You know the tune.
The theme from Twin Peaks.
You know Twin Peaks is now back, on Showtime.
You might know the song, and most of the rest of the haunting soundtrack, was written and performed by Angelo Badalamenti.
You might not know that the theme song has lyrics, and that Julee Cruise, Badalamenti's muse at the time, did the singing. You might recognize her as the roadhouse singer on Twin Peaks (she will be reprising the role in the revival).
The song itself, with lyrics, is haunting and somewhat sad. And Cruise delivers it flawlessly, with a tremendous vocal range.
Of course, when you sing such an iconic song, you have to sing it again....
....and again....
...and again. Oops. Sorry. This is an appearance she made with the B-52s when she stood in for Cindy Wilson.
I know you didn't really recognize the song with vocals, so here is the instrumental version that serves as the theme from Twin Peaks.
22 May 2017
05 May 2017
5 May 2017 - The Darling Buds - Evergreen
Darling Buds Day is on Saturday this year. So I'm observing it a day early, but it is taking a lot of restraint to wait THAT long. With one pause, we've been doing Darling Buds Day on this blog every year. It started accidentally. And, famously, I begged Andrea Lewis, their lead vocalist, to stay together last year after they did a few reunion shows.
My begging worked.
THIS IS NEW MATERIAL.
And, just like I said, they haven't lost their edge. They're still excellent.
My begging worked.
THIS IS NEW MATERIAL.
And, just like I said, they haven't lost their edge. They're still excellent.
25 April 2017
25 April 2017 - Fleetwood Mac - Tusk
If you know me even a little bit, chances are I've tried to get you to watch the television show The Americans. For those unaware of this show (currently in its fifth season, Tuesdays at 10pm on FX), it stars the long-underrated Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys as a couple living in Northern Virginia who happen to be Soviet spies in the early 1980's.
Seriously, the best show on television.
Seriously, the best show on television.
19 April 2017
19 April 2017 - Kiesza - Hideaway
Visually, I am a fan of one-take videos, and this is one of them. It's more impressive that Kiesza is doing all this dancing and moving and the manhandling she gets at 3:40... with a very recently broken rib. When she's hailing that cab at the end of the video, she is GENUINELY exhausted.
But this isn't strictly a video blog. It's a blog about musical pleasure, and this song delivers. It's a bright, emotional throwback to a sound not heard in 20 years - something not entirely out of place in a dance club in 1993. A tribute to a simpler time, it doesn't have a letdown throughout. Enjoy this treasure, because music like this isn't common anymore.
But this isn't strictly a video blog. It's a blog about musical pleasure, and this song delivers. It's a bright, emotional throwback to a sound not heard in 20 years - something not entirely out of place in a dance club in 1993. A tribute to a simpler time, it doesn't have a letdown throughout. Enjoy this treasure, because music like this isn't common anymore.
14 April 2017
14 April 2017 - Lone Justice - Ways To Be Wicked
This song popped up on a Spotify playlist of mine, and it had been a long, long time since I had heard it.
16 March 2017
16 March 2017 - Lush - De-Luxe
I wasn't sure how to handle this song. It's damn near one of my favorite songs of all time.
So I thought I'd handle it in chronological order.
Lush released an EP called Mad Love in early 1990. It was never released in the US, although this song was released to US radio, and its UK video was released and shown on MTV. Note that it is a very low-fi affair, and that's just charming.
Fast forward to late 1990, which is the difference between high school Tony and college Tony. 4AD Records got smart, compiled all those British EPs by Lush into a full album, and released them to the US and Japan. Called Gala, it wasn't a huge hit, but was well-received.
And with it came a re-release of De-Luxe and a much higher fidelity video. Because, let's face it, you get a much better look at Miki Berenyi in this video, and US labels sell the pretty girl a lot more. Still, it's a visually interesting video.
So I thought I'd handle it in chronological order.
Lush released an EP called Mad Love in early 1990. It was never released in the US, although this song was released to US radio, and its UK video was released and shown on MTV. Note that it is a very low-fi affair, and that's just charming.
Fast forward to late 1990, which is the difference between high school Tony and college Tony. 4AD Records got smart, compiled all those British EPs by Lush into a full album, and released them to the US and Japan. Called Gala, it wasn't a huge hit, but was well-received.
And with it came a re-release of De-Luxe and a much higher fidelity video. Because, let's face it, you get a much better look at Miki Berenyi in this video, and US labels sell the pretty girl a lot more. Still, it's a visually interesting video.
03 March 2017
3 March 2017 - Lorde - Green Light
Finally!
Lorde releases a new song!
Sorry. I get a little excited about things like this. I've literally been waiting for four years! But with such a thoughtful artist, who has also been hanging out with Taylor Swift (which, to be honest, shows in this video), doing music for the Hunger Games movies, and collaborating with many artists, it stands to reason that we'd be waiting.
And it's a thoughtful, emotional song - perhaps the most complex one of hers to date - co-written by her and Jack Antonoff (of fun.). I'm not going to put any more glowing words around this. Just listen and enjoy it.
Lorde releases a new song!
Sorry. I get a little excited about things like this. I've literally been waiting for four years! But with such a thoughtful artist, who has also been hanging out with Taylor Swift (which, to be honest, shows in this video), doing music for the Hunger Games movies, and collaborating with many artists, it stands to reason that we'd be waiting.
And it's a thoughtful, emotional song - perhaps the most complex one of hers to date - co-written by her and Jack Antonoff (of fun.). I'm not going to put any more glowing words around this. Just listen and enjoy it.
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