Big Bad Bit

Look Bits, Ageless Bits, Elevator Bits

2005-12-30T22:12:00.000-05:00

UPDATE: January 03, 2006 - This is the 25th and final Big Bad Bit post. I've had a lot of fun sharing some of the music I've found on the internet over the last couple of months. I've discovered a ton of really good music, some incredibly nice people (check out the folks on the Big Bad Bit Map in the sidebar), as well as some absolute a**holes (you know who you are). But the time has come to move on and so it must be. I'll turn off the Comments feature in a few days - so if you've got anything pleasant to say or some mud to sling, cough it up now or forever hold your peace. Thanks for visiting!

Stars - Look Up
Stars - Ageless Beauty
Stars - Elevator Love Letter

Meet my newest obsession. I recently discovered Stars, who hail from Montreal, and I’m hooked. They just released their third album, Set Yourself On Fire, which features Ageless Beauty. I’m also posting Look Up (my absolute favorite) and Elevator Love Letter, both from their second album, Heart. You can watch the Elevator Love Letter video at MuchMusic. I really like Amy Millan’s voice, especially when it is layered in harmony, and I like the band’s extremely tasteful use of different instruments such as reeds and brass (including French horn). How cool is that? I’m going to have to buy all three of their albums (the first being Nightsongs) or I will die.

Odeon Beatclub - Something Perfect, Something Beautiful

Meet my other newest obsession. I’ve always wanted to visit Scotland but that has nothing to do with my recent infatuation with Glasgow’s Odeon Beatclub. I hear some musical similarities between Stars and Odeon Beatclub, don’t you? Odeon Beatclub is a little sharper around the edges than Stars but I like that about them. Download another one of their songs, Take It Off, and listen to samples of other great tracks at the band’s web site. The EP that features Something Perfect, Something Beautiful appears to be sold out at present - I hope more become available soon.

Wry Bits, Velvet Bits, Xmas Bits

2005-12-16T21:53:00.000-05:00

I closed my car door on several of my fingers yesterday morning. Nothing broken but it hurt about as much as you would expect. Typing is a little uncomfortable so remarks will be kept to a minimum in this post.

Keeper: Fleckfumie – From The Morning

This song was the only one I downloaded this week that really impressed me.

Backlog: Mew – Am I Wry? No

Another example of a great band I never would have heard of without the internet.

Backlog: New London Fire – I Sing The Body Holographic

I don’t know a thing about New London Fire but if I had more fingers functioning I’d Google them within an inch of their lives.

Backlog: Becky Sharp – Beach Ball

These boys are sharp but not one of them is named Becky. They rock though.

Backlog: Velvet Underground – All Tomorrow’s Parties

I snagged this tune from Hug Robot Radio last month and I’m grateful to Scott for posting it. Velvet Underground first released it in the US as a single in 1966. I’m not terribly familiar with what Velvet Underground created beyond Sweet Jane so I’m happy to have found something that broadens my knowledge of the band. All Tomorrow’s Parties quickly grew on me and I found myself listening to it a lot at work. I like the jangly guitars, the droning piano, and Nico’s delightfully bad vocals.

Rewind: Morningwood – Nth Degree

I’m reposting this one for two reasons: 1. A lot of people have visited my blog only because they were looking for Nth Degree and the file in my original post of October 7 expired a long time ago. 2. I like this song a lot.

That’s enough typing for tonight. I’ll be back in two weeks. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, OK?

Alright Bits, Always Right Bits, Hanging Bits

2005-12-10T23:16:00.000-05:00

In case you didn’t already know, Washington, DC is incredible. Everyone should go there at least once in their lifetime. Here’s a picture of me inside the Lincoln Memorial. I’m reading Lincoln’s second inaugural speech, which is etched into one of the inner walls. Lincoln’s statue was surrounded by so much scaffolding that it was difficult to see his face (is he getting a facelift?). I got a good look at one of his shoes though. And isn’t my hair incredibly shiny in this picture? Can you see that? It’s as if someone polished the top of my head. I must use some truly awesome shampoo or something. Anyway, go to DC. Go to the museums and see the monuments. Have dinner at the Old Ebbitt Grill. Tell them Big Bad Bit sent you.

Listen To All Songs In This Post:

Keeper: The Lovemakers – Is It Alright?

Scott Blonde and Lisa Light make up the nucleus of The Lovemakers, a band based in Oakland, California. Scott (guitar, vocals) and Lisa (bass, vocals, violin) were once a couple and now they’re not. Their 80s influenced music is catchy and rapidly gaining popularity in dance clubs. The band is known for putting on a pretty entertaining live show, with Scott and Lisa usually ending up half naked and spending large portions of the show engaged in make out sessions with each other. By the way, Lisa is an ex-marine biologist and former circus violinist. I assumed as much.

Keeper: Climber – Always Right

Portland, Oregon’s very own Climber specializes in a blend of Techno/Emo/Shoe Gazer that I like. Michael Nelson’s warm and emotive voice provides a good counterbalance to the bip-bop-beep of some of their music. The band has a great website where you can stream a bunch of their tunes. Be sure to listen to Weirdy while you’re there; I like that little instrumental ditty quite a bit. Always Right might put you to sleep with its ethereal and slightly hypnotic sound – consider it a nightcap. If you like Coldplay, Radiohead or Postal Service, you might like Climber. Download a few more of their tunes at The Stranger NYC.

Keeper: Valley Lodge – Hanging On

Have I mentioned lately how much I like Dave Hill? I first mentioned Dave’s band, Valley Lodge, in my September 21 post. I mentioned Dave again in my October 20 post, which was all about Dave Hill. I recently added a link to Dave’s blog A Caveman In A Spaceship to the sidebar of my blog. I set up an account with Myspace so I could ask Dave to be my friend (OK, I asked Valley Lodge to be my friend because I couldn’t figure out how to ask just Dave to be my friend). I have no clue what else to do with the Myspace account but I intend to make use of it one of these days. It seems like a really great way to meet some nice young people or just hook up with someone for casual sex. Not that I’d ever do anything like that. So what the hell was I talking about? Oh, yes - Dave Hill. Hanging On sounds a lot like another Valley Lodge song, All Of My Loving, but I don’t have a problem with that at all.

Chin Stroker: The Fatales – Vanishing Act

I really like the first minute of this song from The Fatales. That guy sure can howl, can’t he? It makes me want to bay at the moon right along with him. I’m not as thrilled with the rest of the song though - and that’s why I’m putting it in the Chin Stroker category. Too bad the remaining four minutes of Vanishing Act don’t do the first minute justice. Parts of it sound sort of like a watered down U2 song, don’t you think? Maybe this is what U2 would sound like if they were ever reduced to playing hotel lounges. I’m not sure if I’ll add this one to my MP3 player or not; maybe I’ll just listen to it while I’m working at my laptop.

Visit Good Rockin’ Tonight to download Mojo Nixon’s It’s Christmas Time – a terrific tune that absolutely rocks. I love that Homercat's blog.

I stumbled across a video of a remarkable song called Knock On Wood by a remarkable guitarist named Justin King. The guy is worth checking out. I want his guitar. And having his playing skills wouldn't hurt either.

Stop in at Britbox and read some of his recent posts. That guy continues to amaze me with his insightful and humorous prose.

Don’t forget to say hello to Bunch of Betty’s wonderful blog and podcast. Betty was under the weather last week and unable to post her weekly smorgasbord of coolness. I see she just updated a few hours ago. I’m going to finish things up here and go listen to what she has for us this week.

24 Bits, Blow Bits, Lilt Bits

2005-12-02T22:02:00.000-05:00

First of all, sincere thanks and big hugs go out to the folks who have added themselves to the Big Bad Bit Map. I love seeing your names, pictures and comments. If you haven’t added yourself yet, please think about doing so. It’s free and painless.

Significant Other and I fly to Washington, DC tomorrow to spend a few days being annoying tourists. As if DC doesn’t have enough annoying people roaming its streets.

Here’s an interesting fact: One of my ancestors once owned the land currently occupied by the White House. Maybe I’ll take this opportunity to reclaim that piece of land. Maybe George and Laura will have to sleep on a friend’s air-mattress for a week or two until they find new digs. Heh.

This will have to be yet another quick post. Look for this site to return to its usual high standards of graphic and literary excellence next weekend. Yo.

Download, listen to, and love these songs right away. They’re all absolute Keepers:

The Sounds – 24 Hours

Rogue Wave - Everyday

House of Love – Gotta Be That Way

The Features – Blow It Out

Fiamma Fumana – L.I.L.T.

Rewind Bits #1 + 1

2005-11-26T12:57:00.000-05:00

Today, in addition to posting that Sigur Ros song I mentioned last week, I’m going to revisit some of the songs I featured last August. I’m dipping into previous posts for two reasons: I think the songs are worth hearing again and time constraints prevent me from being able to post new songs today. In fact, I’ve only got about a half hour in which to put together this post, so I’d better get to it. First let’s create a new Big Bad Bit category and call it Rewind.

Rewind: The Exit – Don’t Push

I’ve posted two songs from The Exit and I would gladly post more but I think you should just buy one of their CDs like I did. Their Home For An Island CD is really good. From August 24, my very first post.

