Linda Sundblad - Oh My God!
Release Date: November 16, 2006
Label: Monza Music AB



If a young Madonna had recorded True Blue twenty years later, it might sound a little bit like Linda Sundblad’s Oh My God! From the crackling album opener Cheater to the lead single Oh Father, which flirts with the interplay between sexuality and religion, Sundblad brings back sparkly eighties pop and manages to make it sound more authentic (and classic) than most of her peers.

It’s quite an achievement for the lead singer of the now-defunct pop/rock band Lambretta, a group known more for their pop hooks than their adventurous attitude. Now, unbridled and borrowing the best from Gwen Stefani and fellow Swedish songstress Robyn, Sundblad explodes with a solo debut that presents an absolute kaleidoscope of pop styles. Nearly everything is successful, but clear standouts are the boisterous Back In Time and the unfortunately titled Who (Q-Boy). The latter is perhaps Sundblad’s most eerily “Madonna” moment. A twisting confection of a story-song, it bursts with unpredictable energy and verve, gliding on hook after glorious hook. Later highlights include hip-pop electro dance tracks Keeper and Beautiful Boys, though really the entire album is one long, wild ride, with Sundblad's charismatic, playful voice always at the center.

With Oh My God!, Linda Sundblad has easily crafted the female pop album of the year, and the best thing about it is that it sounds completely effortless. Those expecting a retread of the sound that rocketed Lambretta to fame are going to be surprised by this. Instead, Sundbald has fashioned herself as the pop star that Gwen Stefani promised us, but ultimately failed to deliver. A-

Key Tracks: Who (Q-Boy), Oh Father, Back In Time

SONIQUE - SLEEZY

“I didn't want it easy, gotta wait until the right time”

Remember Sonique? She's that British DJ-turned-singer who had a global hit in the late nineties with It Feels So Good. She quietly released her comeback single, Sleezy (that's the ghettoer version of Sleazy, for those not in the know) earlier this year. It more or less follows the same template as her earlier hits, dreamlike club music mixed with r&b all wrapped in a solid pop framework. It's brilliant stuff, and puts many r&b divas to shame. In fact, I'd almost go so far to say that Sonique is the natural heir to Donna Summer's throne. Almost.

Listen: Sonique - Sleezy

Download: Sonique - Sleezy

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Buy the album here.)

Listen: Chilly - Taxman
Download: Chilly - Taxman

From their silly 1981 concept album Showbiz, comes this Beatles cover from German disco band Chilly. It's a strange little version of the song, part David Bowie (if David Bowie was some kind of creepy monster) part insanely goofy synth-disco. I wish I could have found a promo shot of the band from this era, as I'm sure it would be suitably funny, but the song stands on its own anyway.

Track of the Week

Though voting fell off a bit last week, Viola's Sad Eyed Disco Dancers was the clear winner. Who knew? This week there's some stiff competition, though I've got my eyes on one track that I think will be victorious. We'll see if my prediction is right next week...

Track Of The Week: (Nov. 19th - Nov. 25th)

YOUNG LOVE - DISCOTECHLUCKY SOUL - LIPS ARE UNHAPPYHIGH JUMPING JACK - LEAD ME INTO THE LIGHTPOMPADIL - YOU NEED A MANTHE TENDER BOX - MISTER SISTERTHE SUNSHINE - SABOTAGEBROLLE JR - THE SOUND OF A DRUM

Free polls from Pollhost.com

PAPERPLANE - GROW YOUNG (VOGEL REMIX)

“Pretend to be king, got whatever it takes”

Paperplane are a brilliant new band from Sweden who mix elements of classic bands like the Byrds and the Beatles with a more contemporary edge. This remix of their first single (no album yet) flawlessly combines the old with the new, creating a catchy singalong with just enough spunk to keep it sailing along. It's not terribly different from fellow Swedes Soundtrack Of Our Lives, though I think that this band has the potential to be more pop-based. The song has a very youthful, Spring-like sound to it, perfect for the continuing onslaught of snow this crazy November has been bringing me!

Listen: Paperplane - Grow Young (Vogel Remix)

Download: Paperplane - Grow Young (Vogel Remix)

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Buy the single here.)

Listen: Joy - Lost In Hong Kong
Download: Joy - Lost In Hong Kong

Austrian threesome Joy recorded some incredible eighties fluff, the kind of songs that can rightfully be called guilty pleasures. They had some "hits," though I prefer this album track from their debut. Lyrically (and musically, actually) it's pretty lame, but the melody, especially in the verses, is far too catchy to be dismissed. And just look at their tough poses!

Middle Distance Runner - Plane In Flames
Release Date: June 6th, 2006



Do you miss the guitar rock of the mid to late nineties? Inclusive, varied and pleasantly playful, Middle Distance Runner’s Plane In Flames dabbles in many sounds, from the Radiohead-like dirge The Madness to the fuzzy garage rock of Man Of The People. Though nothing on the album particularly stands out, the band presents a little something for everyone.

Plane In Flames is a pleasant album, hooky in places, brooding in others, and a spotlight for a band with a lot of potential. The record opens brilliantly with Naturally, a sly, sinister song ironically filled with jaunty hand-claps. Switch It Up continues the playfully sinister tone, with lyrics about a girl intent on finding ways to “dig her nails” into the song’s narrator. Both Top Of The Stairs and Up In A Tree are prime examples of the catchy guitar rock the band does very well, while Hooks begins as a atmospheric Death Cab For Cutie sound-alike and soon morphs into an avalanche of epic guitars and vocals. While this kind of thing has been heard countless times before, the band succeeds at taking the best from their influences and crafting a record that shines in its diversity.

Middle Distance Runner is clearly a band with some ambition, and listening to Plane In Flames, it’s clear that they are not stuck in one particular sound. The trick, of course, will be to transcend their influences and find a sound that can instantly be identified as their own. Until then, Plane In Flames is a fitting primer, and an album in which every music fan should find something to latch on to. B-

Key Tracks: Naturally, Top Of The Stairs, The Madness

My Review of Doctor Who's: "Ghost Light"

Written by Marc Platt
Directed by Alan Wareing

The Doctor: “Who was it that said Earthmen never invite their ancestors round to dinner?”

To be honest out of all the serials of the original Doctor Who, this might be one of the most confusing but wonderful ones I’ve had the pleasure of buying. There’s the right element of creepiness, further explorations into the successful Seventh Doctor and Ace dynamic and it wisely runs for the length of three episodes.

The Doctor and Ace finds themselves in a creepy mansion back in the latter’s hometown of Perivale but it’s not long before it’s established that the house in questions is under some creepy control of Josiah Samuel Smith who has managed to put everyone else living in that house under his control.

The Doctor is keen to find out what exactly is going on in this mystery house but Ace is a lot less enthusiastic about this particular. One thing that was a constant with Ace is that unlike some of her predecessors, the writers here had a great interest in vocalising her more than ever.

It’s part of Ace’s general appeal. After the largely passive Peri and somewhat annoying Mel, Ace became the kind of companion we’ve seen in the past. Her thoughts, reactions, feelings and more importantly her own past became paramount in her overall characterisation.

The final season of Doctor Who gave us two serials that were often more Ace’s character growth and facing up to her past rather than The Doctor or even the monsters that inhabited these serials. “Ghost Light” is the first one to really hit that home when halfway through the story it’s revealed that Ace has a history with this creepy house.

