Lemur Love

Because I’ve been feeling bad about neglecting the Lemur Love blog for so long.

By the way, I am using the FoxyTunes plug-in on my Firefox browser to provide informative links to the songs I’m writing about. Well, informative only if no Eurovision tracks come up.

1. “Dove (I’ll Be Loving You)” by Moony

Pure Europop fabulousness by an Italian singer who is, if she’s known in the U.S. at all, famous for singing on “Point of View” by DB Boulevard.

2. “Incredibly Drunk on Whiskey” by Memphis

Fun little loungey (loungy?) number from a side project of Torquil Campbell from Stars. One of the most chipper odes to alcohol this side of Dean Martin.

3. “She’s the One” by Robbie Williams

“She’s the One” is a throwaway track on I’ve Been Expecting You, although it could be a strong single anyway. That’s how good that album is, though: every track except “Jesus In a Camper Van” could have been a hit.

4. “Mademoiselle de Paris” by Andy Williams

No relation to Robbie. Jen and I drove to Branson to see Andy Williams in concert, and it was worth it. This is from one of Andy’s strongest albums, Under Paris Skies, which was arranged by Quincy Jones. Sadly, Andy’s albums vary wildly in quality, although there are always at least three memorable tracks on each one.

5. “Tongue Tied” by Alison Moyet

“Tongue Tied” is a b-side to “Should I Feel That It’s Over,” which is amazing, since it is a powerful song on its own.

6. “When I’m Not Near the Girl I Love” by Jack Jones

Not surprising to see that FoxyTunes has no info about this number. It’s a song from Finian’s Rainbow, and it is the spiritual cousin to Stephen Stills’ “Love the One You’re With.” I love Jack Jones’ early work, before he went hardcore with the Vegas lounge vocal theatrics. This captures him perfectly, with a smooth swagger that fits the lyrics perfectly.

7. “Antarctica” by Men Without Hats

I’ve already professed my love for Men Without Hats here, but let me reiterate: I love them. Even though I have no idea what the hell this song is about.

8. “Vibrate” by Ghostland Observatory

Not one of my favorite songs off of Paparazzi Lightning, but damn it all if it doesn’t mix nicely with the song that preceded it on the pod.

9. “Suburban Knights” by Hard-Fi

Ignoring the fact that songs decrying soulless suburbs number in the thousands, this is a ridiculously catchy song. Hard-Fi probably fared the best of all the bands that put out second albums this year. I read a review, probably in Q, that pointed out that this song just demands to be sung by football stadium crowds, and that reviewer is absolutely right.

10. “Breakin’ Up” by Rilo Kiley

The more I listen to Under the Blacklight, the more I like it, which is saying something since I liked it a lot right off the bat. I have a fondness for upbeat songs with downbeat lyrics, and this is a perfect example of that.

I hate people. This isn’t your fault. I just do. People don’t read emails. Why bother sending them if people don’t read them? Oh, wait, I know. Because I get yelled at if I don’t send them. But then I send them and people don’t read them. I hate people.

Lame Duck Countdown: 14 days.

PodShuffle time!

1. Blake Shelton – “I Have Been Lonely”. A sentimental turn for Blake, on an album where the highlights are of drunken debauchery. I like him better sassy.

2. Editors – “Spiders”. Deep cut off the new album. It’s jangly.

3. Michael Buble – “Spiderman Theme”. Yes, it’s what you think it is. And it’s delightful. I have no idea how I came by this delight of a track, but I’m sure glad I did. This track single-handedly turned Chris’ opinion of “the Boob” on its head.

4. Nina Simone – “Mood Indigo”. A fine track, one I hear often on my iTunes at work. “Yooooooou’ve never been blue…” I always think it’s Sarah Vaughn.

5. Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66 – “The Look of Love”. Ah, Bacharach as it’s meant to be arranged. Another sweet, SWEET track. Why oh why did he do the album with the folks from the Black Eyed Peas? He’s ruining something beloved for me, much like George Lucas ruining the Star Wars trilogy.

6. Arctic Monkeys – “If You Were There, Beware”. I have the new album, but I’ve gotten bored with them and haven’t listened to it yet.

7. Prince EP – “L.L.T.” One of the discoveries on Missy Eliot’s reality show where she searched for the next great rapper. His recorded work doesn’t really hold up.

8. Christina Aguilera – “Welcome”. I hate her. No, what I mean by that is I envy her. I envy her talent. Bad. I don’t really like her music all that much, it’s good not great, but I am in awe of her singing pipes.

