One-Mind Tracks: Self-Love

Just as a word of warning, this post is not G-rated.

When I got the idea to do this compilation, I had completely forgotten that May is National Masturbation Month, but how fitting! There are a ton of songs about love and sex, but a slightly smaller subcategory of songs about masturbation and privates (men like to sing about their boy parts a lot, actually). These are some of my favorite songs about self-love. I've even made you a Youtube playlist!

My Ding-a-Ling by Chuck Berry
I was planing on leaving this novelty tune off of the playlist until I heard this amazing live version. Chuck Berry apparently has an amazing sense of humor, as well as some pretty liberal ideas about sexuality. This song passed the censors of the day because it's "about a toy." Apparently this track got a lot of play on Dr. Demento, and it's not hard (tee hee) to see why. Not only is this song a great introduction to this playlist, but it's a great reminder that this sort of song can be fun, and there's nothing wrong with that.

In Quintessence by Squeeze
"In Quintessence" is not exclusively about masturbation, but it is about a fifteen-year-old boy, so there is the inevitable "In the corner with his book and tissue//all he can do is pretend to miss you//Closes his eyes as he sees her body//pulls funny faces and that's his hobby." It's also a fantastic song, both musically and lyrically.

Billy Liar by The Decemberists
In a similar vein, "Billy Liar" is about a boy's boredom during which he seems to spend a good deal of time with his pants/knickers down. "Billy Liar" comes from an English novel about a boy with an active imagination. Apparently the song character, however, imagines mostly one thing.

I Touch Myself by The Divinyls
Everyone's favorite, blatant song about masturbation can't be left out. The Bens (Ben Folds, Ben Kweller, and Ben Lee) also did a pretty amusing cover of it, but as this playlist shows, men touching themselves is a lot more commonplace anyway.

Captain Jack by Billy Joel
Billy Joel wrote this song about the teens in the housing project across from his apartment, who bought a kind of heroin called "Captain Jack." But because he's Billy Joel, it's not just an accusation or judgement on these teens. He imagines what it's like to be a poor teen, including, yes, the masturbation. It's a pretty depressing song all-in-all, it kind of gives the playlist bad vibes, but I love Billy Joel, so I can't leave this one out.

U + Ur Hand by P!nk
While this isn't really a song about masturbation, this feminist rock-anthem does center around P!nk telling a guy to self-service because he isn't getting anything from her.

She Bop by Cyndi Lauper
It's a nice change to hear a woman sing about self-love, since it almost seems like a pastime reserved for men, at least according to media. But Lauper sings openly about "she-bopping" and is adorable whilst doing so. She also reminds us that "She bop, he bop, a we bop//I bop, you bop, a they bop."

Dancing With Myself by Billy Idol
When I was younger, not only did I used to get Billy Idol and Billy Joel mixed up, but I also argued until I was blue in the face that this was just a fun pop tune. But the more research I do, it's probably about "dancing" with yourself. Especially when you see Idol's body language in the video. Still a great song, and a great addition to the playlist.

Turning Japanese by The Vapors
The internet loves to argue about this one, but at least three of the interpretations have to do with masturbation, so I'm calling it. Apparently it's actually about a guy who loses a girl and is so overcome by grief that he becomes someone else, but Urban Dictionary says otherwise.

Pictures of Lily by The Who
A boy has trouble sleeping until his father gives him a picture to stick on his wall. The implication is that something about this pin-up girl causes the narrator to be able to relax himself. He also says he falls in love with Lily. Pete Townshend got the idea for this song after seeing a picture of Lily Bayliss on his girlfriend's wall.

Pink Thing by XTC
Andy Partridge penned this unusual homage to his penis. In actuality, the song is built to have a dual meaning. Yes, it's about his penis, but hidden beneath that is the fact that it's about his son. You follow me? Because I barely do. Partridge and his wife apparently called their son "pink thing" when he was a baby, and Partridge wanted to write a song about his son without it being cheesy. Thus, he gave it a wax overcoat of being about a penis. It works.

Fingers by P!nk
Trust P!nk to make it on this list twice. Apparently her record company wants to make it really hard to get to this song. That's not coming from research, it's from experience. P!nk was going to include this on I'm Not Dead, then changed her mind, then released it on the platinum version of I'm Not Dead, so you have to buy the whole deluxe album to get it, and then I can't add it to this Youtube playlist because it's only viewable on its own. Anyway, it's about P!nk not getting enough from her boyfriend, so she has to finish the job herself. Very sexy tune, and a perfect wrap for this playlist.


Got any more? I'd love to hear them!

Interview: Elias Gowins of Elias and the Error

Last year, Canton, Ohio band Elias and the Error released Aren't We So Lucky to be Alive. Now they're introducing Help Yourself, and I've got the scoop on it from Elias Gowins.

Elias Gowins

No More Blood From a Clone: How would you describe Elias and the Error?

Elias Gowins: Elias and the Error is a multimedia project built around my songs. I'm really inspired by the highly-visual, chameleon career artists like David Bowie, Marilyn Manson, Todd Rundgren, DEVO, and Sparks. All of these artists make powerful music that's socially aware and supplemented with striking costumes, make-up, videos, and photography.

NMBFC: Can I ask you to explain what you mean by "chameleon career artists"?

