Way Back Wednesday: Huey Lewis & the News

The first thing you think of when you think Huey Lewis is probably, well, The News, but you also probably think of their smash hits "I Want a New Drug" or "The Power of Love" (the theme from Back to the Future). Those are some hot tracks, but my favorite Huey Lewis & the News song is "Do You Believe in Love?"  I was oddly obsessed with this song for many years, and I don't know why.  It's not a favorite song.  If anyone were to ask my favorite 80's song or to list 100 songs, this one wouldn't even come up on my radar.  But, it was a song that was stuck in my head for most of my college years and beyond.  It's a super catchy song and it's a happy song.  It was my "shower" song, my cleaning song, my "annoy my roommates" song.  It was the song I would sing when I was walking.  Down a one way street.  JUST LIKE THE SONG.

"I was walking
Down a one way street
Just a lookin
For someone to meet
One woman
Who was lookin for a maaaan."

Besides insinuating that I'm a prostitute, I do still love this song and may need to add it back into my repertoire.  I must admit that Huey Lewis is still hot.  Yeah, I said it.  Judge all you want, but I'd hit it. 

Maybe I really DO believe in love.


Call me, Huey.

New Single: Mastodon

Metaaaaal!  \m/ 

Mastodon is releasing their new album coming out on September 27th called The Hunter.  "Curl of the Burl" is a track from that record and if it's any indication of what's to come, it's gonna be huge.  Mastodon has some pretty cool shit planned for this record.  They are releasing it in several different configurations for fans, with limited edition copies and one that is going to use augmented reality.  Fans can put their face on the sculpture featured on the cover in 3D.  I love when bands think outside the box and try to give fans something cool to go along with the record!  It means they care; they really care.

New Music: Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks

Despite having been crushing on Stephen Malkmus since the early 90's when he was the frontman for my most favorite band Pavement, I never really got into his solo work.  I wrote about this before, but it begs mentioning again.  When the Pavement reunion happened last year, my passion for all things Malkmus was reinvigorated and just in time too.  He's got a new record out with his band the Jicks, and this time it's produced by Beck, who I also love. 

Mirror Traffic is a really good record.  It's got all the signature Malkmus poetic tricks mixed with Beck's twangy almost country production.  It's pretty apparent on a song like "No One Is (As I Are Be)" which has a very dizzy 60's ish melodic twangy thing going on.  Same with "Long Hard Book" where the Sweethearts of the Rodeo influence and Beck's latest mellowness really come through.  "All Over Gently" and "Fall Away" feel like Sea Change meets older Jicks tracks.  In a good way, of course. 

I'm sure that Malkmus hates it, but people are always going to compare his music to that of Pavement's.  While I think that there are songs on here that are very Pavement-esque ("Senator" and "Spazz"), this isn't why I love this record.  It's surprises like "Asking Price" that really get me; when he wails "the distortion is way too clear" I just melt inside.  Then there's "Share The Red" which gets me all emo.  I mean, come on...with lyrics like this:

"Have you no ear?
Have you no eyes?
You've got no idea of how to survive
Have you no tears?
Have you no heart?
You've got no idea what set you apart"

It seems like Malkmus has really grown up.  I feel like there is a certain cognizance of getting married, having a family and getting older in a lot of these songs.  In fact, his kids are even in the video for "No One Is (As I Are Be)."  (Cute!)  There are still bangers like "Tune Grief" and "Forever 28," which is a great example of a song about being young and getting old.  While I'm not driving a mini-van yet, I can still relate to the tone of the record and appreciate that he's allowed this part of his life come through.  I always pictured him being just too damn cool to give a shit, so it's nice to know that he does.  He even touches on the daily grind in "Gorgeous Georgie," which closes out the record leaving you wanting more and glad that there's a repeat button.  I have to admit that I loved almost every song on the record (just being honest), and am happy to welcome Mr. Malkmus and his Jicks back to my life.

Way Back Wednesday: Ashford & Simpson

Rest In Peace Nick Ashford.

Nick Ashford, the Ashford of Ashford & Simpson, passed away this week of throat cancer.  Very sad.  Ashford & Simpson is the married duo consisting of Nick and his wife Valerie Simpson.  I knew them mostly from their R&B hit "Solid" in the 80's and only just found out that they wrote some of my favorite Motown hits:  "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" for Diana Ross and "You're All I Need to Get By" for Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell.  They also wrote songs for Chaka Khan and Ray Charles.  Pretty impressive.  But what's more impressive is their sweet-ass 80's video for "Solid."  I am loving the Jheri curl and the hot ass leather pants. I also love that the gang of ruffians in the park turn out to just be a rag tag group of sashayers and backup musicians.  Don't we wish that all rainy days in Central Park ended like this?

