I have a deep love for this groups music, so to say I am a big fan is putting it lightly. The group is Gotan Project and this particular song is entitled Tango Square. It's off their album Tango 3.0 which was released back in 2010. Now while their sound is primarily tango, they do far more than that which is probably why I have everything by them. Tango Square, in my opinion is one of their best songs.
It's a sultry song, seductive in it's groove. It wastes no time in luring you in and once it does, it doesn't let you go. This song is the perfect background music for...well you figure it out. There are no lyrics to the song but the it speaks volumes.
If you like this song, and it's hard not to like it, then you might also want to check out Santa Maria and Epoca (which is on the blog). Enjoy!
The second I heard this song Quickly, I honestly thought it was genius. I won't get to deep into it but it was something I wish I had written. I also marveled at how I hadn't heard this subject matter sung about in other songs. I'm sure it has been, I just never heard those songs, and I doubt they were this damn catchy. If there is one thing John Legend can do, it's write a damn catchy song.
Quickly which features Brandy is off of Legends 2008 release Evolver, which is in my opinion his most solid album. There aren't many missteps on Evolver and Quickly stands out amongst the collection. Brandy's husky voice playing off John's sometimey falsetto is a great blend. Add to that the throbbing beat and the great lyrics and you definitely have a hit. It was surprising that this song was never released as a single. This song is "album filler", if you can believe that.
Whenever this song hits my ears, I can't help but smile. It hits like a refreshing drink and I quickly turn it up (see what I did there?). You should turn it up and enjoy!
When I heard this piece of music, Flying To Compound, I honestly thought I had never heard such an imposing piece. The darkness and foreboding of this piece of music, by Alexandre Desplat, for the film Zero Dark Thirty is almost so frightening on it's own, it doesn't need any imagery. Needless to say, I FUCKING LOVE THIS PIECE!!!
I won't divulge where it is in the film, should you choose to see it. If you do, you will recognize it immediately and it will make what is going on onscreen, all the more intense. This is Alexandre Desplat like I have never heard him, and I've heard all of his stuff. I didn't know he had the kind of darkness within him to produce such a ominous piece and score.
You will probably hear this piece in other things in time. Someone may use it for a documentary, one of the cable news networks might use it to get a sobering point across, who knows? What I do know is that this piece of music is unlike anything heard in awhile for a movie score and it's pitch perfect. You may not like it, it may not be your cup of tea but it certainly is mine, and I had to share it. Enjoy!
I heard this funky piece of music in Oliver Stone's motion picture Savages and I couldn't get it off the brain. In fact I still can't and because it makes me bop my head and smile, I felt I had to share it. It's put together by the DJ Luciano Supervielle of the tango collective known as Bajofondo. The song, Miles de Pasajeros was released on the 2005 album Bajofondo Remixed, and while I have no idea what's being said, I love this song.
It starts off with a guitar piece that was lifted from the score of Babel, courtesy of Gustavo Santaolalla. It's accompanied by a percussive beat which then brings in the drums, once they hit, this song is off and running, kinda. It's got a great bass line and a pounding beat which fades out only to come back suddenly. The rap over the track is spit with passion and on beat which makes it even funkier. The vocals are like an added instrument almost. The tango element comes in briefly with the accordion but the key ingredient here is the beat.
Like I said, I have no idea what's being said but good music is good music, regardless if you know what's being said or not, and this is good music. This is the second time featuring Bajofondo on my blog so I'm a fan. Take a listen to this track and you may become one too. Enjoy!
Okay, you know that age old question asking which came first, the chicken or the egg? That's how I feel when I listen to Blue Sky Black Death's music. I ask which came first, Moby or BSBD? Of course Moby was around long before the team of Kingston Maguire and Ian Taggart teamed up together. and you can hear his influence in a lot of their music. I happen to be a fan of Moby so this is no criticism to BSBD at all, it's just my opinion that their sound mirrors his rather closely. In other words, they need to find their own niche.
Farewell To The Former World, a song off their 2011 release Noir is a step in the right direction. It's a mid tempo, chill out song good for that ever important background music to a dinner party. People will ask you "hey, who's that playing?" and you can introduce BSBD to someone new. They sample some vocals of Windmills of Your Mind from The Thomas Crown Affair soundtrack which I thought inventive. This is my favorite track by the duo because it's just so pretty and light.
BSBD has a bright future ahead of them (and a potentially prosperous one should they commercialize their music like Moby). I just think they need to find a foothold in sound, find their own signature sound that people can readily identify as BSBD. That is of course, they don't mind being compared to an icon in electronic music...which isn't bad actually. Enjoy!
**THIS IS A BIG BOY SPEAKER SONG, I REPEAT...THIS IS A BIG BOY SPEAKER SONG**
As you know by now, I routinely scour the internet for new music I've not heard before. I usually find some amazing music, well at least music I think is amazing, enough to share with you anyway. I have posted some audacious, bold, and ambitious pieces of music so far. This piece from the Two Steps From Hell production team however is the first piece to ever stop me in my tracks, literally.
The piece is called All Is Hell That Ends Well from the 2012 album Skyworld and there are four distinct movements to this powerful song. The first is a mournful melody of nothing but strings. It swells and gracefully glides along until a voice joins in. Then the percussion comes in and ramps up the intensity. The horns then come in and carry the melody along until the break comes, and then in movement number three, all hell breaks loose. This part of the song sounds like total chaos and is fit for one epic battle, even the slight respite of the break adds to the thunder. The piano joins in only to lead you, dear listener somewhat unsuspectingly to the dub step portion of movement four.
The piece rides out on the beat and you suddenly wish this song were longer. It's far too short at 3:52 once you realize you've got goosebumps racing up and down your flesh. This song is stunning and I think it may be right up there with Two Steps most popular song Protectors Of The Earth. It's THAT good. Enjoy!
