Wednesday, May 28, 2008

I've got something to Cher...

It's been a long time since I've posted, but hopefully this will make up for my absence, for I come bearing the gift of Cher. I watched her stunning Biography on Biography a couple of weeks ago and it inspired me to want to write something about how much I've always loved Cher and what an amazing human being she is (I'm pretty sure she's human, at least), and I'm finally getting around to that. It was hard to figure out what I wanted to write about since there are so many awesome things about her to say, so be forewarned that I might be breaking this up into a couple of parts. 


The first thing I would say about Cher is that everything she touches turns to gold. Kind of literally, actually. Gold with like, feathers and sequins and beads. One thing I find amazing is how she can wear the most whore-ish get-up imaginable, yet she still manages to come across as kind of glamorous.


cher.jpg


Case in point.


Another amazing thing is how she sings songs that she didn't even write or experience, but she belts them out like what she's singing about was happening to her right at that moment. The best song to illustrate this phenomenon is "Half-Breed". This song rules so hard. It is so damn solemn, you'd think this was a page ripped straight from Cher's diary, but it totally isn't. Someone else wrote this song for her, and she isn't even an Indian. But that only serves to reinforce the overall brilliance. It would be boring in a way if it were true. Also adding to the brilliance is the grandiose orchestra blasting away in the background. It just kicks the quality of the song up at least a million notches. The part of the song that Cher most turns to gold, though, is of course the words of the song itself, and how she delivers them, particularly: "The other children always laughed at me/ 'Give her a feather, she's a Cherokee'" and "The Indians said that I was white by law/ the white man always called me Indian squaw". The best parts of the song for me are the pounding drums at the beginning that sound like a pow wow going on, and the end when she belts out "Both sides were against me since the day I was born!" The other best parts of the song are everything else in between the beginning and the end. She sings the whole song in such a glass case of fiery emotion, it is so dazzling and hysterical. The video is also apparently filmed in a glass case of fiery emotion, if the crackling flames on the screen at the beginning and end are any indication. I love this video to death: It's just Cher against a white background in soft focus wearing a spectacular headdress and a tube top and underwear made out of silver lamé, sitting on what appears to be a heavily medicated horse, barefoot and emoting straight at the camera. It demands to be seen.



I love her bow at the end, and the roaring applause. I don't think there were even any people around, I think Cher just has the sound of random applause following her wherever she goes.


Here is another sparkly Cher song with her telling a story where I have no idea what is going on at all, while looking amazing and wearing the most staggeringly awesome outfit I have ever seen.



Well, I think that might be enough praise for Cher for today, but I want to leave you pondering one sad little factoid: Before Vicki Lawrence recorded it, the guy who wrote "The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia" had initially offered the song to Sonny Bono to give to Cher, but Sonny foolishly turned it down because he was afraid it would offend Southern people. Man, that is one of the greatest tragedies in music history right there. Cher was robbed.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Metronomy

I wasn't so sure about Metronomy upon a first listen, but now I'm completely hooked. I cannot stop listening to these guys. I honestly don't have the slightest inclination how to even describe what exactly they sound like. The tracks I've heard off of Metronomy's forthcoming album Nights Out have an obvious late 70s/early 80s heavy yet quirky synthesizer influence. That being said, a likely comparison might be Devo. I'm not sure I would go quite that far though...

Honestly, in my opinion Metronomy pretty much sound like space creature circus music circa 1979/the distant future; If you can imagine that. Judging by their video for 'Radio Ladio', it looks like I'm not too far off, at least with the whole 'space creature' vibe.




I wasn't completely sold on Metronomy the first time I saw the video for 'Radio Ladio'. I'm pretty sure it actually made my stomach churn initially. It has definitely grown on me since then. Even disregarding all those colors and cute little dance moves, their facial expressions alone are entertainment enough. In short, Metronomy = space creature circus music + moderately adorable + great.

I enjoy Metronomy's track 'My Heart Rate Rapid' even more than 'Radio Ladio', as cute as that song is. Give a listen in order to hear circus-y synth space disco at its finest.

MP3: Metronomy - My Heart Rate Rapid (zshare)


Also, don't forget to click here to purchase Metronomy's 'My Heart Rate Rapid' 12" while we await the release of Nights Out!!

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Autolux - Audience No. 2


I apologize for the lack of new posts in this here blog. I'm hoping to get things into 'full swing' incredibly soon. There really is no reason I can think of to bother listing excuses for not having posted in over a month. Still, If I were to be allowed to have one or more excuses, the short list would include the stresses that come along with preparing to move (which still has yet to happen), as well as not being able to see well out of my right eye (I need to get laser surgery). I'm really not the complaining type, though... which actually ties in with the real topic of this post: Autolux.

Impossible day
I don't complain
I'm over it, I guess
Scattered and gray, so
I hold it back
and keep it sugarless

The aforementioned lyrics from their 2004 song 'Sugarless' have always hit close to home. I used to play that song (and the rest of the album) endlessly on repeat WAY BACK in 2004. I played Future Perfect so often that it never left my stereo, except for when I finally retired it for a spell. It's been fitting my mood perfectly lately, and I've brought it back into heavy rotation. Deservedly so, too. There just is no band right now that sounds anything remotely like Autolux. Somehow they manage to achieve some sort of absolutely unique wonderfulness through sound, melody and lyric that sets them apart from everyone else, in every possible genre.

It's safe to say that Autolux fans have been waiting a long time to hear any new material from the band. Finally, that day has arrived! Sort of. They've posted a new song, 'Audience No. 2' on their MySpace profile. The song can also be found on iTunes. The forthcoming album, Transit Transit is expected to be released 'soon enough', with no official date in sight as of yet. The new track is quite promising sounding, and I am highly anticipating the release of Transit Transit, whenever that may be.



P.S. I'm pretty sure that my favorite part of the new song, 'Audience No. 2' is the lyric that goes, 'I have always been your vegetable'. There is something enticingly magnetic and fascinating about the way he say 'vegetable' that I can't quite put my finger on. Plus, the word 'vegetable' never fails to be amazing and great.

If you haven't heard Autolux's debut album Future Perfect, I highly recommend that you do so, pretty much right away.


Purchase music by Autolux here:


Buy it at Insound!