Rewind: Rachel Davis – Better Than Me

I’m still fascinated by this simple yet powerful song. It’s a great example of brilliant songwriting and performance skills. Sometimes less is more and Rachel Davis proves it beyond a doubt. From August 25.

Rewind: Kaci – I Will Learn To Love Again

Kaci never did find the time to go shopping with me but I was thrilled to discover Makeup Tips on her website. Now I'm hoping she'll come over and do a makeover on me. I know she would if she could (she absolutely loves makeup, you know) so I'll just sit here by the phone and wait patiently for her to call. From August 29.

Rewind: David Francey – Nearly Midnight

This has become one of my favorite songs. It’s a good one to listen to while driving home from visiting with friends and family at this time of year. From August 31.

Keeper: Sigur Ros – Glosoli

Lola over at Cerulean’s Love of Music says this about Sigur Ros: “Because I believe there is a Heaven, and somehow they’re the link between here and there.” I think Lola may be right. Perhaps it won’t hit you the way it hit me, but Glosoli is one of the most moving songs I’ve heard in a while. It took me a moment to get used to the vocals but now I can’t imagine the song any other way. I think the song stands well on it’s own but the video is also extremely good – be sure to watch it to the very end. The band’s website has an incredibly generous offering of MP3s, videos and other goodies.

Kitten Bits, Rocky Bits, Elbow Bits

2005-11-18T20:39:00.000-05:00

Listen: Download MP3 (17 MB) of All Songs

Keeper: Andrew Bird – Masterfade

We let the kittens lick our hair and drank our chalky lemonade. How could you not like a lyrical image like that? Andrew Bird, formally the violinist with the Squirrel Nut Zippers, writes sometimes bizarre but always delightful lyrics. Emm Gryner (see next Keeper) and Andrew have each released an album every year since 1997. And that pretty much ends the list of things Emm and Andrew have in common. In addition to being a classically trained violinist, Andrew sings, plays guitar, wields a wicked glockenspiel, and can whistle like you’ve always wished you could. You can read a review of Andrew's new release at Rainydog Radio. You can also download a bunch of intriguing but rather low quality MP3s of Andrew performing live in Montreal in 2004. Get to know the man and his music. Then try very hard to not annoy your family and co-workers by thinking you can whistle as well as Andrew. Trust me - I’ve heard you and you can’t.

Keeper: Emm Gryner – Beautiful Things

Canadian Emm Gryner has her own record label where it seems she has single-handedly recorded, produced, packaged and sold eight albums since 1997. She played Lilith in 1997 and 1998. She sang backup for David Bowie during his Fall 1999 tour then began concentrating on her solo career in earnest. She has performed and recorded all over the globe, often with some very notable musicians. Emm’s a little powerhouse of energy and ambition, and I feel like a real ass-tired slug when I think about all she’s accomplished in her 30 years on earth. I like Beautiful Things although I can’t really tell you why. No, I don’t have someone holding a gun to my head to prevent me from telling you. I just can’t put my finger on what has made me listen to this song so many times in the past week. It might be the catchy chorus. It could be Emm’s pleasant and only slightly annoying vocals. Maybe it’s just the overall sweet pop-goodness of the song and I’ll leave it at that.

Keeper: Rocky Votolato – White Daisy Passing

At the very end of October and into early November, a bunch of music blogs suddenly developed a huge crush on Rocky Votolato. I’ll admit I swooned a bit myself when I first heard White Daisy Passing and I wanted to post it here right away. But I wasn’t sure if the MP3s of the song that were floating around were legal or not. So I waited. I’m done waiting now. Rocky is formerly of the emo-punk band Waxwing. Don’t feel bad; I’d never heard of Waxwing either. I’ve heard of the band Wax. And who could forget Wing, whom I featured in my October 29 post? But I digress. Born in Texas and currently based in Seattle, by 1999 Rocky realized his songwriting style was evolving beyond what his already dissolving band was interested in doing. So Rocky decided to go solo. Now he's releasing his seventh solo album, Makers, on January 26, 2006. You can ask to be notified when the album will be available for pre-ordering.

Keeper: Elbow – Station Approach

This is the song I’m probably the most excited about this week. Well, I take that back – there’s another song that just totally rocked my world this past week but I can’t post it here because I’m not convinced I’m finding legal copies of it online. OK, if you must know…it’s Glosoli by Sigur Ros and I’ll probably post a potentially illegal copy of it next week when I get tired of waiting for an obviously legal copy to appear on the internet. If you never hear from me again after that, you’ll know the RIAA hauled my happy hiney to the pokey. Now, what the hell was I talking about? Oh, Elbow and their incredibly cool song, Station Approach. Listen to the way this tune builds up ever so slowly, the way it takes it’s time in the Gregorian Chant-like section in the middle, stretching it’s limbs out fully and comfortably until the drums come crashing in and the song strides confidently to its final crescendo. I love stuff like this. Over at XFM Online, you can listen to the band comment about the songs on their newest release and hear the album in its entirety (you’ll have to fill out a short form - it’s not a big deal). The album is very good and I think I’m going to buy it.

Keeper: Jose Gonzalez – Hand On Your Heart

I first wrote about Jose Gonzalez in my September 9 post. Today I'm posting his version of Kylie Minogue’s Hand On Your Heart. I know you’ll find this hard to believe but I am not a Kylie Minogue fan. In fact, I was barely familiar with this song when I first heard Jose’s rendition of it. So I bustled over to MP3 Search and listened to a short sample of Kylie doing it up. My verdict: Kylie sucks, but I mean that in a good way, of course. Now I don’t think Jose is a fantastic guitarist, but I do think he has perfected the art of the intimate sound of fingertips on guitar strings. I’m positive Jose is not the greatest singer in the universe; he could be that guy at the party who pulls out a guitar at the end of the evening and croons a few tunes to his passed out girlfriend after nearly everyone has left. Jose’s voice has an untrained but sincere quality about it that is very touching. My only problem with this otherwise perfect recording is the strange sound that starts at about the 2:10 mark. Is it the sound of seagulls attacking or of a large colony of bats? It actually sounds most like that shopping cart I used the other day with the retarded squeaky wheel. I trashed Jose’s website in September and I’m glad to see it has improved a lot since then. Do you suppose Jose reads Big Bad Bit? Well, of course he does.

Busted Bits, People Bits, Living Bits

2005-11-11T23:45:00.000-05:00

Listen: Download MP3 (12.9 MB) of All Songs

Keeper: Busted – Air Hostess

Busted, a band from the UK that split up in early 2005, reminds me of a more innocent version of Blink-182. Matt, James and Charlie enjoyed huge popularity in their homeland and were making a decent impression in the US when Charlie decided to call it quits. Go figure. When you visit Busted’s website, be sure to click all the different country flags – you’ll see a unique site for each country. Too bad Busted is no more; there are lots of photos, news, videos, and audio clips waiting like sad little ghosts for someone to visit. I like the song, Air Hostess, because it’s fun, loud, and chock full of melody and harmony. The lyrics are sort of funny (“I messed my pants/When we flew over France”). I had to double-check to make sure they weren’t singing “throwing penis down the aisle” in that one part. Well, that’s what it sounded like to me.

Keeper: People In Planes – Moth

One source I came across called People In Planes “rock and retro fusionists.” That’s a pretty good description. They come from Cardiff, Wales, and they have a rather distinctive sound. They also have a popular game on their website that showcases their song, If You Talk Too Much (My Head Will Explode). I don't know if I would have liked Moth as much if I had first heard it a few years ago but it certainly got my attention the other day. I like the layers that build up and break down in Moth and I like the interesting nuances of sound that flit in and out. The song also has a really cool sort of Salsa rhythm vibrating through it. Makes me want to wiggle my hips and shake some maracas. Of course, with my luck, I’d probably break a hip and poke both my eyes out.

Keeper: Living Things – Bom, Bom, Bom

Meet Lillian, Eve, and Bosh Berlin. Or Jason, Justin, and Josh Rothman. Will the real Living Things please stand up? Everything I can find about this band, born and bred in St Louis, tells me it’s made up of three brothers, two of whom were named after female relatives (that would be Lillian and Eve, I reckon). No explanation for how Bosh got his name, which is nearly as intriguing. Then further digging turns up a reference to the boys as Jason, Justin, and Josh. And who is the fourth guy? Whatever. Frequently compared to the Ramones and the Stooges, Living Things have that “skanky-skinny-white-guys-in-black-leather-and-tattoos” thing going on that just makes them so very endearing. If you can listen to Bom, Bom, Bom without tapping your foot or bobbing your head at least a little, you might be dead.

Backlog: Brandi Carlile – Fall Apart Again

Flashback to August: I download this song from Fingertips, load it in the Big Bad Bit music player, then promptly forget about it. Fastforward to the other day: I’m listening to Bunch of Betty’s 5th podcast, which begins with Fall Apart Again by Brandi Carlile. “Damn, I like that there song and it sure do sound familiar,” I say, ever the astute and articulate observer. Well, duh. Senility is a sad, sad thing. Brandi grew up near Seattle and still lives there. Her website has lots of pictures (boy, she sure likes that one shirt, doesn’t she?), but I guess Brandi's been busy 'cause she hasn't written in her Journal yet. She has a really interesting, expressive voice. I would have chewed off my left leg if I could have sung like her during my yodeling years (and I don’t need to tell you what a busy time that was, what with this going on at the very same time - but enough about me). You can listen to Brandi’s entire album by visiting Gulf Coast Bands (look for Listen to the album in full here on the left side of the page). I’m not goofy-nuts about all the songs on the album, although Happy and Gone are both very good. Brandi’s only 23 years old; I’m hoping she’ll stick around for a while because I think she's just going to get better.

