Ah, Warmth through electricity...


So Mr. Mark and I have both had a bit of a dry spell with the blog posting and whatnot, due mostly to the fact that we’ve been stressing out about finding a new place to live. We’ve signed the lease, so it’s time to get back to business. So far, I’ve posted a lot of rock music, so for a change of pace, let’s try some electro-pop. Admittedly, nowadays I really have to be in a certain mood to listen to stuff like this, but when I’m in that mood, this is what I bask in.

Art of Noise – II Pleure (At The Turn of the Century) (From the album The Seduction of Claude Debussy)
Jackson & His Computer Band – Utopia (From the album Smash)
Fischerspooner – Never Win (From the album Odyssey)
Boom Bip – The Move (From the album Blue Eyed in the Red Room)
Nobody – The Porpoise Song (From the album Pacific Drift: Western Water Music Vol.1)
Daedelus – Something Bells (From the album Daedelus of Snowdonia)
Koushik – Be With (From the album Be With)
Felix Laband – Miss Teardrop (From the album Dark Days Exit)
The Go Find – What I Want (From the album Miami)
Hood – The Lost You (From the album Outside Closer)

For starters, putting Art of Noise on here was sort of a risky proposition considering they’re best known for their remix of the Peter Gunn theme, but I didn’t know that when listened to this CD at a Borders in 1999. The album that this song comes from is a hotchpotch of classical music, opera, drum n’ bass, and some truly awful stabs and hip hop, plus it has John Hurt narrating it throughout. Granted they have a rather gimmicky and dated sound, but this still holds a special place in my heart. Warp Records is the home of Jackson & His Computer Band, which is a bit more glitchy sounding than most of the stuff I like, but I really do enjoy the theatrical feel of the "Utopia" refrain. What can I really say about Fischerspooner other than they’re really serious about being cheesy, they’re an absolute blast "live" and Odyssey is a far more cohesive and polished follow-up to #1. This Boom Bip track just sounds so effortless, don’t you think? You should also check this CD out for the song The Matter (Of Our Discussion) featuring Nina Nastasia on vocals, it’s very nihilistic and kind of bittersweet at the same time (I don’t really understand how that happens). The Porpoise Song is a Monkees cover and really reminds me of what an electronic version of Elliott Smith might sound like. This CD was stuck in my car stereo for over 6 months, and I still like it! Something Bells, the beginning of this song always makes me think of Charlie’s Angels for some reason. Be With, whoever I date next should be forewarned, I’m probably going to try to make out with you to this song, sorry. Miss Teardrop, so back when I posted stuff by that band Oxford Collapse, I quipped at the end about not reading promotional liner notes anymore (because they’re misleading), well in the case of Felix Laband, the quotes on the promo package actually discouraged me from listening to it. Seriously, this stuff is laughably pretentious: Richard Dorfmeister (K & D) says "Miss Teardrop is a sublime brill supertune. Sneaking carefully into your ears and remaining there for a long time." Martin Gretschmann (the Notwist) says that the album is "the soundtrack for sensitive people’s lives – very recommendable." Peter Kruder (K & D) calls it "an inspired and deep album of esoteric kindness and warm technology! Had a very sensual evening with this record." Very sensual indeed. The Go Find album was a pleasant surprise when I came across it a few years ago, it’s still surprising to me that it never really caught on, hipster girls usually love shit like this. I really really like the band Hood, they’re from Leeds, England and they’ve struck quite a balance between droney guitar rock and electronic experimentation, and they seem to be getting better with every album.

So there’s that, enjoy and please...
forgive our hiatus,

-Popkoff

How Insensitive



How insensitive . . . I must have seemed
when she told me that she loved me . . .
how unmoved an' cold . . . I must have seemed
when she told me so sincerely . . .
Why . . . she must have asked
do I just turn an' stare in icy silence?
What was I to say . . .
what can you say when a love affair is over?

Now, she's gone away
and I'm alone with a memory of her last look . . .
vague an' drawn an' sad . . . I see it still
all her heartbreak in that last look . . .
How . . . she must have asked
could I just turn an' stare in icy silence?
What was I to do . . .
what can one do when a love affair is over?
What can you do
when a love affair is over?
It's over . . .
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
purchase it here.

Who Can Do It? I Can.


