Friday, September 30, 2011: George Thorogood & The Destroyers - House Of Blue Lights (Live)

It's Friday.

Crank it up.

Thursday, September 29, 2011: Charlie Parker - Ornithology

Here's the straight scoop, kids. Cool isn't a constant temperature.

Some days, and it kills me to admit it, but some days I post "cool" songs, when actually they are more like chilly songs. Slightly below room temperature songs.

Good songs, mind you, I would never post a bad song on this blog - I have worked too hard, strived for excellence, and would never settle for sharing luke warm or tepid songs.

Today, however, we will be having no questions about the coolness of this track.

This is cool. Cold. Sub-zero, in fact. Or, ground zero, actually.

This is the cool track that set the standards of cool.

Take it way, Bird.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011: Stars - Your Ex-Lover Is Dead

Stars is an indie pop band originally hailing from Toronto, Canada.

This is the opening track to their 2005 release "Set Yourself On Fire", and it's one of those gloriously over the top productions that's heavy on the strings and the self-importance, yet still manages to dig straight into your soul and makes you feel like your life is an indie film and this song is the highlight of its soundtrack.

Yes, glorious, over-wrought and totally gorgeous. I love every second of this track.

And you should too.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011: Marc Bolan and T. Rex - Teenage Dream

I just recently had a birthday. I'm officially in my mid-forties now, far removed from teens, teenage dreams and teenage wastelands.

I dislike birthdays, which is why I didn't mention it on my humble blog.

I have been thinking a lot about age, however, and getting older, and whatever did happen to those dreams we had when we were younger.

A lot of times people look around in their thirties and forties and wonder why they aren't rock stars or professional athletes? Why haven't they seen the world, found true love or even just more successful. They just sit there on the couch, watching Monday Night Football or reruns of Everybody Loves Raymond with their greasy hands on an extra-crispy KFC drumstick and wonder why hasn't the best in life been handed to them.

Ok, obviously that's a tad bit of an exaggeration - hopefully.

But the real answer is there within the hyperbole. We didn't get what we wanted because we didn't try hard enough. It really is just that simple.

While we were killing time watching Star Wars for the n'th time, or playing video games, or smoking and drinking our lives away, others were focused, uncompromising and steadfast in their determination to do their best to be the best.

Every minute you aren't chasing your dream, someone else out there is chasing theirs.

And that's what happened to the teenage dream, Mr. Bolan.

The reality is, it probably was never ours to begin with.

Monday, September 26, 2011: The Boomtown Rats - I Don't Like Mondays

Can you believe that, in over a year of blogging, I haven't chosen this Monday song?

Harhumph.

Let me tell you why....

Sunday, September 25, 2011

No blogging on a Sunday.

See you Monday!

Saturday, September 24, 2011: Mariah Carey - Dreamlover

We started the week looking at what some people think were the worst songs of the 1990's.

Now, let's have a listen to what I think is one of the best.

Yes, gentle reader, I appreciate that if you've been with me for any length of time, you know I have an eclectic and demanding taste in music. And, as such, you would have probably assumed that I'm no Mariah Carey fan.

And, up to a point, you would be right. I'm not a huge fan - but I'm not a hater either. Ms Carey has, for the most part, built an extremely impressive record of record sales and chart success, and I respect her tremendously for that.

More importantly, there is more to me than just obsessing about indie street cred or blindly bemoaning the bland, vapid, barren landscape of modern pop music. Hopefully, I am mostly about quality.

Now let's face facts: Dreamlover by Mariah Carey is a pretty close to perfect pop song. Using as its backbone The Emotions' 1972 track "Blind Alley", Dreamlover masterfully treads the lines between Pop/Soft Rock and R&B, providing upbeat and uplifting groove topped with Mariah's killer vocals which, this rare time, doesn't sound like a 1,000 cats clawing 500 chalkboards.

This is audio honey, and it drips over our ears, and our hearts, like golden musical nectar. And, as such, it most deservedly lands on our ever growing lists of cool songs.

Have a good Saturday, everyone, and let's hope we can all be with our dream lovers tonight.