Weird Al Yankovic is back! It's been a while since he made fun of pop music so vigorously--3 years since "Polka Face" skewered Lady Gaga. But now he's back with his 14th album which he spent the last week debuting with 8 new videos over 8 days on his Vevo channel.
As a writer, my favorite by far is "Word Crimes" which is not only hilarious but also quite educational when it comes to common grammatical mistakes. And, at the same time, it sorta takes the piss out of one of my least favorite pop songs of all time "Blurred Lines". Enjoy as you laugh and learn about the Oxford comma.
I saw this online last week--a mix/mashup/clipfest of all the pop cultural moments from 1990. Who knew there were so many?! First off, there were some serious jams that year that have proven to be enduring (see Dee-Lite!). And I have to say I was almost surprised about how many now classic films there were from that year which didn't seem that cinematically great at the time. Of course, compared to what's at the multiplex today....don't get me started. ;) Anyway, this is a fun little time machine video that will take you back. Way back. Enjoy!
There's a new video from O.M.D., one of my fave groups from the '80s with classic hits like "Secret" and "So In Love". My source for all-things-80s Kenneth In The 212 alerted me to this cut from their new album. This new one is called "Metroland" and has a cool Flash animated video to go with it which is a mini-history of suburbanization. But I love that their unique sound is back, with a hint of wistful maturity to it.
If you happen to make a movie, these days it can often end up on YouTube with "tribute" videos where people clip their favorite scenes together with a song they like. It helps if you have cute boys in your films too as people have done some videos of my films POOL DAYS and I THINK I DO (now removed by the distributor) featuring cute guys smiling or shirtless. I never thought my post-9/11 drama WTC VIEW would get this sort of treatment. But I was wrong.
Trusty Google Alerts led me to this video with a song about a window as the soundtrack. The song, by a group called Double O Zero, is catchy and appropriate given that the window of Eric's apartment is a central focal point of the film (due to its former view of the World Trade Center). It's nicely edited by a "Alex O'Dogherty" who has done a bunch of these and features all of my film's smiling and shirtlessness, of course. I often tell people that WTC VIEW is not the film about 9/11 they may expect and this video definitely proves that point!
It almost reminds me of those music videos popular in the 80's where a band would play a song from a big Hollywood movie on a soundstage that would be intercut with scenes from the movie (see ST. ELMO'S FIRE). Except here, there is no band which is too bad. I'm curious to know more about this group and the somewhat mysterious person who put this all together.
Tom Goss is an DC-based out artist and performer with a new video that is both sexy and incredibly beautiful too. It reminded me of Peter Gabriel's SLEDGEHAMMER, though on a much smaller more intimate (literally!) scale. In the video, Tom lies nearly naked as artists and animators paint a fairy tale landscape and story around him over the course of an hour and a half. You can read the details about the shoot here and learn more about this talented young guy at his website, http://tomgossmusic.net/wordpress/.
One of my favorite guilty pleasures from the 1980's (along with Poison) is the Brit-pop group Bananarama. Somehow I did not get the memo that they were going to be in town last night for a one-night-only gig at the Hard Rock Cafe, in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Fortunately, my friend and fellow blogger Kenneth In the 212 was there and has the full report (and some great photos like the one above).
At age 50, the ladies look great and did some of my less-famous favorites, including "Talking Italian" and the awesome "Love In The First Degree." If you don't know that one, but I'm posting the video below. I love this song and especially this video; it has great 80's dance moves and amazing hand gestures too. It's like they are performing in sign language!
Last night, I went to check out Ben Lerman's Big Band Hot 100 last night at the Ace Hotel, a fun night of music when Ben and his band cover Billboard's top hits. Most of them I knew but there was one catchy tune sung by the talented Marcos Sanchez that I didn't; "Anna Sun" by an alt-rock group called Walk The Moon.
Clearly, this band loves the 80s and thus I love them! Everything from the tune itself which is reminiscent of 80s college rock as well as the day-glo fashion....not to mention the hot dance moves. Then there is also a hopefully intentional homage to Janet Jackson's "When I Think Of You" one shot video. Anyway, it's a fun song that was apparently the song of summer 2011, according to Esquire magazine. Somehow I missed that--but I am enjoying it just the same in 2012. Keep on rockin', WTM!
Donna Summer, whose name was synonymous with disco, died today after a battle with cancer. She was 63 years old. I grew up with all her disco music and have fond memories of "Last Dance" from high school and beyond. It seemed that was always the song that was played at the end of any dance or wedding for about 20 years, right?
However, in memory of Donna, I'm posting not one of her disco songs but one of my guilty pleasures; a sizable hit she had from the late 80's call "This Time I Know It's For Real." This song, more than any of hers, has a special personal memory, connected to a certain place and time and, well, even a certain person. ;) The video however is a crazy! A catalogue of the decades' music video memes: running in place dance...check, lots of fog...check, hand claps closups....check, big hair/earrings....double check! But, in the end, the song is the thing, as is Donna's lovely voice. Which is now really gone....
In stark contrast to yesterday's blast from the video past, today I have this new clip for a song by Massive Attack. This is one of the coolest CGI-style music video's I've seen in a while. Truly stunning visuals. Watch and be amazed...
This is a new cute music video I saw on a friend's Facebook page. It's from a band called Hot Chip and it's their song "One Life Stand". It's quirky and fun. I can dance to it. Hopefully you can too....have a great weekend! :)
In a modern music landscape dominated by soulful divas and hip-hop rappers, the joys of seriously old school Bubble Gum Pop are making a surprising comeback with the emergence of Justin Bieber. This Canadian wunderteen started as a YouTube sensation but is now taking on the pop world.
He gigged on David Letterman last week with his insanely catchy pop confection "Baby", which sounds like a song conceived in the 60's, scored in the 80's and recorded in the '00s. It has a hook that gets stuck in your head and won't let go...in a good way, of course. Baby, baby, baby...ooooo, ohhhhh. It might as well be The Supremes.
Anyway, Justin's clean-teen image, of course, has made him a hit with the tween girls. And, like many male pop idols, he looks more like a girl than a guy....cute but not too threatening. In his video for "Baby", a Bollywood-esque dance piece set in a bowling alley, he reminds me of the butchy Mary Stuart Masterson in "Some Kind Of Wonderful" or a very young KD Lang. (Apparently, others have mistaken him for a lesbian as well.)
Anyway, he's storming the USA in 2010 with this and other bubbly hits to follow.
Mika is this super skinny infectious rocker from London who is just awesome! I've been a fan of his song "Grace Kelly" for almost a year now with countless repeats on my iTunes as it's so damn catchy. Well now he has a new song out this fall "We Are Golden" with a most amazing video of him prancing about a colorful teenagers bedroom (his perhaps?) wearing a pair of tennis shorts and glittery running shoes. Yes--he's that fabulous. The pictures above were screengrabs compiled by those shirtless connoisseurs at Square Hippies. I can't embed the video for some reason but it's on the YouTube and fun fun fun. Watch-repeat-and then run around your own room working it! :)
Mika is this super skinny infectious rocker from London who is just awesome! I've been a fan of his song "Grace Kelly" for almost a year now with countless repeats on my iTunes as it's so damn catchy. Well now he has a new song out this fall "We Are Golden" with a most amazing video of him prancing about a colorful teenagers bedroom (his perhaps?) wearing a pair of tennis shorts and glittery running shoes. Yes--he's that fabulous. The pictures above were screengrabs compiled by those shirtless connoisseurs at Square Hippies. I can't embed the video for some reason but it's on the YouTube and fun fun fun. Watch-repeat-and then run around your own room working it! :)
