Revisiting the Original Mortal Kombat Soundtrack

With this Friday's highly anticipated (and R-rated) Mortal Kombat movie release, I thought I'd revisit the legacy and personal impact the franchise had on me growing up.

Back in 1995, when I was a 12-year-old, braces-wearing, comic book-trading nerd playing Sega at my friend's house up the street, Mortal Kombat was the epitome of cool.  It was edgy, violent and addictive.

The overtly brutal game encouraged you to take on your friends, cage match style. This was before XBox and PS5 let you talk smack to random strangers online, and you instead had to sit in farty bean bag chairs next to one another and battle it out, yelling, "Get over here!", "Toasty!", and "Finish him!"

Now, more than 25 years later, Mortal Kombat still finds an audience.  It's rare for something to stay relevant for so many years, crossing generations.  I've been away from the game for some time now, but I still got excited when the trailer to the new movie came out recently.

The 1995 Mortal Kombat film by the same name was a doozy.  I saw it in the theater, of course. It was by no means an Oscar contender, but it accomplished what it needed to, hindered only by a PG-13 rating. It's pretty dated to watch the movie now, but man, does it take you back in time.

 The plot was simple:  three martial artists travel to a secret island to fight in an underground tournament to determine the fate of the world.  The talents of Robin Shou and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa carried the film, while Christopher "Highlander" Lambert--for some reason--played the Japanese Thundergod, Raiden.

The success of the 1995 film was also due in part to its soundtrack.  The theme song, "Techno Syndrome (Mortal Kombat)" by the Immortals was one of the hottest tracks of the year.  You might know it as the techno song that periodically screams "MORTAL KOMBAT!"

But to write the soundtrack off as a gimmick would be unfair.  It also contained some great original music, crossing the aggressive genres of heavy metal and techno.  Not all of the songs on the original motion picture soundtrack were featured in the film itself, but the mood fits throughout.  Metal bands like Type O Negative and Napalm Death were featured alongside electronic acts like Orbital and Utah Saints, taking the soundtrack as high as #10 on the Billboard Top 200 that year.

Amongst my personal favorite tracks were "Goodbye (demo version)" by industrial rock group Gravity Kills, and the smoldering "Burn" by Sister Machine Gun.

But it's Orbital's 9-1/2 minute-long masterpiece "Halcyon + On + On" that has stood the test of time.  The ambient and melodic track slowly builds up, utilizing a delicate piano and guitar loop and a backmasked vocal sample from "It's Fine Day" by Opus III for its angelic, trance-like nature.

It's an extended version of the original Orbital single, and probably one of the greatest soundtrack songs of all time, having also been used in Hackers, and later, Mean Girls.  It's also one of my favorite songs of all time, so I'm honestly disappointed in myself that in 16 years of writing for the Lonely Note, I've never actually posted about this song before. 

All through Jr. High and High School, my friends and I would put the cd on track #6, set the boom box to repeat and listen to it over and over again while we'd hang out and talk about life, so it brings back a flood of memories anytime I hear it.  Never heard it?  You can listen to "Halcyon + On + On" in the YouTube clip below.

I should also mention that I bought the follow up compilation album, 1996's Mortal Kombat: More Kombat. It also featured some great tracks continuing in the same industrial direction, including songs from God Lives Underwater, Sepultura, the Crystal Method, and a song called "My Ruin" by Crawlspace (later known as Sevendust).

Will 2021's Mortal Kombat reboot live up to the hype?  It's one of the latest films to be simultaneously released to theaters and HBOMAX, and the trailer has a lot of fans (AKA other dudes in their 30s) worked up.  

Will it have a killer soundtrack?  That is yet to be determined, but there is a pretty sweet updated "Techno Syndrome 2021" theme song remix to go with it, so it's a start!

Cannons - 'Bad Dream'

The dark, moody synthpop of Cannons' latest single, "Bad Dream", would have fit right in on the soundtrack to the 2011 movie Drive had it been released a decade earlier.

A continuation of the synthwave movement, Cannons hits on all the right notes that fans of retro '80s-90s culture, music and film love.  Fans of The xx, M83 and the Chromatics should find Cannons equally-appealing.

The video to "Bad Dream" feels like a mashup between Twin Peaks and Stranger Things, with a hint of Netflix true crime series and a splash of Napoleon Dynamite dance moves to boot.  Cassette boom boxes, giant cell phones, tube TVs, Ford Broncos and sequins all round out this creepy trip down nostalgia lane.

Watch the video for "Bad Dream" below, and visit the official Cannons website for more:

London Grammar - 'How Does It Feel'

Hannah Reid's soaring vocals take center stage on London Grammar's new album, Californian Soil.

The English indie-pop trio have teased new singles for the last 9 months leading up to the album's release just three days ago.

London Grammar takes sparse, dreamlike electronic and guitar arrangements and layers them with Reid's echoed, classically-trained vocals.  It's delicate, it's haunting, it's undeniably catchy.

Reid's dramatic vocals and cathartic delivery bring to mind Florence Welch, while musicians Dan Rothman and Dot Major round out the group's ambient stylings and bring elements of trip-hop and electronica/dance.

On singles, "How Does It Feel" and "Lord, It's a Feeling", the group takes their sound up a notch, complementing delicate atmospheric elements with epic waves of emotion. 

You can watch the official video for "How Does It Feel" and the official visualizer for "Lord, It's a Feeling" below, via YouTube.  

For more on London Grammar and their latest release, Californian Soil, visit londongrammar.com

Julian Lennon - 'Valotte'

My keen preoccupation with piano ballads continues to dominate the conversation with a spotlight on a 1984 single by Beatles offspring, Julian Lennon.  

'Valotte' was the opening track of the eponymous debut album of John Lennon's eldest son.  And while the album may be lazily remembered by armchair musicologists for the much poppier 'Too Late For Goodbyes,' 'Valotte' is the stronger composition in my opinion.  

Released only a few years after the elder Lennon's murder, the track is haunting on multiple levels:  for its lyrical depiction of a romantic relationship in its waning days; and perhaps more so for its vocals and stylings that sound nearly identical to a beloved man who was no longer alive.  

While I am sure many Beatles fans clamored for Julian's  musical offerings in the wake of his father's death, I am just as sure its fruition nevertheless served as an unfortunate reminder that the biological impersonation can rarely fill the void left by the loss of its progenitor.  

This is not to say that Julian's music is bad or subpar---far from it.  Instead, I merely point out that, while he may have been privileged to have a mythic musician for a father, he was likewise disadvantaged by the same's inescapable shadow.  No matter how immensely talented Julian could ever be, the wound of his father's death was too fresh for fans to move on from and to separate from the son.

(Don't believe me?  Take note of the career trajectory of Julian's half-brother--and John's son with Yoko Ono--Sean Lennon, a likewise talented and brilliant artist in his own right).  

Nevertheless, I believe enough time has passed for 'Valotte,' the song, to be given an independent look and listen.  Structurally, the track is full of infectious hooks and plaintive verses.  

Sitting on a pebble by the river playing guitar 

Wondering if we're really ever gonna get that far 

Do you know there's something wrong 

'Cause I've felt it all along

And its measured march toward the rewarding choral climax is splendidly tender.  Had Billy Joel or Elton John penned this song, it would have been canonized.  Think about that, and keep an open mind, when you take a look at the video for Julian Lennon's 'Valotte' below:

Billy Joel -'Big Shot' + 'Honesty' + 'My Life' + 'Zanzibar' + 'Stiletto'

Anymore, it is rare as hen's teeth for a studio album to contain a sequence that keeps hitting track after consecutive track after consecutive track. 

I suppose much of that may have to do with the single-centric music culture we seem to find ourselves in.  And perhaps much more of that may have to do with the short attention spans the plurality of the American citizenry seem to currently have as well.  What with the Tik-Toks and the Snapchats and the Tweets, the dopamine injections social media provides is often a much more attractive option for one to spend an evening doing than to actively listen to a longform audible masterpiece that requires more than five minutes of focus.

But I digress.

Of course, many Beatles albums fit the bill of sequential sublimity; as do those by Michael Jackson. Probably my earliest firsthand experiences with such a treasure trove of continuous audio bliss were with Ten by Pearl Jam and Nevermind by Nirvana. The first half--if not more-- of both of those albums have an indescribable chemistry, a consummate formulation that would do worse if produced in any other way.  I am sure there are numerous examples of other like-kind albums that I am forgetting or neglecting to mention right now.

Billy Joel's 1978 release, 52nd Street, fits the definition of the seamless album structure as described above.  At least the first five songs on the album consist of one of my favorite track successions.  Below is a synopsis of each, and why I believe they make up the bulk of one of the greatest piano rock records ever.  

1.  Big Shot

Not much needs to be said about this one.  'Big Shot' is one of Billy's biggest hits that is probably still played on most oldies stations today.  It's uptempo opening and large rhythms comprise a well served and over-the-top introduction to an album that would knock the socks of many listeners of the day.  Billy also sings in a dramatic New Wave Punk style that was emblematic of the era.

2. Honesty

A palate cleanser, 'Honesty' is a heartfelt ballad that I just so happen to believe is Joel's best composition ever.  No pun intended, but if any set of lyrics speak absolute truth to its underlying message, 'Honesty' is it.  For those of us fortunate to find ourselves in long term marriages or relationships, the song's message serves as convincing advice that many of us can attest to.  For a true romantic partnership to work, it requires vulnerability, sincerity, and compassion;  lust and histrionics may work in the short term, but they are never sustainable.

I can always find someone

To say they sympathize

If I wear my heart out on my sleeve

But I don't want some pretty face

To tell me pretty lies

All I want is someone to believe   

3. My Life 

This is another track that needs no introduction.  Just like 'Big Shot,' it is another standard of the Great American Oldies Songbook.  The quintessential song of telling someone else to mind their own business, 'My Life' is politely rebellious; the lyrics may be telling the world to back off, but its underlying tune is a jaunty sing-along.  Highly relatable, 'My Life' has likely hit a chord with many who want to pursue their own happiness without the interference of judgmental authority figures and frenemies.  

(Note: the video below features  the beginning of the fifth track, 'Stiletto,' in its intro).  

4.  Zanzibar

At this point in 52nd Street, things begin to get interesting.  'Zanzibar' is a gritty ode to masculinity; a lament of a bachelor in the New York City metroplex who just so happens to likes booze, baseball, and women.  (Shocking, right?)  Its structure is equal parts theater production and equal parts speakeasy jazz.  This is probably one of Billy's most sophisticated creations, with multiple change-ups in a short five minute timeframe.  The choral hook, however, is what makes 'Zanzibar' a diamond in the rough.

I've got the old man's car

I've got a jazz guitar

I've got a tab at Zanzibar

Tonight that's where I'll be, I'll be

5. Stiletto 

With the fifth track, Billy rewards the listeners who have loyally listened thus far with jazzy syncopation and staccato, the nucleus of much of his catalog.  Not to worry, though, the track is still fundamentally pop in its structure.  While its introduction may resemble the lovechild of 'Careless Whisper' meets West Side Story, the half-minute mark gives way to the raucous storytelling Billy Joel has made millions on.  Just a man and his piano, 'Stiletto' is the essence of Billy Joel, and certainly the antecedent to later-comers like Ben Folds.  

JUNGLE - 'Keep Moving'

JUNGLE continues to release some of my favorite music videos.  

The London-based group's laid-back falsetto funk first caught on with 2014's hit, "Busy Earnin'".

Translating their electronic dance sounds into a seven-piece live band also gained the band considerable acclaim and a following on the concert circuit.  But for me, it's their straightforward but original choreographed videos that keep me coming back.  Seriously, I could just go to the group's YouTube channel now and get stuck watching their videos all afternoon.

And no exception is JUNGLE's latest single, "Keep Moving".  The song itself isn't a departure from the sound that the group's fans have come to expect, mixing string arrangements, relaxed grooves and a funky bassline into a mix that's equally as suitable for the dancefloor as it is for chilling out afterwards.

The video enters with a single woman and an abandoned prison, building up to a full on choreographed group dance.  The plot needn't go any deeper from there, as the joy is in the movement and atmosphere itself.  So, take a 5:21 break from your day and watch the latest from JUNGLE below:

JUNGLE's forthcoming album, Loving In Stereo, is set for release in August 2021.  You can preorder it today, at junglejunglejungle.com

Royal Blood - 'Limbo'

Royal Blood returned this past week with a funky new blues-rocker, called "Limbo".

The Brighton, UK-based duo have made a name for themselves over the past decade by combining heavily-distorted bass guitar and drum arrangements with catchy pop sensibilities.  It's heavy, it's bluesy, but it's melodic--in a similar vein to other two-piece bands like Death from Above 1979, the White Stripes, and the Black Keys.

I've long been a fan of two-piece bands--it's always cool to see how much noise and different dynamics a minimal setup can still crank out.

When Royal Blood's single, "Trouble's Coming" came out this past autumn, it became a regular rotator on my playlists.  It still had the hard-hitting groove of past songs, but with more danceable elements and electronic flourishes than I'd heard from them previously. 

On "Limbo", the duo continues in this direction--bringing in a disco-like chorus and a magnetism reminiscent of mainstream rock contemporaries like the Arctic Monkeys and Muse.  

The dance beat, paired with the helmeted motorcyclists in the video, also feels like a reference to the recently defunct Daft Punk.

It's a big, boisterous song with plenty of pedal effects, riffs and an undeniable hook.  Royal Blood have continued their trajectory, with enough creativity and energy for mass appeal.   Unlike the song's title, I'm not stuck in limbo on my feelings here -- I dig it.

You can watch the official YouTube video to Royal Blood's "Limbo" below.  The band's forthcoming album, Typhoons, is set for release at the end of the month on April 30th, 2021.  They have some super cool vinyl bundles and options available for preorder on the Royal Blood website.

Kurt Cobain and the Lost Tapes of the 27 Club

This past Monday, April 5th, marked the 27th anniversary of Kurt Cobain's (of Nirvana) tragic death.

It struck me that Cobain has now been gone for as long as he was alive, having passed at the young age of 27.  

The "27 Club" is a cultural phenomenon circulating around a number of famous musicians and celebrities who all died at 27--often related to drug use or suicide--including the likes of Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and Amy Winehouse.

For an all-too-brief moment in time, Nirvana ruled the music world, but Cobain's impact and legacy has carried on to a new generation.

Today, an organization known as Over The Bridge seeks to combat mental health in the music industry and to, "...empower musicians and to reclaim their lives from their mental health struggles."

Over the Bridge has been using artificial intelligence software to create what they're calling "The Lost Tapes of the 27 Club" -- a collection of new computer-generated songs that mimic beloved artists who have been lost prematurely.

For the new single, "Drowned in the Sun", the organization compiled multiple songs from Nirvana's catalog and used a computer algorithm to isolate hooks, rhythms, melodies and lyrics to generate brand new musical elements in Cobain's songwriting style.

It's quite eery to listen to.  While the song may not sound 100% like Nirvana, it does carry enough similarities to warrant a listen, and is truly an impressive accomplishment.  The song surprisingly rocks, and has been stuck in my head for the past few days.

The idea of computer programs learning from, and imitating, art is still a relatively new concept. Can you really replace the human aspect of songwriting and the emotion that goes into creating a great song?  It's true that much of pop music is formulaic--and legions of Nirvana-loving bands have attempted to capture the "loud, quiet, loud" dynamic that Cobain popularized 30 years ago.  

On Over The Bridge's website, they admit that, "...even AI will never replace the real thing."

What made Cobain's impact and legacy so great was how genuine, raw and cathartic his songwriting was. A whole generation of youth could relate to him and feel his pain.  His death, ruled as suicide, only propelled the existing myth surrounding him.  

There's long been a fascination with the the notion of the tortured genius, and the idea that some people's artistic ability is too much of a burden for them to live with.  But does great art only come from great suffering?  Is it fair to romanticize the struggles of mental health? 

Over The Bridge hopes use their album, The Lost Tapes of the 27 Club, to "show the world what has been lost to this mental health crisis."

Take a listen to "Drowned in the Sun" below and let us know what you think.  

For more on Over The Bridge and to listen to more Lost Tapes of the 27 Club, Click Here.

Spoonerisms and Celeb Citings

Last evening, co-contributor Steve sent me a link to listen to Ritt Momney's indie-pop cover of Corinne Bailey Ray's "Put Your Records On".

Steve commented that the artist's name, Ritt Momney, "gets me every time".  This is, of course, because Ritt Momney is a parody on the name of US Senator Mitt Romney.

Simple, but effective.

After Steve's message, my brain began slipping down the rabbit hole of bands that either directly reference, or twist the names of famous persons.

A Spoonerism is a type of metathesis in linguistics, defined as, "an error in speech in which corresponding consonants, vowels, or morphemes are switched between two words in a phrase. These are named after the Oxford don and ordained minister William Archibald Spooner, who reputedly did this."

Another example of Spoonerisms in music is the synthwave artist Com Truise, which is a twist on the name of actor Tom Cruise.  

Sometimes artists don't rearrange the letters in a celebrity's name, so much as substitute one letter to change the entire meaning, in the case of artists like Joy Orbison (a nod to the late, great Roy Orbison), or Chet Faker (a comedic reference to legendary jazz trumpeter Chet Baker).

The Dandy Warhols (reference to artist Andy Warhol) still make my regular musical rotation with their '90s staple, "Bohemian Like You"

Probably the most prominent example of this in popular music is the CeeLo Green and Danger Mouse project, Gnarls Barkley which blew up the charts with their 2006 megahit single, "Crazy".  Gnarls Barkley is--surprise--a gnarly twist on basketball star, Charles Barkley.

Here's a few other examples:  

Gringo Starr (Beatles' Ringo Starr)

Ringo Deathstarr (Beatles vs Star Wars)

Steve 'N' Seagulls (actor Steven Seagal)

And, perhaps my favorite of the bunch... The Harmonica Lewinskis (Monica Lewinski)

Then again, sometimes you just don't feel like rearranging the letters in a famous person's name to be clever, so you go for the gusto and directly reference them.

Take Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin for example.  Or maybe Kathleen Turner Overdrive.

How about Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.?  They've since changed their name to just JR JR.

According to Wikipedia:  NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. "...is a fan of Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.  The band emailed him to assure him they were not making fun of him and sent him a few samples of their music."

Perhaps you're more keen on Natalie Portman's Shaved Head (who have since changed their name to Brite Futures), who publicly stated that it had come to their attention that, "...our muse Ms. Portman is not so keen on us using her name in ours..."

It's well documented that Pearl Jam's original name was Mookie Blaylock, after the basketball player. Luscious Jackson were also named after a misspelling of basketball great, Lucious Jackson.

Many bands have borrowed from historical figures.  Scottish band, Franz Ferdinand, owe their name to the former Archduke of Austria.  The '80s hard rock band Tesla were named after inventor Nikola Tesla.  Classic rockers Jethro Tull were named after the English inventor and agricultural pioneer of the same name.  

Sometimes artists even combine two or more famous titles to make them their own.  The Brian Jonestown Massacre were named after the late Rolling Stones' guitarist Brian Jones and the infamous Jonestown Massacre.

Marilyn Manson is a combination of Marilyn Monroe and Charles Manson, and the band's early members also took on the conjoined names of famous actresses/models and serial killers (e.g. Twiggy Ramirez, Gidget Gein and Madonna Wayne Gacy)

Inspiration apparently strikes in all sorts of places.  You could really go on and on...  

So, do you have a favorite? Who else deserved to be mentioned in this list?  Comment below if you have additions!

Climax Blues Band - 'I Love You'

You know that part in 'Maybe I'm Amazed' by Paul McCartney, where the song, at about the 2:17 mark, does that piano change-up thing-- do-do-do-do-do-do?  Unfortunately, I am not skilled in properly articulating music (in fact I have absolutely no idea how to talk about music in the technical sense), but you can hear exactly what I am talking about here. 

Anyhow, if you have ever imagined what the sequel to such a chord progression (or is it regression?) might be, then 'I Love You' by Climax Blues Band may be just the answer.  

Such a statement is not meant to diminish the 1980 single as a cheap Beatles rip-off.  To the contrary, 'I Love You' carries just as much emotional heft as the McCartney-penned doppelganger.  Indeed, the lyrics serve as a sincere ode to those one-of-a-kind women out there who, against all advice to the contrary, decide to take a chance and partner with that possibly problematic man, through thick or thin and for better or worse:

When I was a younger man I hadn't a care /  Foolin' around, hittin' the town, growing my hair / You came along and stole my heart when you entered my life / ooh babe you got what it takes, so I made you my wife.

....   

You came along from far away and found me here /  I was playin' around, feeling down, hittin' the beer / You picked me up from off the floor and gave me a smile / You said you're much to young, your life ain't begun, let's walk for awhile.

'I Love You' reached number 12 on the charts in 1981, but I feel it gets undeservedly low airplay today.  Perhaps it is because it has been overshadowed by the English band's disco-infused A.M. radio staple 'Couldn't Get It Right'?  In any event, even if the song is no longer on the radio rotation today,  'I Love You' by Climax Blues Band definitely belongs on any of Star-Lord's walkman awesome cassette mixes, and likely in your personal Spotify playlist.  

Watch the video for the undeservedly forgotten 'I Love You' by Climax Blues Band below:

Christian Sands - 'Can't Find My Way Home'

Post-college I began to slowly fall in love with jazz; Bebop and Post-bop to be exact.  Midtown martini bars, the Beat Generation, and Don Draper all come to mind when I listen to Miles or The Monk.  It is sophistication, class, and cool epitomized.  

Christian Sands is a contemporary jazz pianist whose expositions reveal he is a disciple of the midcentury jazz tradition.  His style is delicate, and his arrangements demonstrate a keen sense of space and sonic instinct.  

Normally, when it comes to jazz, one of my peeves is when a pop or rock song is covered.  Much of the time, the end result sounds to me like silly Muzak you hear in the waiting room of your dentist's office or at the shopping mall department store during Christmas.  (Shopping Malls...remember those?)  For this reason, I prefer jazz and popular music rarely marry.  

'Can't Find My Way Home' is the rare exception to my mantra.  As a classic rock adherent in my junior and senior high school days, I listened endlessly to Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, and Ginger Baker jam on the supergroup's self-titled Blind Faith album.  When it was recently recommended to me I check out Sands' rendition of the Winwood penned 'Can't Find My Way Home,' I was skeptical.  But I am glad I gave it a chance, because I feel it is one of the best jazz covers of a classic rock song I have ever heard.  

