Giorgio Moroder would be so proud

Casper The Friendly Ghost-Daniel Johnston

In honor of Halloween, I thought I'd review a Daniel Johnston song. If you haven't heard Daniel Johnston, well, you are seriously missing out. There was a documentary out about a year ago, and he is much loved in the music community.

I won't go into his whole back story (its on the Internet) in a million different variations. I will say that I love him. There is something oddly beautiful about his voice. Can he sing? Does it matter? I think there is just something fragile and incredibly honest about his voice. Particularly on this song (it is not a cover of the song from the cartoon).

And his songwriting skills are pretty amazing.

The Daydream-Tycho

Autumnal beauty...this song sounds exactly like its title. It is a 'day' song...there is something slighly light about it, like shafts of sunlight coming into a room. Yet there is something melancholy about it. One of the great things about instrumental tracks is that they leave so much for interpretation...its so much about the mood you bring to the song

This is a serious beauty...lovely music to reflect by. I don't know much about Tycho...this is from a compilation called Do That: Rare Birds From The Terrorbird Vault.

I'll Be By Your Side (Tensnake Remix)-Sally Shapiro

Sally Shapiro is a much raved about Swedish singer whose 2006 record Disco Romance hearkens back to the 80's and Italo-Disco and Pamela Stanley and Lime and Eurobeat. Its a beautiful record, stunningly so. As far as I know, this isn't her real name and she has never performed live.

Almost like Robyn, Lykke Li or even Justin Timberlake, this is a record that has generated an online buzz among music blogs. I've seen it reviewed in magazines that wouldn't normally touch this kind of music (shame).

In any event, the original is a lovely pop hit. You hear it, and, like Lykke Li and Veronica Maggio, you think "wow, this is what the last Kylie or Madonna record should have sounded like". Lyrically, the song is about devotion to a lover (perhaps not surprisingly, given the title).

Some time after the album came out, she has remixed Remix Romance Volume I and Remix Romance Volume II with, yup, all sorts of remixed versions of Disco Romance. And, in a nice surprise, almost all of them work or are at least interesting.

But this remix...man, this remix...its massive. Tensnake are doing the whole "NuDisco" thing (think Lindstrøm) and this mix is 10 minutes of Italo-disco heaven. Her vocals just weave in and out of the song...in dance music, this type of record is often referred to as a journey. It is certainly transportive.

They say when "I Feel Love" was played out (it was finished, put on vinyl and walked to a club) the reaction was so strong they just kept playing it over and over. This song gives me that feeling. You really don't want it to end. Giorgio Moroder would be so proud.

What Do You Want Make Those Eyes At Me For?

3 A.M. (Fucked Up)-Stars Of The Lid

Well, honestly, I could review this. Stars Of The Lid comes out of the Mogwai/Godspeed You Black Emperor (place exclamation point accordingly). And its a beautiful song.

However, the title says it all.

What Do You Want Make Those Eyes At Me For?-Emile Ford & the Checkmates

OK...kinda creepy! Not even kinda. Its a Joe Meek production (I've been listening to his work lately). The production is very good...and its campy and fun. The lyrics....well, basically its a guy threatening a woman for leading him on...and that he'll jump her later. Oh sure, its meant innocuous I am sure (I hope) but it has a dark side as well.

One Song Not So Glory

Searching For Mr. Right-Young Marble Giants

I hate to speak ill of the dead but....

When the Broadway musical came out, there were some heavy allegations that Jonathan Larson had plagiarized significant parts of Sarah Schulman's book People In Trouble. It never went to court...from what I understand, she didn't want to pursue after his death.

Um.....ok.....listen to this song. The Young Marble Giants were from Cardiff, Wales and were around in the early 80's....I guess they were a post-punk band (whatever that means anymore). In any event, I am sure they were big with the L.E.S. artist crowd.

It's a great song...it has a cool trick where it continues to build tension, threatening to explode....but never does.

Have you heard it? Jonathan Larson did...I am 90 percent sure of it. Yeah, the beginning is similar (but as the person I played it to said "lots of songs start that way")....but then there is the part of the song where she sings "teaching myself to be, the young untold".

I'm not crazy...I caught it on my Ipod while sitting on the bus...I kept thinking "hmmm....I know that song..."

Now listen to "One Song Glory" from Rent. THEN tell me I am crazy. I just listened to it again...and it freaked me out.

Acid Tongue-Jenny Lewis

Yeah, I know I already wrote about this song...but whatever. I decided today that if I ever star in an HBO show, this is going to be my theme song. "You know I'm a liar..."

The Clock-Thom Yorke

OK...yes, it is kinda hard to accuse any Radiohead/Thom Yorke/Johnny Greenwood endeavor as being underrated. But I kinda feel The Eraser was underrated. To me, it felt like the other fork...this record is the natural progression from Amnesiac. If anything, it sounds more insular, paranoid and fucked-up.

This is my favorite track on the record....its very jittery...has a real sense of foreboding. And, like many a song, I thought, when I heard, it'd be hard to improve on that version. The original is well, delightfully nervous.

Well, check out the Surgeon remix of this song. It is the original version of the song, post-nervous breakdown, post-hospitalization, post shock treatment. Weird, scary...play it on your headphones and walk around a city. You will feel like you are the only person that knows that there is something eminent about to happen....it sounds like a pending emergency.

Listened to Exotic Creatures Of The Deep by Sparks today. Can we just call them a National Treasure and get it over with? Also, they are the gayest straight men alive. And frankly, I do mean that as a compliment.

Spank Rock Bump (Mochipet Remix)-Mochipet

How is a song like this not a huge hit? I don't get it....I expect Missy Elliott or Kanye West to come swooping in at any moment....

The Daydream-Tycho

Wow...talk about a song that sounds like its title. Minor key autumnal loveliness....like the sound of a heart breaking (my favorite, cheesiest and overused euphemism...but fuck it, it works). This is superbly beautiful...not in a Lisa Gerrard kinda way...not hugely gorgeous. More subtly gorgeous....maybe for my HBO series, this'll close out the series finale?????

Bad Babysitter-Princess Superstar

Try to listen to this and not crack the fuck up. Its brilliant...

The Cave (Part 1)-Gary "Spider" Webb

OK...one of the 3 gay High Holidays approaches....this year I finally put together a bunch of Halloween mixes. This, well, it harkens back to the 50's and novelty records. Its so weird....I love it...its funny and odd and frankly, strange. Probably only a hip-hop artist could do something like this now...and in a skit (think Prince Paul). Its basically spaghetti western guitar, a drum beat, this guy screaming "Julie", the girl yelling "Jimmy" back...drum solos...and then she screams. Frankly, its insane and kinda stupid and brilliant. Perfect for Halloween.

Big City (Everybody I Know Can Be Found Here)-Spacemen 3

Pre-Spiritualized swoony music to take drugs to and watch John Hughes flicks to. On drugs..."we are not alone" and all that