The Not-Pop Jukebox

Not the Same - Bodyjar

2012-05-25T20:20:00.000-05:00

The other day I asked you to Pick the Winner between Goyte's and Elliot Smith's versions of Somebody That I Used to Know. Though the songs had the same name, which made titling to post pretty easy, I should have included in that post Bodyjar and Not the Same.

The theme runs in the same vein: "You're not the person that I believed in yesterday." And so please consider this an ancillary third entry in the race. Which do you like best: the big hit, the Elliot Smith version, or Bodyjar's Not the Same?

Not The Same by Bodyjar on Grooveshark

Might Be Her Fool - The Pinstripes

2012-05-24T14:21:00.000-05:00

Let's have some full-on, third-wave ska for this over-the-hump Wednesday. I recently found myself in possession of the latest album from Cincinnati-based The Pinstripes and have been jamming to the horns and the backbeat ever since. Might Be Her Fool is the first track on "I" and well worth the prime spot. You can pick up the whole thing from Bandcamp via the player below (and their EP, as well). If you're still undecided, click over and have a listen to The Wokkabout. That ought to clinch their ska-flavored goodness for you. It certainly did for me.

Might Be Her Fool by The Pinstripes

Run for Your Life - Robert Randolph and the Family Band

2012-05-20T09:23:00.000-05:00

I've been a fan of Robert Randolph and the Family Band for ages but I've left you all sadly bereft of their music. Let's have a high-speed jam for this mellow Sunday, something to get your blood pumping and your feet moving. Run for Your Life fits that bill with a vengeance.

It starts at full throttle, no words to distract you from the driving beat, and Robert Randolph embroiders all around it until about 2:30, when the band lets you take a breather for about thirty seconds before they're right back at it. Run for Your Life brings two things to mind for me: dancing until you drop at an outdoor festival and a getaway scene in a movie in which likable baddies flee the cops in some glorious muscle car that you just know will come to a bad end.

Whatever my mental associations, have a listen to Run for Your Life and tell me what you think. It's an excellent example of just how much awesome people who dismiss these guys because of the lap steel guitar. Holy carp, people, the Family can play!

Run for Your Life by Robert Randolph & The Family Band on Grooveshark

Mashup of the Month: My Zumps - Fissunix

2012-05-19T10:33:00.000-05:00

Do you know what you need? I do. It's a new, improved version of a Black Eyed Peas song, with music much more appropriate to the lyrics. Happily, Fissunix has taken some lovely circus music and fixed My Humps so that it's actually fun to listen to.

I picture the band in little bear suits, balancing on unicycles and dancing even more awkwardly than they normally do. Naturally, you can pick up My Zumps from the Fissunix web site. And if you just can't get enough you can try the DJ Zebra version on his "Fait son Cinema" double album. Both are free as proverbial birds but without the crapping on your windshield. I've also included both versions right here for you to enjoy.

Double Zumps by legbamel on Grooveshark

Bad Girls - Donna Summer

2012-05-17T18:13:00.001-05:00

It's a rough week for old-school music lovers! First Chuck Brown passed and now Donna Summer has left us. As a not-so-closeted disco fan, I've dimmed my mirror ball for the night in her honor.

I have also been enjoying a little Donna Summer retrospective and wanted to share with you a hit from yesteryear that you never hear these days. Get your groove on with some Bad Girls, from the heady days of sex, drugs, and no HIV. It's not only appropriately named, it has traffic whistles and has a great, pounding bass line just made for doing the hustle.

Hopefully no musicians will die tomorrow and we can get something a little more recent, though it's been a great week for funk here on The NPJ. RIP, Donna Summer.

Bad Girls by Donna Summer on Grooveshark

Jock It In - Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers

2012-05-16T18:47:00.001-05:00

It's sad that it took Chuck Brown's death to remind me to post some of the funkiest funk out there. It's also sad that so many awesome people have already died this year. I'm a little scared of the next six months!

