Some vintage '60s pop songs for a Sunday morning, courtesy of Ms. PETULA CLARK. (Though I think I've got the timing all wrong. These tunes put me in mind of an iconic, 1960s New York City in the run-up to Christmas. Fashionable, impossibly-slim women in hats and sunglasses, with shopping bags. Think: "Breakfast at Tiffany's." Or: "Barefoot in the Park." Maybe even: "Rosemary's Baby." But not suburban Michigan. In early October. With the temperature in the mid-80s.)
[MP3] "Downtown"
[MP3] "My Love"
[MP3] "Don't Sleep in the Subway"
[MP3] "A Sign of the Times''
[MP3] "The Other Man's Grass is Always Greener"
If you've got a hankering to do so, please left-click [HERE] to download THE '80s, VOLUME 2.
THE '80s, VOLUME 1 [HERE].
VOLUME 2 TRACKLIST >>>
01) The Buggles/Video Killed the Radio Star
02) Blondie/Call Me
03) Dead or Alive/You Spin Me 'Round (Like a Record)
04) The Go-Go's/We Got the Beat
05) A Flock of Seagulls/I Ran (So Far Away)
06) Greg Kihn Band/The Break-Up Song
07) ABC/The Look of Love
08) Billy Idol/Dancing with Myself
09) Toni Basil/Hey Mickey
10) Gary Numan/Cars'
11) Yaz/Only You
12) Duran Duran/The Reflex
13) Katrina & the Waves/Walking on Sunshine
14) The Fixx/One Thing Leads to Another
15) Sparks & Jane Wiedlin/Cool Places
16) Modern English/I Melt with You
17) Men at Work/Who Can It Be Now?
18) The Romantics/What I Like About You
19) Talk Talk/It's My Life
20) Tommy Tutone/867-5309/Jenny
21) Alphaville/Forever Young [extended version]
Aw shucks. IMPERIAL TEEN have gone and grown up.
In the five years since their last release, the San Francisco foursome have dialed down the go-go-gadget pop-poofery and settled into a more mature (and demure) groove. (To these ears, "Room With a View" conjures IF YOU'RE FEELING SINISTER-era BELLE AND SEBASTIAN. "Seeing Other People," methinks.)
I kind of like the go-go-gadget pop-poofery, though, so I'm offering up some of that today as well....
IMPERIAL TEEN on MySPACE.
IMPERIAL TEEN on tour >>>
Oct 4 2007 9:00P/The Abbey Pub/Chicago, Illinois
Oct 5 2007 8:00P/1st Ave./Minneapolis, Minnesota
Oct 17 2007 9:00P/Maxwells/Hoboken, New Jersey
Oct 18 2007 8:00P/Southpaw/Brooklyn, New York
Oct 19 2007 8:00P/North Star Bar/Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Oct 20 2007 8:00P/T.T. the Bears/Boston, Massachusetts
From the LP THE HAIR THE TV THE BABY & THE BAND, 2007 >>>
[MP3] "Baby and the Band"
[MP3] "Room With a View"
From the LP ON, 2002 >>>
[MP3] "Ivanka"
[MP3] "Baby"
From the LP WHAT IS NOT TO LOVE, 1999 >>>
[MP3] "Yoo Hoo"
From the LP SEASICK, 1996 >>>
[MP3] "You're One"
[MP3] "Water Boy"
Like EMMA POLLOCK last week, IAN BROWN is best-known for his work as part of an ensemble -- in his case, the some-would-say-seminal STONE ROSES (1985-1996). We'll leave it to others to decide if that Manchester band deserves its oh-so-breathless reputation. At the moment, that's none of our concern.
Because, 'round these parts (2005- ), we like to live in the here-and-now (2007) (not true... at all). Therefore, we are all-but-obligated to pretend that the Stone Roses (1985-1996) never existed, all the better to judge their former lead singer's new solo offering, THE WORLD IS YOURS (2007).
As for said judgement, we'll leave that to others. Because, 'round these parts (2005- ), we like to lazily ride/straddle fences (true... too true). (We'll even leave it to you to judge whether it should be "judgement" or "judgment." The world's options are onerous -- music-wise, time-wise, and otherwise.)
IAN BROWN on MySPACE.
