BLACK INDIE ROCK – DELETED

So I had yet another post deleted. I am acknowledging it because I really liked the subject matter. The post was about how rock music isn’t very popular or accepted in the black community. It is seen as odd when some black kids appreciate white music, but really cool when white people appreciate black music. Bullshit double standard. I also slammed BET for not playing more non-conventional black music.

I covered black rock artists like the Black Kids, Bloc Party, the Dears, and TV on the Radio.

I am not re-posting any songs in fear that the post will be deleted again, since I do not get informed which songs breach any rules and regulations.

MIAMI HORROR

Miami Horror has kept me dancing all year with their super synthy, futuristic pop with a touch of 80’s nostalgia that brings to mind Miami Vice. Things I know about them, they are from Australia and they classify their music on their Myspace page as Italian House/Disco Pop. They remind me of another new synthy electro outfit The Twelves. But when they aren’t remixing songs that shouldn’t be remixed (i.e. Embrace & Music Sounds Better) they actually make some great dance music. And look at Megan Ewing up there, doesn’t it look like she’s chilling in Miami Beach?

So the newest thing Miami Horror has released, I believe, is this official mix of their older demo “Dont Be On With Her.” The demo was the instrumental version, which I thought was already perfect, but if you prefer vocals like I do most of the time, then peep the new version.

Miami Horror – Don’t Be On With Her

Miami Horror – Don’t Be On With Her (demo)

Miami Horror – Summerfest ’86 (Hopefully coming soon)

Remixes:

I really like their dance remixes, but dance remixes tend to be my favorite songs these days in general. For you super blog nerds, none of these are new, but they sure are good. Eat up.

Faker – This Heart Attack (Miami Horror Remix)

Grafton Primary – I Can Cook (Miami Horror Remix)

Miami Horror/ Codebreaker – Exiled (Miami Horror Remix)

Bonus:

This still under the radar DJ duo from Boston has been putting out some great dance tunes for the past year or so. This song has Miami in the title as well as a little of that Miami Horror feel, so there ya go.

Hot Pink DeLorean – Miami Snatch

MVM – GARBAGE VS THE CARDIGANS

Cardigans – Lovefool (1996)
Dir. Geoff Moore

I love The Cardigans. I think they are the greatest pop band of our time. That’s right, you heard me correctly. They make perfect pop songs, and lead singer Nina Persson’s voice is oh-so-dreamy. And then there is Garbage. Maybe The Cardigans’ rock counterpart. Great production, great leading front woman and superb music videos. I saw Garbage live some years back, Shirley Mason was rapping and pop-locking.  Fantastic!

Both these bands have been around forever. They both broke out and peaked in popularity in the mid-90’s. The Cardigans might even be considered a one-hit wonder. But they both have a great body of work. I started with the first Cardigans video I had ever seen and this was the first Garbage video I had ever seen. It’s so strange and creepy, I was hooked immediately. 

Garbage – Push It (1998)
Dir. Andrea Giacobbe

This Cardigans video was banned in a few countries, including America I believe. A Cardigans video getting banned? It’s not too violent, but there are a few scenes that the Disney crowd would frown at. You gotta love a video that gets banned though right. My man Jonas did this video too. Dude has a knack for inappropriate videos (see The Prodigy – “Smack My Bitch Up”).

The Cardigans – My Favourite Game (1998)
Dir. Jonas Akerlund

A great video that got runs on late night MTV and VH-1 on shows like Insomniac Music Theater, After Hours, and 120 Minutes.

Garbage – Special (1998)
Dir. Dawn Shadforth

Cool early Cardigans video. One of my favorite songs by them.

The Cardigans – Carnival (1995)
Dir. Bjorn Lindgren

This is a video Garbage did for the James Bond film “The World is Not Enough.” Can’t get much cooler than doing the James Bond theme song.

Garbage – The World is Not Enough (1999)
Dir. Philipp Stolzl

And for all of you who thought both of these bands were all done and warshed up, here are video selections from their latest albums.

