A song from the younger days of Conor Oberst. The lyrics are amazing, and he may not be the greatest singer we've ever heard, but he sings it with such intensity it gives you the chills.

my favorite song from a stunning album

The one bright spot among the dismal stain on Mowai's career, the album known as Come On, Die Young. A web of brooding guitars initially mesmerizes you, before throwing you into an ominous and chaotic crescendo. It's the ideal soundtrack for driving alone on an open straightaway at night, going faster than you should be, and not at all caring...

Excellent track in which rather Beatley-sounding vocals are married with some nice synthesized sounds. It took me several minutes of thinking to remember what it is that the verse of this reminds me of - it's the title track from Procol Harum's second album "Shine on Brightly".

cute little song about a girl stalking someone she's fallen in love with, listening to the "clip clops" of his shoes. the melody in the song is very similar to "cosmonaute" by stereo total, only more upbeat (it was written by brezel g�ring from stereo t., so i guess that's excusable). kahimi's ultra-bright voice fits this song perfectly.

(there's WAY too few sweet and uplifting songs about stalking, by the way.)

From that much maligned genre, eurodisco, comes an amazing story of a young girl moving to the city. She has dreams of dancing and making it under the bright lights, but is confronted only by people who see sexuality in her dancing, not freedom. She is exploited; her ideals ruined.

People think I make too much of the genius of Penny. I can often be heard espousing, at length, her brilliance and analysing her songs (I tend to do the latter in my head - there's only so much friends can take). Penny was pretty famous in Germany and only vaguely so everywhere else, primarily for the disco classic Lady Bump. She is now a sci-fi/fantasy novelist but unfortunately her books have not been translated into English else I'd doubtless find social comment in those as well...

Dream Pop from two former members of Bright Eyes

Like most of the bruces' work, this song is melancholic but dreamy. It's an acoustic piece, with a fast pace and at least two or three less minutes than most bruces songs, which at times have reached 14min.
Great lyrics. Conor Oberst, from Bright Eyes and Desaparecidos, has taken much inspiration from this band.
Very good for melancholic nights where you don't plan on killing yourself. :o)

Just one of many gems on the wonderful "Simplesmente" LP. A fairly stripped-down arrangement and recording, but which still allows for the song's bright verse and chorus melodies to shine forth. The track is built from acoustic guitar, bass, drums and a hint of (what else?) percussion, which pulse gently along on the verses in a rhythm that reminds me of dancehall reggae somehow, while still being obviously a branch of the bossa nova tree. Fernanda's sweet croon and instinctive sense of swing navigate this terrain effortlessly. Who is Fernanda? Where has she gone? On the strength of this LP, she definitely had quite a bit to offer. But it was tough, back then, being Elis Regina's competition.......

A brutally honest portrait of the artist Conor Oberst as a young man

Fantastic Austrlian pop drawing on the post Beatleseque for references ,perhaps an imaginary collaboration between John Lennon and George Harrison,the Dark Horse meets No9 Dream .Bright and energetic from start to finish with a sun bleached aura to make your day shine .incidentally this group split and re emerged as Empire of the Sun well worthy of perusal .

Have you ever wanted to find that quintessential Hawaiian twangy song from the 30s that you dream you heard when you were 2 years old? This is the one! Frantic hawaiian vocals (which were supposedly made up on the spot) paired with twangy steel guitar make this song unforgettable.

60s classic pop song, perfect sound for a sumemrs day. I like it because it is the song to just make a day fele brighter and happier, it's picnic music.

The day I bought this LP I got home late so I only had time to throw on the first track of the first side before my girlfriend asked me to turn it off. As soon as I heard it I knew immediately that I wanted to hear it again. I woke up with the song bouncing in my head. I was gonna be late to work, but I recorded the song so I could listen to it on the commute. I must have listened to it all the way to work and all the way home, so about 30 times before I tired of it. Why is it so great, you ask? I would say it was the Stevie factor as he wrote, produced and played nearly all of the instruments on this, his writing partner's debut album, but Syreeta really wails on her vocal parts infusing the song with an undeniable optimism. This was the year when Stevie really started to get adventerous with his music and you can tell that he took some additional liberties on this album then he did on his own from the same period, Music of My Mind. His version of this song from his album is great, but doesn't have the same synthesizer groove that bubbles along with the funky drums like syreeta's does. Marvelous song. I gave it to a friend and within days his friends' minds were all blown as well.

"Itzcuintli-Totzli Days" is one of the many Mountain Goats songs that displays John Darnielle's fixation on ancient Aztec culture: "Itzcuintli" (or "Itzquintli," the dog) is the tenth day of the Aztec calendar, and "Totzli" (or "Tochtli," the rabbit) is the eighth. Apparently, Tochtli symbolized drunkenness, something looked down upon by the Aztecs. So when Darnielle sings "I know he's coming, let him come / Let the big, big rabbit come out," he's singing a good old-fashioned drinking song, albeit with Aztec imagery. It can never be said that Darnielle writes straightforwardly.

(It also makes me think of the film "Harvey," and the relationship between the alcoholic Elwood P. Dowd and an invisible rabbit; the line "Let him cast his shadow on the bright face of our little house" brings to mind the promotional artwork.)

Like many Mountain Goats songs, every element comes together: the words, the melody, the vocals (lead and harmony), and the guitar playing. (I emphasize the guitar playing because a friend of mine says that Darnielle's not a particularly good guitar player. He's wrong.) it's only 1:24, so there's not much to it, but it's (short and) sharp. And at the end, there's applause. where it's coming from, I don't know, but it just as well might be coming from us.

This song has a very interesting sound using steal drums among other things to create a steady and bright beat. The artist's voice is beautiful and light, combinig perfectly with the song's meaning and the instrumental parts.

Words can't express how much I love this song. I go through stages with it..sometimes it makes me cry, sometimes it makes me happy, sometimes it makes me wistful. Just an all-around favorite.

This song is the perfect song for anybody who is angry with love, or coming off a bad relationship. Connor Oberst is a great lyricist and this song captures that feeling of just wanting somebody, anybody so bad, and not caring who it is.

Stunning melancholy and wonderously modern opener to Gainsboroug's concept album about jailbait love, road accidents & brightly coloured rolls-royces - a masterpiece...

This is the first track of Ennio Morricone's that I liked that wasn't inherently WESTERN, though it did come from the film, "For a Few Dollars More," the best of the trilogy if you ask me. The melody is delicate and fresh, especially coming from the perspective of one that hadn't yet heard the rest of his non-western music.

One of the few bands involved with the short lived "romo" movement, Orlando were the only ones to release an album, and were far superior to any of the other indie chancers jumping on the badnwagon. This song, along with the other excellent single "Just For A Second", were attempts to meld postcard Records, Motown and PWL into bright, shiny pop. Dickon's keyboards soared, and singer Tim Chipping's vocals sounded like a young David MacAlmont taking flight. Of course, obscurity beckoned - Dickon went on to play guitar for Spearmint and form Fosca, and Chipping's current whereabouts are unknown. A brief, bright moment in pop, snuffed out all too soon.

Although far removed from the adventurous group that had long ago dabbled in minimilist, almost avant-garde electronics, all these years later the Human League continued to take its pop seriously. "One Man in My Heart" could have been a total throwaway, a gloopy little love song without a single redeeming quality, beloved by grannies and tweenies, gag-inducing for those outside those age parameters. But the band obviously gave the number time and attention, and thus ensured that it can't be so easily dismissed. Inserting a much sampled electro effect into the intro, creating an intriguingly intricate rhythm, counterpointing swelling, lush synths with a palpitating '70s-styled organ, layering on vocals and harmonies, and conjuring up a romantic milieu flushed with delicate atmospheres, the group produced a love song unlike virtually all typical pop fodder. The work, effortless as it sounds on disc, paid off, and this 1995 single swept into the U.K. Top 15.
(AMG)

lo fi percussion-based bedroom electronica from norwegian graphic design w�nderchild. very bouncy and energetic. primary colours!

Soaring choral evocation of a cold bright day on a busy river. From Piero Piccioni�s soundtrack to a Swinging London exploitation film in which an Italian eccentric encounters bikers, fox hunters and a haunted castle.

