This is just so ’97! The intro is still one of the most infectious I can think of and within a few bars I am always transported back to happy schooldays trying to workout what a “Brimful of Asha” was. (Apparently it is a tribute to Indian singer Asha Bhosle.)
Have a great weekend. I am off to see Homeboy Sandman tomorrow night at The Sugar Club. Should be a fun night, I’ll let you know how I get on. March is proving to be quite a musical month so far.
Brimful of Asha:
/RjK
*Artist #623
A friend sent me this earlier in the week. Initially, I dismissed it as not my kind of thing but slowly its infectious beat has crept into my brain. Also, it has a rather hypnotic video to match. All in all it rather reminds me of the Solange track I was (guiltily) obsessed by last year.
Laura Mvula is British singer, who is originally from Birmingham. This track is taken from her debut album Sing to the Moon which was released a few days ago.
Laura Mvula:
/RjK
*Artist #622
An old friend was in Dublin over the weekend. Given that he is a fellow musical obsessive I wanted to take him to see a gig. I consulted The Nialler9 Gig Guide and spotted this lady was playing. When I read her description as a “Swedish fantasy-pop cellist” you might say I was rather intrigued.
Despite a healthy dose of skepticism on both our parts I have to say it was rather great. There was perhaps the largest difference between expectation and reality for any gig I can remember. She really brought it! One particular highlight was an excellent cover version of Unfinished Sympathy by Massive Attack.
Interesting video here, it has a little of Darwin Deez about it.
Linnea Olsson:
/RjK
*Artist #620
I don’t really know what to say about this track, from Ms.Dynamite’s 2002 Mercury Prize winning debut album A Little Deeper, other that it is rather infectious and it inexplicably was on my mind for a whole weekend a few weeks ago.
Ms.Dynamite – A little deeper:
/RjK
*Artist #617
This is a pure guilty pleasure! I heard it on the radio the other day and I couldn’t help but smile. It was like I was back in 1997 all over again. Happy times. It actually hasn’t aged too badly as pure radio fodder pop songs go. It is 4 minutes of pure sunny positivity.
Also, subsequent Googling lead me to a recent picture of the still performing (who knew!) Hanson. The contrast to their 90’s heyday is rather stark!
Hanson – 1997:
Hanson – Present:
/RjK
*Artist #612
I have to give it up to fellow bloggers Far from Cyan for this discovery. The track is so fresh and infectious. It has been playing on a loop in my head for the past week or two.
Foxygen are a Californian duo who make 60’s influenced indie pop. They sound like they were meant for a different era. This is taken from their recently released We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace and Magic album which was released on the JAGAJGUWAR label.
The fact that the song is ostensibly about my favourite city in the world does it no harm but there is more to it than that. I love the retro, somewhat irreverent sound.
I left my love in San Francisco.
That’s okay, I was bored anyway…
Foxygen:
Foxygen
/RjK
*Artist #611
Guest blogger Rory McD takes us forward by taking us back
It felt right to add to the new site with a return to the past. And there are few who do it better than Harvey Phillip Spector. His brilliance as a producer was always tempered by the fact that he was a complete loon. I buried myself in his biography some year’s back as it traced his course from trembling dropout to maniacal studio whizz.
I like this song because it hangs somewhere in the balance between the two sides of his personality. The most delicate and innocent arrangement cushions some truly sinister lyrics. An unnerving reveal of the artists personality, in three minutes of pure honey.
Phil Spector back in the day:
/RMcD
*Artist #609
Five points if you can remember when this was released. It’s a real blast from the past for me anyway. I have been meaning to post it since revisiting Pumping on Your Stereo a few Fridays ago. They both evoke memories of carefree school days and generally make me smile which aren’t bad traits for a song.
For those of you playing at home Dancing in the Moonlight was released in 1999 and is taken from the uniquely titled Onka’s Big Moka (extra points if you remembered the name of the album).
My suspicion was that Toploader where a one hit wonder but according to Wikipedia they reformed a few years ago so maybe there’s still hope…
Toploader:
/RjK
*Artist #608
I still haven’t pulled out of my 90’s tailspin and this has lead me down something of a Jamirquai rabbit hole this week. I had forgotten how much I used to enjoy their stuff. The excellent The Return of the Space Cowboy and Traveling Without Moving (which this track is taken from) were both released just as I was becoming conscious of music and I was hooked.
While it is rather a simple affair I really like the video here. It takes me back. Can’t believe it was made in ’96!
Jay Kay – Man of many hats:
/RjK
Having posted Jay-Z earlier in the week, it seems fitting to post Destiny’s Child who featured Beyoncé AKA Mrs.Carter his better half.
The other reason they have been on my mind is that they LIT IT UP at halftime during the Super Bowl on Sunday night. In small doses I am an utter sucker for razzmatazz. It feels really strange to say this but I was struck by how it is of “my time” which made me feel properly old.
My final point is that Destiny’s Child must be right up there with TLC as one of the best all time names for group of this (or perhaps any) genre.
If you ain’t runnin’ game say my name, say my name…
DC:
/RjK
*Artist #604