15. Vampire Weekend, Contra--While my esteemed contemporary at Berkeley Place felt much differently, i thought this was a nice, light hearted pop affair that holds up after multiple listens. If nothing else, it shows how to use Autotune correctly.
i'll be the first to admit, i was less than impressed with Liz Phair's two previous outings, Somebody's Miracle and Liz Phair. Sure, they each had a track or two worth listening to, but truth be told, they weren't stellar. During the most recent phase of her career, Phair seemed to go out of her way to court an audience that wasn't interested. Worse yet, it looked like she was spiting the fan base she did have to assumedly capture a bigger slice of the marketing pie. Then, when it seemed she couldn't piss off her core any further, she does a complete and total about face and drops what has been kindly described as a career killer. i'm here to say, fuck all y'all haters. Funstyle not only isn't that bad, it's actually got a couple of "return to form" moments, too.
"Smoke" kicks things off, a tongue-in-cheek knock against her former label, essentially an imagined dialogue with her various detractors. The chorus, however, with its bluesy piano, actually is pretty damn good, reminiscent of "Baby Got Going" to my ears. "Bollywood" is the track you may have heard already, a goofy rap that further decries the industry. At this point, the album seems a bit too self-aware (if this is the album that cost Phair her career, why do all the songs talk about her fall?); i have to imagine the opening tracks were written after the fact, but still. Fortunately, silly or not, they ain't bad. The album then takes a turn towards the sincere with "You Should Know Me" and "Miss September," a nice touch. "My My" comes as close to R&B style funk as i believe Liz has ever come, and quite frankly, she holds her own admirably. Maybe it's the horns and the backing singers, but i dig the sound. "Oh Bangladesh" skews closer to the sound i've come to expect from the Illinois native, and "Bang Bang" might be the best damn song she's performed in years--it's earnest, it's simple and it's good, 'nuff said. "Beat Is Up" is another one of the silly numbers, making liberal use of a guru extolling the virtues of letting go of one's past mistakes sprinkled between Phair pushing a pumping chorus and one of the best Chicago accents since Bill Swerkski's Super Fans and Da Bears. "And He Slayed Her" is a good mid-tempo number, in the same category as the album's middle tracks. "Satisfied," interestingly enough, is the only track here i didn't particularly find satisfying. "U Hate It"closes the kimono by further shitting on the industry, imagining that the album was a success and that the heads in charge of the industry are just idiots.
While i'm not arguing with the latter, it's doubtful the former will come true. This is unfortunate, because there's a lot to like here. We'll see whether or not Ms. Liz ever returns to her former glory days, but i can say this certainly is closer than she's been in quite some time. Now, i have a theory that no Liz Phair album can succeed without one totally raunchy track ("Flowers," "Chopsticks," etc.), so hopefully we can get back to that on the next one. For the time being, though, i'm pretty content.
i'm getting ready to call 2010 the Year of Porny Indie Music. Between covers like this to an ever increasing crop of nekkid music videos, seems like today's musician is all about the boobies. And i ain't mad atcha for that.
I could probably do an entire post just on what the Flaming Lips have been doing for their last few videos, but today, we'll just focus on their latest. Sure, the tingly bits are blurred, but i think we all get the idea. As if the giant vagina ball in the beginning wasn't going to tip you off in the first place.
Proving that our Spanish brethren are every bit as weird as their US counterparts, i bring to you the latest from El Guincho's Pop Negro. Entitled "Bombay," this one more than gives the Lips a run for their money. More weirdness AND more boobies!
While this next one has bathing suit clad girls in swimming pools, i'm afraid you're going to have to dial back your nudie expectations for the latest from (The) Tony Castles. Of course, this arguably is the strongest groover of the bunch, so i suppose you'll survive.
Not to harsh your buzz, but here's another non-nekkid video, yet it still speaks to the Gen Xer in me. It's an homage to some of the greatest video games of the '80s, so you know we've got a winner here. When you start off with a nod to "Elevator Action," well, i'm hooked.
Admittedly, this last one has nothing to do with music videos, nor is it particularly adult-ish beyond the very odd boob infatuation, but, damnation, i lurvs me some Japanese TV, and the Ancient Dogoo Girl might just be my new fave character on the tube, now that i think about it. i can only hope that when i eventually have kids, they'll be treated to such fare as this.
Every now and again, i got nothing. The LET inbox doesn't have anything that particularly interests me right this second and/or i've got stuff to listen to that i haven't yet and/or i'm too medicated/not medicated enough to come up with anything with which to blow wind up your proverbial and collective skirts. That's right, Jimmy, you're getting a cheese wit' nuttin' today.
So here's the Greatest Nothing Mix You Ever Will Hear. It's bellisimo, magnifique and bonne all in one.
Ready for some more? The build-up is orgasmic, isn't it?
