Why were we talking about early '90s sitcom "Blossom" this morning? Who can say? But it inspired me to dig up the old theme song, which is sung by none other than New Orleans legend Dr. John.
And who could forget: Joey Lawrence sings!
And Mayim Bialik studies neuroscience! (There's no video of this on YouTube.) This, of course, sparked a debate about who's better: Bialik or Danica McKeller ...
Take us out, Joe Cocker.
—eh
Just kidding ... I mean the above video is about Fraggles (that's punk band Allister covering the theme song), but it's not like I'm fixated on Jim Henson children shows or anything. I'm not. So this is my last Muppets post for the week. Probably.
I can't make any promises.
—eh
Find more covers here.
— eh
—eh
Paul Simon sings, "Been a Long Long Day." He looks so young there (in that polo, he looks like he could be in Vampire Weekend). And this song is beautiful.
Elton John, "Yellow Brick Road." This is my favorite Elton song, and one of my favorite songs overall.
—eh
The Buffalo Springfield original is a powerful song, but seeing this video as a child was a truly moving experience.
—eh
"Act Naturally"
—eh
There is something just inexplicably awesome about this video. It may have something to do with the eye makeup and luscious hair of the lead singer.
—eh
I missed this until now, and in case you did too, here it is. Boing Boing's Xeni Jardin sits down with all around cool guy David Byrne to talk about his "Playing the Building" installation in which he basically turns a building into an organ. Sadly the installation closed last week, but the video is still pretty neat. I like that Xeni and David have the same hair.
The magic word, if you're curious, occurs around the 3:30 mark.
—eh
So I had on my calendar the phrase, "Songs about Dogs." I guess I wanted to do something with the "Dog Days of Summer." Damn, I am clever. I should work in advertising or something.
Anyway, the Ethan Embry/Jennifer Love Hewitt vehicle "Can't Hardly Wait" posits that this song is about a dog, although if you listen to the words, I'm not sure that's true.
Barry Manilow, "Mandy"
David Bowie, "Diamond Dogs"
The Beatles, "Hey Bulldog"
The Stooges, "I Wanna Be Your Dog"
For something a little more contemporary...
Lil Bow Wow Ft. Snoop Dogg - Bow Wow (That's My Name)
So, there you are: five songs about dogs, mostly. Add your own in the comments.
— eh
http://view.break.com/549229 - Watch more free videos
(via)
— eh
I love these guys, and their new album is coming out Aug. 19. Above is their Live in the Lounge session at WOXY (check out their podcast). That is not at all what I thought WOXY host Shiv looked like. That's always the way with radio personalities.
Anyway, see more video here.
eh.www.amNY.com
I saw this video while I was away, and I just had to share it. What the hell is going on here?
eh.www.amNY.com
Above, Geoff Barrow and Adrian Utley discuss their favorite YouTube videos. I really enjoy the fact that this is just a video of the two of them watching different video clips on their laptop and cracking each other up. It's a total misuse of how the internet works. Best quote: "He's never made me a cup of tea."
To watch the actual videos they're referencing, you can go here.
To watch some actual Portishead, you can go here (it's a 30+ minute concert film from a show last December). And the new video for "The Rip" is here.
eh.www.amNY.com
... on vacation!!!
I'll be gone until August 3, so until then, you'll have to get your musical randomness elsewhere. I've been trying to cajole my coworkers into updating while I'm gone, but it doesn't look good. So there's that.
I was going to center this post around Chantal Kreviazuk's cover of "Leaving on a Jet Plane," as featured in "Armageddon" and the trailer for "The Terminal," but as I played the video, I realized that I hate her version (In my head, she sounds a lot more like Bjork singing it, and it's disappointing that real life doesn't comply).
So instead, I'll leave you with this, a song I've put on every mix tape I've made since I burned this CD three years ago.
Be nice! I'm off to get some fine wine.
eh.www.amNY.com
Britney Spears' "I'm not completely bonkers" comeback was entertaining (in a positive, non-schadenfreude way), but she did not make the Emmy shortlist. Oh well, we're rooting for you anyway Ms. Spears.
eh.www.amNY.com
As we get ready to celebrate our nation's independence, let's take a look how other nations commemorate their homes in song. (Also, it's good preparation for the Olympics later this summer ...)
(Also, the YouTube comments on each of these videos are pretty offensive and depressing, so I suggest not reading them. Sometimes I hate the internet.)
