Komeda - It's Alright Baby

One of my favourite pop songs ever, with one of my favourite lyrics ever: "...but sure that love existed long before the first word was pronounced."

Come back Komeda!!



Love.

Theoretical Girl

In honor of the beloved "Divided" being released on vinyl this month via Soft Power Recordings, I present you with a flurry of Theoretical Girl videos! AWESOMENESS!!!!






Oh, what the hell...and a Cut-Out Theoretical Girl picture!!







Love.

Dakar & Grinser - Stay With Me

On the way to work the other day, this song popped up on random and I still obsessed about this certain lyric I could never quite catch. Well now, thanks to youtube and the original mix (which I'd never heard), I finally got it! I love this song! Dakar and Grinser are a German duo of DJs (I believe) and they obviously make very interesting videos...

 

 

iamamiwhoami - y

iamamiwhoami! "y"! As per usual, AMAZING!

Darren Hanlon - All These Things

*CUTE OVERLOAD ALERT* Darren Hanlon is Australian. He writes precious folk-pop (for the most part) ditties. He has a handful of albums. His new album "I Will Love You at All" is set for release this week in his homeland (via Flippin Yeah Industries), and due out stateside in September (via Yep Roc).

He's quite the clever fellow, with plenty of wordplay to keep your mind aflutter. I've seen him open for The Magnetic Fields a couple times and even playing by himself, he's quite the pleasure. His first video off the album for the superb little duet "All These Things" is sheer bliss. I have not seen a video this cute or heartwarming in a very long time. I love everything about it, the song, the scenery, the super cute girl, the sentiment, etc etc etc. Behold the preciousness...

We Are the World - Fight Song

I do quite love creepy, demented videos especially when the music is so sinister like pretty much all of We Are the World's music. As the song reaches climax, the video shows some great, wild energy!!

Their debut album "Clay Stones" was released on Manimal Vinyl back in April. Pretty good stuff.

 

Paisley and Charlie

English duo Paisley and Charlie make such nice sophisticated pop music, very Saint Etienne if I do say so myself (and which I will likely get shot for saying, but whatever...lighten up people)! They have a more pop-pop bent with their original band Detox Cute & The Beauty Junkies but I must say I do quite prefer the smooth sounds of Paisley and Charlie. They have self-released two EPs already and both are gorgeous, "Bedsit Songs One" & "Bedsit Songs Two", which are both available for purchase directly from the band here. 

Here are a couple nice videos for you. 

First, "Stone Lions" takes me back to the early Saint Etienne videos...I especially love her hopscotch over those yummy vinyls! Scrumptious!

This second video weaves their song "My Secret Life" with a partial cover of Bronski Beat's "Smalltown Boy" together perfectly!

The Bronson Brothers

The Bronson Brothers are a delicious new band from Silkeborg, Denmark. Rather dark pop, I'll say in the vein of Echo & The Bunnymen. Their album "The Melody Bronson" (released February 2010) is full of hits and I suggest you check it out! I share with you their video for one of the album highlights "Mirror Mirror". Great song and great video...The moment in this video that starts at 2:18 is so perfectly done and really makes the video transcend! Enjoy!

Katsen - Where Nobody Can Find Us

One of my Top 10 Songs of 2009, I just had to share because it's still perfect!



love.

NEW iamamiwhoami

This may well be my favourite of their songs!!!

The Deserted Treasure Island Discs - Volume 1

This is the beginning of a new series I will attempt to incorporate into the blog where I talk about my 5-star, perfect, most-bestest-super-raddest-coolest-ever albums…These being the albums you’d find with me on my Deserted Treasure Island…aptly titled The Deserted Treasure Island Discs!!

It’s gay pride weekend here in LA and since this band is the only one to have TWO albums with me here on the island, first up we have…

“Erasure” by Erasure

This, to me, is their masterpiece. An album so completely put together, lyrically poignant, full of emotions in the words, vocals, music & even the artwork…Erasure at their finest.
The album tells a love story of sorts, songs full of self-realization, desire, confusion, devotion, loss, love’s discovery, heartbreak, spirituality…a lot of universal topics tackled in a very grand (and electronic) way. Note, there is only one song on this album that is under the 5 ½ minute mark, that being “Intro: Guess I’m Into Feeling”, obviously Track 1. And still, none of these songs seem to drag. The presentation makes each song so cohesive and necessary.
The album flows perfectly, each song blending into the next, genre hopping between what Erasure does best: dance pop, balladry, churchy hymnals, all held together through an electronic over-current.
Song-wise, it’s hard to separate and discuss the songs individually. There were two completely different “singles” taken from the album, the dance-pop “Fingers & Thumbs (Cold Summer’s Day)" and the epic 10-minute ballad “Rock Me Gently”, both fantastic in their own right, the latter having a full choir backing & a Diamanda Galas solo. If I had to pick an Erasure song as my personal favourite, I always jump to this album’s closer “A Long Goodbye”…it culminates so much of what has happened throughout the album, bringing it all to a fitting close. Here’s a sample of Andy’s fine lyrics from the closer:

“I just don’t know what to believe in, if the truth be known
Suffering from soul fatigue, weathering the storm
What we say and what we do are entirely different things
The whisperings dissolve the room well it’s not how it should be
Swaying like a tree I feel the sky somebody calling

You’re so ordinary, be my sanctuary in the morning darling
New sensation, love vibrations, heart to heart & a dumb goodbye
Then you go your way, I’ll go my way, life is truer than fiction in this
Crazy mixed up world of honey, life is just an illusion darling

Easy like a bird I ride the breeze my mind falling…”

~~~~~~~~~~~

I could go on and on with these quotes that make me tingle. The album is full of these beautiful, emotional moments…pretty much in every song. It's like we are getting these special glimpses into the life of these amazing subjects.
There is a very personal, autobiographical feel to these songs and I feel such a personal connection of my own…I have had my own similar storylines in life. Ultimately, that is why “Erasure” is joining me here on the island, so we can continue to get lost, discover, question, divide, become one, wonder, love and in the end, say goodbye.

Pearl Fiction - The Ruby Fever

Since I mentioned Zeigeist yesterday, it is only appropriate to follow up today with their delightful offspring Pearl Fiction who is in fact the lovely Per Störby (aka The Man Responsible for All of Zeigeist's Music). It's great to have him still making nice electropop for us all by his lonesome. The debut single "The Ruby Fever" was just released digitally this past Monday and here is the ummmm...strange video for the song. It's quite obvious this guy belonged with Zeigeist. Not sure what I think about the video yet, but I do know I quite enjoy the song! Sexy snails...that's all I'll say!

enjoy!!



Pearl Fiction's debut album is set for release sometime later this year. I've read October but hope for sooner. Now go buy "The Ruby Fever".

iamamiwhoami

Viral campaigns are usually filled with something horrible (see: Rick Rolling), but often we get something magical and fantastic and beautiful and superb and out of this world. Such is the case with iamamiwhoami, a currently anonymous music/video project which we've gotta be pretty certain is from Sweden! All signs are pointing to Jonna Lee for the female vocalist. They remind me (a little) of another Swedish band, the horribly missed Zeigeist, who also began their minor success through a mini-viral campaign.

This video for "u-2" is electronic pop at its finest:



And their latest "n" is just haunting and beautiful and WEIRD:



I LOVE!
(THANK YOU Mr. Steven for pointing me in their direction!)

Little Majorette

Kick ass song, kick ass song, that whistle doot doot doot doot is off da chain! Formed in Sweden, based in London...oh yes...heaven either way you look at it! I present, Little Majorette "Bite the Bullet"...let's dance!!

 

And here is a completely different, but still lovely sound in "London". A few remixes are available for free download at Discobelle. I highly recommend "Let's Get Drunk (Demure Remix)". Their "Bite the Bullet EP" is currently available only at Swedish iTunes, bleh...hopefully it finds its way out soon!

Sweet Pussy Pauline

A little over a year ago I fell madly in love with Sweet Pussy Pauline. She just came up on a random play of my library and I had to look up any videos. I found this remix/video mash-up on youtube and it's amazing. No clue where I can find this song but I want it! The photos/"Trick" footage used in the video make it so hilarious! Just listen to the amazingness that is Sweet Pussy Pauline... "How many of you out there got big ol' hateful anteaters? Let me hear ya scream! Woooo shit, that's what I'm looking for this evening... I put one leg on the microwave and the other one just across the blender, wooo shit, I didn't think I could take no more... this mothafucka started heating and mixing shit up in this pussy..." HAHAHAHAHA!! 

Brilliantly mashed/mixed/whatever with Madison Avenue's "Who the Hell Are You": Who the Hell is Sweet Pussy Pauline? (Nitrogen-E Mash Up)

Death and Vanilla

Hailing from my favourite musical country, Sweden (Malmö, more specifically), I give you Death and Vanilla. There isn't much info at all to be found on this group. I must say, the mystery suits the music well. They have a free "EP" available for download (provided below for your listening pleasure) and a pretty much blank myspace page. Their sound is hypnotic, druggy hazes of clouds & space and haunting mesmerizing magical puffs..."Ghosts in the Machine" is absolutely perfect. "Godspeed" is wonderfully creepy. "Run Rabbit Run" picks up the pace with a nice bass. "The Colour of Space" has a very Broadcast feel. All lovely, all recommended!

I discovered them through the rather ace BEKO Digital Single Label out of France, where Death and Vanilla has the proud honor of being beko_01! BEKO offers a new, free digital single EVERY Monday. There is some horrible stuff there, but also plenty of gems. Ask and I'll enlighten, or be like me: download the entire catalog and have fun with it! Yay!

Seeland

Land ahoy!! That's right, I Seeland! Brilliant space-age pop, as they like to call it, from a former Broadcast member and some guy from a band called Plone who I should probably look into. Oh this music is awesome. So space-age, so pop! I'm sad it's taken me over a year to discover this brilliance! I'm glad to see Tim ditched the Broadcast ship to make this! So much better than anything Broadcast is doing nowadays! (Sorry Broadcast, I'm still bitter about that 20+ minute experimental opening to your last show). "Tomorrow Today" is the album and you must get it, it's absolutely fantastic! I love the pop numbers, I love the mellow chill out ones too, I love the swank!

Sample away:

Turnaround

Captured

Hang on Lucifer


Plus a pretty video!

New Young Pony Club - We Want To

New single from New Young Pony Club! "We Want To" is certainly my favourite song off their new album "The Optimist" which was released everywhere last week. Further delving into cheesy 80s awesomeness, here's the video with an edited version of the song:

Chinawoman

Today I give you Chinawoman who vamps us into submission with her gorgeous torch ballads. Chinawoman is a mysterious Russian woman who lives in Canada. Yes, mysterious. Her real name is Michelle but I much prefer Chinawoman. She's got a new album out, "Show Me the Face" which I must say is one of my favourite albums of the year so far. It's a vast improvement over her debut "Party Girl" and sees Chinawoman's sound (mostly music-wise) evolving. There are more instruments and a much more diverse selection of musical styles. Like the artist herself, the music is very mysterious and drags you into its foggy, dark world. I personally can't help but become engrossed every time I play it. Through it all, her voice remains the focal point with its same deep self...I loooove her deeeeep voice. 

Sample away... 

Lovers Are Strangers (from Party Girl) 

Russian Ballerina (from Russian Ballerina EP)

Go & It's No Compliment (both from Show Me the Face) 

The fantastic video for "Lovers Are Strangers":

You can purchase all her releases digitally here: http://bazaar.chinawoman.ca "Party Girl" was also released on CD which you can buy at CDbaby. According to the Chinawoman herself, "Show Me the Face" should be seeing a physical release in the near future. Yay!

Hunx and His Punx

Today I present the very great Hunx & His Punx and three of his fantastic videos! Hunx is of Gravy Train!!!! fame. I have no clue if they're still together (BUT, you should watch a cheap unofficial video of their hit song "You Made Me Gay" here just to hear the awesomeness). No biggie because Hunx solo is what it's all about! An extra campy gay Ramones is my best description. His videos are hilarious and he's quite scrumptious himself. His 7" (though from what I've seen he's a tad bigger) singles have been compiled on the "Gay Singles" comp via True Panther Sounds. It's great fun!

"Gimmie Gimmie Back Your Love"


"Cruising"


"Teardrops on My Telephone"

In Honor of Love

Earlier today I was told that I should be thinking fondly of those that I have loved, and I was. But as I further thought about it, I realized that I needed to be a little constructive regarding this "love" or else nothing would come of it as my thoughts simply drifted off into mental space. So here I am, after taking a little emotional journey down lover's lane, ready to share with whomever reads this - a musical story of that oft clichéd "love of my life"...in honor of Valentine's Day, in honor of Love.

Those dearest to me all know who Johnny is and the role he played (and still plays) in my life. We spent over 5 years as best friends & as loves. While we ended our relationship long ago and both had new relationships come and go, I know that our love for each other never truly diminished. Johnny is taken from this world now but still lives on forever in my heart and in each of the songs I am about to share with you. Hopefully this offers a little insight into who we were then, who I am now, and how great love is when you find it.


They Might Be Giants - We've Got a World That Swings
Few people know this, but this was "our song". Through so much of our time together, we were so stuck in our own little world. We didn't care what was going on "out there". Of course, the world did still move and we were still thrust into it daily. This song always reminded us that while we couldn't leave the world and its demands completely, having each other at the end (and beginning) of each day made it all okay.
"Up at dawn and sleepy & yawning, still the taste of wine, then I remember you're mine and I've got a world that's fine...what's before me, routines that bore me, punch the clock at 8, but what a lucky guy I am, I've got a world that's great"

Gene - I Can't Help Myself
Just after we'd started our relationship, we'd be up all hours of the night. A couple of our friends, Claudia & Lorena, had a radio show in the middle of the night that we'd stay up and listen to. One night, we called in and requested to hear something by Gene. All the station had was one 7" and this is the song that the girls chose to play, the B-side, which we'd never heard. I'm not sure if the girls knew what they were doing, but it's a song about a love just beginning and it warmed our little hearts ever so.