Elias Gowins: "Chameleon career artists" is the only way I know how to describe people like Bowie or Manson and the like who have made several decades worth of albums, worked in many different musical genres and moods, and have evolved and changed their highly visual presentation.

NMBFC: Your latest album is largely about mental health and you've done a show specifically as a community outreach about mental health. May I ask why this matter speaks to you so vocally?

Elias Gowins: I am extremely vocal about mental health because it's such a terribly misunderstood subject, at least where I live in the Midwestern United States. I spent my adolescence and early adulthood chained to my own self-destructive wrecking ball. I was quitting jobs, burning money, destroying relationships, and hurting myself without understanding why or how to stop it. Unfortunately, the uneducated attitude most people take to this is "Oh, well, snap out of it. Cheer up." They try to inject logic into suicide. It won't ever work. It took me so long to summon the courage and the resources to finally get help. So, now that I'm at least able to get up in the morning without demolishing various aspects of my life and my body, I want to try and speak to people who are like me. I want to reach out to kids who are surrounded by people who don't understand mental health and ascribe a "get over it" attitude to their issues. I get a lot of messages and letters from fans. I've gotten pictures of arms slashed down to the bone, attempted suicide stories, and people telling me about their struggles with sexuality and gender issues. These people have no party in their life that won't judge them or shame them for trying to unravel their mental health issues and if my presence and my art serves that purpose for them, then I am honored and humbled to assume the role.

NMBFC: How do you feel you've advanced as a band since Aren't We So Lucky To Be Alive?

Elias and the Error

Elias Gowins: The songs are a lot denser and complex now. I used to play live solo or with a couple backing musicians, but we're a consistent four piece with a drummer now. That has added an incredible amount of power to our performances. Our visual representation is a lot more polished, too, and much less colorful than the visuals we had during the release of our first album.

NMBFC: Is a less colorful live performance better?

Elias Gowins: Less colorful doesn't mean that the shows are less fun or anything - it's more of a palette change than a dynamic change. We've been making things more monochrome and dramatic rather than over-the-top glammy and sci-fi like the previous live show we did. I think the new show lends itself better to the serious and intense nature of the new album's material and themes.

NMBFC: The songs on Help Yourself each seem to deal with different types and aspects of mental illness. Was there a particular system to writing these songs, or did you just coincidentally end up with these common themes?

Elias Gowins: I stopped making music for several months because I was in the deepest, most insane state I've ever been in. I quit my job and moved to another state to follow this person that I was convinced was going to love me forever and I would finally stop hating myself. As our relationship predictably became volatile, I became increasingly self-destructive, culminating in me going to the hospital in an attempt to keep me from killing myself. I charmed and deceived my way out of the psychiatric ward and returned to my house. Forced to really look at everything that had lead up to that, the only way I could reconcile it was to write a song. That song was "As I Was Going to St. Clair." From that point forward, I felt strongly that bringing myself back to music and dealing with my feelings through the music was going to help me through this period. I didn't have anyone to talk to, so I talked to the music. I didn't intend for the album to focus so directly on my story, but I didn't let myself second guess anything I was writing because I wanted to create an honest snapshot of what my life was like during this breakdown.

NMBFC: My favorite track on Help Yourself is actually "As I Was Going to St. Clair." Can you tell us any more about the story behind it?

Elias Gowins: My roommates whom I lived with in Pittsburgh staged this really frightening and isolating intervention that made me feel more scared and anxious rather than help me. When they saw that I continued to hurt myself beyond that point, they took me to a regular sort of hospital and just dropped me off. They expected me to go away for a long time or something. After I got booked, I was interviewed by the staff psychiatrist. It doesn't take more than a Psych 101 class to figure out what answers their looking for in regards to committing you, so I lied. I did so well I even received a prescription for powerful sleeping pills as a bonus prize. The whole situation was filled with people trying to "help" me, but it scared me to death and made me retreat further into myself. It did a lot more damage than good. So, my anger and frustration with these powerful people making decisions about my life and health who seemingly had no regard or understanding for my happiness or comfort inspired me to write that song.

NMBFC: How did you decide on the jazzy, almost vaudevillian, yet still very modern sound for it?

Elias Gowins: The original arrangement of the song was more like the choruses in the album version. It was electronic and very dissonant and frightening - a result of my anxious and terrified emotions that night. I found out about Cab Calloway through Danny Elfman, who most people probably know was the composer for all of Tim Burton's films. Cab Calloway's records are early 1900s hot jazz tracks with lots of call-and-response crowd vocals and jumpy, swing dance rhythms. I felt the swing-timing of the song would lend itself to a jazzy, cabaret arrangement and spent a lot of time honing the track to incorporate those elements. I'm also into a lot of vaudeville and jazz revival stuff like The Dresden Dolls and Squirrel Nut Zippers, so they definitely were a template for the style of that track.

NMBFC: I can definitely hear the Cab Calloway in that track now that you say that, but you've done a great job of giving it a modern twist.

Elias Gowins: Thanks!

NMBFC: What's your view on songs like "Fire and Rain," which is about James Taylor's experience in a mental institution, but really has nothing to do with his struggle with depression so much as his "lost love"?