Admittedly, I am not a Bruno Mars fan. Yep, I said it. I never saw what everyone else saw, never really heard the "talent" everyone else heard. I pretty much relegated him to the back of my mind when he got caught with cocaine on him and damn near busted a gut laughing at his reasons for possessing said drug, something about being an artist and this is what we do. Yeah, I was done with Bruno before I ever got started.
That was until this song. Off of his new album Unorthodox Jukebox comes the jewel When I Was Your Man and quite simply, it's amazing. It's a slow, mournful ballad of regret. With just him and piano, it's a song crafted in a way that allows you to hear and feel the emotion in Bruno's voice. I love the chorus, when he sings Too young, too dumb to realize...That I should have brought you flowers / And held your hand / Should have gave you all my hours / When I had the chance / Take you to every party / Cause all you wanted to do was dance / Now my baby's dancing / But she's dancing with another man, you can hear his pain.
We all have failed relationships in our past (and to those of you who don't then you're just lucky...FREAKS!), this song captures all that regret and sorrow of failing to get it right with that certain someone. It's truly a lovely song and while i am still not a fan of Bruno, I can now hear what everyone else was hearing. Enjoy!
When you click on the video below you will be listening to history, a first for music. That's the reason I'm posting it. Yes, it is a beautiful, mournful piece of music by Austin Wintory entitled Nascence but it is what this piece of music is attached to along with the honor it has been given, that has made history.
For the first time, in the history of music has a soundtrack been nominated for a Grammy. Now you'll probably think I'm wrong about that, you'll point to all the soundtracks over time that have received Grammy nominations and have won the coveted award and you would be right. What differs here though is that Nascence isn't part of a score to a movie, it is instead the music to the video game Journey.
It is the first of it's kind, it is the Barack Obama of video game music. The door that has often been closed has now been opened by Austin Wintory. His beautiful creation has paved the way for other video game scores to be given the respect they are due. The score to Journey is the first but I truly doubt it will be the last, especially if those that come behind it are this beautiful. Enjoy listening to history.
The first time I heard this piece of music, I was enraptured. It's hauntingly beautiful and extremely hard to forget. Which is probably why it's the music in the trailer for the movie Anna Karenina by Joe Wright (which is where I first heard it). It makes the movie look almost magical because the music IS magical. The piece is entitled Nero and it's off the 2011 album Two Steps From Hell: Archangel.
It starts off with a beautiful piano melody until it's joined by the strings (I really love strings). They pace the song as the piano plays the melody. The lone piano then rides along the strings as if on a roller coaster until the intensity begins to build. Then out of nowhere, the orchestra swells and the song builds in both scope and magnificence. It appears unstoppable...until it falls away and stops. Then the piano returns to play with the strings once more and the song picks up from the beginning, all over again.
This music is breathtakingly beautiful and it just had to be added to my blog, it just had to be shared. I really think you will come to love it as much, if not more than I have. Enjoy!
I saw these dudes in Washington Square Park maybe three years ago and they blew me away. So much so that I bought one of their CD's. I had never heard drum and bass live and thought that was simply a studio/drum machine thing. I couldn't have been more wrong. Sistine Criminals opened my eyes to the artistry that is drum and bass and how it's not just a studio thing.
I caught this video in my facebook feed, posted by the band (yes we're facebook friends) and I had to share it with you. I don't know the name of this song but google them, find out where they are playing and definitely check them out. They are amazing. I hope you enjoy this piece as much as I do.
I am NOT a big Boyz II Men fan, yeah I said it. However, I AM a big fan of this song and whenever it comes up on the trusty playlist, I sit back and enjoy. The song is Pass You By off of their 2000 release Nathan Micheal Shawn Wanya. This song was nowhere as a big of a hit as the group has had previously but it's one of my favorites from them.
To me this song is all about not wasting time. It's about not wasting your time on loving someone not worthy of you. It's about how precious time is and how if you are unhappy with someone you need to let that person and that poisonous situation go and move on. That point is driven home when they sing Don't have to stay with someone / that makes you cry / Don't be discouraged baby / don't let real love pass you by.
Have Boyz II Men had bigger hits, absolutely. Have they had better songs, that's debatable (in my opinion anyway). I think a good song grabs you and doesn't let you go until the very end which is what makes a song good. This is a good song (even though I'm not their biggest fan). Enjoy!
I'm going to let you in on a little secret so keep this just between us, okay? Pinky swear! Okay, today is my birthday and every year on my birthday I play the hell out of this song. Don't ask me why, I have no idea why but I do. It just makes me feel better (and younger maybe). The song is World's Famous which is off the classic 1983 album Duck Rock by Malcolm Mclaren.
It's a song that always puts a smile on my face no matter what I am going through, this year it's no different. And today I really need this smile. I won't tell you how old I am so don't ask :) What I will tell you is this song brings me back to a time when I had everything I could want. A happy, healthy, and complete family and friends, and the world ahead of me. Maybe above all, that's the reason why I play it.
More than likely everyone asscociated with the making of this song has passed on but they left me, us with a treasure. You may not like this song as much as I do but to me it's full of fun and joy and what birthday couldn't use more fun and joy? Enjoy!
This song enttled Frozen Lake by one of my favorite jazz artists, Bob James and classical pianists, Kieko Matsui is undeniably beautiful. Upon first hearing it I thought these two talented people were playing their own individual pianos which would be amazing in its own right. The embedded video makes this song even more amazing when you see that they are playing the same piano.
Frozen Lake is off their joint 2011 release Altair & Vega, an album named after the two brightest stars in our galaxy which is most fitting. It is an album strictly for the piano lover, there is no other instrumentation on the album. Where you think that may get boring after awhile, there are only seven tracks on the album to keep that from happening. In my opinion Frozen Lake is the stand out.
