Pi-yow! We've hit the 5 digit mark in site visits, and what better way to celebrate the occasion than by posting some truly awesome music? Let's get to it.Chic was a popular disco/funk band in the late 70s. Their song, "Good Times", from the 1979 album, "Risqué", is not only a fabulous peice of disco history, it's also one of the most sampled tracks ever with acts such as Grandmaster Flash and The Sugarhill Gang getting in on what are indeed "Good Times".
Chic- "Good Times" [Removed]
As a bonus, here is a great mashup of Chic's "Good Times", Franz Ferdinand's "Take Me Out", and Beastie Boys' "Triple Trouble" by one of my favorite mashup artists, Party Ben.
Party Ben- "Chic Franzie Boys" [Removed]
Speaking of good times, I've got a great symphonic jazz cover of Percy Sledge's "When A Man Loves A Woman" by none other than guitar great, Wes Montgomery. The string section starts the song off incredibly smooth and mellow, then the guitar comes in with the easily recognizable melody. This song can be found on the Greatest Hits comp appropriately titled "Greatest Hits".
Wes Montgomery- "When A Man Loves A Woman" [Removed]
This next song is an all-time favorite of mine. I got it on a sampler the very first time I went to Warped Tour, and have been jamming to it ever since. "Welcome To My World" is a ridiculous slacker anthem by Nerf Herder (Star Wars reference anyone?), and it's got a cheery synth intro that breaks into punk guitar and humorous lyrics such as "this old shirt is startin' to stink/I don't give a damn what people think/I can take a leak in the kitchen sink/welcome to my world". This track is from the 2002 album "American Cheese". Enjoy, I've been getting plenty of use out of this track.
Nerf Herder- "Welcome To My World" [Removed]
Atom & His Package is also an all-time favorite of mine, and one of his most popular songs is called "Punk Rock Academy". Here I have the live version from his live album "Hair: Debatable", which is a recording of the very last show Atom played before ending his affair with His Package. The real treat here is lyrics like "We will import a token jock and we will kick his token ass!/And there will never ever be a physical education class!", and knowing that this is the last song from the last set that Atom & His Package ever played.
Atom & His Package- "Punk Rock Academy [Live]" [Removed]
Alright, well, that should do it for now. I just wanted to post some fun/cheery music in honor of getting 10,000 hits. But really, this post is for you, the reader. Without people like you, this blog would have no purpose. It's because of you that this site exists, and it's because of you that it stays alive. On behalf of Pipe and I, I'd like to express our sincere gratitude for your continued interest in what we have to say and the music that we post. Thank you, we aim to please, and what pleases us most is the feedback we get from satisfied readers. Keep it coming guys, and we'll do the same. I'd like to also mention that readers should stay tuned for exclusive interviews with the likes of countrified singer songwriter Aaron Schroeder and brazilian dance-funk group Bonde Do Rolê.
Labels: atom and his package, chic, nerf herder, party ben, wes montgomery
Quirk. It's an abnormality, a kink, an eccentricity. It's something that can completely turn someone off to a song, or it can make the song unique and therefore endearing. Being quirky is a risk, but when done right, it's something I cherish. I can't stand people without humor and the same goes for bands, so here are a few songs that I feel exemplify the quirk aesthetic. We'll begin with the King Of Quirk, Mr. Weird Al Yankovic himself. Classically trained on the accordion as a child and master of parody, Weird Al is a Grammy Award winner and has had his own movie, a TV show, and has directed several music videos. The song I have chosen to represent the Yank Attack is "Yoda", a parody of "Lola" by The Kinks about everyone's favorite jedi master and is from his "Dare To Be Stupid" album. Indulge:Weird Al Yankovic- "Yoda" [Removed]
Next stop on the vagary van is a group of ska superheroes, The Aquabats! Famous for their heroic live shows and mythology, The Aquabats have a strong fan following of Aquacadets and are touring for most of the summer. This song, "Captain Hampton and the Midget Pirates", is off their second album, "The Fury Of The Aquabats", which is the only album with drummer The Baron von Tito (aka Travis Barker).
The Aquabats- "Captain Hampton and the Midget Pirates" [Removed]
Atom & His Package is a long-time favorite of mine. Ever since I heard the squeal of Adam Goren's voice combined with a single little synthesizer I couldn't get enough. He writes songs about what jews do on christmas, marrying his own grandmother, octopi, hammers, barbecues on the north pole, and plenty of other silly notions. This one is called "Nutrition" from a compilation of his early releases called "Making Love" and details that although he has very few ambitions, he at least cares about what he puts in his mouth.
