"The Girl from Ipanema" by Francis Albert Sinatra and Antonio Carlos Jobim

I find it slightly fascinating that the only Sinatra music I honestly enjoy is the most atypical of his career, the farthest from that which brought him fame. "Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim" is the pretentious self-explanatory title of this 1967 album; the leading track, "The Girl from Ipanema", seems to best illustrate this merging of talents. Easy listening suddenly becomes something interesting and sublime, fused with the Brazilian Bossa-Nova vibes straight from Jobim's left nipple.

First impressions? It's quiet. Dangerously quiet, perhaps - the jazzy guitar is tapped rather than hummed, the drums are casual enough for a walk in the park, the horns seem to light up for a brief moment and slowly fade away, never stealing the spotlight.

And Sinatra? This ain't the swingin' lover singer that provided the soundtrack to the conception of at least half of all Baby Boomers. "I haven't sung so soft since I had the laryngitis," he remarked, and it's true. So restrained, yet effective as he lays down the rhymes about a "tall and tan and young and lovely" girl who makes all the boys go, "Ah..."

But each day, when she walks to the sea
She looks straight ahead, not at me

Sinatra the first emo? You bet your lip gloss! Jobim's verse is similarly delicious, adding the fine world music flourishes that make this old-people music sound alive. And, for the briefest of moments, these two musical worlds collide and create something far more than the sum of their parts.



(But the question on everyone's mind....is it safe for driving??? The jury's still out.)

In Dreams by Roy Orbison

What else can be said about Roy Orbison that Condi Rice hasn’t already mentioned already? Well, friends, I’m going to try. “In Dreams” is such a gentle ballad that it almost makes one want to undergo some experimental gender transfer surgical procedure from beyond the third moon, and forever dwelling in silence in glittery bright red pantaloons. I’ll tell you, prison folk are the best kind of folk there is. I am not sure if David Lynch should be in prison, but his tasteful feature film “Blue Velvet” sort of brought old Roy back to life in a great many respects. Soon, you will be viewing a revamped version of Roy’s classic sad sack sob fest. The video of which was produced like a motherfucker, both to promote “Blue Velvet” the film and the soundtrack, and Roy is looking mighty lax in those shades, boy.

This song functions from the land of love where the cowgirls play. I am fortunate and better off in this life for having listened to it. The beat is almost a slight Waltz, and the string touches make my clit jiggle in absolute ecstasy. I get a mad case of the vapors and just tend to play this track over and over. An interesting piece of marketing comes to mind, and that was when Dennis Hopper hosted the painfully unfunny Saturday Night Live sketch comedy series with Roy Orbison as his special musical guess, and yes, “In Dreams” was performed. Rarely had a bland zombie program like SNL witnessed such beauty and truth. Mr. Orbison only really had two kinds of songs, the upbeat and confident Boogie Woogie/Rockabilly or the pathetic loved starved sad sack genre of gentle balladry, which was a genre of music that Roy essentially invented and perfected, because we’re not talking about Gene Pitney here folks!

I will leave your cute little tush with this question: Do you know what a love letter is?

"Digital Love" by Daft Punk

Daft Punk is playing at my music blog, my music blog!

My favorite Daft Punk song to date appears as track three on their wildly inconsistent (and often brilliant) 2001 release, "Discovery". See, it's a crime that people would recognize this French electronic group for schlock as hopelessly unengaging as "Superheroes" or well-worn territory as bland and cliched as "One More Time" when this techno minor masterpiece is right around the corner.

They may very well be robots emulating humans, or humans emulating robots emulating humans; either way, they somehow manage to take a cheesy, 80's production vibe and make it sound downright affecting, yet still something to get yo' booty in a knot. How many singers sound more honest filtered through a freakin` vocoder? Sheeeit, how many artists have even made a vocoder sound tolerable at all? Put your hand down, Cher.

Singer-bot rips it about a dream, pondering the meaning of an imagined romantic encounter. Yet, what I find fascinating is how the whole computerized atmosphere seems to encourage the idea of mechanical, robot love.

For example:

"The time is right to put my arms around you
You're feeling right
You wrap your arms around, too
But suddenly I feel the shining sun..."

I suddenly imagine this robot, struggling to produce the electronic code for sexual intercourse; Naturally, the song title contributes to this theorem of mine. Something about a vocoder just fails to scream, "Passionate sexual human activity!"

Except for that time when I stole Daft Punk's vocoder and ran onto 5th avenue screaming, "Passionate sexual human activity!"

The song twists and turns amid a hazy production backdrop of thin keyboard lines, eventually making room for a delicious horn line. Of course, it's the melody that wins me over, gorgeous and spacious it is. The techno beat finally gives the keys some room to grow and, shortly after the two minute mark, morphs into a certified awesome Daft Punk techno-jam of sorts, for lack of a more scientific term.

"Why don't you play the gaaaa-aaame?"

"Why don't you play the gaaa-aaame???"

The synth solo is devishly retro, painfully irresistable and *whisper* deeply soulful. So, put down your Amy Winecellar, little boy, and let Daft Punk get you a'bleepin` and a'bloopin` before you know it!

Here it is:

Bob Mould – “See A Little Light”

Meditative, peaceful and strange; this is indeed how I would describe this song. Perhaps it is reflective of his previous band while at the same time looking rather optimistically forward? The vocal chorus is almost a mantra. The cello touches are rather impressive and majestic and the percussive touches are surprisingly lively. You can’t beat that guitar jangle, as it is not too far off from a Smiths song. I must admit to knowing quite little about Mould’s solo material or his side-project Sugar, or even Hüsker Dü for that matter! But damn it, I know a quality Pop gem when I hear one. Why, you ask? Because, my toes start tapping and my buttocks begin to shake violently, and yes, I even see a little light!

Bob Mould has a natural yet expressive vocal quality, almost signature. He needs to get back on the Contemporary Adult Pop scene and fast, but I am blissfully unaware as to what he is currently up to, so my apologies to those of you in the know. I am not sure how to interpret the lyrical content, which only makes this song all the more enjoyable. It is an interesting way to start a solo career, and “Workbook” is the title of the album for all interested parties. This is the sort of fantastical singer/songwriter jive that could even rival a human cat by the name of Suzanne Vega. I have always remembered this song, even from early childhood, as being a classic single. It must have existed in great contrast compared to much of what was released during the late eighties, but there was at least a little room for music of this variety, as today, I don’t think it would stand a chance at charting…

Enjoy Bob’s peculiar religious chant, won’t you now?

Ween - "Don't Laugh (I Love You)"

This seminal composition from our brothers Gean and Dene (and I clearly mean "brothers" in the way African Americans use the term) may very well be their most honest and loving. Haha, did I just say "seminal composition"?

And when the sun, it turns to snow
And the grass doesn't grow
Don't laugh, I love you

Of course, it's never explicitly stated who's on the receiving end of this love, and knowing the unpredictable nature of Ween, they may very well be singing to a faucet hose. However, considering the raw beauty of this harmony duet between the two band members, I'd like to think of it as a heartwarming ode between Dean and Gene; God only knows how frighteningly close they must be. Of course, in typical Ween fashion, the boys throw in a sub-plot about Ernest Hemingway, who is most certainly dead as a doornail.

While "The Mollusk" shall remain my favorite, I would point to the band's debut "GodWeenSatan: The Oneness" as perhaps the fullest realization of the Ween vision: 26 tracks of spontaneity, bung-hole humor and a hilarious lack of any production aesthetics whatsoever! Indeed, the album is a classic in its own right, remaining engaging, powerful and irresistable for all 71 minutes. However, "Don't Laugh (I Love You)" is undeniably the highlight - sandwiched in between the semi-listenable screamings of "Bumblebee" and the slezy, unsettling vibe of "Never Squeal", it once again demonstrates that mind-bending variety, always threatening to dissolve into chaos at any moment.

But "Don't Laugh" is balls-out catchy. Musically simple and built on a drum track so fake my dog could chew it up. The chorus of "nu-nu-nu-nu-nu" is also tingles my spine with pure beauty.

And yet, the song ends with the voice of satan swallowing the listener whole. I'd be terrified to discover where these sounds come from, which goes something like:

Guehgenb! Tuintississssiss! YImeeyyy!

Two minutes, forty-nine seconds of twisted pop bliss. Purchase the store at your local Weenery today! Better yet, just jump downstairs to your Ween Cellar. Like a fine Ween, it gets better with age. Hi, my name is Amy Weenhouse and I suck! Here's a terrible cover of the song by some band called Backflap. It's awful:

Oh Donna by Ritchie Valens

This is an epic prom song on par with anything at all that one might be able to imagine. This song is a trance, an undeniable heaven from which no one would want to escape. I am quite pleased by Ritchie’s vocal work here, it is very atypical in relation to quite a lot of Rock from the era, clearly, it is safe to say that Mr. Valens was very much ahead of his time; and both as a songwriter and a lead guitarist. While this may sound strange, since he in essence seems to define the ‘50’s Rock era as much as any other, I would say that Ritchie has an added emotional intelligence that is quite obvious in all aspects of his compositions.

T. S. Elliot once said, “Ritchie Valens was the greatest soul in the history of recorded sound,” well, he didn’t actually say that, but a song like “Donna” is so universal, and if you don’t believe me and happen to be of the female persuasion, just switch the title from “Donna” to “Donald” and presto! It’s just that easy, my somber and moody music-loving chums. I feel quite happy when indulging in this cut, as I could endlessly play it over and over. Mr. Valens has his place in Rock history for a variety of good reasons, and we all know which song was his most famous, but fuck all to that, as “Donna” was truly his greatest.

The delicate guitar strumming, a song that is treated with such care as if it were a newborn child fresh from the womb! Angels were in on the recording session of this cozy love ballad, I can assure the shit out of you, Baby Snooks. I find nothing ghostly about the song, it is human, it is warmth it is comforting. Tender-hearted persons hold true, as Ritchie Valens has got a beautiful gem just for you…

Three versions for your ears to behold, ladies and gents!

Live…



Demo version…



The classic Pop single…



Cheerio from The Land of Fried Cheese!

Yours in kind,

Mozart Breath