All posts in category dragonette

I’m Taking A Road Trip

As you read this, I will (hopefully) be in the throws of home (yes…again), as I will be spending the weekend at the lovely home of my closest friend from college. Saturday sees my college’s annual concert they organize every year with a nearby school — it’s a free show complete with a street fair earlier in the day. The tradition first began when I was a freshman, and now the idea is in its 5th incarnation — making this trek my first as an official college alumnus (ugh….). The setlist includes Bad Medicine (a Bon Jovi cover band…I am not joking…I much prefer SNL’s version Jon Bovi — but I won’t knock it till I see it) and headliner Jack’s Mannequin. It seems to follow a pattern of random cover band and mid-level male artist that appeals to the male demo (last year was a Journey cover band with Eve 6; the year before was a Queen cover band with Head Automatica; you get the picture). I’m more going to see my gal pals from my college days of yore — most of which I haven’t seen since graduation almost a year ago.

Hence this post, as a general mixtape mashup of what will be playing in my ears during the 2.5 hour bus trip to Albany and back again — giving you a keen idea of the songs that tend to get the most “repeat” performance on my iPod these days.

I apologize right now for the formatting of this post. Blogger is choosing to screw with me. Grrr.

Currently Spinning:

(In addition to the recently mentioned Mini Viva‘s “One Touch”, Robyn‘s “Dancing On My Own”, 2AM‘s “I Was Wrong” and all of Glee‘s Madonna playlist…)

B.o.B (featuring Hayley Williams of Paramore) – “Airplanes”

Yes, I’ve fallen prey to the craze. I actually quite prefer it to “Nothin’ On You”, to be honest.

The Knife – “We Share Our Mother’s Health” (Ratatat Remix)

I’m not quite sure why this Swedish duo wasn’t on my radar before, but I’m glad they are now.

Kaskade (featuring Dragonette) – “Fire In Your New Shoes”

Because anything featuring Dragonette is full of epic win.

Penguin Prison – “Worse It Gets”
Shimmery, funky, light, airy….it’s a good ‘um. Wish they’d call Melly, instead of Jenny.

Two Door Cinema Club – “Something Good Can Work” (The Twelves Remix)

Another late-bus rider to the ‘Club’ with these folks, but hot damn the album is amazing. Can’t wait for this to bust wide open in the States.

The Black Keys – “Tighten Up”

I love the snazzy, vintage feel of this tune. And the whistling.

Drake – “Over” (Amtrak Remix)

Le what, you say? Drake may be riding a little too high on his arguably self-made career, but this remix in particular is a lot of fun.

Empire of the Sun – “Walking On A Dream”

Something about this screams summer to me. Hence the fact I tend to listen to it over and over on days that are particularly sunny.

Nicki Menaj – “Massive Attack”
Definitely not jumping on the Menaj-a-Twain (hehe, I’m so funny….not) with Nicki just yet, but the sound effects and the everything-including-the-kitchen-sink production is kind of addicting. Bwat-Bwat-Bwat-Bwat. Mangos?

And the College Days Staples:

Journey – “Don’t Stop Believin'”

I don’t think I really need to introduce why, other than apparently every college student in America, regardless of age, tends to take ownership of this song. And as they should, it’s a fun one — and it kind of exemplifies that optimistic outlook you have (until you graduate and can’t find a job…hehe…sob sob).

Justin Timberlake – “SexyBack”

180 randomness you say? Sure. But when this song came out, early during my sophomore year, my roommates and I took to imitating the dance amidst breathless giggles in our dorm. We even videotaped it and forever captured the magic via a ridiculously awful karaoke video. No, I’m not linking. If you haven’t already saw it, I suggest you try your ninja-like abilities to find it. Stalkers.

ABBA – “Take A Chance On Me”

Basically the same reasoning as above, except it holds a more sentimental meaning between my closest friend and I. In fact, during our senior year, we had taken to calling each other Bjorn and Anni-Frid respectively. Yes, we’re weird. I’m fine with that.

OneRepublic – “Apologize” (Timbaland Version)

Once again, more of a private joke, but all you need to know is our fascination with the line “I loved you with a fire red/Now, it’s turning blue”, pondering Ryan Tedder’s thought process far too deeply. Is he saying his love was once passionate and has now grown cold? Or, considering a flame is hottest when it’s blue/purple rather than red, it’s burning with a new kind of fervor? Hmmm. Haunting.

Bon Jovi – “Wanted Dead Or Alive”

Reason #1: Bad Medicine is playing. Reason #2: At one point, my college BFF and I had a run-in with a local videostore (I’m not going into details, I am still a fugitive), and ever since — whenever we passed the store, we would sing acapella this song’s chorus. The store has since gone out of business. We feel slightly guilty. But not really.