In 1983 Ace had visited this place and felt an evil presence which obviously scared her enough to openly argue with The Doctor about leaving this mystery well alone. It was also this creepy presence that had Ace burn the place to the ground so visiting it 100 years prior to her little bout of arson seemed anything but therapeutic.

Another plus point for this episode is putting the action into the year 1883 and taking the normally tomboy dressed Ace and shoving her into a more feminine attire. Sophie Aldred happens to be one of those understated beauties and Ace is particularly gorgeous in the dress she spends most of this serial in.

The real villain of the episode however Josiah is a suitably nasty piece of work. Controlling everyone in the house means that both The Doctor and Ace finds themselves in battle a good few times. Ace herself even gets to have a bit of girl fight with both a manipulated Gwendoline and Mrs Pritchard, the latter of whom is a calculating madam to put it mildly.

There are many surprises that this serial tends to offer. One of them being the fact that a spaceship is hidden beneath the cellar with something hidden in that. That is later revealed to be an alien that came to Earth to collect various samples, which even included a Neanderthal but after doing that the alien in question then decided to slumber.

Of course there are also two alien forces in this story and both of them have their own agendas. Control is the one with its desire to become a lady and Sharon Duce gives off the vibe that she had a lot of fun such an unstable but in some ways arguably less destructive alien menace.

With so many twists in this serial, it’s almost hard to keep up with everything really. The mansion has sympathetic characters in Gwendoline, Inspector Mackenzie and a butler with the neat little name of Nimrod as well as the nasty characters in Mrs Pritchard, Josiah and the other alien menace – Light.

Well part of this episode title had to play into things and having the baddie called Light is a nice enough twist for me. Light kills both Mrs Pritchard and Gwendoline (after it’s revealed their mother and daughter) in a failed attempt to stop evolution and Josiah goes on his own rampage.

However the defeat for both of them feels a little easy compared to all the complexity that we’ve had to go through. Smith winds up becoming a prisoner on the alien ship inside the mansion and Light is bested by The Doctor’s emphasis on how futile it would be to try and stop evolution.

With both Fenn Cooper and Nimrod doing a bit of space exploring, the only other was Ace facing up to her past history with the house. She doesn’t exactly thank The Doctor for placing her in this situation but she’s smart enough to realise that he’s got a point and by the end of the story, she does seem to be able to lay her own ghosts to rest so to speak.

Also in “Ghost Light”

As usual there were other titles that this serial could’ve gotten such as “The Bestiary” and “Life-Cycle”.

Reverend Matthews: “I see that all the stories about you are true. You have no shred of decency. Even parading your wantons in front of your guests.”
Ace (to The Doctor): “Does he mean me, professor?”
Reverend Matthews: “I have it. This is some experiment related to your mumbo jumbo theories. Perhaps she’ll evoke into a young lady.”
Ace: “Who are you calling ‘young lady’ bug-brain?”

This episode had a lot of surreal images what with the house, the guests and the plethora of stuffed animals on display also.

The Doctor: “Let me guess. My theories appal you, my heresies outrage you, I never answer letters and you don’t like my tie.”

Ace: “There must be things you hate.”
The Doctor: “I can’t stand burnt toast. I loathe bus stations full of lost baggage … and then there’s unrequited love, and tyranny, and cruelty.”

Although this was the second serial to be screened in Season 26, it’s interesting that this was however the last one that was actually filmed.

Gwendoline: “I think Mr Matthews is confused.”
The Doctor: “Never mind. I’ll have him completely bewildered by the time I’m finished.”

Ace: “Scratch the Victorian veneer and something nasty will come crawling out.”
Josiah: “You and The Doctor thought you could get the better of me but I’ll see him squirming yet.”

I noticed that we got one fun dinner scene in this serial where Ace joked about ordering in a curry to The Doctor’s disdain.

The Doctor: “It’s asleep downstairs and Josiah doesn’t want it awoken.”
Ace: “Maybe that’s a good idea. Maybe it should be left alone. Professor, just this once.”
The Doctor: “It’s very, very old, perhaps even older. Just one quick chat?”

Inspector Mackenzie: “And who are you?”
The Doctor: “I wouldn’t want to confuse you.”

The fight scene between both Ace and Gwendoline did look a little homoerotic. I recently found this site that noted anything on Doctor Who that could be considered “gay” and this was one of those things. Watching that fight again, I have to admit that I agree.

Light: “Earth! Why mention that wretched planet to me?”
Ace: “If you don’t like it then bug off.”

Ace (re the mansion): “I wish I had blown it up instead.”
The Doctor: “Wicked.”

This came out on DVD in 2004, with a decent selection of extras but the commentary with Sophie Aldred, Andrew Cartmel, Marc Platt and Marc Ayres is really good.

Confusion aside, this is an exceptional story. “Ghost Light” boasts the right length, has enough creepiness to surpass the somewhat naff looking monsters and making it both a period setting and incorporating some of Ace’s own personal history with the mansion only heighten the story. One of the series strongest episodes but also rather underrated too.

Rating: 9 out of 10.

INTELEJUNT DEZYNE

Yes, the mystery of evolution has been solved. With Intelejunt Dezyne, E. Katherine Kerr dramatizes what Darwin missed. This is how it really happened.

I've seen two staged readings of this play in development and it is dangerously funny. Treat yourself & friends to an evening of historical (hysterical) discovery, explaining the hitherto unknown secrets and details of intelligent design.

Intelejunt Dezyne was written and directed by E. Katherine Kerr and stars James Noble, Bill Phillips, and Chilton Ryan.

(Ms. Kerr is an Obie winning actress and playwright. She also coaches and teaches actors, with studios in New York and Connecticut. Her methodology is famous for its supportive approach.)

Special note from eKatherine Kerr: "To see one of the fifteen performances at the Fairfield Theatre Company between Nov 30 and Dec 23 for only $22 call the box office at 203 259 1036 and say the SECRET CODE:

DNA

You'll get the special discount ticket price.....and, psssst, pass this on to your friends! God will reward you!"

Check www.FairfieldTheatre.org for the performance schedule.

Fairfield Theatre Company
70 Sanford St.

(In Fairfield, CT near the RR station. Look for the Orange building!)

ACCEPTED

In contrast to Cars, Accepted is promoted as a mindless escape film; yet, in some ways, it is more intellectually sophisticated. The film is fundamentally pro education, and for doing your best to do a good job, and for being tolerant of each person's needs. Its basic theme is that education works when people can study what they are really interested in. Some slackers are really geniuses who are not getting the right education.

(Now, of course, that's only part of the story. There are a lot of things more people should know a lot about whether they think they like it or not. Just for starters, Americans are woefully ignorant of the rest of the world, and -- assuming Jay Walking is for real -- they're woefully ignorant of this country and everything else, too. So, another part of the story is to make education more interesting.)

Back to the film. The male lead, Justin Long, (best known for playing the MAC on the MAC vs PC TV ads) is very good.

On the other hand, the bad-guys -- the buttoned down Deans and frat guys -- are too cliched; and -- after a great setup -- the plot is the usual predictable stuff.

All in all, it's not a classic comedy, but it's pretty funny and I enjoyed it.

IRIS - APPETITE

“I don't want to lose your faith, I don't want to let you down”

I noticed that the glorious Jessica from Into The Groove posted this track about a year ago, but I still think it deserves another spin today. Iris are an American electronic/pop group clearly indebted to Depeche Mode. Appetite is an amazing pop song, easily transcending any genre and offering a singalong, sophisticated sound. There's something very timeless about the melody. I can never understand why a song like this doesn't become the hit that it should. Iris have, however, found some much deserved success in mainland Europe.

Listen & Download: Iris - Appetite
Download: Iris - Appetite

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Buy the album here.)

Listen & Download: Baltimora - Tarzan Boy
Download: Baltimora - Tarzan Boy

I really should be severely punished for loving this song as much as I do. I mean, look at the guy who sings it! Yes, that is good old Baltimora, poster boy for the really, really desperate. But, before you judge... just listen to the song. Opening with a cavalcade of cheesy Tarzan bellows and then transitioning into uber-catchy verses, it's practically legendary. I wish I could say that I was being completely ironic, but I'm not.

Darin - Break The News
Release Date: November 22nd, 2006
Label: Columbia



Darin Zanyar the popstar was borne from the first season of Swedish Idol, one of the many spin-offs from the massive worldwide Idol franchise. He didn’t win (coming in second) but if you’ve ever watched any Idol program, it’ll give you a good idea as to what kind of music Darin records. Break The News, as with his previous two releases, is pure mainstream teen pop. Luckily, it’s also a near perfection of the genre.

Break The News finds Darin sounding like a feisty boy band member gone solo (though he was never affiliated with any boy band). He coos, over emotes and snarls at exactly the right points. The sound is manufactured and for the most part overly familiar. However, there are points (the lead single Perfect, album-opener Insanity and party track Saturday Night) that muster an intense pop fervor that hints at what Darin is wisely aiming for. Similarly, chest-beating ballad Everything But The Girl has hit written all over it, and the electro thump of club tracks If You Wanna and Desire shows some dance floor promise. In fact, what Break The News lacks in inventiveness, it makes up for in pure spunk. It’s only in the record’s second half where the cracks begin to show. What If I Kissed You Now and The Thing About You are typical boy band fodder, undistinguishable from countless chart acts.

Processed pop music is at times unfairly maligned for being lightweight and unnecessary, but in many cases the sneers are well deserved. Thankfully, Break The News is the rare exception. While there’s no doubt that this is a party record, it is amongst the best of its genre released this year. Best of all, within the album’s teen-pop framework are some glimmers of artistic potential. B+

Key Tracks: Perfect, Saturday Night, Everything But The Girl

DE NOVO DAHL - SHOUT

“Just stop and let it astound you”

Remember Polyphonic Spree, that immense choir of rockers a few years back with the creepy robes and the general cultish atmosphere? Well, De Novo Dahl are a bit like them, sans the robes and the creepiness. In fact, they are the Spree's superior in almost every single way, due to the fact that their sound manages to be expansive and diverse (based on what I've heard so far). Shout is riveting stuff, the kind of transcendent pop music that makes you want to throw your arms in the air and praise something (whatever floats your boat, I guess). It's perfect for day two of snowed in conditions at the #1 Hits headquarters!

Listen & Download: De Novo Dahl - Shout
Download: De Novo Dahl - Shout

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Buy the album here.)

This week's special feature will highlight obscure 80's tracks that were either minor hits or album tracks that (in my humble opinion) should have been hits. Get ready for some bizarre, colorful, and catchy songs each day!

Listen & Download: Trance Dance - Pickin' Up The Pieces

Download: Trance Dance - Picken' Up The Pieces

Trance Dance were a large Swedish group in the eighties that, despite their name, did not play trance music. Instead, they performed a catchy new wave not unlike bands such as Duran Duran mixed with plenty of guitar and male/female vocals. This song gets spotlighted mostly because of the following lyrics: "if you want to do some boogalow, you've got to jump like a kangaroo." I think that's pretty much genius. Plus, the song is insanely catchy.

Happy Holiday's

Video Premiere: Alphabeat - Fascination

The second video version of this song (one of my favorite debut songs from a band all year) trumps the earlier, extremely low-budget one by miles. Although the clip is still obviously low-budget, it shows off this delightful band and the pure pop energy of the song perfectly. I just can't wait for the album! Definitely one to watch in 2007.

THE ZAX - FOOL US BY CLAPPING


“Pretend again, fool us by clapping”

Well, the snow's barreling down here in the Pacific Northwest (very odd for this early in the year, but festive nonetheless), and I'm about to post a real summery song. The Zax are an odd New York City band whose sound combines elements of pop, hip hop, electro and pretty much everything else. To sum it up, their genre is clearly "other." They have created some extremely catchy, under-three-minute pop songs, though. Fool Us By Clapping completely lives up to its clever title, with a fantastic old-school beat and some stabbing synth work that really makes this track stand out. I had trouble deciding which song by this duo to post, as all of their stuff is equally amazing. Recommended especially to fans of Sweden's Lo-Fi-Fnk.

Listen & Download: The Zax - Fool Us By Clapping
Download: The Zax - Fool Us By Clapping

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Buy the album here.)

Symphonic Death Metal does Abba

Listen & Download: Therion - Summer Night City
Download: Therion - Summer Night City

To end this bizarre Abba week, I've decided to post a track by a decidedly un-Abba band. That being said, this cover is strangely addictive, not completely unlike Evanescence deciding to try their hand at a disco-pop classic (and going way over the top).

Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Season 7 Review

US Airdate on UPN: 24^th September 2002-May 20^th 2003

The smash hit comes to a conclusion as Buffy learns the Slayer lineage has been dramatically altered with The First Evil and a horde of other nasty types take advantage of this. Elsewhere Spike and Willow go through the motions in overcoming past misgivings, Dawn proves to be useful as Xander and Anya are tertiary and Andrew just damn annoying. Also we get more of Giles and a mysterious newcomer named Robin Wood.

Last Dance: Ah, seven years of a hit TV series and coming up with an ending to satisfy all those loyal viewers and critics alike can’t be an easy feat and while this season has some flaws, Season Seven puts up more than a good fight to end Buffy as the iconic and influential series it was rather than a shadow of it’s former self.

You may disagree as certain things don’t even please me but a season that opens with an episode as invigorating as “Lessons” is starting things off pretty well. Let’s see – in England we have Giles getting Willow to control her magic and use it positively because unlike drugs, magic is a part of Willow internally and isn’t something she can walk away from. In Sunnydale, we have a mysterious young lady killed by a group of Bringers as Buffy and Dawn muse over the reopening of the newly rebuilt Sunnydale High.

If ever there was a season opener that perfectly sets up events, “Lessons” is that very episode. Seeing the new Sunnydale High is good for sentiment value but having a likeable but shady looking principal there along with three disgruntled ghosts who Buffy once failed to save terrorising Dawn and her friends while a crazed Spike is goaded by The First Evil, who makes it’s reintroduction more significant by morphing into every single Big Bad in the previous six seasons as well as the Slayer (well, Buffy is technically a reanimated corpse) is definitely a stunning moment like no other and contrary to popular opinion, this season doesn’t necessarily lack in mind blowing or stunning moments.

Nope even the second episode “Beneath You” saw the Scoobies deal with a worm like beast as Spike and Anya scrapped in the Bronze and Buffy learned in an interesting way that Spike has a soul. If there is a gripe with this storyline, it’s probably the horrible way in which the writers skim over the fact Spike nearly attempted to rape Buffy and the Slayer’s insistence to all and sundry through out the season that Spike is the most important fighter on her team. Um, Buffy, you’ve won plenty of battles without Spike, just because the writers love James Marsters doesn’t mean, Spike is your strongest fighter. However, I would say Willow was much more needed.

