Shameless Plays: New Young Pony Club

Although, I'd been hearing about the New Young Pony Club quite a bit in the past year, I hadn't really checked them out as of yet other than what I've heard friends play when djing. I initially wrote them off as yet another version of The Sounds or CSS (which is not too far off).

The title of their newly released (July 31st) CD caught my eye before the name of the band did, Fantastic Playroom (Modular/Interscope). Now who doesn't want a Fantastic Playroom?

I decided to give it a listen and found that I would probably dance to "The Bomb," and I actually really enjoyed "Ice Cream" (who doesn't?). I am all for bands who have fun with their music and when performing, it's contagious. I wish more bands I knew would loosen up from time to time and just get into their music, it is obvious that New Young Pony Club has no qualms about doing just this. All of their songs are lighthearted and fun but not so sugarcoated and poppy that they belong on the Disney Channel. The end result may be due to their supposed influences of "vodka, cake, and emotion" (I have no problem with any of the three) as it does border on sweet intoxicated fun.

One of their tracks "Hiding on a Staircase" brought to mind "Sympathy for the Devil" by The Rolling Stones, not to compare musical abilities nor that lead singer Tahita Bulmer was necessarily channeling Mick Jagger but I don't think I'm alone on making that comparison.

Overall I say this is a fun lighthearted dancey, new wavey cd in the vein of 80's bands such as Scandal, that was not meant to be more than just pure fun, or better yet ...a FANTASTIC PLAYROOM.


Here is some "Ice Cream" for you enjoy!

Shameless Plays: Mika

I caught this kid's appearance - okay, he's 23 - on Jimmy Kimmel this past week, and now I can't get either of the songs he performed out of my head. He quotes his influences as Prince and David Bowie, but Steve and I swore we were watching the spawn of Freddie Mercury - maybe with a little Elton John and younger George Michael mixed in. I'm not one to fall for cheesy pop... okay, yeah I am... but Mika is a superstar, and if you haven't caught on yet (maybe you heard Love Today on Verizon Wireless commercials), you have to do yourself the favor of downloading Grace Kelly or Lollipop.

Shameless Plays: Writer's Block [Peter, Bjorn and John]

just watch the video and you'll get it.

Shameless Plays: Yes, I'm a Witch [Yoko Ono]

Okay, if you "hate" her, I have to ask: do you know anything about her besides "she broke up the Beatles?" I mean, seriously, did the fab foursome have so few balls among them that they couldn't make their own decisions and tell a would-be meddlesome "witch" to step off? Maybe John just found her as powerful, creative, kind, and inspiring as we do. Or maybe he was just ready to do his own thing. But that's a whole other debate for a whole other time.

And if you want to pursue it, you may find yourself at a podium opposite not just the ladies of Shameless here, but also The Flaming Lips (*sigh*), Antony from Antony and the Johnsons, Peaches, Le Tigre, DJ Spooky, The Sleepy Jackson, Cat Power, and many others, most of whom (all but the Shameless ladies) lent their talent to this remarkable collection of enjoyable tunes. Don't be too quick to dismiss her.

Shameless Doesn't Play: Mando Diao

I got the advance of Mando Diao's new project and was excited to review it. But I didn't really like it. The first track sets it on the right foot, but the remainder is bland and way too wannabe-Mod for my taste. There's just nothing new going on to move that sound into the 2000's, and I'm just not excited by it anymore. So there - that's your review.

Shameless Plays: Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? [Of Montreal]

"There's the girl that left me bitter, won't you pay some other girl to just walk up to her and hit her," Oh Yeah!

Today's release of Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? features 12 songs done in the typical dance party on the verge of a catfight style that only Of Montreal can pull off. This follow-up to their 2005 hit The Sunlandic Twins (which featured Requiem for O.M.M.Z and Wraith Pinned To The Mist and Other Games that had us all having "bizarre celebrations") is a little darker and I dare say even a little funkier. This is being called a concept album due to frontman Kevin Barnes having created an alter-ego (a large black transvestite named Georgie Fruit - For some reason Big Momma's House popped in my head?) while putting together the record.

Perhaps we'll see Georgie Fruit "Suffering for Fashion" during the big Of Montreal invasion hitting LA this weekend! Oh and yes..."The Past Is a Grotesque Animal."

mp3: Heimdalsgate Like A Promethean Curse

Shameless Plays: Say No to Being Cool, Say Yes to Being Happy [The Softlightes]

In a conspiracy to keep us dancing Modular Records (Yeah Yeah Yeahs, WolfMother, MSTRKRFT) brings us their soon to be latest release Say No to Being Cool, Say Yes to Being Happy by The SoftLightes, which debuts on February 13th. Although not having seen them live as of yet makes it a little hard to accurately describe the pairing of their soft vocals with dancey happy background music, their self description of Indie Electronica mixed with Folky undertones seems to be right on. One thing I can definitely say is that although having no initial desire to play the part of lead vocalist in a band, their sing-along friendly music video for Heart Made of Sound had me singing all the words regardless of not having heard the song ever before (although it should come with a warning label: beware of sudden flashes of bright color or side effects may include burning of your retinae to prepare you for some of their choices of close to neon shades of green and pink incorporated into the video).

After my eyes recovered I made a quick visit to their MySpace Page, where I discovered we will have many chances to catch them in the near future as they will be the Thursday night residents for the next few weeks at the Silverlake Lounge as part of Scott Sterling's Fold Night. They also have a KCRW Presents Album Release Party at Tangiers Feb.9th and at The Beauty Bar in San Diego where attendees will have the chance to obtain advance copies of the CD.

Although my favorite SoftLightes song has to be the mellower Microwave Song, check out the MP3 below for The Robots in my Room Were Playing Arena Rock which seems to be everyone else's pick.

The SoftLightes will be playing The Silverlake Lounge this Thursday the 18th with Dead Ponies (Jason Hammon's - formerly of Midnight Movies - new project), and Chicago-based The Changes, where together we'll find out if they make the cut.

Visit the Fold Website for more info.

mp3: The Robots in my Room Were Playing Arena Rock, the Softlightes

Shameless Plays: Between Earth and Sky [The Colour]

I was introduced to this band by one of my girlfriends a couple of years ago and became an instant fan. I wish I could say that it was because I was so deeply touched by their music, but truth be told I couldn't take my eyes off of the lead singer. He looks and moves just like any footage I've ever seen of Jim Morrison (insert girly *sigh* here). We went to as many of their shows as we could, and I never recalled a song. And it didn't matter. I mean, if it was not good, I would have noticed right away and been thoroughly annoyed, swearing off ever seeing them again.

Okay, that's not the most glowing endorsement, I know, but they came to my attention again recently as the buzz built over their February 2007 release and I decided to give them a more critical listen. Maybe because I went to see them with my boyfriend this time instead of "one of the girls." Whatever the reason, I'm glad it came to be, because I found the songs from their new release to be far more memorable than I recalled. I had read that they were something along the lines of The Cure, but watching them last month brought to mind rootsier, more blues-influenced, American-style rock. Their songs had not so much a dancey, new-wavey jerk, but rather a sexy groove.

Check out a couple of tracks to see what I mean:

~ Save Yourself mp3
~ Devil's Got a Holda Me mp3