Bad Ronald/Badfinger/Badly Drawn Boy

I have one song by Bad Ronald: First Time. This is all I know of this band. A quick glance at Wikipedia tells me that this is all most people know of this band. First Time is actually a pretty hilarious song about (shocker here) a dude's first time. A solid combo of rap and pop, it's easy to listen to (unless lyrics about "lubricated hats" aren't your thing). Plus, it was on soundtrack to Orange County, seeeeriously underrated movie.
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Badfinger is a power pop Brit band from the 60s. They worked pretty closely with the Beatles, were signed to the Apple record label, and even had one of their songs in the (extremely obscure) Ringo Starr-driven movie, The Magic Christian (wow wow wow, don't even get me started on The Magic Christian). You definitely know their song "Come and Get It."

Badfinger just reminds me of being in college, probably because my roommates were obsessed with the song "Rock of Ages" (decidedly more rock than "Come and Get It"). Their song "No Matter What" is on the Now and Then soundtrack which makes it irrevocably cool in my mind.

[Sidenote: trying to find a video for "No Matter What" as featured in Now and Then, discovered that Badfinger wrote Without You (you know, "I can't liiiiiiiive if living is without youuuuu, I can't giiiiiiiiiiive, can't give anymore). Judge as you will.]
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I just love Badly Drawn Boy. Another Brit (albeit from the 90s/00s), BDB is one man who writes lyrics that I love and puts them to music that is poignant but not in a downer kind of way. Think: Wilco (without so many instruments), Elliott Smith (but more upbeat) and Belle and Sebastian (but a little more accessible).

His more recent music is mostly enjoyable (although I didn't care too much for 2004's One Plus One Is One), but for me his earliest stuff is where it's at. His first two albums, EP1 and EP2 had limited releases only on vinyl. I've had the pleasure of hearing EP2 but haven't ever heard EP1 (anyone out there).

Badly Drawn Boy really broke into the scene with The Hour of Bewilderbeast. It's raw sounding, practically underproduced at times and it's probably my favorite album of his. He also did the soundtrack for About a Boy - the songs off this album are lighter and airier than a lot of his other stuff.
Key BDB songs:
Something to Talk About
The Shining (don't mind the 1:18 minute french horn intro)
Holy Grail

Rebirth!

Thanks to the random soul who commented on this blog sometime in the past hour - my email reminded me that this thing ever existed and that it is actually kind of a worthwhile project to pick up again. NOW. Here's how we got started (mission statement found in the bowels of my iBook):

The decision to do this was prompted by my thinking about how good it feels to delete chunks of music from my library. I have a lot of music, but there's a bunch I don't listen to. Maybe someone told me I would like it and I never got around to giving it a go. Or maybe I even picked it myself. Or I heard one track from an album or artist, didn't dig it and just scrapped it altogether but it turns out that one song wasn't representative of their style, or my tastes have evolved or changed or I was just in a crappy mood that day. Regardless, now I am making a point to sit down and give my library a thorough examination (in alphabetical order, of course).


In summary: listen, critique, associate, keep/not. Here we go (again).

The Avalanches, B2K, Babyshambles

The Avalanches are an Australian band that utilizes DJ equipment/synthesizers to create their own brand of popelectro, mixing samples from oldies pop and original sounds. They have one complete album to date, Since I Left You, which (Wiki tells me) was comprised of over 3,500 vinyl samples.

This is a really great album. It's a laidback mix of upbeat tracks with serious hiphop roots, plus ample shoutouts to the feel good pop sounds of the 60s and 70s. The title track is probably something that you've heard before, at least in the background of some concert venue or party. I would highly recommend their entire album, which is great for getting a party off the ground and getting your ga-roove on.

Rumors abound for their sophomore album - messages on their website claim there are about 40 tracks in consideration (all much more hiphop inspired), release TBD - "It's ended up sounding like the next logical step to 'Since...' and one day when you least expect it you'll wake up and the sample fairy will have left it under your pillow."
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B2K is a hip-pop group from the early 00's - pretty sure they're not together anymore. Also pretty sure that P Diddy was somehow affiliated with them. I KNOW that he has a guest spot in their one song that I have, "Bump Bump Bump." Please, hold your laughter, I know it's a silly name, but it a sweet song for the genre, pops, makes you (well, me) want to shake the booty. It's a keeper.
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Ohhh Babyshambles. You craaaaazy mofos. Well, mostly just frontman Pete Doherty - he created the group as a side project to The Libertines (hello, awesome) I think since then Babyshambles has become more of a mainstay. They have kind of a soft sound, but definitely take inspiration from their Brit punk roots.

Of course we all know Pete Doherty's controversy with, you know, drugs, crack, etc. BUT let's focus on the positive - the beautiful music he plays with this group. They started out mainly performing in local venues around London and in 2005 released their Clash-insipired debut Down in Albion. It's awesome, rocking, whatvs. Their sophomore effort was, from what I've heard of it, not as good. The great thing about this band though, is that because most of their acclaim comes from live performances, there are plenty of bootlegged versions of their songs, plus a ton of songs that they never even released on album and you're bound to find something you like. (That's assuming that you like their sound to begin with).

Ashlee Simpson, Ass Ponies, The Ataris

I like Ashlee Simpson a lot (and I apologize for using a picture with Pete Wentz, I just think she looks awesome in it). At this point we all know she is the superior Simpson sister and now that her icky black hair has gone the way of her equally icky bleached hair and she has normalish (sometimes ratty) hair and a nicer nose, we can all bask in her glory and triumph over Jessica. I also think her style is pretty kickin. But enough about the aesthetics - important as it is. She can sing poppin pop songs and pop it out with the best of them. Autobiography (her debut) has some gems (hellooooo Pieces of Me, first single, chea). Shadow is obviously her tortured cry to come out from behind J's fame (congrats girl). But the real piece de resistance is La-La. Nuff said.

