Category Archives: Song of The Day

April 19, 2012

Jukebox The Ghost New Single “Somebody”

By Matthew Coleman

Jukebox the Ghost will not create an uncatchy song. It’s just not in their poppy nature. The Philadelphia-based band who met while attending school at George Washington University, has succeeded in creating indie/pop music that is far from corny. No, the well-read trio blends effervescent hooks and wonderful melodies. Lead vocalist and pianist Ben Thornewill has a magnetic voice and can just flat-out riff on the piano. Tommy Siegel (vocals & guitar) and Jesse Kristin (drums) carry the rest of the rhythm, Siegel providing some neat guitar licks and efficient back-up vocals. The band has been rocking since 2006 and show no signs of stopping. How do I know? Well, their new album Safe Travels is coming out June 12.

I’ve written about Jukebox before in a post featuring what I coined at the time “Anthemic Indie” and I do think they still fit in that category if only because their music is so easily singable and it is hard to resist singing out the tunes with them. You can check out that post here.

“Somebody,” a single off of the new album, is now available on iTunes and you can access it by checking out Jukebox’s site here. Let’s take a listen.

The song begins like a slowed down Fitz and the Tantrums piece – kind of rhythmic Motown meets funky indie. Thornewill and Siegel immediately embark on a succesful harmony during the verse which is carried by Kristin’s beat. The chorus takes on its own mold. Originally I thought I could compare it to Ben Folds, but I’m starting to think that the vocal swoons and unique rhythms are just Jukebox the Ghost. The best comparison is the band itself. In six years the band has certainly developed their own sound and it is easy to recognize their brand of pop. The song moves (with some more guitar stylings) and the catchy chorus that sticks.

If the rest of the album plays like “Somebody” we will be in for a good one. There is no reason to doubt it.

3 comments   |  tags: , , | posted in Song of The Day

April 10, 2012

How About the Electrical Signs?

By Matthew Coleman

Get Electrical

And the sign said long-haired freaky people need not apply. If you were of cognition in 1971 you knew this line pretty damn well. Five Man Electrical Band’s “Signs” propelled the band into the national spotlight and engendered a youth protest against signs. Okay, not really, but it certainly did hold a message of inherent earthy freedoms and a sharp criticism of discrimination. While the hippie culture “died” in 1969, some elements did carry over in the 70s and this Canadian band’s symbolic piece’s success proved that protest against unjustifiable treatment was still ripe.

But let’s back up a little bit. “Signs” is widely viewed as a one hit wonder, and a gigantic one at that (one that reached #3 on Billboard Top 100, #1 in Australia for nearly two months, and went gold). The Five Man Electrical Band had been around for a while though and while they may never escape the one hit wonder crown, their history is still worth delving into.

The band formed in Ottawa in 1964 as the Staccatos and first gained recognition in 1967 when they recorded an album with The Guess Who. In 1968 the band was vocalist/guitarist Les Emmerson, bassist Brian Rading, keyboardist Ted Gerow, and drummers Rick “Bell” Belanger and Mike “Bell” Belanger. They released another album to no fanfare and attempted reviving their career in Los Angeles with a flop, “It Never Rains on Maple Lane.” The band changed their name and style, was dropped, was picked up – credit to the influential Dallas Smith here, and then finally released “Signs,” but originally as an unsuccesful B-Side. It was remarketed and then hit major success. 

Let’s listen to the flop prior to the hit.

Okay it is not awful. It is Association-like pop music without a true hook to pull listeners in. That is probably why it didn’t meet success. The keyboard and harmonies are light-hearted and the lead vocal is smooth. It is definitely different from “Signs” which is more upbeat and rock-influenced.

More like this. “Signs” combines the elements of a succesful song. An excellent vocal combined with a catchy chorus. The song moves with an effervescent protest that is rich with strong harmonies and a smart lyric.

7 comments | posted in Obscure Classic Rock, Song of The Day

March 8, 2012

Having FUN with the Jukebox – Anthemic Indie

By Matthew Coleman

That's one FUN Jukebox

Whenever I think of a jukebox I think of “Happy Days.” This may be because I often watched re-runs of the show on late-night Nickelodeon when I was a kid. Now, though, I think of Jukebox the Ghost, a Washington D.C. spawned Indie pop band whose music partly sparks today’s post.

Yesterday, I profiled Giles, Giles and Fripp, and used their uniqueness to coin a genre of music (that really just combined a few genres together). I was inspired to do the same today. Jukebox the Ghost is just one example of a type of pop music that has become user-friendly in the music world. And I love it. Why? It requires actual talent. When someone says they are into Indie music they pretty much cast out a gargantuan net in a small pond. The genre “Indie” encompasses so many musical fish that two bands at the opposite end of the Indie spectrum may sound nothing alike. So, like all genres, we sub-categorize. Indie pop is still rather broad. Today we will discuss Theatrical Indie pop.

Theatrical Indie pop is the result of talented musicians creating highly infectious music that, while simple, is actually quite difficult to pull off. The music kind of feels like it can fit on a Broadway stage. The part about the talented musicians cannot be discounted. So you want to create Theatrical Indie pop music? You need an excellent singer with a high register, a skilled drummer, and a rhythm-sensitive guitarist. When all elements are fused together you get magic like this:

Jukebox the Ghost is Ben Thornewill (vocals & piano), Tommy Siegel (vocals & guitar) and Jesse Kristin (drums). They have become well known mainly because of their jocular rhythms, effervescent beats and personalities, and unadulterated musical happiness. It doesn’t hurt that since 2006 they have toured extensively. The band has released two albums since 2008 and expect another one in June. They work hard. They have also been noticed by acts like Ben Folds and Barenaked Ladies – they opened for both – and currently they are opening for Jack’s Mannequin on their Winter Tour.

Jukebox the Ghost

“Hold it In” is off of the band’s first album. Simply, the song moves. The drums are friendly and the quirky keyboard is also amiable. The guitar rhythm follows wonderfully. Thornewill’s voice is perfect for this music. It is powerful and fits his elegant piano well. The chorus is where we see the “anthem” come out. Thornewill’s voice becomes almost schizophrenic (funny if you know their last album!) and it is paired with rhythmic clapping and single-word harmonies. The song continues similarly with even a neat guitar solo and it ends with a combination of all elements (and Thornewill’s effortless falsetto).

You may have noticed my capitalization of the letters in FUN. That is the name of the band I am featuring next. How convenient! Fun is a similar story. The New York based trio was formed by vocalist Nate Ruess, formerly of the Format. Ruess, like Thornewill, has a powerful, anthemic-like voice which features tremendous range and a true likeability. After The Format broke up, Ruess roused Andrew Dost (who plays everything and is in Anathallo) and guitarist Jack Antonoff (of Steel Train). They came together and thus far have also released two albums (the latest released just recently). The song that everyone knows is this:

This is the clearest example of Theatrical Indie pop. The song begins with Ruess singing over a basic keyboard riff that is contrasted with a loud drum march. And “by the time the bar closes and you feel like falling down, I’ll carry you home” BOOM! The song explodes (like the video) in this vocal anthem. You just feel like singing out the words immediately. There is some electronic stimulation, but this is mainly sparked by the band. The listener is hit with a guitar teetering on heavy. This combines with constant keys mixed with Ruess’ voice that can bring down walls. There is a reason why Glee covered this song. There is actually this Glee-like harmony that backs Janelle Monáe’s vocal solo and the pre-last chorus explosion. In a way it feels like you just sat through a Broadway show. And that’s the wonder of the genre, indeed.

2 comments | posted in Musical Interludes (Melodic thoughts from the Jester), Song of The Day

March 5, 2012

Sailing with AWOLNATION

By Matthew Coleman

Monday may be coming to a close but since it is the beginning of the week I want to provide you all with a spark to get you through the rest of it. If you haven’t heard “Sail” by AWOLNATION, you will now and might also be left humming this infectious heavy indie/electro piece until the weekend. I know I couldn’t get it out of my head when I first heard it. So instead of delaying my insertion of the song, let me just provide you with the music so it can help make the rest of the post seem that much more awesome.

“Sail” is unlike any other song I have posted on this blog. Yes, Aaron Bruno, the frontman and leader of this project, does fuse familiar indie elements into this 4:20 bundle of paranoid energy, the song is still quite heavy and I think far more soulful and angry than M83, which can be looked at as a potential comparison. It first appeared on the band’s introductory EP titled Back from Earth, a worthy EP title because the top track, “Sail,” is inspired by a fictional extraterrestrial visit (or maybe it is all true!). The band released their debut album, Megalithic Symphony, in March of 2011. The band also features:

  • Christopher Thorn – lead guitar (formerly of Blind Melon)
  • Kenny Carkeet – rhythm guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
  • David Amezcua – bass guitar, backing vocals
  • Hayden Scott – drums

The best song on the full-length and EP is “Sail,” so let’s see why this untraditional song reached #82 on the Hot 100 charts and #5 on the alternative charts.

