OVERLOOKED: "WALK THE MOON"

One of my biggest pet peeves is when a band names themselves and doesn't even bother to check to see if that name has already been taken.  In my view, once a band name has been taken, it belongs to that band - end of story!  You could modify it but you can't just use a name that has already been used!  I recently was searching out for an old album, the debut, self-titled album from Walk the Moon released on MCA in 1987.  I was surprised when I saw a flurry of new web pages and information about the band - until I realized that it was all about a NEW band from Ohio or somewhere called Walk the Moon.

Granted, the earlier band Walk the Moon never had a huge hit or made much of a dent in pop culture, but if they reached me as a kid growing up in the middle of nowhere, they were at least a blip on the radar.  Besides, it's not like Walk the Moon is really even that great of a band name - as the original band themselves must have known, because after their one album under that name, they rechristened themselves Eleven and released some really outstanding music, including the fantastic album "Avantgardedog" in 2000.

"Walk the Moon" was an album I picked up from a dollar bin at my local five and dime when I was in junior high.  It looked interesting and for a buck, I figured I'd give it a chance.  It never became one of my favorite albums, but it stuck with me enough that years and years later I dusted it off and decided to look up whatever became of the band, which lead me to discovering Eleven and their great music.  The band was comprised of Alain Johannes, who I was recently able to see play live, and his partner Natasha Shneider.  They are both very accomplished musicians who have long histories in the Los Angeles music scene.  Johannes especially has worked with many notable musicians, from his time in an early lineup of Red Hot Chili Peppers, to playing with Chris Cornell, Queens of the Stone Age and Arctic Monkeys.

This curious 80's album kicks off with what was presumably the lead single, "Daddy's Coming Home," which comes off as a little bit forced.  It seems like they were trying too hard to have a hit, and in 1987 this was not the cutting edge of mainstream rock.  However, it is kind of catchy so you can see what they were trying to accomplish.  The rest of the album is pretty consistent in its sound, with a few more rocking, catchy numbers like "Love is What You Make It," (which sounds vaguely Lita Ford-esque) and "Sugar" being some of the better ones.  Ballads like "On Your Lap" and "Tears in Your Smile" show more depth and passion, but the entire thing comes off slightly hollow, perhaps the result of a new band being pressured by a label to fit into a certain sound.

All in all, the album is mainly notable for me as a bit of nostalgia, because it introduced me to the amazing musicians who went on to grow and create some really great music.  Heck, they even wrote and produced a song for Adam Lambert ("Time for Miracles," a bonus track on Lambert's debut disc and featured on the soundtrack to the film 2012).

Sadly, Natasha passed away in 2008 following a battle with cancer.  Queens of the Stone Age performed a concert in tribute to her in Los Angeles featuring guest musicians including Alain, Jack Black and PJ Harvey.  They donated the proceeds to help defray the medical costs associated with Natasha's illness.

So, let's remember who the real Walk the Moon is and pay tribute to them.

OUT NOW: LANA DEL REY "BORN TO DIE"

Here's our first post of 2012 and it's all about the new phenomenon known as "Lana Del Rey," otherwise known by her real name, Lizzy Grant.  With all the hoopla - and there HAS been a lot of hoopla - it's kind of surprising that her debut album, "Born To Die," is surprisingly solid in a very non-earth-shattering type of way.  Described (by herself, or by someone else who credited it to Lana) as a "gangsta Nancy Sinatra," Del Rey cleverly has packaged herself (or been packaged) as a sort of modern torch singer, mixing in the glamour of 1960's Hamptons with more street-wise, hip-hop elements.  She can definitely make her voice sound all "old fashioned" as demonstrated in a couple of the darker numbers, which happen to be the hits, "Blue Jeans" (our personal favorite here at Aural-O), the internet meme sensation "Video Games," as well as the title track.  The "gangsta" part seems to come from the few tracks that do include Del Rey using more of a rap-style vocal delivery, such as the frenetic "Off To The Races," and the sublimely beautiful (and for some reason, critically reviled) "National Anthem," (which happens to be our second-favorite song.)

