La Roux
Written by Jenn Sussman aka DJ Belladonna
1. Bjork, “Army Of Me” – Pint-sized Icelandic powerhouse Bjork is alternately weird, whimsical, and just plain wacky, as well-known for her off-kilter fashion sense as for her off-kilter vocal melodies. I wasn’t aware of her debut album (the un-ironically titled Debut) at the time of its release, but I was working for now-defunct record store chain Sam Goody when her sophomore release, 1995’s Post, hit the shelves and our in-store playlist. This week, I pay homage to the powerful opening track from that album and encourage readers to acquaint themselves with an album that helped send me down a more alternative path, musically speaking. I had the privilege of seeing Bjork perform live with a full orchestra at the Tibetan Freedom Concert in NYC in 1997, and I can confirm that the woman truly is an army unto herself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ut2uYxhIOU
2. Wire “Ahead” – Few bands have the balls to attempt a complete reinvention of their signature sound, and even fewer succeed. Pioneering punk-turned-postpunk innovators Wire did just that with the 1987 release of The Ideal Copy, their first after an almost six-year hiatus. Replacing their prototypical punk style and guitars with synthesizers, programmed beats and increasingly esoteric lyrics, Wire emerged from their down time and hooked up with London-based DIY record label Mute to forge a whole new path. This track is a great example of why Wire is widely acknowledged as one of the forefathers of the electro genre.
3. Sneaker Pimps “Tesko Suicide” – I once heard a radio DJ comment that listening to the voice of original Sneaker Pimps vocalist Kelli Ali made him fantasize that a Playboy Playmate was on the mic. With a signature style that’s a mix of little-girlishness, bored lounge kitten and sultry siren, it’s easy to see why on this bouncy track from their 1996 debut album Becoming X. Trip-hop beats and lounge-y grooves share space on standout tracks like “Six Underground”, “Spin Spin Sugar” and my personal favorite, featured on this week’s playlist. Though Kelli subsequently left the group for a solo career and founding member Chris Corner took over lead vocals on two forgettable Pimps albums before moving on to current project IAMX, they left behind one killer album that I always have close at hand.
4. Glass Candy “Computer Love” – This quirky cover of 1980’s German computer-pop legends Kraftwerk’s tale of an online hookup long before such things became the norm is a permanent part of my post-club, pre-bedtime decompression playlist. Possessing more swing than the original and featuring the breathy and slightly bored vocals of front-woman Ida No, Portland-based Glass Candy’s version nevertheless retains the precision timing of the original. Fans of coldwave, Italo disco, art-rock and early French electro will definitely want to give Glass Candy’s superb 2007 release B/E/A/T/B/O/X a listen. I recommend skipping track one…trust me, you’ll be glad you did.
5. The Nerves “Hanging On The Telephone” – I love a good cover, but this week I’m giving props to an original track that gets more spins from this DJ than the more recognizable version by 1970’s L.E.S. punk darlings Blondie. Los Angeles-based power pop trio The Nerves remain relatively unknown to this day, despite their sole, self-titled 1976 EP that contains some of the best written pop-punk songs of all time and despite having spawned three of the most beloved groups of the 1980’s – The Knack, The Beat and The Plimsouls. Hang up and run to your nearest record store to grab this one.
6. La Roux “Tigerlily” – Fans of 1980’s synth-pop legends Yaz, Depeche Mode, The Human League and Heaven 17 as well as devotees of the current flood of electro acts will adore this minor-key beat-and-synth heavy confection by British newcomers La Roux. Featured on their 2009 self-titled debut album, singer Elly Jackson stalks the object of her affection through the nighttime streets and weaves a subtly erotic web that you’re bound to get tangled up in. A spooky spoken-word bridge is reminiscent of horror master Vincent Price. The rest of the album is worth a listen, though a few tracks veer pretty close to Ace of Base territory (which is definitely NOT a compliment).
7. Red “I Should Tell Your Momma On Ya” – I was first introduced to the accapella rhymes of homeless Bay Area beat-boxer Red courtesy of legendary West Coast internet radio station KCRW while driving around in Philadelphia with a girlfriend. The track was so dope we could hardly believe what we were hearing! This single from Red’s 2009 debut EP The Man Without The Machine is like nothing you’ve ever heard…this cat literally rhymes, beat-boxes and keeps the beat at the same time with no outside assistance, computers or instruments, all while name-checking every honey he’s ever met in his life. As Red would say, this is one track that’ll make you wanna slap your grandmammy like you was smokin’ on that granddaddy. Werd.
8. The kHz “Broken (What Could Have Been)” – New York City-based dark rockers the kHz are one of those bands you catch late one night at some random rock club and wonder how the hell they aren’t signed yet…right after you wonder where the hotter-than-should-be-allowed-by-law singer has been all of your life. I’ve wondered since I first saw them perform in 2004, and I wonder every time I hear this track from their self-released 2005 album Reality on a Finer Scale. Bronx-born singer Raiana literally seems to have it all — killer looks that make male and female pulses race, real-deal vocal talents, a solid partner in guitarist/songwriter/producer Pull, and the ear and attention of former Jane’s Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro (however temporary that may be) – but despite all that, the kHz continue to serve as a reminder that good music often gets lost in the record industry’s tendency to market to the lowest common denominator.
9. Nine Inch Nails “Get Down, Make Love” – On this B-side off of the single version of Pretty Hate Machine’s “Sin” (aka Halo 4), Nine Inch Nails’ CDO (Chief Depression Officer) Trent Reznor puts his trademark sound to very good use on an excellent cover of Queen’s ode to extreme desire and sexual exploration. Reznor’s take, engineered by a barely-disguised Al Jourgensen of Ministry (credited as Alien Jourgensen), contains samples from Ministry’s industrial epic “Stigmata”. With both songs on Halo 4 already chock full of some pretty risqué lyrical content, Reznor pushed the envelope even further by introducing graphic themes of pain and bondage in a banned and highly erotic video for “Sin”, which thanks to the internet age can be easily located via Google. Freddy Mercury would definitely have approved.
10. David Bowie “I’m Deranged (Edit)” – The first track off of the extremely well-curated soundtrack to David Lynch’s 1997 mysterious film Lost Highway, “I’m Deranged (Edit)” instantly became one of my favorite songs the very first time I heard it. Recorded at a time when the legendary Bowie was experimenting with electronic music and trip-hop beats, a full version was later included on Bowie’s 2004 release Outside. Dark, sexy and full of dramatic tension and minor chords, this is a great song to listen to in the witching hour and a damn good highway to get lost on.
