Saturday, October 31, 2009

La Vie en Neon Neon


If you aren't already familiar with Neon Neon, get familiar. You won't regret it. While this video has been on the web for quite a while, if you haven't seen it, watch it. Neon Neon and Raquel Welch. Hello there.



Songs To Know
Neon Neon - Raquel
Neon Neon - I Lust You
Neon Neon - I Told Her  On Alderaan

Song To Love
Yusek - So Down (feat. Chromeo)

Red on Fur?



Warm up to this bloody good set of Halloween-appropriate songs from 2009:

The Listing
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll [Check out the sexy music video! Lycanthropy is here to stay]
Tegan and Sara - Hell [Latest single from the new album - T&S at their pop/rock/indie best]
Basement Jaxx - Saga (feat. Santigold) [Santigold is golden on this track as are the Basement Jaxx]
The Bravery - Slow Poison [Upbeat but read those lyrics, they can haunt]
Placebo - Julien [A Halloween junkie reaches Nirvana - Hello Bodhisattva?]
Sha Sha Shakira - She Wolf [She couldn't help herself. We couldn't help ourselves. She's an animal]
Little Boots - New in Town [We were fans before the inclusion in Jennifer's Body - but now all we think of are hot chicks with monster teeth. Happy Halloween]

Down Down Down


Truman Capote had it right; his forever-dear Holly Golightly had found a place in the world that could warm even the coldest of days, brighten the darkest of them, and was as pure as Eden (before the apple that is). If you haven't found your Tiffany's yet, here's an eclectic mix of songs, both new and old, that may just do the trick! Enjoy today's The Listing.

The Listing
(The Familiar)
Rod Stewart - Young Turks [Late 80's & 90's. What good times]
Gorillaz - 19-2000 (Soulchild Remix) [A happy Gorillaz song. Who would have thought?]
Prince - Raspberry Beret [If this song doesn't get you on your feet, then we just don't know what will!]
311 - Love Song [Driving on a deserted highway in Hawaii]
The Pointer Sisters - Jump (For My Love) [Love, Actually anyone?]
(The Unfamiliar)
Jakob Dylan - Something Good This Way Comes
The Go! Team - The Wrath of Marcie
Vampire Weekend - The Kids Don't Stand a Chance (Chromeo Remix)
Empire of the Sun - Walking on a Dream

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Uniquely Alike



White with black stripes, black with white stripes. Whatever it may be, "be proud to be different" as Tom Vek puts it. Enjoy some slices of Heaven in an abridged version of The Listing.

The Listing
Tom Vek - If You Want [Up-beat but down-tempo, contemplate the lyrics]
Patrick Wolf - The Libertine [An incredibly unusual and unique song - Listen with an open mind - you'll like it]
Xavier Cugat - Perfidia [Nothing like a good Vermouth in San Juan with Queen Sheeba]
Prinzehorn Dance School - You Are The Space Invader [We really like their distinctive perspective & approach on music and social topics]
Honeycut - The Day I Turned to Glass [Some pre-Halloween individuality]

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Not Allowed, We Say!


You'll have to try and not get your groove on after listening to today's Songs to Know and Song to Love! So maybe Madonna was right when she asked "can we get together?" - regardless, these four may just have an answer.

Songs to Know
Grand Ole Party - Look Out Young Son [Opened for Lykke Li - a strong woman sings and plays the drums - some Janis and Karen O. in one]
Muse - Undisclosed Desires [The lyrics are undeniable as is his celebrated voice]
The Rumble Strips - Girls and Boys in Love [A sunny day in London... whether in bed or on the street]

Song to Love
Martin Solveig - Boys & Girls [the melody, the voice, the production - it's why sex was banned from the champagne room to begin with]

Monday, October 26, 2009

Sweet Jesus!


You probably know at least half of these (some legendary) artists and there's a chance you may have heard a few of these ditties. But hopefully you aren't familiar with any of these fantastic tracks that await your ears. And if they're already old friends, cheers to re-obsessing! Remember, ambition lies within, so listen carefully. What's old is now new again! Get familiar why don't you and enjoy today's The Listing.


