Sure, everyone loved "Royals". I loved "Royals". I still do love "Royals".
"Team" is not "Royals", but it's still a really good song, cut from the same working-class New Zealand cloth lyrically. Musically, this is a far more upbeat tune, clearly showing Lorde's American hip-hop influence. This is a dense song, with an a capella portion at the beginning.
However, in this live performance, you can see it's just keyboard and drums backing Lorde. In other words, in all this density, the song and the sound are still sparse, carried almost completely by Lorde's voice.
I think this is what fascinates me about Lorde the most - her sound is, at its core, so sparse, and yet she finds a way to bring a lot of depth to it, without a lot of instruments or guitar solos.
26 March 2014
25 March 2014
25 March 2014 - Kate Bush - Wuthering Heights
Sports-related depression is a real, but mostly stupid thing. In that same respect, I'm a real, but mostly stupid person. I can relate. Not to go into the brutal details of Saturday night (suffice to say if you know me, you know what game tore my heart out) I found myself drinking beers and watching old alternative music videos on YouTube to cheer me up. Music saves.
After a steady stream of Belly and Velocity Girl videos I somehow ended up watching a bunch of Kate Bush videos. Let me start by saying I adore Kate Bush. Such a unique singer and songwriter. BUUUUUUUT (that'd be a big but), her videos are so unintentionally funny. I sent Tony a message the moment my eyes peeped the over-dramatic interpretive dancing for the Wuthering Heights video (always one of my favorite songs by her) which read: "Kinda drunk so it's up to you to remind me to post Kate Bush Wuthering Heights video on WGP. LMAO. Great song, the video . . ." To which he replied: "The video is epic." I knew I was on to something.
He never did remind me so I guess I was in better shape than I thought. Anyway, something tells me this won't be the last epic interpretive dance-laden Kate Bush video that I post here (there are some doozies out there). But for now let's enjoy the video for her first single from 1978.
After a steady stream of Belly and Velocity Girl videos I somehow ended up watching a bunch of Kate Bush videos. Let me start by saying I adore Kate Bush. Such a unique singer and songwriter. BUUUUUUUT (that'd be a big but), her videos are so unintentionally funny. I sent Tony a message the moment my eyes peeped the over-dramatic interpretive dancing for the Wuthering Heights video (always one of my favorite songs by her) which read: "Kinda drunk so it's up to you to remind me to post Kate Bush Wuthering Heights video on WGP. LMAO. Great song, the video . . ." To which he replied: "The video is epic." I knew I was on to something.
He never did remind me so I guess I was in better shape than I thought. Anyway, something tells me this won't be the last epic interpretive dance-laden Kate Bush video that I post here (there are some doozies out there). But for now let's enjoy the video for her first single from 1978.
24 March 2014
24 March 2014 - Pitbull (ft. Kesha) - Timber
Pitbull has a signature sound. A lot of people think all of his song sound the same. I disagree completely, but that's not important, really.
So Pitbull decided to include elements that were not generally part of his signature sound. For example, that's not a sampled harmonica sound. It is in the style of the band War, but it is not Lee Oskar - the harmonica player for War - but a session player who is clearly familiar with the style.
Now, of course, Pitbull still sounds like Pitbull, and he does collaborate with another (female) artist, as he is known to do. The resulting sound keeps Pitbull's Latin dance/hip-hop feel, but adds a little country feel, from the surprising source of Kesha.
Oh. Yeah. While we're on the subject. Kesha. Not Ke$ha. Her choice. She's growing up.
Anyway, I tried to hate this song - as I do with most Pitbull music - but, once again, I just couldn't. It's creative and interesting.
The two of them recently performed this song, which spent 3 weeks at #1 in the US, on the American Music Awards broadcast. I even think it sounds like they are singing it live! At any rate, the live performance shows the energy that both Pitbull and Kesha bring to their art.
Yes. I called it art. Don't hate.
So Pitbull decided to include elements that were not generally part of his signature sound. For example, that's not a sampled harmonica sound. It is in the style of the band War, but it is not Lee Oskar - the harmonica player for War - but a session player who is clearly familiar with the style.
Now, of course, Pitbull still sounds like Pitbull, and he does collaborate with another (female) artist, as he is known to do. The resulting sound keeps Pitbull's Latin dance/hip-hop feel, but adds a little country feel, from the surprising source of Kesha.
Oh. Yeah. While we're on the subject. Kesha. Not Ke$ha. Her choice. She's growing up.
Anyway, I tried to hate this song - as I do with most Pitbull music - but, once again, I just couldn't. It's creative and interesting.
The two of them recently performed this song, which spent 3 weeks at #1 in the US, on the American Music Awards broadcast. I even think it sounds like they are singing it live! At any rate, the live performance shows the energy that both Pitbull and Kesha bring to their art.
Yes. I called it art. Don't hate.
21 March 2014
21 March 2014 - Gerry Rafferty - Baker Street
The late 1970s and early 1980s were a great time for saxophone solos. The greatest of all came in Gerry Rafferty's masterpiece. At its core, this song is a simple jazz piece with folk undertones, but its iconic saxophone solos make it a classic of modern music. Even when it was new. The song peaked at #2 in the US and was a hit worldwide.