Elias Gowins: I think a lot of depressed people find themselves in unhealthy, codependent relationships. I know I certainly did. The song "Gelobtes Land" is directly about my worst relationship. Something like "Fire and Rain" seems to pin the solution to our problems on the love of another when the love we have for ourselves is the most powerful. I can't speak for everyone, but my low self-esteem and dependence on others for love and approval was the root of my issues with depression. I hope to encourage more people to accept themselves rather than look for their self-image in a relationship, religion, or whatever.

NMBFC: Is it possible that love is just like a semi-tangible thing we can all pin our depressions on, instead of having to think about the fact that really we're sad for no specific reason?

Elias Gowins: I think love can definitely put up a smokescreen between us and the real nature of our emotions. Love is a great thing when it is healthy, but it is also a common outlet for a lot of hateful and hurtful things.

NMBFC: I noticed that there seem to be more female vocals on this album. What caused that shift?

Elias Gowins: I would consider myself to have a very feminine spirit, which is something I fought with for a long time. As I've developed my singing voice and learned proper technique, my singing voice has dropped an octave, giving it a deeper, bolder post-punk sort of tone. I wanted to keep this sort of daintiness and fragility to some of the vocal parts, so I enlisted some friends to help me out. Most prominent on the album is Romie RoMak, who has been in a bunch of LA-area bands, she's the female vocalist on "Gelobtes Land," and she is my ideal candidate for the things I find enchanting about female vocals.

NMBFC: Do you have any more live shows planned to promote this album?

Elias Gowins: Our production right now costs a lot of money, most of which comes from my own pocket, so we're taking things very slow when it comes to performing right now. I would rather play four shows a year where we can do the full production on our terms and give the audience an experience than play every weekend in a different basement with no videos, costumes, staging, or video screens.

NMBFC: Have you considered making a Kickstarter to help fund live shows?

Elias Gowins: If we had an idea that was big enough, absolutely. Kickstarter is a great platform for an artist to test the true marketability of an idea before they throw money at it.

NMBFC: Tell my readers a little bit more about your live shows.

Elias Gowins: I'm a very big fan of live music. I listen to just as many live concert recordings as I do studio albums. However, when I go and see most bands live, I find it tends to become very static after four or five songs. I'm not sure if I should ascribe this to how the modern media assaults and overloads all senses or my frustratingly short attention span. Bands like Nine Inch Nails, of Montreal, Daft Punk, SSION, and Amanda Palmer all have great live shows that utilize a variety of media to keep you constantly interested and stimulated by what's going on in front of you. Their shows feel like an experience, rather than just a collection of your favorite songs played live. My father lived in Las Vegas for nearly a decade, and I saw a lot of the Cirque du Soleil shows out there, which also create a dynamic experience that touches on many moods and vibes. I want our shows to be engaging, interesting, and interactive like the ones I referenced. Some elements to the current show are live video mapping, costumes, props, and custom staging. We play on a series of elevated platforms that are backed by surfaces we project video content onto. Our stage is decorated in rotten mushroom statues and we're all currently dressing in a sort of a classy 1930s swing dance troupe's garb. We go into the crowd as much as possible to sing and dance with people. We want to connect with these people and have love pouring from both sides of the front row. We only play in our home base of Ohio right now, but we regularly have people driving from out of state to catch our sets. We're extremely happy to entertain people that much that they find a 10-hour round trip drive is worth it.

NMBFC: What exactly is live video mapping?

Elias Gowins: Video mapping is the process of taking the entirety of a video projector's output and declaring different "zones" within it. Say for instance, I set an apple and a banana on a table. The video projector is projecting over the entire table, but using software, the projector only puts images on the apple and banana. So, each different place we play in, we adapt the video show to the set-up of the stage and wherever we end up putting the screens, so with one video projector we're getting several "zones" of unique video at once. Maybe some colors are strobing on my face while animations play on the wall behind us. It's really cool stuff and we're still learning what we can do with it.

NMBFC: Sounds awesome. Is there anything else the world should know about Elias and the Error?

Elias Gowins: Hoobastank follows the Elias and the Error Twitter.

If you want to hear more from Elias and the Error, you too can follow them on Twitter @Elias_Error.

Or if you want to hear their music, you can check them out at Bandcamp.

Concert Review: Tegan and Sara in Columbus, Ohio

Tegan and Sara played a sold out show at the Lifestyle Communities Indoor Stage on Saturday. The crowd was lined up around the corner of the building two hours before the doors opened. The consensus seemed to be that it was worth the wait.

Doors opened at 7:00, and the line went in pretty rapidly. Diana took the stage at 8:00 and performed an enthusiastic (if musically so-so) set. Lead singer Carmen Elle interacted very well with the audience, despite the fact that she, of all people, sensed that the audience was hungry for the main act.

Tegan and Sara finally began their set around 9:00, opening with "Back In Your Head," an instant crowd-pleaser, though I thought it fell a little flat, particularly compared to the last time I heard them live, back in 2008.

They continued with "Walking with a Ghost," followed by "I Was a Fool," "I'm Not Your Hero," and "I Couldn't Be Your Friend," all of which sounded much better than the older songs, presumably because the Heartthrob sound was the one the musical setup was designed for. They then returned to older songs with "Arrow" and "The Con," the newer sound now warming up to the older songs.

