Rogue Bits, Biology Bits, Wing Bits

 It's new and exciting! Well, it is for me anyway. Listen to all of this post's songs using the little Audioblog mini-player before you download them! (Thanks to Rebecca for the nudge.)

Keeper: Rogue Wave – Publish My Love

According to Wikipedia, a rogue wave is a “relatively large and spontaneous ocean surface wave which can sink even medium-large ships.” That and loose lips. Publish My Love is the second song I’ve downloaded by Rogue Wave, an increasingly popular band from the San Francisco area. As usual, I have no clue what the song is about but I really like it anyway. Back in the day (about 32 minutes after this happened and, gee, wasn’t that annoying), when I was trying to write song lyrics and taking myself seriously as a singer, I’d worry and sweat over every single word. Now I barely even notice what singers are singing about and my standards for the quality of their voices have changed drastically. These days, the lyrics are often just these phonetic things going on in the midst of whatever music I’m listening to. The singer’s voice is merely another instrument thrown into the mix and my level of attention toward what they’re singing fades in and out. Funny how my focus has shifted over the years. Maybe that’s the way you’ve always listened to songs with lyrics. What was I talking about just now, anyway? Oh yeah, Rogue Wave. Buy their CD or something and let me go back to ignoring all these hard-working lyricists and singers.


Keeper: Snow & Voices – Go Your Own Way

“Go Your Own Way” is the only Fleetwood Mac song I ever really liked and this version by Snow & Voices is pretty cool. Snow & Voices is mainly one Lauri Kranz, a singer/songwriter currently based in Los Angeles who has released three CDs so far. Lauri and her “loose knit” band of transient musicians (is it a band or a coffee klatch?) slow this song down to a near-agonizing crawl but I think it works in a mighty big way. I listened to clips of the other songs on the CD this track is from but, as is so often the case, I didn’t hear anything else I liked all that much. Maybe you will. Personally, I think Lauri needs to get out for some fresh air a little more often and take herself a lot less seriously. All that self-absorbed “haunting” and “slightly darker sonic underbelly” stuff can get tedious (and I speak as someone who has been there).


Chin Stroker: Girls Aloud – Biology

Just what the world needed…another clone of the Spice Girls concept. I didn’t realize when I first began listening to “Biology” who Girls Aloud were or what they represented. I just thought it was a fun and sort of interesting song; I liked the changes in style and tempo, and I enjoyed the overall attitude of the thing. And the few lyrics that I paid attention to made me giggle (“…it’s just a matter of time/before all the heavy stuff comes back to bite your behind”). Then I checked out their web site (you’ll need to temporarily turn off your pop-up blocker to get the full effect) and really started giggling. Whoa, ladies! They probably each have Mensa IQs, doctorates in philosophy and nuclear medicine, and know how to change their own oil – but for now they’re wisely banking on their good looks and pleasant personalities while they've still got them.


Painful: Wing – Sampler

I present this short sampler of music by Wing with mixed emotions. On the one hand, I adore Wing for doggedly following her dream and working so hard to share her abilities with us. On the other hand…well, listen to the sampler. Wing is originally from Hong Kong but currently calls New Zealand home. You would not believe the amount of attention and number of fans Wing has been accumulating in the last couple of years – it’s a freaking phenomenon. Just imagine the power Wing would have if she was actually good; she could probably cure the common cold and end the war in Iraq all in one afternoon. Thanks (I think) to my buddy RZ for pointing me in Wing’s direction; my life will never be the same.


Backlog: I Am Kloot – Over My Shoulder

I came across “Over My Shoulder” this past summer and it still gets a lot of play in the Big Bad Bit jukebox. I like the simplicity of the melody and instrumentation as well as the tick-tock beat throughout the song. I Am Kloot is from Manchester, England. They toured the US in the spring and they’re currently touring Europe. I need to learn more about them (so many bands, so little time). The bits I’ve heard give me the impression the band is pretty organic; not a lot of bells and whistles, just straightforward stuff. Listening to I Am Kloot could be a good way to “cleanse my palate” after immersing myself in some of the more over-dubbed, over-produced, over-the-top stuff I often delve into.


:: Big Bad Bit Tid Bit ::

If you have time, please consider adding yourself to the Big Bad Bit Map. I think it would be fun if we all could see where the heck we are in a physical sense. Where we are mentally or spiritually is pretty far out of the realm of this blog, but feel free to add any comments you want (within reason and weather permitting). Just click on the map in my sidebar (over there…no, there…that’s it!) then click “Add Yourself”. Fill in your name (make something up if you want), your zip code (if in the US), a comment if you feel inclined, and a photo if you’ve got one to share. Then click “Add Me!” and you’ll magically appear on the map. Fun, eh?

Also, returning visitors may notice I'm trying out yet another file host to download today's tracks. Let me know if you have any problems with Fastdump (is it incredibly slow? are any links broken?).