Halloween Posts Are Stupid...

...Except when they fall on Skye Friday. So I'm a tad grumpy...when else am I gonna get a chance to post "Split Personality"?? Oh well.

Instead, I offer a song I deleted pretty soon after the 2004 list-making hubbub and just recently relocated sans internet (meaning I, uh, bought it...novel idea).

So without further ado, the greatest song that should be an amazing original but is actually just an amazing cover (woops) of all time. I'll track down the original (by Cilla Black, in case you're interested) and get back to y'all. Meanwhile, check out the video at Agnetha's totally boss website.

Agnetha Faltskog - If I Thought You'd Ever Change Your Mind

Listen early, listen often.

Sphynkter and Co.

All right, I'm finally going to post this because I'm in the process of writing a column about BSB for next week's paper. This is the new video for "Just Want You to Know," which is hands down the best song the Boys have put out since...I dunno, "Larger Than Life," maybe. Or "The One," which I don't really even like that much.


Right now Nick Carter is cooler, smarter, and happier than you.

Stream "Just Want You to Know"

So let's discuss this bad boy for a moment. First, a caveat: I don't watch music videos. So to say this is the best music video I've seen all year doesn't really say too much...I saw that "Do They Know It's Hallowe'en" video (they really should have just done a hipster insider documentary thing...the animation seems really rushed and unimpressive...good song, though) and the disturbing new Lindsay Lohan video, which might get it's own post later.

Top five things this video does:
1) demonstrates that the Backstreet Boys are cooler than you think (read: cooler than you)
2) demonstrates that the Backstreet Boys are smarter than you think (read: you thought about this EXACT idea and didn't have the brains to execute it. And all you needed was a digital camera and a few wigs. And a fucking UNSTOPPABLE single, which is really BSB territory
3) Max Martin. I won't even qualify that, the man is an institution. What does that have to do with the video? This song is so huge that it pierces through the genius of the video itself. I'm "listening" to the video right now, and don't even care that I don't have the proper ironic context to "appreciate" it. Which is bullshit anyway, it's just THAT GOOD of a song, period.
4) proves there is good rock music on the radio. The Backstreet Boys are making it. Stop listening to Bloc Party or whatever and admit that this song is UNSTOPPABLE. Did you read the crap I wrote about Bloc Party? Lies! This is the present AND the future.
5) The Backstreet Boys are so awesome that this statement deserves its own bullet point.

And of course the best part of the video is that the opening band is called "TÜKKHIS."



OK, I think I have that out of my system for now. Watch the video repeatedly. More to follow...

Merry Fitzmas! (And a Happy Skye Friday!)

Newspaper translation: "Skye Sweetnam, Canadian, remains calm, amazing as US government threatens to collapse"

THE SCORE SO FAR:


Libby: INDICTED



Rove: NO INDICTMENT YET



Cheney: NO INDICTMENT YET



DeLay: Cutie Pie. Unrelated.



Skye: AMAZING



I finally went ahead and devoted a full column to Ms. Sweetnam in this week's Ithacan. It was a lovely combination of last-minute fall back and serendipitous timing...apparently someone in the office worked for Capitol and used this column to help secure an interview. More details on that as it develops.

ALSO: THE NEW BUZZSAW HAIRCUT IS AVAILABLE ON CAMPUS TODAY!


Dear Santa...Harriet, how's my spelling?

Apologies to DJ Casper

It may not surprise anyone that I don't get out to the clubs very often. It came as something of a surprise to me, then, to hear "Cha Cha Slide" completely dominate the dancefloor at an event in DC this weekend. I was taught the Charlie Brown dance. All was well with the universe.

This experience got me thinking a bit about Radio Disney crossovers...in the past, "All Star" by Smash Mouth and "Blue" by Eiffel 65 made the counter-intuitive jump from RD to mainstream channels. I guess "Cha Cha" falls somewhere in that category as well. This year, tracks like Crazy Frog's "Axel F" delved even further into RD-land -- can't say that this particular song origninated at RD, but it feels more at home there, and will undoubtedly remain there in heavy rotation until at least 2013. Again, ring tone --> club is much better than vice versa. For the record.

