Norwegian indie-pop crooner SONDRE LERCHE is rather dramatically raising his profile in the U.S. with his soundtrack to the new Steve Carell film, DAN IN REAL LIFE. You'll find old and new Lerche songs here -- as well as a duet with REGINA SPEKTOR. Also: various instrumental cues, which, out of context, are of very little interest to us here at P of A. I do rather enjoy the new full-blown tune "To Be Surprised," however, and, as it's always nice to share....SONDRE LERCHE on MySPACE.[MP3] "To Be Surprised"
I've given up trying to figure out how PINTO's ANDREAS MAGNUSSON (supposedly from Gothenburg, but last seen herding sheep and shagging Jake Gyllenhaal in the wilds of Wyoming) (see photo above) is able to write so many solid, seemingly effortless pop songs so incredibly quickly. I mean, anyone can pen a tune, as far as that goes. Take me, at age 8, for instance:Rocks, rocks, rocks in the bathtubRocks, rocks, rocks in the bathtubClap your hands with your father's shoePrick your mother with a pinOoh!Those "tragic," "heavenly" lines are excerpted from my song "Rocks in the Bathtub," which I composed in the late '70s and mailed out to various artists of the day. I never heard back from KISS or THE CARPENTERS. DEBBY BOONE sent a lovely, inspirational note ("This song is a tragedy. God help you."). MARVIN GAYE expressed interest but ultimately flaked. And IGGY POP mailed me a bucket of human poop. His own. With blood in it. Autographed.Which brings me back to Pinto and the absurdly prolific Andreas Magnusson. He's just finished a new track and has already slapped it up on his website for any and all to come have their way with it. As always, it is a solid and seemingly effortless pop song. Like I said from the get-go, I've given up trying to figure out how he does it; I just know that he does and that he no doubt will again. I know this in my bones. (The same way I know that Iggy Pop likes corn.)PINTO on MySPACE.
[MP3] "I Can't Feel My Heart"
BONUS TRACK >>>
[MP3] "Armchair Anthropologist" [from the 2007 LP HOOK ME UP, available from CDON, CD BABY, and KLICKTRACK]
In which we continue and conclude our skip-to-our-lou down EELS' daisy-lined career path....
(And yes, all ye sticklers for detail, there is awareness here that the albums BROKEN TOY SHOP and A MAN CALLED E are not, officially, Eels releases. Rather, they get sorted as solo efforts by composer MARK OLIVER EVERETT aka "E". But, for all practical purposes, "E" is Eels, so the inclusion of these early testaments seems not only acceptable but essential.)
EELS on MySPACE.
From the LP DAISIES OF THE GALAXY, 2000 >>>
[MP3] "Flyswatter"
[MP3] "It's a Motherfucker"
From the LP ELECTRO-SHOCK BLUES, 1998 >>>
[MP3] "Last Stop: This Town"
[MP3] "Climbing to the Moon" [w/GRANT LEE PHILLIPS]
From the LP BEAUTIFUL FREAK, 1996 >>>
[MP3] "Novocaine for the Soul"
[MP3] "Guest List"
From the LP BROKEN TOY SHOP, 1993 >>>
[MP3] "Shine It All On"
[MP3] "Manchester Girl"
From the LP A MAN CALLED E, 1992 >>>
[MP3] "Fitting in With the Misfits"
[MP3] "Hello Cruel World"
NEIL LESLIE DIAMOND was cool long before RICK RUBIN decided to go all back-to-basics "JOHNNY CASH" on his ass. He's not known as the Jewish ELVIS for nothin', folks....[MP3] "Solitary Man" [1966]
[MP3] "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon" [1967]
[MP3] "Sweet Caroline" [1969]
[MP3] "If You Know What I Mean" [1976]
[MP3] "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" [w/BARBRA STREISAND] [1978]
[MP3] "Love on the Rocks" [1980]
[MP3] "America" [1980]
[MP3] "Evermore" [2005]
Seems I've been getting my decades a bit discombobulated lately....
Sunday's way-back-machine offerings have recently shifted from the '60s to the '70s, while the last batch of Zip-File downloads were oriented toward the '80s. Now, just to keep things all unpredictable and "edgy," I've gone ahead and cobbled together a couple more '60s compilations for your listening pleasure. To tell you the truth, I think they're pretty groovy. I hope that you'll agree....
