5 posts tagged “they might be giants”
As the 1950 song "Why Does The Sun Shine" (download over at ACME.com) states:
They Might Be Giants loved the song so much, they covered it for a singles-only release.Yo ho, it's hot, the sun is not
A place where we could live
But here on earth there'd be no life
Without the light it gives
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walkingonadream.com ♥ myspace.com Empire Of The Sun, named after the novel-turned-movie of the same name, is a collaboration between Sleepy Jackson's Luke Steele and Pnau's Nick Littlemore. Based on the cover artwork and songs, the album have a theme to it: a fantasy world ... of dance music. Surprisingly, this is a really good dance-ish album, very electronica and not something you'd expect if you were already a Sleepy Jackson fan. Also, maybe it's just me, but there's more emphasis on the nasal and falsetto-singing style. It's not as annoying as it sounds, as I think it fits the album. Their album, Walking on a Dream, debut late last year, and already reached the top ten in the Australian charts. It wasn't long before the UK (particularly the BBC) picked up on this hot new band. As usual, the US is far behind, but take my words: they are good and you'll probably hear a lot about them in the coming weeks. Some songs to check out: "Standing on the Shore", "Walking on a Dream" (this was a free iTunes download), "We Are the People", and "Tiger by my Side". I really like "Tiger", especially the when Steele sings quickly: "Television changing channels, telling people wearing flannels, culture shocking walkways to the shore" Below is a video for "We Are the People", shot in Mexico. As you can see, they really get into their exotic costumes and characters (Emperor Steele and Lord Littlemore). I love it, check out these cute paper cut-out dolls. Walking on a Dream is available now via my favorite Astralwerks Records, you can pick it up anywhere that carries CDs. |
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batforlashes.com ♥ myspace.com Just like Empire Of The Sun, Khan has the flair of the theatrics, often dressing up in Indian attires and using Shaman instruments (as witness at their live show). Bat for Lashes' new album is called Two Suns, the title seems to have come from her song "Glass" (and not from her song "Two Planets"):
My favorite song is "Sleep Alone", with its catchy chorus of "lonely, lonely, lonely". I think people will also love "Daniel", where midway there is this constant percussion and electronic sound that pulls you in. Bat for Lashes are currently on tour - be sure to check them out:
5/22 Le Bikini Toulouse 5/23 Salle Victoire 2 Montpellier 5/25 Le Ninkasi Lyon 5/26 La Laiterie Strasbourg 5/27 Le Bataclan Paris 5/29 Primavera Sound Festival Barcelona 6/10 Seattle WA, Crocodile Café 6/11 Portland OR, Doug Fir Lounge 6/13 San Francisco CA, Great American Music Hall 6/16 Los Angeles CA, El Rey Theatre 7/16 Somerset House London, London and South East 7/17 Latitude Festival Southwold 8/9 Lollapalooza Chicago 9/5 Electric Picnic Stradbally 9/11 Bestival Isle Of Wight |
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ra-band.net ♥ myspace.com Ra, as you may have guessed, they were named after the Egyptian sun god. So it's not a surprise that their official third album is called Black Sun. Most people will probably know them from their From One album, with their strong "Do You Call My Name" single on various games and sporting events, at the height of their popularity. Black Sun mark the band's first studio album since departing from Universal Records, and continues the band's hard-rock/alternative sound. I'll have to confess that I was expecting it to be harder, but surprisingly this album is pretty accessible. You know what they say, you have to make a good impression with the first song on the album, and I think "Broken Hearted Soul" does just that. The first time I heard that spanish-acoustic guitar, followed by electric guitars and Sahaj Ticotin's vocals, I knew I would like this song. Another track that stood out for me is called "Waste of Space", it's a bit of rage and hate and disenchantment, possibly directed to their ex-label? That's the impression I get hearing the spoken dialogue in the song. The use of uncommon instruments like the violins and sintars (?) found on "Lost Along the Way" or piano on "I Believe Again" are a nice touch to counterpoint the typical guitar/bass/drums music we're so used to hearing. Like what you hear? You can download their live album, Raw, (as well as an acoustic version of "Broken Hearted Soul") over at ra-band.net by signing up with an email address. Black Sun is out now, you can pick it up at most store, including Best Buy. It also looks like there will be a new album in the works called Black Sheep. |
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corsicaband.com ♥ myspace.com Their debut album is called Sight Of The Sun, which I think was only released in 2008. They do have a few EPs, but these are only sold at their live shows. What I like about this band, besides the knowledgeable and deep songwriting, is they seem to make use of violins (particularly on "Sunspell", "Lights Of Tuscany", and "Strangely Moving"). The violins also made "Safe Harbor" sound more epic. You can hear many of the songs from Sight Of The Sun, on Ear Candy Podcast. Anyway, the good news is, just as recently as May 17th, the band made an announcement that they are planning on recording a new album called Ocean Born of new original songs, including two covers (one of which is a cover of Donovan). Meanwhile, singer and guitarist Brad Orgeron can be found on the band Jack Orion with an album tentatively called Darker My Sky. Sight of the Sun is available now, see Shock Hound or their website. * Edit 5/19/09 10:56am: Dion is their guitarist, who also doubles on bass if needed. |
05/19/2009 06:13:04 ♥ vu (
)
♥weheartmusic.com♥podcast.weheartmusic.com♥news.weheartmusic.com
Did you know that They Might Be Giants started doing "edutainment" albums, such as No! (Jun 2002), Here Come the ABCs (Feb 2005) and Here Come the 123s (Feb 2008)? They're basically music for children/teaching them valuable lessons, but set to a poptastic and catchy songs.
As a longtime TMBG fan, I have always known they sort of heading in
this direction.
I've decided to present to you some evidence of their geek-rock with some educational songs pre-No!.
"Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" appeared on their massively popular album, Flood (1990). This album also contain their hit "Birdhouse in Your Soul", as well as "Particle Man" and my favorite "Someone Keeps Moving My Chair". I can listen to this album hours on end and not get bored of it.
Anyway, the song is fundamentally about Turkey's city Istanbul, whose name was originally Constantinople (and before that Byzantium). The best line in the song is "so if you have a date in Constantinople, she'll be living in Istanbul".
After Flood, TMBG came out with Apollo 18 (1992) with their educational song "Mammal". What makes Apollo 18 interesting is that it was originally conceived as a "shuffle album". There are 21 short tracks called "Fingertips" which served as transitional pieces between the major songs.
I never did listen to Apollo 18 on shuffle, so I know "Fingertips" pretty much as one long song (which is a very interesting concept as each Fingertip is insanely different from one another).
As for "Mammals", what have always bothered me about this song is that Koala bears are Marsupial, not Mammal. But the key lines goes: "A dog, a bat, koala bears and hogs." It would be better if they had said polar bears, as that is a true mammal.
"Why Does the Sun Shine?" is perhaps the best educational song in this whole selection. It was released by itself in 1993, and I was very excited when I saw this EP in the stores.
The song pretty much touch on everything you need to know about our Sun. I've always suspected that the song is a cover song, and it is. It's from Space Songs, read about it www.acme.com. You can download the original Tom Glazer's "Why Does the Sun Shine?".
Whenever this song is done live (you can find live versions on Live!! New York City 10/14/94 Promo or Severe Tire Damage (1998)), they really "rock out" and it's completely a different song.
Trivia: Rocketboom uses Space Songs's "Zoom A Little Zoom" on many of their episodes.
John Henry (1994) introduces us to James Ensor in "Meet James Ensor". According to the song, he's a famous Belgium painter who lived with his mother. If I were really into art, I would tell you some of his paintings, but to be honest, I've never heard of this apparently very influencial artist.
Speaking of famous people, "James K. Polk" was originally the B-Side to Istanbul (Not Constantinople) (1990), but later resurfaced as a new version on Factory Showroom (1996). I love this song about our 11th President.
Some facts from the song (sorry I haven't verified this, but I trust John & John to write factial lyrics): 1. He seized the whole southwest from Mexico, 2. made the English sell the Oregon territory, 3. He built an independent treasury and 4. He didn't seek a second term in office.
Finally, the fun and creepy "The Edison Museum" first appeared on emusic's Long Tall Weekend (1999) which is TMBG's internet-only album.
According to the song, the Museum is not open to the public and is the tallest, widest and most famous haunted mansion in New Jersey.
Trivia: TMBG's other related Thomas Edison song is called "I Can Hear You" which was recorded at the said-museum.
That's all I have. Have I missed any songs? Please let me know.
01/05/2008 03:53:58
vu
my♥posts
www.tmbg.com
| Derek wrote: Jan 5, 2008 5:51 AM |
[this is good] Actually, Istanbul is a very old song with lots of covers. I myself like the one from "Mona Lisa Smile" by Trevor Horn Orchestra.
| Soup wrote: Jan 5, 2008 11:51 AM |
The example of "Istanbul" is an interesting one just because they didn't write it. The original version was recorded in 1953. But that's definitely one of those songs no one really thinks of as a cover.
Which is understandable, since TMBG do some of the best covers out there. I like their version of "New York City" almost as much as I like Cub's.
I saw them live last year, and they actually just performed "Fingertips" as one long song. I was rather surprised they included it at all.
I also think you did miss "The Mesopotamians" from The Else, but that's understandable because that album is terrible. The jokes feel too much like jokes on it. Like they're trying to be funny. Which, of course, for any old-school TMBG fan, just kinda makes you wish they'd go back to the days when that's just "how they are," when they were funny and made it look effortless.
With only a few days left for the Christmas holiday, I'm compiling some Christmas songs for you. There's so many holiday songs that I might do a part two and three, so watch this space.
First off, I've edited together a few video sessions and we're going to call it a Holiday Buyer's Guide or interesting music boxsets and stuff I thought was cool. They weren't necessary released this year (and in fact, I'm pretty sure you couldn't buy some of these items). Anyway, check out the video. The format will change after this, so it'll be the last of this longer format.