If it seems that we are using a lot of parenthesis in this review (and indeed, we are) it may be due to the highly contentious nature of most of the aforementioned "hoopla" surrounding Del Rey and her persona.  If you hadn't ever met Del Rey (I have) or seen her perform live in the flesh, and if you had only paid attention to what you read in the blogs or heard from your hipster friends, you'd think that Del Rey had, as Kristin Wiig stated during her impression of the young singer on a recent episode of Saturday Night Live, "clubbed a baby seal while singing the taliban national anthem" during her US premiere on that very same show several weeks earlier.  The rage was immediate and harsh, ranging from mean tweets from celebrities, to countless "she sucks" comments on various online articles about the singer.  Here are the common claims: that her dad is a millionaire so she bought her success, that she changed her name/look/sound to try to be more successful, that she had her lips surgically enhanced, and that she is inexperienced and unpolished as a live performer.  Why these complaints have been lodged so forcefully, and with such great ire by so many, seems to speak more to the current state of society than anything Del Rey herself did or did not do.  Being a singer has always been akin to being an actor.  The song is your script and it is up to you how you are going to interpret it, how you are going to emote the feelings contained in the lyrics using your voice and body.  Any singer signed to a major label in the history of music has been packaged and marketed by the suits in the corporate office.  A huge amount of successful musicians and other celebrities have changed their names, looks, and styles either before their success or during the course of it, often many times.  Look at Madonna: who would dare to criticize her for changing her looks?  It's always been a part of who she is and what she does.

We could sit here and debate the merits and authenticity of Lana Del Rey all day, as many people apparently are wont to do, but the fact is that as a performer and a singer/songwriter, she has something special that clearly evokes lots of emotions in others - some good, some bad.  The fact that her album just debuted at #2 on the Billboard album charts seems to show that there are plenty of people who dig Del Rey.  Despite what the haters may say, we at Aural-O think she is a bright new star in the music industry and has a great career in front of her.

Oh, and one last thing: to those who argue that she bought her way to the top, please think about this:  How many girls (and guys) who's parents belong to the 1% do you think have done everything in their power to turn their money into fame and success?  If it was that easy, don't you think the radio would be filled with the voices of spoiled rich kids having used daddy's money to hire producers to auto-tune them into oblivion?  In reality, that story is a rarity.  Even "Posh Spice" didn't really come from a rich family.  Most rich kids are too lazy to lug an acoustic guitar around to open mic nights in Brooklyn, so whether it's true that Del Rey's father is an internet impresario is frankly irrelevant.  But, haters gonna hate...

Rating: OOOO (Four out of Five O's)

OUT NOW: AQUA "MEGALOMANIA"

The best pop records just make you smile, feel good, and get your body moving from the first note to the last beat.  Aqua's 1997 debut album, "Aquarium," was one such album.  Despite the silly lyrics and cheesy euro-dance music - or perhaps because of them - "Aquarium" was like happiness distilled into soundwaves.  Breaking onto the international scene with the ridiculously catchy "Barbie Girl," they unfortunately wound up being relegated to the dreaded "one-hit wonder" status in the US.  Nevermind that "Lollipop" charted at #23 here, "Turn Back Time" (included in the film "Sliding Doors") made #18 on the Billboard Mainstream top 40 chart, and the album itself peaked at #7; most Americans only saw them as the "Barbie Girl" band.

Their case was not helped by the scatter-shot sophomore album, "Aquarius," which veered to far into Disney soundtrack-esque "kiddie pop" in an attempt to cater to the widest audience possible.  Although successful overseas, the album bombed stateside and shortly after the band disintegrated.  Many years later they reunited and recorded a handful of new tracks for a greatest hits compilation (including the infectious "Back to the 80's") and played some shows.

Luckily, they are completely back now with a brand new album, thankfully one that doesn't begin with "Aquariu"!  Supposedly, the band set out to record the world's best pop album, and I have to say they have definitely come very close!  "Megalomania" starts off on a surprisingly grown-up note with the thoughtful, yet still danceable, "Playmate to Jesus," with it's optimistic lyrics "everywhere I go I pray, for yoo-NEE-versal love!"  The party gets kicked into high gear with "Dirty Little Pop Song," which sounds extremely current but yet has the Aqua trademark sound and lyrics that are actually more clever than you might give them credit for on first listen.  And Lene shows that she can do Kylie just as well as Kylie can ("Spinnin' in your head").

"Kill Myself" is sort of a departure for the band, being a little more serious sounding and musically a little more complex yet very beautiful.  Possibly my favorite song on the album.

This is followed by the extremely strong "Like a Robot," which sees Aqua adding a new word to their lexicon, but I won't spoil the surprise.  I can see drag queens lip syncing this one.

From here there are some passable dance-party anthems like "Viva Las Vegas" and the first single "How R U Doin," and another very high point "Sucker for a Superstar" and a couple sort-of low points with "No Party Patrol" and "Be My Savior Tonight," both of which are fine but just don't quite match the heights of the rest of the songs.  The album ends with another great ditty with a title that says it all: "If the World Didn't Suck (We Would All Fall Off)."