So here are some other thoughts I've had for potential crossover hits from Radio Disney to the club, mainstream rock/hip-hop radio, and the indie world.

1. Lindsay Lohan - "Speak" (Alan Braxe and Fred Falke remix)

This really needs to happen. Punch up the bass Falke-style and add a better disco-house rhythm track (this one is a little too swamped in bland Eurotrash land) and this song will rule every club in the world.

2. Mr. C and the Slide Man - "Cha Cha Slide" (DJ-Kicks inclusion)

I don't even know who the next participant in the DJ-Kicks series will be, but this song needs some more hipster cred. Whoever is picking the next mix should take the most sceney-scene-scene song and replace with this one. Annie's gamble with some deceptively brilliant dancefloor-fillers (notably "Lady Bug," which is the greatest song ever made, also the Braxe DFA79 track) suggests that an even riskier choice will pay off that much more.

3. Skye Sweetnam - "Part of Your World" club remix

Disney attempted this idea already and it failed miserably. Who could really do justice to this one? Phones have done pretty well with some unexpected material (Futureheads, etc.) and could introduce this song, a surefire P&J contender (if I'm still voting, who knows) to a new audience.

4. JoJo - "Leave (Get Out)" (feat. Vik Vaughn)

If MF Doom wants to wade in the kiddie pool, he should do it literally and leave this half-assed ATHF crap behind. I imagine this song as an update to "Let Me Watch" with the underage theme amped up considerably. Strip down the beat (leave the acoustic guitar, maybe glitch up the rhythm track) and let's see how JoJo can roll with Doom's flow.

5. Raven - "Supernatural" (Spanish duet w/ Shakira)

Two of the most processed voices in the history of ever coming together into a virtually-vocodered Spanish language duet. Most of Raven's songs kinda suck, so this could work for any song. But I want to see some SERIOUS vocal manipulation here, and I want robots in the video.

6. Hoku and Annie - "Another Dumb Norwegian Blonde"

Self-explanatory. This would be SO CUTE. Where is Hoku? Inquiring minds need to know.

7. B5 feat. Young Jeezy - "Frosty the Angry Snowman"

B5 are a little too precious for my taste. Solution: a quasi-coked-up Christmas classic! This will be a huge flop (probably), but will be a must-have track for an 00's Xmas novelty comp, along with "Why Doesn't Santa Like Me" (not a flop by any means) and Crazy Frog's "Winter Wonderland" (this should exist).

8. Various Artists - "Do They Know It's the Rapture?"

A charity event raising money for On Eagle's Wings, a Christian group trying to relocate American Jews to Israel to initiate the Rapture. Jump5, Aly and AJ, Everlife, and other Radio Disney CCM artists (with gaps in the chorus filled by members of the Polyphonic Spree, on Hollywood Records via the "Thumbsucker" soundtrack) would participate. Special remix by the Rapture available on DFA Records.

From Culty Cult Cult to White Supremacy...I Must LOVE That Teen Pop Gold!

I received in my email a disturbing story from Dr. D, also covered at Powerpop mainstay bloglink NTodd about a group of white supremacist teen pop (also spelled teen-pop and teenpop) starlets in Prussian Blue. Here's Ye Olde Olsen Twin photo op:



I've never heard their music, but their take on "Sk8er Boi" is pretty...um, stupid.

Oi, oi, oi, skinhead boy, you're my oi boy.
Skinhead boy, skinhead man
Someday you will save our land.

"Tarzan and Jane" it ain't. I won't waste too many words on these girls, except to say that yes, I can differentiate between GOOD and BAD pop music, in both an aesthetic and moral sense. This is shaping up to be very very very bad on both counts.