Willow’s return in the third episode “Same Time, Same Place”, one of the few weak episodes in the season is nicely touched upon. I like that she’s repentant for turning on her friends but I wish we had more emphasis on her grief over Tara. Seeing her at Tara’s grave in “Help” is sweet but why not have counselling or even have the Scoobies express more concern over Tara’s death. I guess when all is said and done; I miss Tara and still can’t used to not seeing her with the Scoobies. For some reason it doesn’t feel right her not being there especially when they are less interesting character in the Scooby core this season and you can’t help but not miss Amber Benson’s screen presence either. In fact, barring a few references here and there, Tara is the first dead character on this show who doesn’t pop up whatsoever, making Amber’s departure from the show more effective and painful too.

Luckily the somewhat likeable Anya is given one significant outing before spending the rest of the season in the background with Xander and it comes in the wonderful flashback episode “Selfless” which puts a nice end to the Vengeance Demon arc and also shows that Willow isn’t totally out of the woods as well, regarding her dark side.

Dawn then got a rethread episode with the fairly amusing “Him” (“Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered” anyone?) Before the arc with The First Evil went somewhere with the breathtaking “Conversations With Dead People”. One of favourite episodes of all time, The First moves in on getting Spike to kill and issuing Willow a dire warning while Dawn violently interacts with Joyce and Buffy unleashes her emotional baggage for the past seven years on a random vampire. Not even the terminally detestable Andrew killing Jonathan can deter the brilliance of this powerful tour de force.

The next three episodes after that – “Sleeper”, “Never Leave Me” and “Bring On The Night” were then mandatory viewing. After all – how could The First be controlling Spike into killing people and why does it want him? Spike’s a pretty powerful vampire but he ain’t exactly the kind of guy you want if your goal is Armageddon. Still though, it’s interesting to see Buffy and company try and lose Spike as the Watchers Council is blown to smithereens, a nasty ubervamp reducing Buffy to a pulp, The First mind fucks some more with Spike, the irritant known as Andrew becomes a regular fitting, Principal Wood continues to get darker and hey, Giles turns up with Potential Slayers.

Yes, here is our arc and ultimately The First Evil’s real goal – to balance the scales between evil and good in the former’s favour and because the Scoobies raised Buffy from the dead, the balance is now disjointed and potentials are being called everywhere and when they’re not being killed by The First and it’s many allies, then it’s up to Buffy and the Scoobies to protect them and train them for the biggest battle in everyone’s lives.

The stinker with the Potentials is that most of them are kind of annoying, nearly all of them (bar the most loathed by viewers – Kennedy) aren’t exactly proactive and Buffy wastes too much time giving them speeches than really preparing them, so you do actually wonder how the hell she’s gonna win against The First anyway.

With only two real potentials given a personality – Dawn’s friend Amanda and Kennedy, you don’t become as emotionally invested as possible and with Andrew mostly coming out with lame geek jokes, it’s annoying that Xander, Anya, Dawn and at times, even Giles have to suffer as a result. They are the people I wanted more screen time for, not just the newcomers.

Kennedy is a character who didn’t sit well with viewers and while her and Willow aren’t anyway as interesting as Willow and Tara, their hook up episode “The Killer In Me” is a series best and even removes Spike’s chip during Iyari Limon’s only showcase episode. Kennedy and Willow are more or less the Buffy/Riley to this season. It’s interesting to a degree but if this show had gotten another season, these two ultimately wouldn’t be together.

Moving away from the Slayer angle, it’s nice to see some interpersonal dynamics between people as Giles’s annoyance over Buffy’s attitude with Spike and Robin’s seething hatred for the blond vampire are ripe in execution. Giles is right though – Buffy is being too laissez fair with Spike (who spends most of the season in bondage and bleating about his soul – dude I get it!) and hey, once we learn that Wood’s mother was Nikki, the subway Slayer Spike offered in New York, I was more than sympathise with the man and his and Giles’ half-hearted way of getting Spike out of the way in the excellent “Lies My Parents Told Me” (pity Drusilla’s final Angel episode wasn’t anywhere near as good as this). I wouldn’t exactly have a welcome mat out for the man who would hurt, never mind kill my mother either. Before those episodes though, we were treated to a brilliant Slayer origin tale in “Get It Done” and Andrew proved slightly useful in “Storyteller”, though why they didn’t kill him in that episode, I’ll never know.

The final five episodes however are important. Spending most of the season having potentials offed by Ubervamps, Bringers and The First while the Seal of Danzelthar wrecked all kinds of havoc was fine to a point. It had to get worse before getting better and The First had one more ace up his sleeve with arrival of misogynist preacher named Caleb, played to perfection by Firefly’s Nathan Fillion. Bringing someone this late in the game meant that Caleb had to make a big impression and removing the eye of one of the Scoobies (poor Xander) while battering Buffy and offing a few more potentials definitely made Caleb an effective baddie (I think that definitely means that Adam/The Initiative were by far the least effective in the series).

“Dirty Girls” was an excellent debut for Caleb and a more than welcome return for Eliza Dushku’s rogue slayer Faith but “Empty Places” finally saw the Scoobies reassess Buffy’s actions and put Faith in the role of leader, one that even Faith admitted she was out of her depth. With so much action in the last few weeks, we needed one more quiet episode and the sex heavy “Touched” serviced that need as “End Of Days” saw a return from Angel and Buffy finally get one up on Caleb as she reclaimed her role of leader.

“Chosen” was then the deciding factor. In a season of too many speeches, potentials, Spike overload, annoying Andrew and a lack of communication with the Scoobies in later episodes, could this episode see the show go out in a blaze of glory or nasty smell in the air? Who am I kidding – this episode rocked! Sure “Becoming” and “The Gift” are way better but Joss Whedon ended this series on such a euphoric high that even Anya’s anticlimactic death, the spoiler of Spike joining Angel and Andrew surviving weren’t enough to break away the joy. Plus I loved the battle inside the Hellmouth (though why every single baddie Buffy and the Scoobies have destroyed wasn’t in there I’ll never know) but while she may have stopped The First, with help from her friends and Wolfram and Hart, you do wonder whether or not Buffy actually won. I mean evil still exists out there and while Buffy is now just a Slayer, rather than the Slayer, it’s still a topical question. Either way this episode reinforced everything I loved about the show.

DVD EXTRAS: It’s the last season so the extras really did need to be good and like all the previous releases, they’re quality stuff. Commentaries on hand included Joss Whedon and David Soloman for “Lessons”, though Solomon is more interesting when he assists Drew Goddard for “Selfless”. “Conversations With Dead People” boasts the most comments with Goddard, Jane Espenson, director Nick Marck and actors Danny Strong and Tom Lenk. The best one is for “The Killer In Me” as Drew Greenberg seems to be drawing on personal experience when writing the Willow/Kennedy material. Drew Goddard is a consistent commentator and he’s back to aid the likes of James Marsters and D.B Woodside for “Lies My Parents Told Me” as well as Nicholas Brendon for “Dirty Girls” as Joss Whedon rounds up everything in his anecdotes for “Chosen”. Other delights include the “Season Seven Overview”, “Buffy 101: Studying The Slayer” (one for media students everywhere), “Generation S” (dedicated to the potentials), “The Last Sundown” (Joss’ Top 10 episodes – I have at least 50), a look at the wrap party and some meh outtakes. Disc 1 contains a “Willow Demon Guide”, 12 trailers (mostly for other seasons of Buffy/Angel on DVD) and a neat dedication to the fans called “Buffy: It’s Always Been About The Fans”. A couple of deleted scenes wouldn’t have gone amiss or a commentary from Gellar, Head or Hannigan but hey, with extras this kick ass – who cares?

EPISODE RATING FROM 1 TO 10:

7x01: Lessons = 9/10, 7x02: Beneath You = 8/10,
7x03: Same Time, Same Place = 7/10, 7x04: Help = 8/10,
7x05: Selfless = 9/10, 7x06: Him = 7/10,
7x07: Conversations With Dead People = 10/10, 7x08: Sleeper = 8/10,
7x09: Never Leave Me = 8/10, 7x10: Bring On The Night =9/10,
7x11: Showtime = 7/10, 7x12: Potential =7/10,
7x13: The Killer In Me = 10/10, 7x14: First Date = 8/10,
7x15: Get It Done = 8/10, 7x16: Storyteller = 8/10,
7x17: Lies My Parents Told Me = 9/10, 7x18: Dirty Girls = 10/10,
7x19: Empty Places = 8/10, 7x20: Touched = 9/10,
7x21: End Of Days = 8/10, 7x22: Chosen = 10/10.

Season Seven is currently available on VHS and DVD.

Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix Trailer

Not exactly music related, but how cool does this look? I'm a bit confused about the ocean liners and what appears to be the New York City skyline, but the whole thing seems fittingly epic. I am officially excited.

BROLLE JR - THE SOUND OF A DRUM

“I have to believe when the feeling hits me like the sound of a drum”

Today's post is a bit of an older song, but still completely worthy of joining the #1 Hits ranks. When I was in Stockholm this spring, I bought Brolle Jr's album in the clearance area, based pretty much on the strength of this song. Brolle Jr (if somebody could explain the origin of the name, I'd be eternally grateful) has got an amazing voice that can do pop, rock, country, classical... pretty much whatever. It lends all of his songs a sweeping, mature quality that is different from most artists. Above all, though, The Sound Of A Drum is a fantastic pop song. Also check for more of his promo images. His hair is at times absolutely insane!

Listen & Download: Brolle Jr - The Sound Of A Drum

Download: Brolle Jr - The Sound Of A Drum

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Buy the album here.)

Synth Pop does Abba

Listen & Download: Erasure - Take A Chance On Me
Download: Erasure - Take A Chance On Me

The most well-known of the tracks that I'll be posting this week, Take A Chance On Me was actually a single from Erasure's Abba-esque e.p. in the early nineties. For good reason, too, as it vamps up the original to tremendous effect.

THE SUNSHINE - SABOTAGE

“You're a toy and we're the battery”

Like fellow Swedes The Hives, The Sunshine's sound is primarily garage based, though unlike some bands of this genre, there’s a strong pop influence as well. Sabotage is a blistering introduction to the band, all swagger and… well, sunshine. From the very first verse, the song completely infiltrates your brain. Other tracks from The Sunshine are a little more pop and reveal the Beatles as a big influence, as well as new wave groups like Duran Duran (there’s even a fantastic song titled Simon le Bon).

Listen & Download: The Sunshine - Sabotage
Download: The Sunshine - Sabotage

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Buy the album here.)

Euro Dance does Abba

Listen & Download: Sylver - Lay All Your Love On Me
Download: Sylver - Lay All Your Love On Me

Well, I guess one could argue that Abba pretty much is euro-dance, so this cover's more of an update than a brand new spin. Still, it's one of the group's best songs and has been glistened up especially for the clubs.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Season 6 Review

US Airdate on UPN: October 2^nd 2001 – May 21^st 2002

It’s a year of unrelenting misery as Buffy takes to be resurrected and losing Giles by fornicating with Spike and isolating her friends, Dawn continues to whinge for most of the year as Willow loses Tara and herself in dark magic as the usually joyful Xander and Anya face their own problems. That’s also couple new baddies with three pathetic villains named Jonathan, Warren and Andrew determined to take over Sunnydale. No, I’m not making this up!

Pass The Prozac And Grab A Drink – You Might Need It: Season Six brought a set of new stuff to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. These included the show moving from the WB away from spin-off series Angel to less successful network UPN, it also saw Alyson Hannigan get a special “And” credit and the unfortunate departure of Anthony Stewart Head as Giles, who only appears in eight of the 22 episodes in this rather bleak season. This was also one of the few seasons that was also critically reviled by many of the Buffy viewers.

Whether it was a case of ennui with a series that some speculated was destined to end with its fifth year but didn’t or the simple fact some people prefer their fantasy dramas to be nothing but escapist material (doesn’t Charmed fill that requirement?), either way, the level of hatred for Season Six is quite staggering!

Granted there are serious cons to the pros with this darker than usual year but with the exception of one truly terrible episode, Season Six to me is as good as any other season. It’s certainly better than Seasons One, Three or Four and on a par with Season Seven. I was one of those people who mostly liked the season during its debut on Sky One in 2002 and repeated VHS and DVD viewing hasn’t diminished that feeling.

The season opens darkly as it should have with the brilliant Marti Noxon and David Fury penned two parter “Bargaining Parts 1 and 2” which sees the Scoobies coping with Buffy’s death the only way they can – which includes Willow and Tara moving into the Summers household, relying on Spike, lying to the authorities and using the Buffybot to allay suspicion. Everyone more or less deduces that the charade can only be maintained for so long and when Giles leaves Sunnydale, Willow and company decide to raise Buffy from the dead without involving Dawn or Spike.

The shit storm for them though involves a Biker Gang of demons who learn the Buffybot is a machine and decide to terrorise and take over Sunnydale with no actual slayer. They scare the locals senseless, destroy the chirpy robot and botch up the Scoobies resurrection attempts but luckily for the Scoobies, Buffy (in the most disgusting black dress and cavewoman hair) is raised from the dead, kills the Biker Gang and tries to top herself until Dawn manages to stop her, which is one point to a girl who spends most of the year whining incessantly.

Following episode “After Life” throws the notion that bringing Buffy back was wrong (a recurring theme for the year) when a demon from another dimension hitched a lift with the Slayer, while “Flooded” puts Willow and Giles on opposing sides with the former furious that her magical authority is being challenged. The episode is also noteworthy for the introduction of our villains of the season – Jonathan, Warren and Andrew (Tucker’s brother). Gods they aren’t, morons they behave like and an actual threat to the Scoobies they don’t become until the latter half of the year.

For the time being though the three geeks take pleasure in robbing a bank, messing with Buffy’s attempts of normalcy (“Life Serial”) and acquiring diamonds (“Smashed”).

Nerds aside some of the inter-personal stuff with the Scoobies is interesting. Buffy telling Spike about feeling disconnected from her friends and the world sets up the inevitable coupling with the two while the lacklustre “All The Way” gets points for Xander and Anya finally announcing their engagement and the usually in tune with each other Willow and Tara fighting over the former’s abuse of magic.

