Song 18: Full of Regret - Danko Jones

Released May, 2010 on the album Below The Belt

Video (YouTube) - Lyrics (Sing365)

"Dr. Evening", "The Mango Kid" and "The Brown Panther" are some of several aliases for one Danko Jones - lead singer and guitarist for the band named for him.

Originally created in 1996, the band didn't create its first studio album until 2001, and that was by their choice...they preferred to have their popularity grow via word of mouth rather than through album sales. But since then, the Toronto based singer and band have seen a steady rise in popularity - especially in Canada as well as oversees in England, Sweden and Germany. Danko Jones, the individual, has also become popular offstage, with endeavors as a magazine writer (Jones authors four bi-monthly columns for different music-focused periodicals), and radio personality (he hosts the syndicated show, "The Magical World of Rock").

Through the years, Danko Jones, the band (made up of three members, Danko, JC on bass guitar and drummer Dan Cornelius), has continued to play their heavier rock style. To compare them, I would have to say that they remind me a lot of Grammy Award winner Lenny Kravitz. The fact that Lenny and Danko are both of African-American heritage is coincidental...I had made that comparison in my mind even before I knew anything about Danko Jones other than listening to this song! Jones' style is a similar hard-driving full rock sound to Kravitz, and I think Full of Regret could easily be mistaken for a Lenny Kravitz song.

That being said, another comparison between the two is their longevity in the business. Jones hasn't yet seen a Grammy Award come their way (though they have received Juno Award nominations), but their staying power has been impressive. Jones himself has remained as brash as ever. He even stepped into a small feud that existed between Canadian Rapper K-OS and Canadian Music Magazine NOW, which is based out of Toronto. The resulting new feud between the two has resulted in some interesting media "punches" with name calling and put-downs, though it seems like Danko has had the upper-hand so far. It's difficult to tell how serious the "feud" really is. Some of it sounds like the two are having more fun with the whole thing than truly disliking one another...plus it's free publicity whenever one publicly disses the other!

The album Below The Belt is the band's fifth studio album, and thirteenth album overall. Full of Regret is also the band's top charting single to date, reaching #34 so far on the Top 100. The music video - with an interesting little story - features the likes of Elijah Wood (the Cedar Rapids, Iowa native famous for his portrayal of Frodo in the Lord of the Rings movies that were released earlier in the decade), Motorhead founder Lenny Kilmeister (who looks just like you'd expect a longtime and legendary rockstar to look), and Legally Blonde's Selma Blair.

The band is currently on tour throughout the Canadian Provinces and Europe - which has been a regular routine for them after an album release.

Song 17: Freeze and Pixelate - Monster Magnet

Released November 6, 2007 on the album Four-Way Diablo

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_dhF0IQrAA really a video, just the song)

Lyrics: none

Monster Magnet got its name from a popular children's toy from the 1960's (see the graphic up in the upper left, still in his packaging!). That fact is interesting in a couple of ways. First, Monster Magnet is considered to be one of the best (and longer lasting) bands in the "stoner rock" genre. Very 1960's-ish but hardly a childish innocence especially considering...and here comes the second thing...that the band frequently gets themselves into trouble with various local laws during their concerts because they often employ stage dancers. This in itself isn't unusual since I've seen acts such as Kid Rock, Motley Crue and Sammy Hagar trot out women wearing nothing but skimpy bikinis, and that doesn't bring the local law hammer down at all. But what sets the Monster Magnet girls apart - and what gets the band into hot water - is that their dancers will perform in the same manner that Stacia Blake famously used to dance on stage during Hawkwind concerts during the mid-1970's...naked save for body paint!

Monster Magnet is truly something of an oddity, and not because of the naked stage dancers. They are a hard rock band, in the mold of the popular "arena rock" bands of the 80's, that formed in the early 1990's - just in time for the plunge into the abyss for the hard rock genre in favor of the grunge sound which took place almost overnight shortly after the band came together. They could almost be compared to being a hotshot stock speculator who had just started out with some success only to nearly lose everything in the Stock Market Crash of 1929. They could have folded up the tents and gone home, and looked for some other career avenue. Instead, the band perservered and survived the grunge 90's and has reimerged in recent years now that the 80's rock style has become popular once again.

As you've already noticed, this particular song is an instrumental. I haven't included an instrumental on one of the mixes since Tramontane by Foreigner was included on one of the "summer fun" mixes from around 2004. But, I've always liked rock instrumentals, many of which people don't recognize as songs done by acts that were immensely popular. Tramontane, for example, was one of the tracks on the hugely successful Double Vision album and was the B-side song of the single Hot Blooded, and was a song that - in some posts anyway - was liked more than the hit on the A-side! Some of my favorite instrumentals are:

• Eagles - Journey of the Sorcerer - From the One of these Nights album, the song became the theme for BBC-TV's 70's version of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (a version of it was also used for the movie version that came out a few years ago) and one of the most interesting and vastly different songs the Eagles ever made. (listen here)


• Aerosmith - The Movie from the album Permanent Vacation. (listen here). It became the Coaches Corner show theme!


• Van Halen - Eruption - The Eddie Van Halen masterpiece that inspired a whole generation of axe-grinders...including a friend of mine who came pretty close to replicating it (Listen here).


• Flock of Seagulls - Grammy award winning D.N.A from the 1982 album Flock of Seagulls which producer extrodinare Phil Spector called "phenomenal" (listen here). It's been used as football and basketball theme music.


• Def Leppard - Disintegrate. Def Leppard didn't make many instrumentals, this one was on 1999's Euphoria album, and was the first since their debut album High 'n Dry had another favorite called Switch 625 that followed their first big hit, Bringin' On The Heartbreak, on that album in such a way that many think the instrumental is a part of that song! (Listen to Switch 625 , Listen to Disintegrate)

This - of course - is just a sampling of all the rock instrumentals out there and goes without mentioning the likes of Steve Vai, Joe Satriani or perhaps one of the most popular rock instrumental of all-time, Frankensein by Edgar Winter. For a big list of great rock instrumentals, check out the Digital-Dreamer's list. It says, "Greatest 100", but there's a list of 250 instrumentals, along with a list of top-30 instrumental albums and a list of some of the artists that primarily record instrumentals in the rock genre.

