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.

18 October 2012 - Kajagoogoo - Too Shy

It's 80s Thursday!!! We're going do something a little different today. Here are 10 thoughts I had while watching this video:

1. Is there anything more 80s than Kajagoogoo?
2. Who does your hair and who are you wearing?
3. There was someone in 1983 who considered Kajagoogoo to be the greatest band in the world.
4. That person probably had at least two posters of the band on their bedroom wall.
5. That person was not me.
6. Am I the only one confused by the premise of this video?
7. Can I actually have 10 thoughts in 3:42 minutes?
8. These guys likely had groupies. A ton of them. (Gnaw on that one for a bit)
9. Should I make veggie tacos for lunch?
10. Thank god it's over.

17 October 2012 - Ana Tijoux - 1977 / Julieta Venegas feat. Ana Tijoux - Eres Para Mí

Ana Tijoux is perhaps the best-known hip-hop artist from Chile. Of Chilean ancestry, she was born in France, because her parents lived in exile during the oppressive reign of Augusto Pinochet, arguably one of the worst dictators to ever walk this planet.

This song in particular, and the album (of the same name) that it is from, is both an homage to old school hip-hop and an autobiography of Ana's life.  It's a bit on the slow tip, and adopts horns alongside the beats, but it still has an early rap feel, both in cadence and subject matter.

Plus, this song got the endorsement of Thom Yorke, so it must be good.



Fans of the AMC show Breaking Bad have already heard this tune...... For the record, I think it was used well here.

UPDATE: Something happened to the video from Breaking Bad, so here's a video of Ana performing the song live instead.  It's really sparse in parts but shows her skills.

 Ana Tijoux - real name Anita - wasn't really Ana Tijoux, but Anita Tijoux of Makiza, a Chilean hip hop group.  That changed when she teamed up with Mexican superstar Julieta Venegas for this tune. The pop style of Venegas matched well with the hip hop of Tijoux, and raised the star value of both artists.


We've now mentioned Julieta Venegas twice this week, the first time over here. Don't think we didn't notice. Come back on Friday if you would like to hear Part III.

16 October 2012 - Wheatus - Teenage Dirtbag

1999-2001 was a pretty dark time for alternative rock radio (it's only starting to recover in the last few years). While it's easy (and fun) to blame it all on the rise of Neu Metal, that wasn't the death-knell entirely. The airwaves were also flooded with a crap-load of cookie-cutter one-hit wonder bands that mostly sounded the same (many of which were quite forgettable). Not to solely pick on Wheatus (there were plenty of others), but without looking it up, name another song by them. Yeah, I can't do it either, and I actually owned their record (past-tense). That said, there was a reason why I owned this record. The song's a ton of fun and besides...I'm an Iron Maiden fan...baby.

15 October 2012 - Nelly Furtado feat. Mala Rodríguez - Bajo Otra Luz

That's right.  Nelly Furtado has done stuff besides "I'm Like A Bird" and "Promiscuous".

Nelly Furtado, in 2010, released an album entirely in Spanish.  Normally, she writes all her own stuff, or at least co-writes it.  This song, however, was not written by Nelly at all.  Rather, it was largely written by Mexican pop star Julietta Venegas, with Mala Rodríguez writing her part of the tune.   The combination of the voice of Furtado and the hip-hop of La Mala make for an interesting combination that I am sure you'll be humming for the rest of the day.

You might notice that the two ladies billed on this tune appear in this video in many fun costumes.  That enough is worth the price of admission for me.  There is a 3rd voice in this song who you don't see.  Julieta Venegas was featured vocally, but not in the video because of her pregnancy.

Long time readers of this blog will know that I think everything Mala Rodríguez touches is pure gold. I can't overstate that enough.

Here are La Nelly and La Mala at the Latin Grammys, performing this song live.  It sounds completely different and less sparse. Also, even though it is billed as her song, Nelly knows that that this audience knows Mala Rodríguez a whole lot better than her, and defers more to her in the chorus