"breakaway" || big pig || 1988

Just a classic Aussie track post to prove that they've had it going on for quite some time.

I'm sad that "new beat" music didn't stay new for very long and subsequently tuckered out, because it was really neato stuff. It sounds like it was concocted by the Germans, but really, who the hell knows? It was acidic yet mellow music, which is most definitely an odd amalgamation, but it worked.

This song is one of the few gems of that era and that sound. Big Pig was a sizable band at six or seven members, but they certainly have a "big" sound, so the high member count makes sense. The remixed version that appears in the music video is exceptionally cool, and the 12" mixes of this song will blow your mind. If you dig bassy dance music with lots and lots of drums, this is right up your alley.

Although new beat music is few and far between, its better-known cousin big beat is very much alive and well. Groups like The Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim, The Prodigy, and even Crystal Castles (on some of their songs) are very much a part of that style. In fact, "Breakaway" almost sounds more like a big beat song than a new beat song.

You decide.

NOTE: If you think you've heard this song before, you're probably remembering it from the opening credits of Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure.

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"paris is burning" || ladyhawke || 2008

Another Aussie that excites me!

Ladyhawke's sound is a perfect blend of '80s new wave and modern chick-indie rock. Her vocals and the drum rhythms are all modern, but the synth in her songs gives them a perfect retro tinge without being obnoxious. It's no wonder that she's captured the heart of every thirtysomething gay guy who listened to The Motels and 'Til Tuesday in middle school.

Again, my hat is off to you Australia. Please keep this great music coming our way!

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"can't shake it" || kate miller heidke || 2008

Here's a lovely lady from Aussieland who's showing a lot of promise.

Whatever has inspired Australia to make such awesome music as of late, please, keep it up. I think the government must be adding something to the water that's giving them the ability to make fabulous danceable music, which is always something that the world needs.

I stumbled across Ms. Heidke online and fell in love with her gorgeous voice immediately. She is very obviously inspired by Cyndi Lauper in both voice and style (check out the clock in her hair!), but Lauper is an inspiring soul, so that's certainly not a criticism. Her latest single, "Can't Shake It," is a total college party song. It's about being self-conscious about one's own dancing ability; a spiritual successor to Genesis's famous 1992 hit, if you will. I heard it at about 9 a.m. one morning a few weeks ago, and it was in my station's rotation by lunchtime. Yes, it's that good.

According to anchor commentary before her live performance on the Aussie morning-TV show Sunrise, Heidke abandoned a folkier sound for this record. I've yet to hear her previous material, but I'm gonna take a leap of faith and say that this is a step in the right direction. Let's just hope she doesn't pull a Goldfrapp and improve her sound drastically for one album, only to return to completely inaccessible music on her next record.

I look forward to hearing lots more from her. And hey, check out her Sunrise performance to hear her do some super cool live vocals. This girl can sing!

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"surfin' bird" || the trashmen || 1964

Family Guy finally forced me to include this song in my blog. No complaints, though, because it was indeed a very important tune for rock n' roll music.

A glorious gem from the glorious era of surf rock, "Surfin' Bird" is just one of many examples of the genius thought put into pop music in the early 1960s. "Pop" was still a fairly new idea at the time, and I don't really believe that it was swallowed by other genres until the British Invasion happened in the mid-'60s. Really, before the boys from Liverpool came along to do their thing, pop music in the states was influenced by black jazz and r&b singers from the '40s. I once heard a record store clerk (who specializes in 45s from the 1950s) say that rock & roll was invented by black jazz musicians, and I agree with him.

Surf rock was a not-so-clear progression of that sound. I'm not just saying that because this song is the result of combining two '50s songs by The Rivingtons (a black r&b group from the '50s). Take a surf rock 45 and play it on the 33 rpm speed. You'll hear doo-wop music, the sound of which has a very clear correlation with early r&b music.

OK, enough of a music history / theory lesson.

Seriously, surf rock is really cool stuff. I also love that Family Guy's cultural influence extends as far as it does; as of this post, this tune is #9 on the Top Sellers in Rock on iTunes.