I have pieces of her second album (Autobiography) and it's fine whatevs. Maybe I'll weed through it. But Ash...I still love your style.
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Hahahaha, the Ass Ponies. Their name just makes me laugh. I'm not really sure where I got their one song that I own, maybe a soundtrack. The track, Little Bastard, is a ditty that mixes their indierock roots with pop. Shmeh, nothing else to say about this song (which I am keeping).
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The Ataris are another one of those poppunk pre-emo bands that I was into like 4 years ago and have since not really listened to. They are a bit different from a lot of the other ones, first of all merely due to their longevity. They've been around since the mid-90s, and their most recent release was this past February. They have, however, had a rotating list of members, which probably explains (partially) for their lack of a cohesive style or sound. I like bands that evolve and are diverse in their expression...however their is a lack of something that kind of irks me.

That being said, there are a couple of songs that I do like (Your Boyfriend Sucks, for one) so I will probably go through the 20 or so songs that I have and pick and choose.
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Aretha Franklin, Arlo Guthrie, Arthur Fiedler

So, kind of lame, the only song I have by Aretha Franklin is Respect. If prompted, I probably couldn't name another one of her songs (I'm kind of hoping I actually DO know one or two though and am just unable to think of them at the moment). I know, she's amazing, I just never really got around to pursuing her art further than her biggest hit. I am now assigning myself homework to listen to more of her collection. More (perhaps) on this later.
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Arlo Guthrie is another artist which I have pretty limited exposure to. The one song I do have though, Alice's Restaurant Massacree is an 18:20 account of the narrator's (Guthrie?) littering, subsequent arrest for littering, and the craziness that follows. It all starts after a big ol Thanksgiving dinner at Alice's Restaurant. If you've never heard it, I would highly recommend. It's well worth the extended listening time. If you're not willing to download (fuck you!!) then be aware that they play it about a million times on Thanksgiving day on NPR stations and classic rock guys as well. Listen and be enlightened. I will learn more about Guthrie and report back (maybe).
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So I have a recording of Arthur Fiedler conducting the Boston Pops performing Copland's Rodeo and it's bomb. I mean, it's a sick orchestral piece, and what's more, it was made famous by those great "Beef: it's what's for dinner" ads. Nuff said, you will definitely recognize this song when you hear it.

The Arcade Fire, Arctic Monkeys

So I am a really huge fan of The Arcade Fire. I received some criticism on this (from some musical snobs unwilling to recognize the uniqueness of this band) but eff off is what I have to say to them. So yeah, Arcade Fire could be lumped in with rock/indie/hipster music, but if you take the time to listen to them, there's a little more depth waiting to be discovered. Their sound is just so rich and delish(wikipedia says lush, which I like but didn't want to take credit for) and this fullness is probably due to their untraditional band makeup.

Founded by a husband and wife team (thanks again, Wiki) the band includes such instruments as (depending on the song) various horns, violins, violas, and a couple woodwinds - along with bass/drums/guitar.

When I first heard their sound, I kind of liked it. Then I hear their song Wake Up and kind of liked it a lot. THEN I saw a video of Wake Up being performed with David Bowie and I fell in love. You will too.

Both of their albums are solid, but I think their debut (Funeral) is better than their sophomore effort (Neon Bible).
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So I really don't know too much about the Arctic Monkeys (besides, obviously, their one album that I have listened to, but not even really listened to that much until like, 30 minutes ago. You know, until just a few minutes ago I had kind of brushed them off as boring indierockpoo but...now maybe not so much. Some of their lyrics are a little silly at times, but some of them also encompass commentaries on cultural and social issues.

So I have their debut album, Whatever people say I am, That's What I'm Not and, you know, it's alright. Aside from their lyrics, I don't really think they're anything special. Their second album, Favourite Worst Nightmare, supposedly has a pretty different sound - faster, a bit edgier. I may have to sample the goods on the iTunes store...

Apollo Sunshine, Aquabats

Apollo Sunshine is a bouncy alt pop band from Northampton (rep) who I sort of fell into liking when maybe I was using ourTunes and just grabbing bands whose names caught my attention. I have their first album, Katonah, which is pretty good, nice to do housework and chores too because they keep things interesting. They recently came out with a self-titled album, which I may have to check out, just cause I happen to enjoy their first one so much. I don't know if I enjoyed it enough to actualy PAY for another one though...hmm, things to ponder.
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The Aquabats(!) are a rock n ska band that I kind of figured were your typical 90's ska band, you know, couple albums, bit of a following, probably not doing much of anything anymore. Come to find out, these guys are kind of the shit. So yeah, they're pretty tight. Well, what I know of them is. They've got about 4 or 5 albums out, and the one I have (The Fury of the Aquabats!) is a full and brassy healthy mix of rock n roll n ska. Plus, their lyrics can be pretty funny at times.

BUT the awesome thing about the Aquabats is that they are also SUPERHEROS! Seriously. Supposedly they're from the planet Aquabania. The vocalist (The MC Bat Commander) and bassist (Crash McLarson) are the only two consistent members, with other musicians rotating in and out (including Travis Barker - The Baron von Tito - of Blink 182 fame). Most of their appeal (for me at least, especially now) is due to the fact that their history is shrouded in all this mythology, from their battles with Space Monster M, to their sick costumes, which include radioactive rash guards, power belts, and anti-negativity helmets. I'm not sure if I'll go after any of their other albums, but I am sorely tempted to join their fanclub, the Aquadets.