Tuesday, April 21, 2009

fly free, baby, fine with me - i'm in love with a bumblebee

10 Songs I'm Into At the Moment

1. "I'll Bet You" by the Jackson 5
Fun fact: George Clinton wrote this piece, and it shows - it's definitely a bit darker than most Jackson 5. With a killer bassline (my favourite kind) and a pass-the-baton vocal style that lets all the boys shine, this song just reminds you what a stellar pop band the Jackson 5 were.
You should also check out Funkadelic's version, which is badass.

2. "Honey" by Erykah Badu
I'm starting to suspect Erykah Badu must be one of the coolest women alive. First of all, the song by itself is awesome. I love the lyrics and her voice is incredible. But the bonus? Click on the link above and enjoy the insidiously funny, beautifully shot video. My favourite allusions were the Funkadelic reference at 00:50 and the play on her ex-boyfriend Andre 3000's "Hey Ya" video at 2:40. I can also definitely get behind the "SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL RECORD STORE!!!!!" moral too.

I know this song's pretty old (as in...2006) but, like "I Wanna Hold Your Hand", it reflects an innermost desire that lives within us all. Who among us doesn't need "a boss like hey/who's flossin' like hey"? Especially when we're walking in slow motion away from a large explosion, our asymmetrical haircuts blowing in the breeze. But don't confuse the "need" of the title with anything but feminism: "Anything I want I cop it/I just want somebody to get fly wit/I got what I need, but can you top it?"
Word, Shareefa. Word.

4. "I Call My Baby Pussycat" by Funkadelic
The studio version? No good. (And by "no good" I mean "infinitely better than 99% of the music currently in existance but not in my top 50 Funkadelic songs") The 1971 Live at Meadowbrook version? I sat here for five minutes staring at the screen trying to think of words to describe the pure awesomeness of the live version of "I Call My Baby Pussycat." That first guitar riff sends a shiver of ecstasy to my core.

5. "I'm So Green" by Can
Looking for the perfect song for spring? I gotcha covered! This experimental German band brings you this freak-rock track, with a laboring groove and far out lyrics. Special bonus of having "green" in the title.

6. "Bret, You've Got It Goin' On" by the Flight of the Conchords
It's a shame really that it took me so long to get into the Flight of the Conchords. But, like nobody in my family ever really seems to say, better late than never. This is my favourite song of theirs, and just for the record? Bret does have it goin' on. I'm feelin' a little needy for a weedy, shy guy.

7. "From the Bottom of My Soul" by Eddie Hazel
Eddie Hazel never fails! Except, er, those years he spent in prison for assault and drug possession. But no mind - this gorgeously soulful track was previously unreleased, but I snagged it on vinyl as a bonus track of a "Maggot Brain" EP. In fact, I sort of think of it as being a "Maggot Brain" of the voice - instead of baring his soul through his guitar, he does it vocally. I didn't find out until a few months ago that Eddie Hazel actually has an incredibly singing voice, and he definitely proves it here.

8. "Gee" by SNSD (Girl Generation)
This video is the most adorable thing I have ever seen. I've never really listened to Korean pop music before, but this video made me love the song. My favourites are the two with blue pants. I generally prefer not to refer to people over the age of 5 as "cute", but with these girls, there's no other way. And make sure you pay attention to the English subtitles translating the lyrics! "Your heart is so pretty, I was captured at first glance, caught so closely/I can't touch it because it's so hot, I'm engulfed in love's fire completely" is a personal favourite.

9. "(Fooled Me Again) Honest Eyes" by Lady Gaga
I maintain that I'm more of a fan of Lady Gaga's image than her actual music, but this song impresses me. Her voice sounds excellent on this Freddie Mercury-esque track and the lyrics are great.

10. "Physical Love" by Bootsy's Rubber Band
The third song on this list featuring guitar by Mr. Eddie Hazel! This kinky track is filled with classic Bootsy humour. This album was made using Bootsy's alter ego Casper the Ghost ("kind of friendly when I want to be, and funky otherwise"). Good hedonistic fun!







april 21

17 comments:

Keith said...

Hey Molly. Cool tunes. I love them all. I'm a big fan of Erykah Badu. I really dig anything she does.

Mimi said...

Awesome music... Erykah Badu is from Texas how cool, a fellow Texas girl :)

And I agree I love Lady Gaga's image as well, but she does have really good music, her voice is good! My gay best friend was on Perez Hilton a couple of days ago [personally he is kinda annoying] and he sent me a link that was on Perez's page it was Lady Gaga covering Coldplay's Viva La Vida and it was really good!

xo

Human Racing said...

Erykah Badu has been one of my favorite artists for quite some time. Glad to see you like her as well!

Amber Lucas A Mused Blog said...

I love how Lady Gaga photographs. She has such a wonderful strong look..and damn, she can sing!! The pop is fun and fine, but...she's got pipes on her!


I really liked watching that SNSD video. SOOooo cute!!

Jill said...

Great list chica!! And Badu is the bomb!!

Sister Libby said...

Hahaha, I feel terrible that you went so long feeling denied. But I promise you haven't been missing hours of stimulating conversation...I'm still on the "culture exploration > the interwebs" kick.

And I'm also suprised that you weren't "like, the first person to even listen to FOTC, before it became all popular and stuff". But it really is fantastic...Jemaines lips are mesmerizing (mezmerising? mesmerising? fucccck).

Anyway, I listened to your songs and especially liked "I'll Bet You". Poor little Micheal...

I am a Tornado ~ proven fact! said...

Hey, just discovered your blog. Great stuff here. I'm adding you to my blog roll.

Anyway, what really struck me as wonderful, is your profile...

...Butterflies and zebras and moonbeams and fairy tales...

Best song EVA!

Allison said...

Holyyyy crap, I hadn't thought of that Shareefa song in so long! I remember blasting that from my car senior year :)
And Flight of the Conchords is so unbelievable! I'm glad you're into it now, it's so fun...I actually just got into them recently too and now I can't get enough of the show!
Fantasticccc selections as always, girl!
And I'm at school and had the sweater shipped to my house, so I'm waiting for my parents to get back from Tokyo so that they can let me know if the package got to my house - I'm sure it did by now :)

Katelin said...

i love all songs lady gaga right now, they're all so fun and catchy and just good.

jess said...

The Gee video is the cutest thing ever. My friends tell me I remind them of lady gaga

Eddie said...

Erykah Badu... CHECK!!

Shareefa... CHECK!!

The snorting coke pic... CHECK!!

Molly girl, I took the time out to listen to a couple of the tracks you listed (I haven't heard three of them) and I must say... AWESOME.

I'm telling you, I really do look forward to your top 10 music lists. Listening to your selections only increase the number of songs in my music library.

PS. A Clockwork Orange was waaaay ahead of it's time. Similar to Catcher in the Rye... AHEAD OF ITS TIME.

Besitos Molly love...

Lexie said...

lady ga ga is starting to win me over more and more .. i love when poker face comes on the radio lol!

Elizabeth Victoria Clark said...

I oveee Miss Badu, she is incredible. I also love Gaga for the same reason! She's incredible and I love her persona, but her music is only soso, though I am a huge fan of LoveGame! haha xx

Sister Libby said...

Hello,
I like your music so much, I'm coming back to listen while I work.

Unknown said...

Jackson Five! YAY!

mainque said...

is that eddie playing a Bass, or is that that guy is not eddie hazel?

molly said...

that guy playing bass in the last picture is bootsy collins! eddie's in the blue spandex a few photos up