Sands' version is a slow burn.  But if you have the patience and wherewithal to let yourself go and truly, actively LISTEN, the payoff is wonderful.  His arrangement translates the technical mastery of the rock original's guitar bars and percussion to piano brilliantly.  It gently embraces the original's rawness without getting consumed by it.  The change-ups are seductive.  Just take a listen at approximately the five-minute mark, and you will truly hear and feel what I mean.  I get lost in this song every time I hear it.   

You can listen to the audio stream to 'Can't Find My Way Home' in the music player below.  But if you have 15 minutes to spare, you can watch a recent live performance from a club in Baltimore recorded in November of 2020 here if you want to see how Sands, and bandmates Ryan Sands and Yasushi Nakamura, truly jive.  

Thomas Dolby - 'Airwaves'

For the casual listener, the mention of Thomas Dolby likely spawns visions of quirky synth pop, coalesced with the Poindexter look Dolby adorned in his music video for worldwide smash 'She Blinded Me With Science.'  (SCIENCE!!)  Indeed, 'She Blinded Me With Science' is a banger that still carries Party DJ cred today.  Unless you are a hardcore fan, though, the rest of Dolby's catalog--and even other songs featured on the very same album as 'Science'--have gone completely overlooked.  

Track 3 from The Golden Age of Wireless is 'Airwaves.'  (Point of reference:  'She Blinded Me With Science' is Track 1).  I first came across the track not long ago as it was playing in the background of a satellite radio station or random Spotify station;  I really can't remember.  But what totally grabbed me were the verses' uncanny melodic similarity to Billy Joel's 'Goodnight Saigon.'  In fact, I first thought it was an alternate version of the Billy song, however, the sprawling, spacey, multi-layered chorus immediately informed me 'Airwaves' was a completely different--and frankly much better-- record altogether.  

For fellow nostalgia junkies, 'Airwaves' is a signature artifact from Generation X's formative years.  It is a perfect combination of eccentricity, the subterranean, and New Wave.  The corresponding music video definitely bears this out.

In fact, you can check out the music video for 'Airwaves' in the player below: 

Frances Forever - 'Space Girl'

'Space Girl' is a jaunty track from Frances Forever, the stage name of Frances Garrett.  Although the tune has been around for almost a couple of years, the single has gained recent prominence as it has made the rounds on Tik-Tok. 

My favorite part of the song is definitely the bridge, which begins around the 2:19 mark.  It is a hazy and tranquil divergence from the otherwise buoyant melody, and it balances the tune out quite nicely.

You can watch the official video for 'Space Girl' in the player below:

Tune-Yards - 'Hold Yourself'

I have always had an affinity for Merrill Garbus and her band tUnE-yArDs (see prior post here), but to be entirely honest, that affinity never grew into reverence or exaltation.  While I certainly appreciated her groundbreaking idiosyncrasies, the music never completely moved me to the next celestial level, if you will.  

That is not an indictment.  Indeed, there are many artists I respect and enjoy that fit into this very category.  

But with the recent release of latest single, 'Hold Yourself,' my adoration for Merrill and tUnE-yArDs has been reborn stronger than before.  Arranged as a  ballad, 'Hold Yourself' is a candid portrait of the precarious role of parenthood; the constant tension between a mother's or father's own frailties and self-doubts on the one hand, while simultaneously projecting strength and false bravado on the other, all for the sake of the child's sense of safety and wellbeing.  

Musically, 'Hold Yourself' is alluring.  Its first couple of bars are reminiscent of 'Purple Rain,' followed by Garbus' measured Gospel slugs during the choruses.   The synth and sax of the tune compliment her voice quite nicely.  Overall, it is a beautiful and moving composition that grips onto my soul a little more each time I hear it.  

'Hold Yourself' is set to drop on March 26, 2021.  In the meantime, you can watch the music video for the single below:

Meg Myers - 'Any Way You Wanna Love'

Meg Myers returned this weekend with a new music video to her single, "Any Way You Wanna Love".

It's been a while since we've checked in on Myers, having first written about her sensuous alt-rock single, "Desire" on this blog more than six years ago.

The Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter is back with a new video that supports the Dance to Be Free organization, which "empowers incarcerated women and others who have endured psychological and physical traumas through the use of choreographed healing dance." 

The video finds Myers dancing freely on a beach, and intersperses clips of fans, friends and family contributing their own interpretations of the dance.