Another wonderful blog has added a link to your grateful and humble Big Bad Bit. Let’s welcome Good Rockin’ Tonight to the club, everybody. Good Rockin’ Tonight was one of the first music blogs I discovered and I really enjoy the selection of tunes and excellent commentary to be found there. I’m honored to be included on homercat’s blog roll. I snag MP3s from that site on a regular basis. In fact, I believe that’s where I snagged this post’s People In Planes song. And, just the other day, Skateaway by Dire Straits. Oh, come on, you love that song too.

My October 7 post featured the song Nth Degree by Morningwood (as well as a song from Arctic Monkeys, which continues to pull in a considerable amount of traffic….there, I got their name in again). Morningwood has brought a lot of visitors to Big Bad Bit as well, and since the link to the song has expired, I’d like to direct you instead to a video of Nth Degree from Yahoo. Great song and a great video!

Rhine Bits, OK Bits, Apple Bits

2005-11-05T19:30:00.000-05:00

Download MP3 File of All Songs

I’d like to start off by mentioning Arctic Monkeys, Arctic Monkeys, and Arctic Monkeys. Featuring Arctic Monkeys in my October 7 post brought Big Bad Bit an unbelievable amount of visitors. So don’t be surprised if you see me mentioning Arctic Monkeys in just about every future post. Well, at least until the next big thing like Arctic Monkeys comes along.

Keeper: Over The Rhine – Nobody Number One
Keeper: Over The Rhine – Suitcase

I couldn’t decide which song from Over The Rhine to post so I’m posting two of my favorites. This is a sad story and please bear with me while I tell it (cue sad violin music). Over The Rhine is mainly comprised of husband and wife team Linford Detweiler and Karin Bergquist. They’re from Cincinnati, a city that’s only about a 45 minute drive from me. I was aware of OtR, having frequently seen their name in my city’s paper announcing their appearances in the area. And I had been noticing lots of other music blogs praising the band. I had checked out OtR’s website several months ago and listened to a few of the many songs that can be downloaded from there (just keep poking around and you’ll find them). I thought they were good but I wasn’t blown away. Then I discovered OtR’s song “Moth” on Bunch of Betty’s ultra-cool blog recently. I liked the song a lot and figured I’d better check OtR out again. I revisited their site and downloaded everything I could. Maybe I just wasn’t in the right “place” a few months back when I first checked them out. Anyway, I found myself really liking everything I heard and even went so far as to buy their newest release, “Drunkard’s Daughter”, yesterday. OK, here’s the sad part (cue dramatic swell of sad violin music): So I’m cruising around on the band’s site last night, gathering inspiration for writing this post. I make my way to their Forum. I discover they’re playing in my town this weekend. Three shows on three consecutive nights at my favorite bar (where yours truly often performed back around the time this happened…but enough about me). And I thought, “I need to get my shoes back on and get my ass over there.” Then I realized the shows were probably sold out and I already had plans for the weekend and I can’t stay awake that late anymore and a million other excuses. Isn’t that sad? (Cue fade out of sad violin music.)

Keeper: OK Go – Do What You Want

And now for something completely different. OK Go is a band out of Chicago that’s been enjoying great success lately. They have a cool website where you can play a game called “Rescue the Band” (I got carsick immediately and had to stop). I like this song because its fun. What other reason do I need? It almost makes me wish I was in a band again so I could plug in a guitar, strike an authoritative pose, and rip out some crunchy power chords. Ok Go is currently touring the US; I have a feeling they’d be great to hear live so let me know if you catch them in action. God knows I wouldn’t be able to get my shoes back on in time.

Chin Stroker: Fiona Apple – Extraordinary Machine

The long awaited and somewhat controversial third album from Fiona Apple has finally been released. Fiona has apparently decided to venture into musical theater and this title cut from the show promises a light, witty, and enjoyable evening out. I’ve yet to find an actual description of the show’s storyline but I’m sure it’s wonderfully entertaining and…what’s that you say?...Extraordinary Machine is not a musical? It’s just a regular album like all her others? *snort*

Painful: Numbers – Beast Life (sample)

I’ve decided I will no longer post tracks I consider “painful” in their entirety – there’s already enough pollution in cyberspace. So what you get here is about a minute of Beast Life by Numbers, a trio from San Francisco formed in 1999. Believe me, you are not missing a thing by not hearing the other 2:42 of the track. What is it about animals that make people write such stupid songs? See my August 31 post for my notes on Cocorosie’s incredibly bad Noah’s Ark for another example of this bizarre trend. I ask you: What did some poor innocent animal do to these people to provoke this stuff?

:: Big Bad Bit Tid Bits ::

I recently received a short but sweet email from Dino Vomit of the Singapore band, Force Vomit, in response to my September 13 post about his band. I’ve become increasingly fond of Force Vomit’s surfer-punk sound and I’m really enjoying the new songs available on their website.

Big Bad Bit has been added to the link lists of several fantastic music blogs, most notably Jefitoblog and Memories Can’t Wait. I am truly honored. I blushed ever so modestly when I read the October 31 remarks made by Adventures of a University Finalist about Big Bad Bit. And check out MP3s, a really nice little blog aggregator.

One of my early (I was maybe 12 years old?) guitar teachers, Suni McGrath, has come out of hiding and is actually recording again. Yay!

Arctic Monkeys rule!

Rogue Bits, Biology Bits, Wing Bits

2005-10-29T12:28:00.000-05:00

It's new and exciting! Well, it is for me anyway. Listen to all of this post's songs using the little Audioblog mini-player before you download them! (Thanks to Rebecca for the nudge.)

Keeper: Rogue Wave – Publish My Love

According to Wikipedia, a rogue wave is a “relatively large and spontaneous ocean surface wave which can sink even medium-large ships.” That and loose lips. Publish My Love is the second song I’ve downloaded by Rogue Wave, an increasingly popular band from the San Francisco area. As usual, I have no clue what the song is about but I really like it anyway. Back in the day (about 32 minutes after this happened and, gee, wasn’t that annoying), when I was trying to write song lyrics and taking myself seriously as a singer, I’d worry and sweat over every single word. Now I barely even notice what singers are singing about and my standards for the quality of their voices have changed drastically. These days, the lyrics are often just these phonetic things going on in the midst of whatever music I’m listening to. The singer’s voice is merely another instrument thrown into the mix and my level of attention toward what they’re singing fades in and out. Funny how my focus has shifted over the years. Maybe that’s the way you’ve always listened to songs with lyrics. What was I talking about just now, anyway? Oh yeah, Rogue Wave. Buy their CD or something and let me go back to ignoring all these hard-working lyricists and singers.

Keeper: Snow & Voices – Go Your Own Way

“Go Your Own Way” is the only Fleetwood Mac song I ever really liked and this version by Snow & Voices is pretty cool. Snow & Voices is mainly one Lauri Kranz, a singer/songwriter currently based in Los Angeles who has released three CDs so far. Lauri and her “loose knit” band of transient musicians (is it a band or a coffee klatch?) slow this song down to a near-agonizing crawl but I think it works in a mighty big way. I listened to clips of the other songs on the CD this track is from but, as is so often the case, I didn’t hear anything else I liked all that much. Maybe you will. Personally, I think Lauri needs to get out for some fresh air a little more often and take herself a lot less seriously. All that self-absorbed “haunting” and “slightly darker sonic underbelly” stuff can get tedious (and I speak as someone who has been there).

Chin Stroker: Girls Aloud – Biology

Just what the world needed…another clone of the Spice Girls concept. I didn’t realize when I first began listening to “Biology” who Girls Aloud were or what they represented. I just thought it was a fun and sort of interesting song; I liked the changes in style and tempo, and I enjoyed the overall attitude of the thing. And the few lyrics that I paid attention to made me giggle (“…it’s just a matter of time/before all the heavy stuff comes back to bite your behind”). Then I checked out their web site (you’ll need to temporarily turn off your pop-up blocker to get the full effect) and really started giggling. Whoa, ladies! They probably each have Mensa IQs, doctorates in philosophy and nuclear medicine, and know how to change their own oil – but for now they’re wisely banking on their good looks and pleasant personalities while they've still got them.

Painful: Wing – Sampler

I present this short sampler of music by Wing with mixed emotions. On the one hand, I adore Wing for doggedly following her dream and working so hard to share her abilities with us. On the other hand…well, listen to the sampler. Wing is originally from Hong Kong but currently calls New Zealand home. You would not believe the amount of attention and number of fans Wing has been accumulating in the last couple of years – it’s a freaking phenomenon. Just imagine the power Wing would have if she was actually good; she could probably cure the common cold and end the war in Iraq all in one afternoon. Thanks (I think) to my buddy RZ for pointing me in Wing’s direction; my life will never be the same.