Monster Magnet is still going strong, by the way. They just recently (end of October 2010) released Mastermind, the band's eighth studio album

Song 16: Enjoy The Silence - Nada Surf

Released June 8, 2010

Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yv10JRtd04&feature=related

Lyrics http://www.sweetslyrics.com/763442.Nada%20Surf%20-%20Enjoy%20The%20Silence.html

Nada Surf came out of New York City wayyyyyy back in 1995, and can trace its roots back a few more years, to 1992, when a couple of members first started to play together. 1995 was the time when Fuzztones drummer Ira Elliot joined the band. Shortly afterward, the band connected with former Cars frontman turned producer, Ric Ocasek, who had already had success as a producer with the band Weezer, and they signed a contract with Elektra Records.

The Elektra relationship didn't last long, but the one with Ocasek was the one that really mattered, and ultimately the band created their first album High/Low in 1996. That album produced the band's first hit, the summer anthem Popular (see video here). It was a blessing and something of a bane. The band became very popular in England, but had trouble getting a foothold in the American psyche. After they spent some time in the British Isles, the band returned to the States to less than enthralling reviews. They were - in the eyes of their homeland's critics - one hit wonders and nothing to get too excited about.

In 2003 the band struck gold again - eliminating the one hit wonder status for good - with the release of the acclaimed album Let Go, an effort labeled by some as a "masterpiece" and saw Rolling Stone magazine somewhat a-gush with praise for the band.

Still, their popularity overseas continued to be much greater than in the United States. The band's present tour reflects that: From January to March of 2011, they'll primarily be in Europe - with two trips to London just a month apart, and a handful of appearances in the US (Seattle, Portland and New York City essentially) before heading back across the Atlantic to their throng of fans that will await them!

2010 saw the release of the album If I Had A Wi-Fi, a collection of ten covers by the band of songs that they especially liked. This one, Enjoy The Silence, originally by the 80's band Depeche Mode (take a listen and view the video from those early MTV days here), is similar to the Paisley Park cover in that Nada Surf's rendition has the tempo cranked up a notch and they have made it a rendition that is all their own. It's similar enough that it's obviously what it is, but at the same time, it's different enough that it doesn't become all that obvious or even familiar until you've listened to the song for a few moments. At least that's what happened to me! When I first heard the song - the usual 30-second snippet on iTunes that starts part-way throug hthe song - it didn't hit me right away that it was a cover of the 80's hit...but then the lyrics and the way they were sung started sounding more and more familiar until the realization el-kabonged me in the head!

So, Nada Surf (a phrase said by disappointed board riders?) continues to look for that "big hit" in the States. But their success elsewhere leads me to believe they aren't holding their breath...and they don't need to!

Song 15: Latest heartbreak - 22-20's

Released June 22, 2010 in the US (May 2010 in UK)

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18O9SWCiyrA

Lyrics: http://www.elyrics.net/read/0-9/22,,20s-lyrics/latest-heartbreak-lyrics.html







Talk about comebacks: the 22-20's were done as a group in 2005. Done, with a capital "D". Finished. Stick a fork in them type of done. They broke up in the midst of producing their second album with the group essentially saying that they just couldn't go forward together anymore. It was over, and the 22-20's were history.





It was sort of sad that they broke up. Founding members Martin Trimble and Glen Bartup were boyhood friends who grew up in northern England. They bought their first guitars together when they were 14 years old (Trimble's uncle owned a music store) and got into blues music. Not too long after that, they "discovered" the likes of Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones. When they got a little older, they began playing together as a duo in clubs and bars. In time, they took in some other performers, dropped others and were a part of various groups, mostly concentrating on blues performances. In 2002, at age 19, they became part of the 22-20's, which was named after the song 22-20 Blues by Skip James (listen to the song on YouTube).





Up to this point, the various incarnations of blues groups had primarily performed covers, but as the 22-20's, more original material became a part of their performances. This apparently did not go over well with bar owners and some patrons who felt that some of these new songs were not blues songs - even though Trimble and the other 22-20 bandmates believed otherwise. This disagreement resulted in the band feeling that the blues circuit was becoming too limiting. Ultimately, the group released their critically acclained self-titled debut album in September 2004, and they began touring in support of bands like Oasis and Kings of Leon.





Then came the breakup, which cancelled tour dates and put a halt to that second studio effort.





Fast forward to late 2008 when Trimble had reunited with Bartup. Shortly afterward, just like a Blues Brothers movie scene, one thing led to another and the band was back together! Though, at first, it was a big secret for some reason! The group actually toured - "secretly"! - going by the name "Bitter Pills" (which became the name of a song on their new album) before they finally let everyone in on the situation, and 22-20 (missing only former member Charly Coombes) was back.





The album Shake/Rattle/Moan came out in May of 2010 and immediately gained international success. The band released a live show EP in October and embarked on their first tour in five years. Just recently, the band announced that they will be moving their home base to Minneapolis. I expect them to make an appearance at the Artist's Quarter in St. Paul sometime soon!

Song 14: Just The Way You Are - Bruno Mars

Released July 19, 2010 on the album Do-Wops & Hooligans. The album itself was not released until October 9, 2010.


Music Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjhCEhWiKXk




Lyrics:http://www.elyricsworld.com/just_the_way_you_are_lyrics_bruno_mars.html









Born when I was just beginning my collegiate career, Bruno Mars (real name: Peter Hernandez) has risen to meteroic stardom in recent months with the release of his first studio album as the primary performer. Mars is no stranger to the "biz", he has already had a successful career in the "background" in the role of writer, producer and backup singer for a number of acts in recent years. Included among his successes was being the co-writer of Flo Rida's international hit Right Round, which included heavy sampling of the 80's hit of the same name by Dead or Alive.



With all this success, Mr. Mars may soon take over the #1 spot as the most famous performer with a last name of "Mars" from longtime Motley Crue lead guitarist Mick Mars. Notable is that Neither Mick nor Bruno were born with that last name! But, it will be tough for Bruno to take the top spot. Mick is still going strong at the age of 60 (despite his over 40-year struggle with a disease that has affected his spine and pelvis), and Bruno will need some longevity to make any claim to Mick's hold on his position as the best Mars on Earth!



If Bruno ever does overtake Mick, it shouldn't come as a surprise. Bruno - who grew up in a musical family in Hawaii - has literally been surrounded by music and performers all his life. With his father doing regular shows, and his family members all taking part, Bruno became a veteran stage performer at an early age. Toss in his self-described fandom of Elvis (particularly, the 50's version that scared some people and drove women wild) as well as Prince and The Police, along with a background in a number of musical styles, and he has taken his experiences and his knowledge of those favorite performers to launch himself to the brink of stardom.



Bruno has to be careful, however, because he could easily derail himself before the train ever leaves the station. An arrest in October for cocaine possession has thrown some doubt into the young man's decision-making skills. He said all the right things during and following that arrest, but only time will tell (maybe Mick set Bruno up to keep that top-spot secure?!)



The song itself took a little while to start moving up the charts, but once it did, it rocketed to the top, displacing Katy Perry's Teenage Dream at #1 the first week of October. The song has become an incredible debut reaching #1 on a multitude of charts both in the US and internationally, and has become Grammy nominated for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, one of seven Grammy nominations that Mars has received.

There's nothing "deep" about the song, and that's by Mars' own admition. On Wikipedia he mentions his longtime appreciation for classic love songs like Joe Cocker's You Are So Beautiful, and that this song - though it took him a few months to write it the way he wanted - tells a simple story, but it's a story that every woman would like to hear. Mrs. Amature Music Mixer seems to concur, as she has mentioned that this is her favorite among the songs in the Fall Mix!


Other songs: Grenade,

Song 13: Misery - Maroon5

Released as a single on June 22, 2010. The album Hands All Over Me was released September 15, 2010.

Music Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6g6g2mvItp4

Lyrics: http://www.metrolyrics.com/misery-lyrics-maroon-5.html

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! The Amature Music Mixer's family had to do a slight detour with the travel plans when meal number one (the first of three planned stops/meals to see family and stuff our faces) had to be aborted because a sibling came down with the flu - or at least something similar if it wasn't actually the flu! That was maybe a good thing, because the belly belonging to the Amature Music Mixer has already grown to a size that really doesn't need to be surpassed - and actually some type of receding process would be preferred! So, missing the first potential gluttony was something of a relief! And, in a "win-win" result for the weekend, the sibling's health returned in time for a stop - and just a light luncheon - and some visiting time before the return to the home base.

More importantly, though, the holidays and the preperations that go along with them have put another dent in the plans to keep the Fall Mix song summaries posted on a regular basis. Indeed, I had truly hoped to have all twenty summaries finished a good two weeks ago, and yet I still find myself with several to finish and the winter season nearly upon us! For some, the winter season has already arrived, but here at the home base, we still await a snowfall. Perhaps one won't come this year? We shall see!

So, we have reached Maroon5 in the music mix! And - interestingly - with this new album by a relatively* new band, we still manage to go backward in time somewhat. Is it because of Maroon 5's professed attempts to channel the likes of Stevie Wonder (which was the inspiration for their first album) or Prince, or The Police (artists whose songs were the primary influence in their second album)? Not exactly. There isn't a particular artist that Maroon 5 tried to emulate on this, their third album, but if it has any resemblance to groups like AC/DC, Def Leppard, Foreigner, Bryan Adams, The Cars, or even Shania Twain, there's a reason for it. Longtime (dare it be said, "Legendary") music producer Mutt Lange stepped into the Maroon 5 fold for the production of Hands All Over. The now 62-year old - who is something of a recluse and hasn't granted an interview since the 80's - who called the band while they were on tour in 2007, but preparing to begin work on what would become Hands All Over. Maroon 5 accepted the offer, and then began what lead singer Adam Levine would describe as the hardest-working sessions he'd ever been through!

The pairing may become yet another example of Lange's midas touch with talented artists. Misery was the first release from the album, and it did a climb into the top 15 of the charts, reaching #1 for Adult Pop.

The video is another example of artistry taking a story in an entirely different direction. The song itself is described as the awkward and unsure feelings felt by someone when a relationship is ending. But in the video, the female lead attemts to kill her lover: which, I guess, would put a rather permanent - with very little to be uncertain about - stamp to the end of a relationship, wouldn't it?! If I had a girlfriend who wanted to play five finger fillet, I don't think I'd have any doubts about which way I'd be running!

It's good to have Maroon 5 back on a mix, and I hope you like their placement in the list!

*I say "relatively" only that they weren't around as a group in the 80's. The group itself has actually been around for awile - just with a different name. Most of the present members of Maroon 5 played together, and even did some recording - though with little success - as a group called Kara's Flowers from 1992 - 2002

Song 12: Animal - Neon Trees

Released March 16, 2010 on the album Habits

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gM7Hlg75Mlo

Lyrics: http://www.directlyrics.com/neon-trees-animal-lyrics.html

Animal was the first-ever single release for the band with connections to California and Utah. Their break came via an association with the rock band, The Killers, who choose them to be the opening act for several of their stops during a tour in 2008. Before that, Neon Trees was unknown outside of the Provo and Salt Lake City, Utah area.

The band's name has a sort of romantic ring to it, with the thought of illuminated branches for the holidays, or at a nice restaurant, or maybe in a decked out City Park (such as Phoenix, Arizona's downtown Arizona Center mall area, here's a picture). But the idyllic visual gets KO'd by the reality: the name comes from the lighted trees that are a part of some of the In and Out Burger Restaurant signs (the chain has become famous in the West not only for their Burgers, but also for the crossed palm trees that are a part of many locations, a tradition which began at a California location). Here's an example: In and Out crossed Palm Trees. Lead singer and keyboardest Tyler Glenn's father did work for the chain at one time, which was the apparent inspiration for the name, though the restaurants are also known for a couple of other quirks: Their not so secret "Secret Menu" which has the Animal Burger and Animal Fries (no mention if these inspired the name of this song, or not!) and the interesting fact that all the cups, napkins, and other paper utensils have Bible Verse references printed on them. The references are very discreet, but they are there (here's an example from the bottom of a drink cup, and more is in a writeup on the Snopes.com site).

