Twostepcublog

I really wanted to like this record more. When the Scissor Sisters ’ self-titled debut CD came out, it was like a breath of fresh air. Campy, brash, yet accessible, it was a huge smash in England , and made significant inroads here in American, where “Take Your Mama” became a adult-top-40 hit. Drawing from equal parts Elton, Bowie, and BeeGees, the discofied punk of the “sisters” found a widespread audience for both the CD as well as their party-style concert, which sold like a superstar act in England . Expectations were high for their sophomore effort, preceded by the Elton John assisted lead-off single “ I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’ ”. The track had everything going for it, the spot-on “Oh What A Night-style” piano going into disco-vaudevillian bliss, where Jake Shears is bopping to the fact that he doesn’t want to go out and party. Well, for Ta-Da , the diversity of their previous album has devolved into exclusive Elton-esqueness, with smatterings of sparse electro-pop. The better ...

Man, oh man, did this week go by quickly....SB's on the couch snoozin', so I'll put up my tunes for the week. This week Amy Winehouse drunkenly reaches the summit, while Linkin Park (pictured above) holds steady in the top-10. Making the biggest moves are Pink, Idina Menzel, Nine Inch Nails, Ben Macklin, and Kat Deluna. And , I'm happy to say the links are back, so you can click on the highlighted name of any of the artists below to go to their website (right-click to bring it up in another window or tab). ZZZZ....... This Week Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Rehab - Amy Winehouse (3) 2. Paralyzer - Finger Eleven (4) 3. Makes Me Wonder - Maroon5 (2) 4. I Told You So - Keith Urban (1) 5. Umbrella - Rihanna (6) 6. Never Again - Kelly Clarkson (5) 7. What I've Done - Linkin Park (7) 8. Lost In This Moment - Big & Rich (12) 9. Dig - Incubus (11) 10...

The inimitable Tom Tomorrow....thanks to Salon.com - go there for more...

Hey guys, it's time for my tunes for the week. After nine weeks Maroon5 finally gets displaced by Keith Urban, while Rihanna (pictured above) makes a big move in the top-10. This week sees big jumps by Enrique Iglesias, The White Stripes, Fall Out Boy, Stevie Nicks, and Pink, while The Killers and Lola drop off the list. Happy 6 months, SB! This Week Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. I Told You So - Keith Urban (2) 2. Makes Me Wonder - Maroon5 (1) 3. Rehab - Amy Winehouse (4) 4. Paralyzer - Finger Eleven (6) 5. Never Again - Kelly Clarkson (3) 6. Umbrella - Rihanna (9) 7. What I've Done - Linkin Park (7) 8. Wrapped - George Strait (8) 9. U & Ur Hand - Pink (5) 10. Home - Daughtry (10) 11. Dig - Incubus (14) 12. Lost In The Moment - Big & Rich (16) 13. 4 In The Morning - Gwen Stefani (17) 14. Hey There Delilah - Plain White T's (21) 15. Because Of You - Ne-Yo (...

In the years following the “death” of disco, dance music became the most “underground” genre, even eclipsing the cresting punk movement. Kept going by the gay clubs, the soul of disco morphed into a cleaner, more robotic groove influenced by new wave. Compilations of this music are hard to find, and they’re mostly on independent labels. Such is the case with Gay Classics Vol V: Heading Out , one of a series of obscure dance records on obscure labels by obscure artists on Hot Productions records. And it is a somewhat harder listen than a normal dance record. Underground it may be, but very derivative, especially in its reliance on covers, with Heading Out featuring three, a disjointed take on “ Do You Know The Way To San Jose ” which doesn’t fit the pace or phrasing, a megamix of gay icons Bronski Beat/Communards tunes called “ Commumix ” (though I got to hand it to the singer for keeping up with the falsetto), and a passable version of “ Touch Me In The Morning ”. There were few “st...

First off, I never saw Cars . Odd, then eh, having the soundtrack? No, since for this Pixar flick the soundtrack included a top-20 pop and country hit, lite-country stars Rascal Flatts and their version of (irony aside) “ Life Is A Highway ”. The CD itself, though has a dual personality – roughly half music-artist contributions and half Randy Newman ’s score. Sheryl Crow ’s “ Real Gone ” starts things off with a seemingly happy tune that I felt listening to the lyrics to be a commentary on the Dixie Chicks bashing affair – who she’s worked with before – but I may be wrong. Rascal Flatts does an adequate workman’s version of Tom Cochrane’s “ Life Is A Highway ”, though it’s undetectably any more “country” that way. Brad Paisley has two songs here, both which could be left-offs from his last album, though entertaining nonetheless. “ Behind The Clouds ” is wistfully dreamy, while “ Find Yourself ” is mildly inspiring. James Taylor submits a by-the-book soft-rock of “ Our Town ”, w...

Hey boys and girls, already time again for the tunes for the week. This week Maroon5 makes it nine weeks at the top, while Finger Eleven (pictured above), who I'll be seeing August 23, makes a good jump within the top-10. Billy Currington and Alan Jackson drop off the list, while Gwen Stefani, Enrique Iglesias, Martina McBride and Fergie make some of the biggest jumps. Happy Birthday, Jeffie! This Week Title/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) ---------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Makes Me Wonder - Maroon5 (1) 2. I Told You So - Keith Urban (3) 3. Never Again - Kelly Clarkson (2) 4. Rehab - Amy Winehouse (6) 5. U & Ur Hand - Pink (4) 6. Paralyzer - Finger Eleven (9) 7. What I've Done - Linkin Park (8) 8. Wrapped - George Strait (10) 9. Umbrella - Rihanna (16) 10. Home - Daughtry (13) 11. Before He Cheats - Carrie Underwood (11) 12. I Could Fall In Love With You - Erasure (7) 13. The Other Side Of The World - KT Tuns...