Backlog: I Am Kloot – Over My Shoulder

I came across “Over My Shoulder” this past summer and it still gets a lot of play in the Big Bad Bit jukebox. I like the simplicity of the melody and instrumentation as well as the tick-tock beat throughout the song. I Am Kloot is from Manchester, England. They toured the US in the spring and they’re currently touring Europe. I need to learn more about them (so many bands, so little time). The bits I’ve heard give me the impression the band is pretty organic; not a lot of bells and whistles, just straightforward stuff. Listening to I Am Kloot could be a good way to “cleanse my palate” after immersing myself in some of the more over-dubbed, over-produced, over-the-top stuff I often delve into.

:: Big Bad Bit Tid Bit ::

If you have time, please consider adding yourself to the Big Bad Bit Map. I think it would be fun if we all could see where the heck we are in a physical sense. Where we are mentally or spiritually is pretty far out of the realm of this blog, but feel free to add any comments you want (within reason and weather permitting). Just click on the map in my sidebar (over there…no, there…that’s it!) then click “Add Yourself”. Fill in your name (make something up if you want), your zip code (if in the US), a comment if you feel inclined, and a photo if you’ve got one to share. Then click “Add Me!” and you’ll magically appear on the map. Fun, eh?

Also, returning visitors may notice I'm trying out yet another file host to download today's tracks. Let me know if you have any problems with Fastdump (is it incredibly slow? are any links broken?).

BritBox Bits, Betty Bits

2005-10-27T21:22:00.000-05:00

I'm a little late in telling you this but my blogging buddy, BritBox, returned from China a few days ago and he has posted some very interesting observations from his trip. Start with "China Part I" then check out "China Part II". I just get all choked up everytime I read about the sad dogs!

Also, I just discovered this extremely cool blog, bunchofbettys, that focuses on women in music. Betty does a great job of putting together podcasts and she features a really diverse blend of styles. You should check her out. I like her.

I hope to have music posted for you within the next day or two.

Simple Bits, Blue Bits, Happy Bits

2005-10-21T22:19:00.000-05:00

In my August 31 post I told you about my experience being trained to cover for the world's most obsessive-compulsive woman. I had to cover for her again yesterday and today. I stopped by her desk "just to touch base" with her before she left. She immediately began trying to train me again - as if I had never spent all those excruciating hours penned up with her in her tiny cubicle listening to her babble incoherently about how having her stapler placed exactly 3 inches away from her tape dispenser was so important. These three songs helped get me through the last two days as I fought the urge to rearrange every single item in her cubicle.

Keeper: The Information – A Simple Plan

The name of the song is “A Simple Plan” and it has nothing to do with the band called A Simple Plan. The Information is the band in this case and I'm totally in love with this song. It's another one of those Big Bad Bit Ear Worms and I blame it all on the woman who sings harmony on it. There’s something about the clear and simple quality of her voice that fascinates me. It’s exactly what this song needs; in fact, after listening to other songs on the band’s site, I’ve come to the conclusion that I only like The Information if that woman is singing. Otherwise, their stuff is kind of underwhelming. Kind of harsh, I know. But go to the band’s site and listen to some of their other stuff. It's not bad by any means. But do you agree that “A Simple Plan” and “I Lose Control” are two of their better songs? And who is singing harmony on those two songs? I rest my case. The Information is from Boston and you can read a little more about them at primaryvoltage and at dailyfreepress. And I’d love to see more pictures of the band but I haven’t been able to find them.

Keeper: Richard Buckner – Blue and Wonder

The sound of Richard Buckner‘s voice makes me forget to swallow. What an incredible instrument. I want to put my head against his chest and feel the rumble when he hits those low notes. I want to stick a wheat stalk between my teeth and lean back in my chair when he swoops up high and clear. Moving seamlessly from a growl to a whisper and covering all points in between, Richard has the amazing ability to breathe meaning into every syllable he sings. And let’s not overlook the fact that “Blue and Wonder” is a damn good song. So you’ve downloaded the song and now you’re listening to it, right? And you’re thinking, “Doesn’t that Big Bad Bit moron realize this is a country song?” Yeah, well, I read somewhere that Richard is considered alt-country - so he’s cool, OK? It’s easy to find a lot about Richard on the internet; you can start by reading a brief review at hybridmagazine of Richard performing live. I hope he comes to a town near me sometime.

Keeper: Tin Hat Trio – Happy Hour

Listen carefully to the first 20 seconds of this tune. As a recovering musician (who was on the verge of imaginary fame and fortune around the same time that huge gaseous point in our silly universe finally created enough oomph to break those gravitational bonds holding it together and exploded…boy, was that a hectic day), I can tell you that what Tin Hat Trio is doing in those first 20 seconds is really difficult. But do they stop there, throw down their instruments and sashay smugly out of the room? No, they continue to play so you'd better keep listening. They stack more of that difficult stuff on top of some other difficult stuff, building this wonderful song that’s very easy on the ears. Yet they dare you to keep up with them while they make it all sound as effortless as tying shoelaces. But that’s probably because they’ve practiced their instruments a lot - playing in their sleep, in the shower, while grocery shopping, while scrambling eggs and stuff. As you may have noticed by looking at the photo, Tin Hat Trio is actually a quartet. Hey, they’re musicians, not mathematicians.

Dave Hill Bits

2005-10-20T11:44:00.000-05:00

I just popped in to make a correction in a previous post and thought I'd take this opportunity to point you in the direction of something I've been enjoying lately.

My highly entertaining post of September 21 featured a song I'm still digging in a big way, All Of My Lovin', by Valley Lodge.

It turns out that one of the members of Valley Lodge, Dave Hill, has a really funny blog called "A Caveman In A Spaceship". Dave also has a website, "Dave Hill's Internet Explosion" which you simply must visit.

If nothing else, go to the Videos section and watch the first video, "Demo Reel". I laughed my ass off.

Dave Hill is my new hero.

I hope to post music later tonight or tomorrow.

DC Bits, Russian Bits, Swiss Bits

2005-10-14T21:19:00.000-05:00

We are going places today! Get out your maps and put on your sensible walking shoes because I've once again scoured the globe for worthy tunes. Remember to hold my hand as we cross the streets.

Keeper: Army of Me – Come Down To DC – Most of the reviews I’ve read of “Come Down To DC” zero in on the lyrics that seem to propose a double-suicide. “Let’s take a ride, me and you, crash the car…a suicide, me and you, arm in arm,” pleads Vince Scheuerman, lead singer, guitarist and songwriter for Army of Me. But I hear something different. I hear someone suggesting a metaphorical rebirth; an ending of all old ties and ways, a true starting over. The next line Vince sings is “Let’s take the time, me and you, to get out of this place.” How many of us are willing to “take the time” to make the big changes we need to make in our lives? On the other hand, Army of Me is really and truly from Washington, DC, so maybe this song is simply their contribution to the tourism board of my nation’s capitol. Doesn’t matter to me; I just like this song a lot.

Keeper: The Crimea – White Russian Galaxy - The fellow who wrote this song says he was “trying to write about the effects of alcohol on the psyche of young women.” There’s a little more to the story and, while the song sounds playful, I don’t think it’s meant to be funny. You can read about it at The Crimea's official website (go to About Us then click on Lyrics/Notes), as well as listen to some of the band’s other great tunes. Also check out an unofficial website for additional information. The band has toured with Billy Corgan, Kings of Leon, Primal Scream, Stereophonics and Dashboard Confessional, among others. I haven’t had a White Russian in at least 16 years but I remember they were pretty tasty. The Crimea, a place in Ukraine, is one thing. The Crimea, the band, is another thing and they’re from London. That’s in England, you know.

Keeper: Torpedo – From Russia With Love – Heh. Two songs that reference Russia in their titles. I couldn’t help it. “From Russia With Love” comes to us from a Swedish band called Torpedo. The opening lyrics crack me up: “They come from Russia with love, switchblades in their pockets; put on a rubber glove and pull my arms out of their sockets.” I don’t know if the song was inspired by the James Bond movie or not, but it sure is a catchy tune, isn’t it? Poppin’ guitar work and clever little effects throughout. What it is about Sweden that produces so many talented musicians? And why do I always think Stockholm (Torpedo’s hometown) is in Germany? Somebody get me an Atlas.

Keeper: Paul Duncan – In A Way – I couldn't find much on the internet to tell us about Paul Duncan. You can try looking at the Hometapes site but you’ll learn much more about him by reading this review. Paul currently lives in Brooklyn, where he recorded his soon-to-be-released CD, “Be Careful What You Call Home,” in his apartment. Paul likes to experiment with layers of sound produced by acoustic and electronic instruments, most of which he plays himself. “In A Way” starts out with a brief drumbeat intro then quickly changes direction and becomes a lovely stroll through an acoustic woodland. OK, there’s a part in there where it sounds as if one of the guitars forgets what song it’s supposed to be playing and sort of wanders off the map for a moment. But everything comes together just in time for the fade out that comes much too soon.

Chin Stroker: Heroes of Switzerland – Waiting – Imagine my surprise and delight the other day when I received an extremely polite and friendly email from Ian Lockwood of Heroes of Switzerland. Ian wanted to know if I’d be interested in listening to a few of his band’s tunes and share my opinion. Ian suspected his band’s style of music might not be my “cup of tea” (and I thought I was the only person who used that phrase) and I had to agree with him initially. But I told Ian I’d post “Waiting’ because I thought I might know a few people who would like it. Well, damn it, Ian, after listening to “Waiting’ off and on for the past week, I’m starting to like it quite a bit myself. It’s sort of a wall-of-sound-in-your-face kind of thing most of the way through but all that swirling psychedelic layering creates the perfect base upon which to nail a sensational guitar solo at the very end. Go to their website and order the EP. By the way, Heroes of Switzerland are from Nottingham, England, and that just really screws with my geographic dyslexia.

