9 August 2019 - Billie Eilish - bad guy

And now for something completely different.

So far, I don't know a lot about Billie Eilish, but what I've heard is cool and different than anything else on radio.... and SHE'S GETTING PLAYED ON RADIO and hitting the top of the charts (this was a #2 Billboard hit).  And, except when her nose is bleeding, it looks like she's having fun here.

The song itself is pretty dark and strong, even though it sounds pretty chill.  For 17, she shows a lot of maturity, and I appreciate that.  Now, let's see what's next.

5 June 2019 - Pointer Sisters - Slow Hand

This song was a pretty big ballad hit in 1981 for the Pointer Sisters, with an appropriate-for-the-time country crossover twinge.  It peaked at #2 on the Billboard Charts because it ran into the juggernaut that was "Endless Love", but it was a huge hit for the year and a Grammy-nominated song.

As far as delivery, Anita Pointer takes the lead on this one, and I think that was the right choice with Ruth and June (yeah, they're actually sisters named Pointer) harmonizing.



Now, head over to Totally Covered and see what Conway Twitty has to say about this. 

4 June 2019 - Missing Persons - Walking In LA

Missing Persons is a personification of everything that was right about the 1980's.

The combination of Dale Bozzio's outlandish clothing that always seemed to include clear acrylics, everyone's over-done hair, and themes that no one outside their community would care about (also, I'm sure people walk in LA) was excellent for the early Reagan years.  That's not an insult - they are fun and exciting, and came around at the right time in history....

.... for which we can thank Frank Zappa, as several of these members, including Dale Bozzio, were previously and in the future in Zappa's band, with Dale playing a significant role on the classic Joe's Garage.

 

And yes, she did, at least in name, inspire a character on iZombie

.@RobThomas isn't the only 1 sharing a name with a star singer. Meet Dale Bozzio from missing persons. #iZombie pic.twitter.com/gO2oUjnxY9

— iZombie Writers Room (@iZombieWriters) October 28, 2015

3 June 2019 - Paris Hilton - I Need You

Nothing would make me happier than to not love this song.

It's freaking Paris Hilton, and while I have a lot of respect for her, and not just for "Stars are Blind", but for what she's accomplished by making herself a brand, I wouldn't have called her a musician.  The woman is much smarter than the character she plays on The Simple Life.

This song might have changed my mind on the musician part.  She's brought an old-time doo-wop feel to this song, and she executed it perfectly.  Lyrically.... well, it was released on Valentine's Day 2018, so it's perfect for that!

31 May 2019 - HyunA Feat. 정일훈 - 잘나가서 그래

"Good To Go"?
"I'm A God Girl"?
"Roll Deep"?

It doesn't really matter.  It's a boastful song from Korean pop royalty.   This song was left out of last year's K-Pop week, because 1. we had already overrepresented the glorious HyunA and 2. we couldn't figure out the title. 

We think it's "Good To Go" for the record.  Google Translate says it's "I'm Good To Go" which also works. 

HyunA's guest star is from the Korean pop group BtoB, making this a K-Pop Extravaganza.

6 May 2019 - The Darling Buds - It's All Up To You

You know, the Darling Buds weren't THAT prolific.

And yet we're in our EIGHTH year posting their music, in which we have seen old classics and new favorites.  This one is a 2:22 power pop wonder from their debut album.  The song is thirty years old (!) but it still sounds as fresh as yesterday.

Will we be doing this next year?  DOUBTLESS!

24 April 2019 - Folk Implosion - Natural One

Chances are, if you watched MTV in the 1990s, you know this song well.  But you might not know about what Folk Implosion actually was.

The Folk Implosion was a side project from a band called Sebadoh, itself formed when founder Lou Barlow couldn't get his prior band, Dinosaur Jr., to record his songs.   This particular side project was very different - more folky - than Sebadoh.  And it was obscure.

Until a movie named Kids came out, and Lou Barlow was commissioned to build a soundtrack, dominated by Folk Implosion and Sebadoh. The movie itself was controversial - an NC-17 affair that made the Weinsteins a fair bit of money - and so got a fair bit of attention. This song got into MTV heavy rotation, which propelled this obscure little project form Amherst, MA into the Billboard Top 30. 

It was well deserved.  The song is catchy and you're singing it to yourself now.