Nick Noble

Nick Noble - "The Girl With The Long Red Hair"

This song is for Megan. I love the "do-da-dos". Upon its release in 1965, it went absolutely nowhere on the charts... but that means nothing. I can't seem to find any information about this artist other than the fact that he is best known for his recording of "The Bible Tells Me So" from 1955. The picture is from a much later album; I couldn't find any proper period photographs.

Beth Jeans Houghton

Beth Jeans Houghton - "Golden"
This song is really good. You'll love it. It reminds me a lot of Marissa Nadler... but more upbeat, with vocal harmonies and less talk about death. She definitely has a similar vocal quality to her: beautiful.

Cotton Candy & Fairy Floss

Cotton Candy. yum. Australians call it "Fairy Floss"... and Brits call it "Cotton Floss".... The word "floss" kind of makes me think of crotches. hmm.. take that where you will. According to wikipedia, Cotton Candy was first introduced at the World's Fair in St Louis, and this gives a great opportunity to bring up one of the best movies of all time, "Meet Me In St Louis". Go see it if you haven't. You are missing out.

McCarthy

McCarthy - Red Sleeping Beauty, 1986

McCarthy was Tim Gane's band before Stereolab, and I feel like there are slight hints of what was to come with Stereolab's sounds; The intro is long, the background vocals and instrumentations are compelling, and the song is practically perfect... the instruments and voices are just different. I really don't know much about them, but upon stumbling across this track, I think I am in love. This was their second single and it's so jangly and progressive; Pale Saints sounded a lot like this 4 years later.

The sounds and fairytale lyrics mixed with the singer's dreamy voice produces romantic and beautiful feelings. I always like a bit of romance in what I listen to. Wikipedia says, "The song is believed to have been written as a protest to the Margaret Thatcher government." Interesting. I must own their records. It's a new mission in life.

Although this song came 20 years later, the wacky background vocals that go "ah uh ah uh ah uh ah uh" remind me of Stereolab's "Kyberneticka Babicka".

I love the album cover.

Ladyhawke

Ladyhawke - Morning Dreams

Wow. I am addicted to this song. Buy her album! Her sound has some definite elements of a variety of different 80s synthpop songs... but she borrows it so well! ...And she's cute... and from New Zealand. What more could one ask for?

Tini Puppini

"I love my tail in these jeans!" I want one.

The Good, The Bad, and The Queen

Today I heard Blur's "Song 2" randomly, and then, hours later, somehow found myself looking up "The Good, The Bad, and The Queen", completely unrelated in thought to listening to Blur. Damon Albarn is in the air... and so I will post my favorite song of his at the moment: The Good, The Bad, and The Queen: Herculean. This man is seriously going to be one of those musicians who is still making amazing music twenty years from now. He's like the "Bob Dylan" of the 90s.. except he can actually sing.. ooh! burn! I just offended a lot of people right there. I'm not really sure if that's the right comparison to make... but I think we all know what I'm getting at. He will be talked about highly forever.. but he's just a bit too left of mainstream to ever be as popularly revered as Mr. Dylan, or those Beatle guys... (at least in America... people are too closed here)... and he seems to hide behind his greatness by pursuing several different projects under different monikers (Blur; Gorillaz; The Good, The Bad, and The Queen; Mali Music; Monkey: Journey to the West). I think he's a bit publicity shy. He just wants to create... he doesn't want more fame or really care. I appreciate that.

I used to be a bit disenchanted with Damon Albarn, because I read somewhere that he and Justine Frischmann of Elastica broke up because he wanted her to be more like a housewife... but, hey, who doesn't want a housewife? That was probably a statement exaggerated by the press anyway... I don't think it was meant to be chauvinistically toned.

side note: Damon Albarn is really sexy.