Kansas – “Carry On My Wayward Son”

This is all you need to know. That and The Gospel is on every Thursday, at 9PM Eastern, on the CW. Watch it.

6 Comments

by melismaticblog on April 23, 2010 • Permalink

Posted in abba, bob, bon jovi, dragonette, drake, empire of the sun, journey, justin timberlake, kansas, kaskade, nicki menaj, onerepublic, paramore, the black keys, the knife, two door cinema club

Posted by melismaticblog on April 23, 2010

https://melismaticblog.wordpress.com/2010/04/23/im-taking-a-road-trip/

Top 2(00)9 of 2009: #13-#10

For your own reference, you can use this link to look up all posts tagged as the Top 2(00)9 of 2009. Hope you enjoy this as much as I did! 🙂 Rocking to Part 5…

#13. Dragonette – Fixin’ To Thrill
From the Album: Fixin’ To Thrill (2009)
Watch the Video: here
Listen to the Villains Remix: here

My addiction to Dragonette started out tame enough, but grew exponentially until it verged on exploding after the trifecta of gaining ridiculously cheap tickets to see them live, the Fixin’ To Thrill album itself and the actual concert experience. Words alone cannot express how incredible this band is to see live, and choosing just one song from Thrill to feature in my Top 29 was difficult in itself, so I decided to go with the album namesake and first single. If I had it my way, this group would already be huge and far too cool to play tiny clubs like where I saw them — so here’s to an incredible ’10 for them. “Thrill” (the song) combines killer vocals and gritty, dark synth to form a surprisingly sunny sound that sounds amazing coming out of your headphones — the louder, the better. Dragonette themselves provide a pretty perfect soundtrack to my move to NYC –– first album Galore was the last record I bought at the Virgin Megastore toward the beginning of ’09, and they capped off the year right with that electric live appearance with friends by my side. Thrill (the album) is easily Top 3 in my eyes of the Best Albums released this year. It might even be my overall favorite.

Best Part: The background melody, “Uh uh, I’m fixin’ to thrill”, and the unrelenting chorus.
Other Songs of Note: “Big Sunglasses”, “Okay Dolore”, basically the entire album
Other Posts RE: Dragonette: Live concert experience flashback.
Looking Ahead: Taking over America. That is all.

—

#12. K’NAAN – Wavin’ Flag
From the Album: Troubadour (2009)
Listen to the Song: here
Watch a Live Acoustic Performance: here

K’NAAN is one of those artists that any person can appreciate, no matter what genre of music they prefer. His sophomore effort, Troubadour, is by far the best hip hop record released this year — mostly because it speaks of real pain, hardship and experience, and mixes it with optimism, strength, survival and endearment. I’m lucky enough to say I was a part of the A&M/Octone team as an intern while they prepped for the release of this record, and after my first listen to K’NAAN, I was instantly hooked. In a similar vein, after hearing “Wavin’ Flag” for the first time, I was instantly struck and vividly remember getting goosebumps. It’s one of those songs that can only be described as epic, and is my favorite off of the indelible Troubadour. The world better get ready for K’NAAN — you’re going to be seeing a lot more of him. This song has been chosen to be featured in the World Cup, and is actually the seventh official single from the Troubadour project, proof positive that this is a record that is an absolute must in every person’s collection. K’NAAN speaks of real world issues, and isn’t afraid to call out his youth in Somalia and the hip hop industry that birthed him.

Best Part: Pretty much everything. Honestly. But you can’t really beat that second verse, especially, “We just move forward like Buffalo Soldiers”.
Other Songs of Note: “ABCs”, “I Come Prepared”, “Bang Bang” (feat. Adam Levine), “Dreamer”, “If Rap Gets Jealous”, “Fatima”
Other Posts RE: K’NAAN: Troubadour feature.
Looking Ahead: If the ad placements for the World Cup don’t get him the notice he deserves in a genre desperately seeking a real leader, I don’t know what will.

—

#11. Jada – American Cowboy
From the Album: Jada (2010)
Watch the Video: here
Watch Jada singing the chorus acapella at a radio station near my hometown: here

My love for Jada has been noted time and time again on this blog. I’ve been a fan since back in early 2005, when they were just a struggling group of relatable girls from Boston. I was there when they made the made the announcement of their signing with Universal Motown Records in 2006. And of course, I patiently waited for the first single: the RedOne (RedOne…Konvict…Jada…Woo!) produced “American Cowboy”. Sure, it was knocked for its similarities to Lady Gaga. Yes, it’s just about the epitome of carbon-copied Red One in template. Does that make it any less of a fun party song? Absolutely not. The difference that I stress over and over is these are hardly four pretty label puppets. Jada is made up of four talented, poised young women — and in a market that thrives on scandal (rather than downplaying it as they’d like to make us think), we finally can return to having a group of vocally capable young women who aren’t trying to take themselves too seriously, aren’t digging on themselves too hard, aren’t relying on their sex appeal to sell records — and! — make a point of singing acapella every chance they can get to prove their worth. Ladies of American Pop, take note: this is how to gain respect.

Best Part: The RedOne intro, the handclappy backbeat, “I know (I know!) you know (you know!) I’m sex-ay”, “Your jealous girlfriend can’t faze me — ain’t my fault you can’t control your lady”, “Add my name to your house title” and that bridge breakdown.
Other Songs of Note: “Break Up Song”, “Kiss ‘N Tell”, “I’m That Chick”
Other Posts RE: Jada: “Break Up Song” feature, and of course, my exclusive interview with Jada themselves.
Looking Ahead: “Break Up Song” is attempting to pick up winter love-song steam, and the album release is hopefully not too far off.

—

#10. Cascada – Evacuate the Dancefloor
From the Album: Evacuate the Dancefloor (2009)
Watch the Video: here

(Oh-oh Oh!) Evacuate the Dancefloor

(Oh-oh Oh!) I’m infected by the sound

(Oh-oh Oh!) Stop — this beat is killing me

(Hey Mr. DJ, let the music take me underground)

The epitome of guilty pleasures, German dancefloor crusaders Cascada slaughter the American pop landscape once again with their biggest hit since their debut “Everytime We Touch” with this bouncy little gem of nostalgical pop. It reminds me of something that would have been recorded and released in the early 90’s when dancey-pop was all the rage and our love affair with it was less apologetic and more guiltless. “Evacuate” positively pulsates from the minute you press play, and once you hear it once, I defy you to get it out of your head without another immediate spin. This was one of those songs this year that I’d often fall into a listening black hole with, where I’d find myself hitting repeat over and over and over while listening, so the point that I’d be listening to the same song 20 times in a row — and I’d still hit repeat again. It’s yet another UK smash that didn’t quite have the same impact on America (I blame all those wannabe rappers, darn it! Give us our pop back!), but even I was surprised by the amount of airplay it got stateside. Just try to not wiggle in your seat while the song plays. Go ahead — try. I’ll wait…See? Doesn’t that feel good?

Best Part: “Feels like an overdose (feels like an overdose) {overdoseeee!}”…”, THAT CHORUS!!!!, “Uh Huh!”, “Still the night, Kill the lights” and the borderline silly/Ace of Base-flashback of a “rap” bridge.
Other Songs of Note: I will always be quite partial to the Candlelight version of their cover of “What Hurts the Most”
Looking Ahead: I guessing the rest of the album singles won’t make too much of a dent in America (boo!), but the album as a whole is very strong dancepop indeed.

—

Clue: Of the next three songs — one is by a rock troupe I idolize, one is an American anthem, and the one is by one of my most loved groups…possibly ever.

8 Comments

by melismaticblog on December 21, 2009 • Permalink

Posted in cascada, dragonette, jada, knaan, top 29 of 2009

Posted by melismaticblog on December 21, 2009

https://melismaticblog.wordpress.com/2009/12/21/top-2009-of-2009-13-10/

Dragonette is Fixin To Thrill, and Makes Good

Me, oh, my. I spent last night partying it up to the wee hours of the morning with my oldest friend who recently made the big move from suburbia New York to Brooklyn, and her (and my new) friend from her college, with none other than electro-rockers Dragonette at the classically hipster Santos Party House in SoHo. (I got home around 3:30AM, and still woke up at 6:30AM for work this morning. I’m a trooper, no? Heh.)

Given I haven’t made the time to sit down and write about just how much I have fallen in love with Dragonette over the course of this past year, let me explain. I had been a fan for several months long before I made the move to physically purchase their debut album, Galore (which I should note is the final purchase I made from the now deceased Virgin Megastore in Times Square). The followup, Fixin To Thrill, has done what all good sophomore albums should, and has bested their debut in terms of enjoyment to my ears. Aside from the incredible self-titled debut single (its Villains Remix counterpart is also supremely ace and almost eclipses the original…almost), the entire disc has seen tremendous amounts of spins over the past few weeks, most notably “Gone Too Far”, “Liar”, “Okay Dolore”, “Stupid Grin”, “Pick Up the Phone” and especially “Big Sunglasses.” You can probably glean from my obvious adoration that Fixin To Thrill, despite only being released this past month, will most definitely make my list of ‘The Best Albums of 2009’. If you haven’t heard/gotten the record, do yourself a supreme favor and give it a few spins. I guarantee at least one song will grow on you.

But back to Dragonette live. I must say, there is nothing quite like seeing an relatively underground electro-rock band in an intimate venue like Santos in the dead of night in trendy downtown New York. And when I say “intimate” I really really mean it. There couldn’t have been more than 150-2000 people there, and that’s including Dragonette, its opening bands, the DJ, the bouncers and the bartenders. I believe the venue for my Junior Prom (and really, I come from the middle of nowhere) was about four times the size of this venue. Anywhere you were, you had a prime seat. The crowd was somewhat mixed: lots of young guns like myself who were into kitschy electro and were clearly familiar with Dragonette and had no problem expressing it by dancing and rocking out and singing every word (surprisingly a lot of straight guys in their 30’s — not sure why this surprised me, it just did), a fair amount of hipsters who clearly just wanted to be “scene”, and a few like my two friends who were brought along for the fun and left as newbie fans.

Their opener act, The Invisible, served as an alright warmup, and my comrades insistence that their lead singer looked an awful lot like Randy Jackson entertained all three of us to no end. Doors opened at 11PM, and Dragonette wouldn’t be making a stage appearance until close to 1:30AM, then add to that the fact that the most basic of alcoholic beverages would cost you around $11 — so we had to entertain ourselves somehow. The club struck me as potential former haute of Ms. Lady Gaga, with its heart shaped disco balls, near-epileptic strobe lighting and slightly sweet-scented fog.

Once Dragonette finally took the stage, I was further cemented in the mindset that should I ever start my own electro-rock band, I’d want it to be just like Dragonette in every way. The bass guitarist had a sweet looking instrument to work with that randomly reminded me of Finding Nemo with its orange and white swirled face plate. The guitarist rocked bright flannel. And lead singer, the all-around incredible and talented in every way Martina Sorbara, presented her pixie-like self in a black tanktop and gray pants-with-overalls jumpsuit combo, giving her a very Freddie Mercury kind of look that few women could rock as effectively. Her hair was classic electro asymmetrical — think Elly Jackson of La Roux meets Peaches, but in brunette. Her voice (even when speaking normally) is reminiscent of Cyndi Lauper on helium, and I mean that it the best (and most adorable but still rockin’) way.

They opened up their set with their debut (and best known) single, “I Get Around,” and from there the buzz just built. Although the majority of the material played was from Thrill, a good selection of favorites from Galore were also played (“Take It Like A Man”, “Competition”). I was particularly excited when “Big Sunglasses” was cued up, as I sort of fear it will get lost as B-Side shuffle off of Thrill and not the big dancey single I so desperately want it to be (I never pick the singles, it seems). However, if the crowd reaction in NYC is any indicator, “Sunglasses” is a pretty solid hit. And had you been there with me, you would have witnessed a rather humiliating display of yours truly in a blue sparkly dress, rocking out screaming “I thought by now I’d be 5’11/I’d be hanging out with the top banana/Executive access to upper classes/Run and get me some of them big sunglasses!“

All of my favorite tunes were played, and played well. Dragonette is definitely a fun live band. I wasn’t sure how they would translate from record to live venue, but for the most part, they sound just as they do on record, just louder, fuller and richer. The fuzzy guitar sounds fuzzier. The synth beats through you harder. And Martina’s unique set of pipes are that much more striking. Long story short, they kick ridiculous ass.

Despite the fact that “Fixin To Thrill” (the song) has yet to crack the US, Canada or the UK, it clearly had a huge fanbase in NYC. The song served as their big closing number, and the reaction was downright electric. Even if you didn’t know the words or the song, you were jumping up and down and humming along. They are the perfect example that chart success is downright insignificant when you are a band that doesn’t take itself too seriously and is clearly in it for the right reasons: playing music for yourself and the fans. That’s what it’s all about, right? Every artist has to start somewhere. I like to think I got the chance to see Dragonette when, just before they truly are recognized for the quality that they are. Fingers crossed that the music world will “Pick Up The Phone” already.

Take a gander at these truly phenomenal professional photos taken from the show last night. Shots from the set I saw are toward the bottom. Below is the official music video for “Fixin To Thrill”. Listen and learn, friends.

