People get ready

Dammit. Every body wants to have fun tonight. All the bars are jacking up their prices. Hotels have these big meal tickets. Well, I'm not gonna fight you party people. I'm gonna find a niche and drink lots of champagne with you. In fact, I'll even throw you a bomb song to get your night kicked off. Be safe and have a haaaappy new yearrrrr! See you on the other side.

(My 1st) Big Break - Cut Chemist

The job's a game!

something something helps the medicine go down....oh yes, a spoonful of sugar. That's the ticket! I scored major today with a huge stack of perfect condition vinyls from my Aunt and Uncle. Bless their hearts. Right now I'm listening to an original pressing of Mary Poppins. I am one lucky lady. Clean that room, Julie Andrews, cause it's a jolly holiday. :: Obviously Honorable Mention::

Lon Gisland

A band called Beirut has an EP called Lon Gisland, a song about Italian postcards and frequently, French lyrics. Is it clear they get around? Good. You can hear it in their music regardless with lots of Eastern European horns and French accordions. Below is the song of the day, Scenic World (they seem to have seen a lot of it).

The Fever

That's right, I'm talking about Disco Fever. You Should Be Dancing is not my philosophy for life, but the Bee Gees make me want to believe it should be. I can't recall when three brothers were more fly. Hey Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb, were the 70's one wild party or what? Disco disco. Disco disco disco.

heart's the bitter buffalo

Heart Cooks Brain - Modest Mouse. Excellent lyrics and song title. From their amazing (and I think best) album The Lonesome Crowded West. Don't let Isaac Brock's bad-ass brooding bring you down too much. 

musics

Two songs for ya's today. Rebellion (Lies) by Arcade Fire is the sweeping second to last track from their first album Funeral ([!]they finally re-renter the studio again next year).

Second we have Sir Richard Bishop's Morella, the last track on 1998's Salvaor Kali (released on John Fahey's label). Morella is also the name of a creepy short story by Edgar Allen Poe about the black arts and immortality. The song bears some resembling tones.

Fun Old Fashioned Family Christmas

hey Bruce Haack- thanks for the christmas music. careful, if you stare at this fireplace too long it starts to look menacing.

I wanna know if you can get to that?

The holidayz are here. This song is completely unrelated, but I suppose it's my way of saying, "let the fun[k] begin!"

What Would DEVO do?

Does it get any better than Devo? Sometimes I don't think so. From the 1978, Brian Eno produced album Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!, I give you: Shrivel-Up (the closing track). Now, Devo named themselves after the concept of devolution (the idea that humankind is not evolving and progressing, but actually de-volving [and slipping into a chasm of emptiness & dysfunction]), so these are some contemplative individuals. They made music echoing how they saw the world with "rigid, mechanical, jerky robotic rhythms." I deeply respect when an artist can do that. Is there anything more impressive? Let's hear it for atonal melodies!

Goat fools

Okay, The Mountain Goats: a task I have put off until today. I am still forming my opinion about the goat boys (who were originally 3, lead by John Darnielle) from North Carolina, but so far so good. John's voice is a little annoying at first, however it's quickly growing on me. They are mostly simple songs and they have great lyrics. So if you don't like lyrics in your music, turn the page. I'm gonna suggest two songs because I'm very generous and quite handy with a computamador. So check out This Year and Love Love Love. Overall, I find them to be rather splendid (somewhere in the vein of a more jovial Jeff Mangum). 

Mr. Charles Darwin had the gall to ask

I had such a lovely weekend that I've completely neglected my blog friend (I love you, blog friend). SOoooo, hmm, hmm, what shall it be? A twofer, naturally. I'm going with R.E.M. for the night is winding down. Here are the songs: Catapult and Man on the Moon. These goodies are turning into oldies. Weird. Alright then, Happy Holidays!

