SONG OF THE DAY (#161)

'electric bird' by sia

so here's a new track by the great sia. it appears she has a new album coming out some time this fall called 'some people have real problems' (as opposed to, you know, fake problems. wink, wink), and if this song is any indicator, it should be another winner. it's a tremendous song.

also, if you're the computer artist/graphic designer/doodler, she's holding a contest to help her design her album cover and other art for the album. you can find out more here. looks like it could be a lot of fun. give it a try! in the meantime...


��� sia: electric bird (from the forthcoming l.p. 'some people have real problems.')
��� sia: i go to sleep (from the forthcoming l.p. 'some people have real problems.')

SONG OF THE DAY (#160)

'such a beautiful girl like you [single version],' by pizzicato five

when i saw pizzicato five at the el rey in l.a. back in 97, it was at that time the single most entertaining concert i've ever been to. ten years later it still is. costume changes (at least 5)! dancing bears! feather boas! it wasn't just a concert: it was an experience. and it was incredible!

nomiya maki [who you see at the top of this blog] was the essence of a superstar. she was glamorous, flirty, adorable, sophisticated, classy, and drop-dead gorgeous. yasuharo konishi marched around the stage with a snare drum draped from his neck like some hyperactive tenth-grader [and most of the time he didn't even match up with the beat], and some other guy [no idea who he was] wore black leather pants, a purple silk shirt with matching boa was playing an unplugged guitar. it was organized mayhem and it was 100% awesome. (my friend tim saw them in SF a day or two later and his friend, joe, wasn't sure if what he was seeing was real or a result of the booze!).

but explosive stage shows are nothing if you don't have the songs to back it up. pizzicato five, imho, may be the finest pop band of the last twenty years (it's neck and neck with saint etienne). unfortunately, a lot of people turn a deaf ear to a song not in his or her own native language. p5 released a few songs in english, or english versions of their songs, but naturally it's about 95% japanese, as well it should be. the duo of yasahuro konishi and keitar�� takanami (who later left the band) had considerable songwriting chops [their intricacy and complexity of their arrangements is astonishing] and led the rise of the shibuya-kei music scene. pizzicato five drew on influences like serge gainsbourg and other french y��-y�� singers, bossa nova, lounge, pop, with an image nicked straight from audrey hepburn and the pages of 1960s british vogue.

pizzicato five was the perfect blend of music and image. i could spend hours [and have] watching their videos [which are actually mini-movies, most beginning with 'starring ms. nomiya maki']. these are my favorites: 'tout va bien,' [i dare you not to smile], 'such a beautiful girl like you,' & 'twiggy twiggy.'

pizzicato five wasn't just a band, it was a movement. and dang if they weren't the coolest. band. ever. i'm as straight as they come and even i wanted to be nomiya maki. it must've been illegal amounts of fun to be part of p5. but, all good things must come to an end. sadly, in 2001 pizzicato five called it quits and the world is a lesser place because of it. i still miss them.

we love you p5, oh yes we do!

��� pizzicato five: such a beautiful girl like you
��� pizzicato five: twiggy, twiggy vs. james bond
��� pizzicato five: magic carpet ride

if you like those, check these out:

��� pizzicato five: made in the usa
��� pizzicato five: big hits and jet lags 1991-1995
��� pizzicato five: big hits and jet lags 1994-1997
��� pizzicato five: the singles

all hail the mighty depeche mode

because it's friday eve and because i can:

��� depeche mode: enjoy the silence [21 versions]
includes the following versions: album / 2004 / 7" / bass line / ecstactic dub / ewan pearson extended instrumental / ewan person extended remix / ewan pearson radio edit / hands and feet mix /harmonium [martin vocals] / reinterpreted by mike shinoda / richard x extended mix / richard x mix / ricki tik tik mix / the quad final / timo maas extended remix / timo mass instrumental / violation mix / acoustic live / live / richard x remix [mix]

