"Kids These Days" ~ Fur Trade

You guys.  I know next to nothing about this band.  It seems to be the rebirth of Hot Hot Heat, a Canadian group (yep, another one from B.C., just like Said The Whale, The Zolas, Hey Ocean!, and Mother Mother, all bands with whom I am slightly obsessed...) who I must confess I've never gotten around to, but may have to check out after this.  I've listened to this track at least twenty times today... maybe thirty.  Yeah, probably at least thirty.  I can't even put my finger on what it is that makes it so awesome... sweet little funky guitar riff, the dirty piano counter-riff, a brilliant line or two, or maybe the girl dancing in the video - speaking of things I can't explain, this girl's moves... she just exudes confidence.  Blends some raggedy ballet with street moves, and it just... works.  I wish I had that kind of confidence when I was thirteen (I'm guessing that's about how old she was at filming)...

Anyway, check out the track, and tell me what you think:

Ridiculously simple, yet amazing, music video:

Soundcloud:


"There's a melody I hone that no one wrote..."

10-30-11 - "Wanna Be Loved" ~ dc Talk

Listened to a few old favorite albums on this weekend's road trip.  Here's a head-bobber from a band I listened to quite a bit back in high school, DC Talk.  These boys evolved from a rap / hip hop group in the late '80s - early '90s to a more rock / pop sound by the late '90s, but managed to work in a lot of different styles along the way, as evidenced by this track, which contains elements of funk, soul, and pop.  My favorite part is probably the funky, crunchy bass line, which anchors the song as the harmonies and freestyle vocal riffs flow.

"Rainy monday afternoon;

there's a funk over the city..."

7-26-11 - "Short Skirt/Long Jacket" ~ CAKE

Surprising that I haven't used Cake yet.  They're delightfully strange and unique... pretty much every Cake song you hear, you know it's them straightaway.  Both the vocals and the style in general give it away, but they still manage to write songs that don't all sound the same.

This one is fun and catchy, especially the "na, na" part with the trumpet.  But it's also pretty deep.  I'm not going to speculate too much, but it seems to be about seeking a girl who stands out from the crowd, who isn't afraid to be herself and live life to the fullest.  That, or the economy, if certain SongMeanings commenters are to be believed...

Music video is hilarious; they just wandered around with a portable CD player and filmed people's reactions to the song:

Oh yea and it's the theme song to Chuck which is just plain awesome.

"I want a girl with uninterrupted prosperity
who uses a machete to cut through red tape
with fingernails that shine like justice
and a voice that is dark like tinted glass..."

7-14-11 - "Dancing Machine" ~ The Jackson 5

Quickie tonight, because I'm on the road for work and have to get up super early.  This is a pretty obscure band, you've probably never heard of them.  But they rocked back in the day; just watch the moves and listen to the harmonies and enjoy the supafly coordinated outfits.

"Automatic systematic
full of color self contained
tuned and gentle to your vibes..."

3-10-11 - "Limit To Your Love" ~ James Blake

Another one I just heard on the radio and really dug.  Turns out it's a cover / sample of a Feist song, but I'm going to use Blake's version because there's just something about the jazzy/funky minimalist piano and drum beat that makes it stand out.  Blake has a surprisingly emotive voice, too... definitely going to check out the rest of his album.

"There's a limit to your love,
like a waterfall in slow motion,
like a map with no ocean,
there's a limit to your love..."

2-27-11 - "Superstition" ~ Stevie Wonder

So one time, I got shanghaied into doing karaoke at an office Christmas party.  And this was the song.  And I really didn't know it well at the time... awkward... which I guess is the whole point of karaoke.  Thanks to my good buddy Reed for getting it in my head today, by using the riff as an intro to a worship song at church (how about that?)  It was fairly impressive...


If you can't enjoy a funky little song from the 70s, you'll have to come back tomorrow for something different.  But if you're up for a blast from the past and a little head bobbing, here ya go:

"Thirteen month old baby, broke the lookin glass,
seven years of bad luck, good things in your past..."

1-17-11 - "Too Much" ~ Sufjan Stevens

I'm a latecomer to the Sufjan fanbase, and I'm not sure why.  Just never got around to listening to his stuff, I guess.  But I absolutely love his new album, and it's inspired me to start delving into the older works in his catalogue.  The album is trippy and a departure of sorts from some of his more mellow songs, but it works for me.  


The first time I heard "Too Much" was a live performance on Jimmy Fallon's late night show (hint: look down for special bonus link).  It was insanity.  The song's in 7/4 time (I love off-the-wall meter) and just synthed out fun.  Probably my favorite track on The Age of Adz, although there are several others to rival it.  And I just now saw the music video for the first time; it's psychedelic in its own right:

"Maybe I talk too fast, maybe I talk too much,
give me the sensitive laugh, or give me the sensitive touch;
even if I could have kissed, even if I could be the blind,
I'm so sorry I tried, love, I want to see it..."


BONUS: Live on Fallon (or, the acid trip video.  not that I'm recommending that, just that I'd imagine this performance is what an acid trip might be like...)


EDIT (12-19-11) it seems the Fallon video has been stricken from the Internet - let me know if you find it, but I couldn't...