New Single: Cinema Twin

I've been a fan of Zollie Maynard, one half of The Cinema Twin, since high school.  To be fair, we went to high school in the same town and he had a really great band that played all over.  After high school, he and the band moved to Atlanta where they were known as the Sightseers and signed to Brendan O'Brien's Shotput record label.  The band recorded a few records and then broke up.  Zollie moved to New York, got his degree and landed in Brooklyn.  That was where he reconnected with Jason Chimonides, an acquaintance from home, and The Cinema Twin was born.  When they released their first single "Red Gtr." it caught the ear of Robin Guthrie from the Cocteau Twins (ahem, one of my favorite bands of all time) and Robin liked what he heard so much that he started working with the band.  What resulted is an intricately layered melodic and sweet song that makes me feel happy and warm inside.  The three song single Red Gtr. is available via iTunes and features "Red Gtr.," "Sun Doesn't Know" and "Red Gtr. (Robin Guthrie version)."  Get it now!

The Cinema Twin (Jason and Zollie)

New Music: Cut Off Your Hands

It's hard for me to think of an album that continues to make me smile as much as Cut Off Your Hands 2008 debut You And I.  It is a magical piece of Wall of Sound goodness that is fun and poppy, and still one of my favorite records.  After three long years, I was so excited to hear that the band was finally releasing a new record.  From what I knew, the band had a bit of a rough go of it lately.  They had several line-up changes, had to scrap a version of the record and their drummer lost his hearing.  Uh, that’s pretty shit if you ask me.  So, I can imagine that it probably wasn’t easy to create something as happy peppy as You And I after all that.  Thankfully the band persevered and created a really good sophomore record.  Hollow shows the band progressing into something deeper than its poppier counterpart.  If You And I was an homage to the pop songs of the 60’s, then Hollow is an homage to the dustier rock songs of the 60’s.  Don’t worry, the record’s not all freedom rock, man; it’s more Echo & the Bunnymen meets Ocean Blue meets The Byrds…and it’s awesome.

At its core, Hollow is melancholic and full of raw emotion.  The juxtaposition of pop left over from the first record and the darkness of the new record creates wonderful musical tension.  You can still feel the pop undertone on songs like “Hollowed Out” and “All It Takes,” while the aptly titled “Fooling No One” is a full-on pop assault, proving that it’s not all dark days for these boys.  The best example of this is “Down and Out” which is my favorite song on the record right now.  I definitely like the darker, and somewhat softer, side of Cut Off Your Hands.  “Nausea” is full of sexy pleasantries with singer Nick Johnston giving his best Ian McCulloch.  And then there’s the very sweet love letter in “By Your Side” and the very lush “Oh Hell” which both channel The Byrds. 

Cut Off Your Hands know how to write great songs and are one of my favorite bands that haven’t seen (but deserve) huge success.  As they continue to evolve and mature into something even more great, I can only imagine that this will soon change!

Way Back Wednesday: The Go-Go's

When I was growing up, I was OBSESSED with The Go-Go's.  From the first time I heard "Our Lips Are Sealed" and won the album from D-103 (the radio station), I was hooked.  I was so excited when, in seventh grade, my friend Sharla's mom hooked us up with a chaperone to go see the Go-Go's live in concert.  It was probably one of the most exciting things to happen to me.  I remember buying a concert t-shirt. It was jersey style and it went down to my ankles, it was so big (and I was so small).  Cut to:  1986.  That same shirt now fit perfectly (either it shrunk or I had a massive growth spurt) and Talk Show was out and it was the JAM.  I was turning sixteen and about to get my drivers license.  My friends threw me a surprise birthday party at our friend Kyan's house and we were all doing "air" performances of "Head Over Heels" in his living room.  We took turns at who would be Belinda, and swapped the instrumentals.  I think we fought over the who would do the keyboard on this song (better than air guitar on this one).  We probably had one Busch beer and were "wasted."  I mean, we were 16. 

Tonight, I'm going with my BFF Michele to see The Go-Go's at The Greek.  Not only was she at the 16th birthday party, but she organized it.  First of all, I think it's so awesome that twenty-five years later we are still friends and are going to see the Go-Go's, but I also can't wait to be transported back to the old days and hear all my old favorite songs (I can't remember shit anymore, but I still remember the all words to their songs).  I wish I could say that things were much simpler back then, but it was high school and, as I'm sure you can imagine, there was a lot of trivial drama.  At least now we're old enough to buy our own booze!