Free Rotation

A lot of the music that I've been listening to lately has come to me free, through various internet sites. I figured that I would share a few of these songs with you readers I have. I admit right now that all of these songs are uptempo, because, to be honest, I listen to mp3s primarily while I am walking, and slow, dirge-like songs do very little to get your heart rate up.

• "32" by NAMBAVAN

A strange little song from the WM Recordings. Reminds me a bit of Duran Duran's first album (and keep in mind that for me that is a good thing), but more squonky, and with a man sing-speaking in Russian over the track. I think I like the song's energy, and the guy's unapologetic borrowing of elements from other artists. The quality of WM Recordings is highly variable, which isn't all that surprising since they are an online music label that doesn't charge for its music, but I'm fond of NAMBAVAN. He sounds like an enthusiastic amateur, and I can relate.

• "Johnny and I" by Superheroes

I know virtually nothing about this band; I was introduced to them through a remix by Fantastic Plastic Machine, one of my favorite bands. This track feels very retro, very 80s, which, again, I have no problem with. They have a lot of tracks available online through their media page, although apparently the band has split fairly recently, so I can't speak to how long they will continue to be available. I like a lot of what I've heard from them, though.

• "Nextwave Theme" by Thunder Thighs

Very few comic books have their own theme song. In fact, I think this might be the only one. Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E. is published by Marvel, and is one of the few Marvel titles that I actually buy: Warren Ellis and Stuart Immonen seem to be having a ball running roughshod through the Marvel universe, taking everything too far. A thing of beauty, truly. I jumped on the bandwagon late, although I did actually start reading before the title became uber-hip due to a proliferation of Modok Elvii.

As to the music, it is appropriately random and surreal. Definitely low-fi, but plenty o' fun.

• "Physical Workout" by Le Hammond Inferno vs. Ragazzi

I don't know why, but this song just makes me very happy. Maybe it causes my brain to release endorphins, I have no idea. The chorus is like audio Prozac to me, not because of the words being sung, but the notes behind the words. Maybe because the music hints at something more melancholy, more beautiful. I'm always curious about where these sorts of associations come from, why my reaction is so strong and positive, where someone else might find it annoying and repetitive. Where do our tastes come from? Whenever I bring it up with anyone, they seem to act as if the answer was self-evident, but if it is, I must be missing it. Sure, a lot of it is determined by history, by what we've been exposed to in the past, but am I to believe that that is the extent of it?

Anyways, enough navel-gazing...

• "Presentazione Orchestra" by Raffaella Carrà

Hardly even a song, but rather an instrumental track accompanying the artist's breathless introduction of her band to the live audience. It has a great bassline, and a driving 60s R&B feel to it. It's not quite The Bonzo Dog Band's "The Intro and the Outro", but then again, what is, really?

• "The Sunshine After The Rain" by Ellie Greenwich

Together with husband Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich wrote a slew of girl group hits in the 1960s for The Ronettes, The Crystals, and The Shanri-Las. Like fellow Brill Building alum, Carole King, she also recorded a few girl group singles, including one of the most beautiful girl group songs of all, "You Don't Know". I had never heard any of her songs but that one, since her output was limited enough to make a full length CD of her material unlikely. Then one day I saw this posted on Bubblegum Machine. It's a great song, much less maudlin than her other song, and with an ascending bassline in the chorus that just seems to inspire optimism in me. I'm a big fan of the girl groups anyways, and it's songs like this that reward that appreciation the most.