All in all, I was completely blown away by this album, not really expecting too much out of it.  Aqua do know what they're doing when it comes to catchy hooks and big, electronic beats, so I shouldn't have doubted them, but this could end up being one of AURAL-O's favorite albums of 2011!  It certainly has stuck in our CD player since we got it!

Rating: OOOOO (five out of five O's)

OPEN YOUR MOUTH: TRACEY BEEHIVE FROM VOICE OF THE BEEHIVE

Aural-O is pleased as punch to introduce the first in our new series "OPEN YOUR MOUTH" where we go right to the source and ask 5 questions about a given album, of the artist themselves!

For this inaugural post, we couldn't be more thrilled to have gotten Tracey from Voice of the Beehive to take time to give us her thoughts on the bands' second album, Honey Lingers, which was released in 1991 and revisted here on Aural-O recently.

Back cover shot from the "I Think I Love You" single
photograph by Pete Mountain, from www.voiceofthebeehive.com, 

the band's official website.

Aural-O: Who's idea was the cover shot of Honey Lingers, and what was it like doing the photo shoot for it?

Tracey Beehive: The cover shot of Honey Lingers came from my love of the "Think Pink" sequence from Funny Face. I showed it to the art directors and they got it. I personally think I look like a hideous version of a drag queen on the cover but it was all meant in fun. 

A-O: Did you agree with and have any input into the choice of singles released from Honey Lingers? If you could do it over again and have complete control, how would you have done it with regards to singles releases?

TB: I had no input in any of the single choices for the band which is why I have no faith in the industry of music anymore. Unless you are huge, the bands have no say. I would have first released "Adonis Blue" as a single. I was so reluctant to work with that team of producers because they were so pop oriented but it ended up being one of my favorite songs on the CD and then I would have released "Monsters and Angels" and maybe (with blind hope) released "Perfect Place" with the hope that someone would get it's message.

A-O: What song from the album resonates the most with you today, and why?

TB: There is no doubt that "Monsters and Angels" is my most personal song. Even though I didn't write the music. I heard Mike playing it upstairs in the home studio and went up and begged him to give that music to me. This sounds really corny but there are times when I feel lost and don't know or remember who I am and what I intended to contribute with my life and when I listen to that song I seem to find myself again. I have this strange feeling of "Oh, I remember you. You're still here." It's hard to explain but I seem return to that song when I am confused. 

A-O: Did Honey Lingers come together really easily after [your first album] Let It Bee, or were you feeling any fears of the dreaded sophomore album? 

TB: Honey Lingers was the most over labored project in the history of music. All the powers that be were trying to create hits instead of just letting us get on with it. The CD had like 5 producers!!!! Why not just pick one that has the same vision as the band and get on with it?
Having said that, it is my favorite Beehive CD.

A-O: When you look back at all the music Voice of the Beehive released, how do you feel about Honey Lingers, and how does it relate to the other albums, singles, and songs? 

TB: Like I said I really prefer Honey Lingers to Let It Bee but I think I am the only person alive that also preferred The Pretenders second CD to the first.
I just think it is a more thoughtful and reflective work. I mean, it had "Perfect Place" and "Little Gods" instead of "Barbarian" and "Oh Love." But, this is like saying, "This child was not as pretty as the other child I had."
I just think between "Monsters and Angels", "Adonis Blue" and "Perfect Place," it was a more grown up record.
Having said that, in my heart, nothing comes close to "I Say Nothing".......so what are you gonna do?

A-O: A huge, honey-covered thanks to Tracey for giving us insight into a truly memorable album!  "Bee" sure to check out the band's catalogue on iTunes!

ORIGINAL: VOICE OF THE BEEHIVE "HONEY LINGERS"