The Cardigans – I Need Some Fine Wine… (2005)
Dir. Martin Renck & Jakob Strom

Garbage – Why Do You Love Me? (2005)

Dir. Sophie Muller

So I titled this MVM post as a”VS.” So I guess I have to pick a winner right? Well since this is Music Video Monday, emphasis on music video, I gotta go with Garbage. The Cardigans make great music and cute videos but Garbage’s music videos are amazing, barrier pushing, sexy, strange pieces of short film. They have stayed so adventurous over their long, respectable career. 

To reward Garbage on their win here is an early video they made with maybe the most under appreciated music video director ever, Samuel Bayer (see Nirvana -“Smells Like Teen Spirit”). 

Garbage – Stupid Girl (1996)
Dir. Samuel Bayer

FAKE BLOOD

It’s about time I do this post. Blogs have been drooling over London-based dance producer Fake Blood for over a year. But recently he has been blowing my mind with a few of his tracks. First off, his remix for Little Boots’ “Stuck on Repeat” is an instant classic. I think I’ve already posted it twice and will definitely be posting it in the Best of 2008 post, so I’ll spare you for now. But his track “Mars” is one of the best pure dance songs I’ve heard all year. It reminds me of those hard hitting Crookers masterpieces. The song also reminds me of the Jock Jams theme song, which isn’t necessarily a good thing, but it is funny. I also love the beat drop-outs in his songs, the music stops and a voice says ‘Fake Blood’ or in this case ‘Mars’:

Fake Blood – Mars

He even has his own self-proclaimed theme song:

Fake Blood – Blood Splashing (Fake Blood Theme)

I don’t know what Fake Blood looks like or if I’ll ever get to see him (or maybe even her) perform in the states, but he is good. There is also some speculation that he has something to do with another London-based group The Black Ghosts. I’m not sure what his involvement is, but he does seem to be close with them.

Fake Blood made a remix of an Armand Van Helden song. I don’t think he improved it but it is a good remix. The original is one of those songs you can’t make better, but the remix is a good reworking of a great song:

Armand Van Helden – I Want Your Soul

Armand Van Helden – I Want Your Soul (Fake Blood Remix)

Speaking of remixes and reworkings, Hip-Hop has been taking a lot of its cues from dance music lately. There is the hugely popular Kid Cudi and Crookers collabo, and Busta Rhymes and Kanye West both sampling Daft Punk. I keep telling my friends how close dance/electro is to Hip-hop. I even like to call it the new Hip-hop. Most people do not feel me on that. But here are some Hip-hop songs that are just straight reworkings/remixes of dance songs. Not even electro, just straight up techno songs. But is reworking and sampling stealing? Or is it showing appreciation?

Federico Franchi – Cream (Original)

Pitbull f/ Lil Jon – Krazy

I hope everyone remembers this Alice DeeJay song. It might take a minute:

Alice DeeJay – Better Off Alone (Original)

Wiz Khalifa – Say Yeah

And I randomly found this looking for the other songs. It all comes full circle:

Wiz Khalifa vs Federico Franchi “Pittsburgh Sound (Pfunkt Hustlin For Dat Cream Remix)

MVM – SHYNOLA ANIMATION

Junior Senior – Move Your Feet (2002)

If you can’t tell shit from Shynola, thats ok because Shynola is the shit. British filmmaking team Shynola have directed some of the best music videos this millennium. They haven’t been very active these past few years, but back in the early 2000’s they were making the coolest videos for the coolest artists around, artists like Blur, Morcheeba, Radiohead, and Beck. But their greatest accomplishment was their great animated videos. They simply made the best ANIMATED videos ever. Hopefully if you watch Adult Swim now or Liquid Televison back in the day this will be right down your alley.

I don’t know where Shynola has been for these past few years. They last I heard they did the animation for the film “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” with Hammer & Tongs director Garth Jennings back in 2004. Apparently one of Shynola’s founders, Gideon Baws, died this year. Lets hope they they can bounce back and continue to bring us great work.

