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Dancing in the Street on July 18…19

19 Jul

July 18 is a good day to have a birthday. Nelson Mandela, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, Hunter S. Thompson, Richard Branson, Vin Diesel, are just some examples of individuals who blo(e)w at the candles on the hot mid-summer date. It’s an odd grouping of individuals, but days are not subjective. I am also a part of the July 18 b-day club. Yesterday, I turned 23, and celebrated it with Korean food with my girlfriend. I am back today, a full year older and wiser, to bring you the biggest hit recorded by Martha and the Vandellas, “Dancing in the Streets.” But why pick such a completely random song? It probably has something to do with July 18, right?

Right.

Martha Reeves, the Martha to our Vandellas, celebrated her 71st birthday yesterday, and we are going to celebrate a day later and wish her a belated birthday because we were too busy dancing in the streets yesterday. Actually, the song was first conceived by producer Mickey Stevenson after watching people cool off from open fire hydrants. He thought they looked like they were dancing. Such dancing did occur yesterday in New York, but, it was not only because of 100 degree temperatures early in the day, but also a hail storm in the afternoon that caused some cool duck-and-cover dance moves.

Stevenson wrote the song and showed the rough draft to Marvin Gaye who thought it sounded like it would be a great upbeat piece. Hence:

Martha Reeves was the second choice for the song. Kim Weston was originally proposed the song but declined it. Reeves arranged her own vocals and Motown songwriter Ivy Hunter was brought in to add a composition. The drum beat was added by Hunter. The song quickly became popular. It peaked at number two on the Billboard Singles charts, and was one of the fifty sound recordings preserved by the Library of Congress in 2006.

The song also represented more than the initial authors bargained for. While it was certainly a party song, many individuals construed it to echo the message of the burgeoning Civil Rights movement. The song took on a second meaning that it still carries today.

The Fast Romantics Sing Their Funeral Song

17 Jul

The Fast Romantics are one of Canada’s most prominent new acts. Their fresh brand of Indie Rock has driven the Calgary band to several festivals, live tours, MTV Live, and television shows like Vampire Diaries, One Tree Hill, and Pretty Little Liars…all in just five years. Perhaps we should add the title of hardest working into this brief description. They have set the course to tour with abandon and complement time on the road with the creation of their sophomore LP Afterlife Blues, which the song I am reviewing below finds itself on.

Three former members of the Calgary-based band The Mood formed the Fast Romantics in 2007 – Matthew Angus, Matthew Kliewer, and Jeffrey Lewis. The band quickly added a drummer (Alan Reain) and hit the tour circuit before cutting an album in 2008. In 2009, the band was selected as one of the finalists of Spin Magazine’s “Free the Noise” competition and hit New York to perform at CBGB. Since then the band has added Laurna Germscheid on backup vocals and keyboards and John de Jesus on lead guitar. The resulting combination has produced this sound.

It is very easy to like the Fast Romantics. Let me explain. Actually, I don’t need to explain. The music is simply exciting, productive, infectious, and just plain good. All you really need to do is press play and enjoy the song – even if it is their funeral song. But I am going to go a little more in-depth here so stick with me. The beginning features an intriguing mixture of compounding noises. I am absolutely gaga over the immediate piano and lead guitar play. I love the split riff and pretend disorganization. It accentuates that indie bar feel, as if you hear the piece and immediately pick a partner and prepare to dance. A whistle prefaces the main riff’s rhythm that leads into the vocals. Perhaps my favorite part of this song is the create use of harmony. The line-finishing blend of voices is beyond fun, it’s skillful, a true sign of a band that knows what they are doing. I’m also loving the excellent bass guitar work. Comparison seekers, I will say I hear a blend of Arcade Fire, Bell X1, and Talking Heads, but I mostly just hear the advancement of the sound that the Fast Romantics depicted in their first album. It is now more expansive, but despite the additions, tighter and well-formed.

For more information on the Fast Romantics and their new album check out their One Sheet, Myspace, Facebook, and Twitter

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Back of My Neck Getting Dirty and Gritty

29 Jun

Is there a song that screams summer more than “Summer in the City” by New York natives The Lovin’ Spoonful? Today, as I walked through the blistering summer heat and bathed myself in the hot sun that baked the sidewalk, I immediately thought of the ode to a hot and sticky New York City summer day and smiled. The song is a true classic. Everything from John Sebastian’s excellent voice, to the background city noises, to the repetitive guitar riff that seeps into your head as sweat pours out, meshes perfectly to form a less-than-3-minute gem. It’s a fun song and it’s great to sing along with…especially when you are sweating and burning walking on the same streets that Mark Sebastian was writing about when he penned the song.

And, what’s better on a sunny summer day than a little trivia. Hear the electric piano in the song? The individual who played the electric piano on the Spoonful record is a musician/composer who has done some pretty famous arrangements in his career. Can you name that person? Also, for bonus points, what famous Frankie Valli song did he arrange? Have a good weekend everyone!

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Jukebox The Ghost New Single “Somebody”

19 Apr

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.

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How About the Electrical Signs?

10 Apr

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.

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