19 August 2013 - Robin Thicke (featuring T.I. and Pharrell - Blurred Lines

FINALLY!

THE POST YOU'VE BEEN WAITING FOR!!!!!

OK, OK, OK..... that may have been a little bit of an exaggeration.  However, this is one of the most requested songs we've ever had.  And, to be fair, it took awhile to grow on me, even though I was already a fan of Alan's son - this is his third appearance on this blog (here as a tandem with Walter Murphy, and here as 1/2 of a surprisingly compelling duet with a Gossip Girl star).

But this song - there's something about it.  It's paced differently than a typical pop song.  It's much sparser than a song you'd expect to hear on pop radio.  Lyrically, it's racy - some have called it slightly rape-y - and pushes the limits of what one might expect to hear on the radio.

Of course, the song famously has two videos, one of which is marginally safe for work (and the other which is completely NSFW, but look after the jump for that one).



Interesting side note: despite my earlier statements about the originality of the work..... Robin Thicke and his people are suing Marvin Gaye's estate and the rightsholders of Funkadelic songs.... because those parties are both claiming that this song ripped them off.  The case was filed to preempt a potential copyright claim.  In my opinion, this song - the Marvin Gaye song "Got To Give It Up (Part 1)" has a similar, but not nearly identical, sound.   "Blurred Lines" is evocative without completely lifting the tune.

16 August 2013 - Charli XCX - What I Like

This post is 100% pandering.

You see, THIS POST is the 2nd biggest one we've ever had.... by far.  And if you want my opinion, it's for good reason - Charli XCX is a fantastic talent.  If the year were to end today, her True Romance album would be my hands-down pick for Album of the Year.  I honestly think she's going to get some Grammy love for her hand in writing "I Love It (I Don't Care)."

But let's talk about this video.  It feels a little gratuitously jailbait-y to me.  The song is actually quite a sweet love song, and more mature than a woman who JUST turned 21 two weeks ago (and therefore, this one was written when she was in her teens) should be writing.  But this video.... I feel like I shouldn't be watching this....

15 August 2013 - David J - I'll Be Your Chauffeur

Well here's a song that I haven't thought about in very LONG time. I'll Be Your Chauffeur by David J (Love & Rockets and Bauhaus) was the lead single of his third solo album Songs For Another Season, which I probably still have on tape somewhere in my basement. I'm not sure if this was a popular thought back in the day, but I actually preferred David's solo work to his Love & Rockets/Bauhaus cohort Daniel Ash. But then again, neither compared to Peter Murphy's (Bauhaus) solo work.

14 August 2013 - Miley Cyrus - We Can't Stop

Scott told me yesterday that he was waiting for my post about this song. Well, here it is.

This is quite possibly the most disturbing video I've ever seen.  I mean, what's up with the french fry skull? And the giant stuffed bears? Making out with the giant Barbie doll in the pool?  Eating dollar bills? Cutting off fingers and bleeding Pepto Bismol? All that damn twerking? Pick your favorite disturbing imagery, I guess.

Now, close your eyes and just listen to the song.  The song - which is pretty clearly a party anthem - isn't really all that far off lyrically from her Hannah Montana days (albeit a little more hedonistic).  But the performance is mature and passionate and subtle.  Little Miley has truly grown up, and it's not a bad thing.



Even more disturbing?  The Director's Cut! Well, really, it's just different disturbing stuff..... It's a slightly different mix of the song.  I mean, I don't really see how it's a director's cut, but hey!  It's just Miley being Miley.



OK, if you really can't get past the video.... here's a live performance.  Trust me.  It's a solid song.

13 August 2013 - Men At Work - Down Under

It's a shame bands today don't make goofy videos like they did in the 80s (work with me here and pretend Toby Keith's Red Solo Cup video never happened). Don't get me wrong, Men At Work had some great songs, but I seriously doubt they would have been as huge as they were if it wasn't for their off-the-wall kookiness in their videos.

12 August 2013 - Missing Persons - Destination Unknown

Little known fact: even though MTV played their videos a lot - including the one we're featuring today - Missing Persons never had a Top 40 hit in the US.  This song made it to #42 on the Billboard Hot 100, but wasn't a big hit.

And yet, their songs and videos endure.  Everyone remembers Dale Bozzio's fishbowl bra.  But this keyboard/drum driven sound, complemented with Dale's quirky, emotive vocal, draws me in every time, more so than her boobs under clear acrylic.



They're back together, too.  And Dale - who co-wrote the song - calls it one of her favorites.   Mine, too, Dale.  Mine, too.

8 August 2013 - Electronic - Feel Every Beat

It’s kind of hard to believe that a band featuring members of New Order, The Smiths and the Pet Shop Boys could be considered a guilty pleasure, but here we are. I actually liked Electronic back in the day, but their debut album sounds really dated in 2013, especially on the songs that New Order’s Bernard Sumner “raps.” I thought that kind of thing was sort of cool at the time, but now . . . eh, not so much. Anyway, it’s still fun to check out those tunes again. Here’s the video for Feel Every Beat.