Left-click [HERE] to download you some grooviness.
Portal to previous '60s mixes [HERE].
THE '60s #4 TRACKLIST >>>
1 the temptations/get ready
2 the exciters/tell him
3 the four tops/i can't help myself (sugar pie, honey bunch)
4 the supremes/love child
5 the ventures/"hawaii five-o" theme
6 the byrds/turn! turn! turn! (to everything there is a season)
7 creedence clearwater revival/who'll stop the rain
8 the kinks/waterloo sunset
9 peter & gordon/i go to pieces
10 marianne faithfull/as tears go by
11 herman's hermits/no milk today
12 gerry & the pacemakers/don't let the sun catch you crying
13 chad & jeremy/a summer song
14 the righteous brothers/you've lost that lovin' feelin'
15 dionne warwick/what the world needs now is love
16 otis redding/sittin' on the dock of the bay
17 sam the sham & the pharoahs/wooly bully
18 the animals/don't let me be misunderstood
19 the jimi hendrix experience/all along the watchtower
20 procol harum/a whiter shade of pale
21 elvis presley/suspicious minds
22 frankie valli & the four seasons/big girls don't cry
23 little peggy march/i will follow him (chariot)
24 the searchers/love potion no. 9
25 lou christie/lightnin' strikes
26 petula clark/my love
27 maurice williams & the zodiacs/stay
28 lesley gore/maybe i know
Eleven years after "Novocaine for the Soul" became a staple of the MTV Buzz Bin, MARK OLIVER EVERETT's EELS are still plugging along, still insinuating dark-edged ire and irony into the popular culture. Indeed, Everett's compositions have found their way into everything from kids' films to horror flicks; sitcoms to crime procedurals. Perhaps it's his penchant for toy pianos, music-box FX, and play-that-funky-music-white-boy percussion that helps to sweeten his more acidic literary efforts. And there can be little doubt that he picked an ideal time to ply his trade as a deadpan troubador. One can easily imagine Jerry Seinfeld listening to Eels while eating his cereal. And both the British and American characters on "The Office" could use this music as inspirational backdrop for updating their resumes. Or their suicide notes.
January 15, 2008 will see the simultaneous release of MEET THE EELS (ESSENTIAL EELS 1996-2006) and USELESS TRINKETS -- the latter a two-CD, one-DVD compilation of b-sides, soundtrack offerings, and unreleased extras.
So, at this time of officially-sanctioned looking-back and taking-stock, it seems wholly appropriate to walk our way back over Eels' career (with the concluding "Part 2" to come on Monday).
EELS on MySPACE.
From the LP WITH STRINGS: LIVE AT TOWN HALL, 2006 >>>
[MP3] "Pretty Ballerina"
[MP3] "Dirty Girl"
From the 2-LP BLINKING LIGHTS AND OTHER REVELATIONS, 2005 >>>
[MP3] "Old Shit/New Shit"
[MP3] "Losing Streak"
[MP3] "Railroad Man"
[MP3] "Hey Man (Now You're Really Living)"
From the LP SHOOTENANNY!, 2003 >>>
[MP3] "Saturday Morning"
[MP3] "Lone Wolf"
From the LP SOULJACKER, 2001 >>>
[MP3] "Souljacker, Pt. I"
[MP3] "That's Not Really Funny"
CITIZENS HERE AND ABROAD are a dream-popping San Francisco foursome who eschew verse-chorus-verse conventionalism for a more eccentric, circuitous sound. Fortunately -- like the proverbial blind squirrel -- they do happen upon some sustenance every now and again, with ADRIENNE ROBILLARD's cool-as-a-young-good-looking-corpse vocals leading the way. CITIZENS HERE AND ABROAD on MySPACE.From the LP WAVING, NOT DROWNING, 2006 >>>[MP3] [VID] "Accelerator"[MP3] [VID] "Stranger"From the LP GHOSTS OF TABLES AND CHAIRS, 2004 >>>[MP3] [VID] "Appearances"[MP3] "Enter the Elevator"
Norwegian indie-pop crooner SONDRE LERCHE is rather dramatically raising his profile in the U.S. with his soundtrack to the new Steve Carell film, DAN IN REAL LIFE. You'll find old and new Lerche songs here -- as well as a duet with REGINA SPEKTOR. Also: various instrumental cues, which, out of context, are of very little interest to us here at P of A. 
