Who Do You Think You Are - Greg C



This is Greg C. Say, "hi, Greg!"



Since you read about the music we love all the time, we only thought it was fair that we started to learn about your musical tastes. Starting today and every Wednesday from now on, we're going to be asking one of our readers a couple of questions about their relationship with music. We'll try not to be creepy. Note well... we said try. If you get a message from me on Facebook, don't think I'm stalking you... I just want to know where you live hit you up with some fun questions and hopefully you'll send them back. If you don't, there will be sadness. So much sadness. We've got Greg C stepping up to the plate for the first ever 'Who Do You Think You Are' today. What did Greg have to say about the music he loves AND hates? Find out below!


...and yes. This is named after the Spice Girls song. Whatcha gon' do 'bout it?

GREG C.

1. What's the first album you ever bought?

Greg: I think it was a record single of Cher ‘If I Could Turn Back Time’. If I could turn back time, I might make a different choice. Or would I? Perhaps I’d have bought the whole album.

 
2. What music are you into at the moment?
 
 
Greg: Madonna, MDNA. I do love Madonna. I’m loving the song ‘Turn Up The Radio’, but wonder if Madonna actually listens to the radio at all. Also, the last time she sang about the radio, it was all about “switching the channel, change the station”. I’m confused.

3. What's your favourite gig or festival?


Greg: Portishead, at the old Festival Hall, Brisbane. Not because it was Portishead, not because it was Festival Hall, not because of the haze of cigarette smoke, not because of the group in the dark in the corner smoking weed, not because of her amazing voice. It’s because of all of those things combined. Amazing.

4. What are you musical guilty pleasures?


Greg: This is tough! Most of my collection is embarrassing. I love Boney M. I saw them live at Twin Towns Services Club. Yup. I’m sorry. Deal with it.

 
5. What's your most hated song and why?
 
 
Greg: 'American Pie' by Don McLean. If you've ever worked in a bar for 8 years you’d understand why.
Thanks Don.

 
 
And thank you for stopping by Greg! Thought I'd spare him some pain by leaving 'American Pie' out of today's post. Personally, I'm a big fan... and as for Boney M? Definitely nothing to feel guilty about there. 'Daddy Cool?' 'Rasputin?' Ah-may-zing songs! Now remember kids... you could be next to feature on here so watch your back get excited! I just love putting a strike through text at the moment, don't I?

10 and 1 - Songs That Should Have Been #1 Hits

Why this no #1 hit?!



Why hello there, gentle readers. Welcome back to the 10 and 1! It's been some time since we busted one of these out, but we're going to be bringing you our own special little list every Tuesday from now on. Unfamiliar with the concept? We tackle some type of topic, like this week's one... songs that should have been #1 hits... and give you ten examples of tracks that really deserved to make it all the way to #1. Then we leave you with the one; in this case a song that made it to #1 that really (really) shouldn't have. Get it? Great. Here we go!

SONGS THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN #1 HITS

Work It

by Missy Elliott (2002)

US: #2, UK: #6, AUS: #6

It's not just that 'Work It' never made it to #1, it's that for ten weeks, Missy Elliott stayed firmly planted in the runner-up position to Eminem's 'Lose Yourself.' A great song that one, but Elliott's 'Work It' was a masterpiece; the greatest rap song ever delivered unto us by a female artist. Fun, catchy and sexy with just the right amount of random thrown in for good measure... this one had every element required of an incredible chart topping smash hit. Every. Single. Element. I'm assuming there was just some clerical error one week at Billboard that kept Missy from claiming a very deserved #1. Yep... clerical error.  

Seven Nation Army

by The White Stripes (2003)

US: #76, UK: #7, AUS: #17

Every year there's an act that's touted as the saviours of rock and or roll. Young people, disenfranchised by the popular music of today run screaming through the streets, "rock lives! Long live rock!" A week later, their saviours have abandoned the now-lost flock, either having gone their own separate ways after incredibly lame in-fighting, or the realisation that they actually suck dawns on the world. The young people rock back-and-forth in a huddled mess crying, "rock is dead." There is absolutely nothing to fear, for in two months the cycle will begin again. In 2003, The White Stripes were already established to be the next big thing. White Blood Cells had catapulted them into the spotlight and if there was ever a time for a rock group to hit it big, the time came with the release of 'Seven Nation Army.' It didn't suck. It didn't suck at all. I'm not alone in my belief that, at the time of its popularity, 'Seven Nation Army' seemed destined to top the charts and restore the dominance of rock once more. Probably not in the US, but there was a good chance it could have claimed #1 in the UK. Everyone's so much cooler in the UK. Kidding! Kinda. (I love you American readers... never forget that.) The White Stripes would never hit #1 with 'Seven Nation Army' and life went on, but at least the kids weren't claiming, "rock is dead." The White Stripes proved to the world that the genre still had a lot of gas in the tank.

Since U Been Gone

by Kelly Clarkson (2004)

US: #2, UK: #5, AUS: #3

"No, I'm pretty sure 'Since U Been Gone' was a #1 hit." Yeah well, I understand why you'd think that way, but I'm also pretty sure you should lose the attitude and accept that it's just not the case. Honestly though, who doesn't think Kelly Clarkson went all the way with this one? 'Since U Been Gone' would seem to be the definition of 'monster hit,' dominating radio and music TV for an entire year all over the world.

Tell Me

by Diddy ft. Christina Aguilera (2006)

US: #47, UK: #8, AUS: #13

Diddy, P. Diddy, Puffy, Puff Daddy, Sean John... whatever. This man can crank out a massive hit every now and then, unless of course that song is 'Tell Me,' which featured the last sign of greatness from Christina Aguilera. The original 'Dirrty' girl teams up with one of the biggest rappers of all time and they can only just break the top 50 in the US? Not good enough. The blame here lies squarely on the shoulders of those who were meant to be promoting it.

Anything, Anything (I'll Give You)

by Dramarama (1985)

Anything (anything) could make it to #1 in the 80s, unless it was a fine slice of 80s rock from a band that only loses points for the stupidity of their name. Dramarama. It's like the dude version of Bananarama, you know? No? No. 

Sway

by Bic Runga (1997)

AUS: #10, UK: #93, NZ: #7

Holding off 'Sway' from reaching the top spot in Australia were classics like 'Viva Forever' by the Spice Girls, 'Lady Marmalade' by All Saints, 'Ladidi Ladida' by S.O.A.P and 'Horny '98' by Mouse T. This makes me want to repeatedly bang my head against the wall. Bubblegum pop and the movie song were dominating the charts in 1998 ('Dr. Jones' and 'I Don't Want To Miss A Thing' - I will say no more) and a well written, beautifully performed track like 'Sway' really had no place in the upper echelon of the top 50. That it reached #10 at all is a testament to how amazing the song is... but it still should have been a #1 hit. 

Cherry Lips

by Garbage (2001)

UK: #24, AUS: #7

What more could Garbage do to make a strong push for a #1 hit? Shirley Manson went blonde, sang like a seductive pixie, got naked in the music video and delivered one of the best singalong choruses of the early 2000s. All of that still wasn't enough for you, was it? WAS IT? 'Cherry Lips' was the most commercial track Garbage had ever released, a pop-rock smash dripping with sex appeal and a healthy dose of irony. It was almost as if the band was saying, "if this doesn't earn us a hit, nothing will... who gives a sh*t anyway?" This was everything we never thought a Garbage song would be, but it still managed to be perfect. You may have noticed that 'Cherry Lips' never charted in the US. Funnily enough, it was never released at all, with Interscope making the questionable choice (that's being very nice) to release 'Breaking Up The Girl' instead. Dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb (that's not being very nice).

Tiny Dancer
by Elton John (1972)

US: #41

Sometimes it takes years for the appreciation of an amazing song to grow and Elton John's 'Tiny Dancer' has built up enough respect to be named one of the greatest pieces of music ever recorded.

Call Your Girlfriend
by Robyn (2011)

NZ: #17

I don't care that it topped the US Billboard Dance Club Play Chart (nice name). The fact that 'Call Your Girlfriend' didn't claim the top spot all over the world is a travesty. Come on, this is definitely better than anything released last year from all of the Nicki Mi-Ke$ha's out there! Is it a lack of promotion or is there something about Swedish pop sensation Robyn that a large portion of the world just doesn't understand? Wait, what's not to understand? 'Call Your Girlfriend' is as good as pop gets! You can throw 'Dancing On My Own' in here too.

Thriller
by Michael Jackson (1984)

US: #4, UK: #10, AUS: #3

I can already envisage your mind being blown by this one. Arguably the most iconic single released from the world's best-selling album, it was accompanied by a revolutionary music video and... it never made it to #1. Well, it did in France and Spain. But it never did in the USA! Why didn't 'Thriller' take pole position in so many major markets? The simple answer is because it was the seventh single released from Thriller, which had been on the market for over a year. Bizarrely, the track took a backseat to 'Human Nature' and 'P.Y.T (Pretty Young Thing),' both of which also failed to hit #1 and were seriously lame when compared to the brilliance of 'Thriller.' 

AND 1:


Sexy And I Know It
by LMFAO

Do I even need to make an argument here? Nah... I'll just let the song speak for itself. You can go find it if you wish to torture yourself for it has no place here. 

New Music Monday #1



The Dandy Warhols


Every Monday we'll be reviewing some sweet, sweet new music just for you. I know, we're real nice to do something like this... but you're worth it. Like some sort of L'Oreal lotion. Take your mind far away from those thoughts sneaking in that involve me yelling at you, "IT RUBS THE LOTION ON THE SKIN OR ELSE IT GETS THE HOSE," by listening to this week's tracks from The Dandy Warhols, Ruby and the Rib Cage and Nicki Minaj. We'll then leave you with our favourite new music video of the week... whatever could it be? Uh... find out below.

Sad Vacation

by The Dandy Warhols

Album: This Machine (April 24, 2012)


The Dandy Warhols are one of those bands that seem to have hung around forever, ok, since the mid 90’s (that was forever ago, wasn’t it?) just doing their thing, solid but not always ‘chart-topping-amazing-must-listen-to’ type stuff. They’ve been kind of a big deal in the indie rock world at times and rightly so, at times. I’ve adored some of their music, I mean; everyone’s been through a Dandy Warhol stage, haven’t they? (No? Shame. You should have. They’re fun.) Since my last D Warhol stage was a while ago, I was interested to hear their latest offering, ‘Sad Vacation’ from their next album, This Machine. Almost two years since their last album (anyone remember the name?) this is the opening track and although it’s not a life changing song, it’s The Dandy’s doing what they do and that’s ok. A simple, lo-fi, messy bass driven track, its distorted guitars and repeated lyrics definitely leave you wanting more and hopefully the rest of the album will satisfy my new Warhol hunger when it’s released on April 24 (on a side note, the artwork for the album cover is beautiful, check it out). This song is solid, punchy, stripped back, very Dandy Warhol-ish and pays tribute to some of the indie gods of the early 90’s, without sounding old or boring or bland. Can’t wait to hear more, maybe this is the start of my next Dandy’s phase? We’ll see.

Jo Michelmore gives 'Sad Vacation' three Karen O's out of five...

Dandelion

by Ruby and the Rib Cage

 

Dandelion - studio demo by RubyandtheRibCage

 

It's no secret that we're big fans of Ruby and the Rib Cage here on It's My Kind of Scene. We fell for Ruby's powerful voice and songwriting prowess on previous song, 'Horror,' and were very happy to see that the band had released a new studio demo, 'Dandelion.' Initial thoughts? This is quite an inviting piece of folky-pop with a melody that seamlessly moves from sweet and hopeful to heartbreaking. The control and range in Ruby's voice is on full display, somehow charming me even more than her performance on 'Horror.' Conveying the right emotions to carry the strength of your lyrics isn't something that comes easily to many seasoned artists, but Ruby Ribcage knocks 'Dandelion' out of the park. She draws you in to a more intimate setting with her whispered low notes one second and then has you doing a reserved fist-pump when she lets loose the next. It's still early days for Ruby and the Rib Cage, but they're hitting all the right notes and my expectations for their debut EP couldn't be higher. With the strength of tracks like 'Dandelion,' I already know the band is going to blow those expectations out of the water.

 

 

Matt Bond gives 'Dandelion' four Shirley Manson's out of five...