The Listing
Sweet - Love is Like Oxygen
Icicle Works & The Icicle Works - Whisper to a Scream (Birds Fly) [Extended Club Remix]
The Guess Who - Shakin' All Over
The Yardbirds - For Your Love
The Beach Boys - Make It Big
War - Cisco Kid
The Temptations - Ball of Confusion
Rare Earth - I Just Want to Celebrate

Ciao Manhattan!



"New York, I love you but you're bringing me down" - LCD Soundsystem
We happen to disagree but then again the daily grind of the city can very easily do that to the faint of heart. Along with some heavy hitters about the city that a million phrases were thought up for, today's The Listing also includes some lesser-known triumphs that embody Manhattan (we'll reach the other boroughs soon). So for now, enjoy.

The Listing
Billy Joel - New York State of Mind [Must we say more? A New Yorker's ode]
Kiss - Back in the New York Groove [Classically embodies that excitement]
Frank Sinatra - New York, New York [Old New York that is hard to find in 2009]
Amanda Blank - Something Bigger, Something Better [Embodies a strong New York woman]
The Virgins - One Week of Danger [Just another week]
YACHT - Psychic City [East Village, Dancing at 3B]
Iglu & Hartly - In This City [South of 14th]
Chester French - She Loves Everybody [Girls of the UWS]
Chester French - The Jimmy Choo's [Girls of the UES]

Oil That Is!



Their music is just as precious as the band's relevant name refers to. You probably will hear Black Gold playing loudly over melodrama on a CW show or even as an iTunes "Single of the Week" in the near future. Already having a sizable following, this Brooklyn-based band evokes Queen on the riffs, a care-free regard in the verses, and a mindful control over the persistent drums, hopeful guitar stings, and the expressiveness in Eric Ronick's voice. "The Comedown" and "Plans and Reveries"are two particular standout tracks that embody the sound of these gifted musicians. With that said, we strongly encourage you give them each a listen, along with the rest of their tracks. You won't regret it. In fact, you may even thank us.


Song to Love, Part I
Black Gold - The Comedown
Song to Love, Part II
Black Gold - Plans and Reveries 

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Laugh in the Face of Reason


Duran Duran and Vanessa Paradis. An unlikely pair but our respect for both should make it enough, right? Well, maybe not... However, the two share a lot musically-speaking and will make your stress melt away. In this The Listing, enjoy tracks from both Duran Duran and Vanessa Paradis as well as a few other extraordinary artists that make hope a living thing and stress, well, fat rendered.


The Listing
Vanessa Paradis - Il y a [brand new single - check it out ASAP]
Duran Duran - Come Undone [check out this music video while you're at it]
Vanessa Paradis - Divine Idylle ["I can't believe it's not butter!"]
Duran Duran - The Reflex [You'll forget your Blackberry is blinking red]
Vanessa Paradis - Dès Que J'Te Vois [Sexy and back to Paradis' roots]
White Lies - Death [This song has owned our hearts since 10/08 - finally the band is getting some airplay with a new single]
Hockey - Learn to Lose [Try and see the mixture of Paradis and Duran in this song]
Kaolin - Partons Vite [Solid crooning and pining en francais]

Civility



For many reasons, we rarely give iTunes' "Free Song of the Week" a listen. Much of the time, the track has no general appeal and seems to have been chosen simply for promotional reasons. However, we did happen to stumble over this track a few weeks back and we have to say... iTunes got it right this time.

If you haven't listened to Civil Twilight (zero relation to the series), we recommend you stumble on over to their iTunes or Myspace. The melodies are haunting, the lyrics are chock-full of revelations, and Steven McKellar's voice probably could make anything sound good. This is a South African band that is sure to make it large in the States (and if not, has been robbed!).

Song to Love
Civil Twilight - Letters from the Sky

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Blocking From Off The Rack


While we may not be fashion experts, these featured pieces from the Spring 2010 shows seem to have one thing in common - blocks of solid colors. Whether combing solids together or solid blocks of various colors in one piece, there is a sense of geometry that today's The Listing shares. The following songs have a heavy attack and are structurally symmetrical in lyric and order. Trig anyone? Not to mention, this list is just as hard-ass as these runway stills. Take the back power with these:

The Listing
Ssion - Clown [80's Madonna Hooks, Hipster Packaging]
Vicious Pink - Cccan't You See [1988 Vocoding, 2008 Scene]
Kid Cudi - Alive (feat. Ratatat) [Rap/Hip-Hop embracing the future]
David Guetta  - Memories (feat. Kid Cudi) [The future embracing Rap/Hip-Hop]
Peaches - Talk To Me [Peaches does have another side. Reminds us of Tetris in 2050]
Kid Sister - Pro Nails (Rusko Remix) [Off the coat rack... Avant-garde but comfortable]
Eva Simons - Silly Boy [Kanye claimed this was Rihanna. Eva said it was Eva. Wasn't the song of 2009, so shoot for 2010? Listen to it.]