After "The Con," they broke to speak to the audience about the letters fans have been writing the band through a mailbox they've been leaving at the merch table. Tegan became emotional when she began to talk about it, and Sara completed the story about finding out how important Tegan and Sara are to their fans,. They then launched into my favorite track from Heartthrob, "Love They Say," which was gorgeous with the added emotion of the spoken preface, and "Goodbye, Goodbye."

Next up were the songs "Where Does the Good Go?," "Burn Your Life Down," and "Living Room," and then another new track, "How Come You Don't Want Me?"

Tegan then broke to tell two stories, about a misunderstanding at the bar the previous night, and about a kind and emotional man she'd met in Hawaii. From there, Tegan and Sara performed an incredibly emotional version of "Call It Off," before moving into "Nineteen," "Shock To Your System," and "Drove Me Wild."

Ted Gowans then moved to synthesizer for the remixed version of "Alligator." Afterwards, Sara introduced the band, and they finished off the set with "Now I'm All Messed Up" and "Closer," warning the audience ahead of time that "we almost always do an encore!"

Tegan Quinn

The ravenous crowd did not wait long for the encore, which included a medley of older songs ("My Number," "Monday Monday Monday," "You Wouldn't Like Me," "We Didn't Do It," "Superstar," "Speak Slow," "Hop a Plane," "Sentimental Tune," "On Directing," and "I Know I Know I Know") and a performance of "Feel it in My Bones," a song they originally collaborated on with Tiësto.

All-in-all, it was a decent show. I don't think they were at their musical peak, but the audience was pleased and it was a good show, just not perfect. I still recommend checking out one of their shows, because it's a great experience.

A Personal History: The Beatles

Growing up with a hardcore fan like my mom in the house, it never even occurred to me that liking The Beatles was not something everyone did, until college age, when I befriended my first true Beatles hater.

I don't remember a first experience with the band in particular, but I do know that I was mainly looped in by the one-shot Rupert cartoon (Rupert and the Frog Song) that Paul McCartney voiced.

But I do have other distinct memories, such as being allowed (once in a while) to play my mom's picture discs on my record player, and watching Help! in my mom's bed when I had a cold. 

The Beatles really caught on for me when I was in high school though. I was in full-blown Monkees mode, and The Beatles just seemed to be the next natural progression. A friend of mine "loaned" me The Beatles #1 CD, and I played it over and over again in my $10 portable CD player (including one time during my art class, which resulted in the loss of all my participation points for the day, even though I did ask her first). I watched Help! and A Hard Day's Night to my heart's content, plastered pictures and 90s trading cards of The Beatles (mainly George Harrison) all over my room, giving them near-equal shares of space with The Monkees and Monty Python stuff. I spent nearly $30 of allowance money on an ill-fitting shirt off of Ebay. I begged my mom to let me keep her Beatles albums, and failing that, rented them all from the library and added them to the rotation of discs for my portable CD player.

There's a more complicated part of this story where I met a bunch of people through a vaguely related website, but that's another matter.

This isn't really an incredibly coherent history, primarily because The Beatles are woven into my personal history. Whatever people say about their musicality, or how they're over-rated, The Beatles have made me happy, and made millions of other people happy. I think that alone makes them worthwhile.

The Beatles left to right: Ringo Starr, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison.

Recommended Tracks:

And Your Bird Can Sing

Here Comes The Sun

I'll Follow The Sun

Love You To

Nowhere Man

Album Review: "Heartthrob" by Tegan and Sara

The sound of the 1980s is here to stay, and nothing announces its reign quite like Tegan and Sara's Heartthrob. While the art direction can trick us into believing it's just a continuation of Sainthood, the sound is far from it. Just like Taylor Swift taking the last steps toward pop last year, and fun. becoming radio-marketable, Tegan and Sara have made an album that has moved them from indie rock to indie pop (which is much more salable to the masses).

Heartthrob opens with "Closer," the incredibly poppy lead single that was actually played on some radio stations months ago. "Closer" serves as a pretty accurate preview of the album, with a much more dance-like feel than any of Tegan and Sara's earlier work. "Goodbye, Goodbye" is emotionally much closer to traditional Tegan and Sara, but the melancholy lyrics are juxtaposed by incredibly upbeat instrumentals and synths that wouldn't need remixed to be played in a club.

One of the top tracks on this album is "I Was a Fool," which is sure to be another single given time. Although it's a different sound for Tegan and Sara, it reminds us of the raw emotion these girls can convey, and uses call and answer vocals that are part of their traditional sound (as in "Call It Off," amongst others). The keys interwoven with the synths serve to be just as emotional as the lead vocals, giving every aspect of this song the kind of care and intricacy that a good track needs.

"I'm Not Your Hero" features some of the best lyrics of the album, such as: "I'm not their hero/But that doesn't mean that I wasn't brave." It begins much like their usual work, but moves into an 80s power ballad at the chorus.

The most upbeat, and possibly one of the best tunes on this album is "Drove Me Wild." "Drove Me Wild" brings the sensuality of the album to another level with lines like: "When I envision you, I think of your sheets//tangled up beneath me."

