Party In The USA

Miley Cyrus's Party In The USA is my new favorite song. First off, I did not think that I would like a Miley Cyrus song because I just have this instant thought of Billy and his mullet and his disgustingly-phrased heartbreak. But whoever is creating Miley and her image has got me hooked... It is sick how much I am loving the video right now. She looks so fun and her teeth are so perfect and white... I like it so much that the American flag wagging in the background doesn't even bug me... It makes me want to party in the USA with teenage girls in denim mini-skirts and hot pants... and I like how digitized her voice sounds.

Thanks John

Watch the high quality version on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M11SvDtPBhA

Something about the video is very campy and almost tongue-in-cheek... and it makes me think about how people who work in very commercial media fields have to cheese everything up to simplify it for public consumption... and that must be kind of fun, because a lot of the artwork created becomes very nonsensical (with all the hilarious back-up dancers, flag flashing, and confetti) and not so much to the consumers or promoters or distributors... of course, I've never been in this sort of position so I don't really know.. but that's how I would feel if I was the director of a Miley Cyrus video. It's kind of sick that the song was made to promote her Wal-Mart clothing line... and the CD is only available at Wal-Mart.

Lori & The Chameleons

Love love love this song: Lori & The Chameleons - "The Lonely Spy", 1980... it's just creepy and quirky enough to please most every bone in my body. Upon further research, I have found that this band only released two singles, both of which feature a desirable amount of male oohs and aahs... something I feel is lacking in the world of pop music. Below is a fabulously surreal video clip of 1908 Moscow that somebody geniusly paired with this song.... cuz there's no way out of Russia for the Lonely Spy and Me.

Health and Pale Saints

I love the new Health album: Get Color. It's very dark and beautiful, and almost sounds as if it could have been a Curve album, however, this song appears to draw some inspiration from another very worthy source... especially in the intro.

Health - "Nice Girls", 2009


Pale Saints - "Way The World Is", 1990

Best Coast

I am really appreciating this new crop of musicians (Wavves, Vivian Girls, etc) that are drawing inspiration from the early 90s music scenes by combining shoegaze with grunge, which is interesting because those two genres were so separate from each other in the 90s. Like shoegaze, there is also a lot of Phil Spector/60s girl group influence in the sound of these new bands. Here's a song by Best Coast, a former/current member of Pocahaunted, that I'm really enjoying at the moment:

Best Coast - "When I'm With You", 2009

Mazzy Star

I was at an open studio event and someone was playing this familiar and beautiful song: "Into Dust"... and I just had to stop and listen. Mazzy Star is one of those very important bands that I feel had a huge influence on music and people in general. They were always doing their own thing. Very dream-poppy, but American, with a slight country tinge, and always beautiful. I think someday they will be one of those classic bands that all of the hip young folks talk about... in a Velvet Underground, My Bloody Valentine sort of way. There is a reason why the vinyl format of "So Tonight That I Might See" rarely goes for less than $500 on ebay.

Mazzy Star - "Into Dust", 1993
Mazzy Star - "Roseblood", 1996

The Poppy Family

I love this band consisting of a married Canadian couple: Terry and Susan Jacks. They only released two albums, "Which Way You Goin' Billy" in 1969 and "Poppy Seeds" in 1971. The title track from their debut was a big hit. I really enjoy their simple melodies and lyrics with airy background vocals. There are certainly some Carpenters comparisons to be made. I first discovered them through Saint Etienne's "The Trip" compilation, one of the most consistently rewarding purchases of my life.

I am currently addicted to the following songs:

The Poppy Family - "Good Friends?", 1971
The Poppy Family - "Free From The City", 1969
The Poppy Family - "What Can The Matter Be?", 1969
The Poppy Family - "Where Evil Grows", 1971
Terry Jacks - "Concrete Sea", 1972

Mama Cass