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!
Sunday, August 26, 2007
The Best Music Video of All Time. Ever. Period.
I love watching music videos. Official ones, fan ones, even AMVs can be interesting sometimes. Music videos can just bring so much more out of a song (aka Gorillaz) or can totally ruin it (aka EVERY INCUBUS MV except this one).
Recently an online music and film magazine by the name of Stylus posted their "Top 100 Music Videos of All Time". Personally I find the idea of ranked music videos about as stupid as ranked music... BUT i just had to see what they were ranting on about. Naturally I cut through all the crap and went straight for what THEY deemed the best music video of all time.
Rabbit In Your Headlights - Thom Yorke
"It's almost impossible to say what it means, but it's equally hard to find someone who can watch it, really watch it, and remain unmoved." HM. I dunno man, I'll definately say it's better than your cliched meaningless average rock music video that attempts to be deep but fails miserably to be engaging on any level... But the best of all time? I think one of the problems stems from the fact that the song itself isn't particularly amazing (especially for Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke) coupled with a message that's just a bit TOO cryptic. Anyways make sure you watch till the end cuz that's the "interesting part". It's a lot better if you watch it as a "short film" instead of a "music video".
I guess this is as good a time as ever to share some my favorite MV's, so in no particular order:
Feel Good Inc. - Gorillaz
Everyone's seen this one before so I won't bother to explain why this music video is so great
Hurt (cover) - Johnny Cash
Originally Johnny Cash didn't want to do a cover of a Nine Inch Nails song, stating that NIN wasn't "his style"... imagine that... Anyways it's good that he did cover this song. It's often lauded as one of the greatest music videos ever created, and I can see why.
1979 - The Smashing Pumpkins
If you listen to alternative rock music, this song should sound familiar. It's often considered the best song that one of the most influential bands of the 90's ever wrote. It's about how great it is to be a kid and how carefree life is. It definately has a nostalgic feel to it... Makes me wish I spent my teen years in the 90's. The song is pretty much summed up in the lines "And we don't even know/just where our bones will rest/to dust i guess."
Recently an online music and film magazine by the name of Stylus posted their "Top 100 Music Videos of All Time". Personally I find the idea of ranked music videos about as stupid as ranked music... BUT i just had to see what they were ranting on about. Naturally I cut through all the crap and went straight for what THEY deemed the best music video of all time.
Rabbit In Your Headlights - Thom Yorke
"It's almost impossible to say what it means, but it's equally hard to find someone who can watch it, really watch it, and remain unmoved." HM. I dunno man, I'll definately say it's better than your cliched meaningless average rock music video that attempts to be deep but fails miserably to be engaging on any level... But the best of all time? I think one of the problems stems from the fact that the song itself isn't particularly amazing (especially for Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke) coupled with a message that's just a bit TOO cryptic. Anyways make sure you watch till the end cuz that's the "interesting part". It's a lot better if you watch it as a "short film" instead of a "music video".
I guess this is as good a time as ever to share some my favorite MV's, so in no particular order:
Feel Good Inc. - Gorillaz
Everyone's seen this one before so I won't bother to explain why this music video is so great
Hurt (cover) - Johnny Cash
Originally Johnny Cash didn't want to do a cover of a Nine Inch Nails song, stating that NIN wasn't "his style"... imagine that... Anyways it's good that he did cover this song. It's often lauded as one of the greatest music videos ever created, and I can see why.
1979 - The Smashing Pumpkins
If you listen to alternative rock music, this song should sound familiar. It's often considered the best song that one of the most influential bands of the 90's ever wrote. It's about how great it is to be a kid and how carefree life is. It definately has a nostalgic feel to it... Makes me wish I spent my teen years in the 90's. The song is pretty much summed up in the lines "And we don't even know/just where our bones will rest/to dust i guess."
Saturday, August 18, 2007
"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.
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.
Friday, August 17, 2007
Mandy Moore's Umbrella
aka How "Annoying" got bumped up a notch.
"Man when I heard that Umbrella song.. I was just like "that really is something"... Annoying lyrics, annoying melody, SUPER annoying chorus... it's a guaranteed commercial success! But.. the thing is.... Rihanna just isn't ANNOYING enough. It's just.. she doesn't live up to the rest of the song. I mean the concept is gold, repeating "umbrella -ella -ella -ella" like she's pretending to be her own echo? Hell that's more annoying than paying 2% royalties to my "artists". LOL. It's just... I felt the execution was lacking.
The second I heard it, I knew. I knew that I had a shot to make an irritating song into the most bothersome song ever. So, I called up the most annoying singer I had access to, and essentially turned the song into a melencholy ballad. I cut out all the less annoying hip hop synthed beats and put in a god-awful acoustic guitar and bass/drums from an 80's ktv machine. I told Mandy Moore her parents died right before recording to give her a slight "sad" sort of emotion, or something. THEN to top it off, I made the backup vocals for the chorus male singers! Then I kicked them in the balls repeatedly to get a slightly "hurt" tone out of them. I am confident that I have helped in the creation of the most annoying song ever."
- Mandy Moore's Songwriter/Manager
I fucking dare you to click here.
"Man when I heard that Umbrella song.. I was just like "that really is something"... Annoying lyrics, annoying melody, SUPER annoying chorus... it's a guaranteed commercial success! But.. the thing is.... Rihanna just isn't ANNOYING enough. It's just.. she doesn't live up to the rest of the song. I mean the concept is gold, repeating "umbrella -ella -ella -ella" like she's pretending to be her own echo? Hell that's more annoying than paying 2% royalties to my "artists". LOL. It's just... I felt the execution was lacking.
The second I heard it, I knew. I knew that I had a shot to make an irritating song into the most bothersome song ever. So, I called up the most annoying singer I had access to, and essentially turned the song into a melencholy ballad. I cut out all the less annoying hip hop synthed beats and put in a god-awful acoustic guitar and bass/drums from an 80's ktv machine. I told Mandy Moore her parents died right before recording to give her a slight "sad" sort of emotion, or something. THEN to top it off, I made the backup vocals for the chorus male singers! Then I kicked them in the balls repeatedly to get a slightly "hurt" tone out of them. I am confident that I have helped in the creation of the most annoying song ever."
- Mandy Moore's Songwriter/Manager
I fucking dare you to click here.
"Walkie Talkie Man" by Steriogram
Song: Walkie Talkie ManBand: 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.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
English Invasion Part I
lol...i was trying to think of some corny name for the title to summarize what it's about. i'm sure if you're into the contemporary music scene, you'll notice that recently there's been a sudden appearances of female singers from the UK. Two of the most well known UK female artists rite now is Lily Allen and Amy Winehouse. If you don't know either than shame on you. But then again i guess if you're of the male gender, you're somewhat dismissed. After all, i guess they're somewhat accepted artists that go under the genre of 'girl music'.
Lily Allen's songs are characterize by a sort of quirky girl power. I like to think of her as a more appealing version of Lady Sovereign, more pop and more feminine. Take
'Smile' for example, it's basically about taking pleasure in watching an ex bf fall in despair as she secretly destroys his utmost prized possessions (well that's the video anyways)! The song lyrics is more about how she smiles when she sees him sad. lol...well either way it's a lil cheeky and devilish. I love it ( it used to be my ringtone until i dropped my phone in the toilet....so sad)! It's really catchy. She has a few pretty humorous songs, like 'Alfie' (about lil bro smoking weed..well not only that...but that's one of the lines of the lyrics =p) and 'Nan, You're a Window Shopper' (about Nan ENGLISH>'s strange habits). They're fun songs. Then there's another one of my favs called 'Littlest Things', a slower and more serious song. Reminiscing about an old relationship. It's really catchy too..heh. Give her a try if u havn't already, she's cute style-wise and vocally too!
Okay here's a tran 
sition for you...Lily Allen is related to Amy Winehouse through Mark Ronson! They've both done tracks with him...and Lily Allen was seen photographed with Samantha Ronso n r ecently when she was in the 90210. And both Lily and Amy have recently cancelled shows/concerts... well for v. diff reasons...both health reasons though...anyways...
So Amy Winehouse...hmm, she fits under the category of blues/jazz. A lot of songs are about her previous disastrous relationship and hints at her alcoholism. She recently went into rehab with her hubby...and she had a heroin overdose a week ago? smth like that. So apart from 'Valerie' off Mark Ronson's cd (which i posted on the Mark Ronson entry), 'Love is a Losing Game' is another one of my fav. There's 'Rehab' and 'Back to Black', those are her most well known tracks but i'll let u find those yrself. She's quite a character, her entire image is pretty intriguing. Did you kno that she's jewish too? Anyways give that track a listen!
More UK female artists coming up!
Lily Allen's songs are characterize by a sort of quirky girl power. I like to think of her as a more appealing version of Lady Sovereign, more pop and more feminine. Take
'Smile' for example, it's basically about taking pleasure in watching an ex bf fall in despair as she secretly destroys his utmost prized possessions (well that's the video anyways)! The song lyrics is more about how she smiles when she sees him sad. lol...well either way it's a lil cheeky and devilish. I love it ( it used to be my ringtone until i dropped my phone in the toilet....so sad)! It's really catchy. She has a few pretty humorous songs, like 'Alfie' (about lil bro smoking weed..well not only that...but that's one of the lines of the lyrics =p) and 'Nan, You're a Window Shopper' (about Nan Okay here's a tran
So Amy Winehouse...hmm, she fits under the category of blues/jazz. A lot of songs are about her previous disastrous relationship and hints at her alcoholism. She recently went into rehab with her hubby...and she had a heroin overdose a week ago? smth like that. So apart from 'Valerie' off Mark Ronson's cd (which i posted on the Mark Ronson entry), 'Love is a Losing Game' is another one of my fav. There's 'Rehab' and 'Back to Black', those are her most well known tracks but i'll let u find those yrself. She's quite a character, her entire image is pretty intriguing. Did you kno that she's jewish too? Anyways give that track a listen!
More UK female artists coming up!
An apology that is... not really an apology?
So if you follow mainstream music you'll probably know about Akon's new song Sorry, Blame It On Me. It's a good move on his part, putting out a song where he can give some sort of apology to anyone he's offended.
I've liked a lot of Akon's songs and I do like this one too, but I really do have some gripes about it. In a way you can say it's his song to apologize to everyone about all the recent events that have happened (dry humping a 14 year old and throwing a fan at a concert to name the ones I know the best). Although these events might not have been entirely his fault, he definitely has some part in them. If you follow the lyrics it seems more and more like he's trying to make himself look like a saint:
"I'm sorry for the hand that she was dealt
And for the embarrassment that she felt
She's just a little young girl trying to have fun
But daddy should of never let her out that young"
I definitely agree if the club is supposed to have an age limit that someone underage shouldn't be there. Then again he was holding a "contest with a trip to Africa". It ends up the prize is really just dry-humping his fan, which is quite extreme and crude. Given that the club should have people at an age where it wouldn't be completely unacceptable, I think Akon should have at the very least stated his true intentions. A perfectly innocent woman who got caught up in the whole "trip to Africa" thing could've really been hurt. It also ends up the 14 year old girl who "won" had family who were public figures. ( Her brother is the president of the Trinidad and Tobago Crime Watch)
I don't feel like citing more examples, but I just feel this song is trying to sanctify Akon a little too much. Nevertheless, I still like this song and will continue to listen to Akon.
Akon - Sorry, Blame it On Me
I've liked a lot of Akon's songs and I do like this one too, but I really do have some gripes about it. In a way you can say it's his song to apologize to everyone about all the recent events that have happened (dry humping a 14 year old and throwing a fan at a concert to name the ones I know the best). Although these events might not have been entirely his fault, he definitely has some part in them. If you follow the lyrics it seems more and more like he's trying to make himself look like a saint:
"I'm sorry for the hand that she was dealt
And for the embarrassment that she felt
She's just a little young girl trying to have fun
But daddy should of never let her out that young"
I definitely agree if the club is supposed to have an age limit that someone underage shouldn't be there. Then again he was holding a "contest with a trip to Africa". It ends up the prize is really just dry-humping his fan, which is quite extreme and crude. Given that the club should have people at an age where it wouldn't be completely unacceptable, I think Akon should have at the very least stated his true intentions. A perfectly innocent woman who got caught up in the whole "trip to Africa" thing could've really been hurt. It also ends up the 14 year old girl who "won" had family who were public figures. ( Her brother is the president of the Trinidad and Tobago Crime Watch)
I don't feel like citing more examples, but I just feel this song is trying to sanctify Akon a little too much. Nevertheless, I still like this song and will continue to listen to Akon.
Akon - Sorry, Blame it On Me
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Tristan Prettyman
Tristan Prettyman is one of my favorite artists ever! She is one of those artists where you are just like “I can’t believe she isn’t more famous”. (The Rocket Summer is another one, but that is for another time)
Her music in three words or less: acoustic, mellow, and amazing. She is a singer-songwriter from San Diego, California. I like to describe her as a female Jason Mraz, although she is more mellow and softer than him. Incidentally, those two used to date. They even have a kickass duet together called “Shy That Way”. Tink also came up with another comparison of a mix between Norah Jones and uh... someone I'll think of later. But really, she is just her own unique sound, all quiet melodies and mellow lyrics. Love it all. Random trivia tidbit: Tristan Prettyman is a surfer girl and she used to be Roxy model. Oh, the things you can learn on the internet.
I absolutely love her cd “twentythree” and I can't wait until she comes out with another album. One thing to note is that the difference between her live music and her studio music is quite palpable – songs recorded for the cds tend to sound more upbeat than when they are sung live. It could be because of additional/increased instruments. The live versions are also pretty great, because they sound so stripped down, just Tristan Prettyman and her guitar.
So to sum up, listen to Tristan Prettyman! Or at least give her music a spin. You’ll fall in love with her right away.
Recommended Songs: "The Kiss", "Smoke", and "Love, Love, Love"
Her music in three words or less: acoustic, mellow, and amazing. She is a singer-songwriter from San Diego, California. I like to describe her as a female Jason Mraz, although she is more mellow and softer than him. Incidentally, those two used to date. They even have a kickass duet together called “Shy That Way”. Tink also came up with another comparison of a mix between Norah Jones and uh... someone I'll think of later. But really, she is just her own unique sound, all quiet melodies and mellow lyrics. Love it all. Random trivia tidbit: Tristan Prettyman is a surfer girl and she used to be Roxy model. Oh, the things you can learn on the internet.
I absolutely love her cd “twentythree” and I can't wait until she comes out with another album. One thing to note is that the difference between her live music and her studio music is quite palpable – songs recorded for the cds tend to sound more upbeat than when they are sung live. It could be because of additional/increased instruments. The live versions are also pretty great, because they sound so stripped down, just Tristan Prettyman and her guitar.
So to sum up, listen to Tristan Prettyman! Or at least give her music a spin. You’ll fall in love with her right away.
Recommended Songs: "The Kiss", "Smoke", and "Love, Love, Love"
Those are only my absolute favorites, otherwise I’d be spamming you guys with song titles. But other great ones include "The Story" and "Electric" and practically everything else she sings. Oh, and also the Jason Mraz duet "Shy That Way"
Official Website (currently under construction)
Myspace (a lot of her songs can be found here, including all of her twentythree songs)
Buy twentythree! Trust me, it is completely worth it. Especially for all you downloading fiends, because most of the stuff you will find online is only her live music.
"Henrietta" by The Fratellis
Song: Henrietta
Artist: The Fratellis
Album: Costello Music
Genre: Rock/Indie
You probably heard of this band before. Their song “Flathead” was featured in a recent iPod commercial. Say what you will about Apple and iPods, you can’t deny the fact that they choose great music for their commercials. Personally, they remind me of Scissors Sisters and a little bit of Franz Ferdinand, but the Fratellis have also drawn comparisons to The Libertines and The Ramones (although that is mainly for adopting the same last name).
Like “Flathead”, “Henrietta” is just one of those get-up-and-dance-stupid songs. Totally upbeat and quirky and happy! I love happy music. Just ignore the fact that the song is supposedly about an older woman stalker. I think I'm usually better off being completely oblivious to what songs are talking about anyways. I mean the lyrics in the middle become totally nonsensical (Wah-wah-wah-WAHHHH and Shing-a-ling-a-ling-a-ling, anyone?) It’s like the musical equivalent to those times when you are so excited you can’t think coherent thoughts and all you can do is babble.
