Dead Stars: Whitney Houston and Davy Jones

Two very different vocalists from two very different eras have past on within the past month. Neither ever meant too much to me at any point in my life though I can say my life has been touched because of their saturation into pop culture. These are both people who brought much joy to people around the world with their music and that's what matters.

I recall watching Davy Jones in The Monkees as a kid and being amused and liking the show and enjoying the songs even though Day Dream Believer wasn't my favorite song by the group. I think he was more of a teen heart throb for the girls who watched the show, even in the 80s when the band had a small rebirth. Davy reportedly passed on a massive heart attack at the age of 66.

RIP Davy

Whitney Houston's death was a bit more troublesome as it appears to have been alcohol and prescription drug oriented. You've heard all the clamor about the dangers of these over the counter drugs when they are mixed with booze, it's been all over the news. It's sad she found solace in so much drug abuse from crack to all that other stuff. Whitney is the queen of the Grammy's, winning ore than anybody else in history. She had huge songs all over the radio like The Greatest Love of All, Saving All My Love For You and I will Always Love You which were all tremendously well sung power pop ballads. It's hard to imagine a pop music world before her and it's difficult to imagine what the pop world have been without her.

RIP Whitney

Mix # 89

Well this is the first mix to be published in 2012! There are no 2012 songs on the list but that's okay because there are no less than three covers on this one!

Mix # 89 from Solidpants on 8tracks.

1. Immigrant Song by Karen O and trent Reznor
What this song says is that no mortal man can sing like Robert Plant and a woman must be brought in to sing the Led Zeppelin cover, also it was the reason why the trailer for The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo was so good. This song makes me want to rape and pillage but not really.
2. Who's Gonna' Ride Your Wild Horses by Garbage
This is a great song but I never liked the arrangement U2 used, I preferred some of the stripped down remixes. Garbage takes this song and goes trippy with it. 
3. I Think The World Of You by Two Wounded Birds
This song is a Radiohead rip but it's good and lets me pu the next song on here without guilt.

4. Fake Plastic Trees by Radiohead

There was a time when they still made music that normal people liked to listen to, not the crap they do now which is little more than  weird impulse and beats.

5. Morning Glory by Oasis
If you know this album at all, you know that song is a alarming when it hits. Nothing else on the album is like this and that makes it really f'ing cool. I love the helicopter!
6. I Am The Walrus by The Beatles

Without the Beatles there is no Oasis or countless other English, Brit pop bands

7. Nightcall by Kavinsky & Lovefoxxx

This gem is from the, Drive  soundtrack and is a beautiful synth song! It sounds like the dark side of the early 80s.

8. Villains of The Moon by Cold Cave

More 80's synth inspired music, it's cool.

You knew they would look likes this!

9. Your Silent Face by New Order

The real deal.

10.Something To Die For by The Sounds

They're too good to be this unknown but that's life. They also sound influenced by 80s synth bands.

11.Suffragette City by The Horrors

After their last album I thought the Horrors were done and would float away on their stupid soundscapes but this cover of Bowie is awesome! Good job!

12.World Up My Ass by The Circle Jerks
Can an 80s LA hardcore punk band be seminal? Well these guys were. They were a reason that scene was what it was. You can see them in The Decline of Western Civilization being loud and fast if you're curious, probably on YouTube as well.

13.Civliization's Dying by The Hives
They kept it real with a punk cover. Can the Hives really be punk though? Can Sweden be punk? Black Metal, yes but punk?
14.Casino El Camino (parte 1) by Guadeloupe Plata

Fun lovin' Spanish dudes playing roots rock!

15. Ghost Towns by Radical Face

Somber Rock that reminds me of The Shins and The Decemberists

16.So Lonely by The Police

They used to be a tough English band that played Ska but then they matured and got quite different. Before they grew up, before the money, before the world tours.

17.Simmer Down by Bob Marley

Before he got Reggae down perfect he was playing ska and it was cool

18.Our Day Will Come by Amy Winehouse

Unfortunately it did not and it makes this song much more sad than it was ever intended to be. It's a little difficult to ignore her passing when listening.

19.Try a Little Tenderness by Otis Redding
The man! The Soul! The good advise.
20.Grey Cell Green by Ned's Atomic Dustbin
This band was huge in the UK but never caught on too big in the States, maybe you saw them on 120 Minutes one Sunday night. They had a big sound and big hair. They were the next thing after Manchester.

 

And the Wheel Chair Will Rock?

