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]