1 Comment

by melismaticblog on November 6, 2009 • Permalink

Posted in concert flashback, dragonette, la roux, lady gaga, peaches, queen, the invisible

Posted by melismaticblog on November 6, 2009

https://melismaticblog.wordpress.com/2009/11/06/dragonette-is-fixin-to-thrill-and-makes-good/

Check it out now, Funk Soul Brother

Here are a few songs that have gotten a pretty obscene amount of plays by me recently. You should probably check them out too.

LADY SOVERIGN “I Got You Dancing”
Lady SOV is pop/rap type artist from the UK. She first burst through on the scene a few years ago with “Love Me Or Hate Me”. This song is the first single from her new album, due for release soon. The song sounds a lot like “Love Me…” in its delivery, but includes an infusion of electropop and the use of a vocoder for more of a dance feel. It’s definitely a unique and fun listen, and catchy as all hell.

DRAGONETTE “I Get Around”
I know this song is somewhat old by now, but I was first introduced to Dragonette formally a few months ago, and I fell in love with this song. It’s so electro and kitchy and incredible. That syth backdrop gets stuck in my head.

JAY SEAN “Tonight”
I fell in love with this song a few weeks ago and its been on my playlists ever since. A remix version (that is really hard to find) was recently featured as a “Song of the Day” at PopJustice, and its just as good if not better. Something else to add to my pile of songs to look for…Sean sounds like a British Chris Brown…in fact, had I not known who it was, I would have assumed it was Chris Brown. And apparently, he’s signed to T Lopez’ label, Cash Money Records.

CHRIS BROWN “Believer”
I don’t know what this track is. It almost sounds unfinished, but it is still incredible. It sounds like part 2 of “Forever” in a more laid back way. I don’t know if it is an unused demo or part of his upcoming album due out in ’09. Either way, I think it has promise.

KINGS OF LEON “Sex On Fire”
I’m usually not much for rock type bands, but Kings of Leon seem pretty legit to me. I used to say I’m weary of bands featured on the soundtrack to ‘Gossip Girl’ as being too hipster, but given they have featured the Ting Tings, Nadia Oh, Junkie XL and now Kings of Leon, I really can’t hate much. Just about every song I’ve heard I kinda like, because it’s not your typical pop/rock. It has something different. Something just else. And the vocalist’s pipes are definitely unique and claw at you.

KANYE WEST “Love Lockdown” / “Heartless”
I may not enjoy Kanye West’s ego (except in humorous way), but it’s hard to ignore that he does make good danceable music with thoughtful lyrics. I’m not gonna praise it to the extreme that he wants me to, but from the moment I first heard “Love Lockdown” at this year’s VMAs, I wanted to hear it over and over again. The latest album’s next single “Heartless” is almost as good. They tend to be growers, and are undeniably unique in this market.

CANDY COATED CHAOS “Treat”
I adore these girls, as you can probably guess. “Treat” is by far their strongest offering (of the songs they have premiered on MySpace, anyway) that has a strong dance feel, and is battling with “Angel” for my favorite song by them. It was written by Simon Curtis, another pop virtuoso who is undercredited for his genius. It calms my heart that the world will soon know of both of these artists! If you haven’t heard this, you can download it for free at http://www.trueanthem.com/artists/CandyCoatedChaos.

LADY GAGA “Starstruck”
I’m so bummed this was only treated as a bonus track on “The Fame.” Aside from “Just Dance” and “Poker Face”, this song is by far my fave Gaga track. I also just heard a new remix of the song that is just as good as the original. The song is insanely catchy, and is a lot of fun to dance to. Because I know from a lot of experience.

ROBYN “Keep This Fire Burning (2008)”
I’ve been a Robyn fan since I can’t even tell you when. I remember being so young and singing along to “Show Me Love” when it came on the radio. I’m so glad she’s back and pumping out electro hits. “Keep This Fire Burning” is a re-imagining of her older hit, and it is just phe-nom-en-al. I have no words other than everyone needs to bow down to how great Ms. Robyn is.

MONROSE “Don’t Touch the Fader”
I doubt it’ll be used as a single from their latest album, but it should be released as a club single as a way to sashay their way into the American market. The beats and synths are so sick, I can’t even describe them to you.

JESSICA MAUBOY “Burn”
I’m new to the whole Jessica Mauboy phenomenon (I’m American, you must forgive me for these things) but I really do love her album inside and out. “Burn” is awesome, even if the chorus is a bit random (“This is starting to burn” sounds a bit naughty to my ears…but I tend to twist things…). I think it was PopJustice who described the song as being a mixture of Rihanna’s “Disturbia” and The Saturday’s “Up” and I think that is pretty on point.

You want one of these songs? You know the drill — comment and you shall recieve.

melismaticblog

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