So the wait is over for the first taste of new Van Halen. It's the first music David Lee Roth has released with Eddy and Alex since those two tracks (Me Wise Magic, Can't Get This Stuff No More) on a greatest hits compilation some fifteen years ago.
Now after a very successful and kick ass show a couple years back they did a whole album together. The first single, Tattoo is weak and a I really hope isn't the best they could come up with. It's as though David Lee Roth forgot who he was, in a lazy way. If Diamond Dave belted out more of the song instead of his talk/croon it would be far more enjoyable. Let's face it when Dave's excited we're excited. When he wails, "Sexy dragon magic!"  it's awesome but then he loses it. Meanwhile musically instead reaching back to 1984 or before they only reached back to 1986 and pulled out a some 5150 scraps but I'm not sure this has even got what it takes. The solo isn't quite distinguishable as an Eddy solo but seeing as he's been copied for the past thirty-five years it's forgivable.
I understand they're musicians and they don't want to rehash the things they did before and I respect that but since Duran Duran put out their 2010 release, All You Need Is Now there's no excuse why a band of such age can't recapture what made them great and build on that sound to deliver an enjoyable album.



I'm not saying that this song is horrible or it won't grow on me but it is clear the boys are getting old. I hope the rest of A Different Kind of Truth is better than this.

Weekly Mix #88

Super lucky mix, two 8s's! I got a party on here so get down to it. I can't say there's a rhyme or reason to most of these songs but they are all pretty enjoyable. Actually the first five songs are sort of placed for reasons besides flow.

1. Better Off Dead by The Sounds
More catchy songs from the Swedes! I don't know much but The Sounds were rad in 2011!
2. Walking In L.A.
Oh, did you not know that The Sounds got their sound from an early 80s Boston band that was trying to sound like a West Coast band
3. Sexy and I Know It by LMFAO
Too much fun, too much fun. These guys are funny and bring the party in their songs.

 
4. Looks That Kill by Mötley Crüe
Can you hear the guitars roar like a buzz saw? Anyhow this is an early Crüe rocker that really does kick out the jams and gets the inner teen going.
5. Bring Me Darkness by Black Tusk
modern Metal isn't as catchy as it's predecessors as there isn't even the slightest hint of a vocal melody anymore but this is a badass song regardless of song writing ability
6. Kiss Me by Tom Waits
So desperate and drunk, long live the gravel voiced singer!
7. Marathon by Tennis
Retro in the lounge way, It wouldn't be a shock to hear this on vacation on cruise ship.
8. Hypnotize by The Notorious B.I.G.
Rest in piece bag guy.
9. Naughty Naughty by John Parr
 This is a stupid song but it's so excellent in it's rock n' roll dumbness.

10.Bedroom Eyes by Florence + The machine
Spooky, spooky, spooky
11.If You Have Ghosts by John Wesley Harding
Most people hear the name John Wesley Harding and think of a man who once shot a man for snoring too loud. But this is the British singer song writer and this is a Roky Erickson song.
12.Love Is Blindness by Jack White
This song used to depress the hell out of me when U2 did it  but now that jack White has taken it over it just makes me cold.
13.Shout In Tongues by Gauntlet Hair
Sometimes you hear a song and it strikes you that it was made for getting high to. This has got to be one of them. Echoes galore!

 
14.Tongue Tied by Grouplove
Yeah, it's that song from that iPod commercial. It's a sing along
15.Different Drum by The Lemonheads
Evan Dando being Linda Ronstadt because his attempts to be Don Henley didn't quite work. This is a hard to find song and from an E.P. called Favorite Spanish Dishes which is so very 90s. 
16.Can't You Tell by Vetiver
Nothing wrong with feeling groovy, nothing wrong with a feel good song.

17.Hard To Explain by The Strokes
From their best album if one of the best albums of the past decade, Is This It? The Strokes made me believe in Rock n' Roll for a few more minutes.
18.Fools Gold by The Stone Roses
This was the first song I ever heard from these Manchester guys and I didn't know what the hell to make of it at the time. Now I want to be part of it. These guys are touring again and I don't think that's a good thing.
19.Lonely Boy by The Black Keys
Hey, they got a new album out and it sounds very much like the last one. I do like this song moer than all the others, I hope you do too.

Favorite Songs of 2011

I'm not going to put a flag down like some arrogant A-hole and say that these are the best songs of the past year and if you don't like . . . I'm just say that these are my favorite songs that came out in 2011. I think that's fair. This year seemed to be about being an indie band, having a big comeback and being Swedish, go figure!
Don't worry this is not a list of bands nobody's heard of to make my self feel like a snob absolute. Don't worry this isn't a copy of the top 40 charts to show that those people know what they're talking about.
I don't know if the music that came out this year gave me hope for 2012

25.Lay Myself Down by Mazzy Star
Returning after all these years to sound exactly like one would want, dreamy and half asleep.
24.Olé by Pearl Jam

I love it when Pearl Jam rocks out rather than gets that drone of seriousness. Short and punchy!

