The Puppini Sisters : We Have All the Time in the World

The Puppini Sisters are a vocal team (not actually sisters, although one is actually named Puppini) who perform swing music with close vocal harmonies, much like the Andrews Sisters and other similar acts. They perform all sorts of tunes, from old swing standards like "In the Mood" to more modern tunes like "Heart of Glass", "Walk Like an Egyptian" and "Crazy in Love", as well as some originals.

"We Have All the Time in the World", originally sung by Louis Armstrong, was written by John Barry for the soundtrack to On His Majesty's Secret Service. The lyrics were penned by Hal David, who was the other half of the classic Bacharach/David songwriting machine.  The song is played over the closing credits of the movie as James Bond cradles his dead wife, so in the movie there's a sort of sad irony to the lyrics.  But it's a gorgeous song with a lush melody that expertly straddles the line between joy and pathos. 

Here the sisters turn this hidden gem into a slow, stilted cabaret-style waltz in a surprising 5/4.  The song is primarily scored with an acoustic jazz trio, but it starts and ends with some plaintive accordion and is enveloped in the middle with sumptuous strings.  And of course they bring their gorgeous voices to bear on some exquisite harmonies which you won't find on the original, but which send the song truly soaring.

You can find "We Have All the Time in the World" on the Puppini Sisters' most recent release, 2007's The Rise and Fall of Ruby Woo. Everything I've heard off this album has been top notch, and it's at the top of my "to buy" list.

[You can listen to The Puppini Sisters' "We Have All the Time in the World" by navigating to the post "Song099" and clicking or right-clicking on the title or the link.]

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White Rabbits : While We Go Dancing

Don't know much about White Rabbits except I like them.  I think I first heard them when I had satellite radio and used to tune into the 'indie' channel.  They've got a pretty unique sound, a typical upbeat pop band but with the added glory of a honky-tonk piano.  The songs are well-crafted with solid hooks which makes for a strong debut release.

"While We Go Dancing" takes a two-step pop rhythm (think go-go, or The Go-Go's) and layers over it with a sweeping, almost waltz-like melody that's somehow evocative of the grandeur of a ballroom.  The piano plays a strong supporting role, but isn't the lead like it is in say, Ben Folds Five.  And most of all, in this age where the indie superstars like Bright Eyes take themselves so seriously, it's just fun.  It's music to dance to, to party to, to have fun with.  And that's nice.

You can find "While We Go Dancing" on White Rabbits' first release from 2007, Fort Nightly.  It's a great pop album all the way through.  They've got a newer 2009 release, but I haven't heard it yet.

[You can listen to White Rabbits' "While We Go Dancing" by navigating to the post "Song080" and clicking or right-clicking on the title or the link.]

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Jack Peñate : Spit At Stars

Jack Peñate's music is high-energy upbeat Britpop, simple, cheerful and glorious. His 2007 release, Matinée, is one of my favorite releases of all time, chock full of bouncy summer licks, aching to be sung on a sunny day with the windows rolled down. Think "Walking on Sunshine" by Katrina and the Waves, and you'll have a good idea of the type of feel-good pop I'm talking about.

Contrary to what his surname would suggest, Jack hails from Britain and carries that same cockney accent that makes Lily Allen such a cutie. Apparently, it's quite the fad over there to sound a bit lower class, and some singers take some guff over it, much the same way we in America might mock the suburban homies wearing Ed Hardy T-shirts with their hats cocked sideways and speaking in an approximation of gang-speak they picked up by listening to one-too-many Snoop Dogg records.

Faux shizzle.

I have no idea if that's true for Jack or not, but it doesn't really matter. "Spit At Stars" is a glorious nugget of delectable pop nougat, with just enough rock to make it sizzle. There's not much more to it than that. Every song on his debut album is just incredible, so you can't go wrong. Plus, Amazon will deliver a used copy to your door for just six bucks. How sweet is that?

[You can listen to Jack Peñate's "Spit At Stars" by navigating to the post "Song075" and clicking or right-clicking on the title or the link.]

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Big Business : Shields

So, we talked about the Melvins a couple of weeks ago and how they drafted the entire band Big Business into their fold. This happened in 2006, I believe, and here we have a track from Big Business from 2007. You can hear the similarities. In fact, if you had told me this was the new Melvins release, I probably would have believed you.

They've got the same metal-influenced, bottom-heavy, hard rock style, which I dearly love. Intense, sturdy drum work and thick, detailed bass riffing underscore the urgency of the screaming almost-metal vocals. This is coupled with a great sense of dynamics and pacing and even a nice melody with what sounds like harmonies, but could just be the overtones generated from his shouting. It's tough to tell.

"Shields", from their 2007 release, Here Come the Waterworks, hits on all cylinders and is a perfect example of their sound at its perfection.  There's not a duff track on the entire disc. A great album.

[You can listen to Big Business' "Shields" by navigating to the post "Song069" and clicking or right-clicking on the title or the link.]

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John C. Reilly : Starman

Strangely enough, the music for the movie Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story is pretty top notch. John C. Reilly can really sing and the writers did a great job of parodying a variety of musical styles and clichés throughout the film.

This tune is a fine example, skewering both the disco movement and the of washed up and B-list musicians and actors who hopped the disco gravy train.  You've got a tremendous variety of square going on here. You've got the past-the-prime musician trying to be hip.  You've got him delivering a peculiarly smarmy loungey disco song (I especially love the stilted way he sings "let the children boo-gie"). Then you've got the song choice itself. "Starman" was relatively minor hit for David Bowie from 1972's The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, a slightly wacky, tripped out number about a cool rock 'n' roll alien communicating with the children over the radio. It's chock full of hipster language, like "hazy cosmic jive", "far out" and "blow our minds", plus clear drug innuendo.  It's a bizarre choice, and the whole thing is laughably weird, in a reality TV kind of way.

And John really nails it. It's an exact recreation of a whole slew of records that came out in the late 70's. Plus, it's a damn good cover of a great song. The disco vibe is perfect, with the traditional funk bass and chicken scratch guitar. John's delivery is just stellar.  His vocal is solid, but he keeps it decidedly unfunky over the funk. It's a fun tune.

You can find John's performance of "Starman" on the soundtrack for Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.

[You can listen to John C. Reilly's "Starman" by navigating to the post "Song051" and clicking or right-clicking on the title or the link.]

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M.I.A. - Bird Flu

I'm not a real big MIA fan. If you've heard of her, it was because she was everybody's golden child in 2007, and you may have heard her biggest 'hit', "Paper Planes". It's a good song, even if it does borrow the whole chorus from Wreckx-n-Effect's "Shake Your Rump". She has a lot of great musical ideas and a defiantly different way of thinking about and constructing songs, but I thought she lacked a little in her execution and that she was definitely over-hyped. Still, some of her songs were pretty good; "Paper Planes" for one.

"Bird Flu" is a high energy rap song that follows the blueprint of your typical 'club rap' (think Soulja Boy or Lil Jon). It's a real pounder, with a massive downbeat on the one, and an almost techno-like emphasis on the remaining three beats. The difference is, while the other producers are using classic 808-style drums, MIA is creating songs from whole cloth using chicken sounds, drum cadences, traditional central Asian percussion and kids shouting in what I can only assume is her native Tamil. She weaves these decidedly non-musical threads together into a thumping musical work that could easily hold its own on the dance floor (though it'd be kind of odd).

There are a few other things I really like about the instrumentation (besides the chickens, that is). First, during the chorus there's this descending bass tone. Imagine the sound effect for a falling bomb, but instead of a high-pitched whistle it's a very low electric tone. That's what it sounds like. It's very subtle, but it's very cool. I like that a lot. Second, near the end she samples some sort of chanting, and I really dig both the chant and the way she uses it. I wish it was used more throughout the song. And finally, I really like the way she uses the kids shouting as a breakdown. They are pretty well synced to the beat during the verse and chorus, but at the breakdown, she lets the sample run unfettered and it ends up sounding hyper-syncopated, almost an off-beat triplet against the beat, somewhere in the gray area between offbeat and on-beat. It's nice.

The song is, like most rap songs, pretty much about how much of a bad-ass she is, but from a totally different type of "hood". She doesn't shoot AK-47's, she makes bombs. She's not flying gang colors, but she burnt her ID papers, even though the cops are coming around to check them. She chews chicken feet and watches "Lost" on cable. (Okay, so that's not so bad-ass, but it is funny.) And went she gets pregnant, she's "gonna pop me out some leaders". That's awesome.

You can find "Bird Flu" on MIA's second release, 2007's Kala. I really should give it another listen. Maybe I knee-jerked against the hype.

[You can listen to M.I.A.'s "Bird Flu" by navigating to the post "Song050" and clicking or right-clicking on the title or the link.]

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Kings of Leon : Knocked Up

Man, I do like Kings of Leon, especially their earlier stuff. I, for one, am glad they're seeing some success on the pop charts. When I caught my wife and younger daughters singing along with "Use Someone", it made me happy.

Kings of Leon is a group of brothers and a cousin, all named Followill, who got together just before 2000 and formed a band. Their sound is primarily driven by southern rock (think Skynyrd) and that Americana-folk that permeates modern indie. They come by it honestly though, in that these guys were literally the sons (and nephew) of an itinerant southern Pentecostal preacher, traveling from town to town throughout the Bible Belt. Their early stuff rocks hard, but they've sweetened up and mellowed out a little over the course of four albums, with their latest opus being far more MOR rock radio ready than previous efforts.

"Knocked Up" is a great tune about two young adults who are dealing with, well, being knocked up. They've decided to leave against the better wishes of their parents and set out for who knows where. And although it's a dead ringer storywise for "Young Turks", it's got that sweet, sad, 'what the hell are we supposed to do with our lives' pathos of "Jack & Diane".

Musically, there are a couple of things this song really has going for it. First, there's the driving road-trip rhythm that just propels through the whole song. It really makes you feel like you're cruising down a desert road in the dark of night, and each time the little bit of guitar chimes in, it feels like a ghostly telephone pole whipping by through the corner of your headlights. Suddenly it gets a little angrier and heavier, gearing down and rocking out, just to rev the engines a little. But it always comes back to the relentless beat.

Then there's the singer's plaintive voice, wrapped around these amazing lyrics, shot through with bull-headed machoism and the naïve optimism of the young and in love. "I don't care what nobody says, we're gonna have a baby." Screw you if you think we can't handle it, because we just did it and we are so out of here. "I don't care what nobody says, no, I'm going to be her lover. Always mad and usually drunk, but I love her like no other." They don't know where they're going, or what they're even supposed to do. They're just... going, because they know that, no matter what, they are in love and true love will prevail.

I'm serious, it makes me weepy just thinking about this mythical couple, the subject of a million after-school specials, special episodes and Lifetime made-for-television movies. But somehow, this band really nails it.

"Knocked Up" is off Kings of Leon's third release, 2007's Because of the Times. But they're all good. Seriously. Grab 'em all.

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