I hope you enjoy this wonderful piece of music as much as I do by these two amazing musicians. And even if it's not your cup of tea, at least marvel at the fact that it's all played on the same piano by two of the brightest stars in our musical galaxy. Enjoy!
Back in 2007, this was my JAM! I couldn't get enough of this song and no matter where I was when I heard it, if I had access to the volume it was increased as much as those in the vicinity could stand. The song is Used To Be My Girl by the amazingly talented Brian McKnight and one of the reasons I loved this song I think, has a lot to do with Brian normally singing about how much he loves someone or how someone broke his heart. This song is a complete departure from that.
This song is all about an ex having a brief encounter with the new guy, simply warning him how while she may make you think you're the man, she's still mine. The chorus says it best when Brian sings She's still thinking about me / and I'll tell you why / She couldn't even hold her head up / when ya'll walked by / Don't go hatin' on me / It's just the game / You want her, you got her, take it you got her / To me it's all the same. This song stands out from almost every other B. McKnight song just by that chorus alone. Can I be honest with you and say I was shocked when I heard it? I was, seriously...jaw on the floor and all that.
Used To Be My Girl is off of his 2006 album Ten, this song was the first single released. In 2007, it was everywhere and while it only reached as high as 25 on the Billboard Hot R&B and Hip Hop chart, it was played in every club, radio station, house party, and ipod (well, the last one applied to me but I doubt I was the only person jamming to this song in their headphones). Take a listen, if you've never heard this song, you may end up jamming to it in your headphones too. Enjoy!
When I first heard this song, I saw it as the perfect music to a movie trailer. It has that cinematic feel to it. It's one part creepy, one part amazing. The song is entitled High For This by The Weekend and the sound/mood/tempo of this song is what all of the music offered up by The Weekend sounds like. It's ethereal and atmospheric, bordering on electronic. That doesn't mean it's not good stuff, that's just to say that if you like this song, you'll love his other stuff. If not, then don't even bother.
The Weekend aka Abel Tesfaye hails from Ontario and he's released a series of mixtapes before being signed to a major label a few months ago. The buzz generated around those mixtapes and the push from rapper Drake, who has worked on several projects with The Weekend has helped his release, Trilogy debut at number four on the Billboard top 200.
Trilogy is a remastered compilation of the three mixtapes The Weekend has put out spanning 2011 to 2012. The lyrics are pretty much all the same throughout but High For This is by far my favorite of the 30+ songs Trilogy has to offer. Enjoy!
This is undoubtedly one of the greatest songs ever written and ever recorded. It is by far one of the most recognizable songs and it's also one of my favorites. It's One Love by Bob Marley. Now I could have chosen any song from his massive collection of hits but it's One Love that touches me deeper than the rest. It's off of his iconic 1977 LP Exodus and no matter how many times I hear this song, I can't help but smile.
It's not even three minutes long but it's so profound. Bob is asking is there a place for sinners, those that have hurt mankind while trying to save his own beliefs. This song has been heard all around the world and has been used by the Jamaican Tourist Board in commercials to convince people to come to Jamaica for vacation.
Bob opens up his heart and offers up thanks and praise to the lord in this song. I will always love this song and will always be grateful to Bob for sharing it with me and the world. Enjoy!
I am just stating this clearly and upfront, this is a big boy speaker song. Dominos by The Big Pink simply rocks. The beat is ferocious, yeah I said it...ferocious. Don't believe me? Break out your big boys, sit back, and let this run you over. Now with that being said, it's also the playa anthem. When you get up after being run over by this track the first time, hit replay and listen to the lyrics.
The chorus should tell you all you need to know about the song. That's not usually how it goes, the first few lyrics hardly ever tell the whole story. They do here. When lead singer Robbie Furze sings These girls fall like dominos...dominos you should know what's coming. The first few lines of the song just brings it home when he sings As soon as I love her it's been too long / Talks of future with you caves me in / Swallow my sugar kiss and eat it alone / Hearts collide and smash any dreams of love. Like I said, Playa Anthem.
I heard this track in a car commercial and fell in love with the beat. From there I dug until I found the song and was not disappointed when I did. Dominos is off The Big Pinks 2009 release A Brief History of Love. To me they sound like a more melodic Depeche Mode with some Massive Attack sprinkled in for good measure but hey, you decide. Enjoy.
I recently became a fan of this man and his music back in 2010. I have been mining his songs ever since but I somehow missed this one. I was introduced to this song over the past weekend and it blew me away. The song is Let It Be Me by the very talented Ray LaMontagne. It's off his 2008 release entitled Gossip In The Grain. It's a really touching song about loyalty, unconditional friendship, and support.
This is the second time Ray has graced my blog and I am really not someone to repeat artists here. That being said, this song is just as good as the first song of his I blogged about, Jolene. When Ray sings the chorus That's when you need someone / Someone that you can call / When all your faith is gone / Feels like you can't go on...let it be me / If it's a friend you need / Let it be me...it feels like he knows about all the crap you're currently going through or dealt with. I know there have been times in my life when I would have fallen apart had it not been for some very close and dear friends so this song speaks directly to my heart in a profound way.
This song is for those that have no one and needs that friend they can lean on and rely on. It's a voice in the dark telling you to take my hand, that while they may not know the way out, at least you're not alone. For this song, I thank you Ray and to the one that introduced me to it, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Enjoy!
THIS is a big boy speaker song, just warning you up front. It's also one of my favorite songs by garbage entitled #1 Crush from the 1996 Romeo + Juliet soundtrack. The lyrics are every stalking victims worst nightmare as well as every celebrities. It's the ultimate song of devotion and while that sounds good, listen to the lyrics of this song, your opinion may change.