As my tribute to the fantastic talent of Chuck Brown, Godfather of Go-Go or no, enjoy Jock It In a song with so much funk I'm a little worried you might not survive. Keep your clickers over the pause button, my darlings, and take a break if you feel your head might explode from the awesome.

If you've never heard of Chuck Brown, think James Brown (no relation) crossed with Tower of Power and Parliament Funkadelic. Yeah, Jock It In is that funky. RIP, Chuck Brown. Thanks for the great music!

Jock It In by Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers on Grooveshark

Mama Told Me - Etta James

2012-05-13T17:18:00.001-05:00

As it's Mother's Day in the US, I thought we'd have a great song about listening to what you mother tells you. Of course, the next step is to go ahead and do something anyway, knowing your mom was right but too weak to resist the temptation.

As a wonderful bonus, Mama Told Me gives you Etta James at her very funkiest, filled with attitude and absolutely getting down. For this Mother's Day, admit that your mama knew what she was talking about when you were a kid. And then do something she always told you would result in tears. It's fun while it lasts, anyway. Then you can call your mom and tell her how right she was. Moms love that sort of thing.

Mama Told Me by Etta James on Grooveshark

Ice Cream feat. Matias Aguayo - Battles

2012-05-11T20:01:00.000-05:00

Here's a Casio based bit of oddity from Battles to get your Friday night moving. Despite my personal insistence that the proper spelling is "iced cream", Ice Cream is still awesome. It goes in unexpected directions, it forces my toes to tap even when I'm grumpy, and it's generally a fun bit of music. Have a listen and have a happy night!

Ice Cream (feat. Matias Aguayo) by Battles on Grooveshark

Slap Slap Slap Pound Up Down Snap - The Death Set

2012-05-10T20:07:00.003-05:00

Six months ago I posted about The Death Set and I suggested you have a listen to Slap Slap Slap Pound Up Down Snap a wacky song with a relatively nonsensical video that involves a lot of screaming and a whole lot of energy. Today, I'm going to share that video with you because it's been stuck in my head.

I can't listen to much of The Death Set in a row but they make a great, high-octane edition to a pump-you-up playlist. The video adds a little bonus song at the end of what's less than two minutes of Slap Slap Slap Pound Up Down Snap on the album. That means it's long enough for a post and gives you bonus material to watch and think, "Hunh?" Because unless you're in on the jokes that's what you'll do.

It's Raining Men - The Weather Girls

2012-05-09T21:25:00.000-05:00

In honor of President Obama coming out in favor of gay marriage today, I thought we'd have a terribly fun song that really has nothing to do with it. In fact the song celebrates the exact opposite of marriage. Oh, just shut up with your logic and enjoy It's Raining Men. If you're nice I'll bring you something a little more substantial tomorrow.

It's Raining Men by The Weather Girls on Grooveshark

The Girl from Ipanema - Various Artists

2012-05-06T10:53:00.002-05:00

It's time for the ultimate elevator music, the all-pervasive Bossa Nova standard, The Girl from Ipanema. I've been holding it back, trying to resist forcing you to listen to sixteen versions of the song, but the dam had to break sometime. It just did.

And so I present to you everything from a very lobotomized Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass version to Fatboy Slim's remix of The Girl from Ipanema. (Note: I believe this last to be the future of elevator music. All sci-fi filmmakers take note!) I've got not one but two different Gilbertos, naturally with the original Portuguese lyrics as well as the English. And then there's the Antonio Carlos Jobim version with just the music he wrote and no lyrics at all.

You'll also find Stan Getz, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and Louis Armstrong. You'd expect each of those, so I tossed in The Peeping Toms (unexpectedly mellow), Sammy Davis Jr., and something called The Liberation Jumpsuit. Don't miss Lou Rawls while you're at it, and Amy Winehouse, as well. Stick that in your elevator and listen to it!