So, let's start with some Christmas songs:
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Twelve Girls Band - Last Christmas
These girls can sure play, but they obviously cannot count, as Twelve Girls Band actually consists of 13 women (see for yourself, count them on the cover!). Apparently they were formed by Wang "father of Chinese rock music" Xiao-Jing through a contest in 2001 and assembled twelve girls, each representing Chinese mythology of twelve hairpins. Looking at their overwhelming discography, it would seem that they released quite a few live albums (usually with a DVD). Anyway, their Christmas-themed album, Twelve Girls of Christmas (2005), was released as Merry Christmas To You in Japan. All the familar Christmas songs are done with traditional Chinese instruments, such as the Mandolin and the Gao-Hu (Fiddle), but they are wonderfuly interpretted. Check out this version of "Last Christmas". Wham! never sounded better, right? |
Enya - Adeste, Fideles
If you haven't heard of Enya, then I'm afraid you haven't been in any elevators in the past decade. She bursted onto the charts in the late 80s with that "sail away" song (it's actually called "Orinoco Flow" but who can remember that?) She's recently resurfaced again in the popular Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings series, and once again secures herself as the queen of New Age music. This song, "Adeste, Fideles" originally does not appear on Amarantine (2005). After a year, the record company decided to boost its sale by re-releasing the album as Amarantine Special Christmas Edition with a bonus second disc. The second disc is an all Christmas EP, originally released in the states as Sounds of the Season, and in Canada as the Christmas Secrets EP. |
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They Might be Giants - Santa's Beard
I first heard of this rocking song off their sophomore album, Lincoln (1988), and it's about a jealous husband. The song is about how every year his buddy puts on a red suit and hangs out with his family. Then he would spot his wife wearing his beard and kissing him, etc. Although the song is old, it resurfaced on Then: The Earlier Years (1997) and again in a special Christmas EP called They Might Be Giants in Holidayland (2001). Technically this isn't a very traditional Christmas song, but whenever I think of Christmas songs - this is the one that comes to my mind first and foremost because it's so fun and different. |
The Beach Boys - Little Saint Nick
I can't overlook the fact that this winterly Christmas song is suddenly transformed to a fun Summer Beach party (with Gidget). It's not one of my favorite Christmas tunes, probably because it's basically the same song as their previous hit "Little Deuce Coupe". So this song is from their only Christmas album, The Beach Boys' Christmas Album, released in 1964. It topped out at number 6, although the single "Little Saint Nick" faired a little better at #3 on the charts (although this singles version is different than the album version). |
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Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers - Christmas Without You
I'll be honest with you: I love Country music. I grew up with pop music and one of the songs that I loved when I was a kid was "Island in the Stream", performed by Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton. This was a single from Kenny Roger's album, Eyes That See in the Dark (1983). These two only released one album together, Once Upon a Christmas (1984), with two singles from this album: "Christmas Without You" and "The Greatest Gift of All". Their last duet was "Love Is Strange" (1990), which I've never heard. |
The Dandy Warhols - The Little Drummer Boy
According to allmusic, this is one of the Dandy Warhols' first EP release (if not the earliest). Strangely the single/EP is not listed on their wikipedia page. The popular Christmas song tells the story of a young boy who was so poor, he couldn't afford a gift for the baby Jesus. So instead, he wrote and played the drums in tribute as the baby smiles... I guess, not really much to add to this, except that the Dandy Warhols song was also included on XFM's Cool Cool Christmas Album (2000). I think this album sold very well when it was released and contains a wonderful version of "Feliz Navidad" by El Vez and "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" by Belle & Sebastian. |
12/19/2007 21:01:09
vu
my♥posts
www.weheartmusic.com
You've heard of Hardcore, right? Even possibly, Slowcore. But what about Cuddlecore? That's really the description of Lisa Marr's music.
Marr orginally started off in the Canadian band, Cub, in 1992. They broke up in '97, and Marr ended up in several bands, including Buck, The Beards, The Lisa Marr Experiment, Lisa Marr & Soda, and currently The Here & Now.
It looks like The Here & Now are just Paolo Davanzo and Lisa Marr. Apparently Davanzo is also the founder of Echo Park Film Center (you can look at their Flickr Photos). From my understanding, that every one of Lisa's song, there is a short experimental movie or film that goes with it (presumeably directed and produced by Davanzo).
I haven't
seen any of their films, but this song, called "Xochimilco" is
certainly cute. It's about how they decided to ride the subway train to
the end of the line and ended up at the Xochimilco stop. The song said
they had a pretty good time :)
I believe this train station that she's singing about is actually in South Mexico City.
Trivia: They Might Be Giants made one of her song, New York City, really famous. You can listen to it, if you haven't heard it: They Might Be Giants - New York City. Their version contains bell-sounds, which is actually pretty cool.
Bonus: You can download all of Lisa Marr at WHFR (plus other samples - unfortunately the quality are all mono and sampling rate of 32k).
Original Post:
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There is no need for this law.
I leave you now with two songs by TMBG about the safety of crossing the street and New York City.
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