![2021 Music Showcase, Part 2 [[xxxREMIXxx]]](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/508751_0d423aa8b4164c4aa9d554338800336a~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_1200,h_800,fp_0.50_0.50,q_90,enc_auto/508751_0d423aa8b4164c4aa9d554338800336a~mv2.jpg)
It's been a month since my last update about our collaborative Spotify playlist, and all of the songs I've contributed have been replaced. That means I get to talk about seven more songs that I wanted to share with my brothers, and now with you!
Cookin' On 3 Burners - Feel Good Inc.
As I mentioned in a post early this summer, I started a new job this year. My new coworkers love to have music playing, and they have fairly eclectic tastes. Yesterday, one of my coworkers put on Baked, Broiled, and Fried, and album by a band I had never heard of, called Cookin' On 3 Burners. It's mostly original music, but their cover of the Gorillaz' Feel Good Inc really hooked me. I needed to listen to it more, and so here it is!
The Temptations - Move Them Britches
The Temptations have some killer songs in their catalogue. Cloud Nine, I Can't Get Next To You, Ball of Confusion, and Just My Imagination are all classics that always make me want to dance. Papa Was a Rollin' Stone is one of the all-time greats. With that in mind, their 2018 album, All The Time, is a pleasant album of cover songs I will probably forget all about by this time next year, with the exception of one song, Move Them Britches. This song makes me want to get moving like those old Temptations classics, and I felt the need to share it. Also, how do you beat an opening line like "Hey! It's the Temptations! Come on in!"?
The Guy Who Sings Songs About Cities & Towns - Salem Is a Spooky Massachusetts Witch City
If you are not familiar with Matt Farley, I am delighted to introduce you to this unique songwriting powerhouse. Some call him a scam artist, some call him the greatest, most prolific songwriter of all time. (Matt Farley definitely holds the latter opinion of himself.) Writing, recording, and releasing music under dozens of pseudonyms, Matt Farley has released thousands of songs over the years with the specific intent of making them incredibly searchable. If you are searching on the internet for an athlete, actor, city, or a not-entirely-accurate popular song title, chances are he has written a song by that name. This song is from an album comprised entirely of songs written about cities and towns in the state of Massachusetts. There are 50 songs on this album. This song stands out because Salem is actually a historically interesting location, and I think he's got some pretty funny lines about celebrating such a horrific time in U.S. history. If this song entertains you, I highly recommend searching for The Passionate and Objective Jokerfan, or The Toilet Bowl Cleaners. You haven't lived until you've heard Poop Into a Wormhole.
SOPHIE - Faceshopping
I put this song on the playlist because when I first listened to it it grabbed my attention with it's percussion and intriguingly abrasive instrumentation. I hadn't watched the video until I looked it up for this post, and now that's all I want to talk about. This might be the most unsettling music video I've watched in years. The strobe effect combined with quick cuts and bizarre digital mutilation of this model of a woman's face were simultaneously enthralling and horrifying. I think everyone should try to watch this, but I would not begrudge anybody for turning it off almost immediately.
The Surfrajettes - Toxic
Another genre-bending cover song! As you can tell from the Feel Good Inc. cover, I'm a sucker for a good, instrumental re-imagining of a popular song, especially an already great song. I have never been a Britney Spears fan, but I dare say that Toxic might actually be a great song. Take the infectious violin riff from the original and translating it into the fun-but-inexplicably-ominous surf-rock genre, and I think there's no question. This cover is killer.
Sleigh Bells - Holly
Sleigh Bells put on a great show and really satisfy my need for music that I can dance aimlessly and angrily to. If you like this song, I highly recommend the whole Treats album. If you want your angry lady rock to have a bit more of a pop influence, Bitter Rivals is a good combo of aggressively noisy and infectiously catchy.
The Mountain Goats - Song For Ted Sallis
This song is on the playlist for one reason; the song title name-drops one of my favorite comic book characters. The unfortunately-named Man-Thing is Marvel's answer to Swamp Thing. Scientist Ted Sallis was in the everglades, working on recreating the serum that gave Captain America his powers when he was attacked by evil scientists. He was shot dead and fell into the swamp with the only surviving sample of the serum he created. The serum combined with the magical energy of the swamp to turn his dying body into the Man-Thing! All who know fear will burn at the Man-Thing's touch! Anyway, I don't even know what this song is about.
BONUS CHUD TRACK
Mike D'Abo - King Herod's Song (Try It And See)
Since I used one of Tim's contributions to end my last music post, I figured I'd switch brothers for this one. One of the fun surprises of this collaborative playlist is when my brothers add old songs I hadn't thought about recently. Jesus Christ Superstar is just a solid musical, and this song is a much-needed, terrifically playful bit of comic relief in the middle of the bleakest part of the musical. I remember this being a highlight when I saw this performed on stage, and listening to it here brings a smile to my face.
Thanks for indulging my musical musings. Just like last time, enjoy this link to our playlist in its entirety, including my brothers' songs: