Jmunney's Blog

My sister bought Just Dance Greatest Hits a few days ago, and my initial gameplay experiences suggest I just might like it more than Dance Central.  A particular highlight is “Rasputin” by Boney M., a disco group with British, German, Jamaican, Monteserratian, and Aruban roots.  Its drum intro sounds like it may have inspired Daft Punk’s “Robot Rock.”

You’ll recognize this one from that Honda Civic commercial.  Stop using our hip artists, corporations!  Actually, no, keep using them, I love hearing them on my TV.  That  doesn’t mean I’ll be buying your products, though.  (Unless they’re quality products, in which case, talk to me.)

The first few times I heard Zedd ft. Foxes’ “Clarity,” I thought it was merely okay.  Turns out it’s excellent.

Gatorade commercials showing off the “history” of Gatorade have employed some great classic rock songs.  Their current spot features a song that sounds like classic rock, but is actually by a teenager recording now.  Jake Bugg has a voice like the Gallagher brothers, and he’s been compared to the Beatles.  But he actually reminds me most of the Yardbirds and the Kinks.

I hear “Oscar Wilde” occasionally on the radio nowadays, but I don’t remember hearing it at all when it came out in 2009, even though it sounds like it should have been a perfectly successful alt-rock hit.  Although, I guess at the time, the 90’s were still a year or two away from coming back.  Watch the music video; it’s inspired by Rushmore.

When I first heard Tegan and Sara’s “Closer,” I thought, “Uh-oh.  Are their fans going to think they’ve sold out?”  But then I got to thinking about their earlier songs and I realized that even though they’ve spent their career as an “indie” band, they’ve always had a pop sensibility.  They just haven’t had the polished production that can be heard on “Closer.”  But it certainly sounds like something they’ve always wanted to do.  And if it makes them more accessible, then great, more people ought to be listening to them.

Undoubtedly one of the best songs of the nineties, “Let Forever Be” has become a part of my daily routine.  It’s got an absurdly infectious beat and beautifully poetic lyrics sung by Oasis’ Noel Gallagher, and the music video is among the best of the nineties, the best of the Chemical Brothers, and the best of director Michel Gondry.

If there’s one thing I love in life, it’s a Victoria’s Secret commercial.  The thing about Victoria’s Secret commercials is that they always have such great music – like in their currently airing spot for the Spring 2013 Fabulous Collection, which features “Black Magic” by Magic Wands.  Magic Wands are so hip that their genres – lovewave, edgy pop – don’t even have their own Wikipedia pages yet.

I saw Australian rock band Tame Impala perform “Elephant” on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon Monday night, and I’ve been listening to it every day since.  They sound like Magical Mystery Tour-era Beatles.  Lead singer Kevin Parker even has a voice like John Lennon’s!

In a new feature, I spotlight a notable piece of music that has recently come across my radar.  First up is “Shoulda Known,” driven by a swirling bass beat, off alternative hip-hop crew Atmosphere’s 2008 album When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold.  I heard it on a Target commercial in which a woman in a white dress was showing off a bottle of orange juice.  The Target Everyday Collection commercials have been reliable for showing off some great tunes.