended the School of Performing Arts in Manhattan. Despite a growing interest in theatre, he began writing songs in 1994 and performed in a band for awhile. Signed to Sony’s Work Records in early 1996, Cherry spent two years readying his album bow, Desireless. His half-sisters Neneh Cherry and Titiyo are also successful musicians, and his step-brother Will Marsden is a successful under-21 British tennis player” …… m0re

Need more information on the song “Save Tonight“? Here are some SongFacts for you to ponder over! Click here > Fact Stuff

Official Website for Eagle Eye Cherry @ This addy & for other Information/Biography click this link > Here ~ crowbarred [because power is knowledge]

Number 787 – Eagle Eye Cherry – 1998 – SWE – Genre: Pop – Play Song – Vote 4 Eagle Eye!

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[Via http://mymuzblog.wordpress.com]

Good Old War - Only Way To Be Alone

Alot of people call this folk music but I don’t really want to. More harmony pop than folk really. Good Old War hark back to times when it was cool to play in a band with two acoustic guitars and a drummer while all of you would sing in perfect three part harmony with one another. Despite the sad tales on this record there are some very upbeat and fun tracks, in fact the whole album is extremely catchy in a Beatles/Beach Boys kind of sense – so if you’re looking for something to instantly grab your ear and you know you will enjoy then give this a go.

[Via http://wtyf.wordpress.com]