The B-52's were one of several late-'70s bands for which there was no real category. With their modified surf guitar sound, their thrift-shop fashion sense, and their jokey demeanor, they certainly weren't in the rock & roll mainstream, but they exhibited none of punk's sneering rebelliousness or musical aggression, either � the only anarchy that seemed to interest the B-52's was of the sartorial variety. "Rock Lobster" was the first B-52's song to catch popular attention, and it's easy to see why. The minimalist guitar lick is like a beach-bum's rendition of the James Bond theme, the one-note organ ostinato complements it perfectly, and Fred Scheider's campy sprechgesang jumps out at you immediately. Yet despite the song's self-consciously weird texture and silly lyrics about earlobes falling off and communal towel coordination, there's a thread of darkness weaving through it. Make no mistake � this is not a song with hidden meaning lurking below the surface. But its surface is a little more complicated than it seems to be at first. For one thing, it's almost seven minutes long, and it does start to drag toward the end. Right when it does, you notice the mood getting darker � Schneider delivers lines about "having fun" and "baking in the sun" in a hoarse croak, and the guitar starts sounding repetitive in a slightly creepy way. Suddenly you realize that the whole song has been in a minor key, and as Schneider shouts and the guitar barks out its angular riff over and over, you start to wonder if maybe there's some kind of commentary going on here. But then Kate Pierson's angelic voice comes in with a surprisingly pretty falling harmony part that can only be described as a descant, which repeats several times, gradually paring itself down to a single phrase, and abruptly the song is over. The whole song ends up being a goofy party confection with a slightly crunchy center � a pretty satisfying overall flavor combination.
(AMG)

As Delicado said in one of his track recommendations: "Les Baxter's work is under-represented on this site". To try and change that here's a recommendation of another of my favourite Baxter songs.

Get in your space-ship and get ready for your first space cocktail. The mood of this song truly represents the 'Space-Age' everybody was anticipating in the late '50s and early '60s. We've got a happy fast paced beat, with bright strings, pianos, vibraphones, flutes and what not. Not that unfamiliar to the KPM library music from the '50s. I can't stop listening to this song, I only wish it was a bit longer.

This bizarre Morricone pop tune sounds as if it came from a parallel universe. With an instrumental mix of guitar, harpsichord, bass and drums, it achieves the same kind of spooky, melancholic atmosphere as 'Deep Down', another Morricone film song from the same year. But in contrast to Christy's passionate vocal in 'Deep Down', Peter Bloom's delivery is light-hearted and much more low-key. Both tracks feature classic Morricone wordless vocal effects and some truly ridiculous lyrics. I haven't seen Partner, but I'd be interested to see how this song fits in to the story:

"I want to be your dazzling white knight
I'll splash you sizzling cool with bright light

I'll kiss your cleanliness
...Your soft, silkiness
Oh what happiness:
It's biological...

SPLASH
DASH
FLASH"

Ridiculous words, but the arrangement makes the track genuinely powerful. Shame Ennio didn't bring this one out for the crowd at the Royal Albert Hall last year.

Swiss post-punk that really cheers me up. Certainly one of my favourite singles of all time, this. Five women (formerly named the corporate-baiting Kleenex) weave ununderstandable lyrics through a backing as tight as anything The Fall have ever produced. I first heard this in a Brighton record shop 5 or so years ago and nearly ripped it off the turntable in my anxiety to have it for my very own.

If the sun would rise in a minor key, this is what it would sound like. The shadows dissolve around you in warm harmony, even death sunbathes here, in a song ripe with hope and humanity. It is a misnomer to 'Fade Out' when we are held not by darkness, but by light. The paralysis of a dreary existence is manifested in the 'Street Spirit' where 'cracked eggs, dead birds scream as they fight for life' and 'machines will not communicate these thoughts and strain I am under.' If we were to stifle the creative spirit all we would need to do is look down a suburb and notice the lack of aesthetics and individuality of the homes. 'Rows of houses all bearing down on me...all these things will one day take control and fade out again.' This is the prelude to the bigger picture found in Radiohead's songs. Sure they dwell on the robotics of Orwell's '1984', and at times they are tedious and painfully accurate, nevertheless they leave us with an indelible desire to survive. 'Immerse your soul in Love' wags it's tail at the end of the song to insure a new beginning, much like the death of night. When sung, it is a very exciting moment as Thom's voice soars above the convolutions of the incessant guitar picking and synth-strings. Not the most popular Radiohead song, but their brightest moment to be experienced.

This is one of Baxters best songs, although there are many incredible Les Baxter pieces, this one really stands out from the rest. The title 'Sunken City' is perfect, you really feel like you are floating in the bright blue ocean, searching for a lost city. The instruments Baxter chose for this song are interesting; oboes, a haunting choir along with some vibraphones and piano chords, the result is however amazing.
Listen to this song late at night with the lights dimmed.

This one fits well with with my previous reccomendation in the melancholy/eerie vein. I read somewhere that the song was in the African JuJu style, but discofied of course given its 1976 production. It was this song that proved to be the Dr. Buzzard . . . was not your average disco band. Cory Daye's vocals are beautiful and harken back to an earlier era of classic jazz vocals, like Ella and Billie. The children's backup vocals are what gives it the spooky quality, probably because the intrumentation is dark, like seeing those cute (but scary) kids come out of the corn fields in Children of the Corn. The last chorus just sends chills down my spine as Cory digs into the lyrics and dances around them as the everything sort or brightens up, like the sun coming out after a summer rain. This makes the title all make such perfect sense.

Although a thick line has long been drawn connecting disco to the '90s techno scene, few have bothered to connect the dots between the more modern genre and synth pop. The Human League didn't need to fret about such things, though; they intuitively understood those relationships, having explored virtually all the influences over their career � industrial, funk, R&B, synth pop, new wave, and disco itself. And when the wheel turned again, the band was back on top with a sound that hadn't really changed, but just refined. With a few minor alterations, 1995's "Tell Me When" could have come from 1983, slotting nicely between "Fascination" and "Mirror Man." Of course, the drum programming would need to be changed (there were no jungle rhythms back then!), but the funky bassline can stay, along with the bubbly synths. In fact, the real difference is found in the vignette-esque lyrics and the more complex vocals. And these slight changes make all the difference, turning synth dreams into techno club success. A taster for the group's forthcoming Octopus album, "Tell Me When" hit on both sides of the Atlantic, landing just outside the Top 6 and Top 30 in the U.K. and U.S., respectively.
(AMG)

'Bright Eyes' O'Connor Oberst is a gifted lyricist and probably the best for his age (19 at record release). With his literary references and unconventional recording, listening to Bright Eyes is quite an experience. In this instance we meet the protagonists of the novel, 'The Unberable Lightness of Being,' and find in their weightlessness the desire to escape. Slow acoustic struming by O'Conner steady his intense vocals and between the chimes and reverberating forte piano we experience a disjointing storm used to great effect. The song has us drifting at sea with a delicate melody until we are at last erased like a skeleton in chalk. Bright Eyes sings - 'Let's sail away disappearing in a mist. Let's sail away with a whisper and a kiss. Or vanish from a road somewhere, like Tereza and Tomas, suspended in this bliss.' We feel his expressive words and sound pass through us, and late in the day we find it echoing softly in our heads. Quite an accomplishment for someone who couldn't drink yet, I look forward to following his career.

The song is one of the best songs I've heard from the genre of emo. For people that don't know emo is a rather new style of alternative, mixing both soft melodies with hard riffs, and compromising of both soft singing and ferocious screams. Thursday is a small group from N.J. Their sound is pretty original, well original in the sense that just about all emo bands are too small to be recognized. Both of Thursday's albums are excellent but if you want to get a taste of them check out This Side of Brightness.

The basic track, as heard on their album "Quiet Is The New Loud", is pretty minimal with just acoustic guitars, bass and drums. For the single release they added wonderfully lush strings arranged by David Whitaker, transforming the rather autumnal, Simon & Garfunkel-esque track into a lighter, brighter, well, more "Monte Carlo 1963" sounding song.

From what I've heard Cipriani's melodies are often predictable, but lovely, with progressions not unlike the Gloria Gaynor's I will survive, but his instrumentation, perhaps you'd call it the italian style, give it a kind of bright sound.

A wonderful song you will be unprepared to handle. A peice of pure glam rock meets Beatle like madness, from one of the last (if not the very last) true rock n' roll bands still alive and kicking. *note: 1:39, how beautiful yes?*


Would recommend from this entire album! Other highlighted selections "Gimmie Animosity", "Baby's Waiting", "Bright Pavillions".

Their latest offering "Where Our Love Grows" seems like a brighter, lighter twin of the beautiful 2001 release "Somewhere Deep In The Night", trading in sparkling stars with sunny seashores. "When The Laughter Is Over" conjures up a late 60s melancholic "lost summer" kind of mood. That's obvious since they delicately build the song around a sample taken from Roger Nichols & The Small Circle of Friends' marvelous "I Can See Only You" from 1968.