To all of my friends who think they understand this "phase" (hey, stop rationalizing your own bad taste in music by trying to redefine mine through your Mope Lenses! Sorry it had to be said!), I will never support this group for the same reason I will not support Aly and AJ's reactionary fundie brainwashing scheme.

I will, however, listen critically to their music in some way that does not earn them one cent.

EDIT: Here's the only sample I could find. This is truly awful (duh), not even deserving of this imminently short-lived blog meme thing.

PS: This is gearing up to be yet another depression-inducing morbid fascination. Going through the official website and blog, I can't help but feel a little lightheaded and nauseous. The origin of their name makes me particularly ill -- more details here.

The Love and Terror Freak-folk Cult of New Music That Can Be OK Sometimes!

Two controversial garden party invites. (NB: Today is not Skye Friday.)

A quick post to unclog all the Skye traffic around here...I've been listening to new music occasionally! I'll update the sidebar shortly. Some thoughts on the "NEW SHIT" these kidz are talkin about nowadays.

Fiery Furnaces - Rehearsing My Choir: A touching and valuable (and often very profound) document of the life of the Friedbergers' grandmother. I haven't even begun to digest this whole thing yet ("Seven Silver Curses," reviewed well here, is nine minutes alone, with several disaparate stories woven together), but I much prefer it to Blueberry Boat. BB seems fairly irrelevant given the material, so hopefully discussions about this album won't revolve around the previous release. I'm still determining whether or not the music does a disservice to the narrative ebb and flow in places (less than I'd originally suspected, anyway). Usually the music plays an unobtrusive secondary role, acting as aural texture for the album's more fascinating lyrical drive. I might actually love this album, but it's going to take some time.

Danger Doom - The Mouse and the Mask: Still not doing it for me. Can someone please defend this album in a way that will make me want to listen to it again?

Kanye West - Late Registration: Haven't given it a proper listen. Cursory/incomplete listens suggest that it's pretty uniformly strong, but no singles particularly stand out (except maybe "Diamonds"). I fear I may be indulging petty fad tendencies here and denying myself a great album...but I really haven't been that interested in this one.

New Pornographers - Twin Cinema: Good, but I'm coming to terms with the fact that I don't like NP as much as I thought I did when I first started listening (which was admittedly like a year and a half ago, maybe). "Sing Me Spanish Techno" is a high point, so I'll post it! Woo!

Constantines - Tournament of Hearts: Arrrgh I wish I thought this was less boring!!!! I love love love this band but I keep falling asleep while listening to this!

Devendra Banhart - Cripple Crow: CHARLES MANSON HIPPIE CULT. I'm sorry, I can't get behind this album, it just creeps me out too much. Do a track by track comparison and tell me I'm crazy!

Rogue Wave - Descended Like Vultures: Emily says this album sucks, and I trust her too much to risk it, so maybe I'll never listen to it. OK, I'm listening now. ... ... ... ... ... No commment. First first impression, it's kinda boring. But this is too little to work with, even for me. Maybe I'll get back around to it. (EDIT: Probably not. Temporarily filed under Z for ZZZZZZZ.)

Junior Senior - Hey Hey My My Yo Yo: I played the song posted below (YSI only) on my radio show. I chose it randomly because it had the best title, which means it's the best song on the album.

Gogol Bordello - Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike: Duh, this album is fucking AWESOME. I actually knew most of this material already (from live performance and because they've rerecorded some stuff) and it sounds fantastic. Probably a top ten pick. Chaff n' a Haff will be updated today, too, I think.

Silver Jews - Tanglewood Numbers: Matt, you win. This album is great. But sometimes I just want to watch "Futurama," ya know?? This marks the closest relationship I've ever had to an album I've never played for myself. I'd give you all a blurb, but just google the lyrics. For what it's worth, these are definitely the best arrangements I've heard from the Silver Jews (I'm not a fanatic, though. I direct you to my roommate).

