Respect for Beth Ditto

Heavy Cross

GOSSIP | MySpace Music Videos

I was always curious about Beth Ditto, being a Fashion Design major I always come across her on Style.com etc. Today I watched a video of her about fashion of course (what else?), she's amazing. I will probably blog about the fashion stuff later on my own fashion blog, but that aside her band The Gossip is also fabulous. Their music is categorized as Experimental, Soul and Punk. (Experimental means that they create a specific genre of music in unorthodox ways...I hope I wasn't the only one who didn't know that) I love it. I've only listened to Heavy Cross so far, cause that's the song that was featured in the video I watched. Anyways everybody check it out! =]

"Insensibilidad" by Ska-P

Song: Insensibilidad
Artist: Ska-P
Album: ¡¡Que Corra La Voz!!
Genre: Ska Punk

This is really short because I just got back to CMU and I have a ton of shopping and box shelpping to do, but I felt that it was time for a foreign song that isn't french. Ska-P is a ska punk band from Madrid, and if you can't already tell, Ska-P stands for ska punk. I don't understand a word of this song, because I suck at even languages I know, but I have stinking suspicion that "Insensibilidad" means "Insensible". All in all, it's just another crazy fun song. And crazy fun songs are awesome.

Song here!

"Bathwater" by No Doubt

Song: Bathwater
Artist: No Doubt
Album: Return Of Saturn
Genre: Ska Punk

I was listening to this song recently and it reminded me just how much I missed Gwen Stefani when she was back with No Doubt. Despite all the success she seems to have with radioplay and all that, to me, her solo career has been just ma-ma hu-hu, except for two songs -- "The Sweetest Thing" which was pretty damn catchy and "Hollerback Girl" which was beyond terrible. "Hollerback Girl" is the main reason I blame Gwen Stefani for the horrible music that is Fergie (there's another woman who should not have gone solo, even more so than Gwen Stefani).

Apparently this song didn't do so well in the charts when it was released as a single, but I like it nonetheless. The dark undertones, the funky beat, the bouncy chorus, and Gwen Stefani sounds great! Give it a listen and please tell me No Doubt are gonna get off this damn hiatus already.

"Walkie Talkie Man" by Steriogram

Song: Walkie Talkie Man
Band: Steriogram
Album: Schmack!
Genre: Pop punk

A brief little pimpage while I wait for comics and knock back advils by the handful. This song is just so crazy and fun with fast verses that take you a few listens to catch the lyrics. I used to always put it on our softball warmup playlist because it had the best line - "He's fat and he don't run too fast/But he's faster than me". It applies SO well to my running capabilities.

Courtesy of youtube, I found out that this song was also used for an iPod commercial, which just further supports my "Apple has a knack for choosing awesome songs" theory. But what rocks even more? The music video was directed by Michel Gondry! That man is genius. He's like the Wade Robson of directing.

For just listening purposes, click here.

Relient K - MMHMM

Our first guest contributor! Album review by Aran.

Band: Relient K
Album: MMHMM
Genre: Punk/Rock

Relient K is not your average punk/pop band. Their fourth and most mature album to date, MMHMM, takes some of their famous tongue in cheek attitude and mixes it with serious themes to deliver their best album to date. On the first listen, it may seem like nothing more than a standard punk album. After listening a few times, the album quickly shows its own style. Relient K’s notorious humor is evident in songs like “My Girl’s Ex-Boyfriend”, where a guy thanks a former suitor for breaking up with his girlfriend. Despite such songs that retain some of the band’s former goofiness, MMHMM is a departure from the band’s previous works, introducing to their already impressive sound the versatility of the piano and a more mature approach to their songwriting. The album’s two main singles, “Who I Am Hates Who I’ve Been” and “Be My Escape” are both energetic songs with solid lyrics that will be sure to have you singing along with them in no time. Other songs, such as “I So Hate Consequences” and “More Than Useless” discuss themes of responsibility and redemption rarely heard in punk rock. On the other hand, songs such as “This Week The Trend” and “Maintain Consciousness” retain some of their former silliness, while at the same time acting as a wake up call for teen apathy and laziness. The album ends with the seven minute long “When I Go Down”, a song with constantly shifting moods that correspond to the lyrics, which take the listener on an emotional journey through failure and sadness to hope.

Band's Website

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