The Not-Pop Jukebox

Dan Penn is better known as a songwriter than a performer but his take on Memphis Women and Fried Chicken, which he co-wrote, may persuade you to wish he'd do more recording. It's a great, Southern-fried mess of organ and horns, a honky-tonk stomp blues that makes you get up and move...and want some fried chicken. I don't know that I ever wanted to go to Memphis before I heard this song but every time I hear it I get a hankerin' to visit the South. I hear there's cornbread and ribs, too. And pie with homemade iced cream. Dang, I'm hungry now.

Have a listen to Dan Penn singing the praises of Memphis Women and Fried Chicken. Do let me know if you like it and if you're craving some good, Southern food, too.

You know my weakness for songs that make me dance around the living room, grinning like a fool. Normally, however, the videos distract from the song. In the case of Father Tiger's Head Hung Low we have the exception that proves the rule. As so rarely happens, the video only makes the song more fun. As a bonus, you get the theme of "I'm not the one who packed your baggage and I'm not going to be the one who carries it". I have to say, I love this song. Let me know if you do, too, and if you think the video add to it.

It's been ages since I shared some Portugal. The Man. As I've been grooving to the "Evil Friends" album I thought it high time I brought him back to your attention. To that end, have a listen to Atomic Man, a song which has gifted me with the insult "after you hell will be easier". If you like this one, try Modern Jesus or Purple Yellow Red and Blue. The latter is the one that brought me to the album in the first place and well worth your attention.

I find myself awash in new music of late. This weekend I finally got my ears on the latest Vampire Weekend album, "Modern Vampires of the City". While some of it is a mournful goodbye to their college years in New York none of it is maudlin.

Of course, some of the songs are open to different interpretations. Are they nostalgia or meditations on spirituality? To me, that's what makes a good song: you can bring your own needs and questions to it and get a different meaning than I might.

None of which is either here or there when it comes to enjoying music. It doesn't all need to be deep, you know. Of course, in this case it might be. If you never listen you'll never know, so click already!

For a Friday flash-post, how about an indie band that sounds very little like Vampire Weekend, except when they do? Yes? Here's one: Air Marshal Landing. They do solid rock but every once in a while they give you something like Death by Calypso, which raises them to another level. Enjoy, and have a listen to the entire album on BandCamp if you like this one.

I find myself in possession of the new Gogol Bordello album, "Pura Vida Conspiracy". Naturally that means I've been listening to it for ages and have come to a decision: you need this in your life.

As proof, I offer Malandrino, a song which not only shows the mellower side of the band that comes out much more strongly on the album but which also builds up in to a flailing, wailing, horns-screaming danceable smile factory. Seriously, by the time it was over I was panting and grinning like a maniac. This is Gogol Bordello at their best, my darlings, and I want you to hear it. So click, already!

Pura Vida Conspiracy

The other day I spent some quality time listening to versions of Tu Vuo Fa' L' Americano but somehow none of them quite clicked for posting. That's because I forgot Tango Conspiracy. One wouldn't think a sort of electro-Tango group focused on Argentinian music would tackle a WWII Italian song, but clearly one would be wrong. You don't get much farther from the song's swing roots, either.

That's all to the good, though. This is a wholly new take on Tu Vuo Fa' L' Americano, more conversational than flashy but still packed with groove and attitude. Have a listen and let me know if you think it's a great read on the concept--and if you're a Tango Conspiracy fan let me know what your favorite song is.

Did you ever wonder where Parliament Funkadelic got their inspiration? Well, in part it was from Mandrill for whom they opened in the early 70s. Songs like Mango Meat give you a great taste of what made the Brooklyn band (founded by three Panamanian brothers) so influential. As an added bonus, you get some heavy-duty funk and hardcore horns. For a Monday evening, that's just about what the doctor ordered. If you like Mango Meat have a listen to Fat City Strut from the same 1973 album.

Razor Kings are a social media success story, as far as this writer is concerned. By that I mean that I'd never before heard of them but that they found me on Google+ and shared an older video that I quite enjoyed. That led me to seek more from them and to be pleasantly surprised at finding what I presume is a new album. Voila! Here we are.

I seem to be finding more old-school punk bands lately, which to me is all to the good. Razor Kings (or, as they style themselves, RAZOR KiNGS) are perhaps the most consistent example. They rock hard, they shout angrily about things other than women and drugs, and they're remarkably elusive on-line. Yet there they were, tapping me on the shoulder.

Have a listen to Questioning Intentions, a classic punk song name if ever there was one. If you're so inclined, you can enjoy the rest of "Truth Hurts" on Grooveshark.

The neo-soul Duffy hit Mercy always struck me as a fantastic song that deserved a post here at The NPJ, though it would have to be of the True Confession variety considering its deserved popularity. As so often happens, however, a mashup has arisen that gives me an excuse to praise the song without dedicating a post to it alone.

DJ Y Alias JY took the sultry little songstress and ran her right into Robin Thicke, the masher, to create Blurred Mercy. Hey, hey, hey indeed! Naturally, you can download the Mashup of the Month for free from Official FM but be warned that the background is a screen shot from that full-of-himself Mr. Thicke and features a topless woman.

Have a listen and let me know if you think Mr. Thicke sounds like he’s leering at the comparatively demure Duffy while she begs for Mercy or if it it’s just my imagination. I somehow get the feeling he'd leer at pretty much any woman but I'm still jamming to Blurred Mercy.

