Against Perfection; Sunshine Smile

This is the first album by a less famous Creation records band, Adorable. Despite their name, apparently they were assholes, and really fucked up their career. Despite this, they made some great music. For me it connects cerebral pop post-punk to cerebral pop shoegaze. What I've assembled is a facsimile of the UK release, that included the PERFECT single "Sunshine Smile" along with the 10 tracks off the original album. (The original album of ten tracks appears to be available, but not the single. So I don't feel a whiff of guilt about sharing this. Well, maybe an iota of a whiff. But fuck it.) Plus some extra shit. Anyhow, this rocks and has melodies and only dives into the relentless NOISEGAZE only when musically appropriate. If you're tired of My Bloody Valentine, or never were into them, give these guys a chance. Top notch, and doesn't seem dated at all to me. I've done the two folders thing. Hopefully all the tagging worked out. If not, let me know. I've relented and have gone totally iTunes, despite my hatred for it. What I'd do is just drag the folders over to the library, make sure "copy files to iTunes library" and "manage folders" are ticked. Or do it your own way.

part 1: http://www.mediafire.com/?firf86nnxzpxc2c

part 2: http://www.mediafire.com/?dotppcy76b4hs2v

You Know They Only Make Pop Records Out Of Plastic

Songs about drinking, and more songs about drinking, and then songs that sound better if you're drunk. Also, they sound great the rest of the time.

This record contains no actual jazz. It does, however, contain a member of Love & Rockets, though it sounds nothing like them. This is pure lovely snarky british 80s pop, in one of its more literary/clever/drunken/clever forms.

It also contributed, very indirectly, to me losing my virginity. But that's really none of anyone's business so I'll leave it at that.

Supposedly actual vinyl of this band, in that era, is extremely collectible and goes for large sums on ebay. I have only a live album and a fading memory of the several cassettes I wore out. This album was always my favorite.

http://www.mediafire.com/file/miimyvzm2em/jazz butcher - a scandal in bohemia.zip

I'd Like Our Little Drama To Have A Happy End

A lost classic of the end-of-the-60s, featuring spectacular production values and made-to-be-sampled sonics, wrapped around sugary hippie pop. There's a lot going on here, if you can get past the Monkees-on-meth sweetness. I keep listening to this again and again and I think it's beginning to affect my brain.

http://www.mediafire.com/file/toj5ydgwcqw/The Millennium- Begin.zip

I Must Pass This Test

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOvdOaMoM4o&feature=related

(corrected link)

Anyone else obsessed by Rihanna's Russian Roulette?

Or is it just because I was sleep-deprived and on an airplane when I encountered it?

Moon Still Tries to Steal the Tide Away

The album I listened to in the parking lot on my walkman at age 13, on that weird shivery day when I told the Sunday school class I'd been teaching, and my mom, that I didn't believe in God and wouldn't ever be coming back to church.

The song 'Dear God', however, is sort of an anomaly (Andy Partridge complained that it was the only song he ever wrote that didn't have a sense of humor), and though it's sort of a perfect mission statement for a disaffected young i-wish-i-could-believe-but-i-can't angster such as I once was, it's not necessarily the best anthem for a more complicatedly spiritual person.

Whatever. The songs on this album are all pretentiously lyrical, soaringly melodic, and working very hard at changing the listener's life. Obviously at least one succeeded.

The sound of XTC here (basically reduced I think to Andy Partridge and a studio full of instruments) bears very little relationship to the earlier albums, which are manic condensed punk-prog-pop full of intricately rocking microgrooves, with clever guitar-bass-drums interplay. (I love love love Black Sea and Drums and Wires, for instance, both of which sound nothing at all like this album).

Skylarking is basically a solo-songwriter's-attempt-to-be-Beatlesy, and as such occasionally falls over the edge into pomposity. But, it's still gorgeous and wonderful.

Post's in two parts due to size, just unzip 'em to one folder and proceed.

http://www.mediafire.com/file/n1tiyhyvmne/XTC- Skylarking.zip

http://www.mediafire.com/file/vojdlhhtm3k/XTC- Skylarking 2.zip

Songs for Jackie Chan

Seems quite silly, and it is. But I love this album. I bought it in some chain-store CD outlet more than 10 years ago. Track 2 appears to have disappeared. There's Chinese pop, Chinese electro-pop, Chinese disco, kung fu pop, stirring monk-humming montage music--all vintage from the 80s. Serious fun.

And somehow it all has to do with Jackie Chan, even though he doesn't sing on any of the tracks. And he's a trained singer! (See Peking Opera Blues for what his childhood was like.) BTW, I was glad to see "Supercop" on Tarantino's list of the best movies since 1992. For meltmaster, before he discovered Herzog, he had Hong Kong action flicks. And Chinese and Hong Kong pop is IMHO superior and more interesting than J-Pop or K-Pop. (Although Korea has got both countries on their toes on the movie front, again I refer you to Tarantino's list of movies.)

[Yes Tarantino is annoying and hasn't really made a good film since Reservoir Dogs (although I haven't seen Basterds yet!) but he gives props to Asian movies. Glad he put the masterpiece "Memories of Murder" up there. Although "Oldboy" is conspicuously absent; instead he chooses "JSA," probably just to be snooty. Anyhow, I digress.]

Here is the ending of Police Story. Skip to about 2:20 for the end credit music that Jackie belts out. Damned catchy!!!! I love the hook.

Here is a link to the mp3 rips on my CD.

Stop the presses! When looking for images for this CD, I found a blog with what appears to be a vinyl rip of a Japanese version of the same CD. I haven't downloaded it yet, but here's the link!

Tweedle-ee-tweedle-ee-Dee Goes the Bird

Adorably naive pop songs about love. If you think Jonathan's schtick is obnoxious, you're judging without listening. Because by all rights it should be, but he's just too good. (You can sort of imagine though how his bandmates in the punkier original version of the Modern Lovers would have just wanted to sock him in the eye sometimes though.)

http://www.mediafire.com/file/2jhgjx2miou/Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers- Back In Your Life.zip