The Not-Pop Jukebox

Lest you have the idea that only male people can be the black sheep of their families, I bring you today three amazing songs titled Black Sheep from three fantastic ladies. You'll find the saucy, sparking thump of Gin Wigmore, the rockin' drive of The Barettas, and the smooth, guitar-rippled, stringed groove of Oi Va Voi. These women show you that there's more than one way to be a Black Sheep. If you have to be a sheep, be a black one! Let them show you how.

I bumped into Claude VonStroke yesterday and spent a fair chunk of time giving his music a listen. While I like a lot of what he does (and am fairly worn out from dancing), it was Beat That Bird that I knew you had to hear.

Distasteful as I find the song around which it's based, I can't resist the bizarre flavor of it. And, of course, it put me in mind of Nuclear Rabbit's Sweet Nothings. Naturally, that means you get both, my dears.

I've decided not to make this a You Pick the Winner post because Sweet Nothings is so short, though it can definitely stand up in the "freaky" category. Have a listen to the pair and let me know if you don't think they go together like...bats and chickens.

It came to my attention recently that I had a number of songs with the same name, namely Oh No. Naturally, I had to make a playlist and find more. Thus it is that I can bring you Nada Surf, Gogol Bordello, Dr. Dog, and Frank Zappa all on one post.

Note that not all of these songs are great. They are all, however, not bad enough to make you say, "Oh, no!" If you stick with it that far, you can enjoy Chico DeBarge and Camper Van Beethoven mixed with Haypenny, Zeds Dead, and Mooney Suzuki. I think I got them all, but have a look at the list below if you want to make sure. I left off Andrew Bird's Oh No as I've already posted it but if you're still hungry for more after these ten do click over and have a listen.

Here's a pop quiz: if you cross the Violent Femmes, Jane's Addiction, and Queen, what would you get? As I've already given you the answer I'll just pretend you all said, "I don't know. What?" You get Sleeping in the Aviary and Aviary, who aren't the same band despite the confusion of some person who uploaded them to Grooveshark.

For proof, I offer you--in no particular order--I Should Have Known from Aviary's "Ambition" and Things Look Good from "Expensive Vomit in a Cheap Hotel" by Sleeping in the Aviary. The trick here is that the vocalists sound just enough alike to let you believe that they are the same band, albeit one that sounds like its completely changed its sound and instrumentation between albums.

I couldn't find any indication that the two have anything to do with one another. After listening to the two all mixed and mingled, however, I can say that they go well together for an afternoon's listen. Enjoy and let me know what you think, my dears!

I've got a two-fer for you all today, the 70s hit Jeans On from David Dundas and what Fatboy Slim did to it a few decades later in Sho Nuff. The original song is cheery and inoffensive enough, with a bit of groove to keep you interested. But I defy you not to get all of the way down when the latter starts.

EDIT! I found this lovely addition from MashMike today and couldn't help but add it to the post. You can download this one free from his SoundCloud page, linked below.

Once upon a time The Connells and Barenaked Ladies were two of my favorite bands. As one has fallen into obscurity and the other into the popularity trap they've also fallen of the "must hunt new albums at once" list.

That does not, however, mean that I stop listening to older songs that I love. And of course I find parallels in the strangest places. Take, for instance, The Joke and Humor of the Situation. The first was released on "One Simple Word" in 1990, the year I actually saw The Connells perform live. The second song came along ten years later on "Maroon". But the moment I heard the latter I knew it was born to follow the former.

Today I bring you both songs and ask what you think. Related or not?

This disingenuous query really seeks to draw your attention to Zoot Suit from Greg Preston & the Great Machine (who temptation lures me to associate with Florence & the Apparently-Regular Machine, great as they are). The song (that’d be Zoot Suit, in case I confused you with that last parenthetical comment) includes a short section about coming up from the water to stand on his own two feet like modern man.

Naturally, I assume this to be a tribute to The Toadies and their I Come from the Water. Listen to both songs and let me know what you think. Is the relation obvious to you as well or is the similar symbolism just a Darwinian coincidence?

I was going to save this for Mother's Day but in listening to Paul Simon's Loves Me Like a Rock I suddenly discovered Barack Obama's new theme song. 'Twas the verse that runs thus which inspired me:

And if I was President (was the President)
The minute Congress call my name (was the President)
I'd say "Who do,who do you think you're fooling?" (Who do you think you're fooling?)
I've got the Presidential Seal (was the President)
I'm up on the Presidential Podium
My mama loves me
She loves me
She get down on her knees and hug me
She love me like a rock

Considering the recess appointment hoorah going on right now this seems particularly appropriate. Whether you believe Obama did the right thing or not, the amount of ire likely to come his way over the next several weeks or months may well have him reminding himself of the basic premise of this song.

