Today’s Terrific Tune is from singer-songwriter Michael Penn (learn more, web site, learn lots more). He’s released five or six great albums of intelligent, tasty pop-rock but is still mostly unknown outside of his early hit “No Myth. But there is much more to him. And being married to Aimee Mann and being Sean Penn’s brother isn’t bad either.

This is a live version of a song from his second album, performed on Jay Leno. It’s called “Long Way Down (Look What The Cat Drug In).” I love the title and the song and wish that someday I could write a song even half this good. Oh well. At least he can write ’em! Check out the video below and then buy some of his albums.

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Today’s Terrific Tune is an electro-pop-funk track by LCD Soundsystem (learn more, web site). This “band” is pretty much James Murphy, founder of dance-punk label DFA Records, although on tour he adds a real band. The song is “Daft Punk is Playing at My House“, from the self-titled 2005 album. It gets a mean groove going and then he talk-sings over it in kind of a Talking Heads style. The video is jumpy and visually interesting, check it out.

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Today’s Terrific Tune music video is from a band known for it’s general weirdness and hypnotic songs. Some fans adore them, other people are baffled by their popularity. I’m somewhere in between but they do have a lot of good songs. The band is Radiohead (learn more, web site) and this is the video for “Fake Plastic Trees” from their second album “The Bends“, which was ranked number 110 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and number 2 on Q’s 100 Greatest Albums Ever. It *might* be their best album, but that depends on your mood at the time. This song is a low-key ballad but they can rock out too. And of course the music video is strange as can be, but still cool at the same time. Check it out.

Fake Plastic Trees

radiohead | MySpace Music Videos

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This is another band I really like. But then, I wouldn’t feature them here if I didn’t, right? But I mean really. There’s something about their hypnotically catchy electro-pop beats and coolness along with the delicate vocal that just gets me on almost every song they do. With this band, New Order (learn more, web site), there are so many great and catchy songs that I could have used, but this video is fun and so why not this one? It’s the music video for their song “True Faith“. It’s got shots of the band, of course, but also shots of weird, costumed clown-like characters (and more) in odd yet interesting scenarios. And doing some strange things too! Weirdness for weirdness sake? Maybe, but it’s all timed with the music and big fun to look at. It actually won some video awards too. Check out the video and then leave me a comment.

Leave me a comment. Show me some true faith!

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When I die, this is one of the songs that I want played at my funeral. “It’s a Dead Man’s Party, who could ask for more”? That’s right, today’s Terrific Tune video is “Dead Man’s Party” by new-wavers Oingo Boingo (learn more, web site), a great band that was led by now-film-composer Danny Elfman. They were first known as the Mystic Knights Of The Oingo Boingo, then Oingo Boingo, then Boingo, and then, well, they were gone. Too soon. I’d love for them to get back together but:

From Wikipedia: In early 2007, Danny Elfman said there would not be a reunion. He has irreversible hearing loss and is worried that playing live would exacerbate it. He stated that some other members of the band may also suffer from the condition.

I still say they could make an album in the studio, no need to play live. But that’s not going to happen either. Sigh. Anyway, this video and song is from their fourth album. That’s not necessarily my favorite album of theirs but this song is one that always satisfies (and usually gets the volume turned up). Check it out!

Leave me a comment while you are still alive!

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Today’s Terrific Tune is from English female singer-songwriter Kate Nash (learn more, web site). It’s from her only album so far,  “Made Of Bricks” (review). The more I listen to the album the more I like it. There’s some attitude and some great lyrics deliver in her sing/talk style. And it’s pretty catchy too. Buy it and listen a bunch of times. Then tell me I’m right.

This video is for “Foundations”, which was a big hit in the UK but didn’t make much of a mark in the radio wasteland over here in the states. Too bad, it’s a quirky, charming, cute, biting, and fun song about a deteri0rating and dysfunctional relationship. Check it out, then leave me a comment below.

