The Not-Pop Jukebox

So, Paul Miro's new album is coming out later this year, though you can pay him now if you just can't wait. I have no idea what the rest of it will sound like but I can tell you for free that if it's all as much gritty fun as Borderline Clone I'll definitely be picking myself up a copy.

While the newly-released video is delightful, I'd actually recommend listening to it where you can't see the screen the first time through. Identifying all of the LEGO folks gets pretty distracting and, while relevant to the themes in Borderline Clone, really keeps you from getting the full groove. It's classic rock and roll, well done and just enough on the bitter side to carry an edge.

At any rate, have a listen and a watch and let me know what you think. Even if you aren't a big LEGO or Star Wars geek in on the joke, did you chair dance with it cranked up to eleven? I have to say that my kids were singing this in the car after the third time we watched it so it gets a thumbs up from them as well as from me.

For today, a musical battle of the sexes: I'm a Man versus I'm a Woman. That's a bluesy, Hammond-organ rocker versus a full-on blues shouter, The Spencer Davis Group from the late-mid sixties against Koko Taylor from a couple of years later.

Let me know, my dears, which you find to be a better take on the respective genders. Do you prefer the Spencer David Group admitting to a messy flat or Ms. Taylor claiming she can make love to a crocodile? Personally, I've never been a big fan of Hammond-heavy tunes, with the noted exception of Booker T and the MGs, but I'm not posting this to tell you what to think. I want you to pick the winner!

To be fair, only my eldest really likes Uh. It's something of an earworm for him and he'll burst into guttural song in the least likely of places. Naturally, I join him while the youngest sticks his fingers in his ears and hubby moves over somewhere he can pretend he's never met us.

And so I offer you this evening a great groove from a pair of wacky gents, Fujiya & Miyagi as they're known. If you have a chance to enjoy it publicly, at greater-than-moderate volume, while dancing, so much the better!

I can't hear Elvis bemoaning the postman returning his pleas for forgiveness without wanting to listen to The Marvelettes offer the opposite point of view. Perhaps the evil postman wants one of the glamorous Marvelettes for himself and has been returning Mr. Presley's letters without attempting to deliver them at all. It's a musical conspiracy theory!

Whatever the case, Return to Sender and Please Mr. Postman make a perfect pair in my mind. Have a listen to them back-to-back and let me know if they link as well as I think. And if you've any theories about Elvis Presley's secret love for Gladys Horton, do share! I'm also willing to entertain the idea that I've made up the whole thing, and I'd love other suggestions for songs about getting mail.

I’ve posted sets of mashes before, notably the ever-popular smelly Nirvana hit and the perpetually geeky music of Star Wars, but I can’t resist building a little pile of such combinations. It tickles me to find different takes on the same song from various mashup artists.

It seems most of them have taken a swing at House of Pain’s Jump Around. For today I’m offering eight mashups, from such luminaries as FAROFF (three times), DJ Schmolli (twice), Party Ben, MashMike, and The Bootleague. As usual, those links take you to their respective sites where you can download each mashup for free.

Apparently House of Pain brings out the creative in DJs. We’ve got a klezmer band, AC/DC, Beethoven’s Fifth, Queen, Kriss Kross, Mick Jaggar, and Cee-Lo Green’s cover of Kung Fu Fighting. FAROFF even combined Jump Around with Cab Calloway. And then there are the massive Mash Together with Joan Jett, Cypress Hill, Rage Against the Machine, and The Beatles, as well as Super Bowl Anthem, which pits them against Tag Team, Madonna, LFMAO, Queen (again), the White Stripes, and Metallica. I was only able to find seven on Grooveshark so you'll have to have Jump on the Fifth via Soundcloud.

Note: In my infinite attention to detail, I missed Mashup of the Month day this month. The mega-post is my apology.