The song starts off with a moan of pleasure, enticing. Then the beat kicks in along with that dark bassline that rumbles along beside you. Then Shirley Manson starts to sing words like I will pray for you / I will pray for you / I will sell my soul for something pure and true / For someone like you / See your face every place that walk in / Here you voice every time that I'm talking / You would believe in me / And I will never be ignored and that's the light stuff. The lyrics go on to get much darker and twisted.
This song grooves hard and it's deserving of a spot on my blog, even if it did scare the shit out of me the first time I really heard it. I'm not going to lie, it still gives me goosebumps but a good song is supposed to do that, make you feel it. I feel this song and maybe you will too. Enjoy!
If you are a fan of Prince, a REAL fan of Prince then you should know about this band known as The Family. It was one of those groups that Prince assembled back in the 80's, much like The Time. In fact, The Family was born from the breakup of The Time. Morris Day, the one time lead singer of The Time left along with Jesse Johnson and Prince appointed Paul Peterson as lead singer of The Family.
Unlike The Time though, The Family was one and done. They only released one album and then Peterson, feeling constrained under Prince soon left to pursue a solo career as well. That was too bad because The Family, released in 1985 was a pretty good album. Of course every song was penned by Prince except this song, River Run Dry. This song was written by Bobby Z, Prince's then drummer.
The Family was the first group to ever record and sing Nothing Compares 2 U, the classic song Sinead O'Connor made famous, though I like The Family's version better. This song is a blast from the past, when cassette tapes dominated, vinyl was being phased out, and Prince was King. Enjoy!
From one of the most distinctive voices in a generation comes one of the most profoundly moving songs. The voice belongs to Annie Lennox and the song is the somber and beautiful Why which is off of her 1992 solo debut album Diva. It's an amazing song about love, true love, real love and many feel it's a song about her and her old music partner David A. Stewart. Whether that's true or not I don't know but I do know this is one amazing song.
It starts off so solemn and sweet, just keys and piano until Annie starts singing. From that very first line, you know this isn't what you thought it was going to be. Her lyrics are sometimes self deprecating, eviscerating, and at times brutally honest. Annie has always had a way with lyrics and on Why she flexes her songwriting muscles.
This remains my all time favorite song of hers because it never loses you. It's not at all flowery and "whoa is me" and neither is it "I hate you so much right now". Instead it's a mature song about the end of something that was once great and how it's just not anymore. Enjoy!
Okay, when I say I love something, there is no BS involved. Mainly because I don't throw that L word around all willy nilly, it means something to me. So when I say I love Pink Floyd, you can rest assured that I am a huge fan of their music. Their sound is unlike anyone other band and I think the biggest reason I love them is that they never tried to sound like anyone else. Take this song The Fletcher Memorial Home off of their last album The Final Cut released in 1983. It has a sound clearly all their own.
Written by the freakishly talented Roger Waters, The Fletcher Memorial Home is a place for the overgrown infants, those incurable tyrants and kings. Those that are out of touch with the hell they've put everyone else through. Roger runs down the list of names that were prominent on the political landscape back in the 80's and then suggests that once they are all in the same place, the final solution can be applied.
I know only a handful of true Pink Floyd fans like myself so this song and their magic may be lost on some of you. That's fine, Pink definitely isn't for mass consumption these days but I'm a fan and I miss their music. That's never going to change. Enjoy!
When I am not feeling my upbeat self and I am missing those that have gone away, this is the song I cue up on my ipod. It mirrors that mood like nothing else can and sometimes, it even brings tears to my eyes. The name of the song is On Every Street by Dire Straits and this is one song I am actually truly happy was written because there are days when I really need it.
There's gotta be a record of you someplace / you gotta be on somebodies books / the lowdown picture of your face / your injured looks...somewhere your fingerprints remain concrete / and it's your face I'm looking for...on every street tugs at my heart and gets me every time. There have been times when I've searched for those faces I miss on every street. This song is off of Dire Straits last album of the same name released back in 1991 and in my opinion they saved the best for last.
This song has inspired me in so many ways that I can't begin to even list them, I am just forever grateful for it and to it. The song rocks out at the end, seemingly trying to lift your spirits but I just hit replay and let it wash over me again as I check every street for those faces. Enjoy!
One of the greatest soul and R&B groups of all time, The Gap Band has released some amazing music in their day. From such classics as You Dropped A Bomb On Me, Early In The Morning, and Outstanding, The Gap Band has solidified themselves as icons in the genre but it's this song that stirs something within me. Yearning For Your Love is a smooth, groovy cut that I can put on repeat and leave it playing for the whole day and never grow tired of it.
Yearning is off of their 1980 album The Gap Band III which also featured another classic Burn Rubber On Me. Yearning starts off so easy and light until the bass line kicks with the beat. Then Charlie Wilson comes in with The time has come for us to stop messing around/Cause don't you know I like having you around and you know this isn't going to be your ordinary love song. Especially later on when he drops the marriage proposal.
Yearning For Your Love is one of those songs where the music doesn't match the seriousness of the lyrics which adds to its greatness in my opinion. The last lyrics are You can't keep running in and out of my life and those words have either applied to us directly or to someone we know, don't they? Don't lie, it'll make your nose grow. Enjoy!
This song is a bonafide classic and guaranteed to put a smile on every face at a party when the needle is dropped. Yes, I said needle because if you're a fan of this song, you know what an actual record looks like. The song is Juicy Fruit by Mtume off of their 1983 album by the same name. This is the kind of song where you can't help but bop your head to that memorable beat.