Friday I went to Half Priced Books with Mr. Mark and found a few things that I would like to share. First of all, I bought Claudine Longet’s "Love is Blue" on vinyl for $0.98. Several years ago a friend showed me Blake Edward’s "The Party" starring Peter Sellers and featuring Claudine.


I was blown away by how stunning she was, and her performance of "Nothing to Lose" is probably my favorite scene in the whole movie. This album is only available on CD imported which seems to run around $45, so below I provided a link to more modestly priced best of comp.

Love is Blue

Buy It!

Secondly I purchased a Rainbow Quartz Label Sampler from 2004. They are self-described as "your source for perfect guitar pop." The label seems to mostly specialize in 60's influenced pop and they are currently the home of Outrageous Cherry, who I posted about in April. Here are a few choice cuts.

Denise James – Come Home To Me (From the album It’s Not Enough To Love)
The Telepathic Butterflies – Four Leaf Clover ( From the album Songs From a Second Wave)
The Jessica Fletchers – (Come On) It’s Only Nine (From the album What Happened to the?)



Another band that was on the album sampler was Rockfour, a catchy and strange pop rock band from Israel. I stumbled across an album of their’s a few years ago called "Nationwide," it’s quite good, especially the song "Candlelight."

Nationwide
Candlelight
To The End

Buy It!

And lastly...


...as many of my close friends already know, I sometimes tend to enjoy bad movies, mostly of the horror/exploitation genres. Occasionally in the past I’ve purchased movies based completely on the prospect of them being awfully awfully bad, so bad that I felt compelled to see them. For the first time that I can recall, a similar thing happened to me while I was CD shopping, I bought a CD based on the packaging, not because I thought it was going to be good, but because I suspected it was going to be so bad, I couldn’t pass it up (it helped that it was only $0.98). The album in question is by Rick Hubbard, a "children’s" musician, and it’s called "Who Can Do It? I Can." Was it worth it? You tell me

Who Can Do It? I Can

www.kazoobie.com



Weird Al & Rick Hubbard at the World’s Largest Kazoo Band and Chicken Dance 1999 (I always knew I was missing out on a scene somewhere).

-Popkoff

The wonderful world of SA-RA

Pronounced "Sah-Rah", O’Mas Keith, Taz Arnold, and Shafiq Husayn comprise the partnership and their name translates to "the off-spring of the most powerful energy in the universe”. They have already lent their sound to the likes of Common, Pharoahe Munch, Bilal, N.E.R.D., Jurassic 5, and Erykah Badu.

The group recently signed to Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music label through Sony and are finishing their debut album due late spring 2006.

Their fusion of musical styles and elements is refreshing and they have a unique twist to the modern R&B sound. The basics of their compositions are all hip-hop, funk, soul, and electro, but the outcome is altogether different.
Enjoy.

Rosebuds
Nasty You
Second Time Around
Deep Inside-Platinum Pied Pipers [featuring SA-RA]
Too Cold-Roots Manuva [remix by SA-RA]

Purchase more music from SA-RA HERE and HERE.

Official Site HERE
Look for their album to drop soon on G.O.O.D. Music.



---Mr. Mark

Rare Groove

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rare groove is an umbrella term that refers to relatively obscure funk and soul tracks from the 1970s. Originally coined by Kiss FM DJ Norman Jay in 1985 through his show The Original Rare Groove Show, 'rare groove' tracks have been influential on the musical genres of hip hop, techno, house, breakbeat, jungle and others.

~~
In the past few years, I have become increasingly enamored by rare groove tracks. No amount of my praising "the sound" can make you understand it's influence on modern music.
if you find that you are feeling these tracks please visit the places that promote the sound and keep the information available.

Straight No Chaser [the bible]
Worldwide with Gilles Peterson [a weekly 1xtra show-total class]
Wax Poetics [more information than you could have ever known]

~~
Jennifer Lara "I am in love"
Ethal Beatty "It's your love"
Limiko Kasai with Herbie Hancock "Butterfly"
Leroy Hutson "Lucky fellow"
Thelma Houston "Saturday night, Sunday morning"
Cesar Mariano & CIA "Metropole"



This post would not be possible without the great advice of Mr. Chris Mosely, to you I give greetings and immeasurable thanks.

---Mr. Mark