"Look at all his music post thingies." --My High School Drama Teacher
Q: How many kids with ADD does it take to change a light bulb?
A: You guys wanna go ride bikes?
MP3's
Ok, MP3's on this blog (designated by the links that seem like maybe they're songs) are for sampling purposes. So, if you like something you find on this site go buy some stuff by that artist. Go see a show.
If you're not happy that I put an MP3 up on this blog, just email me to take it down and it'll be down.
All MP3's are up for 10 days. Or when I remember to get take them down.
If you want to email me to say hi, ask me to take something down, ask me to put something up (i.e. bands wanting me to check out their music), or anything else, email me at aodblog@gmail.com. You can remember it because it's the Appetite FOr Distraction blog!"But James, you say, why isn't it afdblog?" The answer is, of course, I didn't pay attention to the letters in the initials of my blog. Le sigh.
So this one was tough because we're into the pre-MTV era (I suppose we were last week, too, but not entirely) and the guy is kind of an old-school kind of guy, but I think I did ok.
This is the album that knocked The Wall off the top position after it had been there for 15 weeks and then it kept it off for the 6 weeks it took Billy Joel to get in there and take over with Glass Houses. So that's a pretty tremendous feat.
Tracklist:
Side One:
1. The Horizontal Bop
2. You'll Accomp'ny Me
3. Her Strut
4. No Man's Land
5. Long Twin Silver Line
Side Two:
6. Against the Wind
7. Good For Me
8. Betty Lou's Getting Out Tonight
9. Fire Lake
10. Shinin' Brightly
I had no idea what to expect from this song and was pleasantly surprised! This is a mellow, sweet song and definitely gets me in the mood for summer. Well done, United Kingdom!
Great news on the "Punk Bands from the 90's Getting Back Together" Beat!
Hot on the heels of the news of a new Desaparecidos album, I learned this morning that Refused are back together and releasing a new album this summer.
It will be called Freedom and it will be out on June 30!
Listen to the first single, "Elektra" below!
They're on tour, too! Go see them! I would imagine it will be a VERY high energy, fun show!
Refused Tour Schedule
05-02 Meerhout, Belgium - Groezrock 05-22 Hünxe, Germany - Ruhrpott Rodeo Open Air Festival 05-24 Las Vegas, NV - Punk Rock Bowling & Music Festival 05-25 Santa Ana, CA - The Observatory 05-26 Los Angeles, CA - The Roxy Theatre 05-28 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall 05-29 Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge 05-30 Seattle, WA - The Crocodile 05-31 Chicago, IL - Double Door 06-01 Boston, MA - The Sinclair 06-03 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom 06-04 Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg 06-05 Washington, DC - Rock & Roll Hotel 06-20 Montebello, Quebec - Amnesia Rockfest 06-27 Seinäjoki, Finland - Provinssi 07-02 Gdynia, Poland - Open'er Festival 07-11 Collalbo, Italy - Rock am Ring 07-16 Viveiro, Spain - Resurrection Fest 07-17 Tønsberg, Norway - Slottsfjell 07-18 Tromso, Norway - Bukta Tromso Open Air Festival 07-30 Atlanta, GA - Masquerade Music Park * 08-01 Philadelphia, PA - Mann Center * 08-02 Columbia, MA - Merriweather Post Pavilion * 08-04 Boston, MA - Blue Hills Bank Pavilion * 08-05 New York, NY - Madison Square Garden * 08-07 Toronto, Ontario - Ricoh Coliseum * 08-28 Leeds, England - Leeds Festival 08-29 Gräfenhainichen, Germany - Pure & Crafted Festival 08-30 Reading, England - Reading Festival
If I'm being honest, this podcast is late because I'm really really into the book I'm reading. And publishing it on time fell slightly below just blasting through it. It's The Girl Who Played With Fire which is the sequel to The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. It's super super compelling.
Please don't take my choices to indicate a bad week on the countdown, though. It was definitely a good one. We have such great songs on the show these days. Enjoy!
PS. Have you noticed that a full 60% of the songs on the Top Ten are by artists with names that start with either F or M? Weeeird.