Back in 1991, it seemed like Voice of the Beehive was poised to take over the world - or at least the world of pop music.  Their debut album, "Let It Bee," had made some waves in the UK and even some ripples in the US.  I heard of them around the time of that first album, but never caught them on the radio or MTV.  Then, one fateful day, "Monsters and Angels," the first single from their second album "Honey Lingers," came on the car stereo, and I was hooked!  As soon as I could, I went to the record store (that day) and bought the cassette tape, which featured the beautiful artwork as seen above of the two sisters, Tracey and Melissa, who were the vocalists for the band.  From the first time I heard it, I was in love.
The 10-song album is about as tight and perfect as an album can be - the only possible gripe is that it's too short.  Kicking off with the aforementioned lead single, the gloss and shine of the production is a great match with the raw energy and enthusiasm of the band.  The video for the song is great too, bringing to life the famous painting "Nighthawks" by Edward Hopper, with the band members playing characters within the diner.  Those shots are interspersed with performance shots in which Tracey is wearing her trademark baby-doll-head dress (which she made herself according to legend).
Next is Adonis Blue, which takes things up a notch.  This is an energetic, sing-a-long romp with delicious vocal harmonies from Tracey and Melissa playing out with the perfection of the boys' instruments behind them.  It's one of those songs that you sing along with by the second or third chorus and the lyrics have so much color in them.  This song should have been a single, and indeed was released as a promotional CD single which contained a b-side, "Shine Away," which was another great song from that time period which was not included on the album.
Up next is the band's cover of "I Think I Love You."  I hadn't heard this song before I heard their version, but my mom got quite the kick out of it when I played the tape in the car (I was in high school at the time).  They update it with a very slick pop/club vibe and this was another single and hit for them in the UK, but was not released in the US.  The video is very brightly colored and shows the band in a club in a sort of rave type setting with lots of colorful extras dancing around to the song.
Never one to shy away from poking some fun while making a statement, Tracey sings "You can read the good book to feel bad about yourself, but just one small donation could save you from burning down in hell" on the hilariously frightening (because it was so true then and even more so now) "Look At Me."  This song really could be the theme song to any one of the hundreds of reality shows that inundate our airwaves these days.
Ending side one of the cassette (or vinyl) is the simple, sweet song "Beauty To My Eyes" which opens with the sublime lyric, "Stars have been subjects of poets and priests, and girls on bended knees, I see the heavens looking at you."  The gorgeous harmonies of the sisters mirror the lyrics of the song, creating beauty to the ears as well!
Kicking off side two in ultra high gear is "Just Like You," which to this day is one of my favorite Beehive songs.  This one reminded me a lot of the B-52's and I thought that if any of the songs on the album could be a huge, mega-breakthrough hit in the US, it would have been this one... why the record company didn't realize that, I'll never know!  "It's just like you, to make me shiver when I'm sweating!"  The video would have been eye candy.
"Little Gods" is a cute little song with a good message - "Little girls shouldn't treat, little boys they happen to meet, like little Gods."  It's a sort of somber look at how girls fall over themselves trying to please and impress the guys their interested in, when really it should be the other way around, but it's wrapped up in so much sugar and sweetness that it doesn't sound preachy or cynical.  Just a spoonful of sugar...
"I'm Shooting Cupid" was another of my favorites and even became the centerpiece of a long running conversation I had with a girl I was pursuing throughout a lot of my adolescent years.  Again, like "Little Gods," it takes some really harsh thoughts on romance and rejection, and ties it up in such an adorable package: I mean, just the title alone looks so cutesy when you imagine some lovelorn lady taking a gun to the little cherub!  Many years later, the band released a special CD collection of rare tracks and b-sides to coincide with their 2003 reunion tour of the UK, which included the original demo of this song which differs considerably from the album version.  I believe that version is now available on iTunes and is definitely worth downloading if you haven't heard it before.
"Say It" is in a similar vein to "Look At Me," being a little naughtier and rawer than some of the other songs and explores a relationship where the female decides it's OK for the male to get away without saying those three little words as long as he treats her right, culminating with the line "as long as we're not saying it, I know something else we can do."
The album ends with another slower track, the haunting "Perfect Place."  As beautiful as this song is, I was very surprised to hear it on the radio as it was the follow up single to "Monsters and Angels" in the US and I really felt strongly that they needed to have a really up-beat song released instead (namely "Look At Me").  It's a really pretty song, and has some really great lyrics and sentiments in it, but since "Monsters" was already pretty much a slow-jam, and since Voice of the Beehive was really a fun, wacky party / dance band to see live, it seemed odd that the label seemed to want to push them as this adult-oriented easy-listening type of band.  They did tweak the mix a little bit so that it opened with a heavier drum beat, but it was still definitely not a "party song."  This strange phenomenon would continue with the band's next (and final) album, which was preceded by the strange choice of first single "Angel Come Down" which, although a very pretty song, didn't seem to represent Voice of the Beehive in a way that would have got people's attention.  The videos for both that song and "Perfect Place" are stunningly gorgeous, though, and again, the original demo version of the song (which the band was always apparently way happier with then the ultra-produced album version) was included on the 2003 exclusive tour CD.
There were some other really good songs the band wrote, recorded and performed around this time that are great additions to your music collection, including "Pocketsized," which was a b-side to "Monsters and Angels" and was in a similar vein to "There's A Barbarian In The Back Of My Car" from their first album.  "Something About God" was a b-side to "I Think I Love You" and is a really cool ditty as well.
This is one of those albums that you can always go back to and have it bring a smile to your face, and sing along to every song.  It's a shame that not more people heard it, but it does make it very special to those of us who have.