Sixteen Girls from Ipanema by legbamel on Grooveshark

Don't Play No Game that I Can't Win - Beastie Boys feat. Santogold

2012-05-04T18:29:00.000-05:00

I'm sad to say that my recent optimism over the release of the Beastie Boys' album last year was misplaced. In case you hadn't heard, Adam Youch died today and the Hot Sauce Committee won't be releasing a Volume 3.

As a tribute, have another fantastic cut from the 2011 album they made while Mr. Youch was in remission. This time enjoy Don't Play No Game that I Can't Win, a sadly ironic title today.

Dont Play No Game That I Cant Win (Feat. Santigold) by Beastie Boys on Grooveshark

Little Black Backpack - Stroke 9

2012-05-03T19:42:00.000-05:00

For those of you needing an angry and resentful break-up song, I've got just the thing for you: Stroke 9's Little Black Backpack. Don't say I never gave you anything. Okay, you can still say it. And, I'll admit, you may remember the song from 'way back in 1999 when it was a modest hit.

Stroke 9 is a pretty solid rock band, with some good licks and enjoyable songs. But for some reason Little Black Backpack became an earworm for me. You know I love to share so here's hoping it hooks you, too. If you do, try Tap Tap Domination, a gamer anthem about yesteryear.

Little Black Backpack by Stroke 9 on Grooveshark

Ok! - Mexican Institute of Sound

2012-05-02T20:22:00.000-05:00

Here's some electronic blooping, bleeping, squidging, and other looped nonsense to make you groove in your seat this lovely mid-week day. Mexican Institute of Sound does some great things (and some less-successful ones, as well) and I still can't find Carnaval anywhere on-line that I can share with you so I thought I'd give you something a little wacky and a lot fun instead. Behold: Ok! If you like this one, give Cha Cha Cha a try.

Ok! by Mexican Institute of Sound on Grooveshark

Related or Not: Barenaked Ladies and The Connells

2012-04-30T21:14:00.001-05:00

Once upon a time The Connells and Barenaked Ladies were two of my favorite bands. As one has fallen into obscurity and the other into the popularity trap they've also fallen of the "must hunt new albums at once" list.

That does not, however, mean that I stop listening to older songs that I love. And of course I find parallels in the strangest places. Take, for instance, The Joke and Humor of the Situation. The first was released on "One Simple Word" in 1990, the year I actually saw The Connells perform live. The second song came along ten years later on "Maroon". But the moment I heard the latter I knew it was born to follow the former.

Today I bring you both songs and ask what you think. Related or not?

Humor of the Joke by legbamel on Grooveshark

Hooked and Bang, Bang, Bang - Eilen Jewell

2012-04-29T15:59:00.000-05:00

Last year Eilen Jewell put out a record titled "Queen of the Minor Key" that was an instant hit with me. Aurally it tastes like a combination of James Hunter and The Notting Hillbillies (whom, I now realize, I've never posted): humor and soul and a little savor of country beneath.

Upon hearing Bang, Bang, Bang, I immediately had to search for more. The idea of psychotic Cupid firing a shotgun at random into crowds entertains me perhaps more than it should. It's too short for a post, though, so I added Hooked, a love song that perhaps follows perfectly. Cupid has done his thing and love has bloomed unexpectedly.

If you go back to Eilen Jewell's earlier albums you get a lot more country with less soul. You still get a great voice, though. If you like Bang, Bang, Bang and Hooked try Shakin' All Over, too.

Hooked on Bang Bang Bang by legbamel on Grooveshark

Retro Future Shock - Loo & Placido

2012-04-28T11:27:00.000-05:00

I've been looking backward a lot in my posts of late. Let's look forward...by looking back some more with Loo & Placdio who have compiled one of the most massive mixtape mashes I've heard and then covered it in awesome sauce for extra wonderful. I can't even begin to tell you the track list for Retro Future Shock but you can see the whole thing by clicking over to the SoundCloud page, where you can download the whole, hour-long, gorgeous thing for free.

Be warned: the track is an hour and nine minutes long and includes a bit of foul language when it switches from Queen vocals to The Beatles early on. You might want to keep your headphones on or watch the volume button when you're listening to it driving around in the convertible with the kids in the back. Not that I've had that problem. Ahem. But the rest of it makes such tiny issues worth it.

Did you notice that the end of the track name is Volume 1? And are you as geekily excited to hear the Volume 2 implied? No? Listen to Retro Future Shock and imagine it twice as long. I'm going to be exhausted from chair dancing but I'm pretty sure I can make it through two hours and every time they switch songs it's like an Easter Egg hunt. This is the future of mashes and great taste of what shocks big record companies about them. Thanks, Loo & Placido!

Rainy Day, Dream Away - Jimi Hendrix

2012-04-27T20:20:00.000-05:00

It's a rainy day, it's getting dark, and I'm listening to Jimi Hendrix. All, it seems, is right with the world. For those of you who conjure wailing guitar and not much else, when you think of Hendrix, do try Rainy Day, Dream Away. It gives you some great Jimi with a saxophone and much jazzier flavor than you might expect. Of course if you're a serious fan already you know that much for yourself. It's still a lovely song.

Rainy Day, Dream Away by Jimi Hendrix on Grooveshark

It's Tight Like That - Benny Goodman, Leadbelly, or Tampa Red

2012-04-26T21:02:00.001-05:00

It's Tight Like That, with or without the "it's", has stayed a blues mainstay for a lot of years. But sometimes strange things happen to standards. They tend to wander across genre lines and show up in interesting ways.

Today I'd like to share a couple of traditional guitar blues versions of Tight Like That, one from Leadbelly and the other from Tampa Red with Georgia Tom. As a contrast, have a listen to the Benny Goodman version, a swung-to-the-rafters take on a great song, with some scat sauce for awesome, but the fun lyrics have all been removed.

One presumes the more risque versions of the song might have offended Goodman's audiences and he likely wouldn't have been allowed to perform it on the radio, though you'd be amazed what slipped past the censors back in the day. But, having heard the song, I imagine people ended up with a recording or two of the wordier versions, which was all to the good.

Whatever the case, enjoy these three takes on a fun blues standard. I have a great version from Jeff Healey & the Jazz Wizards that unfortunately wasn't on Grooveshark but if you happen across it (on the album of the same name) I recommend it, as well. Let me know if you think Benny Goodman was right to drop the verses or if you like his version.

Tight Like What? by legbamel on Grooveshark

War Child - Blondie

2012-04-25T19:52:00.002-05:00

While most people think of Call Me or some other pop hit when they think of Blondie, I think of War Child. It comes from their last album together in 1982, "The Hunter", and never charted well. In fact it didn't chart at all in the US, as far as I can tell.

I'm pretty sure that makes it the perfect favorite song for a punky band that turned into a still-edgy pop band, for me. And at the time I first heard the song it was deep, deep into the chill of the Cold War when everyone seemed pretty convinced we would be nuked back to the Stone Age any day, now.

Whatever the reason, War Child really resonated with me then. It still does, though more in the disdainful defiance than the lyrics themselves. Have a listen and share your thoughts. Do you remember this one from the end of Blondie or was this a bit before your time?

War Child by Blondie on Grooveshark

Songs of Wanting - Various Artists

2012-04-23T19:40:00.000-05:00

Not all songs of wanting are sad. Today let’s have a playlist filled with fun songs, all with the word “want” in the title. Everyone wants something so let’s try some Spekulation, some Cat Power, some Etta James, and some David Bowie…and that’s just for starters. I've already posted a slew of versions of I Want to Take You Higher but you'll find three different songs titled I Want My Baby Back.