***Featuring***
AWOLNATION
Death Cab For Cutie
Florence + the Machine
Foo Fighters
Milky Chance
Modest Mouse
Mumford & Sons
Muse
Robert DeLong
U2
Walk the Moon
3. Follow My Heart
4. In Your Letter
5. Take It On the Run
6. Tough Guys
7. Out of Season
8. Shakin' It Loose
9. Someone Tonight
10. I Wish You Were There
So in March/April of 1981, this album and the song featured were huge. The album spent 15 weeks at #1 and the song spent 1 week (but was replaced by Blondie's "Rapture", so I mean, it took what it could get.)
A couple of months later, "Keep On Loving You" was the 17th song ever played on MTV (Wikipedia has the full first day along with milestones and stuff HERE, because of course it does.) and the first song to have hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Watching it now, you definitely see how Video Killed the Radio star. Kevin Cronin is a great songwriter and a great singer, but he has the looks of a stereotypical 70's/80's college party movie nerd. And that's why the bands with the great songs but not attractive band members made way for bands like Duran Duran and Bon Jovi, who were more aesthetically pleasing.
YAY! I am so happy that this song has finally made the Top Ten!!! It's a fantastically catchy song that's been on the Countdown podcast all year (one of two songs to be on the countdown every week so far) and the video is, you'll surely agree, adorable and amazing. It's funny and touching and just really lovely! I know you're going to enjoy this one!
Hey, check this out! A post going up at the regularly scheduled time?! This is what I'm talking about!
Hopefully the cover photo doesn't give away any surprises, although, I don't know how it can't. Maybe it'll provide a sense of excitement? Like a teaser for the show!
***Featuring***
AWOLNATION
Death Cab For Cutie
Florence + the Machine
Foo Fighters
Milky Chance
Modest Mouse
Mumford & Sons
Muse
Robert DeLong
The Smiths
Walk the Moon
Well once again we find ourselves in the chart data desert, desperate for an oasis. But seriously, it looks like we've reached that part I warned you about where Billboard's site doesn't have the chart data anymore, so we're going to have to rely on Wikipedia's records of the Number One albums for the week in question. I guess I'm going to figure out a format and then stick with it?
Haha the number one album this week in 1982 was Vangelis's soundtrack to Chariots of Fire. Stuart, if you're cleaning your place right now, your cleaning just got a whole lot more epic.
Tracklist:
1. Titles
2. Five Circles
3. Abraham's Theme
4. Eric's Theme
5. 100 Metres
6. Jerusalem
7. Chariots of Fire
Couple of things.
First, I love that the guy is smoking while making this soundtrack for this movie about Olympic runners.
Second, I guess it's better to label the video "Chariots of Fire" from Chariots of Fire as opposed to "Titles".
And third, this song went to #1 on the Hot 100, after climbing the chart for 5 months., nestled right in between "I Love Rock n Roll" and "Ebony and Ivory" because sometimes the charts are weird.
What an odd song to have to write. This song needs to be both reflective and respectful of Paul Walker's passing, looking fondly (perhaps wistfully?) back on his role in these movies (which I haven't seen, but am definitely planning to) but the song also needs to be cool to have on in the background when people drive cars on the screen. And I think it accomplishes that.
Zooming (get it? because of cars!) from 84 to 10 doesn't put it in the top ten biggest single week movements in Hot 100 history, but it's still pretty impressive.
And Charlie Puth is a guy who got famous on YouTube. I'm not sure if he always has that part of his eyebrow missing or what
Spring is in the air and so are the magnificent sounds of today's hottest Alternative Songs, according to Billboard! (That's how I think Casey would write my blog post)
So I hope you'll sit back and enjoy these 12 songs (two bonus songs?! has he gone mad??) perhaps with a window open and a gentle spring breeze wafting through your hair.
***Featuring***
AWOLNATION
The Beatles
Death Cab For Cutie
Florence + the Machine
Foo Fighters
George Ezra
Milky Chance
Modest Mouse
Mumford & Sons
New Order
Robert DeLong
Walk the Moon
As I did when I was covering the Hot 100 for this year, the year of my birth, I will play a video from each album.
