I tried bragiole for the first time last night, and I liked it.
Ripping a page from jocko’s playbook, here’s a quick snippet of what’s rocking the iPod lately…
When Fischerspooner hit the scene in those long gone halcyon days of 2002, I always complained that I liked the idea and image of these art-electro popstars more than the actual song execution. What does it mean when you watch the band’s free bonus DVD more than you listen to the actual CD? It means the songs were a meandering mess. That’s been addressed with their new album, “Odyssey”, which is packed with almost bubble-gummy hooks. Having said this, lead-off single “Just Let Go” was nothing more than an “Emerge” retread, probably to keep from scaring off too many of the old fans. However, this has been corrected as the cool as fuck KC & the Sunshine Band meets Kraftwerk funk of “Never Win” has been tapped as the next single. I mean, they got Linda Perry to co-write with them, for God’s sake. Boys want a hit. While Fischerspooner purists (are there even such creatures?) may blanche at the idea, you sort of have to respect the crassness of it all. Call it their Bowie “Let’s Dance” phase.
I’ll admit I first heard the Chilean rock group La Ley while watching “Caliente” (or as I call it, “Mexican Bandstand”) on Telemundo just to see shirtless latin guys dancing. Yeah, I said it. No shame in my game. Anyhoo, it never ceases to amaze me the number of American friends I have who absolutely refuse to give anything not sung in English a chance. I’ve played La Ley for people who groove on the first 30 seconds or so, but once the Spanish kicks in, their faces contort and they nearly howl “EWWW, turn this off!” Projection, perhaps? In any case, La Ley are quite adept at songcraft, and have the enviable ability to make new songs seem instantly familiar. When I heard “Eternidad” back in 2000, I thought its cute Duran Duran-isms were a little dated…four years later, your Braverys and Killers mine the same sounds – La Ley got there first. The band really shines on their “MTV Unplugged” set, especially on songs like “Mentira” and “Intenta Amar”. Don’t let the language scare you, this is good stuff.
Not enough people love Ivy. That needs to change, now. Yeah, it’s the guy from Fountains of Wayne. Yeah, the songs are lovely, atmospheric grooves. But Ivy’s not-so-secret weapon is Parisian Dominique Durand’s halting accented voice. “I’ve Got You Memorized” is sort of like Milky’s “Just the Way You Are” mixed with Electronic’s “Get the Message”. I love the tape wind-down effect during the guitar solo. ::shiver::
When Fischerspooner hit the scene in those long gone halcyon days of 2002, I always complained that I liked the idea and image of these art-electro popstars more than the actual song execution. What does it mean when you watch the band’s free bonus DVD more than you listen to the actual CD? It means the songs were a meandering mess. That’s been addressed with their new album, “Odyssey”, which is packed with almost bubble-gummy hooks. Having said this, lead-off single “Just Let Go” was nothing more than an “Emerge” retread, probably to keep from scaring off too many of the old fans. However, this has been corrected as the cool as fuck KC & the Sunshine Band meets Kraftwerk funk of “Never Win” has been tapped as the next single. I mean, they got Linda Perry to co-write with them, for God’s sake. Boys want a hit. While Fischerspooner purists (are there even such creatures?) may blanche at the idea, you sort of have to respect the crassness of it all. Call it their Bowie “Let’s Dance” phase.
I’ll admit I first heard the Chilean rock group La Ley while watching “Caliente” (or as I call it, “Mexican Bandstand”) on Telemundo just to see shirtless latin guys dancing. Yeah, I said it. No shame in my game. Anyhoo, it never ceases to amaze me the number of American friends I have who absolutely refuse to give anything not sung in English a chance. I’ve played La Ley for people who groove on the first 30 seconds or so, but once the Spanish kicks in, their faces contort and they nearly howl “EWWW, turn this off!” Projection, perhaps? In any case, La Ley are quite adept at songcraft, and have the enviable ability to make new songs seem instantly familiar. When I heard “Eternidad” back in 2000, I thought its cute Duran Duran-isms were a little dated…four years later, your Braverys and Killers mine the same sounds – La Ley got there first. The band really shines on their “MTV Unplugged” set, especially on songs like “Mentira” and “Intenta Amar”. Don’t let the language scare you, this is good stuff.
Not enough people love Ivy. That needs to change, now. Yeah, it’s the guy from Fountains of Wayne. Yeah, the songs are lovely, atmospheric grooves. But Ivy’s not-so-secret weapon is Parisian Dominique Durand’s halting accented voice. “I’ve Got You Memorized” is sort of like Milky’s “Just the Way You Are” mixed with Electronic’s “Get the Message”. I love the tape wind-down effect during the guitar solo. ::shiver::