Getting the highlight and overly discussed “Once More, With Feeling” out of the way (an episode I adored), there’s also Willow’s abuse of magic and the mishandled (in parts) metaphor of drug addiction for it. It gives Alyson Hannigan something gritty to play with but you’re easily siding more with her concerned girlfriend and old friend and by the time you see the amnesiac episode “Tabula Rasa” (one of the funniest too), as sad as Tara dumping Willow is to watch, deep down you hope it’s the kick in the arse that Willow needs to realise that’s she out of control.

Sadly “Smashed” and “Wrecked” with the return of Amy as human only fuels Willow’s magic lust and she’s sooner visiting magic crack houses, getting fused by an ass named Rack and when she endangers Dawn, it’s the wake up call she pays attention to because as concerned as Buffy, Xander and Anya, neither of the three really confront her in the way that Tara and Giles tried and failed to do. Still though these are two cracking episodes and while short on proper character stuff for others, the people focused on are richly rewarded.

For instance, “Smashed” revealed that Spike was physically able to hurt Buffy without pain to his head and a wonderful scrap resulted in a building collapsing and one of the hottest sex scenes in any TV series past or present as Buffy and Spike let their love, hate and lust consume them.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not a Buffy/Spike shipper but you can’t deny the chemistry Sarah Michelle Gellar and James Marsters as it literally leaps off the screen. It also helps a bunch if you don’t own a rose tinted pair of glasses and quickly realise that this pairing was more the great sex/toxic relationship than true love. We know Buffy doesn’t love Spike and for most of the season, she still doesn’t actually respect him.

It doesn’t help that Spike constantly pressures her for sex, stops by unannounced at times and generally acts like a dick to her, even if Buffy behaves like a total bitch with him at times too. Then again, you never saw Buffy engaging in dogging and bondage with safe as houses Riley or even Angel, so you basically get what you see with her and Spike.

The second half of the season doesn’t exactly lift the bleakness we’ve experienced so far either. Willow struggles not to use magic and Xander and Anya are only funny to an extent, especially when Buffy gets invisible in “Gone”. “Doublemeat Palace” is one of the season’s lighter episode but it’s also the worst with only a Willow/Amy face off as any source of interest because Buffy working in the thankless fast food industry doesn’t raise much excitement. With her strength, she could’ve easily gotten a security job but hey, Joss wanted to lay on the mundanity of life in Season Six.

The previous useless trio of Jonathan, Warren and Andrew thankfully improve in the superb “Dead Things” when a botched rape attempt on Warren’s ex-girlfriend exposes Warren for the evil bastard he truly is, a task which Adam Busch does well with as the more disappointing instalments of “Older And Far Away” and “As You Were” manage to deal with Dawn’s abandonment issues, Riley’s return and the Buffy/Spike break up in a ham fisted way.

“Hells Bells” gives the previous underused Xander and Anya a chance to shine but again the misery kicks in when Xander realises that he isn’t keen on becoming his father and Anya becomes a Vengeance Demon again. “Normal Again” and “Entropy” are no picnics either with everyone learning about Spike and Buffy, the nerds’ surveillances camera being discovered and Buffy hit hard with a hallucination of her life as a Slayer being a set of lies. The only happiness in these episodes are the gentle and much encouraged reunion between Willow and Tara.

In fact Amber Benson and Tara are probably the best things about Season Six. She was the best vocalist in the musical episode, Tara actually confronted Willow about her magic addiction and gave her a consequence for two mind wipes on her and even offered level headed advice to Buffy. Plus she was only Scooby to bother with Dawn all season so when “Seeing Red” opens with Willow and Tara in a post sex embrace, a million cheers can be heard. Despite the episode being my second favourite in the series’ run, it’s also misery filled with a shock attempted rape scene involving Spike and Buffy and that evil son of a bitch Warren does the ultimate nasty by trying to kill Buffy and ends up shooting poor Tara dead.

It isn’t just Willow who feels incandescent fury as not only can you not hate Joss for this particular character death (the hell?) but given how misery induced this season has been, Willow and Tara back together and the former in a more stable mind frame. Instead the season ends explosively with the final three instalments “Villains”, “Two To Go” and “Grave” with Willow going gothic, flaying Warren (don’t expect me to bitch about that – he deserved it), beating the living daylights out of the Scoobies, in particular Buffy, Anya and a returned Giles when she wasn’t trying to end Jonathan and Andrew and then the world. With Buffy rendered useless, it’s Xander and a slightly cringey/touching yellow crayon speech that gets the old Willow back. The only disappointments are Spike’s getting his soul back/ “I thought it was to remove his chip storyline” (I didn’t care) and the writers’ lack of regard for Tara by not having a funeral for the girl. Overall, a character driven season meant a good one in my books.

DVD EXTRAS: Season Six may not be on a par to Season Five but it demolished my favourite season in terms of extras. Okay, there ain’t a commentary for “Seeing Red”, which annoyed me but both Marti Noxon and David Fury are on fine form for their yak track for “Bargaining” and Joss clearly loved writing/directing/practically composing the brilliant “Once More With Feeling”. Both Drew Z. Greenberg and Rebecca Rand Kirshner fail to disappoint with their thoughts on season turning episodes “Smashed” and “Hells Bells”, then again neither did Rick Rosenthal and Diego Gutierrez for “Normal Again”. The commentaries are then rounded with David Fury and James A. Contner for “Grave”. Other goodies in this season included a fantastic overview, the cast interviewed at “The Academy of Television Arts and Science Panel”, which is quite lengthy. Disc 4 also has cast and crew muse over previous employment in “Buffy Goes To Work”, while “Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Television With A Bite” delves into the series cultural impact before the final disc rounds things off with pretty standard “Outtakes”.

EPISODE RATING FROM 1 TO 10:

6x01: Bargaining Part 1= 9/10, 6x02: Bargaining Part 2 = 9/10,
6x03: After Life = 8/10, 6x04: Flooded = 7/10,
6x05: Life Serial = 7/10, 6x06: All The Way = 6/10,
6x07: Once More With Feeling = 10/10, 6x08: Tabula Rasa = 9/10,
6x09: Smashed = 10/10, 6x10: Wrecked = 8/10,
6x11: Gone = 7/10, 6x12: Doublemeat Palace = 5/10,
6x13: Dead Things = 9/10, 6x14: Older And Far Away = 7/10,
6x15: As You Were = 7/10, 6x16: Hells Bells = 9/10,
6x17: Normal Again = 8/10, 6x18: Entropy = 8/10,
6x19: Seeing Red = 10/10, 6x20: Villains = 8/10,
6x21: Two To Go = 9/10, 6x22: Grave = 9/10.

Season Six is currently both available on VHS and DVD.

THE TENDER BOX - MISTER SISTER

“Hey sister, I can see your soul runs free”

I am not the first blogger to write about The Tender Box, and I probably won't be the last either. Mister Sister is an utterly sparkling slice of indie pop/rock, with an ebullient chorus that becomes an anthem even though it really doesn't have any words (other than lots of "oohs"). One of the most promising synth-rock bands in the States right now, The Tender Box actually sound very British. This is a good thing, because even though they fit neatly into the Killers/Franz Ferdinand/etc category, they do have their own, recognizable sound.

Listen & Download: The Tender Box - Mister Sister
Download: The Tender Box - Mister Sister

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Buy the album here.)

German Cabaret/Polka/? does Abba

Listen & Download: Palast Orchester - Super Trouper
Download: Palast Orchester - Super Trouper

Perhaps the strangest selection this week, I can guarantee that you have never heard Super Trouper like this before. It's also the only cover this week that sounds like it actually predates the original song. I can't imagine anybody listening to this without a smile on their face.