Le Marseillaise, France
Hino Nacional Brasileiro, Brazil
Das Deutschlandlied, Germany
Star Spangled Banner, USA, of course
many, many more after the jump...
Today is the birthday of both Kim Deal (47) and Joey Santiago (43). Enjoy some classic Pixies videos.
"Gigantic"
"Where is My Mind"
"Debaser"
eh.www.amNY.com
Compare this:
Katy Perry
with this:
Jill Sobule
Not the same.
I was pretty surprised initially when I saw that Perry's version had cracked the Billboard top 5 (and is apparently tearing up the iTunes charts) ... but yeah, as we've discovered, different "Girl." It's interesting the generational change in the sentiment of the two songs. Sobule's is a tentative exploration of a burgeoning, repressed sexuality, while Perry explodes the proud tradition of getting drunk and making out with someone of your own gender (often to the delight of spectators of the opposite gender). Also, I hate the way that she takes a breath in the middle of a word: "I'm curi - [breath] - ous for you."
eh.www.amNY.com
In honor of the man who climbed the NY Times building this morning, we bring you The Cramps' "Human Fly."
(NB: volume is low on the video.)
I saw these guys a few years ago, and they totally rule. Lux and Ivy are pushing, what?, 60? But they still totally rock. I interviewed Ivy two years ago, and it sounds like the two of them are still so in love, with both each other and rock and roll, which she says is the key to the band's longevity. (My favorite part of the story: "The hard part of touring, said Ivy, is that 'it’s hard to leave the cats. They’re getting old.' They have actually canceled tours because they want to stay home with the cats.")
Here's the Nouvelle Vague cover, for good measure.
eh.www.amNY.com
I'll put this upfront: The following post is gonna be pretty disjointed, but bear with me.
So lately I've been going through this phase where after midnight, I think to myself, "Sleep is overrated," but in the morning, I think exactly the opposite. So I had a vague idea to do a blog entry about songs about sleep. But I looked up the following video and got distracted.
Barenaked Ladies, "Who Needs Sleep"
The band has a whole series of videos featuring Ed playing in the bathroom!
I used to love these guys. They're a really fun live show, even if they won't let you throw Kraft Dinner at them anymore. Following in the footsteps of They Might Be Giants, they recently released a kids' album, because they're all old and have kids now. You can here it here.
The other sleepytime songs I thought of were ...
"Golden Slumbers"
(Ben Folds' cover from "I Am Sam." When I originally saw some special on this movie, I thought it was a joke. It helped that it came on in the time slot that had formerly belonged to "Twitch City," a totally bizarre post-KITH Canadian sitcom.)
And ....
The Beatles, "I'm Only Sleeping"
This became one of my favorite Beatles songs ever after I bought the British version of "Revolver." My dad, of course, had the American record, because he lived in America in 1966 (and now). (For those of you who aren't dorks: The track sequencing on a few of the Beatles' American releases differed from that on the British ones because Capitol Records played mix and match with "Help!," "Rubber Soul" and "Revolver" to create "Beatles Yesterday and Today" so they could release 4 albums instead of three. Google "Butcher Cover" if you want to know more.)
So, um, there's that.
eh.www.amNY.com
Martin Bisi, "Goth Chick '98"
This video looks like it was made for about five bucks, but it's awesome. Taking advantage of that authentic low budget feel, which comes from their authentic low budget, these guys create an outsider world that lovingly makes fun of the goth subculture while coming out of that same culture. My favorite part is when Bisi's mustache falls off.
The song itself is nothing special, but it's definitely different.
Also, I have a friend who frequently accuses me of being goth (because he doesn't actually know the difference between goth and punk). I don't know where to go with that thought, so I'm just going to let it sit there.
eh.www.amNY.com
A Chris Crocker appearance and an "All Your Base Are Belong to Us." That, plus Rivers' Earl mustache make this video awesome.
Also, the "shoes" guy. Apparently there are 15 YouTube references in the video. Can you find them?
This song is really growing on me.
eh.www.amNY.com
Speaking of William Shatner, he's had quite a singing career in addition to his acting career. And he's not the only Trekker to have made a go of it. Here's a selection of singing Star Trek alumni.
Leonard Nimoy sings "The Legend of Bilbo Baggins." Is your mind blown?
George Takei makes quite a country singer.
Tim Russ (Tuvok from "Voyager") has released several albums.