I didn't find anything that indicates that the band has a religious background. Nor did I discover anything about the use of In and Out's signs for the band name were a subtle clue about the band's feelings on religion because of the Bible Verses in use at the restaurant. So, I guess any speculation about some deeper meaning behind the band's choice in its name (which it has used since 2005) pretty much ends there! So much for any future for me as a private detective! :-)

Animal - regardless of its possible connection with a family-owned restaurant chain's item on its Secret Menu - was quite a breakout single for the group. It hit #1 on the Alternative charts, #2 on the Rock chart and has so far reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 at the time of this writing.

Presently, they are on tour with the band 30 Seconds to Mars after a summer that saw them at the Lalapalooza Festival and as one of the co-headliners on the Bang The Gong Tour.

Another interesting music video - again, not really focused on what I would have expected. Not sure if the band was trying to make a point about art galleries (is it the old "What is Art?" philosophical question?). Whatever the case, what they do to the gallery patrons while they are all knocked out by some kind of gas is worth the time to watch the video!

Song 11: Raise Your Glass - P!nk

Released

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjVNlG5cZyQ&annotation_id=annotation_735900&feature=iv

Lyrics: http://www.directlyrics.com/pink-raise-your-glass-lyrics.html

Raise Your Glass is the only new release on an album full of P!nk's hit songs. It didn't take very long for the song to reach hit song status itself, and so it seems that it's inclusion worked out very well. Raise Your Glass made it into the Billboard Top Ten shortly after its release (within three weeks after Oct 6, 2010) which makes it the eleventh Top Ten hit for P!nk, and the sixteenth Top 20. The song moved P!nk into the third place slot for most Top Ten hits by a female artist since 2000. Only Rhianna and Beyonce have more during that time-frame.

Described as a "Thank You to the fans", the song is interesting not only for it's celebratory nature, but also for P!nk's choice of visuals for the song's music video. The video itself was only just released on November 2nd, but it contains a ton of references that reflect P!nk's beliefs in racial, ethnic, gender, sexual orientation and species equality. The gender equality is represented by P!nk dressing up in the famous Rosie the Riveter poster pose at the beginning. What follows is scenes of animal cruelty reversals: a matador being skewered by traditional banderillas (and later becomes the victim of the estocada, the final killing sword thrust during a bullfight) all while a bull becomes a spectator. These scenes are intermixed with a somewhat funny and also somewhat disconcerting "milk parlor" scene. All the above is shown in conjuction with actual footage from a wedding reception that P!nk hosted for a best friend, who is gay.

It is - at first glance - a somewhat odd pairing of imagery. But when looked at from the standpoint of the equality question, it ties the whole thing together. P!nk has proven herself to be controversial for sure, but she really does seem to be legitimate in her beliefs. She is active as a spokesperson for PETA, often speaks out as an advocate of gay marriage, and has never shied away from stating her opinions. Agree with her or not, she seems to be quite passionate about what she does.

The whole Rosie the Riveter portrayal was interesting in another way - the Rosie she portrays is a famous image to be sure, but it's not the WWII Rosie. The famous poster image she takes her look and pose from was used during WWII, but the image itself wasn't Rosie, it was from the equally famous "We Can Do It!" poster. The real Rosie was portrayed by other artists, probably most famously by Norman Rockwell. The "We Can Do It!" image - when rediscovered in the 70's - became associated with the actual Rosie images from the Second World War, and has since become synonymous with the real Rosie. In both cases, the imagery depicted the strength of women taking up the jobs vacated by the men who went off to fight in the war. More on all of that is here. It makes for some interesting reading!

Song 10: As If By Magic - LaRoux

Released on the album LaRoux, June 2009

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rlZd3zHBoY&feature=related (this is home video footage of a live concert recorded during a performance in London)

Lyrics: http://www.elyrics.net/read/l/la-roux-lyrics/as-if-by-magic-lyrics.html

As if by Magic hasn't been released yet as a single from LaRoux's self-titled debut album, which also explains the lack of an "official" music video at this point. Despite that it isn't among the five singles the album has produced thus far, there was something about this song that I liked. The wife and kids like it as well, so I'm going to take a very slight leap here, take that edu-ma-cated guess, and say that the song will eventually be a single release. Perhaps number six!

Bulletproof (which was on the Summer Hang Out Mix that I have yet to get posted) turned out to be quite a hit for LaRoux. It was a song that elicited such an 80's flashback, that I immediately thought, "this song could have been a part of the 80's!" and I think it could be played along with other 80's electro-pop songs like those by Human League & Depeche Mode (who's song Enjoy The Silence is a part of this Mix as a cover by the group Nada Surf) and some may hear it and actually wonder if it didn't come from the 80's after all!

As if by Magic and the other songs from the album all fit that 80's comparison. Is that why the songs seem good? The whole electro-pop sound (and 80's song styles in general) seems to be gaining something of a resurgence recently as the Emo and Grunge styles that were so popular through most of the 90's and into the new millenium are fading - though it may be that the styles are just being melded more and more with other musical methods. Whatever the case, it does seem like an increasing amount of radio play music could have come straight out of that interesting decade, and perhaps LaRoux caught the wave...and have helped to keep it going!

Interesting interview with Elly Jackson where she gives her opinion on the state of pop music along with other topics: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlGY8fIjRs4&feature=related

A really good cover of the song by a girl and a guitar in what looks like a dorm room: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YgamosAlLI

Other songs: Quicksand , In For the Kill , Tigerliliy

Song 9: Secrets - OneRepublic

I am not getting to these song descriptions as quickly as I had hoped! It's been a busy week, I guess: General Election (and the newspaper articles, blog posts and traditional media reports that one goes through to try and make an informed decision!) in the United States on Nov 2, Cubmaster duties, and broadcasting duties, not to mention the busy schedules of my ever growing children! Oh, yeah, and I have to work!! Doing some fun stuff with an auditorium sound system this week. Always learning new things! But I guess all that adds up to less time for the posts here at the Amature Music Mixer site! But there are some fun songs yet to post about for the 2010 Fall Mix! So...on to the next one!