"How Come You Don't Want Me" and "I Couldn't Be Your Friend" are two incredibly 80s tracks, with electronic drums, beats, and echo effects. These songs convey the emotional volatility the girls are known for, but with a very different sound than the usual. "Love They Say" is far less poppy, and contains an almost tear-jerking level of sentimentality. It has a much more stripped-down sound than the rest of the album, and relies primarily on the vocals and the powerful lyrics (You don't need to wonder if love will make us stronger//there's nothing love can't do). The calmer sound carries over to the introduction of "Now I'm All Messed Up," which begins with the poignant line: "Stay//You'll leave me in the morning anyway." "Now I'm All Messed Up" builds to a more heavy sound, and evokes the emotions felt by someone who is fairly torn in a relationship, between how much they love someone and how much the person is hurting them. The most gorgeous part of the song is when the chorus of "go, go, go if you want//I can't stop you" is interrupted by a call of "Please stay" between each line, expressing the sentiment that the narrator seems to be trying to hard to deny throughout the first half of the song.

The closer for the album is "Shock to Your System," which seems to be a fairly even mix of the Sainthood sound and the new Heartthrob sound. It's not the most powerful song on the album, but it works as a wrap-up.

Heartthrob has more of a common theme than previous Tegan and Sara albums, each song outlining the virtues and downfalls of love and relationships, and each track dripping with passion. The primary negative is that there is less of the "curled up in the corner" sound that one can expect from certain earlier works. Heartthrob has a new kind of strength of character, even in the saddest songs. It's also wonderful the way the songs range from singing the praises of love in "Love They Say" to describing the sickening feeling one gets when they imagine where their lover is now in "Now I'm All Messed Up." This album is far more sensual and even sexual than one would typically expect from this duo, but it's never tacky. While I personally don't enjoy it as much as The Con, the artistry is undeniable, and the lyrics have reached a new level of maturity and elegance.

Tegan and Sara are a Canadian indie rock duo.

Heartthrob can be purchased here for $5.

I've Got This Covered: Finian's Rainbow

While I know it's not the most popular musical of all time, Finian's Rainbow happens to be one of my favorites. I would love to see modern artists performing some of the iconic songs from the film. These are my personal picks for which artists.

1) Prelude (Main Title) - Florence and the Machine
Florence Henderson's strong voice would serve as a perfect opener for this somewhat mystical story. The use of silence around the powerful vocals is also something Florence excels at.

2) This Time of the Year - Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
The down-home/folky feel of this song can't be handled by many modern artists. But Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros could make it work.

3) How Are Things in Glocca Morra? - Adele
Another strong voice to compete with Petula Clark's, I could hear Adele singing this song outside of this project.

4) Look to the Rainbow - The Bird and the Bee
The seldom-replicated sound of The Bird and the Bee would work amazingly well this tune.

5) If This Isn't Love - Ben Folds and Regina Spektor
If you've not heard "You Don't Know Me" by this duo, you're missing out. In any case, Ben Folds and Regina Spektor could perform a much more keyboard-ey version of this song.

6) Something Sort of Grandish - Of Monsters and Men
It would be very different, but something tells me that this duet would be well-served by Of Monsters and Men.

7) That Great Come-and-Get-It Day - Kishi Bashi
Of all the songs and artists I've picked for this project, this seems to be one of the most glove-like fits. If you aren't familiar with Kishi Bashi, he does stuff like this:

8) Old Devil Moon - Paloma Faith
Paloma Faith is one of those singers with the unique and old-fashioned voice you find very rarely. She has so much power in her vocals, she'd have no trouble with this song.

9) When the Idle Poor Become the Idle Rich - Pelle Carlberg
This Swedish singer has the style, sense of humor, and voice to carry this song. I could see a possible collaboration with Ida Maria again like on "I Love You, Imbecile."

10) When I'm Not Near the Girl I Love - Michael Bublé
Michael Bublé might not seem like the first choice for a list like this, but I think he'd be the perfect choice for this track.

11) Rain Dance Ballet - Vitamin String Quartet
Not only are Vitamin String Quartet one of the only modern-day quartets that mesh quite often with pop, but I think they could give this piece some real pizzazz.

12) The Begat - Barenaked Ladies

The Barenaked Ladies do some mean acapella, which I think could be applied to this song. See some of their a capella below (starts at 32 seconds):

13) How Are Things in Glocca Morra? (Finale) - The Decemberists
With the cute, yet powerful sound The Decemberists can produce, who better to close this album?

*"Necessity" would be omitted since it doesn't appear in the final film.

That's how I think it should go down. Questions? Better ideas? Drop me a comment. Or if you're a major magazine that has magical powers over artists, feel free to make this happen.

Top 10: Albums of 2012

People have tried to sum 2012 up musically in many ways. It's been described as a year of self-pity and of fiscal awareness, but it's entirely possible that 2012 did not have single theme. 2012 saw a further blurring of the line between independent and mainstream music, and once again saw a redefinition of what it takes to make a song popular (spoiler alert: Glee helps a lot). 2012 was the year Taylor Swift went pop, the year a young girl with the stage name Kitty Pryde made a career for herself the new-fashioned way, the year a Korean man (PSY) had a big American hit.

Once again, I've compiled a list of my favorite albums of 2012. I don't think this was the best year for music, but it certainly wasn't a bad one.

10. The Haunted Man by Bat For Lashes
Natasha Khan falls just the Kate Bush side of Florence and the Machine's Ceremonials in The Haunted Man, with a tiny dash of The Xx. While there are no big hits like "Daniel" contained within The Haunted Man, it's a pretty cool album that lives up to the quality of her previous works.

