Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from July, 2015

"Times Like These" Covers

Foo Fighters have never been one of my favorite bands. Actually, I think there were when I was like 7 0r 8. That's because of the UFO connections with their name. You don't know what I'm talking about?!?!? WIKIPEDIA IT. Although, let's concede, early-era Foo Fighters have some crazy good tracks: I bought the Foo Fighters album with the neck tattoo on the cover when I was 14. I didn't listen to it much and gave it to my brother. Kind of how I felt when I sold my copy of Jimmy Eat World's "Bleed American" and the record store clerk was like OMG I LOVE JIMMY EAT WORLD. Anyway, Dave Grohl broke his LEG earlier this summer and because he's a badass, troopered through the show he was playing. It cost him a leading spot at Glastonbury, which was inherited by Florence and the Machine. She did a really kickass cover of the ubiquitous-in-2000s "Times Like These," which Grohl recently admitted moved him to tears. D'awwww.

Love Like the "Movies"

Earlier this year, I tweeted my wishes for this year (as one does) - musically speaking, of course. Among my wishes were new Class Actress and Jamie Woon tracks. Both these artists put out albums at a very colorful period in my life that I became extremely attached to as time went on. And honestly, it's been several years since we've had an LP from either - so it's about time!  Not too long ago, one of these wishes was granted. Enter Class Actress's new EP, "Movies." Six songs of pure synthpop bliss. The return of my favorite oversexed songstress. "Movies" is just around thirty minutes long, so it's not that much. But it's still something. And it intriguingly contains some world-class production, both in the guise of Neon Indian ("GFE") and disco legend Giorgio Moroder. You see, Elizabeth Harper and gang have signed a deal with Casablanca Records, which means we will have a new album by the end of 2016 (just hypothesizing

As if! Clueless turns 20 today!

Hello ?! Today is the 20th anniversary of one of the most important, iconic, and quotable movies ever! So, OK, I'm, like, totally buggin'!! Not to sound like some pretentious hipster or anything, but I've been a fan of Clueless waaay before Tumblr began revisiting it some 3 years ago. I was 5 when the movie was released, but it wasn't until I was probably 8 or 9 that I became totally obsessed with it. Back then, Cher Horowitz was my ultimate role model. I kept hoping someone would refer to me as the most beautiful girl in Beverly Hills—even though I didn't live in Beverly Hills. I would often try to incorporate quotes from the movie into everyday conversations (so that's where my pop-culture obsession began). Oh, I just loved to describe people as "full-on Monets." Long before wanting a friendship like that of Gossip Girl 's Blair and Serena , I aspired to have a friendship like Cher and Dionne's, so we could be the most popular gir

"Honeymoon"- Lana Del Rey

There is a new LDR track in town. A ballad, that is. And many people are claiming it is her best - absolute best, creme de la creme - to date. It's fantastically noir-ish, fantastically melodramatic, fantastically wistful - the qualities I have come to adore the most about today's most off-kilter pop star. It's easy to imagine Bette Davis - pre-"Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" Bette Davis, because let's not kid ourselves here - driving around the Californian shore at sunset and smoking a long cigarette (probably one in a holder, a la Cruella DeVille) and mourning over losing Gary Cooper. I don't even know if they were an item, but let's pretend they were. And keep in mind, in this mental image, Bette Davis still has it all. NO "BABY JANE." I wouldn't say this ballad is as good as "Born to Die" or "Young and Beautiful," but it's still haunting and it's still exquisite. Probably would put it on her top

The new earworm - 'In For the Kill' by Shamir

I heard him perform this on NPR weeks ago; quite the catchy tune.  He is reportedly known for his song 'On the Regular' , which is allegedly featured on a car commercial or some such.  Of interest, the interview mentioned that Shamir ascribes to no particular gender.

Happy birthday, Sky Ferreira!

Today the gorgeous and incredibly talented Sky Ferreira turns 23. Happy birthday, gurl! You deserve nothing but the absolute best. I can't tell you enough how much I relate to her music and what it means to me. Her debut album, Night Time, My Time (AKA one of the best albums of 2013), is truly a masterpiece that everyone should be listening to, like, right now. So many amazing songs to choose from—" 24 Hours ," " Boys ," " You're Not the One ," " I Blame Myself ," " Nobody Asked Me (If I Was Okay) "... While we're at it, Sky's second album, titled Masochism , is currently in the works! No release date has been announced yet, but a while ago, she posted on Instagram that Fever Ray was a major influence on the album. Ugh, I can't fucking wait. Below is the song that made me a fan back in 2012. Enjoy!

"Annie" - Neon Indian

It's been a few years since Neon Indian's debut album emerged. 2011, to be exact - the height of chillwave. Oh my God, I can't believe I typed that sentence. ANYWAY, it is now the future (2015) and we still don't have flying cars or invisible fax machines. But Neon Indian has returned in triumph with a surprisingly synthpop-laden track entitled "Annie." I can only hope it was written about the lovely Norwegian pop singer .  I would proudly proclaim this one of the 2015 summer jamz, right alongside the likes of Class Actress and Jamie XX ( "Loud Places" to be exact). Screw that Andy Grammer noise. 

A Little Mix for July 4th

I was originally going to do protest songs but only one made it through the final cut. Tracklist: 1. Paranoid (originally by Black Sabbath) by The Dickies, 1978. 2. Sixteen Saltines by Jack White, 2012. 3. Threshold  by Beck Hansen (as 'Sex Bob-omb"), 2010. 4. Bonzo Goes to Bitburg by The Ramones, 1985. 5. Caboose  by Snapcase, 1997