song of the day: puppet on a string by the hives

I'm not really a huge fan of The Hives. I liked one song when they were really popular and, honestly, I don't even remember what it was.

I always kind of thought they were just another one of those carbon copy bands with hipster Beatles haircuts and ball-crushingly tight black jeans. And, I mean, they are.

But, thankfully for my iPod shuffle, I discovered "Puppet on a String." It's just my kind of quirky. It's almost like the musical equivalent of Halloween (although not as much as Ramalama by Roisin Murphy). It's fairly fantastic.

Now, I decided to listen to the rest of The Black and White Album to make sure that I hadn't prematurely dismissed The Hives. And...nope. I was totally right. They're like...beige. Beige with electric guitars.

So, lone reader, I present you with the one gem in the Hives' collection of sameness and unoriginality.

I'd dare you to not like it, but let's face it, chances are your musical taste isn't as weird as mine. Oh well.

song of the day: Koop Island Blues by Koop (ft Ane Brun)

I've realized, since I started writing out my songs of the day, that a lot of my favorite music isn't from the US.

Obviously, I'm just fantastically open-minded.

Today's gem of foreign fabulosity comes to us by way of Europe. Koop Island Blues, by Swedish electronic jazz duo Koop, kind of reminds me of old school black and white movies. It somehow manages to exude mystery, romance, and an undeniable quirkiness.



The song features Ane Brun, a really fantastic singer/songwriter from Norway, whose sweet and sensuous vocals really do compliment the song with an almost palpable texture.

I know that description sounds really pretentious. I'm well aware. Sorry.

Listen to the song and then we'll continue.



Now, some of you might be thinking, "Wait a minute. This song sounds really familiar."

And, if you watch So You Think You Can Dance, you'd be right.

The extraordinary Mia Michaels choreographed a ridiculously amazing dance to this song in Season 5 (featuring Evan Kasprzak and Randi Evans). It was lovely dubbed the butt dance. Watch the video and you'll see what I mean.



Kind of amazing, right? Well that's Mia Michaels for you. I was horrified when she announced that she'd no longer be choreographing for SYTCYD but I guess after 5 seasons it's time to move on.

Still, her genius will be sorely missed.

One of these days I'll write a post about my favorite SYTCYD dances. I'll do it when I miraculously find myself with nothing but time on my hands, no work, no chores, no obligations.

So, yeah, don't hold your breath.

Until next time, lone reader!

[Image via Oxideradio}

song of the day: blessed brambles by Múm

I don't like Bjork. I never have. Maybe that makes me a bad gay. I think she's whiney, annoying, and frankly, she's a little terrifying.

When I think about it, actually, most of the Icelandic music that I know is pretty experimental and weird. Even though Bjork irks me, though, it's undeniable that there's some great stuff coming from Iceland.

Múm, which brings us today's song of the day, is a perfect example.



Formed in 1997 by Gunnar Örn Tynes and Örvar Þóreyjarson Smárason, Múm features soft vocals and a decent blending of traditional and non-traditional instrumentation. It's actually pretty reminiccent of Broken Social Scene.

Blessed Brambles is the first track on Go Go Smear the Poison Ivy, Múm's fifth studio album.

If you can open your mind to the weirdness, you'll probably like it. If not, no big. I'll have something else for you in no time.



[Image via Euvolution]

song of the day: caught by the river by the doves

Just an amazing amazing song. Nothing more to say.

song of the day: here it goes again by ok go

work has been taking over my life.

I guess I can't complain though; it's probably better than sitting on my ass watching TV all day, hopelessly applying to scam jobs.

yeah, this is better.

Anyway, here's your song of the day. Or, as it seems to have been lately, your song of the week.

song of the day: sister rosetta goes before us by robert plant and alison krauss

Dear Reader,

Sorry I haven't posted in a while - work has been absolutely crazy. Here's your song of the day.

Led Zeppelin lead singer and legend, Robert Plant, teaming up with folk goddess Alison Krauss.

Odd pairing, you might be thinking.

But I promise you, it's a match made in heaven.



Note: this is not the actual music video. Just the song.

song of the day: an animated description of mr. maps by the books

The Books are a little too experimental for some people. Thankfully, I'm not put off by them at all. I guess I wouldn't be though...I did spend seven years trying to find a Steve Reich album that I heard when I was 16.

The Books are a little less out there than Steve Reich. Formed in 1999, the band is kind of an ethereal mix of folk, electronica, and indie rock. Band members, guitarist and vocalist Nick Zammuto and cellist Paul de Jong, mesh together traditional instrumentals and vocals with seemingly random sounds and speech samples

And when I say random, I kind of mean it (even though each audio placement is, in actuality, very deliberate). A Salvador Dali audio file made it onto "Venice" from their 2005 album Lost and Safe. A snippet from Lewis Caroll's "Jabberwocky" is included in “Vogt Dig For Kloppervok”, from the same album. In "If Not Now, Whenever" Mal Sharpe asks a passerby "How're you doin' today?"

The song I've chosen, "An Animated Decription of Mr. Maps" is a perfect example of The Books' style. Weird, eerily beautiful, and incredibly awesome.

Enjoy, tell me what you think.