Key Tracks:

"Lilies"

"All Your Gold"

"Winter Fields"

9. Roses by The Cranberries

Having reviewed Roses way back in March of last year, I'm incredibly impressed by how much the lyrics and melodies come back to me. It's a much better album even than I remembered. The songs toward the end of the album are a little weaker than those that start it, but it definitely stands up, and I feel as though Roses should have received more attention this year.

Key Tracks:

"Conduct"

"Tomorrow"

"Schizophrenic Playboys"

8. 151a by Kishi Bashi

I was going to rank this album lower, until I gave it another listen, and then I began to wonder if it should be higher. The musicality is ace, and the songs are still catchy. The vocals and instrumentals are everywhere, whilst still seeming meticulously placed. If you haven't listened to it already, I recommend.

Key Tracks:

"Bright Whites"

"Chester's Burst Over The Hamptons"

"I Am The Antichrist To You"

7. Moving Up Living Down by Eric Hutchinson

I reviewed Moving Up Living Down when it came out. It's a little different from Sounds Like This, but not necessarily in a bad way. There's a greater variety of styles, and a new kind of power to the production. The lead single "Watching You Watch Him" is strong and there are plenty of album tracks to back it up. 

Key Tracks:
"Best Days"
"Watching You Watch Him"
"Not There Yet"

6. The Sound of the Life of the Mind by Ben Folds Five

A somewhat morose album, The Sound of the Life of the Mind features more collaboration between Ben Folds and Nick Hornby. The album is beautiful, moving, and very occasionally uplifting. The lead single even featured a video that starred Fraggle Rock's Fraggles.

Key Tracks:

"Erase Me"

"Do It Anyway"

"Hold That Thought"

5. sketches by edu

Andrew Horowitz released his first solo work exclusively on cassette this year. The nine song work was pure beauty. Each track feels hand-crafted and adorable. sketches closes with the only song not written by Horowitz, a cover of "Rainbow Connection" that does the song as much justice as Kermit's original.

Key Tracks:
"miss melody"
"HEY YOU!"
"at the end"

4. Hawaii: Part II by ミラクルミュージカル

Hawaii: Part II was released about a month ago on bandcamp (my review). Something of a concept album, the tracks from Hawaii: Part II still stand well one by one. Joe Hawley's side-project is quite the masterpiece. 

Key Tracks:

"Isle Unto Thyself"

"Murders"

"Dream Sweet in Sea Major"

3. Some Nights by fun.

After listening to Aim and Ignite many times over the past few years, Some Nights came as something of a disappointment. The radio did not agree with me, making "Some Nights" one of the most overplayed songs of 2012. Don't get me wrong, it's still an amazing album, but I was a little underwhelmed. I think radio listeners should also understand that the rest of the album is as good as the two lead singles.

Key Tracks:

"Carry On"

"All Alone"

"Out On The Town"

2. Former Lives by Benjamin Gibbard

While I realize certain albums on my list are odd and off the beaten path, I'm surprised I haven't seen Former Lives on more 2012 best of lists. Ben Gibbard created a great album that certainly stuck with me. There's not a single song on the album that I would skip, and almost every one has a very special place on the album and in my life.

Key Tracks:

"Lily"

"Oh, Woe"

"A Hard One to Know"

1. Mia Pharaoh by Miniature Tigers

Falling only slightly short of the picture perfect Tell It To The Volcano, Mia Pharaoh took an adventurous leap into the 70s- but with synths. Lead single "Boomerang" was a great preview of the album's feel. Miniature Tigers manage to find the space between cute and sexy, between retro and modern, having a sound that no one can emulate, and that is exclusively theirs (their album of covers could have easily made it into my top ten, but technically it's an E.P.). I'm sure I listened to this album more than any other this year, and for good reason. The songs are well-sculpted, catchy, sensual, and strangely cute. If you haven't listened to Mia Pharaoh yet, get on it.

Key Tracks:

"Sex On The Regular"

"Afternoons With David Hockney"

"Boomerang"

Album Review: "Hawaii: Part II" by ミラクルミュージカル

First of all, "ミラクルミュージカル" means "Miracle Musical" or "Musical Miracle" depending on who you ask. Either way, it's the side-project of Tally Hall guitarist Joe Hawley and includes appearances by most of the other band members. 

Hawaii: Part II begins with the almost holiday-sounding "Introduction to the Snow," in which Hawley employs 1930s-style vocals. "Introduction to the Snow" is a beautiful, yet very short track, which flows wonderfully into "Isle Unto Thyself," a heavily synthesized track. Next is "Black Rainbows featuring a very interesting sound, with melodic vocals by Madi Diaz and baglama played by Bora Karaca. "White Ball" is one of the lesser tracks on the album. Though it does feature vocals by Zubin Sedghi and poetic lyrics, I can't help but feel the female vocalists' talents would be better suited to Broadway.

"Murders" is a strange and dark tune that becomes stronger as a song as it progresses, beginning with simple  piano chords and continuing into an elegant bridge. The vocal also begin rough and become more refined and calm at the end of the piece. "宇宙ステーションのレベル7" or "Level 7 Space Station" is a very different track, with lyrics in several languages and featuring the use of a vocoder. These tracks are followed by "The Mind Electric," which is an altered version of an old, unreleased Tally Hall track formerly called "Inside the Mind of Simon." Both the original track and "The Mind Electric" are excellent pieces with a haunting and interesting story in the lyrics. 

