31 October 2012 (part 2) - Concrete Blonde - Bloodletting

Concrete Blonde might be the most underrated cheesy band of all time. (Discuss.)  Born from the ashes of Dream 6, they released several albums but only had one hit.

I've always loved Johnette Napolitano's gravely voice, and it sounds extra creepy on this song, a tribute to author Anne Rice.  It's not my favorite song of theirs, but it's one of them - this isn't the last you'll see of these guys on here - and it's appropriate for today!

31 October 2012 - Ministry - Everyday is Halloween

Happy Halloween, everyone!  We'll have multiple posts throughout the day, celebrating the day in song.

There's no better way to start the day than this early Ministry tune.  Later music by Alain Jourgenen's industrial project would be much harder edged than this early, 808-influenced song, but we still hear echoes of dark themes here.    Sure, the song sounds like it was largely composed on a Casio keyboard, but it's still aurally interesting, especially given Ministry's later history.

The video is fan-made and not for the squeamish.

30 October 2012 - Spacehog - In The Meantime

Had to scrap the post I painstakingly pre-wrote yesterday as none of it thankfully turned out to be true. So instead, here's Spacehog and their hit single from 1995.

29 October 2012 - The Carpenters - Rainy Days and Mondays

In the threat of Hurricane Sandy, is this a little bit of a cruel joke of a song choice?  Yes.  Yes it is.

But c'mon - face it.  It's a nice song.  Talented drummer Karen Carpenter pulls out her big vocals for this song, a classic from the early 1970's, a song that grows in intensity as it wears on.  I was never a huge fan of The Carpenters, but this song is one of their best.

26 October 2012 - The Firm - Radioactive

When I was a wee lad in the mid 80's, this was a minor MTV hit song.  At the time, I was really into what would later be called "alternative" music.

A supergroup featuring members of Led Zeppelin, Uriah Heap, Manfred Mann and Bad Company did not fit into those musical tastes.  And yet, this song had powerful vocals, a great jangling guitar hook, and a fantastic baseline.  All in all, it was - and is - a really cool song, no matter which rock dinosaurs might be performing it.

So, now, enjoy your dinosaurs of rock supergroup.

 

25 October 2012 - Adam & The Ants - Ant Rap

I can't even imagine the massive amounts of drugs that were consumed in the story conception and production of this video. I'd try to analyze it to make some jokes, but my head's still spinning after two views. See for yourself. And if you can make any sense of what's going on, please clue me in.

24 October 2012 - Kanye West - Golddigger (ft. Jamie Foxx) / Stronger

Scott, imma let you finish, but this is one of the best videos of all time.

In all seriousness, Kanye West might be a gigantic jackass, but he makes some catchy, compelling music.  This song is really sparse musically - a little horn, mostly heavy bass and drum - but combines the hip-hop rap style of Kanye with the soulfulness of Jamie Foxx's voice.  It's a nearly perfect song.



Kanye has a tendency to make perfect songs.  This one, a tribute to his bravado, is far less sparse, and still, despite the fact that he's a complete jackass lyrically, is brilliantly catchy.  Lyrically, it's cocky, but any song that can make an Apollonia reference is OK with me.