9. My Bloody Valentine – “Soon”. This song is musical poetry. It goes on forever and I don’t care. Just brilliant.

10. The Bravery – “Above and Below”. Are they going to whore themselves out to EVERY car manufacturer?

1. You’re So Close – Peter Murphy.

Off of Holy Smoke, Murphy’s less than stellar followup to Deep. “You’re So Close” has a dark rocking beat which is appealing. Just don’t listen too carefully to the lyrics because they don’t make much sense. I think it’s about sex.

2. Hollaback Girl – Gwen Stefani.

A guilty pleasure. And bless Stefani for helping put me in touch with the vernacular of kids these days. I love the drumbeat in this one. It took me a couple of bars to get the hang of it, but that’s what makes it all the sweeter.

3. Unbelievable – Diamond Rio.

One of their bigger hits from a few years back. I love their harmony work in this track.

4. How Am I To Know – Benny Goodman Quartet.

This one is off of a 4-disc compilation EMI put together, I believe with the intent to market it to the film industry for licensing into movies. It’s wound up being a great collection of obscure and not-so-obscure standards. The clarinet work in this track is quite dated. It takes me straight to 1950s pop culture – especially the “Seven Year Itch”. But the play, not the Marilyn Monroe movie. Listening to this track I can understand what it must have felt like to watch the stage version.

5. Newborn Friend – Seal.

I love the chording in this song, a dissonant but a fantastic melody. “If I chant for happiness, maybe it will make me feel better.” The songwriting is solid, and the execution is great.

6. Sing, Sing, Sing – Benny Goodman & His Orchestra

Ach, shuffle. Nevertheless, is this not simply the greatest swing dance anthem? The energy in the big band – it makes me wish I had the energy and skill to jive.

7. The Freeze – Spandau Ballet.

A lesser known track to American audiences, but Spandau had a longer career in Britain. This track and “To Cut a Long Story Short” hold up quite well given the British 80s indie-rock revivalism. The vocal styling, the orchestrations – this song could come from Franz Ferdinand. Except that Spandau Ballet did it 25 years earlier. Man I’m old.

8. Head Over Heels – Tears for Fears.

I love this song. This is and always has been my favorite from Tears for Fears. This is a tune I could name after hearing one note. I still can (hint: it’s all in the reverb and the synth).

9. And Love Goes On – Earth, Wind & Fire.

I acquired Earth, Wind, & Fire’s Greatest Hits CD as a download from Sony courtesy of a class-action lawsuit for their anti-piracy software (a moment where I was unconditionally happy to stick it to the man.) There are over 30 tracks on it, so many I haven’t been able to digest it.

10. All the Things She Said – t.A.T.u.

Ah, Russia’s favorite pseudo-lesbian pop duo. Bound for one hit wonder status. They did the Eurovision song contest after this track. I have no idea what happened to them, and honestly, don’t really care.

Inspired by The Onion’s Random Rules, let’s shuffle the pod…

1. “Two Points for Honesty” by Guster

The two times I’ve seen Guster, they’ve come out to an brief orchestral version of this song. It’s my favorite song from them, but I guess they don’t play it live anymore. Incidentally, one of the best concerts I’ve ever seen was Ben Folds with Guster and Rufus Wainwright at Wolf Trap in Virginia back in 2004. The fact that everyone jammed with everyone else (plus Rufus’ mom, too!) made the whole thing feel really special.

2. “A Groovy Place” by Mike Flowers Pops

Nu-Lounge at its finest. The whole A Groovy Place album is pretty awesome, although Mike loses points for trying pass off as his own the arrangement Pat Williams did of “Light My Fire” for Jack Jones. Although the fact that he’s heavily influenced by Pat Williams regains those points. Pat Williams wrote the theme to The Bob Newhart Show, by the way. You own him your allegiance.

3. “Mary” by Scissor Sisters

Mellow number from the first album. It’s okay, but it just kind of sits there.

4. “The Sun and the Rain” by Madness

Even their maudlin ballads are chipper. It sounds like an ad for soda from the late 70s. Not one of their better numbers, but still pretty cool.

5. “The Treatment” by Dead Disco

Zippy Klaxonsy rock number with a female singer. A bit slick, but lots of fun.

6. “Running Out of Time” by Hot Hot Heat

Probably my favorite Hot Hot Heat song. It’s catchy as hell, and it’s got a great sense of pathos for an upbeat song.

7. “The Angry Mob” by Kaiser Chiefs

This one takes a couple of minutes to get going. One of the problems with the Kaisers is that their albums don’t capture how great they sound live. This was their closing number (before the encore) when we saw them at the 9:30 Club in D.C., and it rocked from start to finish. Here, it doesn’t really take off until the “We are the angry mob” chant.

8. “Woman Trouble” by Artful Dodger w/ Craig David

This is the funky remix version, not the generic R&B original. It’s much better this way. Craig never really took off in the States, although his song “What’s Your Flava?” is being used in a Popeye’s ad. Sadness.

9. “Repo Man” by Iggy Pop

Aw, yeah! The theme song to the movie of the same name, which was one of the oddest films ever. Repo Man had one of the best soundtracks ever, and it’s not often you see cameos from the Circle Jerks in a movie. I’m going to be so bold as to say that this is Iggy’s best contribution to a movie soundtrack ever. I would like to see an ad agency try to use this song in a commercial for a cruise line, though.

10. “Gunpowder & Lead” by Miranda Lambert

Don’t fuck with Miranda. She’ll cut you. She’ll cut you for real.

1. “When Will We Leave (Robert Hood remix) by Turner

Turner’s a German electronica artist whose “My Aeroplane Mania” is up there on my list of favorite songs. This particular remix is pretty generic trance It may be good when you’ve had some ecstasy at a club or something, but it’s not so hot sober.

2. “Stars and the Moon” by Jessica Molaskey

This is a song by Jason Robert Brown from the off-Broadway revue Songs for a New World. It’s a sweet and droll little number, and it’s popular in cabaret acts these days. Molaskey’s version is utterly charming. I linked to the MP3, which is available on Brown’s site.

3. “(Hey You) What’s That Sound?” by Les Rythmes Digitales

This tune got Jacques Lu Cont the job as Madonna’s keyboard for her 2001 tour. There’s a heavy 80s synth-pop feel that is reinforced in the video, which you can see at Astralwerks’ website. It’s a little bit too long, but it has a great hook. The title is a reference to “I Wish” by Skee Low.

4. “Who Knows” by The Shinin’

I found this track at Epitonic, and you can download it without registering for the site. It’s an awesome dis of bad rap. The first MC has better flow than the second one, but there are some fantastic lyrics in this: “Your beats still annoy me/Like razor bumps.” “As for your MC, I had to heckle him.” “If that’s the king, get a replacement/You sounded like you burglarized Pete Rock’s basement.”

5. “Trading Jewels” by Downy Mildew

Jen saw Downy Mildew open for someone back in the day. We bought a used copy of their album An Oncoming Train, which this song is from, at Dr. Wax in Chicago, which was a weird place to find it. This isn’t my favorite track, but it has a certain earthy, jangly mid-90s alt-rock feel to it that’s appealing.

6. “Long Trip Alone” by Dierks Bentley

A goodly number of Dierks’ songs are about being on the road. Considering how much he tours, it’s obvious he’s just writing about what he knows. In his concert, he said this was his favorite of the songs he’s written. I can see that. I’ve seen him do this song on TV twice, and both times he was a bit flat. When we saw him, he was dead on, which made me happy.

7. “Hole Hearted” by Extreme

I like this song. Shut up.

8. “How Can I Sing Like a Girl” by They Might Be Giants

Factory Showroom is my favorite TMBG album. I get the impression that this is not a universally held opinion, although I’m not about to hang out with hardcore TMBG fans to find out for certain. This is not a great song, but it’s cute and accessible and contains the phrase “freak flag.”

9. “Tell Me What You Dream” by Gabrielle

A co-worker of mine in Chicago got a CD from a W Hotel full of 70s soul and 90s electronica. She didn’t like it, so she gave it to me. This is a generic electronic soul number. It’s not particularly memorable, but it’s pleasant enough to listen to.

10. “Your Mother’s Got a Penis” by Goldie Lookin’ Chain

The greatest rap act from Wales ever. There is more than just the one, by the way. They’re a complete joke, but it’s a really funny joke. “I thought I had to tell you/I could put it in a letter/but I thought, fuck that/I’ll write a song, it’s much better.” This is completely vulgar, but in a charmingly Welsh way.

Shufflin’ the pod (and avoidin’ homework):

1. “Dr. Bombay” by Del Tha Funkee Homosapien

Fantastic ode to Parliament/Funkadelic, right down to the cartoony sped-up robotic voice rapping along.

2. “Blue Leaf Clover” by Firecracker Jazz Band

Old-time Nawlins-style jazz by ex-Squirrel Nut Zipper members. It kinda goes on a bit long, but it’s still fun.

3. “Orgasm Addict” by Buzzcocks

Short, sweet and to the point. Wicked cool.

4. “Soul Finger” by The Bar-Kays

Rocking soul instrumental (well, except for the people yelling “soul finger” in the background) used to great effect in Mystery Train, although it’s been so long since I’ve seen that movie, I can’t tell you how.

5. “There She Goes, My Beautiful World” by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

I actually can’t stand Nick Cave, but I do like this song. It has a gospel-noir feel to it that’s a lot of fun. Cave sounds a lot like Warren Zevon here, actually.

