Sunday, December 18, 2011
Les DJ Sont De Retour
This week we conclude our gallic sonic one-two punch with the pretty, futuristic, near-instrumental 'Audio Video Disco' by critically-acclaimed Parisian DJ duo Justice, aka Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay.The thirty-ish pair that form Justice blend French house and electro rock into something into rich sonic landscapes, and are back, three years after their debut, with an impressive sophomore album, of which 'Audio Video Disco' is the title track..
Watcj the 'Audio Video Disco' video...
And here's 'D.A.N.C.E.' the song that put them on the map three years back...
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Sunday, December 11, 2011
So I'm Told...
The Gourmet Bubble Gum Whiz Kid is back... I refer Mika (pronounced MY-KAH) is back , who supplies today's Song of the Week. That would be'Elle Me Dit,' a highly infectious romp that likely to brighten your day even if you speak not a word of French. Mika, who spent 8 years in Paris on the way from Beirut to London, gives a shout-out to his Francophone friends, with witty lyrics that epitomize, in his words, 'everything a mother should NEVER tell her son.' Why I love Mika: let me count the ways...
Mika's 'Elle Me Dit' video is quite a hoot, with French cinema legend (and gay icon) Fanny Ardant hamming it up as the complaining mother in question...
Here's 'Grace Kelly,' the irresistible song that put Mika on the map to begin with! Every part of this song dazzles the ear! It's also laced with dialogue from 'The Country Girl,' the movie that won Kelly her one Oscar.
Here's another great Mika song from his first album, 'Relax, Take It Easy...'
And here we have Mika living it large in his 'We Are Golden...' video
a) a prodigious singer-songwriter-producer with the vocal talent of a Freddie Mercury or a George Michael;
b) a 'post-gay' poster boy who acts very gay and camp, embraces all sexuality, and rejects definitions;
c) a Lebanese-American-British-French 28-year-old teen idol;
d) a brilliant musical dessert chef who may yet give bubble gum a good name; and
e) yet another UK musical phenomenal as-yet unappreciated in the USA...
Mika's 'Elle Me Dit' video is quite a hoot, with French cinema legend (and gay icon) Fanny Ardant hamming it up as the complaining mother in question...
Here's Mika's wonderful live performance of 'We Are Golden' at the Sweden's Malmöfestivalen in, where else, Malmö, the country's third-largest city, just a stone's throw from Copenhagen across a very, very long bridge..
Here's 'Grace Kelly,' the irresistible song that put Mika on the map to begin with! Every part of this song dazzles the ear! It's also laced with dialogue from 'The Country Girl,' the movie that won Kelly her one Oscar.
Here's another great Mika song from his first album, 'Relax, Take It Easy...'
And here we have Mika living it large in his 'We Are Golden...' video
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Sunday, December 04, 2011
Come Back Stronger
Today's song, 'Never Meant To Know,' is pretty in a late-60s fashion, the melody so memorable an acoustic version would work fine. It's from an album so solid that any random song could be a 'single'..The group is Ann-Arbor based indie rock quintet Tally Hall. To their credit, they keet on plugging, undiscouraged that their brilliant 2008 debut album never caught fire and that Atlantic Records dumped them last year. Hard to categorize, Tally Hall combines '60s pop harmonies, garage and indie rock with a playful sense of humor in their videos. They each wear a different color tie.
Their best wasn't enough, so... they came back stronger with the quantum leap that is their sophomore effort, 'Good & Evil,' released in June on a shoestring by Quack! Media. .. Here they are singing 'Never Meant To Know' at the Rugby Store in NYC in October 2008...
Here's the single '&,' pronounced 'and.' Can't find a real video, but the song is great. Irresistible melody for 2 1/2 minutes, but I think they they should have left off the last 45 seconds.. Just my opinion... I did almost use THIS as Song of the Week - again, so many great cuts, hard to pick....
That's what I offer you via today's Song/Video of the Week, 'Good Day' by the melodic delightful quintet from Ann Arbor known as Tally Hall (pictured left).
'Good Day,' like the Beatles on Abbey Road, is several complementary songs that shift and shimmy through 3 1/2 joyous minutes.
Just listen and watch!
Their album, recorded and released in 2005 on a shoestring budget, got a proper major label in 2008 from Atlantic Records. Thanks again to John Wiske for digging up this gem three years and many eons ago.
Another great Tally Hall song and video is 'Banana Man':
Here's the single '&,' pronounced 'and.' Can't find a real video, but the song is great. Irresistible melody for 2 1/2 minutes, but I think they they should have left off the last 45 seconds.. Just my opinion... I did almost use THIS as Song of the Week - again, so many great cuts, hard to pick....
That's what I offer you via today's Song/Video of the Week, 'Good Day' by the melodic delightful quintet from Ann Arbor known as Tally Hall (pictured left).
'Good Day,' like the Beatles on Abbey Road, is several complementary songs that shift and shimmy through 3 1/2 joyous minutes.
Just listen and watch!
Their album, recorded and released in 2005 on a shoestring budget, got a proper major label in 2008 from Atlantic Records. Thanks again to John Wiske for digging up this gem three years and many eons ago.
Another great Tally Hall song and video is 'Banana Man':
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Friday, December 02, 2011
I'm Still Here!
...and still catching up with Song of the Week. This time I feature New Orleans-based indie pop duo The Generationals, and the bouncy guitar pop of their 'Goose & Gander.' Others describe it better, and I'm sleepy:
Allmusic: 'hook-filled indie pop that draws liberally from rock and pop's 50s, 60s, and 70s heydays, but maintains enough modern sensibilities to remain relevant in the MP3 age."
NYT: "shimmers with the music of the British Invasion, Stax soul, Wall of Sound production, 50s doo-wop, and California dreaming jangle filtered through a contemporary indie-rock lens'.
Here's 'Goose & Gander' live in Cleveland:
Here's a terrific neon psychedelic video for the group's single, 'Twenty Ten,' and its 'Adam-Ant-sounding '80s dance-oriented low-fi sweetness'
Here's 'Trust' live on KCRW...
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