You’ll find Sly & the Family Stone in here, too, cheek and jowl with Queen, Bow Wow Wow, and Blind Boy Fuller. Heck, you’ll even bump into They Might Be Giants. As neither the proper, Taj Mahal version of Give Your Woman What She Wants nor Spekulation's I Want It All appear on Grooveshark I've included separate ways to listen to each.

Have a meander and let me know if you find that wanting can be much more enjoyable than sappy love songs would have you believe. Well, okay, the David Bowie song is pretty drippy and Queen's I Want to Break Free is a solid break-up song. But I Want Some of Your Pie works as a pretty good antidote. If you’ve a favorite song of wanting that doesn’t appear on this list, share it with me!

I Want It All by Spekulation

Songs of Wanting by legbamel on Grooveshark

Quadruple Hush - Various Artists

2012-04-22T20:57:00.000-05:00

In my pursuit for some quiet time, I'm listening to songs called Hush. With luck I'll find a way to convince every to to just shush it for a bit so I can write this for you.

Okay, I made that up. I do, however, have four songs titled Hush and I thought it might be interesting to listen to the lot of them in a row. I was right.

So for this Sunday night or Monday morning, let's have Squirrel Nut Zippers versus The Knux versus Deep Purple versus KRS-One. That's one neo-swing, one classic rock, and a pair of hip hop songs from different decades.

Have a listen to the four and let me know which Hush you like best. The Squirrel Nut Zippers song drags a bit for my taste but it's a lullaby sort of tune so that works with the lyrics. I have nostalgic ties to the Deep Purple and KRS-One versions but I'm familiar with all four and I don't really have a favorite.

Quadruple Hush by legbamel on Grooveshark

Fool's Paradise - United Future Organization

2012-04-21T17:10:00.000-05:00

It's Saturday. Let's celebrate with something funked up, something looped and horned and generally perfect for jamming at the club, no matter what kind it might be. Today's example, Fool's Paradise, comes from the United Future Organization. Yes, that would be UFO to you acronym nuts out there.

If this is what the aliens are carrying in their ships, I say bring it on, ET Overlords! Have a listen to Fool's Paradise and let me know if you think an epic street-dancing scene would be how visitors from outer space could take over the world. I wonder how LMFAO's video for Party Rock Anthem would work with this song, because that's what I'm picturing when I listen to this. Well, with UFOs.

Fool's Paradise by United Future Organization on Grooveshark

Mashup of the Month: This Tightrope's Made for Walking - Party Ben

2012-04-19T12:44:00.002-05:00

Did you know that Janelle Monáe could be even better? I know, Tightrope seems darned near perfect as it was released. But Party Ben found a way to improve it just that tiniest bit by marrying the lovely Ms. Monáe to Nancy Sinatra’s iconic These Boots Are Made for Walking.

And so I bring you today This Tightrope’s Made for Walking, a song guaranteed to get you out on the dance floor doing your best high wire act (or at least to subjecting your chair to some serious getting down). As with all Mashups of the Month, this one is available for free download from the Party Ben web site. Go get it and a whole lot more.

On a more-serious note, I feel like I have to be missing a lot of great bootie talent out there. If you know of some fantastic mashers I’ve missed—or if you are one—I would love to hear from you. It’s not that I don’t get enough mashup in my life, it’s that there’s no such thing. There has to be a legion of you out there I’m overlooking. Share!

Corner of Queen - Walk off the Earth

2012-04-18T19:52:00.000-05:00

Like many people, I came to Walk off the Earth via their video of the five of them playing a single guitar in their cover of Somebody that I Used to Know. Unlike a lot of people, that made me thirst for more. Sure, covers are fun but I wanted to see what their clearly original brains could come up with on their own.

Songs like Corner of Queen make me glad I did. I'm posting the video because I like the sound a lot more than the album version on "My Rock". The falsetto in that one really grates after watching the video, but if you want to judge for yourself it's available on Grooveshark. Let me know which you like better.