Month: January 2006 (Page 6 of 11)

Their purple prose just gives them away…

January 14, 2006 / Will Harris

I don’t watch nearly as much TV as I used to, so this might well have been tackled in the past, but can I just say that I finally saw the Kraft commercial that morphs EMF‘s “Unbelievable” into a jingle for their new cheese crumbles, which are…

…wait for it…

…crumb-believable.

I know, I know, it’s only EMF, and they could probably do with the money. And it’s not like they knew anything about it, really. (If you check their website, as of January 8th, they still hadn’t even seen the commercial themselves, although someone did manage to provide them with the above link to watch it online.) But, criminey, guys…crumb-believable? Ugh.

Closing note: Despite this incredibly unabashed example of selling out, EMF nonetheless continues to retain my eternal respect for having introduced me to the Stooges’ “Search and Destroy,” which I’d never heard until they covered it on their “Unexplained” EP.

Alternative, Pop, Songs

Introducing “Pet Sounds” to the next generation

January 14, 2006 / Will Harris

Some of you may remember when I posted awhile back about how I was playing music to get my daughter to sleep. Well, it appears that I’ve found the perfect album…and, what a surprise, it’s an album that I already knew was perfect: the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds. The one-two-three punch of “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” “You Still Believe In Me,” and “That’s Not Me” is so powerfully soothing that, by the fourth track, she’s put her head on my shoulder, sound asleep. I’ve been using it as her bedtime soundtrack for a week now, and, even on her worst night, I’ve still never gotten to hear my favorite song on the album (and one of my favorites of all time), “God Only Knows,” which is track #9.

Fortunately, she still gets to hear it; I put the disc on “repeat.”

Pop, Songs

Caesars: “Soul Chaser”

January 13, 2006 / John Paulsen

After changing their name (from Caesar’s Palace) and releasing the iPod commercial single “Jerk It Out” on three consecutive albums, one must admire the Caesars’ persistence. Released on their third album, Paper Tigers, the up-tempo “Soul Chaser” features an addictive organ riff and a catchy chorus, making it one of my 5-star songs from 2005.

Listen to a song clip here.

Alternative, Deep Cuts, Rock, Songs

Confess! You really hate music

January 12, 2006 / Captain Capm

According to some dudes over in Britain, the new generation of folks enjoying music via mp3 files do not appreciate it. That is to say, all of us digging our tunes on our portables are not worthy of the art form. And now, the British dudes for a quote:

“In the 19th century, music was seen as a highly valued treasure with fundamental and near-mystical powers of human communication”

“In short, our relationship to music in everyday life may well be complex and sophisticated, but it is not necessarily characterised by deep emotional investment.”

Oh come on, now. If I could have married – or at least had great sex with – my phenomenal music collection, I would have. How much more of a “deep emotional investment” do you want from me?

News

I thought she was left for dead

January 12, 2006 / Captain Capm

Here we go again. It looks like Eminem is constantly confused seeing how he and ex-wife Kim are ready to tie the knot again. Between this and Em calling his early retirement not an early retirement, one wonders what could be next on his horizon? I know, how about making his mother his new manager? I guess once you win an Oscar, there’s nothing left to do. I hope he makes a Christian rock album and makes those pals of his in D4 change their wicked ways.

Artists, News, Rap