 

 

 Pound The Alarm

by Nicki Minaj

Album: Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded

 

 

It wasn't that long ago that I would hear the name Nicki Minaj and feel this little wave of excitement come over me. A huge, gaping hole had been left in the female rap game for years and along comes this crazy girl with pink hair and no pants that can out-rap Kanye West, Jay-Z and Eminem. Would she step up and take over Missy Elliott's throne? All signs pointed to yes. If you shook the 8-Ball now, it would most likely come up with that lame 'outlook hazy, try again later' response that would really grind my gears. You see, there's these two sides to Nicki Minaj; rap goddess and trash-pop-trash. 'Pound The Alarm' is the perfect example for showing off the bipolarity of Nicki Minaj. In the opening verse, Minaj raps her giant booty off ala Missy. From the moment the rap segment ends, 'Pound The Alarm' devolves into a Ke$ha-lite, electro-pop club thumper. "You know we getting hotter and hotter, Sexy and hotter, let's shut it down." Doesn't it just make you want to go, "whoooo," with all the other ho's? In one verse we see an artist that has so much potential. Everything else? Garbage... and not the sexy Shirley Manson kind. One can't blame Minaj for chasing after chart success, but that rap crown isn't going to wait around for her forever. Azealia Banks seems prepped to jump up and snatch it and Missy Elliott is prepping for a huge comeback in 2012.

 

 

 

Matt gives 'Pound The Alarm' two Lil' Kim's out of five...

 

 

NEW MUSIC VIDEO OF THE WEEK:

 

All The Rowboats

by Regina Spektor

It's My Kind of Giveaway...



Are you a big winner?



To celebrate our second birthday and blog relaunch, It's My Kind of Scene is giving away a $50 iTunes voucher for one lucky liker of our delicious Facebook page. Other than this beautiful website, our Facebook page is another great interactive space for music lovers. So just how does one be in the running to win $50 to spend on whatever music they want (or movies or TV shows... whatever)? You've got to head on over to said Facebook page, make sure you're one of our highly attractive 'likers' and answer one simple question; what is your favourite lyric and why? Pretty simple, yes? YES! If you're in need of some inspiration, Jo and I have come up with a couple of rants answers of our own. Just so you know, we're not in the running. Or are we? No... we're not.


Here's what Jo came up with...

Katy Perry – 'Last Friday Night'

This one is a favourite of mine. A favourite because it involves two of my greatest loves; pop music and poor grammar. What is going on here Katy Perry? Is this song about the past or the present? I just don’t get it. Which Friday are you referring to? Let’s assume you’re singing this song on a Saturday. First of all you start talking about things that happened last night, being Friday night,


“Pictures of last night ended up online, I'm screwed, oh well….”


Then you start to get all confused because you start talking about last Friday night, which generally isn’t how one would reference the day before. Generally, yesterday is yesterday and ‘last Friday’ is the one before that, seven days previous to yesterday. So which Friday are you referring to when you say;


“Last Friday night, yeah we danced on table tops…”?


Is that the same Friday, as in yesterday, that your dodgy pictures ended up online and your car was towed or is that a different Friday? If your car was towed a week ago you really should have sorted that out by now, being this Friday. Now, suddenly, why are we chanting


“TGIF”?


It’s not Friday anymore, that was last night, or last week, or next week. It’s another day now and ‘TGIS, TGIM’ and so on just don’t have the same ring do they? When is this Friday anyway?


“This Friday night, do it all again….”


Are you talking about six days from Saturday or are you talking about the Friday from the week we are currently in, which is last night, but not last Friday and possibly also this Friday. If it’s next Friday I’ll have to check my schedule. If it’s yesterday then get off the crack Katy, that’s happened, we can’t relive it. If it’s last Friday, that’s fine, reminisce your heart out. Whatever, just sort out your Fridays from your Fridays. At least Rebecca Black knew which order the days of the week went….you’re confusing. Catchy, but confusing.


(Also, if anyone understands any of that rant, you’re a word nerd, you have a special place in my heart and please explain it all back to me. Thanks.)

Leonard Cohen - 'Hallelujah'

Unfortunately, this song is well over played. It’s used and abused all the time, in commercials, TV shows, movies; it gets prostituted around time and time again. Maybe that’s an indication of what an amazing song it is, but that also means it can get dull, which is incredibly unlucky, because it’s actually a beautiful song. I don’t even love the original as much as I do some of the covers, but every version still has these amazing lyrics that suck me in. Every now and then I’ll hear it again, get a glimpse of a lyric and then get stuck, having to listen; they force me to hear it all over again. I even remember the exact day I heard this for the first time, it was cold and rainy and perfect for this kind of song. There are so many ideas about what it exactly means, what the subject matter is, but for me, I don’t care, I have my own reasons for loving it, my own concept of what it means and the images that the lyrics conjure are just so heartbreaking, sad and hopeful all at once, I think it will always have some meaning to me in some way. I love music in every form, but sometimes the darker songs, the sadder, tragic, tear jerking songs are the ones that stick, with a special spot in my heart. This one has some of my favourite melancholy thoughts of all time.


“Maybe there's a God above, but all I've ever learned from love was how to shoot somebody who outdrew you, and it's not a cry that you hear at night, it's not somebody who's seen the light, it's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah….”


So sad, so true. Sigh.


You've heard it from Jo, now here are some lyrics that Matt loves... for a variety of reasons.

The Dresden Dolls - 'Boston'

There is nothing in the world that we can count on,

Even that we will wake up is an assumption...

Stunning lyrics from the brilliant mastermind that is Amanda Palmer. Lyrics like this are why I love music; they say everything we wouldn't dare talk about in most circumstances, they make you question your lot in life and stop you in your tracks. When I heard this line in 'Boston' I had to stop, reflect on how painfully accurate what was said is and then curse Palmer for my inability to come up with such an incredible collection of words.

Rebecca Black - 'Friday'

There must be something about Friday that makes artists lyrically insane. Just like 'Last Friday Night,' 'Friday' is chock full of mind numbing/amazing lyrics with some of my favourite including...

Fun, fun think about fun,

You know what it is.

We-we-we so excited,

We so excited...

Tomorrow is Saturday,

And Sunday comes after...wards.

That last one? Pure songwriting genius.

You've heard from us, now tell us what your favourite lyric/lyrics are over on our Facebook page (don't forget to like the page if you haven't already)... and you just might be spending that $50 iTunes voucher. Oh, don't forget to tell ALL of your friends! We'll be announcing the winner in two weeks!

New To The Scene - The Trouble With Templeton



Thomas Calder aka The Trouble With Templeton


Brisbane is home to a great wealth of emerging acts right now. In the past couple of months we've taken a look at The Medics, Inland Sea, Mardi Lumsden and the Rising Seas, Streamer Bendy and The Cairos; artists that all have an incredibly bright future ahead of them. Today, we're pretty excited to share the music of Brisbane's own Thomas Calder, better known by his moniker, The Trouble With Templeton.

Combining the best elements of folk, indie rock and pop with an inviting vocal style, Calder stands alongside Matt Corby and Matt Walters as one Australian singer-songwriter of the male variety you're going to want to keep your eye on. His debut album, Bleeders, was released in November last year and you can stream it in its entirety from The Trouble With Templeton website... and then buy it! Trust me, this collection of lyrical gems will win you over. Every song has its merits, but I find 'Home,' 'Someday Soon,' and the title track will have you coming back for more, especially 'Home.' That is one fine song.

We've also got to mention how impressed we are with the music video for 'Bleeders.' Beautifully shot and perfectly complimentary to the song, we haven't been as impressed with a video to come out of Australia since 'Somebody That I Used To Know.' Alright, enough chit-chat... go and listen to Bleeders, fall in love with The Trouble With Templeton and make sure you share said love with all of your friends.  


Find out more about The Trouble With Templeton:

Official Website
Facebook
Twitter

Top 20 - 1 April, 2012



The Jezabels!



Every Sunday, the It's My Kind of Scene Top 20 will be here. These are the freshest songs that we feel you need to listen to because they really are that good. Do you know a song you feel we need to listen to? Let us know in the comments section below!


1. The Temper Trap - Need Your Love





2. Garbage - Blood For Poppies





3. The Jezabels - Rosebud (NEW)





4. Azealia Banks - F*ck Up The Fun (NEW)





5. Lisa Mitchell - Spiritus (NEW)