Brent Spinner (Data from TNG) released an album of jazz standards called "Ol' Yellow Eyes is Back." This cut, "It's a Sin to Tell a Lie," features a cameo by Patrick Stewart and supporting vocals from the rest of the TNG crew.
Know of any others?
eh.www.amNY.com
"Going On"
Scifi-licious!
I love the supersaturated picture with the '70s-style titles. Neat video, neat song. Yes, there's nothing on "The Odd Couple" as ear-wormy as "Crazy," but I think the album as a whole is stronger than "St. Elsewhere."
If you still haven't heard it, download a backwards version here. And then ...
eh.www.amNY.com
eh.www.amNY.com
I wanted to do a little something special for post 500, and what's more special than a video interview? Well, lots of things. Cake, for example. But I'm not making you a cake.
Apropos of nothing, except that I really like them, I sat down and spoke with Christian Rudder of Bishop Allen. Fortuitously, they have a gig at Music Hall of Williamsburg May 16, so if you like what you hear, go see 'em.
Here we are in all our camera-shy glory:
Let me know what you think. If you like it, we may do more of these.
Also, a special thank you to One Brooklyn Bridge Park for the use of their location.
And here's "Click, Click, Click, Click," the best indie pop song about photography since Spoon's "I Turn My Camera On."
Happy 500! See you again in 500 more ...
eh.www.amNY.com
PS I'm on vacation next week, so I really hope you like this ... enough to tide you over until May 4 when I'll be back ... with tales of Jazz Fest in New Orleans!
From my buddy Ryan ...
Hey, if you could use some AMFM fodder, I thought this video was really cool.
His name's David Ford. I've seen him play live before. He's opening for Sara Bareilles now. As you can see from the video, he's a master at looping sounds, and it makes for a pretty cool live show when he's playing all by his lonesome.
He's kind of pop/rock/folk. He's British, and maybe it's just me, but I find his melodies sometimes resemble Irish folk songs (not so much in this song, however).
Just thought I'd pass it on. Even if someone doesn't like his music, they might still think the above video is impressive.
No pressure, though.
Ryan Chatelain, www.amNY.com
Here's a tip: If you sing out, "Oh Baaaaaaby, you, you got what need ..." someone WILL sing back "but you say he's just a friend ..." This honestly happened to me one night down on the LES. It's like our "Deep in the Heart of Texas." My favorite part of this song is how disgusted he is in his throw away asides. Don't gimme that.
eh.www.amNY.com
eh.www.amNY.com
This kid (Ronald Jenkees is his name) is fascinating. Check out more of his stuff on his MySpace or his web site.
In his own words: "Before you ask, I'm a perfectly normal and healthy guy, just a little geeky and different - but that's a good thing, not a bad thing."
UPDATE:
This one is also awesome! I can't stop watching this guy.
eh.www.amNY.com
How can these guys be so talented? Their music is just so vital. I remember when ... I remember when their first single broke, and it was all I could listen to for weeks. There was something so pleasant about that tune. And it came out at just the right time, filling a void in popular music; it seemed to have an echo in so much space.
Doesn't this make you crazy?
Ha ha ha, bless my soul.
But seriously, their new single is kick ass. And the new video is fun.
eh.www.amNY.com
• This is awesome. It's exactly what Bowie meant.
• NPR's Robin Hilton, a while ago, pointed out this cover of Outkast's Hey Ya, done as a plaintive indie rock ballad. It really highlights the fact that despite the song's upbeat gloss, the words are really kind of hopeless and sad. "So why oh why oh are we so in denial when we know we're not happy here?" Here's the original.
• And speaking of "Hey Ya," Cats and Beer put together a list of "The Top 10 Rap Songs White People Love" ("Hey Ya" only gets an honorable mention, which I'd quibble with). And in the spirit of equal time, they also have "The Top 10 Rock Songs Black People Love, A Post Written By A Black Person", in which they invoke their own version of the Steely Dan principle: "All black people like Steely Dan. Any black folk who claims he doesn’t hasn’t heard them yet."
eh.www.amNY.com
The Greyboy Allstars get the puppet treatment in their new video for "Still Waiting." When you've been rendered in felt, that's how you know you've made it. And, that girl puppet is am/fm favorite Inara George! Good stuff.
eh.www.amNY.com
Maybe I'm late to the game on this, because I have willfully never heard a Carrie Underwood song before in my life, but I reluctantly sat through an episode of "Saturday Night Live" last night, and I noticed that this song:
sounds a lot like this one:
