Choppercat's CIVILIAN 2007 Reviews of Songs

Goodbye Horses by the Harvey Girls

Fri, 8 Jun 2007 12:48:50 GMT

Goodbye Horses
By The harvey Girls
Album: 'Declinate'
Label: svcrecords
Genre: pop/alternative
Tags: british, pop
Download : MP3 Audio
Buy It

Goodbye Horses by the Harvey Girls

The first time I remember hearing this song, was on the soundtrack to Jonathan Demme's Married to the Mob. One of the best collected soundtracks of the late 1980s. Some months later, watching on video Jonathan Demme's Silence of the Lambs, I realized the director of these two movies was a real fan of this song using it twice and seperately and cinematically.

That version is by Q. Lazurus and more about that below.

The Film: Silence of the Lambs
The Song: “Goodbye Horses” | Q. Lazzarus
The Scene: [video] I wasn’t planning on adding this to the list, but every time I watch this film and see thsi scene…..it really just creeps my shit out every time. It’s seriously fucked up, but I can’t help but notice how well that song played during it. Anyways, it involves serial killer Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine) as he sits in front of a mirror and applies makeup to his face. You notice the scalp of another woman over his own, and as he dances around and tucks his stuff he utters to himself, “Would you fuck me? I’d fuck me. I’d fuck me so hard.” Once you see this scene, you will never forget it. It’s seriously so fucked up.

A cover of a gem by Q. Lazurus
About the Harvey Girls:

A Brief History
Melissa Rodenbeek and Hiram Lucke formed The Harvey Girls in August of 2003 in Lawrence, Kansas. The group, named after the waitresses who served travelers in the American West from the late 19th to the mid 20th centuries along the AT&SF railways, combine the melodies of bubblegum pop with experimentation in sound.

Discography
2003 - The Biggest Book You'll Never Read e.p.
2004 - Blabber 'n Smoke album
2005 - The Harvey Girls compilation album released on Imaginary Albums
2005 - Hazy Heat / Your Evil Man single
2005 - The Wild Farewell album
2006 - Our History is Your Kitsch album

Bringing us bang up to date with their latest release, a wonderful EP called 'Declinate'.
It's the culmination of a year and a half of recording across three time zones, the guitars bend, the keyboards stand still, and the lyrics move from impression to declaration.
The last song, 'Whispering Hope' was sung by Hiram's grandmother and her sisters in 1941 and recorded from a 78 rpm record of their performance.

SVC-012 - April 2007
'Declinate'

01. Faster Peach
02. Carrying The Gold
03. Tommorow is Blessed
04. Lazlo, Buddy
05. Whispering Hope

All proceeds of sales to be donated to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN).

Download 'Declinate' now in glorious 256kbps for £1.00 complete with full artwork.

Flashback: Love Parade by the Dream Academy

Fri, 8 Jun 2007 12:28:42 GMT

Love Parade
By Dream Academy [1985]
Album: the Dream Academy
Label: Wea International
Genre: alternative
Tags: 80s, alternative, british, lush, pop
Download : MP3 Audio
Buy It

Flashback: Love Parade by the Dream Academy

Nick Laird-Clowes is, quite simply, an absolute, criminally-underrated genius, & you can't go wrong with this self-titled 1985 desert-island masterpiece by The Dream Academy.

This album has a very lush, synthesizer-heavy sound & layered vocal chants. That said, it's easy to see how this record will appeal to fans of Enya, but if those surface aspects are mainly why you like the album, it's likely you won't have any interest at all in the 2 pre-Dream Academy records I just mentioned. It's quite inaccurate to call this a new age record--I think of it more as a singer-songwriter album given an incredibly mesmerizing, pastoral production. The dreamy, atmospheric sound lends itself marvelously to the material--David Gilmour (of Pink Floyd, of course) was brought in, & he ended up co-producing all but one of the tracks on here, & he deserves a lot of credit. The first 8 songs were all written by Nick with keyboardist Gilbert Gabriel (the last 2 tracks are Nick solo compositions), & they had a very special relationship as well. Drum machines are heavily used, but to terrific effect. Likewise, Gilbert's use of synths on here is simply masterful--he uses them to give the album a lush, warm sound that's never bland, grating, or lifeless. Plus, there's a lot of other instrumentation as well--there's lots of sparkling acoustic guitar on here, as well as masterful contributions from Kate St John--she graces the album with oboe, French horn, & saxophone work in all the right places, giving additional beauty to the songs. Also, David Gilmour plays guitar on "Bound To Be", & Peter Buck (of R.E.M.) plays 12-string Rickenbacker on "The Party". The album's sound is breaktaking & unique--to say it has a "generic `80s sound" is totally unfair & inaccurate.

The most most people hear off of this album is the oft-played "Life in a Northern Town", a radio staple written about English folk-guitarist Nick Drake. This first track sets the tone for the whole album, a mellow, beautiful soundscape that ranges from soft pop-rock to the jazzy ending track "One Dream."

It is like listening to a gentle dream. Brilliant music! I hope they release some of the songs not put onto the three albums and hope they get back together to make some more music. Listening takes me back to my North Jersey teenage years in the eighties.

Rock the Casbah by Something For Kate

Thu, 12 Apr 2007 18:45:09 GMT

Rock the Casbah (Live in Studio Cover)
By Something for kate
Album: Desert Lights
Label: Sony/BMG
Genre: pop/alternative
Download : MP3 Audio

Rock the Casbah by Something For Kate

The Sydney band play Mel Bampton's last ever Like A Version and 'Rock The Casbah' by The Clash!

Band Website	somethingforkate.com
Band Members	Paul Dempsey Stephanie Ashworth Clint Hyndman

Highway to Hell by the Bellrays

Thu, 12 Apr 2007 18:37:07 GMT

Highway to Hell (live in studio)
By the Bellrays
Label: Cheap lullaby records
Genre: funk/pop
Download : MP3 Audio

Highway to Hell by the Bellrays

LA group, The Bellrays, knew how to please an Australian audience when they belted out a great rendition of this classic AC/DC track for Like A Version. The band features frontwoman Lisa Kekaula (you might know her from Basement Jaxx).

If Tina Turner fronted the Stooges this is what they would sound like. The Bellrays call their music "Maximum Rock & Soul" I’d say that sums it up pretty well. With their sound and influences you’d think they’re from Detroit. Nope. L. A.

My Friends by Motocade

Thu, 12 Apr 2007 05:59:48 GMT

My Friends
By Motocade
Album: Into the Fall EP
Genre: dance/pop
Download : MP3 Audio

Motocade

Fresh from the mail today I received Motocade's EP "Into the Fall". Just by looking at the EP cover I can visualise the montage of that desolated feeling in a cinematic frame of sinking into a bathtub drowning in plight of fear after being chased by something really terrifying. Although it’s an old slide of rays of light in the midst of the city at night, the hidden image becomes clear after listening to this seven track EP. Apart from my interpretation, what strikes me is their video to Bomb Squad, there's that same emotional encounter by a character as he takes on forms of many personas to capture the attention of his daughter from a hospital window as noted from the lyrics "Cut the red wire, cut the blue wire, she if she blows". Formed in 2005 is New Zealand, Auckland quartet Motocade, who’ve just released their second independent release "Into the Fall", its blistering falsettos and metrical driven beats are in similar to the sounds of those of British post-punk indie bands, in particular Bloc Party. Inspired by personal events, the record embellishes intense soundscapes. There's nothing resonantly complex but it's well collected and down right audible pleasure.

Other Girls by Tigercity

Thu, 12 Apr 2007 05:53:16 GMT

Other Girls
By Tigercity
Genre: dance/pop
Download : MP3 Audio

Other Girls by Tigercity : CAN anyone say Todd Rungren?

have two words for you: David Byrne's Disco Years Fronting the Time. This is your art rock Ice Cream Castles. This is everything that we've been talking about for years in one shoe-shuffling sharkskin sensation. Just listen. The production, the beat, the lyrics smooth like a marshmallow on a river of buttered honey. It's all there. This is Hall 'n Oates for the non-ironic set.

So - even though it's winter - get in your car, right now. Roll down the window, open the sunroof (you know you got one), hang your cabbie-arm out the side and get driving. The destination is not important, because TigerCity is navigating. You will get there on time. It's their promise to you. Feel better? I knew you would. I'm not about to let you down.

Go to their myspace and check out the other jams. I sat and thought for ages deciding whether to post this one or Solitary Man--- which starts out with some nasty Morris Day keyboards before ending up with a coda that makes the Killers look like...well...the Killers. But speaking of codas, the quiet synth rollout that closes this song is mesmerizing. They've thought of everything.

You can currently buy their EP, direct from the band for only six bucks. The more we spend the sooner they can get in the studio again and cut a new record, which I'm told with contain roughly 10 new songs. I'm definitely looking forward to it. Highly recommended.

Hey by the Debut

Thu, 12 Apr 2007 05:43:00 GMT

Hey!
By the Debut
Download : MP3 Audio

Hey by the Debut : find them at myspace

Sometimes this is just what you need, right? The Debut hails from Minneapolis, and they've got that hearty midwest thing going on. In fact, this is what their bio says: "The Debut practices their music in a freezing cold basement so they light cigarettes to stay warm." But it also says they found their instruments in a magic box, so who knows?

This is from the band's disc This Record Is About Cars, which, as far as I can tell, isn't. Instead, it's good old rock 'n' roll, the kind you don't take home to meet your parents. The record isn't quite out yet, but hit up the band on MySpace to get yourself a copy.

U2 is OUT OF CONTROL + Blogging the 70\\\'s

Wed, 4 Apr 2007 18:34:30 GMT

Out of Control
By U2
Album: U2's first 7
Label: Island
Genre: rock
Tags: 70s, boy, girl, seventies, stevienicks, u2
Download : MP3 Audio
Buy It

BLOG: Art Decade : specializing in music of the "long seventies" (1966-1984) Contributors

email us

Choppercat had the pleasure of reading and listening to a fantastic selection at this blogsite. A lot of passion and hard-work has gone into posting a selection, like fine wine and dining, of perennial seventies soundscapes and pop culture through the early decade of the eighties. Please visit and know that this post could not have started here. It is just a small rip and tear into this blog's world and passions. Link ART DECADE.

MORE 70's: STEVIE NICKS: Read this First Hand Account as told to Andy Capper, at VICELAND.com. Here's some of Stevie's rave.

At the party, everybody was drunk. But I can remember it like it was yesterday, so that means it was fun. Everybody was drinking wine, and there were wine spritzers there because of all the English people. It was a beautiful thing. At that point the serious drugs hadn't kicked in yet.

So yes, some bad days came later, but there's always been good days too. All of it, the good and the bad, is what allows me to sit now in a house that overlooks the ocean and have complete freedom in my life. I'm just really grateful to music every day.

A few sounds of the seventies

Including Neil Diamond and Jonathan Livingston Seagull

via Webjay

Lust for Life by Iggy Pop + REDHOT & BLUE VID w BLONDIE

Tue, 3 Apr 2007 23:26:24 GMT

Lust for Life
By Iggy Pop
Download : MP3 Audio

Iggy Pop & Blondie -
Uploaded by poulbot64

IGGY POP Tour Dates NEWS MUSIC VIDEO

As if you need another reason to love Iggy Pop, the veteran rocker (and his band The Stooges) have the single most entertaining concert rider TSG has ever obtained. The document--all 18 pages of which you'll find below--describes Iggy's requirements in terms of amplifiers, security, lighting, stage set up, and dressing rooms. But unlike most similar documents, Iggy's rider is written in a rollicking, stream-of-consciousness fashion that delivers multiple laughs per page. Apparently written by roadie Jos Grain, the Iggy rider is peppered with witty gems, tasteless asides, and typos. For example, in describing how Iggy's dressing room should be made to "look less like a typical rock & roll dressing room," the rider suggests that promoters "just let someone loose with a little bit of artistic flair...Er, do you know any homosexuals?" Explaining the need for two heavy duty fans, Grain notes, "So that I can wear a scarf and pretend to be in a Bon Jovi video." Also, don't miss the backstage requirements of a Bob Hope impersonator and "a copy of USA Today that's got a story about morbidly obese people in it. Most amusing!" (18 pages)

LINK

Upcoming Concerts

Iggy Pop

Apr 5	Washington
Apr 21	San Francisco

Iggy Pop & The Stooges

Apr 23	Los Angeles
Apr 24	Hollywood

Iggy Pop and The Stoges

Apr 9

NYC

Iggy Pop and the Stooges

Apr 7	Boston
Apr 19	San Francisco Bay Area

Me and Mr. Jones by Amy Winehouse + VIDEO

Tue, 3 Apr 2007 22:49:58 GMT

Me and Mr. Jones
By Amy Winehouse
Genre: blues, pop
Tags: blues, gutsy, melody, pop, soul, vocal
Download : MP3 Audio
Buy It

One of the things that recently came to mind when considering the eventual lash-back surrounding British delight Amy Winehouse was the line “It’s only rock ‘n roll, but I like it.” After all, sure, it’s only post diva sophista-pop, but I like it. Hearing Amy’s throaty muck her way through the crowd banter from this show compared to her elegant, timeless voice is honestly stunning and something that I’m presuming is twice as shocking when hearing it live amidst a sea of fans watching her a half dozen or so cocktails into her set. I remember first watching the video for “Rehab” expecting something far from what I saw, and ultimately being disappointed by it. I wanted nothing more than to hate her story, her songs and her look but ultimately I found myself sympathetic to all of the above.

Love Today by MIKA + VID Grace Kelly

Tue, 3 Apr 2007 22:27:23 GMT

Love today
By Mika
Download : MP3 Audio

MIKA AT MYSPACE

LOVE TODAY a PATRICK WOLF REMIX

10″ EP)

Posted by stopme under Single Reviews

Island WOLF10PRO: 19th March 2007
Love Today (Patrick Wolf Remix)
“I said, everybody’s gonna love today, gonna love today, gonna love today”

Mika’s recent arrival on the Pop scene was greeted by uncertainty from my ears. Was he a gloriously camp Pop pixie or an over the top, irritating, derivative, poor man’s Scissor Sister. I decided he was the latter.

Choppercat's CIVILIAN 2007 *Reviews of Songs*