Song #96: Jon LaJoie - "Let Me See Your Genitals 2: E=MC Vagina"

Three times Chris has come to the rescue in terms of my hearing of a song I’ve never heard before. That’s my younger brother, for those of you playing at home (as if you are). This time, however, he managed to pull something out from absolutely nowhere that I did not expect from him at all. Although, now that I’ve heard it, I’m somewhat less surprised.

“Vagina


Vagina


I want to have sex with your vagina”

Meet Jon LaJoie. This comedian has already had one YouTube hit with Show Me Your Genitals, and couldn’t see the harm in throwing a sequel out to the web. Show Me Your Genitals 2: E = MC Vagina continues on with absolutely ridiculous lyrics, sending up the over-sexualisation of commercial hip-hop/pop rap music and delivered entirely in a brilliant deadpan. Admittedly, it does get irritating towards the end, with the song running out of ideas (wasn’t there only one to begin with?) and it’s the kind of thing someone out of high school probably shouldn’t be enjoying. Still, it was fun while it lasted. The guy has a few good ideas, going from the rest of his YouTube channel. Nice one.

FINAL RATING (/10): 6

Devour the video belowhand. Belowhand is now a word. Deal with it.



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David

Song #93: Timbaland feat. Jet - "Timothy Where You Been"

I finally got around to sussing out Timbaland’s Shock Value II guestlist. It was nowhere near as strong as the first go around which had Elton John, Dr. Dre, Fall Out Boy, Missy Elliott, Nelly Furtado, etc. This is all Chad Kroeger, Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry, The Fray, Drake…y’know, somewhat good, but definitely not great. Of particular interest to me, however, was the collaboration with Australian band Jet. The song that Timbaland samples for the song Timothy Where You Been is, strangely enough, Timothy, the final track on Jet’s Get Born album. For all the crap the band gets, Timothy is actually one of their best works. It’s a heartfelt ballad around the story of Timothy Cester, the eldest Cester sibling (Nic is the vocalist and Chris is the drummer), who died before Nic was born and was mentally disabled.

With this in mind, it’s strange and a little offensive to think Timbaland has taken the song to be an “all-about-me” ego trip. Sure, the interpolation and reworking of Timothy is very cleverly done, but it’s no secret that Timbo is not a very good rapper or lyricist. His flow is menial and his rhymes pointless – perhaps the rhyme of “Nelly Furtado” and “escargot” could have been avoided if he wasn’t trying to big-up himself and name-drop at the same time? Ahh, who knows. The point is that the whole thing is great when Timbaland keeps his mouth shut. Isn’t that the same for nearly everyone of his tracks to begin with, though?

FINAL RATING (/10): 5.5

Shock Value II is out now.

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David

Song #86: Axis of Awesome - "BirdPlane"

The best thing about Axis of Awesome is how they are easily able to take one simple idea and turn it into the most ridiculous, hilarious thing possible. The trio performed on the garden at my university, and it was pretty easy to tell that we were loving every second of it. This track in particular was a huge favourite. The parody only works, however, if you're familiar with your 2000s hit singles.

Remember Five For Fighting? No? How about Superman (It's Not Easy)? Ringing a bell. Now we're getting somewhere. What this song does is takes the first few lines of the original and then goes insane.

I can't stand to fly
I'm not that naive
I'm just trying to find
The better part of me

I'm more than a bird
I'm more than a plane
And in come the Axis:

I'm a BirdPlane!

The rest of the song goes off on this tangent of singing about how awesome life is when part of you is a bird and the other part is a plane. And come on, that does sound pretty awesome! A definite listen for fans of clever parodies that are after something non-Weird Al.

FINAL RATING (/10): 8

Check out the video!



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David

Song #81: Artists for Haiti - "We Are The World 25 For Haiti"

What the fuck is this shit.

I mean, really.

I'm all for Haiti charity and disaster relief.

But really.

Why not a new song?

What the fuck is Celine Dion doing?

A RAP? With LL FUCKING COOL J?

This is just.

No.

FINAL RATING (/10): 3

Gets a 1.5 for the cause and 1.5 for the song.

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David

Song #79: Circa Survive - "Get Out"

Finally, Anthony Green and co. are back at work on a new record. It's entitled Blue Sky Noise, and today we not only got the cover of it, but we also got a brand new song as well! Bonus!

The song, entitled Get Out, might be a bit of a struggle for fans to get their heads around. There's no slow, distorted immersions or slow-burning, spacious moments. More, the song dives right in and doesn't let up, with Green's vocals taking their normal route of total audacity and liveliness. It's an intense song, but considerably stripped back in its arrangement in comparison to previous Circa tracks. What this shows is that the band are hopefully trying for something really different on Blue Sky Noise. More power to them - this is one of the best tracks they've ever done!

