Slapping together electro-metal fuzz, diva R&B and old-school B-boy spunk, L.A.'s Bedtime For Toys (named one of Rolling Stone's "25 Best Bands on MySpace" a while back), represent another one of those "kitchen sink"-hybrid acts that somehow manage to escape sounding as horrible as they might seem on paper. They've been dubbed the hipster version of Black Eyed Peas, a fitting tag based on their ability to create guilty pleasure pop patchworks you want to hate but can't necessarily prevent from slinking their way into your skull, and having an appealing frontwoman in singer Marchelle Bradanini.
Check out their MySpace and you'll become enamored with tunes like "Mona Lisa Pt. 2" (a cautionary tale about stardom-seeking L.A. newbies with a heavy rock/ rap crunch and "Genius of Love" melody theft) or "Cold Fever" (which makes a collaboration between Gwen Stefani and Korn seem somewhat plausible). A R&B covers EP, BfT iz Punk n' B (featuring radical reinventions of Earth Wind & Fire's "September" and Bobby Brown's "Don't Be Cruel"), meanwhile, feels like a promising must-have.
Here's the video for "Cold Fever", the first single from Bedtime For Toys upcoming EP, Appetite For Corruption:
Listen to their cover of Bobby Brown's "Don't Be Cruel":
DL: "Don't Be Cruel (Bobby Brown Cover)" (YFH)
Friday, May 23, 2008
Bedtime For Toys "Cold Fever"/ "Don't Be Cruel (Bobby Brown Cover)"
Nelly featuring JD and Ciara "Stepped On My J's"
Back in the day, the worst kind of disrespect was when somebody stepped on your precious Air Jordans, especially after you had made it your life's purpose to make sure they stayed looking brand spankin' new. Nelly, no stranger to revolving entire songs around his favorite accessories ("Air Force Ones", "Grillz"), pays tribute to the shoe obsession on his newest release "Stepped On My J's".
"We used to ditch school and head straight up to the mall/ Just so we could be the first ones wit em' on," the rapper fondly remembers atop a stomp-heavy rhythm that recalls the poppy grit of his Country Grammar introduction. The topic of choice might be heavily middle-school-ish, but after the downward spiral of recent ill-advised singles that saw him struggling to keep hold of his relevance, "J's", with it's infectiously irritated hook ("Man, these just came out/ He done stepped on my J's") and "Tipsy"-referencing bits, provides a welcome reminder to why he became such an instant sensation in the first place.
Is it bad, though, that we wish for featured guest Ciara to serve a "Stepped On My J's" sequel featuring just her?
DL: "Stepped On My J's" (YFH)
Purple Crush "Physical Attraction (Madonna Cover)"
Brooklyn duo Purple Crush flash back to the squeaky-voiced, pre-iconic days of Madonna on their cover of "Physical Attraction", part of Buffetlibre's increasingly exciting collection of revamped '80's favorites, Rewind.
The 1983 original was one of Maddie's first club hits, a hooky (though when listened to today, a bit flimsy-sounding) dance-pop ditty that found the singer immersed in the type of carnal desires we would hear more of in the coming, world-conquering years. Purple Crush's new take is just as grabbing, lacing busy electro bits and a quicker tempo around some hyping vocal stutters and an ethereal lead performance from singer Isla Cheadle.
Rewind is slated for a July 1st release.
DL: "Physical Attraction (Madonna Cover)" (YFH)
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Usher "This Ain't Sex"
Here I Stand's lead-off cut "Love In This Club" might have eventually emerged as a comeback smash, but it's eventual success did little to alleviate criticism that it had Usher following modern R&B trends rather than starting new ones. While the whole '80's soul-revival shtick he plays with on the gleeful funk romp "This Ain't Sex" isn't all that revolutionary either, it's a more exciting "new" direction for Usher to be taking rather than another trip through the Southern Rap-inflected urban contemporary or plush ballad pop he seems too afraid to distance himself from.
For "This Ain't Sex", Usher melds the slick sleaze-chic of Morris Day with the malleable vocal and effervescent harmony work of late '70's MJ, stretching lines like a piece of chewed-up bubble gum trapped between his fingers as he informs his lady to the late-night show about to pop off ("I'm gon' do you up and then/ I'm gon' do you down/ I'm gon' have that body baby floatin' all around"). But don't mistake the succeeding events to be just any old booty call. They're not simply having sex, he alerts, but engaging in "a symbol of the true makings of love".
On the production side, the collaborating team of Tricky Stewart and Jazze Pha do a fine job recreating the feel good spirit of yesteryear post-disco soul. The "grown n sexy" groove they build is easily inviting, and the peppering of falsetto notes and background "oohs" and "aahs" throughout it only further escalate the record's jovial allure.
An entertaining shift from his norm, "This Ain't Sex" represents the kind of unexpected artistic moves a superstar like he should be concentrating on at this point in his career. Far more acceptable than trying to find new ways to re-write "Yeah!".
The Guillemots "Falling Out of Reach"
Taking a welcome break from the punchy, dance-leaning extravaganzas that make up most of their new album, Red, British indie rock band The Guillemots ditch the odd, up-up-UPbeat indulgences on "Falling Out Of Reach", a softly chugging ballad that stresses the importance of taking a breather from life's frantic hustle and bustle.
Resonating with an acoustic tenderness that slowly weaves in dreamy layers of strings, soothing harmonies and light drum tumbles, "Reach"'s message hones in on the ever-stressed workaholics of life: "Slow down, slow down/ You’ll only get burned out/ Calm down, calm down/ You’re getting so worn out". Sad to see one particular woman slowly becoming an empty shell of her former self (in her current existence: "Home is just a word now/ You don't see it anymore"), singer Fyfe Dangerfield takes on the role of her guardian angel/ father figure, his earnest tenor delicately encouraging her to invest in a well-overdue nap and get re-acquainted with old friends she's lost touch with.
It's intent may seem a bit cheesy, but the song succeeds in selling the idea of relaxation, engulfing the ears in a calming musicality that lulls the listener into a blissful comatose state. In a modern-day insta-culture where multi-tasking reigns supreme, it's nice to have someone around to remind us of the need to "stop and smell the roses".
Peep the video (starring Ian McKellan) here.
DL: "Falling Out of Reach" (YFH)