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Some of you dear readers may know that one of my favorite bands is XTC (learn more, web site, awesome fan site). I’ve collected hundreds of items by them and I like it all: the early faster stuff, the not-quite-as-early new wave and beyond, the middle more difficult stuff, the return  to pop stuff, the live stuff, the unreleased demos, and the later independent pop-rock-folk stuff. Did they ever do a bad song? Well, that could be debated, but they have always had a unique sound and did what they wanted (much to the chagrin of their record companies who would have loved more easy hits).

Well, today’s video is a later one and a very nice pop song. It actually had mild airplay as a single. So maybe the record company liked this one for a change. But seriously, every record collection (ok, CD collection) should have a copy of their English Settlemenet, Drums And Wires, Skylarking, Black Sea, and probably Oranges And Lemons, Nonesuch, Wasp Star, White Music, and, well, hell, just buy them all! Some will take a couple listens but it’s not them, it’s you. 😉

I couldn’t decide which video to use and really wanted an earlier one with more bite but after watching this  one, I decided that it did show their clever lyrics and keen sense for melody and harmony. I’ll probably use them again down the road and it might be a jumpy, quirky new-wavy number, which they are masters of. But for now, this one is really good and the video is kind of fun too. Watch:

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Today’s Terrific Tune is from an album that was a collaborative effort from vocalist Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie and producer Jimmy Tamborello of Dntel, Headset and Figurine. It’s by The Postal Service (learn more, web site) from their album “Give Up“. Why are they called The Postal Service? From Wikipedia:

The band’s name was chosen due to the way in which it produced its songs. Tamborello wrote and performed instrumental tracks and then sent the DATs to Gibbard, who edited the song as he saw fit (adding his vocals along the way), sending them back to Tamborello via the United States Postal Service.

And there’s this amusing bit too:

United States Postal Service sent the band a cease and desist letter, citing its trademark on the phrase “postal service”. After negotiations, the USPS relented, allowing the band use of the trademark in exchange for promotional efforts on behalf of the USPS and a performance at its annual National Executive Conference. Additionally, at one point the USPS website sold the band’s CDs. In 2007, “Such Great Heights” appeared in the background of the “Whiteboard” advertising campaign for one of the federal establishment’s private competitors, the United Parcel Service.

It’s a good CD, full of innovative indie electro-pop. You should buy it if you don’t already own it. In the meantime, here’s the video for “Such Great Heights“. Check it out…

Leave me a comment below. Just a few blips and bleeps?

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Today’s Terrific Tune comes from the glory years of English punk, the late seventies and early eighties. But don’t let that punk word scare you. The Clash (learn more, web site) burst on to the music scene with a self-titled first album featuring a bunch of great punky tunes. But a few things set them apart. For one, they always had an interest in reggae and it crept into their music. And as they progressed, some pop touches crept in too, along with some jazzy touches, world music and a taste for experimenting. Their biggest experiment (with mixed results), the 3-LP “Sandinista“, was a sprawling affair that had more musical genres than ten normal bands. They had a few pop hits over the years (Train In Vain, Should I Stay Or Should I Go, Rock The Casbah) , but their body of work is much deeper than that. The first album, “The Clash“, is still a classic and their cover of “I Fought The Law” sets a high standard for cover songs. That album’s “White Man In Hammershith Pallais” brought in the reggae influence and still sounds fresh.

That first album caught on quick, and the record companies didn’t know what the hell was going on. The UK and US versions of it contained numerous different tracks based on what the US company thought we should like. As a result, the import version was widely sought after and sold very well even in the US. But it was their third album, the double-LP (sold for the price of one) “London Calling“, that was their high point and still remains a classic must-have album today. The single, “Train In Vain” wasn’t even listed on the jacket, being a hidden track at the end of side four. “London Calling” is a tour-de-force of an album, not just punk, but pop, jazz, reggae, dub, rock, what have you. And it works!

So, finally, today’s Terrific Tune is song one, side one, from that outstanding album. It’s the video for the title track “London Calling”. It’s more of a straight-ahead rocker with some punk sensibilities too. Watch the video a few times, then click the link below it to shop for some music by The Clash. Buy “London Calling” (at least)! I wouldn’t steer you wrong. That being said, now, for your viewing pleasure…

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