The Not-Pop Jukebox

I’ve been considering the songs that have most caught my attention over the past few years. I’ve posted most of them already, or at least other songs by those artists, so I’ll just link to the posts rather than covering old ground for the new year. Some of these songs caught me by surprise, either because they aren’t my usual fare or because they snuck into my head and became favorites despite an initially-lukewarm reaction. Some of them I knew I’d love before I even heard them, either because I was already a fan of the artist or because they were recommended to me by people whose taste aligns well with mine.

2008 appears to have been a banner year for new albums by old favorites as well as newer musicians releasing great first and sophomore albums. While I picked up some great new music in 2009, I have whole albums that rank on my favorites list from 2008. I didn’t think to do a real recap at the end of that year, and now we’re into double digits for the 2000s, so instead try a list of my favorite twenty tracks of the past ten years. I tried not to cheat and include songs on “Best of” albums that were released earlier. Let me know if you catch an error and I’ll fix the list accordingly. I certainly have more than twenty vying to be on the list.

1. From the Hips – Cursive (2009)
2. Toe Jam – The BPA with David Byrne (2009)
3. Love Is on the Way – Will Dailey (2009) This was the biggest surprise of the year, for me. I expected fluff, autotune, and general crap, considering the massive push I saw on Facebook. What I got was a fair number of bouncy, fun, surprisingly mature tunes that I very much enjoy.
4. Diablo Rojo [Live] - Rodrigo y Gabriela (2008)
5. Diddy Wah Diddy - Taj Mahal (2008)
6. Oxford Comma – Vampire Weekend (2008) and The Very Best’s cover of Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa (also 2008) which I think is better than the original. If you missed Hot Chip’s cover of the same tune with Peter Gabriel, I suggest you get your ears on that one, as well. You know a song is good when there are two covers of it the same year it was released.
7. Comme Des Enfants - Coeur de Pirate (2008)
8. Uh - Fujiya & Miyagi (2008)
9. Bag of Hammers – Thao Nguyen & the Get Down Stay Down (2007)
10. Fire on the Mountain – Asa (2007)
11. Dick Around – Sparks (2006)
12. People Gonna Talk – James Hunter (2006)
13. 60 Revolutions – Gogol Bordello (2005)
14. Pa Pa Pa Palavas - Benoît Charest (from The Triplets of Belleville soundtrack, easily the best movie of 2004 both creatively and musically)
15. I Am a Scientist – The Dandy Warhols (2003)
16. Blingity Bling - Suburban Legends (2003) How I've managed to avoid posting this one, I'll never know. That shall be rectified as soon as possible.
17. Weave – Rusted Root (2002)
18. The Flat Fleet Floogie – Keb’ Mo’ (2001)
19. Manthem – The Bouncing Souls (2001)
20. Do What – Squirrel Nut Zippers (2000)

Who but They Might Be Giants could make you consider believing a claim that youth culture had caused the demise of their beloved pooch? Today, I offer you Youth Culture Killed My Dog, the lament that makes you think that very thing, from the band's first, self-titled album. The song showcases both the sheer goofiness of the band and the way that they sneak social commentary into fun, alt-pop songs. I apologize for the short posts of late, but I'm working on a massive one for New Year's that should make up for some of the scarcity. Until then, enjoy!

After a few days of being snowbound, this song pretty well summed up my riotous mood at being allowed out amongst the public (without being at the mall). Thank heavens this mid-holiday week allows people time to regroup from enforced closeness before being expected to do real business. I don’t think I could take a day of providing good customer service to too many people. As is, it seems that folks have been wiped out about as much as I have by the snow storm and orgy of being nice to people. Have fun with the Dirty Pretty Things, and here's hoping that you got to enjoy some pretty or at least dirty things of your own this holiday season. While Bang Bang You're Dead may be an overreaction, at least it's uptempo enough to sustain some energy and help you fake enthusiasm this week. Or maybe it's just me.

Finally, a song about asking Santa for what you really want: booze. That's right, Santa's a "good ol' boy" and delivers bottles of peppermint Schnapps to the good little girls and boys of Dixie. That's what Brian Setzer wants you to believe, anyway. I'd be willing to believe that many of you could use a shot or two, on this most family of family days. Alas, it's too late to hope for that flask in your stocking but at least you can dream of the possibilities while enduring lectures and stories you've heard seven times before.

Even if you're enjoying the season, Hey Santa can still give you a little extra boost of holiday cheer, albeit of the non-alcoholic type. Get your toes tapping and remember why Brian Setzer and his orchestra should be crowned the heppest of cats. Best wishes for the season, all.