The sax riff itself was played by a musician named Raphael Ravenscroft. To this day, it's out of tune to his ear - it's flatter than the rest of the song. Which isn't a surprise, since the intention wasn't for that to be a sax solo until Ravenscroft suggested it. And his tone was beautiful, even if his solo was flat.
Everyone else thinks it's the greatest sax solo ever performed, by the way.
I really can't think of any more to say about this song that hasn't already been said by the music.
(It's not like Scott has the market cornered on corny closing lines)
(except, if you think I'm kidding about the out-of-tune reference.....check at about the 2:00 mark for the details)
The sax riff itself was played by a musician named Raphael Ravenscroft. To this day, it's out of tune to his ear - it's flatter than the rest of the song. Which isn't a surprise, since the intention wasn't for that to be a sax solo until Ravenscroft suggested it. And his tone was beautiful, even if his solo was flat.
Everyone else thinks it's the greatest sax solo ever performed, by the way.
I really can't think of any more to say about this song that hasn't already been said by the music.
(It's not like Scott has the market cornered on corny closing lines)
(except, if you think I'm kidding about the out-of-tune reference.....check at about the 2:00 mark for the details)
20 March 2014
20 March 2014 - Madness - Our House
IT'S MARCH MADNESS BABY ! ! ! This is my favorite time of the year. Two weeks of yelling at the TV and screaming at the crumpled up piece of paper that was once a bracket with so much promise. I wouldn't miss it for the world (which is also why I have three TVs in my basement bar . . . the laptop will have the fourth game when such occurrences deem it necessary). So while I'll be watching the first few games today at my favorite saloon, most of the time I will be enjoying the Madness in Our House.
Please Note: I'd hate myself for that last line if it wasn't for the fact that it was the most clever sentence I've written here in months.
Please Note: I'd hate myself for that last line if it wasn't for the fact that it was the most clever sentence I've written here in months.
19 March 2014
19 March 2014 - Iggy Azalea feat. Charli XCX - Fancy
(Goddamn it, Tony, enough Charli XCX!!!!)
OK, but hear me out. Two young white non-American women have written and performed a song that has become a high-charting song on an American hip-hop chart! Co-written by Charlotte Aitchison and Amethyst Kelly - Charli and Iggy, respectively (why Amethyst Kelly needed to change her name to a different one for a stage name is beyond me. Amethyst Kelly would be a great stage name!) - the song is an ode to glam, the video a tribute to "Clueless".
But even this great, catchy, fun song wouldn't have been enough for me to ONCE AGAIN put Charli XCX on this blog - this is her 7th appearance - if not for Seth Meyers. He had both of them on Late Night this week. We'd love to have it here for you, but NBC isn't letting me post, so go here and see this really solid performance.
And, if you are too lazy to do that, watch their performance from SXSW. It's clearly Iggy's song - she's the one in the murda bizness - but she's also clearly gracious for Charli's appearance, who knows what she's doing.
(Update: 10 June 2014) - This song has been #1 for the last two weeks. And you knew so long ago. Congratulations for being in on the ground floor.
OK, but hear me out. Two young white non-American women have written and performed a song that has become a high-charting song on an American hip-hop chart! Co-written by Charlotte Aitchison and Amethyst Kelly - Charli and Iggy, respectively (why Amethyst Kelly needed to change her name to a different one for a stage name is beyond me. Amethyst Kelly would be a great stage name!) - the song is an ode to glam, the video a tribute to "Clueless".
But even this great, catchy, fun song wouldn't have been enough for me to ONCE AGAIN put Charli XCX on this blog - this is her 7th appearance - if not for Seth Meyers. He had both of them on Late Night this week. We'd love to have it here for you, but NBC isn't letting me post, so go here and see this really solid performance.
And, if you are too lazy to do that, watch their performance from SXSW. It's clearly Iggy's song - she's the one in the murda bizness - but she's also clearly gracious for Charli's appearance, who knows what she's doing.
(Update: 10 June 2014) - This song has been #1 for the last two weeks. And you knew so long ago. Congratulations for being in on the ground floor.
14 March 2014
14 March 2014 - Soul Coughing - Circles
I think anyone with a decent Internet connection and a passing knowledge of mathematics knows that today - 3.14 - is Pi Day.
But, have you ever stopped to think what pi - the number, not the letter in the Greek alphabet - really is? Well, this math major can tell you! Put simply, it's a constant number, equal to the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. A circle is a funny shape - every point on it is equidistant from the center, so a constant like this is possible.
And since we're talking about circles, I think it is appropriate to use the greatest song ever written about this cool shape!
But, have you ever stopped to think what pi - the number, not the letter in the Greek alphabet - really is? Well, this math major can tell you! Put simply, it's a constant number, equal to the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. A circle is a funny shape - every point on it is equidistant from the center, so a constant like this is possible.
And since we're talking about circles, I think it is appropriate to use the greatest song ever written about this cool shape!
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