Squirrel Nut Zippers - Meant to Be
One of our favourite bands and one of our favourite songs of theirs. I could go through the whole story of how we eventually met, but it's a very very long story...needless to say, that story just made it seem like fate that we'd one day meet and were truly "meant to be".

Sarah McLachlan - I Love You
Like all couples, fights develop over the simplest of things. One day, Johnny had a class and we were due to pick up an extra shift of volunteering at the LGBT center on campus. I usually dropped Johnny off at this class, but we were scrapped for time on this particular day so I couldn't and this of course made Johnny storm off mad. I had to storm off in the other direction so I wouldn't be late to volunteer. After his class, he rushed over to me at the LGBT center and quickly forced headphones into my ears and this is the song that played. "And I forgot, to tell you 'I love you'"...that's all he wanted me to hear at that point.

Echobelly - Worms and Angels
Echobelly is one of the rare, great finds I discovered randomly through BMG. When I got this CD, this particular song stood out as so amazing and special. I rushed into the room when Johnny was napping to tell him he had to hear this song immediately. We laid there together and both were swept away into this beautiful and serene picture painted by Sonia Aurora. Echobelly became one of Johnny's favourite bands and in our eventual break-up, their album "People Are Expensive" became my salvation.

Mama Cass Elliot - Dream a Little Dream of Me
Davis is a biking/walking town and we did a lot of that. Whenever we walked, we would hold hands...kinda scary but we were in love and thought nothing could harm us. But still, my hands would get especially clammy during the early days. One night while walking home, Johnny asked me to sing him something and I chose "Dream a Little Dream of Me", knowing his deep fondness for the song. Hand in hand, I went through the whole song, through to the final whistle. The clamminess seemed to be less of a problem after that moment. It's one of the fondest memories I have, and one we talked about often afterward.

Smoking Popes - Follow the Sound
I don't know how many people paid attention to Smoking Popes after their awesome song "Need You Around" but their third album "Destination Failure" is a fantastic power-pop joy. This song is the final song on the album and certainly the best in my opinion. Johnny and I often joked about the song but ultimately loved the message of having a particular sound that your love would use to beckon you in the afterlife. Not sure if we ever decided on a sound for ourselves, but the nice humming at the end of this track could do the trick.

Claude Debussy - Claire de Lune
I can't count all the times we'd fall asleep listening to this song. Is this the reason why Debussy is my favourite classical composer? I'm pretty certain it is. This song is insanely gorgeous.

The Aluminum Group - Star Wish
After we'd broken up for good and I forced myself to move on, Johnny would often cite this song. It was sad to hear but ultimately showed how much he still cared about me.
"I throw quarters, quarters in the fountain, with the hopes that one of them will work and you will change your mind and then you'll return. And you can find it in your heart to erase these stupid wishes that I wanted, then I'll wish for you the rest of my life".

The Aislers Set - The Red Door
This song didn't make immediate sense to me at the time, but the more I heard it and honed in on the lyrics instead of its super energy, I heard the message. After Johnny and I were broken up, he lived in his own section of his parents' home. It was an artist's haven, paints and canvases everywhere, tchotchkes and a hair dresser's chair...it was neat. Within it, Johnny painted one of his doors red in honor of this great song. The lyrics deal with the protagonist only having a red door, a gray house, a car and an r-e-d-b-i-c-y-c-l-e but what they really wanted was to be the everything to that special someone; their "warmest room at night", their "favorite bar in town", their "lighted walk at night" and "the reason you came back here". Johnny was the only reason I came back to LA, so he did have that.

Ooberman - Alone at Last
I also had a message well after we'd broken up, and it came in this song. I don't know if he ever paid attention to it at the very end of a series of mixes I'd made him, but I made sure it was there. I probably should have expressed it myself in person, but that's what fear gets you...
"Everyday, life is like a crowded room, I mean to say so many things but never really do, like do you know, you're my inspiration, love you, love you...
Go to sleep, I'll gently sing a lullaby, your soul to keep, I'll miss you til the day I die, sink further down to a sea of dreaming goodbyes, goodbye."


In loving memory of Johnny Cruz Ortiz...I miss you and love you forever.

------------------------

