Countdown: Random Places Immortalized in Music, #4

As a refresher, this is a bit of a geography lesson, looking at oddball places that musicians have chosen to sing about, or at least include in their lyrics. And next on the list, number four, is...

China Grove, Texas

"The people of the town are strange and they're proud of where they came. Well, you're talkin' `bout China Grove. Woah, China Grove"

Randor's Song of the Week: 03.04.12

"I Made My Excuses and Left" by the Pet Shop Boys from the album Fundamental. 2006.
    I kinda always figured one day the Pet Shop Boys would get a feature. Not because of any favoritism, but rather their... unique blandness. How can they make the bland unique? Well, the way I see it, Mr. Lead Singer fronts the charge from his microphone easy-chair. He doesn't quite sing so much as talk in drawn out tones. And I don't mean that sing-talking/rapping dealio some pop artists like to call upon. No, he just tries to match the subdued, almost lazy feel of the track around him. I can't think of any edge-of-your-seat or edgy songs by the group, and even the hardest-hitting one that comes to mind kind of drones through the vocals. It's like a salt-free saltine cracker. Perhaps you can dip it into a soup or something, but you just have to chew through it.
    I do love my saltines though...

Randor's Song of the Week: 02.26.12

"Queen of the Lot" by the Spring Standards from the album Would Things Be Different. 2010.
    Okay, not much info or backstory on this one, folks. Band or song. Alls I can says is that these guys play for the sake of music. You can just hear it in the recording, perhaps not as heavily in this song as others like "The Hush". But still, you can tell these guys enjoy creating songs and playing their instruments. Even the music videos have this light-hearted aura, but clearly show the signs of extra effort. Plus, by comparing the two songs, you can see the group doesn't mind genre-jumping.

Randor's Song of the Week: 02.19.12

"Seven Little Girls Sitting in the Back Seat" by Paul Evans and the Curls from the album Seven Little Girls Sitting in the Back Seat / Worshipping an Idol. 1959.
    The ultimate song of cuckoldry. Not exactly the most desirable claim to fame. Perhaps most surprising is that a song from the 50s earns the title. I don't think any song recorded since comes close to the level of humiliation and emasculation described, though "Venus in Furs" (by the Velvet Underground, chump!) comes close with its springboard off the book (which would certainly win out the competition, if only 'twas in song form). Some would say I've gone too far with the claim, what with the tune's sugary sweet sound feigning some sort of innocence. Don't be fooled, I reply! The Velvet Underground may ace the proper ambiance, but I say Paul Evans went too far when he put not one- not two- but SEVEN little girls in the backseat, kissing and a-huggin' with Fred. Ignoring the 'little' descriptor for you literalists, keep in mind that minivans (not yet a family standard in the song's era) evoke the seven-passenger image-- with one up front! So basically, our sad narrator chauffeurs an orgy around the town in a wheeled sardine-can with every feeble attempt to quit or join rebuffed by the girls themselves. Not even Jon Arbuckle puts up with that kinda embarrassment!

Randor's Song of the Week: 02.12.12

"Harmour Love" by Syreeta from the album One to One. 1977.
    it's up it's up it's up!!

Countdown: Random Places Immortalized in Music, #5

As a refresher, this is a bit of a geography lesson, looking at oddball places that musicians have chosen to sing about, or at least include in their lyrics. And next on the list, number six, is...

Seneca Township, Ohio

"The farms of Ohio had been replaced by shopping malls, and Muzak filled the air from Seneca to Cuyahoga Falls."

Randor's Song of the Week: 02.05.12

"Planet Texas" by Kenny Rogers from the album Something Inside So Strong. 1989.
    Speaking of corny country music... Who hasn't made fun of "The Gambler"? The Mr. Rogers of Country has a Wisconsin-sized slough of cheese-laced hits though, and I'd sooner pick something like "Lucille" or "Coward of the County" to knock on. Heck, even the Dolly Parton duet "Islands in the Stream" floats atop the fondue flood, and only the semi-tribute "Ghetto Supatar" could hope to match Witz crackers and cheese with it. ...That is, until you hear "Planet Texas", which takes the cheesecake. I don't think you can even technically call this a country song! Ignore the creepy headshot album cover, and imagine all the maize produced in the U.S. Midwest. Now squish it all into the world's largest cornball. If you've never traversed the corn-producing states, I can assure you: that would be one massive ball of corn. It's only fitting, though, for if the Moon is made of cheese, Planet Texas must be made of corn.

Countdown: Random Places Immortalized in Music, #6

As a refresher, this is a bit of a geography lesson, looking at oddball places that musicians have chosen to sing about, or at least include in their lyrics. And next on the list, number six, is...

Avalon, California

"In a noisy bar in Avalon I tried to call you, but on the midnight watch I realized why twice you ran away"

Randor's Song of the Week: 01.29.12

"Kick My Ass" by Big and Rich from the album Horse of a Different Color. 2004.
    Country music itself gets to sparking two camps of thought: the haters and the revelers. Wind the topic down to that certain inspired typecast, and the battle intensifies. You know which exact typecast I mean. The kind of country song that would be called an internet troll if magically personified into a forum. The artist seems to purposely pull out all the cheesy tricks of the "backwoods" style to either satire him/herself and the standards, fulfill the diehards' fantasy, or send the nonbelievers running (usually with flaming pitchforks). A few examples that everyone seems to know and make fun of, lovingly or otherwise, include "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk", "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy", and "All My Ex's Live in Texas". And of course who could forget "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy" by the featured Big and Rich? (Let's not get into that terrible music video's parade master, the county rap- or rather, uh.. "hick-hop" disciple Cowboy Troy, okay?) The way I see it: these songs are fun, so long as they they don't take themselves seriously. Just jokey sing-alongs lacking depth. Songs for the sake of songs. Not every tune in the music collection has to have personal meaning, or inspire internal dialogues on the human condition. Which is why you shouldn't kick my ass for picking "Kick My Ass" this week (har-dee-har-dee-har).