The 8th track is titled "Labrinth," and reminds me of something by Mark Ronson and the Business International, due to a clever combination of somewhat 80s synths, a strong female vocalist (Charlene Kaye) singing eerily, interwoven with beats and rapping by Shane Maux. The rapping, although the center of the song, is done in such a way that even non-rap fans should be able to enjoy the piece. There is a more central use of the vocoder in "Time Machine," which features main vocals by both Hawley and Rob Cantor. "Stranded Lullaby," true to its title, is very much a lullaby, and features an intelligent use of strings. 

The album closes with "Dream Sweet in Sea Major," a bookend to the album, echoing the 30s vocals of "Introduction to the Snow," along with the faint holiday feel. The piece seems to have several movements, all different, but all gorgeous. The end of the album is as harsh as the beginning was gentle. 

Hawaii: Part II is a beautiful and intricate album, featuring a great deal of musicality and talent. Not only is is a must-hear for fans of Tally Hall, but for fans of music in general.

Hawaii: Part II can be found here.

Interview: Micky Dolenz

When The Monkees sang the line "we may be coming to your town," I'd always assumed it was just lyricism, seeing as I live in one of the smaller cities in Ohio. But Marion, Ohio has seen a lot of bigger names in the past few years, such as Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Peter Noone, Boys II Men, and even Weird Al Yankovic. This Saturday, Micky Dolenz joins the list, performing at Marion's historic Palace Theatre. Luckily, I had a chance to speak with Mr. Dolenz prior to the show on Saturday.

No More Blood From a Clone: So what brings you to the Marion Palace Theatre this Saturday?

Micky Dolenz: They booked me there for a show with my band called "Micky's Monkees Christmas," which basically is a Christmas show, but it also includes all of the Monkees hits that I sang, most of them. So, it's kind of a rock and roll Christmas show with some classic Christmas songs for the whole family, but also a lot of kind of contemporary rock and roll Christmas songs too. For instance, I do The Eagles cover version of "Please Come Home For Christmas."

NMBFC: What made you decide to do Christmas-themed shows?

Micky Dolenz: I've been doing them for years. Every year I get booked to do a few. If I recall correctly, it's been like the last five, ten years. Something like that.

NMBFC: You recently released Remember, which is a beautiful album with re-imagined versions of older songs. Where did the idea for Remember come from?

Micky Dolenz: It's kind of an audio scrapbook of my life through music. The songs are particularly the songs that meant a lot to me or had some influence on me or were milestones in my life. For instance, I do a Beatles tune called, "Good Morning Good Morning" off of the Sgt. Pepper album. And the reason I do that song is because I was there at that session with The Beatles in the 60s. So that left a big impression, obviously. And I do, for instance "Johnny B. Goode" by Chuck Berry, which was my audition piece for The Monkees. That's the song that got me the gig. And [Remember includes] songs like that, that had some influence on me, or were milestones. I call it "Remember," it's a bit of a trip down memory lane. The title song is "Remember" by an artist named Harry Nilsson. I was there when he wrote it, he was a very dear friend of mine. All the songs have a story attached.

NMBFC: What I found very interesting about the album is the songs are originally all very different songs, but they have a very cohesive feel on the album. Where did you find that sound?

Micky Dolenz: Well, it was a combination of myself and my producer, David Harris, who had an enormous influence, like producers do. That's traditionally one of the main responsibilities [of producers], to [give an album], like you said, a very cohesive sound. So that was, like I say, myself doing arrangements, and David Harris doing arrangements and also producing. When we discussed doing the album and the songs we were gonna do, we didn't want to just cover a song, just do the exact same version that was done originally, just with me singing- a typical kind of cover version. We kind of wanted to re-envision the songs. A lot of that was down to him, because songs that I'd already sung a lot and performed a lot, like "Randy Scouse Git," which I wrote, I don't know that I could come up with a really different way to do that because I'm just so close to it. On the other hand, I did come up with the different sort of feeling on "Good Morning Good Morning" and I came up with the different feeling on "Johnny B. Goode" and a couple of the other ones too. "I'm a Believer," I came up with the country kind of feel on that. But a lot of it was down to, like I say, David Harris and his vision of it.

NMBFC: Now obviously we can expect some of the Monkees songs on Saturday, but are there any of the other songs that we'll hear from Remember?

Micky Dolenz: Not off that album, no. Well, I do "I'm a Believer," but I do that in the traditional way. And I do a lot of other Monkees songs. I may be doing "Sometime in the Morning," it's one of my favorite Carole King songs.

Wayne Avers and Micky Dolenz perform live.

NMBFC: What can you tell me about your live DVD from B.B. King's Blues Club in New York City?

Micky Dolenz: I haven't heard it yet, they're mixing right now. It's in the studio. We recorded it on the night of course, but then we've been touring, my whole band. My band is the same band that was on the Monkees tour, besides Peter Tork and Mike Nesmith. John [Billings], my bass player, and Wayne [Avers], my lead guitar player, they're the ones that put together and had it recorded, and they have it in Nashville, where they live, and they're working on it and mixing it right now.