It's the first thing you hear when the song starts. No vocals, no keyboards, nothing but that beat and it rides with you all the way through to the end. Eventually lead singer Tawatha Agee's distinct voice comes in after the keys and guitar licks, singing about a lover is just so tasty that she can't get enough. Lyrically, the song is somewhat lacking but filled with sexual innuendos. Lines like Candy rain / coming down / taste you in my mind / and spread you all around and Do what you want / I don't care / I'll be your lollipop / you can lick me everywhere definitely tell the story.
Amazingly, this song sold a million copies without ever being a top 40 hit which is unheard of to this day. It may have something to do with it being so heavily sampled by everyone from The Notorious BIG to Fatboy Slim and everyone in between. That's because-quite simply-it's a classic and if you're throwing a party and you want to get it started, throw on some Juicy Fruit and crank the volume. Trust me on this!
This song is by one of my favorite bands of all time. To say I'm a big fan wouldn't quite cover it actually. I have always loved their sound but more than that, I loved the dark demons their lead singer faced throughout his career. While I wouldn't wish those demons on anyone and I don't want to make it seem that I am happy he went through his own personal hell, the music Depeche Mode put out at that time was amazing. This song is called Dirt and it's Depeche at their funkiest.
Dirt is on the B side of the single I Feel Loved which is off Modes 2001 Exciter album. The groove of this song is hard, the bass line rattles the windows and the drums will have the cops knocking on your door. The lyrics are minimal but they scream of someone who needs some kind of help and I can't help but think that song was inspired by David Gahan's demons. This song is addictive (at least it is to me, it's hard to stop listening to it). It just sounds raw, which is odd for Mode since their sound is usually so polished.
I think this song rocks in every way possible, from the beat to the bass line to the tempo. It simmers seductively and it just draws you in. Now if you put this song on the big boy speakers, please be sure to move the fragile items to the middle of the table. I don't want to be blamed for anything valuable smashing to the floor. Enjoy!
This song makes me smile every time it comes up on the playlist because it's so damn cool. I see this song as driving music. Picture it if you will, driving down the highway as fast as the law allows (or faster for you lead foots out there), this song pumping from your soundsystem and you just singing along to Rock With You by Michael Jackson.
This is the remix though, not the Off The Wall version but a remix by the great Fankie Knuckles, the preeminent house music DJ. He breathes new life and soul into what was already a damn good song. This remix is off Michael's They Don't Care About Us EP which came out in 1996. It's arranged immaculately and it never losses steam. Flat out, this song rocks.
I'm still stunned behind Michael's death but I am forever grateful for him and the music he left behind. It is here for us to enjoy over and over again and thanks to Frankie, this song stays in the rotation. Enjoy!
It's about damn time this group makes an appearance on my blog. Honestly, for me to have the nerve to call this a music blog and to only just be adding this group now, it's just criminal. The group is the amazingly talented Parliament Funkadelic and the song I have chosen to represent them on my blog is the downright groovy and funkalicious Flashlight. This was the song that went on when the DJ was trying to get people on the dance floor in their bell bottoms and platforms, it ALWAYS worked.
The first concert I ever attended in my life was a Parliament-Funkadelic show at Madison Square Garden. I was either ten or eleven (I had pretty progressive parents) and needless to say, my mind was blown. It was the most amazing thing I had ever seen or heard live and I was instantly a life long fan. Now there are no real lyrics to the song but the groove just grabs you by your neck and makes your head bop.
Flashlight is one of my favorite songs by P-Funk (I've got a few actually) and I blast it every chance I get. It's how their music is supposed to be played because that's what will get the party started and that's what Parliament Funkadelic was all about. I hope I am not too late in adding them to my so-called music blog and to all you true music lovers, my bad.
I never like live recorded music. Either give me the studio rendition or let me see it on stage. Don't package up a live recording, in my opinion they are very rarely as good as the in-studio recorded version. That's how I thought until I heard David Gilmours Live in Gdansk album and this cut, Where We Start. I honestly feel the live recorded version is FAR superior than the in-studio version. Rare, right? I know!
If the name David Gilmour sounds familiar or rings any bells it's because he was the guitarist in the iconic and one of the most influential bands Pink Floyd (of which I am a huge fan). Where We Start is off of Gilmours On An Island album released back in 2006, Live In Gdansk was released in 2008 and the live version fully incorporates that Floyd vibe/sound I love so much. Lyrically the song isn't winning any awards but musically it's a beast, especially when the strings come in towards the end.
I think David did something I never thought would be possible and that's make me rethink that whole thing about recorded live albums. Gdansk is so well down it sounds like it was done in-studio and that blows me away. If there was one person in this world that I thought would make me reconsider my previous stance, I wouldn't have said David Gilmour. Hell, he wouldn't have even crossed my mind. Enjoy!
This lush piece of music is from Veiger Margeirsson and it's entitled Mythical Hero. It's off his 2012 release Rise Above. It's epic in scope and grandeur as well as lush in sound. It's uplifting as well and I have grown to really admire it. My only complaint is that it's far too short. Another minute or two wouldn't have hurt, at least I don't think so. Tell me what you think. Enjoy!
I am so ashamed of myself. Why, you ask? Well simple, I completely forgot about this beautiful, melodic song by one of all time favorite groups, The Art of Noise. It's called Crusoe and in my opinion it's absolutely beautiful. I was listening to the ole ipod and this song came on and I instantly got chills. I also instantly realized TAON was not yet represented on my blog. Silly me. I felt it was high time to remedy that.
This lovely piece is off of Noise's fourth studio album entitled Below The Waste, which was released back in 1989. It was the last time the last two original members of TAON, Anne Dudley and J. J. Jeczalik worked together. While the album reflected the diverging musical interest between the two principals, they did dabble in world music for the first time, working with Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens from South Africa. Still, the album seemed disjointed, but the jewel in my opinion however, was Crusoe.