Other Stuff: My blogging buddy, BritBox, is in China at the moment. His itinerary includes such exotic places as Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Shanghai, and Ningbo. I sure hope he has a map with him and he doesn’t, like, have to call me for directions or anything.

Arctic Bits, Andre Bits, Alpha Bits

2005-10-07T13:20:00.000-05:00

Keeper: Arctic Monkeys – Still Take You Home - These guys are taking the cyberworld by storm with only one formally released single to their credit. But lots of their songs have been floating around on the internet, helping the band gain an adoring audience. Arctic Monkeys are from merry old England and the band is made up of mostly 19 year old boys (the old man of the group is 20). Their website features lots of photos of the band performing live but doesn’t tell you much about the boys otherwise. But just Google “Arctic Monkeys” and you’ll learn about their meteoric rise through the wonders of cyberspace. Chances are you’ll find a few of their other tunes to download as well. Download a video of them performing their single “I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor” just for the fun of it.

Keeper: Andre Ronnback – Cause You Never Know When Love Hits You – I found Andre Ronnback by once again poking (with a very long sharp stick) through the collection of songs at 15 Megs of Fame. Andre is from Skelleftea, Sweden, and he's the guy in the middle of the picture. I can't resist putting up a picture of Skelleftea as well because, well, it’s an awful purty place, ain’t it? Anyway, Andre states in his bio at 15 Megs that he records his songs on his computer in his apartment. I suspect, however, that he recorded some of the songs with his band, Small Garment, since a few of the songs also appear on the band’s website (which you must visit and translate for me if you know Swedish). Andre’s songs might be a bit naïve (I blame a lot of that on limited English skills) and a lot repetitious (“Warmth In A Sunny Day” and “Warmth In A Beautiful Summer Night” are basically the same song although you’d never guess it from the titles, would you?), and some are definitely better than others – but there’s something about Andre I like so I’m gonna stick up for him no matter what. Andre will probably never hit "the big time" and maybe that's just as well. We wouldn't want the nasty media and all those starry-eyed fans descending upon Skelleftea and trashing it up, would we? Certainly not.

Keeper: Morningwood – Nth Degree – Morningwood features Richard Steel (former guitarist with Spacehog) and singer Chantal Claret, who sports the exact same hairdo I had in 1980. Ok, mine was a lot frizzier on top, sort of like Roseanne Rosanna-Danna, but it was 1980 and I bet you looked pretty funny back then too. “Nth Degree” sort of sounds like something from a children’s show but I find that rather comforting. And yes, I'm aware that the band's moniker is a euphemism for something that should not be in a children's show. Morningwood, however, knows how to promote themselves by having Chantal spell out the name of the band in the song numerous times. Perhaps Chantal was once a cheerleader. Perhaps she simply enjoys the alphabet.

Keeper: The Exit – So Leave Then – I posted a song from The Exit in my very first post but I didn’t say much about them at the time. I’m quickly becoming a huge fan of these three guys. Their song “Don’t Push” gets a lot of play in the Big Bad Bit jukebox and I was very excited when I found “So Leave Then.” I absolutely love this song – could the bass player and drummer be any tighter? You must march (in a cyber kind of way) straight to amazon.com to buy the CD. I’m going to do it and you should too. Come on, we’ll hold hands and do it together!

Big Bad Bit Site News: I rely on the high-speed connection I have at work to search the web, download songs, and blog my way into your musical hearts. I only have an excruciatingly slow dial-up connection at home and a computer that I share with Significant Other, which makes trying to do any of this at home impossible. As I've mentioned recently, things have been much busier for me at work lately so there's been less time for me to do more important things like search the web, download songs, and blog my way into your musical hearts. So I bought myself a laptop the other day. And I'm scheduled to have cable high-speed internet access installed at home on Wednesday. You'll soon see Big Bad Bit updated more frequently and on a more regular basis - bit by bit.

Pressure Bits, Foam Bits, Strangest Bits

2005-09-30T11:11:00.000-05:00

Keeper: Paramore – Pressure - The lead singer and songwriter of Paramore is Hayley Williams and she is all of 16 years old. This surprised the hell out of me. What was I doing at 16? What were you doing at 16? Wouldn't it have been incredibly cool to have had your own rock band with a recording contract at 16? Would it have gotten you any dates? Would you have had time to date? Would you still have had to do mundane stuff like take out the trash, write book reports, mow the lawn and uncool stuff like that? Most definitely. Paramore has a professional and mature sound – it’s difficult to believe the band is totally comprised of young whippersnappers. And they know a thing or two about seriously rocking out. By the way...the drummer is 14 years old. Yes, he's 14. What was I doing at 14? What were you doing at 14? Wouldn't it have been incredibly cool...

Keeper: My Morning Jacket – Golden – I kept reading about what a great band My Morning Jacket is but I just wasn't hearing it. Sometimes it takes a certain song for me to finally appreciate the coolness of an artist or band. In this case, “Golden” is the song. Now I understand the hoohah surrounding My Morning Jacket, a band out of Louisville, Kentucky. I think “Golden” might be one of their more laid back tunes. The band knows the power of simplicity - the drummer lays down some nice clean brushwork, the guitarists thoughtfully place tasteful ornaments throughout, and whoa, is that a string section or keyboards I hear toward the end? Nice, boys, nice.

Chin Stroker: Kingfisherg – Today I Spoke To A Girl – It’s hard to find anything about Kingfisherg except that they’re from Belgium (look - there's Belgium's flag!). You know it's bad when I'm reduced to posting a country's flag. I can't find a website or a photo of this mysterious band. This instrumental track is beautiful – but I have trouble with the starts and stops, quirky noises, and what seems to be a determined effort to keep the song from being too pretty. Maybe the band doesn't want their music to be mistaken for Yanni's. Well, at least I know what Yanni looks like. Note: You might have to crank up the volume to hear the entire piece after you download it.

Painful: The Child Who Was A Keyhole – Arm In The Foam – One man’s meat can be another man’s poison. One man’s ceiling is frequently another man’s floor. One man’s junk is often another man’s treasure. And this band's song is definitely this woman's source of aural pain. The Child Who Was A Keyhole suck and their website wisely acknowledges the fact. Check out this delicious review from stylusmagazine.com, which also notes the extreme suckiness of the band. Of course, some folks like the song and think the band is pretty cool. Viva la difference and whatever. Hey, I'm not too crazy about beets or tight shoes either.

Backlog: The October – Strangest Thing – I found this song a couple of months ago while browsing through the predominately dismal collection of tracks at 15 Megs of Fame (I’m still twitching from that hair-raising experience). Boy, was I ever glad to finally hit this song after listening to so much crap. The October band members are from Illinois and Kentucky and they have played on the East and West coasts, as well as many points in between. According to firesideometer, “The October could beat Coldplay in a song-to-song cage match.” Heh.

Bouncy Bits, Bird Bits, Fish Bits

2005-09-21T19:12:00.000-05:00

I downloaded these four songs within the last week and they are true Big Bad Bit earworms. I can not stop listening to them or get them out of my head.

Keeper: The Honorary Title – Bridge And Tunnel – New Yorkers Jarrod Gorbel and Aaron Kamstra have been getting a lot of good write ups in music magazines like Rolling Stone, Spin, and Blender since forming The Honorary Title. I’ll admit reading the lyrics didn’t help me understand what this song is about but I don’t care. I like the way the song bounces along. I like how the bouncy part goes into the dark part when Jarrod sings about not measuring up and stuff. I like how the song then goes back to being bouncy until Jarrod screeches a wee bit and that’s my cue to get ready to press that “repeat” button even though I swore I wouldn’t do it again.

Keeper: T&F vs Moltosugo featuring Moony – De Fact – I can’t find out anything about T&F or Moltosugo so we’ll concentrate on Moony (who is actually Monica Bragato). That’s a picture of Moony over there on the left. I guess Moony is hot stuff in Europe. She has recorded a few other popular dance tunes in the past couple of years, mostly doing guest vocals on other artists' projects (as in "De Fact"). She gets the chance to show off with some vocal gymnastics about ¾ of the way through “De Fact” and she makes it sound really easy. Moony fronts her own band as well and has cut a few albums along the way. This song crawled into my ear and began eating into my brain last Friday or so. “Come and dance wid me.” Damn you, Moony!

Keeper: Song of The Lakes – White Bird – Don’t worry…this is not the same “White Bird” as that kind of yucky one recorded by It’s A Beautiful Day in 1969. So come back, OK? Song of The Lakes is a band out of Northwest Michigan that plays a wide variety of musical styles, including Celtic and Scandinavian. Their “White Bird” might seem corny at first but there’s something about the way it captures the magic and power of a bird in flight that gets to me. And the song has a cool message too. The band seems like a nice bunch of folks who’d be great to hang out with. Maybe they’d even let you jam with them sometime. Why don’t you ask them? They have an excellent website where you can download another of their songs, read lyrics and, best of all, order one of their CDs.