FINAL RATING (/10): 9

Also, you MUST see this album artwork!

 

Isn't it amazing???

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David

Song #76: Angels and Airwaves - "The Flight of Apollo"

 

Tom Delonge's post-blink love of Angels & Airwaves have finally returned. Thank fuck, says I. Anything to get me away from bloody blink-182's reunion footage: they sound like trash and it's pretty obvious it's all about the money here. I know there's a lot of AVA hates out there, but whatever. I think enough time has passed for the blink obsessives to shut up and appreciate AVA's work as a separate entity - and a superior one at that.

The Flight of Apollo is the second track on LOVE, the band's third album which has just been released for free online, via Delonge's site Modlife. If you were a fan previously, you'll know the drill - it's atmospheric, with layered keyboards and big guitar with fuck-tonnes of reverb. There's even a bit of a synth-string section going on here in the background, which I thought was a pretty nice touch. It all comes together with a sense of familiarity, but fans won't have any major issues with this - the band sound great here and it's easily one of the catchiest things these guys have ever done.

FINAL RATING (/10): 8

Here's the link to download LOVE. Sure hope y'like it and all.

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David

Song #73: Cameron Smith - "The Grey Man"

Cameron Smith is an Australian musician, formerly of the brilliant Epitomes, and also a good friend of mine. Recently, he did a very special bedroom recording for his younger brother, Curtis, and his eighteenth birthday. What a lovely, brotherly thing to do!

The song is The Grey Man. Fans of Copeland will recognise the song from their final album, the incredible You Are My Sunshine from 2008. Cameron plays everything himself here - the guitar, bass and percussion all sounding very impressive for such a low-budget quality. His voice, even though the falsetto is out of his range, also sounds really good - the bridge sees some distorted vocals and even dual harmonies come into play, which works surprisingly well. A perfect cover? No, sir. But if someone got me this for my birthday, I wouldn't be complaining!

FINAL RATING (/10): 8

You can download Cameron's version here.

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David

Song #72: Adam Green - "Give Them a Token"

 The lovely Adam Green is back with his sixth album, entitled Minor Love. It's a short, sweet collection of tunes that deal with his break-up and his loneliness. Don't you just want to hug the poor little one? He's normally so happy, so it's strange to hear such dark and moping music coming from him.

I suppose this is his "mature" album. His smoky baritone is still very much the same, but the songs themselves are a lot more textured and shake off their novelty. This track in particular sways along on a simple chord progression with some sweet lyrics and a whirring keyboard flashing through the final segment of the song. It's all over far too quickly, but it's a treat to listen to regardless.

FINAL RATING (/10): 7.5

Minor Love is out now.

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David

Song #71: Kina Grannis - "Valentine"

This one turned up on YouTube - kind of fitting, given how close it is to Valentine'$ Day. I have no idea who the girl is, but I was particularly interested in the video, which uses hundreds of drawings that fall in a domino style to give the impression of motion and movement. I've included it below, because it's really the only thing that's really interesting about the entire song - think Colbie Callait style, innocent acoustic girly stuff. It's essentially Jacqueline Johnson - Jack Johnson with breasts. It's all very  sweet, but my GOD it's fucking boring. It's barely even worth this paragraph being written about it. Pass.

FINAL RATING (/10): 4

But yes, here's the video.



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David

Song #62: Fuck Buttons - "Sweet Love to Mother Earth"

Interestingly enough, I have had this song on my harddrive for quite some time. I got it from the mixtape of some hipster's blog where he put together a compilation of his favourite songs of 2008. This was my first experience listening to the band's music in full - and truth be told, I'm uncertain I could last an entire record.

It's not that "Sweet Love" is a bad song. Not at all. It is, however, an exhausting listening experience - clocking in at nearly ten minutes, the track takes several of those just building up keyboard noise around a single note. The peak of the song's intensity is near the end, with distorted screams and increased noise. It gets really exciting near its end, but it's a difficult pill to swallow. I might try some of their other stuff, but this has left me pretty uneasy about it.

FINAL RATING (/10): 5.5

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David

Song #59: OKGO - "Needing/Getting"

Got another interview coming up tomorrow - this time with Tim Norwind, bassist for American rock band OKGO (he's the first one on the left in the picture). I figured, thus, I should probably check out the band's new record. It's called Of the Blue Colour of the Sky - and if you think you have any idea what it's going to sound like, you're wrong.

From dirty funk to vocoder, this is easily the band's weirdest album. I think that's why I like it so much, though - in the five years since Oh No (which features the hit Here It Goes Again), they've really progressed as a band, and in a way they're more OKGO now than ever before.

This particular track, one of the longer ones on the record, is definitely of interest. From the wailing guitar that introduces it to the monstrous, thick bassline that follows it, the band really explore the minor aspects of their sound that were previously untouched or not properly expanded on. It's exciting, funky and really worth checking out - regardless of whether you liked the band previously or not.

FINAL RATING (/10): 8

The new album is out now and you can see the band when they visit next month.

x

David

Song #58: Keri Hilson - "I Like"

The gorgeous Keri Hilson has been working her way into mainstream conscience ever since her show-stealing chorus in Timbaland's smash hit The Way I Are. Her own hit came in the form of the epic Knock You Down, but she was unfortunately overshadowed by the incredible Kanye West. In A Perfect World, her debut, gives her the opportunity to finally make a name for herself as opposed to herself "featuring".

I Like is the first song that I've heard of Keri's on her own, and it's rather sweet. It's a little run-of-the-mill in terms of production and lyrics - swishing synth and boom-boom-pap-boom beat matched with "going out tonight with a guy I'm into" lyrics. Still, you can tell that Hilson is on her way to standing out above all of that. She's got a versatile voice that reach sexy, breathy lows and chirpy highs that suit their environment almost perfectly. The whole thing is over and done with within three minutes, but it's done enough to interest me in the rest of the album. We'll see how she goes.

FINAL RATING (/10): 6.5

In A Perfect World... is out now.

x

David

Song #55: Rogue Wave - "Good Morning"

Rogue Wave is one band that I've always been interested in, but never really considered myself a major fan of. With the release of this new single, however, I've definitely been converted - I now plan to get everything I possibly can of this very cool little band.

Good Morning is the first single from the band's forthcoming...umm...fourth...album. It's called Permalight and it's due out in March. The track bodes well for Permalight's future: it's a very danceable, incessantly catchy number. Interestingly for an indie rock band like RW, the main instrumental focus is the synthesizer - the guitar appears distantly, if at all. The low-end choppily blurts in time with the brisk beat, whilst the higher pitches shoot arpeggios throughout the song that give an upbeat, slightly-tiwsted sense of joy. It's a really well-written tune, and one (I'm almost certain) that is going to win them a lot of new fans. Bring on Permalight!

FINAL RATING (/10): 9

Have a listen to the track here!

Cheers :D

x
David

Song #52: Gorillaz feat. Mos Def and Bobby Womack - "Stylo"

 Fucking YES! First it's announced that Gorillaz are still active. Then we hear news of an album in the works. Now, just days after they're confirmed as Coachella headliners, not only is the record confirmed (Plastic Beach, out in March), but we also get the first taste of the new record in its single!

The track is difficult to describe. It's all minor-key and decidedly downbeat, yet the tempo and Damon Albarn's ever-reliable vocals keep things interesting and sprightly. Mos Def appears, distorted and warped in the background (which really isn't the best way to treat one of the world's best MCs), and Bobby Womack rips up the beat with a truckload of soul intermittently throughout the song. It's a difficult one to wrap your head around - but then again, I can remember having a similar experience with a previous Gorillaz song. It was called Feel Good Inc., which then went on to serve its duty of being fucking awesome. Can only hope the very same for this particular track - we're onto a winner, hopefully!

FINAL RATING (/10): 7.5

Plastic Beach - get excited!

x
David

Song #51: Peasant - "Well Alright"

Straight back into the Challenge again, and straight back to listening to complete strangers singin' songs I've never heard. Lately the risks have either made me so happy I took it (Social Studies) or made me want to stop the Challenge entirely (The Polyamourous Affair). This is another happy ending, however, so please keep reading!

Peasant is a young twentlysomething bedroom musician from the United States. He has one album out, On The Ground, and this is a two-minute taster from it. Judging purely from this, I think I'd like to eat the whole thing - it's lo-fi, charming and very sweetly written and performed. It's basically piano, some electric guitar and a snare drum that keeps a steady rhythm going - the Elliott Smith meets Brendan Benson vocals simmering lightly atop of it all. I feel like giving him a hug already! A very worthwhile listen.

FINAL RATING (/10): 8

Here's a download for you (thanks, No Modest Bear!)

x

David

Song #47: Bruce Springsteen - "The Ghost of Tom Joad"

 Australian people will know what I'm talking about - how awesome are 2X and 3X? You know, when you get the two or three CDs in a package for a really cheap price? This happened to me this very week - I picked up a 2X of The Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen, and two of his albums in Nebraska and The Ghost of Tom Joad for just thirteen dollars! Going alphabetically, I've thrown on Ghost first, to be greeted with its title track.