I give you darlings a lot of reasons to dance but none as dedicated to getting you out of your seat as Vintage Trouble's Pelvis Pusher. If ever there was a song that I heard and could hardly wait to share, this is it. And if you need proof that Jezzebella was not fluke, this will cement the deal.

I know they've played on TV and toured with The Who, but I still don't think these guys get the sort of attention they deserve. Now hit play, get off your duff, and push your pelvis.

While the sound is more Florence + the Machine, IAMEVE has begun something similar to Janelle Monae with her story cycle, "The Everything Nothing". The first EP is subtitled "Act 1" and contains six songs which tell a story I'm not quite sure I follow, yet.

In part it's the videos. The two I've watched in full seem to contradict the songs. In Throw Me a Line, for instance, IAMEVE spends her time throwing off the lines by which she's bound. Nonetheless, I'm intrigued by this, the beginning song of the story, and how she goes from here to Temptress. Whatever the case, it's a great introduction to a new artist who's trying to make something different. Have a listen and let me know whether you think the video fits the song better than I do.

When last I posted Lila Downs I mentioned that "Shake Away" contained what I consider the best cover of La Bamba ever recorded. Today I'd like to back that up with the pudding in which lies the proof.

This one starts slow and lovely. Then it gets bigger. Then, just when you're settling into it at :45 it turns into another song. I'm telling you, you have to hear what Lila Downs does with La Bamba to really appreciate her sound. Conveniently, you can do that right...about...now.

When last I posted Atomic Bitchwax I mentioned how much more I liked their instrumentals. For my latest, patented, Friday night quick-post, enjoy Crazed Fandango and let me know what you think!

I know what you need, my darlings. You need some fat, juicy funk blues from Johnny "Guitar" Watson. But you don't need fluff like Miss Frisco (Queen of the Disco). Times are hard and you want to hear about how hard it is to find a job. And yet you still need to shake your booty.

Thus I bring you What the Hell Is This?, a song that combines the powerful funk of JG with a little modern social commentary. It also includes some of his peculiar lyricism, the sorts of things that make you say, "Hunh?" In this particular instance, it's the line about "running around the city like a chicken with a nickle" that particularly caught my attention.

If that's a little to heavy for this nigh-Friday evening, try Booty Ooty instead. What the hell, listen to all three!

It's Nikola Tesla's birthday today, so I thought we should have a song celebrating his contribution to modern science. Sadly, all of the songs I could find sucked. There are, however, always the 80s on which to fall back.

In case you weren't alive back then, you may not know that OMD stands for Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. It's no wonder no one calls the band that. But Tesla Girls is a somewhat nonsensical song that seems to celebrate women of science, or at least women who are interested in electricity. Don't watch the video: it will only confuse you.

Have a listen to some classic OMD from 1984 and do let me know if you have a good Tesla song. I can always use a new one for next year!

As you can see, when DJ Zebra decided to work with a band he didn't screw around. He went out and found a mass of musicians, with horns and pipes and drums and the whole nine yards. There he stands, out front, with his guitar. Who knew he had such non-electronic chops?

Well, of course I did when I posted their first single from the eponymous album, Plus Rein ne Marrete. But I didn't quite realize what an enormous, glorious mess the whole thing was. I thought there were discreet loops building this enormous sound. I was utterly wrong. As an apology, please enjoy Funk-sur-Mer, which convinced me to finally get my poop in a group and buy the album
, mainly by making me dance around my living room like a fool and, once or twice, squee like a little girl.

Honestly, I can't say enough good about the unexpected combination of Zebra and Bagad Karaez. You have to hear it for yourself. Now lets hope this player actually works, because I'd feel terrible if you couldn't actually do that. [EDIT: Apparently you can listen to the whole thing instead of just Funk-sur-Mer. Do it, do it now!]

If ever you needed proof that your parents or grandparents had minds and habits just as filthy as your friends, have a listen to Billy Ward's Sixty-Minute Man. He wrote the song with Rose Marks and made it a 1951 hit with The Dominoes. It's considered one of the seminal realy rock and roll songs and was one of the first cross-over hits.

I have to tell you, it this was the sort of thing to which my kids were listening rather than the comparatively tame Elvis Presley I might, indeed, have had a problem with rock and roll coming out of whitebread, post-WWII America. Okay, I lie. I'm willing to bet their parents had seen and heard worse over the course of the 40s, no matter the genre.

Still and all, Mr. Ward had a pretty high estimation of his prowess and openly courted women who were seeing others. It's a pretty in-your-face song that was a hit at a time when it was just barely not scandalous for a woman to wear pants. That's pretty impressive! It's also been covered many, many times and appears to be a favorite with a capella men's groups. Have a listen and let me know what you think. Also, a tip of the top hat to +Dirk Talamasca for introducing me to the song.

Let's say you're setting up a fireworks show and you need some great music to serve as a background for coordinating your shots. You want something with a name that makes people think "freedom". What to choose? Happily for you, The Skatalites not only have Freedom Sound, which fits the bill perfectly, but the lyrics are all about celebration.

As an added bonus, you get wondrous horns. Heck, you get The Skatalites! What more could you ask for a Fourth of July song

If you took Jane's Addition, bred them with the Violent Femmes, and had the babies raised by The Black Crowes you might end up with something like Goliathon. You might also end up with some monstrous mess that I'm not going to help you clean. But this is about Goliathon.

At root, Goliathon is a pretty straightforward rock band. With a saxophone. That doesn't mean that their driving set pieces are dull or predictable, however. I'm sharing Jettison as a prime example of the quality wail Chris Probasco brings to most songs. If you enjoy this one, do give the instrumental Kebab a try as well.