Keeper: Valley Lodge – All Of My Lovin’ – I could be wrong but I think Valley Lodge is based in New York City. The band’s website, while humorous, doesn’t divulge much about the band. Considering the professional level of the band’s sound and production, I expected to see a real Press Kit with a bio and better photos (there’s lots of blurry shots of them performing though). But I fell in love with this fun song immediately. You can listen to (but not download) a bunch of their other material on their site but go directly to CD Baby to order their CD – you’ll get a little more info about the band and you'll get the nicest email ever from CD Baby once they ship your order.

Chin Stroker: Barnes & Barnes – Fish Heads – My sister used to get these awesome sampler albums from Warner Brothers records or something back in the early 70s and I’m pretty sure that’s where I first heard this strange yet catchy ditty. It was one of the most requested tunes on the Dr Demento radio show for many years. Trivia fact for today: One half of Barnes & Barnes is actually Bill Mumy, who played Will Robinson on the TV show “Lost In Space”. So now you know what Bill’s been up to for the last 37 years (besides playing a really cool role on Babylon 5).

That’s all I can squeeze in today. Work continues to cut into my day in a major way. If anyone wants to pay me a lot of money to write this blog on a more frequent basis, speak up. Yeah, like that’s gonna happen.

Quick Bits

2005-09-16T16:45:00.000-05:00

There won’t be any slick pictures or pithy comments in today’s post because The Boss has assigned a “special job” to me and it has got me chained to misery. In fact, I may have to make abbreviated posts over the next couple of weeks. Once again, these foolish people where I work are actually expecting me to work. Can you believe that?

I’m going to just give you some songs and let you Google your way to pictures and artist websites (with one exception). I’ll spare you any Painful tracks today since you could probably find of few of those on your own just by looking through that crate of old 8-tracks in your basement. I'll give you a few extra Keepers instead. More Backlog will also have to wait until next time.

Before you download any songs, visit BritBox to read his recent post, “Fire Your Boss.” I am so ready to take BritBox’s advice. Don't forget to come back here.

:: Keepers ::

Wilco – Box Of Letters – Takes a few moments for this song to find its footing but it's worth the wait.

Sarah Fimm – Paradise – You might like this Sarah if you already like Sarah McLachlan.

Brendan Benson – What I’m Looking For – Kept hoping I’d hear a song from Brendan that I like and this is definitely it. I really like the lyrics on this one.

Tom Cochrane – I Wish You Well – Formerly with the band Red Rider, who had a big hit in the '80s with "Life Is A Highway. Tom doesn't hold anything back, does he?

Zach Brock & The Coffee Achievers - This will be great to listen to during Sunday morning coffee.

:: Chin Stroker ::

The Singing Dictionary – I Feel Good – Best parts: Woman: “Hey!” Man: “Ow!” Visit this website to hear more Dictionaraoke.

I'll try to post something adorned with a little eye-candy next week. Oh, wait a minute - here's a picture of The Boss.

Baby Duck Bits, Vomit Bits, Girly Bits

2005-09-13T15:45:00.000-05:00

Theme song blaring? Candles burning? Incense wafting? Rose petals strewn? Ears twisted? Good!

Keeper: Body Rockers – I Like The Way – Remember Tom T. Hall and his 1974 hit, “I Love”? You know, the one that goes “I love little baby ducks, old pickup trucks, slow movin’ trains, and rain”. Well, think of “I Like The Way” as the 2005 version of “I Love”. But the Body Rockers don’t have little baby ducks on their minds. "I Like The Way" hit European dance clubs in April and appears to be quickly making its way to the US and beyond. The Body Rockers are a British and Australian duo and you can watch video clips of them rocking their bodies on their website. The beginning of this song makes me giggle; I think of Barry White, although I don't think Barry ever worked himself up into the foaming-at-the-mouth, get-my-freak-on frenzy that the guy from Body Rockers does. But then we never really knew Barry, did we?

Keeper: Mike Doughty – 27 Jennifers – Mike Doughty was in a band called Soul Coughing, considered “one of the most unique cult bands of the ‘90s” by MTV (read the band’s bio). I like the instrumentation on this song, especially the sparse use of the trombone. The lyrics to “27 Jennifers” crack me up and you can read them at Mike’s website (go to the Music page). The website includes Mike's blog, where you can read his 9/12 post, "The Weirdest Gig Of My Whole Entire Life", which sounds a lot like a gig I had at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, in about 1981. Not a good thing.

Chin Stroker: Force Vomit – Telephone – The more I listen to this song, the more I’m convinced this band is just in the wrong place (Singapore) at the wrong time (for the last 12 years). The day will come when the whole world will know their brand of punk-surf music. As their entertaining website points out, “you’d have to be a bit of a masochist to start a band in Singapore.” Indeed. Force Vomit's current members are Dino Vomit, Alvin Vomit and Neng Vomit. I dig their sense of humor about themselves (which is evident on their website) and I like how they sound like they’re having fun even when they’re trying to be serious. And how could you not like the band's name? I'm not a huge fan of this type of music but Force Vomit could bring me into the fold.

Painful: The Envelopes – Audrey In The Country – The Envelopes are what happens when you trap four Swedish guys and one French girl in a room full of musical instruments no one knows how to play and demand they play songs no one likes. Let’s not do that again, OK? I’ve listened to other painful songs in the last couple of days but what makes “Audrey In The Country” especially painful for me is the way it ends then starts again…not once…not twice…but three times. As though The Envelopes felt we just couldn’t get enough of their lameness.

Backlog: Girlyman – On The Air – Girlyman reminds me of Peter, Paul and Mary – only turned inside out, flipped around, then stood on end. Girlyman is actually two girls and one guy who sound as if they’ve been singing together since birth. “On The Air” has an imaginative storyline (a TV host from the ‘50s looking back on the good old days) and impeccable vocal harmony. Girlyman has toured, performed and recorded with the Indigo Girls. The band has a great website and you really should check it out. Listen to some clips of their other songs. Order a CD. Spread the Girly-word!

Backlog: Eux Autres – Ecoutez Bien! – When I first heard “Ecoutez Bien!” a few months ago, I pictured some French garage band consisting of a teenage girl on keyboards and vocals, a geeky guy on guitar, and an even geekier (and possibly one-armed) guy on drums. Boy, was I wrong. Eux Autres is a brother and sister team born in Omaha, Nebraska, but now based in Portland, Oregon. Heather sings and plays drums (not very well but so what?) while Nicholas wields the guitar (and bullhorn). The keyboards must just play themselves. Anyway, I’m intrigued by the loose yet earnest nature of this tune and I listen to it frequently. I’m also rather fond of Heather’s comment just after the song ends. I tried to listen to some of the band's other songs on their cool website but the links didn't work.

Do be sure to visit BritBox's blog and read his wonderful 9/12 post, "Zen and the Art of Roof Maintenance." Makes me want to haul out my ladder, climb up on my roof, rip up some shingles and get that hammer going. Um, wait a second. I rent. Whew, that was close.

My next post will be Friday. There. I got through this entire post without mentioning Significant Other. Doh!

Bit Bits, Brain Bits, Percolator Bits

2005-09-09T16:07:00.000-05:00

Today’s post tries out a different way of getting the songs to you because my normal means (You Send It) won’t let me use their server right now. I’m trying not to take it personally. Maybe we’ll find we like this other file host (Save File) better in the long run. Just click on the song and another screen will open. Click on the word “Download” in the lower right hand corner of the new screen, then click "Download the file now". Way easy.

Theme Song: Gina G – Just A Little Bit – It’s unanimous. After careful consideration, “Just A Little Bit” has been selected as the official theme song of Big Bad Bit. The criterion was demanding - the song had to be frisky and it had to contain the word “bit.” Download it right now. Listen to it each time you prepare to visit Big Bad Bit. It will go well with lighting the candles and incense (you remembered to get some patchouli, didn’t you?), scattering the rose petals, and twisting your ears.

Keeper: Venus Hum – Montana – The members of Venus Hum are from Ohio, New Jersey, and Montana. I like Annette Strean’s voice and I like the interesting little electronic sounds that punctuate the song, although the funky static sound at the beginning makes me check my earbud connection every time. Venus Hum has recorded a song with the Blue Man Group. You can learn more about Venus Hum by reading a review of their album “Beautiful Sky” at this website.

Keeper: Jose Gonzalez – Stay In The Shade – This is the song you absolutely must download today (besides the Theme, of course). Born in Sweden to Argentine parents, Jose has toured all over Europe and is gaining popularity in the US through the internet. Listen to the way his guitar sounds like rain drumming on the roof throughout this beautiful song. Jose has a website but it needs a lot of work – viewing it in Flash is nearly impossible and the HTML version gives only the bare minimum of information. Jose deserves better.

Chin Stroker: The Flaming Lips – If I Only Had A Brain – The Flaming Lips have been around for many years, as their incredibly cool and creative website will tell you (Jose, take note). Their version of this classic tune from “The Wizard of Oz” is surprisingly straightforward. Except for the sound of (mostly) children laughing and crying from beginning to end. In fact, the song concludes with a cacophony of wailing voices that, frankly, gives me the heebie-jeebies.