��� depeche mode: violator 2000
world in my eyes [memory mix] / sweetest perfection [be-in-love mix] / personal jesus [energy mix] / halo [light mix] / waiting for the night [be-in-love mix] / enjoy the silence [violation mix] / policy of truth [energy mix] / blue dress [depeche mode mix] / clean [perfect mix] / dangerous [be-in-love remix] / happiest girl [be-in-love remix] / sea of sin [salt of sin mix]

��� depeche mode: black celebration - remix edition
a question of time [wall city mix] / stripped [razormaid mix] / a question of time [class-x-mix] / a question of lust [margouleff-US radio mix] / new dress [razormaid mix] / a question of lust [minimal mix] / a question of time [razormaid mix] / celebration megamix

��� depeche mode: broadcast LA [recorded in los angeles in 97. soundboard quality]
barrel of a gun / policy of truth / it's no good / walking in my shoes / sister of night / a question of lust [acoustic] / enjoy the silence [acoustic] / in your room / behind the wheel / personal jesus / never let me down again [w/billy corgan co-vocals]

��� depeche mode: cologne 98 [live in germany, soundboard quality]
painkiller / a question of time / it's no good / never let me down again / only when i lose myself / home / enjoy the silence / personal jesus / i feel you / *in your room [live on the late show with david letterman]

SONG OF THE DAY (#159)

'ghost town,' by the bicycles

swanky brass + plunky pianos + guitars + organs + strings + melody = sign me up!

where do i begin with a song as brilliant as 'ghost town?' i dunno, but i'll start here: it's supremely awesome. if you like your monkees, burt bacharach, the apples in stereo, 60s girls groups, and the like, then this is an album you're going to adore. the melodies are so precise and lovely and the songs so meticulously and brilliant arranged that it's hard to listen to the album in one shot 'cos you keep going back to the beginning. at least i did!

the bicycles debut album, 'the good, the bad, and the cuddly' (and with an album title like that, how can you go wrong? answer: you can't) is just such a fun record. now i know a lot of you 'hipsters' turn your noses up at bright, happy pop like this (i.e. 'i only listen to bright eyes and gloomy, political stuff.' you know who you are), but just slap on some training wheels (bicycles, training wheels--get it? man, that's a bad joke) and enjoy this ride. take it from me, you'll be glad you did.

bicycles, my canadian neighbors, i salute you.

��� the bicycles: ghost town
��� the bicycles: i will appear for you
��� the bicycles: i know we have to be apart

SONG OF THE DAY (#158)

the strangest thing seems to be happening: OMD is making a colossal comeback. now this is great news to me. i adore OMD to no end. there was a time OMD was a member of matt's holy trinity of music (depeche mode and erasure being the other two). i can't listen to a single OMD song without thinking about cross-desert road trips from provo to los angeles in our family's ford aerostar. those are some great memories.

a new generation of music enthusiasts seem to be discovering the brilliance of OMD. i'm hearing a LOT of covers of classic OMD songs and they're all great. sure, they're not revolutionary, but who cares? most covers, i think, are done out of love and admiration and i get the feeling these are no different. to add the comback, OMD just wrapped what was, by all accounts, a successful UK tour. all the original members were present, even esrtwhile prodigal son and founding member, paul humphreys. paul sang some of OMD's best tracks: secrets and (forever) live and die, among others. martin cooper is back on the keys and sax and malcolm holmes is back on the skins. everything feels complete. and i feel very happy about it.

i was lucky enough to see them in 1990 during the 'sugar tax' tour with my friend jenner (who snuck in a mini tape recorder only to get busted some security goon a few songs in. luckly they let us back into the show after we were forced to get rid of the tape recorder. jenner hid it behind the toilet in the men's room. no lie. it was still there when we went back, thankfully, but i have never heard what he had recorded!). i hope hope hope they come back stateside.

��� OMD: if you leave
��� OMD: we love you
��� OMD: so in love
��� nada surf: if you leave
��� frost: messages
��� klaus & krinski: souvenir