Rating: OOOOO (Five out of Five O's)

OVERLOOKED: KATE MILLER-HEIDKE "CURIOUSER"

Curious: I only stumbled upon this classically-trained Australian songstress while flipping through the clearance bin of my local record store.  Curiouser: that the likes of Katy Perry are Ke$ha are massively popular here in the US, while I literally had to go slumming to find this album - it's all so backwards!
Mixing a stinging wit, clever lyrics, amazing musicianship and a uniqueness that is difficult to achieve in the world of blond female pop singers (see my previous review of Lady Gaga's "Born This Way"), Miller-Heidke manages to find her own place in the world of pop music with a slightly off-kilter and quirky approach that endears her immediately to the listener.
Opening up with some offbeat vocalizing, the track "The One Thing I Know" is a good intro to the CD although a little bland lyrically.  Moving on, the next track "God's Gift To Women" is a better showcase of Miller-Heidke's charm and sense of humor.  "Caught in the Crowd" is a catchy number that tells a story many of us are familiar with and effortlessly plays into the whole It Gets Better anti-bullying campaigning so popular these days - but keep in mind this CD was released way back in 2008! 
"Can't Shake It" was the first single off the album and is accompanied by a delightfully kooky video.  The first time I heard it I though, eh, it's cool enough.  The guitars are really cool sounding - my partner said they sounds sort of like Franz Ferdinand.  But when I actually listened to the lyrics, I started LOL'ing all over the place!  It's literally talking about how she can't shake her ass.  When she tries to dance, someone calls the nurse because they though she was having a fit.  It's hilarious!
The rest of the album is chock full of great songs that get stuck in your head and show a range of depth and emotion that is not present in a lot of pop music - this can be described as "alternative pop" because it's got a lot of other influences and sounds going on.  Apparently, Kate was trained in opera and you can hear it in some of her singing - there's lots of silly little noises and bird-like sing-songing.  She seems like she would be a really cool chick to hang out with.
I hope that at some point this talented musician gets some more credit in the States, but it sounds like she has done really well in her home country so hopefully she will continue making music for years to come.

Rating: OOOO (four out of five O's)

OUT NOW: BLONDIE'S "PANIC OF GIRLS"

Blondie, one of the greatest bands of all time, is back with a brand new album titled "Panic of Girls."  Apparently, a panic of girls is similar to a murder of crows or a school of fish.
The album starts off with a bang, or rather many bangs as original drummer Clem Burke kicks into high gear with a propulsive beat on "D-Day," a song that seems to allude to the current state of the music industry and internet, with references to piracy, transfers, and limited privacy.  The chorus is infectious, with the backing vocals that seem to be chanting "Debbie Devil, Don't You Dare," although I could be hearing it wrong.
From there the high energy continues with the absolutely stunning "What I Heard," which definitely should be a summer single.  It's sing-a-long ready and sounds like classic Blondie but with an energy that is so current and immediate.  Amazingly, this level of passion and frenetic energy is continued into the third track and first single, "Mother," which is another great sing-a-long which just seems perfect for Debbie Harry to sing, as to many, she is the "Mother" of punk-pop/new-wave/girl-rock or whatever she represents to the legions of people she and the band have inspired.
The band brings things down a notch for the next track, the reggae influenced "The End The End" which seems to be an apocalyptic love song reminiscent of other island-flavored Blondie tunes like "The Tide is High" or "The Only One."
Throughout the rest of the album, the band explores a variety of sounds and influences, keeping it mostly mellow from here on out, although "Love Doesn't Frighten Me" is another poppy rock song with a very classic Blondie feel about it.  Some of the stranger, but very cool moments, include the latino jam-band groove of "Wipe Off My Sweat," with Debbie's repeated coo-ings of "Papi, Papi," and the half sexy/half silly rapping of the bonus track "Horizontal Twist" with it's name-checking of Sheryl Crow of all people.
Overall, this album takes a few listens to get into the less-catchy songs that dominate the last 2/3rds of the album, but for a band that's been going as long as Blondie, this music serves them now as it does feel like an album they could actually perform live in it's entirety without being forceful or sounding like they're trying to be something they're not.  It doesn't have all the highs that their previous two discs had (1999's No Exit, and 2003's shamefully under-appreciated The Curse of Blondie) but it's a welcome return from a band who has produced some consistently brilliant and envelope-pushing work.  Debbie's vocals continue to mature in a sultry, jazz chanteuse sort of way but retains enough of her brash, punk attitude and standoffish sex appeal, and the new band members do a good job of honoring the past Blondie sound without being slaves to it.

Rating: OOO (Three out of Five O's)