Painful: Lily Cedar – Secret – Lily Cedar is actually a young woman named Andrea Bauer. “Secret” is from Andrea’s debut album, “Sleeper”. You can read an interview with Andrea at this website. My favorite part of the interview is when Andrea says, “What you hear on Sleeper is probably the only time I’ve ever played any of those songs. I guess I could play some of it live, I just don’t really remember how because I’ve played most of those songs only once or twice and then forgot about them.” Hopefully, we’ll forget too.

Backlog: My Little Radio – Waste Another Night – I can’t find much about this band from Boston but I sure like this song. The guitars, when not cutting power chords with surgical precision, pepper the song with a steady underlying rhythm, much like the sound of grandma’s old coffee percolator. The lead singer looks like she’s about 12 years old in most of the band’s publicity photos. She’s probably really more like 13 or 14 but just has really good genes. Go to this website to listen to a couple of other My Little Radio tunes.

Next post should be Tuesday. Significant Other will be out of town for a week starting tomorrow. I'll probably post lots of sad songs next week so be sure to take some Paxil before you light the candles and incense, scatter the rose petals, and twist your ears.

Boy Bits, Brando Bits, Perfect Bits

2005-09-06T17:01:00.000-05:00

It was brutal out there in cyberspace today. I downloaded and listened to so much bad music that I feel as if I should call Haz-Mat to clear out my Recycle Bin. But I do it all for you so I'm glad - dare I say, proud - to do it. I found a few songs worth keeping and I'll start off with two of them.

Keeper: The Click Five – I Think We’re Alone Now – This is the second song I’ve downloaded by The Click Five. Get this…they’re a Boy Band that actually Plays Their Own Instruments. Sure, they’re cute as bug’s ears and they play perky tunes – but how long will they last? Long enough to snake their way into my MP3 player a few more times, I hope. I like their cover of “I Think We’re Alone Now” better than Tiffany’s version. The band’s website has lots of dreamy pictures of the band members. Once again, beware of the music that instantly plays as soon as the site has loaded. I wish I could stop spitting coffee all over my monitor every time that happens.

Keeper: Jeffrey Foucault – 4 & 20 Blues – It’s nice to hear folks are still keeping this style of music alive. Jeffrey hails from Wisconsin, which is not the first place I equate with the blues. But then I've never been to Wisconsin. I like Jeffrey’s sincere and soulful approach. Sounds like Bonnie Raitt doing backup vocals but I don’t think it is. Please correct me if I’m wrong. Jeffrey has a nice website where you can listen to a few more cuts from his three albums.

Chin Stroker: Nellie McKay – If I Needed Someone – Nellie has a unique way of transforming a song and I rather like her rendition of this Beatles tune. I just don’t understand why there’s the sound of an espresso machine in the background at about the 1:07 mark. Are there coffee beans included with the CD? Visit Nellie’s website to hear more of her stuff and maybe get a nice hot cup of Joe.

Painful: Pony Up! – Marlon Brando’s Laundromat – These girls are from Canada and they are completely serious. And that frightens me. If you actually listen to this song, promise me you will not picture Marlon Brando’s underwear pressed up against the dryer window. That would be so immature. The band has a website but I’m not sure why you’d want to go there.

Backlog: Darden Smith - Perfect Moment – Darden has a smooth voice and a nice acoustic thing going on. I like the way he purrs the first syllable of "perfect" and I like the overall mood Darden generates. Darden is from Texas and you can learn a little more about him at this website.

Backlog: Hoku – Perfect Day – Why settle for a moment when you can have a whole day? Hoku is Don Ho’s daughter and this song was in the movie “Legally Blonde”. Hoku doesn’t have her own website; she has to share one with her dad because she's still really young and he’s all, you know, famous and stuff. But if you really need to know more about Hoku, go to this website. Tomorrow is my 45th birthday and I'll probably listen to this song a few times to get through it.

Next post should be Friday.

Dirty Bits, Dummy Bits, Zippy Bits

2005-09-02T14:19:00.000-05:00

So I survived being trained by the world’s most obsessive-compulsive woman. Just let me know if you need me to organize the crap on your desk.

Keeper: Dirty On Purpose – All New Friends – I like the way this song evolves, building up into a beautiful majestic thing before it slinks away. The drummer is the glue that holds the whole thing together. And I like the name of the band. Dirty On Purpose is from Brooklyn and I’ve snagged a couple of their songs in the last couple of days. You can check out some of their stuff on their website.

Keeper: Kate Miller-Heidke – The Space They Cannot Touch – I almost passed on this one when I first heard Kate’s voice but I stuck around and discovered a cool tune. The lyrics are sweet (“my favorite place is me and you”) and make me think of Significant Other. Kate is from Australia and you can visit her website for more tunes and lyrics.

Chin Stroker: Yeti Girls – Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend – Punk meets Broadway. Holy sh*t. Wait a minute. You know, this almost works.

Painful: Little Marcy – Devil Devil Go Away – How do I explain this? Little Marcy was a dummy. A ventriloquist dummy. Singing Christian and children’s songs in the 60s. Satisfy your wicked curiosity by visiting this website. Listening to Little Marcy is not only painful, it’s downright creepy.

Backlog: Waltham – Hopeless – Roaring out of Boston, Waltham brings back the pop-rock sound of the 80s and I’m OK with that. Their website will tell you a little more about them but you may want to turn down your speaker volume before you visit – their music will automatically start playing and they don’t believe in doing anything quietly. I think this song is well-crafted and catchy. But maybe that’s just me and my longing for it to be 1982 again. All that spandex in my closet is getting musty.

Backlog: Paps ‘n Skar – Vieni Con Me – I used my handy-dandy online translator and discovered “Vieni Con Me” is Italian for “You come with me.” That would be “Tu viens avec moi” in French. This has got to be one of the happiest songs I’ve ever heard – you can almost hear the smile in that guy’s voice. What is he singing about? Hell, I don’t know. Even the parts in English don’t make much sense - it’s mostly just disjointed phrases. But who cares about lyrical content when you’ve got a peppy beat and zippy electronic gadgetry noises? Paps ‘n Skar is a peppy duo from Italy and you can check out their zippy website.

Next post should be Tuesday.

OCD Bits, Scot Bits, Holy Bits

2005-08-31T15:38:00.000-05:00

I’ve spent the last two mornings crammed into a tiny cubicle with the world’s most obsessive-compulsive woman (and believe me, I know obsessive-compulsive) while she trains me to do her job. I’m supposed to cover for her while she’s on vacation next week and if she ever drops dead without remembering to call in first. Mostly I've been listening to her explain things like why she organizes her paper clips according to size, color, composition, tactile sensation, etc. I can’t believe these people where I work actually expect me to work sometimes. Sheesh. The next couple of posts will probably be brief.

Keeper: KT Tunstall – Suddenly I See –I’m kind of liking this jaunty little tune. It’s nothing deep (I don’t think) and chugs along nicely. KT is from Scotland and she has toured with Joss Stone. You can listen to clips of some of her other material and read her diary (how thrilling!) when you visit her website.

Keeper: Plain White T’s – All That We Needed – Why do I like the chorus on this song? I don’t know. I just do. What are you going to do about it? The band is from Chicago and their website has lots of pictures of them performing live. Looking at the pictures, I get the impression going to one of their shows means lots of moshing and other acts of wild abandonment that could hurt me.

Keeper: Stephen Fretwell – Emily – I can’t believe this guy (from England) is only 23 years old. I wasn’t sure about this song at first but it’s beginning to grow on me. After downloading it yesterday, I listened to it a few times while driving home from work. I had to go a few miles out of my way because the main road leading to my street was blocked off (thanks to a car accident). Whenever there’s an accident on that damn hill I wonder if my Significant Other is involved. It was raining like crazy (thanks to remnants of Katrina) and this song was the perfect melancholy accompaniment. Significant Other is fine and we can all visit Stephen’s nifty website. Life is good.

Chin Stroker: Pat Boone – Holy Diver – Pat Boone woke up one morning and decided we needed him to make an album of heavy metal songs using big band arrangements. One of the songs Pat covered was “Holy Diver” by Ronnie James Dio (I’ll let you figure out which picture is Pat and which picture is Ronnie). I don’t think you have to be familiar with the original version of “Holy Diver” to appreciate the absurdity of Pat’s version. I suppose some people will think this belongs in the Painful category but I think the horn section rocks on this baby – especially starting at about the 2:35 mark. Everything else about this song, however, sucks.

Painful: Cocorosie – Noah’s Ark – People have been raving about this song all over the internet lately. I don’t get it. What am I missing? It’s almost tolerable (in that polite “I-lived-through-that-root-canal-so-I-can-live-through-this-too” kind of way) until that one woman starts warbling in her strangled-child voice about Noah’s ark and all his animals. Then the song just bogs down in mindless repetition and I start to whimper. And I think if Noah had heard this tune coming down the pike toward him, he would have built his ark a lot faster, loaded it up with whatever he could get his hands on, and gotten the heck out of Dodge long before the first raindrop fell.

Backlog: David Francey – Nearly Midnight – Is this not a beautiful song? Doesn’t it make you want to take a long drive just so you can listen to it on the way back home? David was born in Scotland but has spent most of his life in Canada (not that you’d ever guess that from his accent). He has a friendly website where you can hear more of his tunes.

Backlog: Halloween, Alaska – Call It Clear – I get this song stuck in my head for days at a time. I find it delightfully hypnotic. Listen to it once or twice and see if you don’t catch yourself singing “my delicate slip of sunshine” at some odd moment later in the day. Weird name for a band, I know, but visit Halloween, Alaska’s website anyway, won't you?

