Category: Music

At least it’ll the song of the year for me. This is based on the number of listens and this year I’m going to factor in other criteria such as gut instinct and do I still love listening to it after dozens of plays.

Metric – Black Sheep
I think this is an older song but it was used in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (but sung by actress Brie Larson) and definitely sounds great to my ears that love new wave and new wave-influenced bands.

Neon Trees – Animal
I’m really hoping these guys are not “one hit wonders” though I can’t say I am enamored with anything else on their album. This sounds like the kind of song that you’d use a decade from to say “what did things sound like in 2010.”

Infant Sorrow – I am Jesus
From Get Him to the Greek. This song wasn’t really used in the movie much but I really dig it and the sort-of send-up of U2.

So, which song is your favorite?

For that special someone who asked… why not make this a blog post?  If you’ve liked girl groups like The Runaways here are the songs that tell you everything you need to know about Palo Alto’s very own The Donnas.

This list is presented chronologically to show the musical evolution of the group. My own personal preferences will be reflected in the writeup.

1. “Skintight” from Get Skintight

Good representative from their punk-influenced early records. Mix of The Ramones and The Runaways with a very frantic beat. Singer Brett Anderson’s voice hasn’t really evolved much beyond nasal screaming, but the group is tight as they’ll ever be and the song features an awesome guitar solo from Allison Roberton.

2. “40 Boys in 40 Nights” from The Donnas Turn 21

You could substitute “Are You Going to Move it For Me” or “Do You Wanna Hit It” from this album as they are musically and thematically similar. The subject matter of “40 Boys” is straightfoward (“I’ve got boys helping me unload”) but there’s a more hard-rock feel to go along with the high-energy beat. The cowbell played by drummer Tory Castellano is a great addition.

3. “Don’t Get Me Busted” from Turn 21

My favorite Donnas song hands down. This song wears it’s AC/DC influences on it’s sleeve. Big, gigantic guitar riff on this song.

4. “Take it Off” from Spend the Night

The group’s biggest hit on their first major label release. The Donnas were the “it” group back in 2002.  This one has a tad more alternative rock feel and has another classic line: “Stop staring at my D-Cup.” Great bass line from Maya Ford.

5. “Who Invited You” from Spend the Night

You could grab any song from Spend the Night for this slot, but I chose this song since it has one of Robertson’s best guitar solos. Also, a great bass line and more cowbell!  Spend the Night is probably the group’s signature album and overall most consistent.

6. “Fall Behind Me” from Gold Medal

The group’s lead single and another great shredder. But check the much better production on Anderson’s vocals compared to the group’s early tracks. There’s a much more complex arrangement of layered music on this track, representative of the group’s artistic growth on this album.

7. “Revolver” from Gold Medal

I really wish this song had become a monster hit. Nominally a rare ballad from the group, but still with signature lyrical elements (“half cocked and fully loaded.. You’re into me but shooting blanks…).

8. “Don’t Break Me Down” from Gold Medal

A mid-tempo rocker with hard-rock influences and a very heavy bass line. Some good call/response vocals during the chorus as well.

9. “Don’t Wait Up for Me” from Bitchin’

Gold Medal didn’t sell very well and Atlantic dropped The Donnas. They returned three years later with an indie release that veered strongly in a heavy metal direction. This song would have felt right at home on the Sunset Strip in 1988. Big, powerful vocal sound and a crunchy metal riff.

10. “Get Off” from The Donnas: Greatest Hits

I’m not a fan of this compilation album, as it leans heavily on the early punk-influenced songs and worse creates a strange contrast with new songs in the vein of Bitchin’. The standout new track is “Get Off” that has some pretty amusing lyrics (“Why can’t you take me to the top? Get off of me!”).

The Donnas have a number of great cover song as well. “Living After Midnight” from Turn 21 and “Dancing with Myself” from the Mean Girls soundtrack being two standouts. Both of which fit right into The Donnas party-oriented and “rocking and rolling” themes.

With original drummer Tory Castellano leaving group due to a shoulder issue it remains to be seen what will happen to The Donnas. I’m looking forward to their next release.

The cowbell. An obscure tool turned instrument that has became a pop culture beacon thanks to the seminal SNL sketch featuring Will Ferrell and Christopher Walken. That sketched referenced Blue Oyster Cult’s hit “Don’t Fear the Reaper,” long considered to be the best use of a cowbell ever recorded. But we have a new champ.

Adam Curry and John Mellencamp.

First, yes… that Adam Curry. The former VJ turned father of podcasting. And, no… they didn’t record the song together. The recording is a mashup of sorts and is taken from Curry’s Daily Source Code podcast. Curry often plays the cowbell on his show but on the June 25th episode he really got into it, no doubt inspired by Mellencamp’s 60’s tribute song “R.O.C.K. in the USA.”

So, here it is… the Adam Curry Cowbell Mix of John Mellencamp’s “R.O.C.K. in the USA” (MP3)

It’s been pretty slow lately on the Kevdo.com blog. I ran into some database corruption issues a few months ago and then kind of sat on trying to get it fixed for over a month. Once I did that, I got the site back up although the images in the older posts aren’t displaying. Kind of feel I should fix it… but then again I’m not sure I really care.

In any case, Julie and I were eating dinner at Panda Express and there was a song on the radio that sounded very new-wavey but it wasn’t one I was familiar with. I asked Julie if she recognized it and she said it sounded like The Fixx. I caught a couple lyrics, threw them into Google on my iPhone and faster than you can say Rock of the 80’s I found the song: “The Sign of Fire” (a minor hit from 1983).

It is at these opportunities that I decide to go back and pull out the old compilation CDs to catch up on a band that I haven’t heard in a while. So, needless to say, I’ve been listening to a lot of Fixx in the last couple days.

All which brings us to the headline (a reference to Ben Stiller’s character from Dodgeball). I decided to look at the old Fixx videos and see if any one stood out. Sure enough, you have to check this video for The Fixx’s first hit “Stand or Fall.”  The video is a potpourri of 1980s video cliches. Most notably, all the scenes in the video are literal interpretations of the lyrics from the song (when the singer sings “fall” you see a horse… you know, fall).

Best of all, you can marvel at lead singer Cy Curnin’s feathered blonde hair. It’s a great song and a great video.

We’ve all heard about the record companies’ claims that illegal downloads are costing them and their artists millions billions of dollars. I’m not going to say that “freebie” copies never prevent a sale but I thought I’d illustrate how an “illegal” mashup led to over $20 in sales for me personally.

I’m kind of a mashup fan. These are song that incorporate elements of different songs into one. Some call it an art form. The record companies call it ripping them off. In any case, the most popular of these mashups are “A vs B Mashups“, where the music of one song is used with the vocals of another. I used to hear a lot of these on Adam Curry’s Daily Source Code podcast before he dropped the show in early 2009. So, I hear about most of these now from Mashuptown.com.

A new Mashuptown track was recently released called I Was Made For Dreaming ‘Bout You [Beyonce vs. KISS]. The track from MadMixMustang incorporates the music from Beyonce’s “Sweet Dreams” with KISS’ disco-era hit “I Was Made For Lovin You.”  Check it out. It’s a really cool mashup.

And here is where the record companies should be paying attention.

I was hearing the Beyonce hit quite a bit (especially thanks to those Kidz Bop commericals that run ad-nauseum on Nick), so I grabbed that track from iTunes for $1.29. It’s actually the third song from her recent album that I’ve purchased, which is kind of surprising since I’m not the biggest fan of Beyonce’s music (or her acting! Have you seen Goldmember or Obsessed? The defense rests).

Next, I was thinking I should explore the KISS back catalog a little bit. I haven’t particularly loved them or hated them over the years but I was twelve years old in 1979 so it was pretty hard to ignore them in their heyday. I also liked the bit of nostalgia for KISS on display in Role Models. Seann William Scott’s description of the “actual meaning” of the lyrics to “Love Gun” is the best bit of musical education since Quentin Tarantino’s spotlight scene in Reservoir Dogs! Of course, KISS’ “Beth” is used pretty well at the film’s conclusion.

So, I thought to myself, I ought to invest in some KISS music. I looked around iTunes at the various tracks that I knew I liked, and the collections available. Surprisingly, I found myself drawn to the 80’s era material without the makeup and with second drummer Eric Carr who had a more bombastic drum style. So, I ended up “splurging” for an iTunes collection called The Complete Collection: Kiss that includes 45 songs for $19.99.  Even if I don’t like half of these it still is a deal. But I’ve enjoyed hearing some KISS’ early raw stuff and exploring more from their misunderstood “middle period” as well.

I was thinking about the question every KISS fan is obligated to answer: “Who is your favorite member of KISS?”  It certainly isn’t Peter Criss, who has flat drum style that isn’t really in step with the rest of KISS’ music. Probably not Ace Frehley either, though it was cool his solo hit “Back in the New York Groove” made the aforementioned KISS collection. I think Gene Simmons is a cool cat and Paul Stanley is a great frontman. I’m certainly not picking any of the nameless guitarists from the 80s and 90s. So, I guess I’ll pick Eric “The Fox” Carr. Sadly, Carr died of heart cancer in 1991.

So, there you go. Over $21 in sales because a mashup got me interested in the artists involved.

The Top Songs of 2008 was the first post on the new Kevdo.com blog. Now, one year later, we’re ready to do the Top Songs of 2009. As with last year, this is based on iTunes play counts, not on other factors such as songs I heard on the radio, from CD, from ringtones, etc. Overall, I listened to 1431 songs at least once in 2009.

When I listen to music I tend to listen to either specific albums or my “current music” playlists that typically hold recently purchased music. So, it’s no surprise that my top 20 is clogged up with Franz Ferdinand songs as their 2009 album Tonight was my favorite of the year (and, importantly, was released early in the year when I wasn’t listening to much else). Thus, the playcounts for this album are really high compared to a lot of other songs. So, rather than a top 20 I have a list of top 50 songs.

Song, Group, Playcount

1. Papillon, Editors, 61
2. No You Girls, Franz Ferdinand, 54
3. Twilight Omens, Franz Ferdinand, 51
4. Turn It On, Franz Ferdinand, 50
5. Send Him Away, Franz Ferdinand, 49
6. Ulysses, Franz Ferdinand, 48
7. Forget About What I Said, The Killers, 45
8. No You Girls (Christian Vorbau Remix), Franz Ferdinand, 43
9. Lucid Dreams, Franz Ferdinand, 42
10. Bite Hard, Franz Ferdinand, 40
11. You Don’t Know Love, Editors, 39
12. Slow Poison, The Bravery, 36
13. Decode, Paramore, 34
14. What She Came For, Franz Ferdinand, 32
15. In This Light and On This Evening, Editors, 31
16. Live Alone, Franz Ferdinand, 31
17. Can’t Stop Feeling, Franz Ferdinand, 31
18. Losing Touch, The Killers, 30
19. The Boxer, Editors, 29
20. Lucid Dreams, Franz Ferdinand, 27
21. Tick Tick Boom, The Hives, 26
22. Spaceman, The Killers, 26
23. Crushcrushcrush, Paramore, 26
24. Love Etc., Pet Shop Boys, 25
25. Robot, Stellastarr*, 25
26. Shut Up and Let Me Go, The Ting Tings, 25
27. Bricks and Mortar, Editors, 24
28. Call Me (Live), Franz Ferdinand, 24
29. This Used To Be The Future, Pet Shop Boys, 24
30. Magnificent, U2, 24
31. Go For It, Luccarelli Icardi, 23
32. Like Treasure, Editors, 22
33. I Am Your Skin, The Bravery, 21
34. Human, The Killers, 21
35. Did You See Me Coming?, Pet Shop Boys, 21
36. Freak Out, Stellastarr*, 21
37. Stand Up Comedy, U2, 21
38. Helicopter, Bloc Party, 20
39. The Spectator, The Bravery, 20
40. American Soviets (Cameron Paul Remix), C.C.C.P., 20
41. The Big Exit, Editors, 20
42. Feeling Kind Of Anxious (Ulysses Dub), Franz Ferdinand, 20
43. Kids, MGMT, 20
44. That’s What You Get, Paramore, 20
45. Beautiful People, Pet Shop Boys, 20
46. Vulnerable, Pet Shop Boys, 20
47. Building A Wall, Pet Shop Boys, 20
48. We’re the Pet Shop Boys, Robbie Williams & Pet Shop Boys, 20
49. Bat Fight (video version), Will Ferrell, 20
50. Golden Rod, Blondie, and Barracuda, Chelsea Girls, and We’re All Criminals Now, Pet Shop Boys and Male Prima Dona, Subtle Sexuality, 19

Some notes.

As with last year, there’s a lot of focus on “neo wave” groups like The Bravery, Franz Ferdinand, Stellastarr*, and The Killers. Had The Bravery album been released earlier than December they surely would have showed up differently.  2009 albums from 80’s stalwarts U2 and Pet Shop Boys were quite good and as you can see did well overall this year.  You’ll even find some songs from vintage groups that I found time to rediscover (Blondie and C.C.C.P.). And, as with last year, a novelty hit from Will Ferrell made my (albiet extended) list.

Including remixes and different song formats, my play counts for my three favorite songs of the year are:

• Papillon: 87
• Love, etc.: 58
• No You Girls: 139