NMBFC: You mentioned the recent Monkees tour. How do you feel that went, like the sound and the way the three of you interacted?

Mike Nesmith, Micky Dolenz, and Peter Tork performing in Cleveland, Ohio.

Micky Dolenz: I was very, very pleased. It was great playing with Michael again after years and singing some of his songs that he originally wrote and performed. The band was wonderful, I have a great band. Christian Nesmith also was there, and my sister Coco. So it was like a family affair, like a rock and roll circus show. It was wonderful. We all had a great time. It was very successful as you may have heard, and we got some really incredible reviews.

NMBFC: Do you think that was the final tour with The Monkees?

Micky Dolenz: I don't know. We don't know. Obviously, it was discussed, but I think kind of the general consensus was, "let's get through this tour and see how we feel, see how everybody feels." It wasn't a very long tour, it was only twelve dates. [We wanted to] see how the audiences like it, see how we like it, see what kind of reviews we get, you know, all of that.

NMBFC: Do you personally ever plan to retire from live shows, or just keep going?

Micky Dolenz: I tried to retire once, it was a big mistake. I was bored stupid. I was living in England at the time, and I sold off my investments and my properties and stuff, and I was just living in this big country mansion in the English countryside and I had nothing to do and was bored silly. No, I probably won't retire. I mean, I don't do as much as I used to, I have to pick and choose a little bit more. Because, you know, doing shows in rock and roll, it's hard work.

NMBFC: Just to bring it back around to the Christmas show on Saturday, what's the ratio of Christmas songs to your regular material?

Micky Dolenz: I haven't counted them up. I wanna say maybe kind of 50/50 or something like that. It will definitely be all the big Monkee hits.

NMBFC: About how long does the show run?

Micky Dolenz: Around seventy-five minutes.

NMBFC: Well, thank you very much.

There's still time to catch Micky Dolenz at the Historic Palace Theatre in Marion, Ohio this Saturday, December 15th at 8pm. Tickets can be purchased at the box office at 276 West Center Street in Marion, Ohio, or online at the Marion Palace Theatre website. Just click the ticket-shaped link beside the price listings.

And if you're interested in buying Micky's album, Remember, it's available as a physical CD or digital download.

Top 5: Underrated 80s Bands

The 1980s were a time of paradise (or hell, depending on your point of view) for one-hit-wonder bands. Due to the rise of MTV and VH1, bands that previously had no hope for international fame were suddenly finding audiences. The result was that the 1980s had a much broader range of music for the populous to listen to. But a lot of great bands ended up either being "one-hit-wonders," or being completely washed away. Therefore, I would like to present a non-definitive list of five 80s bands that I don't believe got (or get) enough attention.

#5 Bow Wow Wow

Bow Wow Wow were created to advertise a New Romantic clothing line by Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood. Bow Wow Wow are generally considered to be a one-hit-wonder with "I Want Candy," an updated cover of a 60s song, but much of their album work is incredible, and has been an influence on bands like Red Hot Chilli Peppers and No Doubt.

You May Know:

"I Want Candy "

You Should Hear:

"Aphrodisiac "
"C30, C60, C90 Go"
"Do You Wanna Hold Me?"

#4 Siouxsie and the Banshees

Although they kick-started Robert Smith's career, most people today don't really know who Siouxsie and the Banshees are (a customer at the thrift store where I worked decided to buy a best of CD one time, even though he really only listened to rap and soul. I tried to explain the mistake to him, but he had to learn for himself). Nowadays, along with the previous band, Siouxsie and the Banshees seem to have found their home on the Marie Antoinette soundtrack, so perhaps there is still hope.

You May Know:

"Hong Kong Garden"

You Should Hear:

"Kiss Them For Me"
"Spellbound"
"The Passenger"

#3 Split Enz

Split Enz saw many changes in both their lineup and sound before they split up and Neil Finn formed Crowded House, but they never quite got the attention that their music deserved. While I'm not as familiar with all of their material as I'd like to be, they are a splendid group of talented musicians.

You May Know:

"I Got You"

You Should Hear:

"Hard Act To Follow"
"Message To My Girl"
"Bold As Brass"

#2 Squeeze

Although Squeeze got their start in the late 70s and are still active, they produced a lot of great work during the 1980s, and they are underrated. Glenn Tilbrook has a voice rarely duplicated, which adds plenty of personality to their songs.

You May Know:

"Hourglass"

"Tempted"

You Should Hear:

"Points Of View"

"Pulling Mussels (From The Shell)"

"In Quintessence"

 

 #1 Talk Talk

While Talk Talk do have a lot of respect in the modern indie music community (as proven by the well-received release of this year's Spirit of Talk Talk), they never quite gained the clout that their music deserved. Talk Talk began as an incredibly good, but fairly angsty New Wave/New Romantic band, but managed to break free from the oppressions of their record label and produce a type of music that could not be categorized properly, but which had elements of jazz and classical music, and an overall ambient feel. As a fan of both eras of Talk Talk, I can't help but feel that they are one of the most under-rated acts of all time, and certainly during the 80s.

You May Know:

"It's My Life"

You Should Hear:
"Living In Another World"
"New Grass"
"Does Caroline Know"