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"everybody wants to rule the world" || tears for fears || 1986

This song is a bit mainstream for me to post about it, but it's earned its place here.

This is quite simply one of the greatest songs ever recorded.

Hearing this on the radio tonight totally took me to another dimension. It's one of the first songs that I remember listening to very intently as a little kid; I had it on a mixtape that my dad made for me in his studio/office and I listened to it on the bus and in my little tape player at home. I remember the lyric "Holding hands while the walls come tumbling down / When they're through I'll be right behind you" totally blindsiding me with imagery even at that very young age.

Lyrically this song is very important. Right from the opening lyrics of "Welcome to your life / There's no turning back," you know you're dealing with some serious material. There is no fucking around. Congratulations, you're in charge of your own destiny. Now wake up, and get to work. So indicative of the mid-'80s Wall Street era.

The song could be about so many things! It could be about those annoying co-workers who kiss ass and act snidely appropriate at all the right times to get noticed by the boss. It could be an outcry about how capitalism creates greed. It could even simply be about the fact that everyone has a natural inclination to try to take over their own little worlds.

What I love so much about the vocals is how they follow a rigid, almost corporate-like structure in the first couple of verses, and then suddenly erupt into an almost volcanic outpour of emotion at the bridge. It's like the anarchy that breaks down the existing, structured society and restores power to the people. The vocals tone down again for the last verse, but not completely, the singer maintains the edge in his voice for the rest of the song.

It's simply a brilliantly crafted piece of music, and it needs to find its way into your collection.

Now.

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"boyfriend" || alphabeat || 2008

Hooray for well-crafted European pop music!

I'm sad that I haven't stumbled across Alphabeat before now. They've apparently been making records in Denmark for a few years now, but I just came across "Boyfriend" about a month ago. It took the song a few spins to stick with me, but now I'm addicted.

Definitely a throwback to mid-'80s pop music (no complaints from me), "Boyfriend" almost sounds like it was written by a modern girl-pop group in a "write an '80s song" contest.

When the song started, I was digging the groove of the music, and then I was thrown off-kilter by the singer's vocals. They were warbly, just like all modern female pop singers, but not warbly enough to make me turn off the song. (Warbly girl vocals almost always make me immediately shut off a song during the first listen.) The song is also in a minor key, which gives it a very moden touch.

The Europeans are masters of melodic pop music. I'm absolutely exhausted with American pop, because it's all spawned from R&B music, which I've had enough of, and the vocals all suck. Europe seems to put more emphasis on vocal ability, but more importantly they spotlight producers and bands who know how to write quality pop music. That's why Europop doesn't suck.

One final point I'd like to say about modern USA pop vs. modern Europop: If you hear a pop single by a European group and then go buy the album, you're likely to find an album filled with quality songs. This doesn't seem to hold true with modern USA pop albums. For an example, compare Alphabeat's album alongside Madonna's latest Hard Candy. I can get through MAYBE two songs on Hard Candy, but I can find something redeemable about every song on this album.

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"i'm always manic (when i'm around you)" || a big yes and a small no || 2008

Another song that falls into this "college pop" genre that I discussed in the previous post.

This is a surefire college radio classic. The first time I heard this tune, I complimented our station's music director on what I thought was the best song she'd chosen since taking the position four months ago.

College radio is built for tunes like this one. You'd never hear this on MTV, or on your local Top 40 station, but for college radio, it's a superhit. (If you're looking for another great example of college radio superhit, check out the song "Beard Lust" by Natalie Portman's Shaved Head from just a few posts back.)

Another tune that falls somewhere between indie rock and ska, "Manic" leaves you feeling sugary and delightful. It almost sounds like a tune that would have played in the background during an episode of Ren & Stimpy. I could just be saying that, however, because it makes me think of angular furniture, cookouts, and shag carpeting, but in a totally cool way.

If I were making compilations of college radio classics about 10 years from now, I'd include this track on my first release. I think it's a perfect milestone for this moment in modern music, and a song that should be tucked in the backs of anyone's mind who works in college radio during this era.

A final thought: The title of their album will make you smile.

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