Guilty Pleasure Friday

I'm gonna do something different today with this. Both the original artist and the show that has the song are guilty pleasures so you're gettting a two for one today. After all I didn't post the past two days so it's only fair.

This person I'm surprised she's still alive after all the crap she has done to herself. Up until she came around the only real crazy singer we had was Britney Spears, but this lady (in my opinion) can top anything Britney has done... well except maybe the whole attacking the car with an umbrella. That was just insane.

Amy Whinehouse

Admit it. You had "Rehab" stuck in your head when it first came out (when you didn't know all the weird details of her life and it was cool to like the song). There's no denying that she's got a great voice, but the unfortunate part is that with her drug use and just all around craziness we probably won't hear too much from her in the future. She's gonna be gone soon I think.

Even if you don't like the song you have to like the hair. Gotta give her props for rocking the beehive. Though not when she had it dyed it blonde. That was just scary.

The show that has a performance of "Rehab" is called Glee and if you haven't seen it you need to go to their page on FOX's website and get to it. It's campy and basically a musical in an hour long comedy or dramedy whatever you want to classify it as. In this clip the Glee Club the show is about goes to watch an opposing school's Glee Club. It's amazing and I can't wait for the season to start in a couple of weeks. Enjoy the weekend!

Celebrating the Islands

This is artist is very successful both as a solo artist and a member a little band called The Fugees. If that doesn't tell you who it is then you really are behind and need to hear his music. He's a multi-platinum artist who is a producer and actor as well.

Wyclef Jean

Not only is he a fabulous musician, he is very involved with helping his native country Haiti with humanitarian work. He created the foundation Yéle Haiti to promote pride and hope for the country.

Today's song comes from his solo album Carnival and it's a mellow song called "Gone Til November." It features the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and was a big hit. If you pay attention to the video you might even catch the cameo by Bob Dylan while Wyclef is singing his name.

First Day Back at School

Today was the first day of classes and it seemed like it lasted forever... but at the same time it went by rather quickly. Two classes in a row and then I got to catch up with some of my friends in between classes. It's so easy to spot out the freshman, and I'm so glad that's not me anymore. So far so good.





Today we need an upbeat song to get through the Monday blues and my back to school blues. It's rainy outside here and I think it needs some brightening up. It just so happens that I've got the perfect video/song just for said occassion. A new artist that you probably haven't heard of before.

La Roux

I first thought that La Roux was a solo act of Elly Jackson but it turns out that it's actually a duo act. They're a British electro-pop synth duo. Elly sings and plays the synth while Ben Langmaid is the co-writer and co-producer. They definitely have a unique sound and it's probably not everyones cup of tea. Even if you like one song another one might be completely different sounding. Personally I like "Bulletproof" (today's song) but I don't really care for "In for the Kill." Take a listen to both and see what you think.

Not So Guilty Pleasure Friday

Saved the best for last once again. This week we end with probably one of the most recognizable summer songs in my opinion. The band on the other hand... not so much. I've heard the song a million times but never knew who sang it. Well today I'm fixing that.

Mungo Jerry

I think saying their name alone would make people look at you crazy, but they gave us a great summer song that I'm sure a ton of you have heard. "In the Summertime" is an infectious pop folk song that topped the charts everywhere around the world. What a better way to start the weekend than to have a song that celebrates the carefree days of summer. Enjoy the weekend!

Surfing Again

Yesterday's post got me thinking about surf music and I don't know how I didn't think of this artist sooner than I did. He is the "King of the Surf Guitar." My dad has always loved this guy's music and played it for me and my sister when we were little. He's experimented with different techniques and was the first to do many of the things he can do with a guitar.

Dick Dale

Dick Dale was a surfer and he wanted his music to sound like the sounds he thought in his head while out on the waves. Listening to his songs you can definitely tell he achieved this goal. He makes his guitar pull out riffs with a "wet" sound. One thing he is also known for is his unique style of picking the strings. Dale is left-handed so he had to play a right-handed guitar. He didn't bother restringing his guitar and instead played it upside-down. He continued to do this even when he got a left-handed guitar. Old habits die hard.

Even after a cancer diagnosis in 2008 Dale is touring once again this year after a surgery to remove a tumor. This song is my favorite as well as my dad's. If you love listening to the guitar then this song is for you.

A Real Blast From the Past

I don't think you can talk about summer music without mentioning this band. To me they are the definition of summer. I remember my sister, mom, grandma, and I were going to the beach one summer and we listened to a tape of nothing but this band's music all the way down and never got tired of it. They've got the whole surfer vibe down to an art.

Beach Boys

It doesn't matter what time of year I listen to anyone of their songs, I automatically think of summer or the beach. After all beach is in their name so it only makes sense. Even though their songs envoke scenes of the waves of Californian coast, Brian Wilson's creativity took them to a whole 'nother level of wow. Granted Wilson'd drug use and mental instability weren't too good for the band, but you can't deny the power they had. They've influenced countless number of future musicians and were even ranked 12 on Rolling Stone's list of 100 Greatest Artists of all Time. Even more amazing still is that Billboard ranks them as the #1 selling American band of all time.

This song is one of my favorites. Whenever I go to the beach I spend all my time in the water. the only time I come to shore is when we're about to leave the beach itself. I didn't surf it was just boogie boarding but I've always wanted to learn how to surf. This song has the surfing spirit I have in me I like to think

It's a Cruel World

We're throwing it back to the 80's today. It's an all girl group who have been very successful throughout they're musical career. The line-up hasn't always been the same, but they were most successful when it was the trio of three friends Siobhan Fahey, Keren Woodward and Sara Dallin. They even received a Guinness World Record in 1988 for the all-female group for most chart entries. They still have the record today! Who is this amazing group?

Bananarama

I'm sure there are some of you out there who are wondering who in the world this group is. I'll admit I had never heard their name until I was watching a countdown of the 100 Greatest Songs of the 80's on VH1. It's weird to think that they have all these songs on the charts but they aren't more familiar. Though I know you definitely know their song "Venus." Yes that would be the one on all the Venus razor commercials.

They're still around today touring and what not. Only instead of a trio it's just a duo of Sara Dallin and Keren Woodward (who's married to the vocalist and guitarist from Wham!... no not George Michael the other guy... Andrew Ridgeley). They're at work in the studio and are set to release a couple of singles next month.

Got a pretty nice live peformance of the song "Cruel Summer". The real cruelty is summer is almost gone...