/ \ / \ / \ / \ / \ /

Punk/Pop? That's a contradiction. I've noticed music is beginning to straddle lots of these lines lately. Electro/Pop, Indie/Rock, Folk/Blues, etc., are all ways to remain "unclassifiable." But sometimes I just want to say TAKE A STAND! PICK A SIDE! In all fairness, I guess they just don't want their creativity smashed. Seems like many musicians want to break out with music so transformative that people will make up a new genre for it like braintastic, eccentricianist, or curmudgeon. And that's why I like this guy NOSAJ THING. I think his music is Dubopolis. And he's taking his own beated path, if you will. Check out as much of his music as you please, especially the song Fog. It's a dubstep away from complete and total awesomeness. Trancey, ambient, hip-hopish. Way to push the boundaries...or the, uh, slash.

To Authenticity

I feel exhilarated after a wonderful day with a lovely friend. This song just came up on my shuffle and it captures the leisurely, romanticized feeling I'm latching onto right now. I'll be dawdling around my room with my records for the rest of the night. I can only hope you're doing the same, dear friend. Here is Mantovani's Charmaine.

My Soul Oh Oh Oh

It's about time I pull the Led out. I'm not a cheesy radio personality, I swear, I just love me some Led Zeppelin. D'yer Mak'er is a personal favorite from House of the Holy.  Apparently it's some kind of Jamaican throwback, so that's fun. But the song originally caught my attention because of its unusual punctuation. Huzzah! Long Live Zep!!

Joie de vivre

Charles Trenet was one of the few in the 1930's writing and singing his own music. So it's true, the French are always one step ahead. Naturally WWII had an impact on Trenet as he was forced to live in barracks when Germany invaded France because he was thought to be a Jew. After the war he moved to America befriending folks like Louis Armstrong and Charlie Chaplin. Even still, he rigorously performed his own music and now he is an immortal legend. Here is his most famous song La Mer (Beyond the Sea as recorded by Bobby Darin several years later) and for the hell of it, his original rendition of Tiger Rag. The Crème de la crème.

Let fall the pieces

This is some pretty folk rock if I ever did hear it. Ruby by Utah Carol comes from their 2007 record Rodeo Queen. The group is a husband & wife duo from the Windy City and they still make lazy folk songs that feel like you're wrapped inside a big warm blanket. 

Sinatra Sunday

I give you, The Voice- Mr. Frank Sinatra. Because this is a song-a-day blog and because I missed yesterday, you get two fine tunes by Only the Lonely. You're welcome. [How Little It Matters] How Little We Know is the first song and it is without the original outtake at the beginning where Frank jovially pounds the mic calling for the bartender and later says, "You can't cheat with notes, got to sing 'em." Limited findings on the internet, my friends. And the other Frank song is one of the saddest you'll ever here: Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry. The voice, the voice, I can't say enough about the voice. Cheers to Old Blue Eyes.

1970

Draggin' the Line - is this a song about drug use? I'm suspicious. I suppose the only ones who know for sure are Tommy James and The Shondells. One critic appropriately called it a "lazy, hypnotic shuffle," and I believe that critic was right. I can't help but sway along to that groovy bass. Whatever it's about, I dig it. And hey, it's Friday, so enjoy another narcotized number by the same group- Crimson & Clover.

THE KING

It's Now or Never by Elvis Presley may be one of my favorite songs of all time. Who can sing like Elvis? NOBODY. I would love to throw an elvis party and wear gold lamae all night. Maybe I don't need to throw an Elvis party, maybe I should just do it. Story has it Elvis first heard this song while stationed in Germany in the 50's, only he heard the spanish version (O Sole Mio). Upon being discharged, he came home and had english lyrics written for him. Nice choice, Elvis.

Cerronade Me

Thank you, Cliff Weber, for introducing Cerrone The Disco God to me and my ears. Below is my crucial song of the day- Take Me.

In memory

I don't know what more I can say about John Lennon because my heart overflows with love when there is even the slightest mention of him. Even today, the day he was murdered, the joy overwhelms the sorrow. There's nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be. His memory and destiny are sealed in the most positive of ways, and the man lived unapologetically by his own standards. I will learn from him always. Rest in Peace John Winston Ono Lennon. Real Love