IAN BROWN from town to town >>>
Oct 5 2007 8:00P/University/Leeds
Oct 6 2007 8:00P/Parr Hall/Warrington
Oct 8 2007 8:00P/Caird Hall/Dundee
Oct 9 2007 8:00P/Civic Hall/Motherwell
Oct 10 2007 8:00P/Corn Exchange/Edinburgh
Oct 12 2007 8:00P/Venue Cymru Arena/Llandudno
Oct 13 2007 8:00P/Guildhall/Preston
From the LP THE WORLD IS YOURS, 2007 >>>
[MP3] "Eternal Flame"
[MP3] "The Feeding of the 5000"
From the LP SOLARIZED, 2004 >>>
[MP3] "Time is My Everything"
BONUS TRACK >>>
[MP3] "All Ablaze"
The Sheffield, England seven-piece REVEREND AND THE MAKERS slot themselves into the indie/funk/electro genres. I'd say the "indie" holds the most weight, though there ARE some rather big 'n' meaty, borderline-funky basslines to be found on their debut LP, THE STATE OF THINGS.Overall, a very working-class, British enterprise -- right down to the unobstructed accents. No doubt, if you should happen to bump into them at the pub, they'll be guzzling pints, not sipping single malts.
REVEREND AND THE MAKERS on MySPACE.
REVEREND AND THE MAKERS on the move >>>
Oct 3 2007 8:00P/UEA/Norwich
Oct 4 2007 8:00P/Roadmenders/Northampton
Oct 6 2007 8:00P/University/Leicester
Oct 7 2007 8:00P/Rock City/Nottingham
Oct 9 2007 8:00P/53 Degrees/Preston
Oct 10 2007 8:00P/Met University/Leeds
Oct 11 2007 8:00P/Carling Academy/Liverpool
[MP3] [VID] "He Said He Loved Me"
[MP3] "Open Your Window"
[VID] "Heavyweight Champion of the World"
Dead band walking!
The Irish outfit JJ72 called it a day last year when they were unable to lock up financing for their then-tentatively-in-the-works third album. The indie world wasn't exactly sent reeling by this development, seeing as the band had never really been able to build upon the promise of its self-titled 2000 debut.
Helium-piped lead singer MARK GREANEY (he makes PLACEBO's BRIAN MOLKO sound almost butch) is currently at work on a solo offering. Till then, how's about a trip down dead-daisy-lined Nostalgia Lane...?
JJ72 on MySPACE.
From their self-titled LP, 2000 >>>
[MP3] "October Swimmer"
[MP3] "Oxygen"
From the OCTOBER SWIMMER CD2, 2000 >>>
[MP3] "Blood Test"
From the OXYGEN CD2, 2000 >>>
[MP3] "Desertion"
From the LP I TO SKY, 2002 >>>
[MP3] "City"
BONUS TRACKS >>>
[MP3] "Take From Me"
[MP3] "She's Gone"
[MP3] "It's a Sin" [PET SHOP BOYS cover]
SIA (aka SIA FURLER) is an Australian songstress who may be best known for her vocal work with UK electronica artists ZERO 7. Her third full-length effort, SOME PEOPLE HAVE REAL PROBLEMS, will be disseminated digitally in December; bricks-and-mortar-style in January.
(Older track "Breathe Me," by the way, is the song that drives the final, flash-forwards-to-their-Waterloos sequence in the last episode of "Six Feet Under.")
SIA on MySPACE.
SIA barnstorming North America >>>
Oct 22 2007 8:00P/Belly Up Tavern/San Diego, California
Oct 24 2007 8:00P/El Rey/Los Angeles, California
Oct 25 2007 8:00P/Fillmore/San Francisco, California
Oct 27 2007 8:00P/Doug Fir Lounge/Portland, Oregon
Oct 28 2007 8:00P/Crocodile Cafe/Seattle, Washington
Oct 29 2007 8:00P/Media Club/Vancouver, British Columbia
Nov 1 2007 8:00P/Varsity/Minneapolis, Minnesota
Nov 2 2007 8:00P/Metro/Chicago, Illinois
From the LP SOME PEOPLE HAVE REAL PROBLEMS, 2007 >>>
[MP3] "Electric Bird"
[MP3] "Lentil"
From the LP COLOUR THE SMALL ONE, 2004 >>>
[MP3] [VID] "Breathe Me"
From the LP HEALING IS DIFFICULT, 2002 >>>
[MP3] "Taken for Granted"
Some vintage '60s pop songs for a Sunday morning, courtesy of Ms. PETULA CLARK. (Though I think I've got the timing all wrong. These tunes put me in mind of an iconic, 1960s New York City in the run-up to Christmas. Fashionable, impossibly-slim women in hats and sunglasses, with shopping bags. Think: "Breakfast at Tiffany's." Or: "Barefoot in the Park." Maybe even: "Rosemary's Baby." But not suburban Michigan. In early October. With the temperature in the mid-80s.)
