Though not necessarily a fan, I’ve long been a supporter of Weird Al Yankovic, the household name amongst satirical and parodic songwriting. Â The dude’s been cranking out funny hits since the early ’80’s, and, being a longtime lover of Dr. Demento, I’ve adored and admired Al from afar for most of my life. Â The man puts on an unsurprisingly entertaining live show, as well as some pretty decent original material alongside his trademark parodies of hit songs. Â It’s safe to say Yankovic has transformed from quirky pop culture footnote to a comedic legend over time – now, like being poked fun at by South Park and SNL, it’s considered an honor to be lampooned by Weird Al. Â That means you’ve made it to the top!
This week, Al sat down with AV Club and went through an array of new and old material in celebration and promotion of his latest creation, Alpocalypse. Â He talks about some of the well-known classics, some forgotten gems, and even some astonishingly catchy original songs. Read it here.
Every Saturday, I post a 15-20 minute podcast featuring some tracks I’ve been jamming the previous week, as well as some commentary and random musings from yours truly. Enjoy!
Tracklist:
The Rapture – How Deep Is Your Love?
Iyaz feat. Travis McCoy – Pretty Girls
Charli XCX – Stay Away
The Joy Formidable – Whirring (Innerpartysystem Remix)
Occasionally I browse the pop music world/charts/blogs and see what the kids are listening to. Sometimes I am pleased with what I find, most of the time I am not. This is a journal of my discoveries.
In the late 90’s, when grunge, alternative, and gangsta rap were the genres of relevance and, thanks to superstars like Garth Brooks, country was crossing over like never before, the pop world was struggling for identity. Â Take a look at charts from the decade and you’ll find a diverse, albeit inconsistent string of hits from an array of forgotten artists. Divas, R&B crooners, softcore rappers, watered-down post-grungers, and Lilith Fair types all battled for airplay and notoriety while the majority of the music listening public had their ears elsewhere. Â One genre stuck around for the vast majority of the decade, from the time the kids turned to Nirvana to the resurgence of the “boy band” in 1998. Â That genre was “dance pop,” a club-ready sound from Europe that peaked (and almost abruptly disappeared) with the release of A Night At the Roxbury. Â We all remember groups like No Mercy, Real McCoy, Aqua, Haddaway, and La Bouche dominating our local Top 40 station.
As I do on most trips away from home, while traveling, I reacquainted myself with the current playlist of conventional pop radio, and it seems, increasingly, this “dance pop” style has resurfaced, not because pop music is having another identity crisis, but because, this time around, it seems the kids really do enjoy this stuff. Â While 90’s dance pop had female belters crooning about passion and devotion alongside growling male “rapping,” the new tracks don’t have a trying-too-hard vibe. Â In fact, quite the opposite; the beats are loud, the production is slick, the composition is lazy, and the theme? Partying. Â Hard. All the fucking time.
Sure, there’s still plenty of hip hop and Avril-types, and a few crossover country tracks, as well as some harder rock tracks from mainstays like Seether and My Chemical Romance. Â But the focus is thumping bass, getting wasted, hooking up, and throwing glitter. Â Even pop stars from other eras, like Jennifer Lopez and Britney Spears, have adopted the new sound in their recent singles. Â Pop radio has always been about mindless, simple escapism, but it seems the past decade it wasn’t as fun….glad to see there’s a change in the tides.
Anyone who’s followed the blog/my life knows I’m a big fan of lists/countdowns/theme mixes, so it should come as no shock to most that I’m in love with the list mashup phenom Girl Talk (aka Greg Gillis) has shared in celebration of the beginning of summer 2011. Â Speaking with Vulture (where you can find the entire list and accompanying YouTube videos), Gillis explains the overall feel of the mix and its rise-and-chill vibe, an argument I’m inclined to agree with:
“Over half of these songs you would like to party to, and the other half are songs you relax to. That’s the essence of summertime– you can be sitting around drinking beer outside or you can be up celebrating.”
While not nearly as interesting overall as the breakthrough Mirrored, the follow-up is a solid, energetic, easy progression from Battles’ previous work. Â Now without their standout member Tyondai Braxton, the group has started from scratch, rising to the challenge of delivering a strong follow-up to one of the most acclaimed albums of the past ten years, and without the guy who was considered the bread and butter. Â Battles have created a more accessible album, albeit not without a bit of filler here and there, but one that pairs up nicely, incorporating older Battles sounds with the driving punch of their breakout material.
A longtime well-known name on Ed Banger Records and in the French house circuit, SebastiAn has finally dropped his first proper LP Total after years of touring with big names like Daft Punk, remixing stars like Cut Copy, and releasing some stellar EPs. While we patiently wait for Justice to put out their sophomore effort, perhaps we’ve been anticipating the wrong French dance release over here in the States.
I’ve casually kept up with SebastiAn ever since I saw him open for The Rapture and Daft Punk at Red Rocks back in 2007 – he wowed the crowd with a raucous remix of Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing In the Name.” While overseas in London, I happened upon this new album playing over the PA at Rough Trade East. The artist is just as banging as ever; the entire album is a party, from the synth-laden interludes to the chopped up noise of “Embody” to the MIA collab “C.T.F.O.”
Surely this will whet the appetite for those of us eager for the clipped beats and club ready mish-mashing French DJs have mastered so well. It’s doubtful Daft Punk give us anything anytime soon, and I don’t see how Justice could top this fun, fun disc. We’ll find out soon enough, but it’s always fun to boogie while you’re playing the waiting game.
