@mintmarket-blog - Tumblr Blog

2011 - Here Before

The Feelies - So Far

There is something about this Feelies album..it has the same kind of chords and tone throughout most of the tracks, and I love it

Blue Orchids -

1. A Year With No Head

2. No Looking Back

3. Bad Education

4. Sun Connection

The Chameleons - Nostalgia

Peter Baumann - Strangers in the Night Frank Sinatra cover! it's pretty catchy. and i don't want to write very much, so that's all.

The Lucksmiths - There Is A Boy That Never Goes Out The Lucksmiths are a group of now-grown-up schoolmates from Melbourne, Australia. And as you can tell from the song title, these guys are big admirers of The Smiths. I was expecting to a hear a direct song imitation, with maybe a few changes (like a parody without the ridicule), but no! This song is not that song, except in its sentiment, so I thought that was an interesting twist.

Dune Rats- Pogo I don't know very much about them, and this is the only song I've heard of their's..but I like it. It reminds me a little of Hunx and His Punx, but not as nasally sounding (not that Hunx and His Punx doesn't pull it off). The music is brought more to the forefront over the vocals in Dune Rats' style, unlike HHP, so I think that makes a lot of the difference.

Paul McCartney - Waterfalls

I haven’t listened to much of Paul McCartney’s solo stuff, but I remember hearing about the minor dispute behind these lyrics versus TLC’s “Waterfalls” lyrics. I mean, they do have the same song name..and pretty much the same hook..and the same meaning, but that’s all really.

What really got me interested was the video. It coulda been a musical scene from a 1970s children’s television program. The backdrop changes really make it cute (but also weird), particularly at 1:10. Added to that, which I thought was funny, the lyrics, “Don’t go chasing polar bears” he sings it so seriously..but come on, srsly?

Gary Valentine - The First One

Two interesting facts about this guy: 1. Before his name change he went by Gary Lachman. 2. He was one of the original members/the bassist of Blondie. And boy do I love Blondie, so listening to him for the first time, I figured I would like what I was hearing. My figuring was correct! This song is his biggest hit, as well as his only solo album release. (I was going to make a bad joke, like: The First One ended up the only one. muahaha. but I didn't do that) Between '78-'80, he started up a band, The Know. As you can see by the dates given, they did not last very long, and Lachman went to play with Iggy Pop. He has since exited the music scene, has written a book and is also very into Jungian theory.

The Swingers - Counting the Beat

New Zealand new wave band, with lead singer Phil Judd -- original member of Split Enz. This song is probably their most famous, but some other songs I like are "One Track Mind" and "It Ain't What You Dance, It's The Way You Dance It." Most of their songs are poppy and youthful, but they did not get very much attention compared to other NZ artists.

The Bats

The Bats are one of many superb bands coming from New Zealand (for example, an earlier posting featuring The Chills).The Bats album, Daddy's Highway, was there premiere album, coming out in 1987. This album set the tone for all other proceeding albums by creating a prototype sound uniquely for the band. "North by North" is arguably the best track on the album, I know it's my favorite. The chorus gets stuck in my head all the time.Also, I really enjoy violins when they are incorporated well, and in this song, the violin is smashing in the way it creates tension. "Treason" and "Tragedy" are two other songs in the album that stuck out for me, but really, I'd just give all the songs a listen.

A Flock of Seagulls - Space Age Love Song

A lot of people are familiar with A Flock of Seagull's hit "I Ran (So Far Away)" but I think this song is just as good, if not better. It's more melodic and dreamy instead of choppy and dark. Edit: Actually, no..I'm positive this song is better than I Ran. I decided on it.

Love - Alone Again Or

This is the first track in Love's 1967 final album, "Forever Changes." When everyone else was using electric guitars, Love decided to utilize only acoustical instruments (their past albums, however, were not in this fashion). Perhaps that was one reason why this album received more attention than all their past recordings.

The suspenseful crescendo of the violin from :26 up until :40..when the lyrics come to the conclusion, "And I will be alone again tonight, my dear" which the preceding lyrics seemed to build up to, while the music follows suit by adding an ironically triumphant trumpet accompaniment. This pattern is repeated two more times in the song, with a solo acoustic guitar calming the tides in between. A trumpet solo occurs between 1:48 - 2:15, and some have called that part "haunting." I'm not sure what I think it is yet. There are only two solid verses in this song, but the words in those verses are quite enough to make it meaningful-- Particularly the second verse, and more particularly, the first three lines of the second verse because it seems honest, uplifting and centered on the self rather than being spiteful towards someone else (which is the feeling I get from the first verse).

Anyway, this is a fantastic song in a fantastic album from a fantastic band. It's also featured in Wes Anderson's movie, Bottle Rocket.

13th Floor Elevators - Levitation

I like this band. They're really great. Electric jug sounds all the time. If you haven't listened to them, you'll just have to do that because I can't write about their music and do it justice. I will mention, with this type of music (particularly this album) I don't even pay much attention to the lyrics or what they mean, although I'm sure they have value. Personally, this is a different listening experience, because I'm usually constantly analyzing lyrics when I hear them. It's a "mind's-off" approach instead of "hands-off."

If you want more of a low-key psychedelic sound, I'd check out their album "A Love That's Sound."

The Red Krayola - I'm So Blasé

Make sure you don't hold the Mayo on this one! muahaha. This Red Krayola song is hardly considered one of their signature recordings. In fact, it represents quite the opposite of their norm..it's easy-going, lacks spontaneous noises, and certainly it is not an upbeat tune. Those very elements, along with Thompson's versatile voice and accompanying lyrics, makes the song harmonious and smooth.

Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam - I Wonder If I take You Home

'80s NYC freestyle, also popularly known for their other hit "Lost in Emotion," but the music and beats for this one are better. In total, over 30 tracks from other artists have used samples from their songs. Aaliyah, KRS-One, and 9th Wonder are among the more prominent artists who have sampled from I Wonder If I Take You Home, so it's gotta be pretty good.

Death - Politicians in my Eyes

It’s punk from good ol’ Detroit in the mid-1970s…stickin’ it to the man, man. Said to have been Inspired by Stooges, and similar if not better than Bad Brains and The Ramones, but that’s a matter of opinion of course.

But when you really think about it, what could be a more punk name than "Death," am I right?

Boomtown Rats - Wind Chill Factor (minus zero)

These guys are pretty fun, they remind me of Talking Heads in this song with the chaotic changes in rhythm and the voice fluctuations. Boomtown Rats are from Ireland and from the late 1970s. "I Don't Like Mondays" is another one of their hits (the story behind it is pretty poignant, but I'm not going to write about that here).

Trending Blogs

Recently Viewed Blogs