Track of the Week

In a close race, Tally Hall's Good Day and Loto's Cuckoo Plan (ft. Peter Hook) tied for last week's honor with four votes each. There was a lot of love for all the artists, though, and more votes were cast last week than ever before. Here's this week's poll. Make sure to support your favorite!

Track Of The Week: (Nov. 12th - Nov. 18th)

PARKER - WHAM BAM BAMREVL9N - WALKING MACHINEVIOLA - SAD EYED DISCO DANCERSTHE FINE ARTS SHOWCASE - CHEMICAL GIRLNARCOTOURIST - TOUCH METAHITI 80 - CHINATOWNGLOVEBOX - IN THE END

Free polls from Pollhost.com

POMPADIL - YOU NEED A MAN

“You need a man who understands”

New Swedish duo Pompadil (that would be Jake and Petrus) have created a shimmering house anthem along the lines of fellow swedes The Attic's work. You Need A Man is absolutely irresistable, with some of the most smooth, catchy verses I've heard from this genre in a good long time. It's one of those songs that gets better and better with each listen. The duo are just starting out, which makes the success of their songs even that much more impressive. Best of all, each song that they've made available for preview is just as good as the last. When these guys make it big, remember that you heard it first here!

Listen & Download: Pompadil - You Need A Man
Download: Pompadil - You Need A Man

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! No album yet, but hear more here.)

Goth Metal does Abba

Listen & Download: Beseech - Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight)
Download: Beseech - Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight)

I absolutely adore the song choice by this dark, silly group. I don't know what possessed the bellowing singer of Beseech to perform Abba's campiest single so earnestly. Whatever it was, I'm glad that this was recorded, if only because it's so incredibly odd.

Gwen Stefani - The Sweet Escape
Release Date: December 5th, 2006
Label: Interscope Records



Gwen Stefani has the potential to become this generation's most relevant female artist. Able to shift effortlessly between new wave rocker, sassy urban party-starter, and pop temptress, she has something for everybody. It's a shame that on her new album, instead of truly embracing this kaleidoscope of possible pop crossover, she too often comes off as a hapless, hip hop moron.

Fundamentally, The Sweet Escape is a collection of castoffs from Stefani's earlier album, L.A.M.B., and most of the time that's exactly what it sounds like. Too much of the material (Orange County Girl, Fluorescent) is simply too slight and unmemorable to make a mark. It simply passes by. More worrisome is a pair of tracks: Now That You Got It and Breakin' Up. Far from being unmemorable, they are truly unbearable. The latter, if combined with Beyonce's Ring The Alarm tirade, would surely win the award for the shrillest, most obnoxious seven minutes recorded this year. It's a shame, too, because while most of The Sweet Escape is alarmingly tepid, the record does contain one of Stefani's best solo songs to date. Early Winter, co-written with Keane’s Tim Rice-Oxley, is a soaring 80's-flavored ballad. Unsurprisingly, it sounds like Gwen fronting Keane. What is surprising, though, is what a flawless match it is. Similarly, bookends Wind It Up and Yummy are two of the (too) many hip-hop tracks that actually work, due in part to their spare experimentalism. Wind It Up mixes the baffling combination of showtunes and rap, while Yummy utilizes bhangra influences and a ridiculously infectious hook to great effect.

Sadly, it's far too little to bolster the album. While there are momentary highlights (Wonderful Life and the title track also deserve a mention), the record is far too clumsy and dull. Compared to this, L.A.M.B. is an absolute masterpiece. There are multiple tracks on The Sweet Escape where Stefani repeats endlessly that "this is the craziest shit ever." How about this, Gwen? Instead of constantly reminding us, why don't you actually show us? C

Key Tracks: Early Winter, Yummy, Wonderful Life

HIGH JUMPING JACK - LEAD ME INTO THE LIGHT

“Show me, teach me, lead me to the light where you are”

Today's post is from brand new Swedish group High Jumping Jack. Other than having one of the best band names I've heard all year, these guys know how to write a great, succinct pop song. Lead Me Into The Light is their best, a sparkly 80's bauble that comes and goes all too soon. The almost robotic, snowballing verses match the heavy synthesized riff perfectly, only to segue into an equally fantastic chorus. Somewhere between Melody Club and Oh No Ono, it's a great sound. Yet another promising new band to add to the ever-growing list.

Listen & Download: High Jumping Jack - Lead Me Into The Light

Download: High Jumping Jack - Lead Me Into The Light

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! No album yet, but hear more here.)

Bluegrass does Abba

Listen & Download: Texas Lightning - Dancing Queen
Download: Texas Lightning - Dancing Queen

German bluegrass group (just ponder that for a while) Texas Lightning have reinterpreted Abba's best known classic as a back porch honky tonk. It's really quite lovely and doesn't sound nearly as strange as it probably could.

LUCKY SOUL - LIPS ARE UNHAPPY

“Shake... shake... shimmy”

I feel very proud to be able to introduce you all today to a band that I wholeheartedly believe has "it." Not to say that all the music I post here isn't a possible #1 (that is the idea, after all), but I feel almost 100% sure that, in a just and right world, Lucky Soul will be major stars by the end of the next year. Lips Are Unhappy is instant and timeless, and from the first "shake, shake," you just know it's going to be great. They just don't make pop music this blissful anymore. Lead singer Ali Howard recalls the Cardigans' Nina Persson, but with more sweetness to her voice. Both a throwback and a daring departure, watch Lucky Soul very closely.

Listen & Download: Lucky Soul - Lips Are Unhappy

Download: Lucky Soul - Lips Are Unhappy

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! The e.p. comes out on December 11th, but listen to more here.)

80's Hair Metal does Abba

Listen & Download: Nation - Waterloo
Download: Nation - Waterloo

Abba's breakthrough single works surprisingly well as an over-the-top hair metal rocker. Not that anyone will remember who (or what) Nation was, but I credit them with creating the best reimagining of an Abba song in this style, complete with unnecessary guitar solos. The sound is somewhere between Sweet and Journey. Sublimely stupid.

Take a good look at the picture below and kiss them goodbye, because next week's #1 Hits special feature will see some of the fab four's biggest hits completely reimagined (to varying degrees of success, definitely). First post starts tomorrow!

Melody Club - Scream
Release Date: November 13th, 2006
Label: EMI



Amidst the galloping funk of Feed On Me, which opens Melody Club’s third album Scream, frontman Kristofer Östergren speaks for the whole band when he warns “don’t you dare ignore me, we know why you came.” Indeed they do. Melody Club know their fan base: those who like their pop songs crammed so full of hooks that they practically explode. Luckily for all of us, Scream finds the band in better form than ever.

Since Melody Club’s last album (2004’s Face The Music), the band’s former base player Magnus Roos left the group, to be replaced by Niklas Stenemo (brother of the guitar player and former frontman of fellow Swedish band The Mo). Niklas was a smart choice, as he brings a heavy disco-funk element to the songs on Scream. Melody Club have never sounded as full or as utterly irresistible as they do now. Disco-stompers Scream and Fever Fever easily match (and nearly outdo) the Scissor Sisters’ recent offerings, while a trio of anthems-in-waiting (Crash, Last Girl On My Mind, & Evil Thing) trump 99% of the pop released this year without even sounding like they’re trying. Out of all of the songs, lead single Destiny Calling sounds the most like the group’s earlier work, and neatly divides the album halfway through. The group also continues their tradition of playfully experimental pop-ballads, most notably with Sweet Thing. Opening with what sounds like the beep-beep of a hospital’s life-support system and quickly segueing into a dreamy sing-along, it sounds both classic and strangely alien.

