Tag Archives: Music

Life Could Be a Dream – One-Hit Wonders

5 Mar

The Chords

“Hey Nonny Ding-Dong Alang Alang Alang, Oh, Wo-Wo Bip, a Doh, a Bip, a Bip”

– Genius Gibberish by The Chords

It doesn’t take much to make teenage girls swoon, but “Sh-Boom” (or “Life Could Be a Dream”) by The Chords made everyone swoon when it was released by a sextet of youngsters in 1954. The Chords, though, would only have one hit – “Sh-Boom.” This doo-wop masterpiece represents one of the first one-hit wonders in modern rock n’ roll history, and, despite all of the wonderful one-hit wonders released since it graced the charts, “Sh-Boom” is still one of the best.

The Chords formed in Bronx, NY, and were signed in 1954 after they were heard performing in the Subway. The band brought “Sh-Boom” with them to Atlantic Records’ Cat Records label. Jerry Wexler, who coined the phrase rhythm & blues and would later become a major record producer, was in his second year as a partner with Atlantic Records and proceeded over the recordings. While Wexler initially had the band perform a cover of a Patti Page song, the Chords’ original was too intriguing to pass up (it was put on the B-Side of the incipient record).

Now, if you are thinking that you have never ever heard of this song, just take a listen.

You recognize it now, right? That is how ubiquitous the song is. Even almost 60 years after its release, the song is still noticeable. Why? It is so damn catchy. It is still used in media today. The song’s light-hearted, bubbly harmonies match the jocular lyric. It is warm-hearted song. The gibberish, like I said above, is genius. The song reached #2 on the Billboard R&B charts and #9 on the Pop charts.

“Sh-Boom,” inevitably, was covered for Mercury Records by a doo-wop group named The Crew Cuts who put a more traditional/organized spin on the song. The song reached #1 on the Billboard charts in for nine weeks during August and September 1954.

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The Wizard of Norway – Christoffer Øien

20 Feb

Christoffer Øien

What kind of music can you expect from a 25-year-old singer/songwriter from a small fishing village in Norway? Did you guess enchanting folk with a hint of haunting strings laid over an enigmatic vocal? You did? Wow, good guess!

Christoffer Øien is a true find, and in a burgeoning musical world, he represents a perspicacious musician with tremendous ability that should be recognized by a global audience. Øien’s music is expansive folk; it mixes the style of some of Joe Purdy’s slower, lugubrious pieces with a mystical Radiohead flavor. The sound is bewitching, and one wants to continue listening to the wizard of Norway.

Let’s take a listen to two songs; the first a disturbing lullaby called “Sandman.”

The song is, well, creepy. It’s creepy in a good way. Øien clearly wants to elicit the feeling of an unsettling lullaby. Øien combines drawn out strings with light keys and acoustic guitar. The music culminates in a beautiful combination of strings that soothe the listener. His lyric is imaginative, and he sings such distinct lines as “it feels like rain, tastes like wine” and “it sounds like pain, but it’s all in my mind” Eerie and oddly enticing.

“The Wizard” begins with a plucked acoustic guitar and transitions to Øien’s unmistakable vocal. The song, like “Sandman” combines several influences, and, in some parts, almost takes the form as a gloomier early Coldplay composition. I can continue to search for Øien’s style in other musicians, but it may be wise to simply describe him as refreshingly original and tell you all to listen to more of his first album, Monster.

Check out his website, Facebook

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The Rise of Jamie Lidell

9 Feb

You never know what you’re going to get when you find an artist that doesn’t fall in the bounds of a specific genre. Sometimes it is just too erratic and “art for art’s sake.” I know there is merit in pushing boundaries, and it’s great to challenge the status quo of music, but I still need melody, and I still want to enjoy what I’m listening to. I don’t care how avant-garde you are. If I don’t like your music, my opinion isn’t going to change just because you think you’re original. You can write new stuff all day that no one has ever composed or dreamed of, but if it’s garbage then I don’t know what all the fuss is about. There is another case though.

Some artists can’t be placed into a solid genre for a better reason. Sometimes artists are just putting together albums that reach far boundaries that become a sublime blend of music that keeps you guessing the entire record. Sure, I love it when bands like AC/DC put out albums because you know exactly what you’re going to get, but I also love being surprised and finding something fresh in a new album.

I recently stumbled upon the music of Jamie Lidell. He is a solo artist from England. He currently lives in Nashville and puts on one hell of a show. He achieved his fame looping rhythm tracks with his vocals and performing as a one man show. I caught wind of this because he is featured on a Simian Mobile Disco track that I love (Off the Map). His music is incredibly soulful, super rhythmic and a complete dance marathon of melody laden music. I can’t imagine this guy being a secret in the music industry much longer.

Both of these songs are the night and day of his music so just in and check out the range of this up and coming artist.

Check out his website for more.

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The Substance of Pop Music

2 Feb

I have always wondered why, when there is so much powerful and artistically driven music in the world, are we left with the pop music we have? No one I talk to listens to top 40, but there continues to be over-saturated music that is shoved down listener’s throats. I am by no means denouncing all popular music or trying to attack certain genres of music. Everything under the sun can be held up to a particular light and shine with some merit . I have just always found it strange that while everyone I know listens to music, no one listens to the top 40. Do children have that much say in what becomes “popular music?” Are the big wigs that poor at learning the demographics of their industry, or am I the crazy one?

Well an interesting development happened to me the other day. I stumbled upon some pretty spectacular music (which isn’t really out of the ordinary at all) and the funny thing was that these were all cover songs by “top 40” artists. The kind of music that just has no connection to the real artistic community of music and is more of what I like to call “corporate-pop/hop” than actual pop music. When I listened to these covers, it brought a whole new light to the melody and the lyrics. It got me wondering: are these artists really not artistic or have we just lost the ability to produce music now that we can do it so cheaply with computers? Was the real magic behind the artists that controlled the charts 25-40 years ago the fact that real musicians had to come into the studios and lay down tracks for the album? Were the producers just that much more vital to the process? Is Quincy Jones just that good? Probably.

Check out a couple videos that I found that completely redefined their originals.

There is just something about the way this music is recaptured with an honest sound instead of a couple poor synth riffs and a drum machine. Maybe there is some hope for the music community, even if the world of popular music is continuing to head in the wrong direction.

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Camera2 Just About Made It

31 Jan

Cool video Thursday! Camera2, a Brooklyn-based electronic-Indie collaboration, released their first album in 2012 and embarked on a project to film a video for each song – a rather daunting task. The videos all center around a precocious nine-year-old boy, who, in “Just About Made It” (above), puts on his kleptomaniac hat and leads a foot-chase all culminating in…what, you thought I’d tell you before you watched the video?

Let’s give some credit to the song, as well. It’s a percussion-driven, electro-driven piece with a hybrid 80s sound. Camera2 combines these elements with multifarious instrumentation that drench the track with pleasant sound. And make sure to stick around to the end not only because of the video’s conclusion but also the creative transformation of the song.

Camera2 is Producer-songwriter-vocalist – Andy Chase (Tahiti 80/Juliana Hatfield/Smashing Pumpkins), Guitarist – Michael Jurin (Stellastarr), Bassist – Aric Gillis (Teenage Kick) and Drummer – Mike Williams (Teddybears).

“Just About Made It” is the first single from Camera2’s debut EP, and the creative video was directed by Josh Stoddard.

Check out more from Camera2 at their website, and connect with them at Facebook and Twitter

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