Forgotten Songs of the 21st Century: Interpol

Forgotten Songs of the 21st Century: Interpol

Once Interpol came out in 2002, they were heralded as one of the best indie bands of the decade, right up there with The Arcade Fire and The Strokes. But unlike the other bands, Interpol tends to be overlooked in terms of songwriting ability. Why this has happened is unknown but some songs need to be rediscovered because they’re so enchanting, they tend to pull the listener in no matter what mood they’re in. The biggest example of this is 2004’s “Evil.”

The second single from Antics, the song kicks off with Carlos D.’s hypnotically cryptic bass line that leads to Paul Banks’ almost Ian Curtis-like voice that gives the song such a rich power. The song’s lyrics at first may have seemed a bit difficult to crack but that was usually the case with most Interpol songs but looking back the song is easy to crack. The song’s meaning is about a guy who’s been left behind by a girl and is looking back at what happened.

The song had a really strong and weird video about a puppet that’s involved in a car wreck but that didn’t help the song score more airplay, which is a shame because the song is amazingly cool and different but as Interpol release a new album and say farewell to Carlos D., it’s probably time that people start looking back at the band’s entire career and “Evil” in particular and check out how dynamic and different the band have always been.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_OcR0fbf6g

Forgotten Songs of the '90s: Urban Dance Squad

Forgotten Songs of the ‘90s: Urban Dance Squad

When this motley crew of rappers and rockers came out of Amsterdam, of all places, in 1990, no one really expected much. But then all of a sudden, they broke through on American radio with the cheery, very poppy “Deeper Shade of Soul,” one of the greatest ‘rap-rock’ songs of all time, even though it doesn’t fit with the rest of the genre.

Built around a sample of a song by sixties Latin bandleader Ray Baretto, the band constructed a really bright song tailor made for the summer. Excellent musicianship from the whole band start the song off with a bang and a killer groove. Rapper/frontman Rudeboy doesn’t really rap so much as sing here but that’s exactly what the song needs. Pretty much unheard at the time, the combination of pop guitar, sampled horns, DJ scratches, light drumming and a euphoric chorus melded together to create one of the most ubitiquous songs of the pre-grunge era.

While the band are known in the U.S. as a ‘one hit wonder,’ overseas they’re still huge and are probably one of the only groups from Amsterdam to be a hit stateside. Nowadays, the band is finally starting to get their due in America and it’s about time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5PNYNQqnvk

Forgotten Songs of the '80s: OMD

Forgotten Songs of the ‘80s: OMD

OMD, short for Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark are probably best known for their light pop anthem “If You Leave,” which was featured in “Pretty in Pink” or one of those eighties teen films. But before that song became a top ten hit in America, they were a gritty post-punk English new wave band and released one of the greatest songs of that era, “Enola Gay.”

Starting off with an instantly recognizable keyboard intro, the song then goes into high gear when frontman Andy McCluskey’s deep tenor starts floating all over the melody in a brilliant blending of music and vocals. Named after the WWII bomb, the song talks about the bomb in a very chilling and damning way. The song’s bouncy rhythm helps keep the mood up while bringing it down at the same time but again, that’s what most new wave songs of the era did. What makes this one so unique is how fresh and cool the song still sounds, almost thirty years after it was recorded. Try finding another ten songs from the same era that still sound the same way; can’t do it can ya?

OMD still continues to this day with the vintage eighties lineup reunited so the song is still played live and as a result, people will remember how great the song is and pass the song’s legacy down through the generations.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZ_X43zcXcU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szIx2hOiVWs (Enola Gay Live)

Top 20 Favorite Films and Top 10 Favorite Bands

These lists have been in the works for some time and now is the time to unveil them to the world. I was going to post this as a note on Facebook, but the site is a piece of shit so that didn't happen. Anyways, to those who have never seen or heard of these films, after reading this list, I suggest you go online and read and then start watching and afterwards, go download some music. I doubt you will be disappointed.

TOP 20 FAVORITE FILMS

20. Lifeboat
19. Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
18. Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
17. White Heat
16. Dumb & Dumber
15. Hype!
14. Groundhog Day
13. Hot Shots!
12. Laura
11. Toy Story
10. That Thing You Do!
09. Back to the Future Part II
08. Blazing Saddles
07. Grosse Pointe Blank
06. Tropic Thunder
05. Fear of a Black Hat
04. It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
03. Quiz Show
02. Coming to America
01. A Face in the Crowd


TOP 10 FAVORITE BANDS

10. Suicidal Tendencies
09. Red Hot Chili Peppers
08. Nirvana
07. Fishbone
06. Anthrax
05. Primus
04. Foo Fighters
03. The Dead Milkmen
02. Pearl Jam
01. Faith No More

Thank you for your time.

Forgotten Album of the Month: WAX

Forgotten Album of the Month: Wax

Wax were one of the most underrated punk bands of the nineties. Even though they really only became known after signing to Interscope in the wake of Green Day’s success and had one hit that still lingers to this day in “California,” they ended up releasing one of the best post-punk records of the decade: 13 Unlucky Numbers.

Kicking off with the fiery blast of “Who is Next,” frontman Joe Sib, guitarist Soda, bassist Birdie Cutlass and drummer Loomis play no-frills, fast as shit punk with tons of attitude, really catchy choruses and hook-ridden music. Songs like “In Spite of Me” and “Stop Sign” are pretty much one in the same except for the use of horns, which are buried in the mix, but it doesn’t matter because they’re still great songs. The hit, “California,” which is best known for the video which features slow-motion footage of a man running down the street on fire, is still good but is one of the more lackluster tracks on the record, just because it seems like it was made for the radio where the rest of the record isn’t.

Then out of leftfield comes two gigantic shockers; the first song “Jiffy Boy,” is totally acoustic, less than two minutes long and completely spacey but it’s just a warm-up for the final song. “Knot” is totally acoustic, sung and played by Loomis is one of the trippiest things ever on CD. The song’s meaning is obscured by the song’s strangeness. Needless to say, the album is completely amazing and deserves to be remembered by more than ‘90s punk kids.

The band broke up amidst infighting in 1996 and reunited to play some shows in 2009. They each moved on to different musical projects and Joe Sib is one of the co-founders of Side 1 Dummy Records while Loomis appeared for a time on “Jackass.” But the band’s legacy will live on and the record will continue to be found by people who will then spread it on. BTW: The 13 in the title is a joke; the last three songs are six seconds of silence, which makes the album’s running time at 21 minutes, one of the shortest ‘full-length’ records of all time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPT7q825gwI (California)
http://www.singingfool.com/Title.aspx?publishedid=242738 (Who is Next?)