Skye Sweetnam - Noise from the Basement: A 2004 album that I've listened to more than any other album this year without question. I just want that to recorded somewhere again. I bet anyone about ten dollars that her next album will be the best album of all time. Besides, you didn't think you were going to escape her THAT long, did you?

Good Night, and Good Luck. OK, this isn't an album. But it's the best movie I've seen all year (except maybe In the Realms of the Unreal, which isn't even remotely comparable). So go see it if at all possible. I won't even tell you about it, except that it's incredible go go go go go.

YOU MAKE THE CONNECTION! (Love and Terror Cult Edition)

Charles Manson - Mechanical Man
VS.
Devendra Banhart - I Feel Just Like a Child

Charles Manson - Sick City
VS.
Devendra Banhart - Long Haired Child

NEW ALBUMS CAN BE OK SOMETIMES! (Graduate School Ambivalence Woe Edition)

Fiery Furnaces - Though Let's Be Fair (posted for length, available for one week)
Gogol Bordello - Immigrant Punk
Junior Senior - We R the Handclaps (YSI only)
COMING SOON: New Pornographers - Sing Me Spanish Techno

The OFFICIAL Fall Break Edition of SKYE FRIDAY! Sneak Preview!

The Brigitte Brat becomes...ARRR! THE SKYE PIRATE!

Skye Sweetnam - Peg Leg Pretty (new song, live at Sea World)

So much Skye news to cover it's kind of ridiculous, but here it goes.

1) Metal Mike in California:

skye is a (taurus w/) mercury-conjunct-venus in GEMINI, which is the co-ruler of planet Mercury (communication, all types; mental activity). so the operative style is "expresses themselves -- venus -- clever and fast -- mercury in gemini."

identical setup: T w/McV in Gemini: Martha Quinn. ya gotta add about 50 points in IQ for skye, and 100 in musical IQ. MQ did go to NYU i believe? her entire background in rock music before MTV consisted, basically, of the Beatles.

I don't know much about this stuff...does anyone out there have other examples? Interesting, interesting...

2) "Superstar." There's a new Skye track floating around, one that caused some confusion (and hasty commotion from me for what I misguidedly called "emo lyrics") about where this song came from. According to Skye, it's actually a cover of the Chinese band S.H.E....I haven't heard Skye's track but I did find the original to stream, posted below.

3) So what will the new album, currently being written/recorded in Los Angeles, sound like? Here's Skye's personal assessment from a few months ago:

Here’s kind of an idea of what I think the album will be like at this point! The songs still seem to be mostly short and sweet but there are a few that are a bit longer than last album. I have a feeling once the album order is determined, the final product will be longer than N.F.T.B.- lots of ideas you know! As you know I love my bratty immature little girl style, so there are a few obnoxious tunes on this album for you! More of the head banging pop you know and love. But I have grown up and I’ve been really expanding with my lyrics especially. I’ve been even more involved in the musical end of things as well. My guitar playing is getting better so instead of humming my guitar lines to James I can actually play them, or attempt to. I’ve got a couple tracks I’m working on with an 80's synth vibe- And dare I say they’re really danceable! As you my have drawn from previous posts, I’m lovin’ the punk music and message. So that has influenced me tremendously. I make some pretty bold statements about topics that are affecting our world and the youth of today. I have a chance in this lifetime to give kids some substance and real art. I don’t wanna be another source of pop pablum in this world. If kids grow up with radio convincing them that formulated crap is good music, they won’t be able to tell what’s really good from what’s not. Hopefully people who haven’t “gotten it” or “seen the light” will realize I’m real when they hear my stuff.

I'm sorry, but if you've ever even thought of being a superstar (an imaginary superstar, perhaps?) Skye Sweetnam is smarter than you. And I don't even mean that as an insult -- it's kind of comforting, actually.

4) There's some other great stuff I wanted to post about Skye's interpretation of the song "Hypocrite," which I'll probably get around to next week (gotta save space for something, right? No, there will always be news for SKYE FRIDAY!)