All songs can be downloaded through their individual links above or as one .rar file HERE.

inDIeVA Alert! RebekkaMaria (As In)

RebekkaMaria (formerly known as As In RebekkaMaria) is back with a new album "Sister Sortie" due March 1st. I'm very excited for this especially after hearing her two new singles. After dropping the "As In" from her name (which I totally miss), I was frightened that our budding Diva would drop away from her electro roots and into some singer-songwritery crap. Luckily this isn't the case...her newest single "Corrolaceous" is already one of thee best songs I've heard in 2010 and its video is fan-flower-tastic!! It may be a bit sweeter sounding than most of her debut, but it's still electropoplicious!

Watch the kick-ass video for RebekkaMaria's newest kick-ass single "Corollaceous":


And a treat, some older gems from her great debut album "Queen of France":

She Lion
&
Yours Truly

Husky Rescue

After a brief hiatus, I return with Finland's very own Husky Rescue. I've been listening A LOT to their latest album "Ship of Light" which was just released at the end of January. It is their third album, and definitely their best. It mixes their grand cinematic qualities with even more of a straight forward pop approach. Add a dash of pace to that formula and voila, greatness!! Mind you, they don't completely ditch their love of experimenting, as we hear on a couple of the instrumental tracks, and not everything is brought up to a dancey pace (see: The hushed and lovely opening of "Wolf Trap Motel").
Moving it all along, lead singer Reeta-Leena Korhola has a very nice voice, that I can best describe as a coo. It's never overpowering and suits the cinematic quality of their music perfectly. The boys add some great múm-like harmonies here and there.

I recommend all of their albums, but think "Ship of Light" may be the most inviting for new listeners. The excellent lead off single "We Shall Burn Bright" is available for free download at their website above.
Or try out a couple of my other favourites:

Man of Stone
&
Sound of Love


Also, from their older albums, to give you a better sense of the band:

Summertime Cowboy (from "Country Falls" 2004)
&
Hurricane (Don't Come Knocking) (from "Ghost Is Not Real" 2007)

Enjoy!

Class Actress

As much as I often loathe Pitchfork's reviews, they are a great source for music news and the discovery of new artists. I give them full credit for exposing me to the dazzling 80's tones of Class Actress outta Brooklyn!

With no releases to their name (yet, but soon), this band is already showing why 2010 is such a great year. Formerly the solo project of Elizabeth Harper, she has allowed a couple chaps in to make a full band. The music here is total new wave 80's synth, but lacking in the cheese department. It's a very sleek sound. Elizabeth's gorgeous voice blends perfectly with the music and she's a master of the pop hook. "Let Me Take You Out" is the surefire pop hit, which has a very catchy bass line and is just all around fun. "Journal or Ardency" is a slow-synth-burner and oh so hot. Even the 7 1/2 minute "Someone Real" which closes out the EP is completely engrossing from start to finish, building into a wave of synth frenzy by the end.

Here's the simple little video for the great "Let Me Take You Out":



And for your sampling pleasure:



"Journal of Ardency" will be the group's first release and it's being delivered on 10" vinyl in February from Terrible Records.

Elizabeth also has a pretty decent self-titled solo album out from 2005. It's much more singer-songwritery but her voice is still fantastic. If you're interested, you can check out her personal website.

inDIeVA Alert - Name the Pet

Sweden, it's a lovely place. I love it, and so should you. What's best about Sweden? The music! Today, I offer you the super pop princess & latest inDIeVA to win my heart Name the Pet (aka Hanna Brandén) from Stockholm. I discovered her through a nice little collaboration she did with my Swedish boyfriends The Sound of Arrows...the brilliant track "Falling". Her self-titled album was released on Dolores Recordings in early November and it's absolutely delightful! Primarily synth pop in nature, with extra focus on the pop, the album still delivers varieties within the genre and doesn't stick to any formula. The first two singles released (both on limited edition 7") are "Sunshine" and "Get on the Bus". The former is a ray of light pop anthem to help get us through this freezing winter, while the latter is a very heavy club-friendly dance jam. La Roux comes to mind when I hear the fantastic "In & Out", but our dear Pet has much more range as we see on one of my favourite tracks, the closer "London". "London" is the slowest & shortest track on the album, but it's still insanely catchy and sticks out like a sore thumb against all these synthy pop tunes since it's driven by Pet's voice & a soft acoustic guitar. "Borderline" and "Falling" are both ace and either can easily (and should) be the next singles. Check her out, she's sure to hit big soon! 

 Watch "Falling":

 

And for your listening pleasure: Borderline and Get on the Bus