6. “Leave the Past Behind” by The Baldwin Brothers

Generic pop take on 70s soul. Cutesy, and John Legend does this type of thing better. Not unlistenable, but not memorable. Generally, I like Baldwin Brothers though. Jennifer and I saw them open for Supreme Beings of Leisure at the House of Blues in Chicago, and they put on a good show.

7. “Swan Lake” by Madness

Ska take on “Swan Lake.” Enough said.

8. “Aqua Boogie (A Psychoalphadiscobetabioaquadoloop)” by Parliament/Funkadelic

Speaking of the cartoony sped-up robotic voice, Sir Nose D’Voidoffunk hates water so put him down. This song is far trippier than anything anyone wrote in the sixties. I remember a hip hop song that sampled the “psychoalphadiscobeta” part, but I can’t remember who.

9. “When the Beatles Hit America” by John Wesley Harding

This is the first Wes song I ever heard, which was on a compilation CD called “Just Say Da.” An updated version is on the expanded version of “John Wesley Harding’s New Deal,” but this version is better. My two favorite lines in this song: “It sounded a lot like XTC” and “A place reunions aren’t expected of anyone, not even the Buzzcocks.” These lyrics aren’t funny out of context, of course.

10. “Tony” by Chumbawamba

A great “fuck you” to Tony Blair set to a sixties doo-wop ballad melody.

Inspired by The Onion’s Random Rules, let’s shuffle the pod…

1. “Wildcat” by Ratatat

Electronica tune I just downloaded. All sorts of awesome.

2. “Pennsylvania 6-5000″ by Glenn Miller

Swing, motherfucker, swing, motherfucker, swing, motherfucker, swing!

(Er, that would be a reference to The Movement’s classic techno song “Jump,” although my mouth really is that filthy.)

3. “Rich Girl” by Gwen Stefani

Ugh. I really need to delete this track. Like most of Love. Angel. Music. Baby., it gets old fast. I’m not allowed to skip songs to hide embarrassing tracks (according to the Onion’s rules), but I certainly will skip songs once I’ve duly noted them.

4. “Luz Azul” by Aterciopelados

One of my favorite songs ever. It’s so smooth, so rich, so tight. It doesn’t even matter that the rest of the album Goza Ponderosa doesn’t live up to this. It is purely fantastic. Check out the poor quality video on Aterciopelados’ videos page by clicking on “Blue Light.”

5. “Sha Shtil” by Charming Hostess

My wife and I were introduced to Charming Hostess by a friend of ours. For all intents and purposes (and intenstive purposes, for that matter), Charming Hostess is Jewlia Eisenberg. Reading her resume really gives you a sense of what the band is all about. Eat, which this song is from, is a terrific folk-punk hybrid. I don’t want to say “folk-rock” because that brings America to my mind for some insane reason. The rock is more raw than that.

6. “B Boys Will B Boys” by Black Star

Mos Def and Talib Kweli never ever again reached the heights they hit with Black Star. Solid, intense hip hop. This song is a throwaway track, yet still better than DMX.

7. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Paul Anka

Okay, I realize this is really cheesy. But here are two things you should know:

1. Anka sings this straight. No swarm, no tongue in cheek. He’s not pretending he knows what the song is about, but he’s completely sincere when he sings it.

2. Thing You Should Know 1 explains why this version of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” is so much better than the Tori Amos cover.

8. “Pioneers” by Bloc Party

I’m not really into Bloc Party, and this really isn’t my favorite song by them either. (That would be “Helicopter,” which is absolutely brilliant.) But this has a good hook, and I love the way Kele Okereke sings the word “hoping.” It’s partly the Anglophile in me, I guess.

9. “Subdivisions” by Rush

Guilty pleasure. Very, very guilty pleasure. As guilty as Michael Jackson pleasure. This is truly prog-rock pop perfection. That’s a cheesy thing to say, but come on: it’s Rush! They have a slightly computerized tenor voice speaking the word “subdivisions” in this song. So don’t tell me I’m being cheesy.

10. “Don’t Make My Brown Eyes Blue” by Crystal Gayle

Crystal is great and all that, but she sorta oversings this.

11. “I Wish” by Skee Low

I was going to stop at 10, but I didn’t want Crystal Gayle to be my last song. Whatever happened to Skee Low, anyway? At least Young MC shows up for whatever decade VH1 is paying tribute to this week. Les Rythmes Digitales refers to this song in a major way in “(Hey You) What’s That Sound?” Check out the video for it is sweetness personified. Also cheesiness personified. Sweet cheese doesn’t sound appealing, but trust me: it is.