Lambchop – Is a Woman (2002)

The Rapture – House of Jealous Lovers (2003)

The Rapture – House Of Jealous Lovers
Uploaded by The-Rapture

Queens of the Stone Age – Go With the Flow (2003)

Radiohead – Pyramid Song (2003)

One of the coolest things I’ve EVER seen was Radiohead’s 30 second blips for their album Kid A. They didn’t make any full length music videos, but instead 30 second blips for each song on the Kid A album. MTV would play these amazing snippets at random, in-between shows, before commercials, in-between music videos. It was perfect advertisement that I guess didn’t work. But who did Radiohead enlist to make these short, odd animated clips? Well Shynola of course. And here is my favorite blip of all of them.

Radiohead – Kid A Blip (2000)

TEGAN & SARA

Tonight is the last date on Canadian pop group Tegan and Sara’s U.S. Tour. They’ll be at The Music Box at The Henry Fonda Theater and of course I will be in attendance. I love me some Tegan and Sara. There’s something about those two bickering, squeaky voiced twin sisters that gets me so aroused. They create the perfect pop song, undeniably catchy, sometimes silly, sometimes sad.

They released their fifth, that’s right FIFTH, album last year called, “The Con” and have been getting some decent notoriety for it. For a band that I thought I’d be chastised for liking, T&S have gotten some great recognition and garnered much popularity. And have led the way for similar groups like The Ting Tings.

From the album “The Con” (2007):
Tegan and Sara – The Con
Tegan and Sara – Back in Your Head

From “So Jealous” (2004):
Tegan and Sara – Walking With a Ghost

The first time I heard of Tegan and Sara was on one of the last episodes of 120 Minutes (remember that show?). They were promoting their 2002 album “If It Was You” and this great single:

Tegan and Sara – Monday Monday Monday [YSI]

From “The Business of Art” (2000):
Tegan and Sara – My Number [YSI]

In 1999 17 year-old Tegan and Sara released their debut full-length “Under Feet Like Ours” on a very small Canadian record label. I am not even sure if this exist on hard copy anymore. But you can but it online:

Tegan and Sara – Proud [YSI]

Remixes:
Tegan and Sara – Back in Your Head (Tyler Fedchuk’s 1/2 Alive Disco Remix)

Covers:
Tegan and Sara – Umbrella (Rihanna Cover)

MR. OIZO

French electro producer and filmmaker Quentin Dupeix aka Mr. Oizo (pronounced Wah-zoh) is back! His new album “Lambs Anger” comes out in November on Ed Banger records. You know Ed Banger, that record company owned by Busy P (Daft Punk’s manager) that puts out Justice’s music. Though they’ve been surprisingly quiet for the second half of this year, which is even more surprising after they dominated all of 2007, this release may have people talking again.

What I love about Oizo, and most great producers is that he has his own style, his own sound. His songs contain those unique blips and scratches that make you know its an Oizo track.

Mr. Oizo – Positif

Mr. Oizo – Pourriture

Mr. Oizo – Jo

Mr. Oizo – Z

Not only does he make music, he directs his own music videos. Some of them are the strangest things you’ve ever seen. Here’s one from his first LP:

Mr. Oizo – Analog Worms Attack (1999)

But he doesn’t stop at music videos. Last year Oizo released the feature film Steak, a French film which he wrote and directed. He also did all the music on the soundtrack, along with other French musicians SebastiAn and Sebastien Tellier. I have yet to find the soundtrack or the movie, but the songs I have heard are mind blowing. If anyone has a copy or access to a copy of the film or soundtrack PLEASE let me know.

Steak – Ringardos

Steak – Chivers as a Female

Steak – Steakskate

And of course every good dance producer has his remixes. Oizo does great remixes for pop songs. Not long 7-minute epics, just edits of the song to make it sound like his own.

Jamie Lidell – A Little Bit of Feel Good (Mr. Oizo Remix)

Jamelia – Something About You (Mr. Oizo Remix)

Calvin Harris – Merrymaking at my Place (Mr. Oizo Remix)

My first introduction to Oizo was back in high school in 1999 in a really cool promo spot for Levi’s jeans. The puppet was hilarious and beat was infectious. I didn’t even know it was a real song. It wasn’t til a couple years later that I would find out it was THE Mr. Oizo.

Levi’s – Flat Eric