These are craaaaazy times.
Artist: The Fratellis
Album: Costello Music
Genre: Rock/Indie
You probably heard of this band before. Their song “Flathead” was featured in a recent iPod commercial. Say what you will about Apple and iPods, you can’t deny the fact that they choose great music for their commercials. Personally, they remind me of Scissors Sisters and a little bit of Franz Ferdinand, but the Fratellis have also drawn comparisons to The Libertines and The Ramones (although that is mainly for adopting the same last name).
Like “Flathead”, “Henrietta” is just one of those get-up-and-dance-stupid songs. Totally upbeat and quirky and happy! I love happy music. Just ignore the fact that the song is supposedly about an older woman stalker. I think I'm usually better off being completely oblivious to what songs are talking about anyways. I mean the lyrics in the middle become totally nonsensical (Wah-wah-wah-WAHHHH and Shing-a-ling-a-ling-a-ling, anyone?) It’s like the musical equivalent to those times when you are so excited you can’t think coherent thoughts and all you can do is babble.
These are craaaaazy times.
Friday, August 10, 2007
DHT- Listen To Your Heart
I'm sure a lot of you will kno this track. It's one of the most classic dance tracks. I decided to post this song coz I stumbled over some prettty interesting stuff about it.
First of all the...band...no duo...no, uh group(gah band is not the right word, nor artist...i keep wanting to use the word band with all these groups...) consists of 2 singers Edmée Daenen (she's like 2 years older than...uh.. me, so she was 15 when she joined) and Flor Theeuwes who is also known as MC Jerky along with two other DJs: DJ Base and DJ Malone. DHT originally stood for Danger Hardcore Team (uh, interesting choice of name) but later changed to Dance House Trance (btw they're Belgian). They are most famous for the cover hit "Listen to Your Heart" which
was originally by Roxette. When Edmée joined, the image of the group also changed from an underground happy hardcore (yes happy hardcore is a type of techno apparently, go figure...) music to a pop image which was more widely accepted by radio stations. There's also more that goes on with the image change, but i'll spare u guys of the info, which u can find elsewhere. But here's the original graphic that DHT took on when they were Danger Hardcore Team (right). In comparison check out their present website (link above).
On top of that...did u kno this song was used in the commercials for Czech Civic Forum elections in 1989? (...which then lead to collaspe of Communism....kinda...u can read up on it on wiki) LOL, yea the original goes way back baby!
Anyways my favorite mix of this particular song is by DHT and it's the Edmee's Unplugged Vocal Edit. So here it is =] ('I Go Crazy' is really good too...by DHT again..)
First of all the...band...no duo...no, uh group(gah band is not the right word, nor artist...i keep wanting to use the word band with all these groups...) consists of 2 singers Edmée Daenen (she's like 2 years older than...uh.. me, so she was 15 when she joined) and Flor Theeuwes who is also known as MC Jerky along with two other DJs: DJ Base and DJ Malone. DHT originally stood for Danger Hardcore Team (uh, interesting choice of name) but later changed to Dance House Trance (btw they're Belgian). They are most famous for the cover hit "Listen to Your Heart" which
was originally by Roxette. When Edmée joined, the image of the group also changed from an underground happy hardcore (yes happy hardcore is a type of techno apparently, go figure...) music to a pop image which was more widely accepted by radio stations. There's also more that goes on with the image change, but i'll spare u guys of the info, which u can find elsewhere. But here's the original graphic that DHT took on when they were Danger Hardcore Team (right). In comparison check out their present website (link above).On top of that...did u kno this song was used in the commercials for Czech Civic Forum elections in 1989? (...which then lead to collaspe of Communism....kinda...u can read up on it on wiki) LOL, yea the original goes way back baby!
Anyways my favorite mix of this particular song is by DHT and it's the Edmee's Unplugged Vocal Edit. So here it is =] ('I Go Crazy' is really good too...by DHT again..)
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