This is not Noise's most recognizable piece but I think it speaks volumes to their artistry. It's so beautiful and mournful at the same time that I wonder how I lost track of it. I won't lose track of it again and maybe you'll love it as much as I do to not lose track of it either. Enjoy!
I'll be the first to admit that the ending for this song sucks. it just leaves you hanging. It's got a great beat and cute melodies but the ending just flat out sucks. Maybe that's because it's supposed to be played in a club and it's supposed to be followed up by or blended in with another song. The main reason though why I chose to blog this song is because of who supplies the vocals.
Because we have an election coming up, where the country has a choice to RE-elect a Black man to lead the nation. Because of that I thought this would be timely. The vocals are supplied by none other than Martin Luther King Jr. Taken from his now famous I Have a Dream speech from the 1963 March on Washington, there are excerpts that bring into sharp focus just how far we've come. We still have so much to overcome but look at where we were just 50 years ago.
The music is supplied by a Netherlands DJ by the name of Bakermat and the song is entitled Vandaag(I also recommend his Mas Que Nada cut...banging). I am almost certain this song rocks in the club and gets the dance floor jumping the second the needle is dropped. Just hope the DJ playing it has another cut cued up to avoid that sorry ass ending
I have always liked this song and in fact I think it's off of Brandy's best album of her career. The song is Almost Doesn't Count from her 1998 album Never Say Never. I think it's a witty song with great lyrics and it sounds like it was tailor made for Brandy. Never one of the stronger vocalist, Brandy used that breathy, dusky voice of hers to perfection.
Never boasted a bunch of hits and even a Bryan Adams remake (Everything I Do) I Do It For You thrown in for good measure. It's Almost though that is one of the stand outs for me. When Brandy sings the words Gonna find me somebody / Not afraid to let go / Wanna no doubt be there kinda man / You came real close I can't help but like this song all the more.
Personally I don't think Brandy has ever been this good again. Never Say Never was her at her apex, her voice was still smooth and fresh and she was blessed with some really great songs. Almost Doesn't Count counts as one of those to me. Enjoy!
The very first time I heard this piece I couldn't keep the tears contained. It brought the memory of my father so vividly back to mind and it crushed me. I have loved this piece entitled Spiegel Im Spiegel ever since. It's a very deliberate piece that never changes tempo and it's about ten minutes long in length. it's just a piano and cello and though the original piece was written for piano and violin, the cello adds more gravitas.
The composer is Arvo Part and he wrote Spiegel Im Spiegel, which means Mirror(s) In The Mirror back in 1978. It has been used in a number of movies because it's such a poignant piece. It sounds like it was tailor made for the movies. Arvo Part is from Estonia and he wrote this piece just before leaving Estonia, putting his sadness into music.
This piece always reminds me of my father and it always will. It represents my sadness in missing him like nothing else I have ever come across. I don't know what this song will represent for you, perhaps nothing, perhaps everything. I hope you enjoy it though as much as I do.
This piece of music is a new discovery by me (when I say new I mean, like just a few minutes ago)but I liked it enough to post it to my blog. It's by the talented Ulrich Schnauss and the song is Goodbye, off of his 2007 album of the same name. Ulrich is not new to me but Goodbye is and now I'm wondering where I was or what I was doing to have missed this back in 07. Probably fussing over some girl.
Goodbye is a mid tempo ethereal track over a steady beat. The "vocals" are hard to make out and that's probably because they either in German (Ulrich is from Germany if you were unaware) or just so processed that they're made out to be just another instrument. The sound of the track is produced in such a way that it sounds like it's surrounding you. It starts off a little weird but it finds its groove pretty quickly.
This song to me is great driving music in my opinion. It gets you bopping your head and could influence you to press a little harder on the accelerator. If you get a ticket though it is SO not my fault. Blame Ulrich! Enjoy!
I don't usually post hip hop on my blog, for my own personal reasons. This is one song though, that from the very first day I heard it, has been close to my heart. It's from the iconic and enigmatic Tupac Shakur and it's the classic My Block from the 1995 The Show soundrtrack.
If you listen closely to the lyrics then this sonmg may give you chills like it does to me everytime I hear it. Back when I first heard it, I loved it. When I heard it again after Tupacs untimely demise, I cried. I cried because the man responsible for this sweet and brutally honest testiment to inner city living, offered up in such a heartfelt way, was now gone forever. I cried because there would be no more songs like this and so far, hip hop has proven me right.
Tupac wasn't the best rapper, there were far more skilled rappers lyrically when he was around but Tupac had something no one could ever match. Tupac had a white hot passion and a hunger that came across in everything he did. He also had an honesty I will always love him for. All these years later and he's still missed. Enjoy!
I have been accused of not having enough dance music on my blog. To some extent that accusation is correct but as I told my accuser, mine isn't a dance music blog. However, that being said allow me to introduce you to a dance floor staple entitled Still Going Theme by the group Still Going. To say you need your big boy speakers to get the full effects of this song is an understatement. This song pounds, which is part of it's appeal.
Still Going Theme is off their 2007 EP release. The B side is another groover entitled On and On and if you like Theme then you'll enjoy On and On as well. The beauty of Theme is that beat hits you right up front and then it's slyly joined by the bass line. Then the piano comes in with the melody and it rocks on from there. Added keys and percussion are added for flavor along the way. Still Going is made up of Liv Spencer and Eric Duncan, two people who know what they're doing when it comes to dance music.
Now this song isn't for everybody. This song is for those that have been at the club, danced all night, are all sweaty, their feet hurt, and they don't think they can get back on the floor. This song is for them because that's exactly what this song makes them do, it makes them soul clap and get right back on the floor. Ahhh memories. Enjoy!