The Woods, Los Angeles






The Woods of LA, that is. Any of you Westside Los Angeles natives may remember this once-spectacular place of the great 90's that's now occupied by an.... E-Trade. RIP. If the inside of a building could look like the picture referenced above, The Woods did. Here's some songs that are in memorial to the rare twigs, flowers, and delicacies that are no longer there.


The Listing
Vetiver - At Forest Edge [If you aren't familiar with Vetiver, get the entire album]
The Dodos - Fables [Always reliable go-to]
Vetiver - Another Reason To Go [See Vetiver above]
She & Him - Why Do You Let Me Stay Here? [Deschanel and M.Ward - thank you]
M. Ward - Jailbird [M.Ward's latest album is through and through amazing]
Fleet Foxes - White Winter Hymnal [we couldn't help ourselves]
Fleetwood Mac - The Chain [still chills us after every listen]
Blitzen Trapper - Furr [This song is chilling and reminds us of old Dylan both lyrically and structurally]
Paul Simon - Diamonds on The Soles of Her Shoes [We mean...]
Alexandre Desplat - Sunrise on Lake Pontchartrain [Desplat's score for Benjamin Button - this track is curious, as was The Woods]

Friday, October 23, 2009

The Boys Are Back But the Cats Steal the Show




The Pet Shop Boys - they're in the dictionary next to 80's New Wave, below Depeche Mode and to the left of Corey Hart (we kid). Unfortunately, their series of studio releases throughout the 90's and early 00's got lost amid the cotton candy, as was this semi-quiet release of their new album Yes [released Apr 29 2009 in the US]. Here's two of the most solid and and infatuation-worthy songs off of the album in today's Songs to Know.

Forward March! Ms. Bertie Blackman. The Aussie who literally shreds the dance floor and boggles our feeble minds with this sexually charismatic single. One of the better songs of 2009. There. We said it. [FYI: Other songs on the album that are of "noble aspirations" include Heart and Byrds of Prey.]


Songs to Know
Pet Shop Boys - Love Etc.
Pet Shop Boys - All Over The World

Song to Love

Jardin des Tuileries

L'hiver à Paris. The beige gravel, barren trees and a dark, heavy sky above. Close your eyes and I swear you're there. Eclectic without excuses, catchy without the nutrasweet. Hello Paris.

Explore

The Listing
Charles Trenet - Verlaine [a classy classic]
Gotye - Hearts a Mess [a Dutch/Australian's Parisian smooth]
PZK - Les Filles Adorent [Paris 2010]
Waldeck - Memories ["au courant?" Let me vomit for the pretentiousness but it's true]
Ladyhawke - Paris s'enflamme [for the day]
Ladyhawke - Paris Is Burning (Peaches Remix) [for the night]
Stuck In The Sound - Ouais [for the late night]
Ou Est Le Swimming Pool - Dance The Way I Feel [for the late late night]

I Book, You Book, He/She/One Books...it?

bookish
book⋅ish [book-ish]:
(1) pedantic
(2) more acquainted with books than with real life

Let's not kid ourselves. The story and its modern evolutions (see Lying) are apart of the human psyche. Basic, right? It's how one mind communicates emotions, experiences, thoughts, etc. to another, whether fact, fiction, or hypothetical/theoretical suppositions. The story has brought the mankind we know to the present (see The Bible, W.M.D., The Big Bang Theory, Evolution). So let's be thankful for the bookies and bookishness that lurks in the dark aisles of the (sadly) dusty public libraries in our country, and in unison, say one big thank you because their centuries worth of postulations are the ground zero for some kick-ass music that's altogether life-changing.

Now let's take our politically incorrect minds and celebrate the fruits of their labor.

Songs to Know
Charlie Winston - In Your Hands
Revolver - Get Around Town
Rain Machine - Give Blood

Song to Love