5) What are the links between Skye Sweetnam, Bob Seger, and Boston? Find out below in this week's exclusive SKYE FRIDAY: YOU MAKE THE CONNECTION!

6) I played two Skye tracks on the show last night (which unexpectedly went to four hours!) before a nice sequence honoring this year's honorees of the 2005 Bubblegum Achievement Awards in LA. That sequence again in case you weren't listening (remember, permanent time slot is Sunday 8-9 starting the Sunday after next!):

[...]14. Get On the Line: The Archies (honoree: Ron Dante)
15. Heaven Knows: The Grass Roots (honoree: Steve Barri)
16. Yummy Yummy Yummy: The Ohio Express (honoree: Joey Levine)
17. Wet Dream: Kip Addotta (honoree: Dr. Demento)

Wait, am I going to POST all of those tracks?? Uh, yes.

I finally tracked down mp3 copies of most of the unreleased and B-side Skye tracks I've been hankering for since I got back to Ithaca...didn't have internet for over a month, and now I'm back to my addictive ways...quick, someone gimme a Pulitzer!

Skye Sweetnam - Imaginary Superstar

Stream S.H.E. - Superstar

SKYE FRIDAY: YOU MAKE THE CONNECTION!

Boston - More Than a Feeling
Bob Seger - Ramblin' Gamblin' Man (live)

2005 GUMMIES REDUX!

The Archies - Get On the Line
The Grass Roots - Heaven Knows
The Ohio Express - Yummy Yummy Yummy
Kip Addotta - Wet Dream (Dr. Demento)

Incidentally (Again)...

My radio show is back on the air, with a temp slot THIS TUESDAY AT MIDNIGHT and then a permanent slot on SUNDAYS from 8-9 PM. The subtracted hour will actually allow me to streamline the playlist more and stop me from using Nuggets-style stuff as a crutch so frequently.

The VIC site has finally been overhauled at long last, so EVERYONE can now watch without fear of cutting out or not getting online. The new site is here: Click to listen to 106 VIC on Live 365.com! Featuring "Part of Your World" and, if the timing works out, the CLUB REMIX.

Incidentally...

Hey, I haven't been linking to my Ithacan column. This week's isn't available online yet (basically a streamlined Aly and AJ rant), but here are the previous three for your enlightenment. I don't write the titles if you were wondering.

Column #4: Aly and AJ
Column #3: Smoosh
Column #2: Kelly (read the title aloud in "March of Time" nasal dude style!)
Column #1: ABBA

Skyeturday

Awkwardly watermarked concert domination! The first courtesy M. Saunders, the second from Getty.

A meager make-up for a missed SKYE FRIDAY...first: news! Skye has completed almost 30 songs written Noise from the Basement-style and has been invited to rerecord them with a full budget for Capitol (her second album on the major label). Judging from the quality of everything on NftB as compared to "Number One" (or even the stuff she's done since then for Disney), I think the budget is only going to affect minor (but important) aspects of sound quality. The bulk of the work is already done between her and her producer...from the basement.

I can't BELIEVE I've missed out on Skye's Myspace for so long! It's really great, with many pics and blog posts not available on her official site. A lovely quote I pulled from literally five minutes of perusing (go there, it's seriously a goldmine):

I read over Shakespeare's famous tragedy Hamlet for the second time. I have to admit I was kind of bummed about getting back into school work but it was so fun! I can't believe I wrote a teen rebellious anthem about Mr. Shakespeare, because William rocks!

OK, I'm through making arguments about how smart this girl is. I will now refer anyone, including my lovely Skye critic, to this quote. This is one of the most self-aware (and not in the Bright Eyes/Aly & AJ sense) young artists working right now. No mp3s today (I'm in Boston at the moment), but I'm currently looking for a non RealPlayer Radio Free Roscoe theme to stream here. Until then you can stream it from her site's music section.