It's lunchtime here at the NPJ, but I find myself posting for you dedicated readers instead of eating, as I so often do. Truthfully, I can stand to skip the meals and this offers more entertainment than sitting around stuffing my face, anyway. Being hungry, however, means that I tend to be attracted to songs about food and eating. Generally I resist the temptation to post such songs as I know from whence that interest has come. Food & Creative Love stands as one of the few that has stood the test of time and remains one of the best Rusted Root songs out there. For a grey day with a blizzard pending, enjoy a song about two things that would make this afternoon a whole lot better. I know I will, before I head back to work and hoping that the snow holds off until I arrive safely home.

Yes, it's time for another mashup. In this one, Party Ben combines the beauty of Daft Punk's Better Harder Faster Stronger with the eponymous Smells Like Teen Spirit. Happily, he's removed the (to me) annoying Cobain howl and replaced it with the cool robots that are Daft Punk. This is one of my favorite mashups, and I've been saving it for a holiday treat to share with you all. Should you wish to get a copy to keep, head over the Party Ben's site and get it for yourself.

Finally, some real, new music into which you can sink your virtual teeth. In case you missed it, Baaba Maal came out with a new album this year. Rather than sticking to the predictable by using more local musicians to help him develop this one, he sought out South American players to create a wider sound that really deserves the name "world music". Television actually has an official video, so I'm including it here, but if you'd like to hear more you should head over to Baaba Maal's official site.

In the spirit of anti-christmas and the joy of spending too much time chatting on various discussion boards, let us move from the bizarre to the outright weird. Those of you unfamiliar with the name Les Claypool will still likely recognize his sound, if only from the huge (if brief) popularity that Primus enjoyed from the song Wynona's Big Brown Beaver. Even if you don't remember the band, you can enjoy Les Claypool's unique slap-bass style while enjoying a story about Granny's Little Yard Gnome. I'm dedicating this one to the Agit8r and the rest of the fine folks at BlogCatalog who keep me too entertained to remember to post, some days. Happy holiday season, folks!

Were I to lie to you and tell you that the performer of this song was Rosemary Clooney, it would remain a nice but unremarkable bit of holiday cheer. As it is, this song stands as a monument to the bizarre world of Wayne Newton's voice. Honestly, the idea of this man's popularity and veritable sex symbol status of yore boggles the mind. Mine certainly boggles, at any rate. [Omit non-PC comment about Wayne Newton fans.] In listening to this song, pretend that a beautiful redhead with a smoky voice is singing it, if that makes it easier to bear. Don't Google images of Wayne Newton in Las Vegas while doing so, if you'd like to keep your lunch in place.

Here we have two people who are very funny performing a rant to free-form jazzy music. I enjoy both William Shatner (when he's being upbeat, at least) and Henry Rollins (both musically and as a stand-up comedian) separately. Together, they've pulled out all of their respective stops and covered the sorts of pet peeves that make everyone crazy. I was hoping, the first time I heard this song, that it would be all English language abuses, in which case I'd have made it the theme song for my grammar blog, but it quickly branches out into global warming, bad drivers, religion, and spam. Who hasn't thought at least half of these things, if not more. I've decided to adopt the phrase I Can't Get Behind That as my personal response to the wacky things that people ask me to accept or believe in any given day. I'll let you know how many times I get to refuse to get behind something tomorrow. Until then, enjoy.

I've been resisting posting this song for days, now, but I can't do it any more. They lyrics crack me up, in light of the current hullabaloo about Tiger Woods and his...love of swinging, as it were. It's gone from a fun swing tune about the genre with a hook on a celebrity's name to a commentary of Mr. Woods's' poor behavior when it comes to resisting temptation. Considering the band's name, Cherry Poppin Daddies, it makes this a perfect trifecta of title, topic, and name. I get a good snicker out of Swingin' with Tiger Woods every time lately. Maybe Gatorade should keep his brand out there and make this the theme song in their commercials.

I'm having a pretty mellow weekend, hiding from the snow and cold. Apparently, that's affecting my musical selections. That and TCInvestor, again. He's come up with yet another terrific recommendation, this one a band that I've much enjoyed but about which I had completely forgotten. For me, Afro Celt Sound System hits and misses in about equal numbers of songs, but when they hit the sweet spot they hit is dead center. The Other Side is one of those songs where the sound isn't so trance-inducing as to put you to sleep nor is it manic enough to wear you out. It's groovy and funky and all of those great, outdated descriptions that I use far too often. Enjoy and happy Sunday.

It's an 80s extravaganza! That's right, Rock the Casbah and Girls on Film, The Clash and Duran Duran, together at last in an...80s...ex..trava...ganza. Sorry, it's been a tough week. This track comes from the fine folks at Team 9, from whom you can download the track for free. As my uploading privileges at Grooveshark were terminated, you'll simply have to go check on the site from the "original artist". Tomorrow I'll post a song to go with my meanderings.

I’ve become very jaded of late, being forced to listen to the local R&B station every morning. The idea of watching a live performance from any of the artists featured makes me somewhat nauseous and, although I regularly find and enjoy talented musicians who actually play instruments and can sing, some days I begin to wonder if the acts who’ve been touring for twenty or thirty years are the dodos of live music, soon to be extinct. This particular bout of “music these days” depression was brought on by listening to Cheap Trick perform Ain’t That a Shame live. Not only did the song sound like they knew the words and could stay in tune but there was improvising. Guitarists played solos off the cuff rather than faking it to the prerecorded pap. You can’t even tell from the noodling in the intro what song they’re about to play.

That’s what live music should be like: you like the studio recording because of the sound and the band only improves and expands on it in person. Sure, people make mistakes live. Guitar strings break and singers get colds. But performing before an audience should be the heart and soul of a popular musician’s life, not only because that’s where the money grows but because why the bloody heck would you become a professional musician if you didn’t love to play? And the audience should be able to tell that you know and love what you’re doing.

Now that I’ve ranted on for far too long, I’ll let you listen to some music. I think I owe you at least two songs for reading this whole post. If you’ve got a favorite live album or just a single song, please drop me a note and let me know. Please note that I have lots of respect for what people can do to manipulate music electronically and enjoy the results a lot. I’d go see a really good DJ live and I’m sure I’d have a great time. That’s a completely different that the auto-tuned, self-dueting, Casio keyboard button-pushing, no-talent hacks that populate the airwaves ‘round here at 6:30 AM. (Please excuse the ugly player. I'll fix the colors on this one when I'm home and can get to the ones I like.)

I may not be a big fan of country music but I adore Willie Nelson. His new album with Asleep at the Wheel amply demonstrates why. In particular, I Ain't Gonna Give Nobody None o' This Jelly Roll and Bring It on Down to My House showcase how much enjoyment there should be in old bluesy, rollicking standards. After last years' great collaboration with Wynton Marsalis (from which you can enjoy a great version of Caldonia), I didn't think Nelson could top himself. Clearly, I was mistaken. I listen to him because he always sounds like he's having as much fun recording the music as I am listening it. You can listen to the album for free on the Willie and the Wheel web site, including a country-fried version of Corrine Corrina sure to tickle your auditory nerves.

I'm pretty sure that the intent of this video wasn't to make me say, "How cute are these guys?!" I reacted that way because they all look so young, but happily Alive Again offers more than just a bunch of kids in black shirts jumping up and down. TCInvestor introduced me to DJ Champion, out of Quebec, and I've had a field day wandering through the videos. I love that the sound takes live performance and mixes electro bits without losing what makes each of those approaches so intriguing. Alive Again shows this at its most extreme, with a rock band that substitutes a DJ for a drum kit.

I’ve been avoiding posting Stop the Rock because it seems like such a popular song, to me. That’s probably because my family loves it and I hear it several times a week. It turns out that, despite having appeared in “Gone in 60 Seconds” and a couple of video games a decade or so ago, it has not remained a well-known song. In truth, I cannot imagine why. It gets you moving and sticks in your head for ages, forcing you to tap your toes in odd places like waiting in line to get your cappuccino and during boring meetings at work. Perhaps that’s just what happens to me, as I’m prone to earworms like this song, but just writing about it has me doing a little chair bop and planning to listen to it as soon as I’m done. Now you can listen to it with me.

(I had to do some research on whether this ever charted before I can posted this. The fact that the folks at work had never heard it until I started subjecting them all to my musical taste means very little in regard to the pop music scene. This one hit number ten in the UK in 1999. I don't care, though. I still love it.)

I've had a wild week, what with one thing and another, and I have been listening to a lot of songs about being busy to keep my energy level on par with my obligations. I thought that Garbage's Get Busy with the Fizzy would serve a dual purpose today--not only does it include the word busy but it's a good Friday night song, the fizzy in question being alcoholic. Again, I'm choosing a song that flew under the radar from a band that was very much on that radar at one point. If you're new to the Not-Pop Jukebox, you likely don't know that these songs comprise a good part of my favorites. I pick songs based on how much I like them and shun those that make the charts. (I shun them for a couple of decades, at least. Everyone deserves a second chance someday. Everyone except those named Spears and Springsteen, that is.)

Now that we've finished the best November weather ever around here, it's time for the snow to fly. Wait...there it is! In honor of the first snow of the winter, I thought I'd post a snow song. Unfortunately, people make really mellow music about snow unless they're violent heavy metal bands singing about blood in the snow. I don't like either of those things, but I did find this more-upbeat number from The Dirty Dozen Brass Band. The name gives you a pretty good indication of the sound--not really New Orleans jazz but close and filled with horns.