SONG OF THE DAY (#235)

'duel,' by sophie ellis-bextor

ok, so i know i said that the owls post would be the last until monday. that was before i got to work this morning. man, this place is a tomb today. i think 80% of my department is out. i'm just sitting here with nothing to do except listen to music. thankfully i get to leave at 2pm, but that's 2.5 hours from now. tick tock, tick tock, tick tock....

so i got to thinking, on this thanksgiving eve, what i'm thankful. you know what i'm thankful for? that's right: sophie ellis-bextor. dang straight. aside from making one of my favorite albums of the year, holy frak she's so hot. i like beautiful women who sing perfect pop songs. sue me.

here are some rare sophie ellis-bextor songs for your thanksgiving enjoyment.

→ sophie ellis-bextor: duel ['today the sun's on us' b-side]
→ sophie ellis-bextor: dear jimmy [from the 'popjustice' compilation]
→ sophie ellis-bextor: move the music ['me and my imagination' b-side]
→ sophie ellis-bextor: here's to you ['me and my imagination' b-side]

happy thanksgiving. again.

SONG OF THE DAY (#234)

'air,' by the owls

do band pictures get any better than this one? answer: no.

the first time i heard them was this song on my friend honora's 2005 compilation. it's a tremendous little song, not entirely dissimilar from their compatriots, low [the owls are from minnesota, too]. the vocal melodies remind me a lot of mimi parkers--so much so that i actually wondered if the owls were a mimi parker side project. this, of course, is a huge compliment. anyone who's listened to low knows the power of mimi's voice. but i don't want anyone to get the idea this is a low wannabe band. nothing could be further from the truth. for one, there's a bass drum. see, they're different.

if you need proof, the owls are allison labonne, maria may, brian tighe and john jerry. and they make terrific music. and here's something for your gee whiz collection: vocalist allison labonne used to be part of the legendary jim ruiz band ['legendary' is part of the band's name, not an adjective ascribed by your truly, though the ARE pretty legendary]. those of you who've were on the 'song of the day' list when it was in email form will remember the legendary jim ruiz group from last valentine's day--or at least i hope you remember.

the band released their debut l.p. 'daughters and suns,' on october 23rd of this year. i don't know about you, but come black friday i'll be searching it out. i think you should, too.

this is the last post until monday, so have yourselves a happy, happy turkey day. may you imbibe on stuffing and turkey and take a four hour nap afterwards.

→ the owls: air
→ the owls: city girl
→ the owls: drop me a line

SONG OF THE DAY (#233)

'you got me wrong,' by biker boy

i'll give you one guess as to where biker boy comes from. need a hint? his name is peter lundbergh. if you still can't figure it out, well...

i know this isn't going to appeal to everyone, but i don't really care 'cos i absolutely love it. [you should all know by now that i have a soft spot, a love seat, an armchair, a chaise lounge, a papasan, and a futon in my heart for synthpop. and when it's done as well and as tastefully as biker boy, hey, all the better.] i kind of did a double take, or the audio equivalent, the first time i heard 'you got me wrong.' i thought, 'what's brett anderson doing singing over some pet shop boys-inspired synth songs? it's frak-tastic!' even after i did some research on biker boy and discovered it was peter lundbergh, i still wasn't completly convinced it wasn't brett anderson. some nine months on i'm still not 100% sure, but hey...

biker boy released the 'you got me wrong' e.p. back in '05, and i think 'heart' and 'i was only joking' have been released as singles, too. last i heard peter was working on his debut l.p. and i, for one, am stoked about it!

→biker boy: you got me wrong / video
→biker boy: heart / video
→biker boy: i was only joking

SONG OF THE DAY (#232)

'loving you hating me,' by soft cell

sure, marc almond and david ball are most known for their cover version of ed cobb's 'tainted love' [yes, it's a cover--and it wasn't even the first cover at that], but soft cell were a heckuva lot more than one-hit wonders. all you have to do is go back and listen to their first three studio albums to see what a terrific pop band they were. they had a slew of top singles in the UK ['torch,' 'bedsitter,' 'say hello wave goodbye,' among others] and courted more then their fair share of controversy--mainly for a highly publicized, highly protested and ultimately unaired video for 'sex dwarf.' i honestly don't think there's been a more hilariously unnerving song ever committed to tape than that one. listen to it--if you dare.

soft cell is a tremendous band. marc almond's over-the-top vocal theatrics and art-conscious image and dave ball's knack for alternately sinister and poppy pop songs made for an interesting and compelling marriage of sight and sound [you'd never guess they were both art students, right? gee, didn't see that coming], and gave birth to one of the UKs most sensational bands of the 80s and beyond. now i'm just worried that too many hipsters slag them off as so-called 'one-hit wonders.' memo to hipsters: there was a music scene before 2000. just because certain websites ignore that fact [you know who i'm talking about] doesn't mean you should too.

check yourself out soft cell. they're nothing short of revelatory.

→ soft cell: loving you hating me
→ soft cell: sex dwarf
→ soft cell: say hello, wave goodbye / video
→ soft cell: little rough rhinestone
→ gloria jones: tainted love [1964]

SONG OF THE DAY (#231)

'lost,' by the mary onettes

as i was trolling the itunes this morning i came across the mary onettes. i clicked 'play' and i was hit by right hook of pop perfection. i went to google and searched 'em, and lo and behold, they're swedist. of course they are. honestly, people, where would be without sweden? i think the audiophiles of the world need to give sweden a hug. we owe it so much.

i don't know if the mary onettes is a play on words or not, but it could be 'the merry ones,' or 'the marionettes,' or something else entirely. i'm leaning towards 'the merry ones' 'cos, boy, these guys write some great pop tunes--as does just about every swede with a guitar or a moog. what separates the mary onettes from their countrymen and women, however, are their influences. the mary onettes owe as big a debt to echo and the bunnymen and new order as they do burt bacharach. this is pure post-punk pop. and it's a dream. if you like the shout out louds, you'll flip for this. and it's yet another feather in labrador's cap. what a roster they have.

man, i love this song. the hook is so huge you could land a whale with it. what better way to start a friday?

→ the mary onettes: lost
→ the mary onettes: everyday and today
→ the mary onettes: explosions