Atom & His Package- "Nutrition" [Removed]
The Bloodhound Gang is known mainly for the sexual anthem "The Bad Touch" and most recently for "Foxtrot Uniform Charlie Kilo", which is the NATO phonetic alphabet equivalent of an F-bomb. I still say they stole the idea from Van Halen's "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge". Anyway, the song here is called "Ralph Wiggum" from their latest album, "Hefty Fine". And yes, it is a Simpsons reference. Actually, all the lyrics are quotes from the show. They even chant 'Yvan Eht Nioj!' Awesome.
The Bloodhound Gang- "Ralph Wiggum" [Removed]
Sonic Youth had a side project back in the second half of the '80s. This project was highly experimental and was called Ciccone Youth. Ciccone is Madonna's original surname. Well, this project gave birth to one album called "The Whitey Album" which contains (among other things) spoken word poetry, Thursten Moore rapping, a cover of Madonna's "Into The Groove", 1 minute of silence for the 2nd track, and a cover of Robert Palmer's "Addicted To Love". Here's "Addicted To Love":
Ciccone Youth- "Addicted To Love" [Removed]
Electric President has gained a lot of popularity recently. Being based here in Jacksonville, I can remember back when they went by a different name: Radical Face Versus Phalex Sledgehammer. Well, three albums were released under that name, one of which was "Typecast". It's a fantastic album that my friends and I listened to on repeat back at summer camp, but the quirky treats are the hidden tracks at the end of the disc. This one here is a rap song that has me laughing everytime. The lyrics are rediculous: "If the bitches all skinny get some chicken n' fat in 'em". I remember they used to have a Hip-Hop project listed on the website, but it has since dissappeared. I do not know the name of this song, so the title is unknown. But I think it can be enjoyed anyway.
Radical Face Versus Phalex Sledgehammer- "Track 13 (Hidden Rap Song)" [Removed]
Well guys, I hope you've at least found something in this bunch of quirky tidbits that's either refreshing, funny, or somewhat pleasing, and if not, well, I'm sorry.
Labels: atom and his package, ciccone youth, radical face vs phalex sledgehammer, the aquabats, the bloodhound gang, weird al yankovic
Alright people, get pumped. This is the first installment of the Connection Route series, in which I dig deep into the knotted musical family tree and find relationships between unlikely artists. Pictured above is Adam Goren aka Atom of Atom & His Package. A&HP is the greatest squealy vocal/synth combo project to ever be classified under the 'punk' label, and if you listen closely, I'll find a way to relate him to an Icelandic singing goddess named Björk. Atom & His Package- "For Franklin" [Removed]
Atom was good friends with a Brian Sokel that had a band named Franklin. This song was a tribute to them as they broke up. Another member of Franklin was Ralph Darden who now plays in The Jai-Alai Savant.
The Jai-Alai Savant- "Scarlett Johansson Why Don't You Love Me?" [Removed]
I wonder the same thing. Anyway, I saw these guys a while back along with Subtitle and GoGoGo Airheart in a Gold Standard Labs showcase. Amazing show. Well, I got their Thunderstatement EP that includes the above song about the lovely ScarJo.
Scarlett Johansson- "Summertime" [Removed]
Scarlett recently began her musical excursions with this cover of an old Gershwin song. In more recent news, she appears in a music video gettin' friendly and wreckin' cars with Justin Timberlake.
Justin Timberlake- "My Love [DFA Remix]" [Removed]
One of J-Tim's sex revival hits is remixed here by my favorite mixers ever, The DFA. As usual, they do a fantastic job, due in part to DFA member James Murphy's disco-funk'd rhythm sounds. James Murphy is also the head honcho of LCD Soundsystem. Another favorite of mine.
LCD Soundsystem- "Daft Punk Is Playing At My House" [Removed]
Gotta love this song, and gotta love the thought of having Daft Punk play at your house. Anyway, this obviously leads to Daft Punk as our next band.
Daft Punk- "Around The World" [Removed]
This duo is just too cool. In fact, they're so cool, they scored Michel Gondry to direct a video for this song. You wanna know who else is cool enough for a Gondry video? Björk.
Björk- "Jóga" [Removed]
See, I did it. Not too hard really. All it takes is spending all your free time researching music blogs, official band sites, fan sites, forums, wikipedia and liner notes. But seriously, the music industry is more involved in itself than one may think, and I challenge you to find your own weird relations between bands. Not only will you learn a lot about music you are interested in, you'll be able to impress your friends with pointless trivia. Fun stuff.
Labels: atom and his package, bjork, connection route, daft punk, justin timberlake, lcd soundsystem, scarlett johansson, the jai-alai savant
