6 May 2016 - The Darling Buds - Tiny Machine

Dear Andrea Lewis,

I see that your little band did some one-off shows in 2014 and 2015. I even saw some video from those shows.  You've lost nothing - none of your zip, none of your talent, none of your excitement.  I thoroughly enjoyed every song

I had, of course, hoped that you would all see my posts, and see that I was trying to rally support for an international holiday commemorating your band's three fantastic albums.  I wasn't really ALL that hopeful that I would be successful.   But my posts have been popular.  You still have fans - fans who miss you.  You proved that you still have the talent you always did.

So, please.  Don't make this one-off.  Make this a permanent reformation.  You won't be sorry.  We will keep Darling Buds Day going.

Best regards
Wicked Guilty Pleasures.

1 March 2016 - Iggy Azalea - Bounce

I was thinking today that it had been too long since we had a little Iggy action.  So let's go ahead and fix that right now.

The video may be a Bollywood homage, but the song is all about shaking it, breaking it, and making it bounce.  Enjoy!

15 February 2016 - Monster Magnet - Negasontic Teenage Warhead

Did you see the Deadpool movie this weekend?

No.  I didn't.  But those who did know why I am posting this, without reading on.  But you will read on, because I am about to drop knowledge.

2 February 2016 - Tinashe - 2 On

My assertion is that Tinashe is the future of R&B.   She's got the right attitude for it, she's got a great voice for it, and she's got the perfect mind to craft a solid classic song.

Take this one.  Her performance in this song and video (mostly the backlighting)  has been compared to the great Aaliyah.  At such a young age, she has perfectly captured a song that will stay with you for years.  More impressive, it's a song that would live just fine a capella - the musical backing is sparse at best, and yet the song appears deep on the strength of her vocal.

28 January 2016 - Selena Gomez - Same Old Love

Do you know how hard it is not to type "feat. Charli XCX" on this?

You aren't imagining things.  That's her, on the chorus, uncredited.  It's obvious.  Some critics have even been critical of it, calling it a Sucker outtake (which may or may not be true). 

It's also the rawest song Selena Gomez has ever sung, and it shows real musical maturity.  I, for one, am proud of her growth as an artist.  The song, as performed, isn't catchy because some hip songwriting Brit decided to allow her backing vocal to remain on the final cut.  It's catchy because it's expertly delivered by Selena Gomez.

27 January 2016 - Elle King - Ex's and Oh's & Kocaine Karolina

I assume that, if you are reading this, you are probably not a first-time reader of this blog.  If you are, catch up.  I'll wait.

Now that you are a long-time reader, you cannot be possibly surprised I am going to like a throw-back, big-female-vocal, straight-ahead pop song like this. I'm not saying I like every huge female vocal ever, but Elle King just looks like she's having so much fun with this.

Let's not even get into the fact that she's Rob Schneider's daughter (her mother is model London King).  I could go on for days on that one.



I'd like to add that I am very happy to see a young singer/songwriter who is getting heavy pop radio rotation not afraid to play a guitar. We need to see more of that!



But what I really made you scroll down for was to see her play a banjo. And also to see that she's been around awhile.  Overnight sensations don't always happen overnight.  And yes, this song feels a lot more country (the banjo might have something to do with that), but that's part of the appeal of Elle King - she's a versatile artist with a depth of influence.

11 January 2016 - David Bowie - China Girl

I couldn't NOT pay tribute to the great David Bowie.  And, normally, I would have called for a guilt-free edition, but by not doing so, I can share with you....

This is the first David Bowie song I remember hearing.  The original video and song use imagery that is of another time period.  There's no doubt about that.  And yet, it's still a deep, dark, and compelling song, just like everything else the man did in his career. 

The original video was so borderline offensive, I cannot find it.  But here is the song.