...
And I just realized that 1983 is where Billboard's online Album Chart data falls off. It's super annoying. So all I know is that the #1 album for this week in 1983 was Thriller. So let's look at the videos for it!
I couldn't find videos for The Girl is Mine or PYT. Can anyone do better than me? Some of the songs are from the Wembley Stadium Concert he did in honor of my 5th birthday.
Another song with Jeremih on it, another song that samples a very popular song from decades past. The last time we saw him, he was the lead on a song that sampled "Rhythm is a Dancer". This time he's on a song where he sings a modified version of Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance With Somebody".
And I love both songs. I love the songs they sample and I love them. Guess I'm just another sucker who drank the pop music kool-aid ;-)
So once again, I'm going to play the video and the video for the sampled song. This might be fun to do as an official thing. When a song makes the Top Ten and it samples or interprets another song, I'll play that one too.
Fun Fact: Whitney's song went to #1 and stayed there for two weeks in 1987.
Happy Easter everyone (who celebrates)! I've got Jesus Christ Superstar playing and we're doing all sorts of egg-related activities. Hope you're all having a great day and are ready to enjoy some of the most current Alternative Songs out there today! And Milky Chance, too! ;-)
***Featuring***
AWOLNATION
Death Cab For Cutie
Florence + the Machine
Foo Fighters
George Ezra
Milky Chance
Modest Mouse
Mumford & Sons
Robert DeLong
Talking Heads
Walk the Moon
10. Cyndi Lauper - She's So Unusual
9. The Police - Synchronicity
8. Eurhythmics - Touch
7. Pretenders - Learning to Crawl
6. Huey Lewis & the News - Sports
5. Lionel Richie - Can't Slow Down
4. Culture Club - Colour By Numbers
3. Footloose Soundtrack
1. Kenny Loggins - Footloose
2. Deniece Williams - Let's Hear It For the Boy
3. Mike Reno and Ann Wilson - Almost Paradise
4. Bonnie Tyler - Holding Out For a Hero
5. Shalamar - Dancing in the Sheets
6. Kenny Loggins - I'm Free (Heaven Helps the Man)
7. Karla Bonoff - Somebody's Eyes
8. Sammy Hagar - The Girl Gets Around
9. Moving Pictures - Never
There are a number of albums that I could have done for this week's Throwback Thursday. I figured I'd stick with another soundtrack to go along with the Beverly Hills Cop one from last week. This album had 6 singles. All of them made the top 40. That is pretty amazing for a soundtrack album. A full 2/3 of the songs made the Top 40. Crazy
If you're interested, the songs are "Footloose" (#1), "Let's Hear It For the Boy" (#1), "Holding Out For a Hero" (#34), "Dancing in the Sheets" (#17), "Almost Paradise" (#7), "I'm Free (Heaven Helps the Man" (#22).
Last Thing I Watched: I am way behind on this season of The Simpsons. Tonight I watched "Covercraft", which aired back on November 23rd. It was very enjoyable and fun to watch. On a related note, my 4 year old daughter has started watching these episodes with my wife. She calls the show "Yellow Guys" which is adorable.
Last Thing I Read: I'm reading a book called Rock On, which is about a guy who starts a job working for Atlantic Records. I'm not sure if it's a memoir of the David Sedaris variety (true story, told hilariously) or, like, fiction where the main character has the same name as the author. It's really enjoyable and if it keeps it up, it'll be going on my Favorites shelf in my room!
Last Thing I Listened To: I just finished the Dana Carvey episode of Pete Holmes's podcast You Made It Weird. The episode was lovely, though at times Dana sorta felt like he had to be there and humoring Pete. I think he kind of got into it, but then kept pulling himself back out of it. You can listen to that episode HERE
Things I'm Seeing On the Internet: I can honestly say that not very much was happening on the Internet in terms of things blowing up like last month. I suppose I did see a number of posts referencing March 31st as an important day in Parks and Recreation lore:
