Blog: Stop Okay Go

So here's some of that new Gloria Estefan that I blogged about a few weeks back. It's so cheesy, with an appearance by Susan Lucci no less! It's a purposely campy, different direction for Estefan and I don't hate it, I don't think? Unusual, but not totally out of her wheelhouse. And does it sample the Americano beat? If not, it will be remixed with it... One thing's for sure, she looks fantastic and like she's having the time of her life. Get it girl.

It's time once again to update the SOG favorites YouTube page and there are only two additions.: 1) Matthew Pop's noisily rambunctious Drop the Highline and.. 2) Easy Tiger's smooth edit of Black Hills by Gardens & Villa . A+! Sounds like a jungly version of Yes . (Also liked Maral Salmassi's version of NIA's She Would posted just now but alas there's no video. Sad trombone!)

Trying to piece together some info here on Nias , a band from Berlin whose single She Would came out last year and is on a self-titled(?) album that came out last month. The single itself is just alright for me, am much more drawn to the Maral Salmassi remix which kind of has the same disco feel as Holy Ghost's treatment of Moby's I Like To Move In Here. Here's the original, and here's the remix:

Dooood, this has been on repeat-peat-peat-peat all morning! It's the Easy Tiger remix of the Gardens & Villa song I posted yesterday. It's like he took the song and smacked it upside the head with a little Odessa and added a touch of giddyup. The result is superchill and trance-like. Great stuff.

Admittedly, Kirby Krackle's music isn't my cup of tea (I don't think I'm their demo anyway, not being able to identify all the references below), but I respect anyone trying something new and interesting? Kirby Krackle have released three albums based on " nerd culture and how it masks a desire to be different ."

Today's viddy is from Santa Barbara's Gardens and Villa, and the concept is kinda Spielberg meets Binaca commercial. I love the simplicity of both the video and the song, which rocks fairly solidly within a small chord range. G&V are working their way through California, and come back in April for a performance at Coachellers.

If you know anyone who is into the hooks of Husker Du and Big Star have them listen to this oldie by New Zealand's The Clean, who influenced Yo La Tengo and Pavement. But maybe stop short of dropping info on all of the bands on Roger Shepherd's Flying Nun label, nerdette.

I was snooping around to see Owls' (I have a tee shirt of theirs, so these things come with obligations. You know how we do.)old members were up to and found that I missed this album by Owen called Ghost Town that came out at the end of last year. Here's a track off the album that hits a beautiful, delicate stride midway through. Don't get fooled by the fakeout pause/ending, there's a little residual jamminess at the end worth waiting for...

"Why are you here all alone? Drinking away the night? 4am, last call again, and no one on my side." Ooh yes. Here's another classic, boozy end of the night bar song... There's an instantly familiar quality to Matthew Pop's Drop the Highline, kind of blustery, cockeyed, heartfelt and wobbly (especially during the instrumental interlude) all at once, like the song itself has had too much to drink. Definitely give it a listen, I sorta love it.:

From the 'box: Silver Swans release their new album Forever tomorrow, February 7th . The single below, Let It Happen , is a whispery slow burn of a song similar to Seapony's Sailing , with just enough oomph to keep it interesting.:

Yo, I've updated the Stop Okay Go You Tube page with my fave songs of this week: Summer Twins The More I Think of You , Benjamin Francis Leftwich Pictures , Zoot Woman It's Automatic , Big in Japan Suicide A Go Go , Sound of Arrows Conquest and Django Django Default .

Aww yeah, here's the one for today. The new Sound of Arrows was produced by Richard X who did one of my fave songs ever Annie's Girlfriend . I love the singer's mocking attitude and how he drags out the syllables in the word connnggg-quessst. You can almost see the crowds clapping in time in concert.

++I freakin' love that Summer Twins song. ++Should I play this song while I hand out samples at Costco? "Try me! Try me! Fantasy!" Probably not.* 70s punk band Big in Japan put a twist on the notion of a supergroup, says the Liverpool Echo, the members " only became famous after they left ." *Guess that's why Costco has [...]

Edinbronian bros Django Django have enough self awareness to know that when they pull out the coconut halves in concert, it can look a little " Monty Python ." It's all part of a sound that blends Advisory Circle, Animal Collective and The Age of Aquarius (and while amazing, I'd love if it was all sitting atop a platter of some deep, heavy, shaky bass; can't wait to hear some remixes). On this song , they get kind of Beck - y and aboriginal. [...]

Wikipedia is great and I rely on it extensively. It does however, have some awkwardly phrased sentences : The duo was noted for early use of the Roland TR- 808 drum machine in English-language popular music, which was used in most of its productions. Alls y'all's non English language cultures get no drum machine!! Here's a clip from a documentary about Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis' career called Flyte Tyme in which a post [...]

Riverside's own Chelsea and Justine Brown aka The Summer Twins play The Smell on February 11th. Please to enjoy this playful, very L.A. video where their friends re-enact some of the lyrics. Summer Twins say that they specialize in dream pop but there's an edge to her voice that cuts through all the softness nicely. It brings to mind traces of The Go Gos, Dirty Dancing and polka and where do you get those things these days?

Was cruising around the bottom of the Elbo.ws hotlist and came across the name Benjamin Francis Leftwich whose single Pictures , below, comes out on February 20th. In this market, where everyone's got a Bandcamp page, it's difficult for someone with just a song and guitar to stand out from the crowd. BFL manages to do this, dispensing advice in hushed tones that sound as though he's letting you in on a little secret. RIYL : Sufie Steves and Damien Rice. (It's a Damien Rice kind of day.)

++ Beginners star and Kate Capshaw-when-she-was-younger lookalike Melanie Laurent duetted with Damien Rice last year . Her voice is deeper than what I was expecting somehow, but it's nice to hear some variety in women's voices in music and not the usual chirpy twee-ness. ++Picture of Robbie Williams and Trey Parker yukking it up with fans at last year's DeLuna Fest , talking like "we're #1!" (Note: not actually Robbie Williams and Trey Parker.) ++Former American Idol singer Kellie Pickler has a new album [...]

The women from two years ago (and their fashions) are killing it on Stop Okay Go this week! Accomplished paper wadder Sara Lov's plaintive wails keep on expanding until they just can't expand no mo'. Wonderful.

Here's a smoothie from Zoot Woman that'll probably appeal to fans of the buttoned down work of Ace or Whitest Boy Alive. I love the girl's dress and the playing out of the courtship ritual by this hip, mute couple. Dance in video is the best, especially mime used to communicate ideas... but on some level I always want them to break and do the I'm-a-little teapot (a crowd pleaser for those tired of the Robot, you heard it here*) and as always the Ross and Monica. *Stop Okay Go accepts no [...]