Baby Duck Bits, Vomit Bits, Girly Bits

Theme song blaring? Candles burning? Incense wafting? Rose petals strewn? Ears twisted? Good!

Keeper: Body Rockers – I Like The Way – Remember Tom T. Hall and his 1974 hit, “I Love”? You know, the one that goes “I love little baby ducks, old pickup trucks, slow movin’ trains, and rain”. Well, think of “I Like The Way” as the 2005 version of “I Love”. But the Body Rockers don’t have little baby ducks on their minds. "I Like The Way" hit European dance clubs in April and appears to be quickly making its way to the US and beyond. The Body Rockers are a British and Australian duo and you can watch video clips of them rocking their bodies on their website. The beginning of this song makes me giggle; I think of Barry White, although I don't think Barry ever worked himself up into the foaming-at-the-mouth, get-my-freak-on frenzy that the guy from Body Rockers does. But then we never really knew Barry, did we?

Keeper: Mike Doughty – 27 Jennifers – Mike Doughty was in a band called Soul Coughing, considered “one of the most unique cult bands of the ‘90s” by MTV (read the band’s bio). I like the instrumentation on this song, especially the sparse use of the trombone. The lyrics to “27 Jennifers” crack me up and you can read them at Mike’s website (go to the Music page). The website includes Mike's blog, where you can read his 9/12 post, "The Weirdest Gig Of My Whole Entire Life", which sounds a lot like a gig I had at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, in about 1981. Not a good thing.

Chin Stroker: Force Vomit – Telephone – The more I listen to this song, the more I’m convinced this band is just in the wrong place (Singapore) at the wrong time (for the last 12 years). The day will come when the whole world will know their brand of punk-surf music. As their entertaining website points out, “you’d have to be a bit of a masochist to start a band in Singapore.” Indeed. Force Vomit's current members are Dino Vomit, Alvin Vomit and Neng Vomit. I dig their sense of humor about themselves (which is evident on their website) and I like how they sound like they’re having fun even when they’re trying to be serious. And how could you not like the band's name? I'm not a huge fan of this type of music but Force Vomit could bring me into the fold.

Painful: The Envelopes – Audrey In The Country – The Envelopes are what happens when you trap four Swedish guys and one French girl in a room full of musical instruments no one knows how to play and demand they play songs no one likes. Let’s not do that again, OK? I’ve listened to other painful songs in the last couple of days but what makes “Audrey In The Country” especially painful for me is the way it ends then starts again…not once…not twice…but three times. As though The Envelopes felt we just couldn’t get enough of their lameness.

Backlog: Girlyman – On The Air – Girlyman reminds me of Peter, Paul and Mary – only turned inside out, flipped around, then stood on end. Girlyman is actually two girls and one guy who sound as if they’ve been singing together since birth. “On The Air” has an imaginative storyline (a TV host from the ‘50s looking back on the good old days) and impeccable vocal harmony. Girlyman has toured, performed and recorded with the Indigo Girls. The band has a great website and you really should check it out. Listen to some clips of their other songs. Order a CD. Spread the Girly-word!

Backlog: Eux Autres – Ecoutez Bien! – When I first heard “Ecoutez Bien!” a few months ago, I pictured some French garage band consisting of a teenage girl on keyboards and vocals, a geeky guy on guitar, and an even geekier (and possibly one-armed) guy on drums. Boy, was I wrong. Eux Autres is a brother and sister team born in Omaha, Nebraska, but now based in Portland, Oregon. Heather sings and plays drums (not very well but so what?) while Nicholas wields the guitar (and bullhorn). The keyboards must just play themselves. Anyway, I’m intrigued by the loose yet earnest nature of this tune and I listen to it frequently. I’m also rather fond of Heather’s comment just after the song ends. I tried to listen to some of the band's other songs on their cool website but the links didn't work.

Do be sure to visit BritBox's blog and read his wonderful 9/12 post, "Zen and the Art of Roof Maintenance." Makes me want to haul out my ladder, climb up on my roof, rip up some shingles and get that hammer going. Um, wait a second. I rent. Whew, that was close.

My next post will be Friday. There. I got through this entire post without mentioning Significant Other. Doh!