This is yet another song by 8Dawn that I can't seem to shake. It's called Into Me and it's a serious piece of music. The tempo languorous and deliberate while the melody is sweet and disarming. What drew me to it was it's dark undertones. This is another piece of music I can listen to until the cows come home and I am becoming an even bigger fan of Colin O'Malley and 8Dawn than I initially thought I'd be.
This music speaks to me on so many levels and it sets a fire up under my imagination. Not that my imagination needs any help mind you but help never hurts. The darkness of the song hits you right away and it slowly builds. The handclaps and slight percussion come in to pace the song and to give you something to nod your head to. The vocals are amazing as they soar over the music effortlessly giving the piece a lightness it needs but just as quick, the song goes dark again.
Into Me is off the 2011 album 2S3xy and it's just one of a few amazing cuts out of that collection. Might I also recommend The Bees, E-Lectric, and Free Form from that album, all amazing pieces of music. For the time being though, enjoy Into Me.
This is one of my favorite pieces of music to write to. Actually it's just one of my favorite pieces of music period. Every now and then on my blog I drop in a piece of epic music that has touched me and inspired me in a certain way. Allow me to introduce to you another one of those masterpieces, it's entitled They Hit Without Warning. This tune is intense and it should be played on your big boy speakers so you can get all the nuances of the rumble.
It starts off ominously and slowly cranks up into gear. Something is coming, you can feel it and when it does it hits hard. There's a slight respite but then the orchestra slams into you and the voices come soaring in, taking this song to another level. The intensity builds to a maddening crescendo of music and voices and percussion and then it suddenly stops and you're dropped off a cliff as the song fades out.
They Hit Without Warning is a song of extremes, quiet then loud, soft and then hard, subtle and then massive. It is truly an epic piece of music and I can listen to this continuously as I'm writing because this song takes me on a journey. I hope it takes you on one as well. Enjoy!
So I was up trolling the internet for new music (oh like you don't do it, don't judge) and I came across this song entitled Last Drop of Blood. I thought the title sounded interesting so I gave it a listen and I'm glad I did or I would have never known the music offered up by 8Dawn. The music is orchestral, brooding, moving, inspiring, and flat out incredible. It takes you on a journey whether you want it to or not and who doesn't love that?
Off of the 2011 album Torn, Last Drop of Blood which is composed by Colin O'Malley, starts of rather guitar heavy. That is until the choir comes in and the song takes on a completely different vibe. It soars with the voices and the crunching guitar in the background, along with the orchestra. It rises until it reaches its crescendo and then it opens like a parachute and brings you softly back to the beginning of the song and then it fades out.
If you like Zack Hemsey's music like I do then you will love Colin O'Malley and 8Dawn. The styles are somewhat similar and both men deliver impressive pieces of art. I would also recommend by 8Dawn Gorgeous, The Bees, and Torn. You will NOT be sorry. Enjoy!
I first heard this song in the 1995 Michael Mann directed masterpiece Heat. If you haven't seen it I really don't know what you're waiting for. Anyway, when this music came on towards the end of the film I couldn't believe my ears because it was one of the prettiest things I had ever heard. Of course it was this song that prompted me to go out and buy the soundtrack. The name of the song is God Moving Over the Face of the Waters and it's creator is Moby. Now Moby has been around for a very long time and I was never a really big fan of his, until this song.
I think the title is very apropos because the music definitely reflects that image. Whatever or whoever your God may be, He/She moving over the face of the waters would be done so to this music. God was used in Heat but it's actually off Moby's 1995 album Everything Is Wrong. Never released as a single, probably because of its length (7 minutes plus) I firmly think it's the stand out of the album.
Moby has been the target of plenty derision from everyone from The Simpsons to Eminem but like Moby or hate him one would be hard to deny that the man is talented. If you don't believe me, just let your ears convince you. Enjoy!
BIG BOY SPEAKER ALERT!!! (You might want to break them out for this song)
Okay, so I honestly sat around last night/this morning trying to figure out which version of this song I liked better. The song is by Hecq & Exillon and it's entitled Spheres of Fury. Now the original version can tend to get a bit boring at first, that is until you get to the 2:28 mark of the song, it becomes ominous. That's nothing though because when you get to the 2:50 mark, there the music puts you in the middle of your own horror film, descending the steps of hell.
The remix of the song done by The Teknoist Dreilide Thrace is far trippier than the original version. Noises bounce in and out, the bassline mows down anything in its path and at the 3:00 minute mark the song truly goes off the rails as far as the manipulation of sounds go. The 3:40 mark has the drums speed up and at the 3:52 mark you're back in your horror movie again.
I know this won't be for everyone but I love shit like this. It's musical chaos, drum and bass mixed with dubstep which I find amazing. If you aren't a fan of drum and bass or a fan of dubstep and you don't have an open mind then this cut isn't for you. If you are a fan of those two musical genres or you at least have an open mind, then I invite you to enjoy! BTW, I'm posting both the original and the remix...just because I like you :)
I couldn't deny him a place on my blog any longer, especially when I love...wait LOVE this song! This song is FIRE pure and simple. Bobby Brown's Humpin' Around is an incredible song but whatever you do, try your best to just listen to the music. Pay no attention to the lyrics and this song will have a serious impact on you. Especially if you play it on your big boy speakers. Now you may not be a Bobby fan, lord knows I'm not but admittedly, he did have some great songs and this is one of them.
Off of his 1992 album Bobby, Humpin' Around was the first single and it went straight to the number one spot on the Billboard R&B chart. From the very start, the bassline hits you and it rumbles on throughout the song menacingly. It's intensity builds and is aided by the operatic vocals that come in during the chorus and the keyboard patches. The one low point of the song is the rapping but if you can get past that AND the fact that Bobby really can't sing then this gem produced by Babyface, L.A. Reid, and Darryl Simmons will blow you away.