In Myers' own words, as posted in the video description:

"'Any Way You Wanna Love' and the Dance are both inspired by healing journeys of liberation, freeing participants of old bonds, old wounds and shadows of the past. Into new light of creation and potential, transforming what was once negative and debilitating into freedom and celebration of new life. So rather than being disempowered by our pasts, we transmute the energy into recognition and empowerment.”

You can watch (and dance along to) the video for Meg Myers' "Any Way You Wanna Love" below.  To learn more about Dance to Be Free, visit  https://DanceToBeFree.org​

For more on this artist, visit Meg Myers' Official Website.

Last Week's Listens: José González and Gojira

Over the past week,  I've found myself listening repeatedly to two new singles from two very different--but equally impressive--artists, José González and Gojira.

González, the Argentinian-Swedish indie folk musician, returned with his first new single in several years, (and his first in Spanish), "El Invento".

González describes "El Invento" as a song he wrote around the birth of his daughter, and one which asks the questions, "...who we are, where we're going, and why?"

Like much of his music, the song is pastoral and introspective, with González' skillfully-plucked acoustic guitar playing to delicately spoken vocals.  It's a very poignant and pretty tune that fits right in with much of the artist's previous catalog.  His music always feels calming and complex at the same time.

For me, it brought back memories of seeing him perform live in Chicago back in 2007, and recalling the gentle command he had as a solo performer (You can read my concert review here).

Watch the video for "El Invento" below:

And then...

On the polar opposite side of the musical spectrum, we have the explosive, flying whale-of-a-single from French metal masters, Gojira, called "Born For One Thing".

Gojira have rightfully earned a reputation for effortlessly blending elements of technical, death and thrash metal into a heavy groove.  Having seen them live in 2019, I can attest that Gojira is a band that somehow sounds even heavier and more dialed-in in concert.  

The new single, "Born For One Thing", which dropped last week, has been met with much enthusiasm from fans new and old.  It finds the band picking up where they left off with 2016's crossover success story, Magma.  While some dyed-in-the-wool fans from the band's early days may have feared Magma was veering into mainstream territory, there's no denying the latest single finds the band still in their prime.  

"Born For One Thing" starts with that trademark Gojira build-up before crashing down into intense riffs with surgical precision.  Brothers Joe and Mario Duplantier have an inherent way of clicking together on guitar and drums, respectively, like conjoined twins sharing one musical brain.

Even if metal isn't your thing, I recommend giving Gojira a listen, as they remain one of the tightest, heaviest and most consistent bands in the genre today.

Gojira's forthcoming album, Fortitude, will be released on April 30th, 2021.  Listen to "Born for One Thing" below:

Doves - 'Catch the Sun'

Ever have that song which is such a big part of the personal soundtrack of your life; but then, with no warning, it inexplicably fades into your subconscious?  

Up and until that juncture, you may have played the song several times a day for weeks at a time;  you may have even put it on a couple of mix CD-Rs or MP3 compilations that you handed out to others.  Then, for reasons you're not quite certain of, the song faded into personal obscurity, just like the vivid dream you can no longer remember the details of five minutes after you wake up.  

'Catch the Sun' by Doves is my very own sonic feverdream.  When I was in college, I discovered the British band by listening incessantly to the now-defunct XM Radio Station Ethel.  Ethel was a station that broadcast a perfect blend of Britpop-inspired alternative rock, along with the proto-indie rock native to the aughts.  Ethel introduced me to other solid Britrock bands like Ash and Catherine Wheel, yet, unlike Doves, those bands never left my immediate awareness.  

During 'Catch the Sun's' prime on my personal playlist, I distinctly remember queueing the track on my headphones as I made the quarter-mile trek from my residence to the lecture halls on central campus. I found it subtly uplifting and stirring.  If I was in an anxious mood as I readied myself to be in the same room as fifty other high strung university students, 'Catch the Sun's'' assured chorus always brought me back to center.   

Then, at some point in approximately 2002, 'Catch the Sun,'--and the rest of Doves' repertoire--slid out of my rotation for reasons unexplained.  Maybe it was because Ethel stopped playing them on the radio?  Or maybe I was distracted by another shiny, musical object? 

Earlier this evening, I was cooking Sunday dinner while listening to the Indie 1.0 station on the since-rebranded SiriusXM.  (Indie 1.0 is the spiritual successor to Ethel).  Lo and behold, Indie 1.0 transmitted the opening, but prescient, lyrics to 'Catch the Sun:'  

"Everyday it comes to this / Catch the things you might have missed."  

At that moment I couldn't help but thinking my life had suddenly come full circle.  And I felt like I had been reunited with an old friend I didn't realize how much I missed or needed.

Stream 'Catch the Sun' by Doves in the music player below:

Quelle Chris & Chris Keys - 'Sacred Safe'

For those of you who don't mind a little Brazilian-styled rhythms intermixed with Lupe Fiasco-esque smooth beats, than 'Sacred Safe' may be just the song for you.  

'Sacred Safe' is hypnotizing and transformational. It is sonic quicksand, methodically sucking its listener into soundspaces that are neither here nor there.   Indeed, for those of you who listen to the "lo-fi" study radio station on YouTube--the one with the looping animation featuring the headphoned girl and the cat--you will feel right at home when you listen to this one.  

You can stream the video to 'Sacred Safe' by Quelle Chris and Chris Keys below:

Guilty Pleasures (Valentine's Edition): Dino - 'Romeo'

 Happy Valentine's Day, fellow music lovers.

It's hard to believe I've never posted about Dino before, but it seemed appropriate to wait until V-Day to drop his 1990 cheesefest, "Romeo" on you.

I first heard Dino in my favorite 1992 Rodney Dangerfield/Jonathan Brandis cross-dressing soccer comedy, Ladybugs, in which his song, "Summergirls" was used.

Dino, AKA Dean Esposito, was a Top 40 DJ who took a turn at singing with the group, Esquire, in the '80s before going solo in '89 with his first album, 24/7.  The album also featured the single, "I Like It".  

The same year, Dino got booked as an opening act for the insanely popular New Kids on the Block tour.

In 1990, Dino returned with his sophomore album, Swingin', which featured today's song du jour, "Romeo".

"Romeo" shot its way to #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 that year, due to a sugary sweet pop chorus and, yep, a guest rap by Doctor Ice (of UTFO).

With a healthy dose of New Jack Swing and freestyle dance, "Romeo" was destined to break some hearts while tearing up the charts.  

The music video is a pretty incredible historical document of the culture of 1990, as well.  

With fashion choices nothing short of colorful, Dino alternates between a mustardy sport jacket and a white tee emblazoned with the slogan, "My Race is Human", as he serenades our souls.

Enthusiastic backup dancers bounce in and out of frame like over-caffeinated extras at the Peach Pit on Beverly Hills 90210, cementing the video's place in the annals of pop history.  

Whether you're feeling hopelessly romantic or just a little '90s nostalgic this V-Day, take a page from the Dino, the master of smooth:

"I'll be your Romeo, I love you so, I can't let go... of these feelings in my heart!"

 

Steven Wilson - 'SELF'

Steven Wilson, the prolific and multi-talented British musician and songwriter, returned this past month with his latest solo album, The Future Bites.

Wilson is best known as the frontman for the contemporary prog-rock band, Porcupine Tree--a group that amassed ten albums and another seven EPs over a twenty year span.  

I first heard Porcupine Tree more than a decade into their career with the release of 2002's remarkable commercial breakthrough, In Absentia.  The single "Trains" from that album is still a favorite of mine, and is a great entry point for new listeners.  Porcupine Tree's follow up album, Deadwing, was an equally impressive effort, combining Pop songwriting sensibilities with complex Prog and Metal arrangements.

Wilson has also recorded six of his own solo albums, in addition to working with several other bands and remix projects.  On 2021's The Future Bites, Wilson finds himself immersed in electronic music more than ever, with songs making digs at consumerism and critiquing the effects of a technological society on our personal psyches.

His latest single, "SELF", is a great example of just that.  The music video uses deepfake technology to alter Wilson's appearance, morphing him into various celebrities. The album's slinky electo-funk recalls Young Americans-era Bowie for me, at times.

The video can best be summed up by the artist's own words, taken from the description on his official YouTube video, shared below:

"SELF is about our new age of narcissism and self-obsession, one in which a human race that used to look out with curiosity at the world and the stars now spends much of its time gazing at a little screen to see themselves reflected back in the mirror of social media. In that sense everyone now can take part in the notion of celebrity, and has the potential to share their life with an invisible mass of people they will never meet. The video takes things further by exploring the idea that anyone can now project a version or “self” that has no bearing on reality, and by using only well known faces the deception is made transparent." - Steven Wilson

Steven...have you been binge-watching Black Mirror again?

Additionally, the video's director, Miles Skarin commented on his work in regards to creating deepfakes, saying, "Anyone with the right tools and ability can now turn themselves into anyone else, so what does that mean for identity?"

Watch the video for Steven Wilson's "SELF" below:

If you enjoyed that, I also recommend watching Wilson's music video for "Personal Shopper" off The Future Bites.

You can learn more and order the full album by visiting Steven Wilson's Official Website.