The song draws listeners in from the beginning with its simple staccato chord progression. The initial notes are catchy and this is important because right when you are being oddly lulled by this choppy progression, your ears meet a heavily distorted electronic factory noise that just explodes over a more complex version of the initial riff. Add in some percussion and this indescribable soulful yell of “Sail” and we have ourselves a song. Bruno’s voice is a true strength. A passionate rhythm can often drown out a vocalist, but Bruno’s reverbed voice is more powerful than the melody. It is also soulful. That is an element of this song that cannot be forgotten. While heavily distorted soul is not an established genre, Bruno pushes genre boundaries. His voice brings back the memory of blue-eyed soul singers.

The song itself infuses some neat elements I’d like to explore. At around 2:05, after the drums lead into a well-placed bridge, we get a traditional guitar echoing over the distortion and both background rhythms. A calm piano and harmony is then delicately placed over the hard-hitting rhythm. In a way, this reprieve is the calm before the storm. If you are following the video, you can see Bruno’s character hiding out from an inevitable abduction, and well, listen on.

We fall right back into it. All of the layers mash together in a composed mind-screw. Voices are placed over each other and the rhythm beats into you like a hammer. The elements fall off and Bruno starts to fly. The initial riff is heard above the distortion and drums. The song fades and ends.

“Sail” is a song you want to listen to a few times to appreciate all of the parts. I give it a big seal of approval for being revolutionary and so damn catchy! For more information about the band visit their website

1 comment | posted in Song of The Day

February 7, 2012

Are you a Human Beinz? Out of the Cover Garage

By Matthew Coleman

In any era of fantastic music, great cover songs are frequently released. In the 60s, bands like the one featured today made their jump to fame by releasing covers of popular songs. Some covers from the 60s/70s are so well-known and well-done that it would surprise you to find out who originally recorded the song. I’ll name a few for the heck of it. “Feeling Groovy (The 59th Street Bridge Song)” was written by Simon and Garfunkel, but many prefer the version recorded by Harpers Bizarre. “Mr Tambourine Man” is, of course, recognized as a Byrds song, but it is a Dylan original. ”You Shook Me,” and “I Can’t Quit You Baby,” on Led Zeppelin are Willie Dixon songs.

How about “Gloria” which hit the charts with Shadows of Night, but was written by Van Morrison and Them? Did you know another band named The Human Beinz also lent their sound to this hit, just after the Shadows of Night recorded the song? 

The Human Beinz thrived on covers. The band recorded covers of songs like “Foxy Lady” and “The Pied Paper.” They did hit it big with one of these covers in the United States, and then hit it really big with another cover in Japan. Actually, The Human Beinz was a 60s band that found more popularity in Japan then in the United States.

The Human Beinz were formed as the Premiers in 1964 and changed their name to the Human Beingz in 1966. They were a garage/frat rock band from Ohio formed by John “Dick” Belley (vocals, guitar), Joe “Ting” Markulin (vocals, guitar), Mel Pachuta (vocals, bass) and Gary Coates (drums).

Garage rock was big in Ohio during this time. Rick Zehringer (Derringer) was from Ohio and recorded “Hang on Sloopy” with the McCoys in 1965. Phil Keaggy and Glass Harp gigged in Youngstown, Ohio in 1968. Actually, and I love when you find out about incestuous rock relationships, Steve Markulin, Joe’s cousin, was in Glass Harp and left the band to join the Human Beinz.

The Human Beinz became the Beinz (instead of Beingz) because after signing to Capitol Records in 1967, their band name was misspelled, the g left out. In 1967 they hit it big with a cover of the Isley Brothers’ “Nobody But Me,” and the song kicked butt on the charts peaking at #8 in February of ’68. The name remained Beinz

It’s an awesome cover. They added rock flavor to an R&B song and did it well. I love the initial call and response that just makes you nod your head and move your legs. One of the strongest parts of the song is the defined bass guitar that carries the rhythm (even getting a brief solo prior to a buzzy guitar solo) along with repetitive claps and the repetition of “No.” The Isley Brothers loved repetition.

“Nobody But Me” was not their most popular song though. They released a cover of “Turn On Your Love Light” (recorded first by Bobby Bland in ’61 – and then covered by, you guessed it, Them, and the Grateful Dead).

A basic garage rock piece also carried by clangy drums, loud keys, vocal looseness, and a strong bass guitar. The song did not do much in the United States, but it reached #1 in Japan.

FUN FACT: “Nobody But Me” was used in Kill Bill: Vol. 1, and I would have included the video if it wasn’t full of black and white trademark Tarantino gratuitous gore.

3 comments   |  tags: , | posted in Obscure Classic Rock, Song of The Day

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