And before you point it out, I know I posted Loves Me Like a Rock before. But how often to I make a political post? Let me ease into the new year and say something a little different. Sheesh, you slave drivers!

I bumped into a remix of Blood Orange today, for which I didn't particularly care, but I thought I'd check out the band after the glowing reviews of them on the page. I'm so glad I did. They're like slipping on a comfortable coat, instantly familiar and cozy. But as I listened to Forget It I found myself increasingly reminded of another song: Oingo Boingo's Not My Slave.

Now, it could be the singer's proclamations that "I'm not your savior, baby girl" but somehow the two seem to go together. Not My Slave is so energetic that I tend to think of it as fast while Forget It has more of a lushly mellow feel to it. But I listened to the two back-to-back and discovered that, tempo-wise, they're pretty close. Lyrically, they're two different animals, with Blood Orange getting stingy with their words while, as usual, Danny Elfman wants to tell you a story.

I don't know if Blood Orange intended it, but they have a sort of 80s vibe to them, like Depeche Mode covering The Pet Shop Boys covering The Cure. Maybe it's the vocalist's voice, maybe it's the sparse music, maybe it's the keyboards. I don't know. I do know that I immediately went out and bought Forget It. Let me know what you think: are to two a match or am I full of malarkey?

For those of you unfamiliar with the band Pink Martini, Hey Eugene is a completely misleading introduction.  It is, however, a great story song and one that half of the people I knew in college could have written so this is the one you're getting first.

Pink Martinis some closer to a small orchestra than an indie band.  They do a lot of songs in various languages including classics like Que Sera Sera, Tea for Two, and Bolero.  But just when you think you've got them comfortably pigeon-holed they come along with something wholly unexpected like Hey Eugene.

I'll post more from them but for today have a listen and let me know what you think.  Every time I listen to it I think of They Might Be Giants and their Your Racist Friend.  I wonder if the "you" in the song is named Eugene. Maybe I should made this a "Related or Not" post!

I’ve a bass-playing friend, of the upright sort, who’s a massive jazz buff. Today he heard a phone ring in the office and turned to me. “What’s that great bebop tune that starts with those notes?” My blank look said it all but eventually he got it: Groovin’ High.

Then he told me that this song came about because Dizzy Gillespie was so tired of playing the standard ballad Dream so he wrote Groovin’ High based on the same chord progression. I could hardly take him at his word so off I ran to Grooveshark and found both songs.

Whether my pal’s anecdote holds water or not I had to post Groovin’ High. Dizzy Gillespie does a fantastic job in general but this version with Charlie Parker had me boppin’ all over my desk. Hold tight through all of the noodling in the middle and catch some clean Dizzy at the end, stringing out to an end note that will absolutely pierce you. The notes do, indeed, coincide with the the ring of that phone, by the way.

If you like, you can catch both Sarah Vaghan and Michael Buble performing Dream below and let me know if you think the chords really do follow the same progression, despite the utterly different moods of the songs. In other words, related or not?

Today I really do have a wonder. Do you suppose George Thorogood had Muddy Waters in mind when he recorded Bad to the Bone? If you've not heard Hoochie Coochie Man then you may think I've lost my marbles (thought Mr. Thorogood does a lot of bluesy work). So for tonight I offer you both songs. You tell me: related or not?

I know realistically that Southern Culture on the Skids and their admission that Daddy Was a Preacher but Mama Was a Go-Go Girl had nothing to do with Ana Popovic who sings a conversation based on the question How'd You Learn to Shake It Like That?. But the first time I heard the latter my mind fully expected her to finish the chorus with the SCOTS title.

I don't know if you're familiar with the ever-so-talented Ms. Popovic but her album "Still Making History" came out last year and How'd You Learn to Shake It Like That? grabbed me from the very first. She's got serious guitar chops and a distinctive but not unpleasant voice, the sort of whisky-and-cigarettes twang that makes you want to hear more.

In truth, the first time I heard this one I thought she'd make an excellent Catwoman. Songs like Is This Everything There Is? reinforce that thought. And naturally she'd fit right in with Southern Culture on the Skids. I think an Ana Popovic cover of Daddy Was a Preacher but Mama Was a Go-Go Girl would be wildly entertaining.

So what do you think, related or not? I apologize for the sound quality on the SCOTS track. The only other upload Grooveshark had was a live one with a lot of blather. It's still fun.

From time to time I do hear current pop songs. Rihanna's S & M was one such song. But I'm not posting just because it's popular but, at about the 2:30 mark, I heard this little synth that made me wonder how much similarity there was between her song and Master and Servant from Depeche Mode. The answer? Not much. And yet for some reason the music for S & M reminds me of Depeche Mode. I'm sharing with you all today both songs. It may be just my inner DJ insisting that these songs go together so I thought I'd see if the two of them share the same flavor to you, as well. I don't mean subject matter: that's obvious. I'm asking about the music. Any thoughts?