I can listen to this song again and again and never tire of it. It never fails to get my adrenaline flowing and gets me moving which is what a good song should do. It should either relax you and take your stress away or it should move you to action. Anything else is a waste of the art form. Enjoy!
No one had ever heard anything like it in R&B music. It was an amazing phenomenon and something you didn't believe even when you heard it with your own ears. The closest thing we've ever got to something like this was Smokey Robinson or Marvin Gaye and while those two men were unlike any other, they didn't have what El DeBarge had. They didn't have his glass shattering falsetto which is in its full glory on Time Will Reveal off of DeBarge's 1983 album In A Special Way.
Time was DeBarge's biggest hit ever until Rhythm of the Night which hit the ground running in 1985. DeBarge was comprised of siblings Bunny, Mark, El, James, and Randy and they pretty much singlehandedly saved Mowtwon Records back in the 80's. many believed they were brought in to replace The Jacksons who had departed Mowtown by then. DeBarge never had the success of the Jacksons but they definitely carved out their own niche with their own sound, powered by El's voice.
The first time I heard it I imagined two things. A, guys trying to hit that note and winding up in the hospital and B, all those wannabe singers who gave up those dreams after hearing El do his thing. DeBarge had other hits but for me Time is it. It would have been a great song in any else's hands, in El's...it became a classic. Enjoy!
One of my all time favorite songs hit me tonight and I had to put these fellas on my blog. It only felt right. The fellas are Cameo and the song is their classic Candy. It reminds me of a time in my life when things were pretty cool, considering. With simple lyrics and a stand out bassline this song just jumps out of the speakers and if it doesn't make you want to dance, it at least makes you smile.
Candy was off their 1986 release Word Up! (which was another huge hit in itself) and it raced to the number one spot on the R&B charts. There wasn't anywhere you could go back then and not hear this tune. The groove was infectious and the production was an upgrade from earlier Cameo material. This song along with the rest of the cuts on this album made Cameo one of the most successful bands of the 80's.
I can listen to this song and never tire of it. Who am I kidding, I can listen to that entire album and never get tired of it. It was Cameo's Thriller, almost very song was a hit or at least they were hard to ignore. That went double for Candy...and go on and dance, I won't tell anyone. Enjoy!
I honestly think this is The Beatles at their funkiest. Come Together has one hell of a groove and it's hard to believe that this song was recorded without the help of today's recording technology. This song is one of the biggest reasons I am such a huge fan of The Beatles music. It also has some pretty strange lyrics but I chalk that up to a possible acid trip, hey don't judge. Like YOU never dropped acid.
This was the opening song off the Abbey Road LP released back in 1969 and it immediately raced up the charts to number one in the US. Just as immediately, everyone was trying to figure out what the wacky lyrics meant. They were dissecting lines like He wear no shoeshine / He got toe jam football / He got monkey finger / He shoot Coca Cola / He say I know you, you know me / One thing I can tell you is you got to be free...and trying to figure out just what in the hell were they talking about.
I have to admit, Michael Jackson did a pretty good cover of this song but it doesn't touch the original in my opinion. I still marvel at how producer George Martin pulled this track together but it was a masterful job. I never get tired of this song. Enjoy...and go easy on the acid will ya!
I have always been a Sting fan when he, Stewart Copeland, and Andy Summers were The Police. I became an even bigger fan when he released The Dream of the Blue Turtles and I heard the song Russians. I didn't think it was ever possible to become an even bigger fan of his, that was until I heard Shape of my Heart. I first heard it as the credits rolled for the film The Professional.
I was stuck to my seat and refused to leave until the song was done and then I ran out and searched high and low for the soundtrack. From that moment on I would buy anything he released and the only other artist I have done that with was Prince. Yes, there have been a few let downs by both artists but I never fully regretted buying his music unheard. When he sings the line If I told you that I love you / You'll maybe think there's something wrong / I'm not a man of too many faces / The mask I wear is one and the chorus I know that the spade or the swords of a soldier / I know that the clubs are weapons of war / I know that diamonds mean money for this art / but that's not the shape of my heart...is genius to me.
For me this song represents the moment when I became a Sting fan, a true fan and I never regretted it. Well if you don't count Symphonicities anyway, enjoy!
I remember the first time I heard this piece, it floored me then and still does to this day. It has always stayed with me in one form or another, either in my own musical collection or in a movie using it or a variation of it. It's by the master composer and pianist Sergei Rachmaninoff and it's entitled Rhapsody On a Theme by Paganini and it's one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever created and it's among one of my all time favorite classical pieces. Played here by Mikhail Pletnev and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the music is flawless.
Like I said, it's been used in a few movies (can't even begin to name them all), and I am sure you may have heard it before. This isn't the whole piece and I won't share the entire piece since it's about 20+ minutes long since there are 24 different variations of Paganini's Caprices for Solo Violin, this however is the most beautiful part of the composition in my opinion. Hollywood's too apparently.
Now if this is your first time ever hearing this piece, I could say you need to get out more but I won't. What I will say is that it is my absolute honor to introduce it to you and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
Call me a freak or whatever but I have always, ALWAYS wanted to find that song that when you put it on a loop, you could never tell when it ended or began. Guess what? Yep, I have found that song. It's called Faxing Berlin by the great Deadmau5. It's a really cool tune and the more you listen to it the more the subtle nuances make themselves known.
I came across this song about a year ago just looking for something new and interesting. From those searches I found dubstep and Deadmau5. If you're wondering about Deadmau5's sound think Daft Punk, the sounds are similar though Deadmau5 is way more danceable.
Now granted, there isn't much to Faxing Berlin and the coolest thing about it is that when looped it goes on forever, it's one of those "infinity" songs. Don't believe me? Loop it and at first you won't believe it. Eventually you'll get it but at first, it's the coolest thing.