There is not a bad song on Scream, and that is an absolute triumph in the pop genre. The album offers just enough growth in Melody Club’s core sound to give the impression that this glossy group isn’t going away anytime soon. This is music to dance to, to sing along with in the car or while you’re working. Big, silly and bright, Scream is one of the best things you’ll hear all year. A

Key Tracks: Crash, Scream, Feed On Me

Video Premiere: Revl9n - Walking Machine

This is one of my favorite videos of the year. Sci-fi, dream-like wackiness to complement an equally off-the-wall song. There's something utterly entrancing about this group, and this video showcases that element far better than the one for Someone Like You. The tone reminds me of the Let's Make Love video by Cansei Der Se Sexy earlier this year, though I think I even prefer this one.

YOUNG LOVE - DISCOTECH

“Let's get down, we've been waiting a long time”

I believe this may be the sound of emo (or in this case, post-punk - isn't it all a bit confusing?) finally succumbing to disco. The force behind Young Love, Dan Keyes, was formerly a member of rock band Recover, and has just now apparently discovered his love for music that makes you dance. Discotech is blowing up in the New York clubs (or so I hear...) and seems set for world domination. The album's out late in January of next year and, if the rest of it is as good as this song, it's pretty much a guaranteed hit.

Listen & Download: Young Love - Discotech
Download: Young Love - Discotech

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Buy the album here.)

Disco "Song" #7



Listen & Download: Maywood - Late At Night
Download: Maywood - Late At Night

Isn't that an absolutely gorgeous picture? If only promo shots still looked like that. Anyways, I picked Dutch duo Maywood as this week's last post because, despite their inherent campiness and poor wardrobe choices (check out the video for proof), I actually cannot get this song out of my head. And, with its honky-tonk influences, I can see a glimmer of my beloved Scissor Sisters in this stupid little song. Plus, it's one of the only posts this week where unfortunate sexual connotations have not been present. Fun for the whole family!

GLOVEBOX - IN THE END

“I like to eat at McDonalds, they're a restaurant, not a cafe”

Australia's Glovebox is comprised of singers Mishka and Grainger. The duo creates electronic pop with heavy 80's and 90's influences. In The End sounds almost like something that could have been a hit in the late nineties, like Everybody's Free To Wear Sunscreen, but with a pop melody and a bit more singing. There's a great playfulness between Mishka's (the name is Hungarian/Cyprian) raspy voice and Grainger's deadpan phrasing and bright production. The duo released their debut back in 2005 and it seems to have gone somewhat unnoticed (at least in the U.S.).

Listen & Download: Glovebox - In The End

Download: Glovebox - In The End

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Buy the album here.)

Disco "Song" #6



Listen & Download: Eruption - One Way Ticket
Download: Eruption - One Way Ticket

Any song that starts out "Choo choo train, chuggin' down the track" (or is that chuckin'?) is completely okay with me. Alright, scratch that, this song actually opens with the typical histrionic disco diva build-up, before chuggin' along to the actual song. Once you get over all of the clichés (which pretty much make up the entire song), the melody's actually pretty catchy. I just love the fact that she's "gonna take a trip to Lonesome Town" and "stay in Heartbreak Hotel." Really, how depressing is that? Imagine the poor souls that have to live in that town and work at that hotel!

Gus Alfieri

Lapchick
By Gus Alfieri
A great story about Joe Lapchick a Legendary figure in the history of Basketball.
Gus Played point guard under Joe Lapchick for St Johns in 1959 Championship team.

TAHITI 80 - CHINATOWN

“You make me feel lost”

After raving about the album yesterday, I felt the need to post a track from Tahiti 80's most recent release, Fosbury. Chinatown is actually one of the U.S. only tracks on the album, and one of the best pop songs the band's ever written. Opening with a ridiculously catchy riff that reminds me of The Mo's Bring Me A Spotlight (yes, I will mention The Mo whenever possible), the song never lets up. The best thing about the track, though, is it's one of those pop songs that never gets old. There's nothing particularly in-your-face about Chinatown, which allows it to have a very long life. And, as I said yesterday, the rest of the album's just as good.

Listen & Download: Tahiti 80 - Chinatown
Download: Tahiti 80 - Chinatown

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Buy the album here.)

Disco "Song" #5



Listen & Download: Arabesque - Fly High Little Butterfly
Download: Arabesque - Fly High Little Butterfly

I'm seeing shades of the Pussycat Dolls in that picture, though far more bizarre. Come to think of it, though, 25 years from now people will probably make the same comments about the PCD cover. Anyways, the elements to this song that completely puts it over the edge (minus that horribly lame title) are the guitar and saxophone that open the song and follow the chorus. They may not sound like much on the track itself, but if you've seen the music video, the dance moves will be forever etched into your brain. I won't even mention the outfits (well, I will... they look like flowers whose stems are emphasizing all the wrong places). Basically, it's 3:15 minutes in the wind tunnel of hell. I absolutely love it.

Tahiti 80 - Fosbury
Release Date: November 14, 2006
Label: Militia Group



After being released in over twenty countries worldwide, Tahiti 80’s third album Fosbury finally arrives in U.S. shops, complete with two exclusive tracks and a bonus e.p. As it turns out, the States were definitely missing something. Fosbury is the throwback, feel-good funk pop record that Justin Timberlake’s recent snore-fest wanted so badly to be.

Fosbury’s highlights are many, and they are varied. What begins as a simple, spare funk record (see the uber-catchy Changes and guitar assisted grit of Here Comes…) soon reveals itself as a finely tuned mixture of genres. The one constant is an indelible sense of classic pop melody. One of the new tracks, Chinatown, has the kind of mid-eighties swagger that modern pop’s been missing, while Your Love Shines (a duet with Linda Lewis) is downright experimental. Best of all is Matter Of Time, which sounds like a lost Motown classic. Singer Xavier Boyer’s voice is reminiscent of Jamiroquai’s Jay Kay, yet with more warmth. His personable falsetto carries the record, even in its less successful portions (which, admittedly, are very few).

Tahiti 80 turned to some of the same producers that worked with Outkast and N.E.R.D. for Fosbury, and you can hear it in the music. But, instead of giving in to their producers, the band has expertly melded their pop band with a hip-hop style. The result is a broad-reaching record that sounds incredibly fresh. As the lead single Changes simply states: “Changes are happening, it’s too late to turn back.” Amen to that. A-

Key Tracks: Matter Of Time, Changes, Your Love Shines

NARCOTOURIST - TOUCH ME

“Touch me lovely, be part of me”

Narcotourist is a new trio from California that blends elements of dance and pop music to fantastic effect. Touch Me is dominated by singer Cari Golden's voice, which at times is reminiscent of Garbage's Shirley Manson. The song starts off like any typical house track, but soon launches into an absolute tidal wave of a chorus that becomes more and more anthematic as the song progresses. I think it's the guitars more than anything, which add a welcome rock edge to the song. The band's debut isn't out until early next year, but based on the quality of this song, they're a name to remember.

Listen & Download: Narcotourist - Touch Me
Download: Narcotourist - Touch Me

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! No album until 2007, but download more here)