23.Open My Eyes by The BanglesMaybe this is the last album we'll ever hear from the girl group and that's okay with me, this song is better than some of the pop they did when they were huge. They have captured that indie sound perfectly.
22.Be Your Bro by Those Darlins
It's funny and catchy. A song about a girl who wants to be friends with a boy who just wants to have sex with her. Tough times.
21.Immigrant Song by Karen O
Maybe this is really Trent Reznor featuring Karen O. On the Girl With The Dragon Tattoo  and the song in the preview it kicks ass and is almost as good as the original Led Zeppelin version.
20.Sexy and I Know It by LMFAO
It's a party jam and I don't mind the party so there's that.
19.Lie Down In Darkness by Moby

He's kind of dramatic and somber and melodious on this soundscape. It's actually quite beautiful.

18.Guilty Girls by Buffalo TomI would be lying if I said that I though I would ever hear anything from this Boston band again but here they are putting out a quality tune.
17.The Boat Song by The Black Angels

Sometimes I wonder who else likes this band. They put out an E.P. and this was my favorite song from it. Dreamy and simple; like a Mazzy Star tune with a dude on vocals.

16.Cocaine Chest Pains by Kopek

I've never had cocaine chest pains personally but it sounds horrible. The song however is a rocker.

15.Rope by Foo Fighters

Back again with more rock that satisfies even if it doesn't change the world

14.The Roller by Beady Eye
Liam Gallagher and some other dudes put out a an album and it sounds exactly like you think it would. Catchy with heavy sixties influence. This was my favorite song from the collection of songs.
13.Seven Devils by Florence + The Machine

Epic and witchy sounding this song swirls into some weird places which is why I like it so much.

12.Standing Still by Eat Sugar

I don't anything about this band but I do know I really think this song is some good old dirty rock.

11.Boogie de la Muerte by Guadalupe Plata

I don't listen to Spanish rock but these roots rock guys make me want to.

10.The No No Song by The Sounds

They should be huge  and maybe they are but because there's no radio or videos I'll never know. Swedish and awesome!

9. Go Outside by The Cults
This was a big song for these guys and their indie rock ways. These guys blew up with this song.
8. Blood by The Dears

These Canadians are making music like it should be, big and emotional. Maybe they sound too 80s.

7. Make Some Noise by The Beastie Boys

Another comeback! This song isn't even that good but it's so fun I can't resist it. Rap for your dad, that's kinda' sad.

6. California by EMA

Is it spoken word or a song? Whatever it's a FU to the golden state which is refreshing once in a while.

5. Otis by Kanye West & Jay- Z

Watch The Throne, this album could have been egos colliding in a mess but it worked so well. Special thanks to Otis Redding.

4. Under Cover of Darkness by The Strokes

They're back and they're sounding good. They don't branch out with a new sound but this time I don't care.

3. Take The World by She Wants Revenge

The 80s have resurfaced in this excellent song full of keyboards and a dance beat with spooky vocals.

2. Breaker, Breaker by Peter, Bjorn and John

It makes me happy when a band who came out with a superior song years ago (Young Folks) can make equal songs. This one is quick and catchy.

1.Gloria by Mando Diao
Epic and almost at show tune level with it's Tom Jones/Neil Diamond verve this song gets me going every time I listen. Some may call it cheese but they didn't get to put this list together.

How does this stack to the experts you ask? Let's be real these people listen to music for a living and are exposed to a lot more stuff than I have and because I am just one man there's a certain type of music that I like. This is why Adele appears nowhere on my list and tops these two, this is why you won't find Pumped Up Kicks or Lil' Wayne. Maybe I'm not concerned with being cool or important or authoritive.


Here's Spin's list.
20. Fleet Foxes, "Helplessness Blues"
19. Eric Church, "Homeboy"
18. Lil Wayne, "6 Foot 7 Foot"
17. Jay-Z and Kanye West, "Otis"
16. Brad Paisley, feat. Carrie Underwood, "Remind Me"
15. Girls, "Vomit"
14. The Weeknd, "Wicked Games"
13. Britney Spears, "Till the World Ends"
12. M83, "Midnight City"; College, feat. Electric Youth, "A Real Hero"
11. LMFAO, "Party Rock Anthem" (Alesso Remix)
10. TV on the Radio, "You"
9. HyunA, "Bubble Pop!"
8. Lykke Li, " Get Some"
7. Clams Casino, "I'm God"
6. Tyler, the Creator, "Yonkers"
5. Frank Ocean, "Novacane"
4. The Rapture, "How Deep Is Your Love"
3. EMA, "California"
2. Beyoncé, "Countdown"
1. Adele, "Rolling in the Deep"

or Rolling Stone's
20. Jay-Z and Kanye West, 'Welcome to the Jungle'
19. Lucinda Williams, 'Blessed'
18. Black Keys, 'Little Black Submarines'
17. Wilco, 'I Might'
16. Fleet Foxes, 'Lorelai'
15. TV on the Radio, 'You'
14. Sleeper Agent, 'Get It Daddy'
13. My Morning Jacket, 'Circuital'
12. Lloyd feat. Andre 3000 and Lil Wayne, 'Dedication to My Ex (Miss That)'
11. Foster the People, 'Pumped Up Kicks'

10. The Decemberists, 'Don't Carry It All'

9. Lil Wayne feat. Cory Gunz, 'Six Foot Seven Foot

8. Beyonce, 'Countdown'

7. Lady Gaga, 'Edge of Glory'

6. Radiohead, 'Lotus Flower'

5. Paul Simon, 'Rewrite'

4. Foo Fighters, 'These Days'

3. Britney Spears, 'Till The World Ends'
2. Jay-Z and Kanye West, 'Ni**as in Paris'

1. Adele, 'Rolling in the Deep'

Best Albums of 2011

It's been a long, boring year for music or has it? I tend to think so but when I look at the year's best albums and songs it looks like it was okay.
2011 ' best albums
Gimme' Some  by Peter Bjorn and John
Watch the Throne by Kanye West and Jay-Z
Valley Heart by She Wants Revenge
Wasting Light by The Foo Fighters
Degeneration Street by The Dears

These are just albums you need to go hear, sorry no samples. Maybe I am boring

Weekly Mix #87

There's not too much cleverness here though the songs are good to listen to, especially the classic rock. Ozzy, Lynyrd, Allman Brothers. the new stuff is cool as well even though much of it is some artists I listened to relentlessly this year. I don't know the Section that starts with The Black Angels and travels through EMA is pretty dark . . . good times

Listen up and enjoy!

1. Gold Mine by Breanne Düren
I was obsessed with this song for a week and now I'm glad I was because I ignored it when it was a free downlaod. Soulful and easy.

2. Eyes by Peter Bjorn and John

The Non stop Swede machine!

3. Choose to Choose by The Black Angels

Good little E.P. these guys put out in late 2011

4. Lay myself Down by Mazzy Star

Yes, they are back after something close to fifteen years and you know what? They sound exactly the same, dreamy and sweet with macabre lyrics.

5. I'll Be Your Mirror by Velvet Underground with Nico

I always thought that Hope Sandoval from Mazzy Star should sing all of Nico's VU tunes.

6. Seven Devils by Florence + the Machine

Big, epic, sweeping, creepy song.

7. Waltz 2 from Jazz Sweet by Armonie Syphony Orchestra & Evgeny Bilyar

Composed by Dmitrij Dmitrievich Shostakovich this is a good old famous bit of classical music.

8. Marked by EMA
 This is a weird, sexy song that I keep thinking is about some sort of mannequin
9. Midnight Rider by The Allman Brothers band

Not Lynyrd Skynyrd, not the Marshall Tucker Band.

10.Movin' On Up by Primal Scream

This is one of those songs that I never had any strong feelings about but I often read how many critics loved this song for it's Manchester, beats and rave culture (ecstasy) connection

11.Let's All Go to the Bar by Deer Tick

They are back and not as depressing.

12.Balloon Man by Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians

Is this a feel good song? I don't know, I mean Balloon Men explode all over New York City but the bouncy beat is so good!

13.(Don't Go back To) Rockville by R.E.M.
Maryland? Rockville Maryland? Is there a college there or something? Maybe this was an add for some College based in Athens GA.
14.Maybe She's Right by She Wants Revenge

 The darkness of the San Fernando valley persists in the hearts of She Wants Revenge. Do people eve call them SWR?

15.Baby Says by The Kills

Every time I hear a new Kills song I get excited and I like it but then I realized it all sounds the same

16.Chicago by Tom Waits

He is still making good music and he still sounds like a mad man.

17.Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne

If you don't know this song you're A) not an Ozzy fan B) never been to a professional sporting event C) Never watched TV

18.Our Deal by Best Coast

More tough luck in dating songs

19.That's My Bitch by Kanye & Jay Z
Watch The Throne : Great Album of 2011
20 Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynyrd
If you don't know this mammoth classic rock jam you are not American, in fact you probably want to destroy America. If you don't love this song that's okay, it's kind of long.