This means that Skye Sweetnam is now capable of pursuing the following careers:

1) Mega rock star
2) Jingle writer
3) Pop/Rock Producer/Engineer
4) Business Manager
5) Actress
6) Teenpop consultant (worth considering...are there any consultants in this field?)
7) Music critic (parallel to another more lucrative career)
8) Animator (check out the self-made stop motion video for "Imaginary Superstar" in RealPlayer here...also finding a downloadable version for a future SKYE FRIDAY)
9) Professor of literature (after college)
10) Professional Photographer

And many more I can't think of off the top of my head at the moment. Her opportunities for success are boundless. Sorry for the lack of dl-able material (listen to "Part of Your World" again!), perhaps I'll have a special treat next SKYE FRIDAY!

Mood Regnad backwards is...I dunno, kind of boring, I guess.

So I'm still not a huge fan of this Danger Doom album (still no cigars, even after an unsolicited promo! My first in a few months)...but this commercial is worthy of its own post. I love that guy!!!

NP: Backstreet Boys - The Hits, Chap. 1. The first six singles on this comp (EDIT: seven! How did I forget "Larger Than Life"?) are so unstoppable it almost makes me want to laugh at other music that thinks for one second it's going to come close to this level of unstoppability. These singles are going to outlast just about all other music made in the past ten years -- that is, after the overzealous anti-boy band movement cools down and wipes the foam from its collective lips. I have realized my past errors and have made amends. I am a happier person for it. (Still not great music to listen to while walking home on an unlit back road at midnight.)

Liblogry (a.k.a. blogliotheque)

Back to musing format after a long and painful rant! Here are things in music that have helped to lift me out of my Aly and AJ-induced shame spiral as of three days ago (in chronological order).

1) Skye Sweetnam's cover of "Part of Your World." Did you listen to it yet?? Scroll to the end of the previous post and do so. Please. Like, now.

2) The new Annie DJ Kicks mix. I'm actually kind of ambivalent about it as a whole, but a few of the tracks are phenomenal. In particular, the Alan Braxe/Fred Falke remix of "Black History Month" by Death from Above 1979 marks the first time I've ever actually enjoyed listening to DFA79. Did I put them on my year-end list last year? If so, I was lying. Also of note: Bumblebee Unlimited's "Lady Bug" and a revamped "Wedding Song" among others.

3) Hank and Man Man Cornell Fanclub show at the Big Red Barn. This was my dream concert of 2004, and it proved to be great...Man Man are better live than I expected (dubbed wharf-rock and hobo- something by friends at the show), and Hank was...uh, different than I expected. The Hank Collective can dance! I think the crowd was afraid of them. Best costuming of the year so far, too, check the above link for a photo.

4) Lindsay Lohan!!!! SERIOUSLY! Speak is a great album (kind of drags in the second half, but whatever...no kidnapping!). I've been listening to it today non-stop. It takes Aly and AJ's Disney-fostered mope and puts a big bratty pink neon-lit teenpop boot through it...oh, I'm so happy listening to this album! The first five tracks are comparable to Noise from the Basement's high points. Well, not quite.

5) Hey, I think I finally kind of like this Wolf Parade album a lot, provided I'm in Becki's car and stop listening after the second track.

6) Do a Google blog search for teenpop (one word) and you'll get a pleasant surprise! I thought there'd be more of a blogging community for this stuff (admittedly, my search has been, uh, less than rigorous), but I guess it's mostly based on artist message boards, which I'm still kind of scared of in general (helps for the community to consist almost entirely of preteens, I guess...slightly less judgmental, though the level of discourse is probably about equal to "adult" ones...I kid!). I should take the David Berman route and block them from my computer altogether.

7) I'm in the library for the first time this semester to write a paper, which isn't going to happen. I'll post the mp3s below soon.

DFA79 - Black History Month (Alan Braxe & Fred Falke remix) (from DJ-Kicks)
Bumblebee Unlimited - Ladybug (from DJ-Kicks)
Hank - Forster Appeal
Man Man - 10lb Moustache
Lindsay Lohan - Symptoms of You