Secrets was released as a single in the US on June 1, 2010 from the album, Waking Up which was released in November, 2009

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHm9MG9xw1o&feature=channel

Lyrics: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/o/one_republic/secrets.html

OneRepublic first came to my attention as part of the Summer Mix from last summer (2010), though they've been around for the past few years already, and I knew the song Apologize but didn't know who sang it. I've always liked songs that have soaring atmospheric qualities to them, which is why I've enjoyed songs like Space Age Love Song (and really, just about anything) by Flock of Seagulls, many of Journey's songs, punk-pop like Heart of Glass by Blondie, the harder - but still full and atmospheric - songs by groups like the Scorpions & Rush, and more recently the sounds of songs like Drops of Jupiter by Train and groups like Angels & Airwaves, Linkin Park and Yeasayer. There are many other songs and groups that fit in with this song type, and OneRepublic looks like they are one of them!

As a result, they are quickly becoming one of my favorites. So far, I haven't run across a OneRepublic song that I didn't like! I also like the quote found on a Wikipedia page from singer Ryan Tedder, "We're no respecter of genre. If its a good song or a good artist whether rock, pop, indie or hip hop, they've probably influenced us on some level...nothing's new under the sun, we're a sum of a bunch of parts." I think I liked its honesty. No presumptuous statement about "our music" or that they're supremely different - just an acknowledgement that they are what we all are: the sum of our backgrounds and experiences which at once makes us all the same in so many ways, but also makes each individual unique.

Secrets was a song mentioned in the notes from last summer's mix, when talking about the song that wrapped up that Mix, All The Right Moves. At that time, the song had only been released as a single across the pond and into Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Since it became an official single in the US it has done well. Not spectacular, but well and it has been used in a number of places, from a promotional video for the TV show Lost, to iPad commercials. Meantime, the group with roots in Colorado is on a Fall Tour with Maroon5 (another group with a song on this mix), and is rumored to be joining British Boy Band JLS for a tour starting sometime this Winter. This comes after a busy summer of brief tours with the likes of Bon Jovi and P!nk, along with appearances on the Today show and wining Poland's Eska Award for Best International Group.

The song itself creates a number of interpretational possibilities (as evidenced by the 40 or so comments on the songmeanings.net page) which I'll leave up to the listener rather than post my ideas on the meaning behind the lyrics as I've done for a couple of earler song posts. Leave a comment with your thoughts!

More songs (and video): Say (All I Need) , Apologize , Timbaland Remix of Apologize , Stop and Stare

Song 8: If It's Love - Train

Released as a single from the album Save Me San Francisco in June, 2010 (the album was released in October, 2009)

Video: http://www.vh1.com/video/train/515379/if-its-love.jhtml

Lyrics: http://www.metrolyrics.com/if-its-love-lyrics-train.html



"This song was actually written on the same day as “Hey Soul Sister” in New York City. I wrote this song first in the day, and I was thinking about all these people who have been supportive of the band Train for so many years. I had also made a solo record, and (fans) were really supportive to me and I was just like, “I wanna write a love song finally after all these years, but I wanna write it to our fans and just say thank you."

That's a quote from lead singer Pat Monahan on the Wikipedia page for the song If It's Love. The second released single from what has become Train's most popular album since 2001's Drops of Jupiter, has soared to the #1 spot on the Adult Hot 40 charts, just like Hey, Soul Sister, Drops of Jupiter, and Calling All Angels had done. With their fourth single reaching that #1 status, Train has pulled into a tie with Matchbox Twenty & Daughtry for second place (trailing only Nickelback) for the most #1's on that chart in its history. Also of note, this song's success made Save Me San Francisco Train's first album with two Billboard Top 40 hits since their Grammy Award winning days (and five-members-in-the-band days) of the Drops of Jupiter album era. It has been a success that has returned Train to major popularity, gained them Certified Gold status for a studio album for the first time since 2003, and quieted the critics who had felt that Train's glory years were in their past when they had declining sales on three consecutive album releases - and I admit I was one of those that had that thought. On top of all that, Save Me San Francisco may still have more hit songs left on it: Their recent release of the song Marry Me on Oct 25th (just five days ago as I type this post) has already reached #19 on the Adult Contemporary charts.

If It's Love has some fun references that led to very little digging to discover the background for them (Wikipedia gets a bad rap sometimes, but it's invaluable for starting any online research process for general knowledge!). Here's some references from the song and what they're all about:

• There's a reference to the 80's "Big Hair Era" band, Winger (formed from former members of Alice Cooper's band, and known best for the song Seventeen) - Winger still tours and recently produced - in 2009 - their 5th studio album.
• The "Rain in Spain" comes from the song in the musical My Fair Lady
• The "Henry Lee" was a folk song and dance that got some renewed popularity when Nick Cave did a rendition of the song in 1995 with PJ Harvey (a live version is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AvdEO7ZAto, though I'll prewarn you...if Cave doesn't sing better than that on good night, it'll explain why I haven't heard much about him!). For more background on the song, see: http://www.lizlyle.lofgrens.org/RmOlSngs/RTOS-HenryLee.html
• My favorite is the reference to poisonous perfume! Monahan has a quote listed on that Wikipedia article I mentioned earlier that says it all: "Have you ever been in an elevator with a lady who just got done perfuming? If you have, you won't wonder why I wrote it."

It looks like the break that the band took from each other following the For Me It's You album did wonders to restore their outlook on the band and the music they wanted to make. It also appears - based on some quotes out there on the web - that the remaining three members needed some time away to refocus and eventually regroup after they had lost two band mates in a matter of a couple of years. Last year I was comparing Train to Genesis because of the similarities (a popular band seeing the members get reduced to three, and members going their own directions at times, but coming together again). As it turned out, Genesis wound up having some of their biggest hits and greatest popularity after that change, and - with what's happened with their most recent album so far - the same thing might be true for Train as well.