Randor's Song of the Week: 01.22.12

"Archaeologists" by Wintersleep from the album Welcome to the Night Sky. 2007.
    So far, everything I've heard from Wintersleep sounds very good. In fact, their probable most known tune, "Weighty Ghost", is my least favorite so far (though still in the "good" category!). I've only got a handful loaded in the rPod, but some quick sonic exploring tells me their presence will expand come next music dump.

Countdown: Random Places Immortalized in Music, #7

As a refresher, this is a bit of a geography lesson, looking at oddball places that musicians have chosen to sing about, or at least include in their lyrics. And next on the list, number seven, is...

Khyber Pass

"From Mozambique to those Memphis nights, the Khyber Pass to Vancouver's lights"

"No excuse to be so callous, dress yourself in bleeding madras, charm your way across the Khyber Pass"

Countdown: Random Places Immortalized in Music, #8

As a refresher, this is a bit of a geography lesson, looking at oddball places that musicians have chosen to sing about, or at least include in their lyrics. And next on the list, number eight is...

Reseda, Los Angeles, California

"It's a long day living in Reseda, there's a freeway runnin' through the yard"

Randor's Song of the Week: 01.15.12

"Damn These Vampires" by the Mountain Goats from the album All Eternals Deck. 2011.
    There's two ways to interpret this one. The literal vampires, with the blood-sucking and night-stalking. Or anything else, symbolically. The first tells a tale of ageless creatures trekking across the horses and trans-ams of time, trying to remember their humanity (or the evil demons attacking throughout history, however your take on sympathetics fall). The second option has bridged topics from drug addiction to fair-weather friends in its perceived fantastical metaphors. My take? The tactfully crafted lyrics, open-ended in annotative scope, blend so harmoniously with the music they must have been smithed in partnership at the forge.

Randor's Song of the Week: 01.08.12

"Pineapple Princess" by Annette Funicello from the album Hawaiianette. 1960.
    Anybody who knows my personal whatsits will likely see this as a fresh loaf of cornbread. Or maybe a bigger cop-out than the jailbreak at Comatose County Sheriff's Department prison. I'm sure you modern listeners don't have your head stuck in the 60s like me, and can thus-ly shake your head at this selection like a vertical horizon bobble-head. But level with me- I'll be your Pokemon trainer. That over-the-top old-school pop fully intends to capture your corny side. Through the almost-kiddie lyrics, the era-defining kitsch soars high and morphs a guilty embarrassment of, say, "Short Shorts" into a sing-along pleasure. Though Funicello's nearly-strained vocals may deflate the effect a notch, her status as a "Beach Icon" (quoted straight from das wiki) sponges the culture and humor effectively to music. Who knew cheese and pineapple went together so well?

Randor's Song of the Week: 01.01.12

"Walk You Home (Night Vision Binoculars)" by Passenger from the album Wicked Man's Rest. 2007.
    readmore

Countdown: Random Places Immoralized in Music, #9

As a refresher, this is a bit of a geography lesson, looking at oddball places that musicians have chosen to sing about, or at least include in their lyrics. And next on the list, number nine is...

Whitefish Bay

"The searchers all say, they'd have made Whitefish Bay if they'd put fifteen more miles behind her."

Randor's Song of the Week: 12.25.11

"In the Year 2525 (Exordium and Terminus)" by Zager and Evans from the album 2525. 1969.
    When this gets posted, I'll be on a business trip. The whole December month has been pre-scheduled to post, and hopefully will do so flawlessly. If I get some free time and internet though, I'll surely update with more details. For now, with my king-size time Crunch, I have at least a sentence of commentary when you

Countdown: Random Places Immortalized in Music, #10

The Professor babbles again!

After months of hibernation, (at least I wish, sleep is really nice) I'm showing up here again, and this time to start a new series of "top ten" countdowns.

To start off, we're going to go with a bit of a geography lesson, looking at oddball places that musicians have chosen to sing about, or at least include in their lyrics. And at the top of the list, number ten is...

Winslow, Arizona

"Well, I'm standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona, such a fine sight to see. It's a girl, my lord, in a flatbed Ford, slowing down to take a look at me."

Randor's Song of the Week: 12.18.11

"Jump" by Paul Anka from the album Rock Swings. 2005.
    When this gets posted, I'll be on a business trip. The whole December month has been pre-scheduled to post, and hopefully will do so flawlessly. If I get some free time and internet though, I'll surely update with more details. For now, with my king-size time Crunch, I have at least a sentence of commentary when you

Randor's Song of the Week: 12.11.11

"Unkind" by Sloan from the album The Double Cross. 2011.
    When this gets posted, I'll be on a business trip. The whole December month has been pre-scheduled to post, and hopefully will do so flawlessly. If I get some free time and internet though, I'll surely update with more details. For now, with my king-size time Crunch, I have at least a sentence of commentary when you