It's hard to say it's a generic Springsteen acoustic ballad, as I honestly believe that no two Springsteen songs sound the same.  It's definitely in familiar working-man territory, however - it's the story of a run-down town, hopless and mostly homeless. Definitely something we've all heard before in terms of the Boss' work, but that doesn't mean it's completely meritless. There's a lot of heart in this one, connecting as realistically as he possibly can with the underclass life. Cut away the cheese and you've actually got something passable here. Definitely no Devils and Dust, but still quite nice.

FINAL RATING: 6.5

The Boss is the man.

x
Davidsteen

Song #46: Emarosa - "The Past Should Stay Dead"

Normally, I can't rely on my younger brother for very much. But this is the second time he has come to my rescue in terms of showing me some music that I've previously never heard. Much unlike Talk Talk, however, this is much more up his alley of new-wave post-hardcore. I definitely can't get into a lot of it (I'm getting too old for this shit), but let me tell you something for nothing: Emarosa blew me away within a matter of seconds.

I think this was, in no small part, thanks to vocalist Jonny Craig, formerly of Dance Gavin Dance. Regardless of your ever-so-worthy opinion on the genre, this dude has one hell of a voice. There is so much passion and grit in his delivery, particularly when it reaches the higher levels of his range - a cross between the Emery boys and Anthony Green. It's rare to come across such a remarkable voice, so it's worth listening to this track on the back of this alone. Instrumentally, Craig is supported strongly by very intricate drumming and wailing chord progressions with a smartly-arranged lick thrown in every now and then to shake things up. It's an intense, unpredictable and genuinely exciting work that is a rarity in its field these days.

FINAL RATING (/10): 9

Absolutely wonderful.

The band have a new album on the way in 2010, and will be playing Soundwave this coming February. Get excited.

xxxx

TAINTED SHEEEEEE-David

Song #45: Michael Buble - "Heartache Tonight"

 
Sometimes, where I hear my song that I've never heard before previously is just plain weird. 45 was no exception - this came to me over the P.A. of the Myer store in Wollongong, where I was stocking up on my Michael Jackson collection. The horror that it was your mum's favourite crooner covering your dad's favourite band only came to me half way through.

So, this is off Michael Buble's latest album, Crazy Love. Y'know, the one with that horrible Haven't Met You Yet song that keeps coming up on the Winter Olympics ads (it's in Canada! He's Canadian! The similarities are endless!). It's a cover of a track by the Eagles, I believe from the Long Run record. I really like the Eagles for some reason - their harmonies and songwriting have always been dead impressive to me. This track is fun, too - the big chorus and the guitar matched with the horn section always impressed me. Buble doesn't do much with his cover, though. It's safer, with more of a swing to it. Is there any more to it, though? Not a chance. MOR crooner, Buble stylee.

FINAL RATING (/10): 5

Great song, done very boringly.

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David

Song #42: Social Studies - "Weathered White"

 
Right now, we're getting back into the very essence of why I started this project - this is Spinner's free MP3 of the day. I have no idea who this band is. And I find that really exciting - the prospect of experiencing something I've previously never done is something I'm not taking for granted, especially in light of this blog.

But onto the song itself. Two words: How lovely! I've latched myself onto an irrepressibly cute little band, with a very sweet lead vocalist and some very charming keys. Coming across as a Stateside take on what Camera Obscura do (with hints of Regina Spektor and Mates of State), it's the kind of song that you gradually get to know and appreciate over several in-depth listens. I like the drums in the verses, especially how they sound - the snare sound is quick and tiny, the floor tom sounding cavernous. Maybe it's just because I'm a drummer myself that I pick these kind of things up, but what would I know?

The point is this: Weathered White is a gem. I'm so glad I tripped upon it.

FINAL RATING (/10): 8.5

Like what I've described? Get it now, why doncha.

xoxoxoxo
David

Song #36: Vampire Weekend - "Horchata"

APOLOGIES: First up - my apologies for not getting everything up sooner. My internet hasn't been up lately so I'm getting around to posting my last three songs. Thanks for your patience. Yes, you, one of the like two people that actually read this. Now, on with the toonz!

Exciting times lay ahead, kids! 2010 has some very hotly-anticipated new records coming up - and the well-to-do lads of Vampire Weekend are the first out of the gate.We've already heard the wonderful lead single, Cousins, and now it's time for our first taste of the quartet's follow-up album, entitled Contra. The album's been featured on Triple J and had its full-length premiere on MySpace (hahaha! Remember that old chestnut?), so it's officially Vampire season for the first time in ages that isn't involving True Blood.

Vocalist Ezra Koenig is all class in this downbeat Afro-pop experiment, doing his usual nasal channeling of Paul Simon with some cute lyrics about drinking the titular drink, stomping on pavement and someone asking how his day was. This ain't no A-Punk operation; but let's not that stop us from letting this sweet tune grow on us a little.

FINAL RATING (/10): 7.5

Contra is out now.

x

David