Song 7: Under Control - Parachute

Released: May 19, 2009 on the album Losing Sleep

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HiRnS4k2Vw&ob=av2n

Lyrics: http://www.lyricsreg.com/lyrics/parachute/Under+Control/


Parachute is among the newest bands we've had on our mixes. Originally calling themselves Sparky's Flaw when most of the members were still in High School in Charlottesville, Virginia, the group of friends changed the name to Parachute in May 2008, coinciding with the group members' graduation from the University of Virginia. Losing Sleep is the band's first - and so far, only - album release. They have reached a measure of fame rather quickly, however! The group signed their first record deal while still juniors in college, have toured with acts that have been a part of recent Mixes (Secondhand Seranade, Switchfoot, 3 Doors Down, Kelly Clarkson and The Script), were a part of the 2008 Nivea New Year's Countdown (with the Jonas Brothers and Taylor Swift....which may or may not be viewed as a good thing!), released their album in May of 2009, got a contract with Nivea for the use of Parachute's songs in Nivea commercials, have been the musical act on many of the Late Night talk shows, members were featured on Episode 20 (June 15, 2009) episide of the "Live at Daryl's House" vidcast, and have performed with Train, Blue October and others at the 13th Annual Bite of Las Vegas Food Festival in the summer of 2009.

You'll notice that the music video uses a slightly different version of the song than what's available on the album. It was an interesting decision by the band to feature the different mix of the song for the video! I doubt such changes are done very often! It isn't a huge change, but - having listened to the song on the iPod a number of times before seeing (and hearing!) the video version - it is a noticeable one! Both versions of the song are good, in my opinion!

Being relatively new, there isn't a whole lot out there about the band. It's a nice storyline for them to have all been friends since childhood. The one non-native Charlottesville member - lead singer Will Anderson, who was born in California - moved to Charlottesville with his family when he was 11, and he now apparently views the Virginia city his hometown.

The band's website touts their willingness to "play for the radio" and have some appeal to the masses. There are some that would immediately label them as a "sellout" group because of this, but Anderson is quoted on the band's site as saying "why play if no one's there to listen?". The band recently completed a tour that took them to many points in Europe, and they are back in the states completing their Fall Tour 2010. The closest they come to our neck of the woods is their concert date at St. Louis on Veterans' Day (Nov 11). They don't even make it to any West Coast cities at all! Maybe they'll come this direction eventually. The band takes some pride in putting on a good live show, so it would be worth a trip to go see them, perhaps!

Song 6: Zero - Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs

Released March 9, 2009 on the album It's Blitz!

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmGNo8RL5kM&ob=av2e

Lyrics: On You Tube

The first of a few songs in this mix that have been a part of previous compilations! The last time we had the Yeah, Yeah, Yeah's on a mix it was about a year ago and they were in the running for a Grammy Award for the album that this song (as well as Heads Will Roll) comes from. As it turned out, the album that the song that came before theirs on that mix won that Grammy (Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix by Phoenix), so they didn't come home with the hardware this time around. No matter. The Yeah, Yeah, Yeah's already had a Grammy, for the song Maps, and the critical acclaim just keeps landing in their laps with SPIN magazine and NME both naming this song as the best track of 2009.

What I found most interesting about this song (other than it's catchiness!) is the number of ways that the lyrics could be interpreted. You can read some of them at the bottom of the lyrics link provided above. It's a prime example, I think, of how lyrics at first glance see to be so obviously telling a certain story until another perspective is applied and suddenly the flexibility of our language creates many possibilities! The interpretation I like is the one relating to the progression of being an unknown "nobody" to growth in self-confidence, but there are others that are intriguing as well. I did a little looking to find out what the band's thoughts were, but didn't see anything that jumped out to tell me what that was!

The band is from New York City, but the video for this song was shot at locales in San Francisco, including the "Cool Super Discount" grocery store, though shots from San Fran's famous Chinatown are also included. I liked the beginning, where singer Karen O looks like she's prepping to go out on stage for a performance, then goes through the curtain and out onto a San Francisco street. Sort of a play on the Shakespearean "All The World's a Stage" idea?

The end of Sept, 2010 marked the 10-year anniversary of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs first-ever show which was in a small club in New York City. The band apparently wound up playing an anniversary show in a small club (called Secret Market Project, I think) to commemorate their beginnings at a cost of $20 a ticket!

No news that I could find on the band's next album, though the band is currently not on tour leading me to guess that they are not only in New York (since they just did their anniversary concert) but perhaps back in the studio to work on the next release. Just a guess, though!

Song 5: Say You'll Haunt Me - Stone Sour

Released Sept 7, 2010 on the album Audio Secrecy

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEn-nTkbEM0

Lyrics: http://www.metrolyrics.com/say-youll-haunt-me-lyrics-stone-sour.html

Coming at you from Des Moines, Iowa is Stone Sour. The group is actually now in something of a reboot after originally coming together in 1992. The group broke apart for a bit (though never truly split) when two members, singer Corey Taylor and singer/guitarist Jim Root, joined Slipknot in 1997. Stone Sour reformed in 2002 and since then has produced four albums and acheived a couple of Grammy Award nominations in the area of Rock/Metal. This song comes from that most recent album, which is also the band's first studio album since original drummer Joel Ekman departed the group in 2006. I didn't see any specifics that indicated that Ekman's deprture caused any major problems for the band, but the fact that it took four years for the first studio effort to be produced after he left sure indicates that things weren't as smooth as they could have been! The other factor could also be the ongoing work that Root and Taylor have had with the nine-member group Slipknot during that time-frame. Slipknot itself- which also calls Des Moines its hometown - only recently has been inactive, and only because of a death in May 2010 of member and bassist Paul Gray that has left that group unsure of its future, though the rumor is that they are planning to begin a search for a new member and to have a new album out by 2012.

Of note is that the Audio Secrecy album is the first of Stone Sour's to not have a parental advisory label slapped on it. It's possible that the band is mellowing as its members get older - they fall in the 35-39 age group - or else they've just found other ways to get their song messages across! Stone Sour's sound is - predictably - often compared to that of Slipknot, though Stone Sour doesn't perform in the matching jumpsuits and individualized (and somewhat disturbing to some) masks that Slipknot has become known for. Another difference between the two is that Slipknot is usually much edgier than Stone Sour is in style. Think of Slipknot as comparable to early Metallica, with Stone Sour closer in their style to an early Def Leppard. Both are hard rock bands, but still so very different - which is somewhat amazing considering the two bands share a lead singer and a guitarist.

Say You'll Haunt Me is described by some as a "darkly sweet love song", and it has been called a song "about my wife and how I feel about my wife" by Taylor on the Noisecreep.com site. There were some posts that thought the song was meant as a tribute to the passing of Paul Gray, but the album and song were produced well in advance of that event.

And - after a one song fall off! - we are back to creative videos...the story it seems to tell doesn't seem to be a match (at least to me) with the song and the apparent meaning behind it, but it is interesting to watch! By the way, the car at the beginning of the video is a Hemi Cuda (short for the Plymouth Barracuda, more at Wikipedia here), one of the most sought after - and expensive - of the classic muscle cars.

Song 4: Dynamite - Taio Cruz

Released: October 2009 on the album Rokstarr



Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUjdiDeJ0xg&ob=av2e




Lyrics: http://www.directlyrics.com/taio-cruz-dynamite-lyrics.html




The song was officially released at the end of May 2010 - some seven months after the release of the album - and it soared into the top spot on the pop and R&B charts, making it one of the biggest of the summer hits (right up there with California Girls). My daughter probably said it best about this song when she said that it was "different, but fun to listen to". It's a song that is at once catchy, and conveys a sense of party-hard fun. I especially like the reference of "celebrating my life" - something that I think we all wish we could do more often!

Cruz comes across as something of a young pup at first glance, but he's already approaching his 30's and has been in the music business professionally since the age of 18. He initially became involved as a songwriter (winning a BRIT award at the age of 21), then producing. His first studio album was in 2008 (Departure), which actually followed the release of some singles over the course of a couple of years, all of which came out of his own studio based in his hometown of London. Rokstarr is his second full-length album, and the releases from that album have propelled him into international stardom.

About the only thing I don't like about the song is the video for it. Cruz is quoted in a Wikipedia article about his excitement for the video, referencing that it had a ton of props, and a lot of cool wrecked cars that were used in the shoot. Despite all that, I guess I found that I was disappointed in it. More on that below. But, meantime, here's my take on the video using lyrics set to the tune of the song:

This video made me throw my hands in the air somewhat,
Sayin' "What the...?"
Is this a joke or what?
I want a video that's fun to watch
But this one is lame-oh
No creativ-it-y - no!
'Cause it looks to me...
That there is no thought...like
"Let's make this easy...
Just have girls in tights!"
If I've seen it once,
Then I've seen it twice,
this vid-e-o
should be blown up with Dyn-O-Mite!

I think it's
lame, lame, lame, lame
That all they did was play the
game, game, game, game
And that's sad 'cause there could've been
fame, fame, fame, fame
If there had been a bit more use of
brain, brain, brain, brain

******

I probably came into this song's video with some expectations for something cool that depicted a guy "celebrating life" - with some snippets of the things he's celebrating like family, friends, acheivements - and then partying out at a club amongst those he's celebrating with, and instead I saw just another video with a bunch of girls, with no creativeness at all (partying in a junk yard? Really? Must have been the cheapest place to rent! Taio Cruz doesn't look like he's excited at all, and don't all the girls look...well...bored? You'd think they'd be at least more jumpy working around all those power tools and grinder sparks with no protective clothing!) I like girls in video as much as the next red-blooded dude, but this video isn't memorable at all. We've seen some interesting, weird, disturbing, reflective, and throwback videos, some of which with awful special effects, but they've all had some thoughtful and/or fun creativity to them. This one doesn't hold a candle to any of them. Rating: Gawd-Awful!

But I do like the song!

Song 3: To Lose My Life - White Lies

Released: January 2009 on the album To Lose My Life...


Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGEjz12YLiM

Lyrics: http://www.songlyrics.com/white-lies/to-lose-my-life-lyrics/

Among the sea of somewhat simplistic relationship songs comes this one. There are probably a few ways that it could be interpreted, but to me it's a song about what is an unpleasant reality: who dies first - you or those you care about? The wish in this song would be dying "at the same time", to prevent the pain of living without the ones you care about - so it's an unwelcome "choice": to lose your life or to lose your love. Along with that is another worry: once those you love pass away, will there truly be a time when they will be seen again? Sort of a "does the soul exist" question that strikes many of us that comes from the line in the song: "...and there's a part of me that still believes my soul will soar above the trees, but a desperate fear flows through my blood: a dead love's buried beneath the mud". My thought here is that the song is stating a hopefulness for the afterlife because it means that there will be the opportunity to be with those that were important to you once again, but at the same time there is concern that it won't turn out to be that way.

Whew! Hefty stuff for a catchy song! And - as one reviewer put it - a song that is "strangely sweet"!

The band itself has been together for just the past three years - forming in October of 2007. To Lose My Life... was the group's debut effort, and it was a hugely successful one. Despite a lukewarm critic response, the album went immediately to #1 on the British charts, and the song did the same thing - holding off attempts from Lady Gaga, The Script and Kings of Leon to unseat it. That was followed by a number of award nominations, appearances on Carson Daley's and David Letterman's late night talk shows, and tours where they provided support for Snow Patrol, Kings of Leon and Coldplay, and also headlined a number of short tour schedules. About the only bad thing that has happened to the group was a cancellation of some of their concert dates due to an illness that struck lead singer Harry McVeigh - but after he recovered, the concert tours continued and the cancelled ones were rescheduled.

They've become amzingly busy. So much so that the band wasn't able to work on new material until this year. Accordingto the Wikipedia article, the new album is completed and is scheduled for a mid-January, 2011 release, so apparently the group works quickly once they decide that it's time to get into the studio!


The band has been compared favorably to the 70's group, Joy Division. Interestingly, that group knows all about the complexity of emotions behind my interpretation of the song: in 1980, their lead singer and primary lyricist, Ian Curtis, died via suicide after suffering from a terrible bout of depression. This event took place just prior to the release of their first album. His friends and band members continued on after his death, but renamed themselves "New Order", who wound up becoming very successful, partly due to songs Ian had wrote before his death that the band used in later years.


Also interesting is that the band members of White Lies don't share the thought that they have a sound inspired by Joy Division, New Order or Interpol (another band that they get compared to). Their primary reason for the disagreement is that they weren't alive when those bands were at their peak, that their music is more uplifting and appealing, and that they favor a band called Secret Machines as being much more of an influence to their style.


I found that to be a somewhat ironic response - that a band who has a single called Death, and then has this song which references dying, would say they are "more uplifting" than anybody! But they do seem to be a good band, and I do like this song. It reminds me somewhat of Billy Idol's White Wedding in its sound as well as its darker undertones.


The other songs I've listened to are also catchy, have a danceable style, are a tad dark, and seem to be equally thought-provoking.


Other songs: Farewell To The Fairground, Unfinished Business

Song 2 - No You Girls - Franz Ferdinand

Released: January 2009 on the album Tonight: Franz Ferdinand

Video: On YouTube

Lyrics: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/franzferdinand/noyougirls.html

Franz Ferdinand has actually been around for a little while, getting started in Scotland in 2002. FF is also the opposite of Grande, in a sense. Where "Grande" sounds like the name of a group, but is really an individual, "Franz Ferdinand" sounds like the name of an individual, but is actually a group (sorta like "Lynard Skynard", I guess!). More on the name in just a moment!

The band is four-member group (a drummer, and three guitarists...though the drummer can play guitar as well) and they hit their stride in 2004 when their self-titled album was named the best in Britain, and they won the Mercury Music Prize (more on that at Wikipedia is here). The following year they also snared two BRIT Awards for being the best British group and the best British rock act. Since that time, they've produced two more albums (with another presently in production), had a number of songs reach Top-40 status in Britain, and are starting to find success in the US and other locales, such as Japan. They haven't pulled out a Grammy Award win as of yet, but have been nominated for several.

To me - particularly this song - they invoke a sound somewhat like a fusion between Talking Heads and Loverboy. Sort of a punk rock meets arena rock connection, but with a dash of reggae thrown in. The song itself is from FF's most recent album, which is decribed as a concept album based on the idea of "partying all night and dealing with the affects afterward". That concept probably explains why the lyrics of this song could easily have been part of a conversation between two people arguing (discussing?!) guy/girl relationships after having a few! The band also described the album as something of a more thought-out effort than the one that had preceded it. That can be seen by the fact that this album had been worked on for about two years before it was released. Maybe not quite to the "standards" for cerebralness that bands like Boston have set, but in the "Crank-em-out-before-someone-else-gets-popular-to-milk-this-act-for-all-its-worth" thinkset that sometimes seems to pervade any music industry, regardless of the continent they're on, two years is a long time!

Now, on to the name. If anyone in the family is presently studying WW I, or is a WW I history buff, they'll probably recognize the band's name as belonging to Austria's Archduke who's assasination was the catalyst that ignited the First World War. The band first gave consideration for the name after watching a racehorse named Archduke Ferdinand. The band has said that if the name is taken with a deep intellectual viewpoint, one could say that, like the Archduke, the band could be a point of major change in music and the world. But, they are quick to mention that the meaning of the name shouldn't really be taken all that deeply. They really just liked the way the name sounded!

Oh, and the album cover. This will be like a Photography Class flashback, so be ready: It's part of a series of "crime scene" photos that the band has done when they visit a city. It's done in the style of Arthur Fellig, who became famous for his crime scene photography in the 20's and 30's in New York City, and also famous for how quickly he got to such scenes, which led to his nickname, "Weegee" (more on him at Wikipedia, here). The photo on the album cover is from an alley in Glascow, Scotland sometime after midnight. I was hoping to track down other photos in the series - which are described as activities in the night being happened upon bya photographer like Weegee - but had no luck. Did run across a good interview article here however!

Other songs by the band that you might like (with links to available video): Take Me Out, Can't Stop Feeling, Ulysses

Song 1 - Paisley Park - Grande

Released as a single on iTunes - May 2009

Video: Not found

Lyrics: Not found for this version (see note below)


Well, the first surprise of the process came right away: When doing a search on YouTube in an attempt to discover if a video existed for Grande's cover of Prince's mid-80's song (which, by the way, hit the radio airwaves just as the class of 1985 was wrapping up it's final year of HS) I got no mention of Grande, and instead wound up with a number of references to Carmen Electra stripping videos! Apparently, Ms. Electra had a connection to Prince's Paisley Park studios in Chan with a number of visits and I guess that's why YouTube decided my search for "Paisley Park Grande" should bring her up! So...um...I guess there isn't a video version of the song!


It was a little more difficult to find information about Grande as compared to most acts that I've dug up info on, and much of what I did find was in Norwegian, but eventually I was able to find out that "Grande" isn't a group. "Grande" is a guy! From Oslo, Norway, Kjetil Grande is the face on the album cover for his single release of the Prince song. He's more than just a face, however. I had never heard of him, but Norway certainly has. According to Grande's MySpace page (www.myspace.com/kjetilgrande), Grande has already won a Norway Grammy, and his recent album release (April 2010's You Are The Night) is a critcal and popular smash in that country.


From what I understand, Grande's version of Paisley Park was done as part of a huge compilation of Prince tribute songs that were performed by a number of Norway artists and then placed onto a 5 CD tribute pack! A link was provided on Grande's MySpace page that takes a visitor to a page where an order could be placed, but the page was - yes - all in Norwegian! No surprise, really, but I didn't want to take the time to translate! I imagine that Prince must be OK with the endeavor. It was put together two years ago, and the Purple One himself has usually been quite aggressive about going after anything that he would deem as "inappropriate". If Prince hadn't given the project his blessing, I doubt the ordering page would still be an active site!

It will be interesting if Grande can make some waves in America. In the meantime, this is a great rendition of Paisley Park. It's actually a bit up-tempo from the original, which I think is a nice touch. Other than that, and the addition of the electronic sounds meshed into Prince's groove funk along with the tape-player button clicks to start and end the song - almost as if you were listening to a cassette version of it on one of those old Panasonic recorders! - it's very true to the original.


Lyrics for Paisley Park (I couldn't find the lyrics for Grande's version of the song. These are Prince's lyrics. Grande's version is close but not exactly the same.)

Other songs: We Did It All