Backlog: Imogen Heap – Hide & Seek – Seems like everyone in the universe knew about Imogen (formerly of the band Frou Frou) except me – until I stumbled across “Hide & Seek” recently. I was stunned when I first heard it and it continues to amaze me each time it comes up on my player. My favorite phrase is “crop circles in the carpet.” I immediately picture the marks left by furniture when someone moves out and I think that phrase speaks volumes. Imogen has a rather cluttered website but it sports some cool stuff to play with.

So much for being brief. Next post should be Friday - assuming my head doesn’t explode from spending a few more mornings with the obsessive-compulsive woman. I think tomorrow she'll be lecturing on why she organizes her pens and pencils according to length, color (outer), color (inner), age, chew marks, etc.

Kingly Bits, Wacky Bits, Paxil Bits and More!

2005-08-29T14:49:00.000-05:00

Keeper: Acid House Kings – Do What You Wanna Do – Their website calls them “Sweden’s no 1 guitar pop band.” I was never a fan of ABBA but I do like me some Swedish pop every now and then. This track is a snappy little number – it makes me want to skip around the office and snap my fingers in an annoying fashion. Acid House Kings are including a Karaoke DVD with their new album so we can sing along with them right away! Aw, aren’t they thoughtful?

Keeper: Michael Learns to Rock – Strange Foreign Beauty – This Danish band is big in Asia. I hate to compare one artist with another (yeah, right), but the lead singer here reminds me of Gary Wright (remember “Dream Weaver”?). Anyway, MLR has a slick website where you can watch videos of the band performing live. I suspect MLR and Hilary Duff share the same fanbase but I like this song anyway.

Keeper: Kings Of Convenience – Homesick – No relation to the Acid House Kings, these Kings are from Norway and they lay down some royal harmonies. Reviewers often compare them to Simon and Garfunkel, and I think hearing “Homesick” will make you agree. They seem like nice boys and I think they'd like you to visit their website.

Chin Stroker: Bjork – It’s Oh So Quiet – Oh, that crazy, wacky Bjork. This song has been around for a while now. I just about drove off the highway the first time I heard it on the radio. When I found it today on someone’s blog I had to savor it once again. Luckily, today I’m sitting in front of my computer and not driving.

Painful: Reparata and the Delrons – Shoes – Why is this song called “Shoes”? Is this song about a dysfunctional family at a Greek wedding? Will this website tell you more than you need to know about Reparata and the Delrons? Will you be able to listen to the entire song without grinding your teeth into dust?

Backlog: Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer – Ordinary Town – Dave Carter wrote this song, which features Dave on guitar and vocals, and Tracy Grammer on lead vocal and fiddle. Dave died in July 2002 but Tracy continues to tour, showcasing Dave’s great compositions along with her own music. Check out their website, which also leads you to Tracy's website.

Backlog: Provan – I Won The Context – Provan is a band from the East Coast. I liked this song the first time I heard it. Great drums, lots of thick guitars, tasteful background vocals. Even though they've been around for a couple of years it appears they've just started their website.

Backlog: Kaci – I Will Learn To Love Again - Could Kaci be more optimistic, self-confident or resilient? Kaci is only 17 years old but she will not give up and she believes! Could Kaci learn to love being my new best friend? Could she come over to my house, help me throw my Paxil down the toilet, then go shopping with me for cute little outfits? Kaci’s official cybershrine - I mean, website - might be run by 9 year old girls but it's all good. And now you must swear you won’t tell anyone I actually like this kind of music.

Next post will probably be on Wednesday.

New Bits and Backlog Bits

2005-08-25T15:21:00.000-05:00

Not much out there today. Here are a few of the tracks that made it from cyberspace to player:

Keeper: The Everly Brothers - All I Have To Do Is Dream - Perfect harmonies and nice thick hair - a winning combination every time.

Keeper: Herman's Hermits - I'm Into Something Good - This song makes me feel all squeaky clean and stuff.

Keeper: Seu Jorge - Carolina - I'm not sure why, but I'm just fascinated with this tune. It's a breezy yet sassy little ditty. I have no idea what the guy is singing about but I like the flavor of it. But what's that strange little yippy-whiny sound going on in the background? Is that guy abusing his chihuahua or what?

Keeper: Irina - Ala Sano Mitaan - Irina is big in Finland (that's the country's flag on the left) and that's all I know about her. This song starts out big and loud and then stays there. I have no clue what Irina is singing about but she sure seems intent on getting her message across. Plus this song has a beat I can dance to (as if). It cracks me up how the song ends rather abruptly - like someone said, "OK, that'll do" and just spun that volume knob down.

Chin Stroker: Mleko - Kto Dogoni Psa - I know you've been anxious to hear rap from Poland and I'm happy to post it for you. You can hear this poor guy gasping for breath between phrases. Who knew there were 612 syllables in the Polish word for "Snizzle"? Oh, and the children chanting in the chorus? Wrong. Just wrong.

Painful: William Shatner - Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds - Why was it necessary to use the echo effect on certain phrases? Did they think Bill wasn't bringing enough angst or drama to his rendition? "Sorry, Bill, but we're just not feeling you. We may have to enhance some of this."

Backlog Bits! Songs I love but didn't have a blog when I found them so I couldn't gush about them at the time.

Backlog: Rachael Davis - Better Than Me - I don't know if I can gush enough about this song. I've listened to some of Rachael's other stuff (check out her website) but nothing has captivated me like this one. From Rachael's simple banjo playing style to her beautiful melody - not to mention one of the best lyrical hooks I've come across in quite a while - "Better Than Me" has become one of my favorite tracks.

Backlog: The Dandy Warhols - Bohemian Like You - My absolute favorite song for the last couple of months. I like the lyrics on this one a lot. And the intro is superb. Kind of has a Stones thing going on (no real comparison, I know). I like it when they go "Whooo!" Hear more at their website.

Backlog: The Trashcan Sinatras - Welcome Back - I really like this band. Go to their nifty website to download more of their music. For you Joni Mitchell fans (and I'm one of them), check out their live version of "Woman of Heart and Mind". The audio quality is weak but it's cool to hear a man sing it (even if he does mess up the lyrics here and there).

Backlog: Anne Heaton - Underdog - I like the way this song moves along with Anne's voice skipping over, under and through it. I'm not as keen on her other stuff (hear some of it at Anne's website) but maybe I just haven't heard the right song yet. I'll promote her though just because I like this song so much.

Guess I've sucked up enough cyberbits for today.

Big Bad Bit Is Born

2005-08-24T16:10:00.000-05:00

This is my music blog. It was bound to happen sooner or later. I started collecting songs off the internet a few months ago. Now it's an obsession. That's what I get for basically ignoring music for several years. I was totally oblivious to the existence of tons of artists and a lot of great music. I've been trying to make up for all that lost time.

I pay for a lot of the music I download. I also download tracks for free from artist websites and blogs like this. To be honest, I don't know if I'm getting all my songs legally or not. If I'm breaking the law, I'm blissfully unaware of it.

For the most part, the songs you'll see posted on this blog will be the songs that travel the exhilarating path from the internet to my PC and then to my MP3 player (Keeper). Many enjoy the trip from the internet to my PC but few make it to my player.

Some of the songs I post will be ones that I just think are interesting or cool enough for a one-time listening/sharing experience - they don't necessarily find their way to my player (Chin Stroker) .

Of course, I'll post some songs just because they're too awful to keep to myself (Painful).

There are some real gems and some real stinkers out there. To get things started, I'm going to post some of the songs I downloaded and decided to keep today. I'll also post two other songs worth noting. Tomorrow I'll post some of my favorites from the past couple of months. Eventually I'll learn how this blog thing works.

Keeper: Eisley - The Winter Song - The band is made up of four siblings and their neighbor. They're teenagers, Texans, and way too talented. Hear more of them at their website.

Keeper: Monkees - Last Train To Clarksville - The opening guitar riff and sizzling tambourine ("Go, Davy, Go!") instantly transport me to Edwards Road in Cincinnati. I'm about 6 years old. I specialize in being a pain in the butt to my big brother and sister. Life was simple and my daily agenda was short ("Annoy Mike. Take a nap. Annoy Jenny.").

Keeper: The Exit - Don't Push - More cool songs from The Exit at their website.

Keeper: Spirit Of The West - And If Venice Is Sinking - Stick around for the tuba. SOTW has a great website.

Keeper: Royksopp - Remind Me - The second Royksopp song I've downloaded. Torbjörn Brundtland and Svein Berge know how to lay down a smooth groove. Their website has more of their stuff.

Keeper: Straightjacket Fits - Down In Splendour - I like the sort of dreamy quality of this song. Straightjacket is from New Zealand. Their website knows a heck of a lot more about them than I do.

Chin Stroker: Osymyso - Intro-Inspection - This baby clocks in at just over 12 minutes but it's 12 minutes well spent. See how many song intros you recognize. Visit Osymyso's website.

Painful: Carol Channing & Jimmy C. Newman - Louisiana Cajun Rock Band - Yes, THAT Carol Channing. If you don't think you'll be able to sleep tonight without knowing a little more about Carol and Jimmy, visit The Record Robot (August 24 post).

That's it for today.