Flashback Friday: City Boy - The Day The Earth Caught Fire



"The sun above my head was burning green and red"

A somewhat forgotten power pop group of the late 70's / early 80's, City Boy definitely has a lot of gems in their catalog. The Day The Earth Caught Fire is one of my favorite singles of theirs, mostly because it's so damn over the top. There's shades of Freddie Mercury and Sparks here, though there are also parts that sound more like hair metal (a trend that hadn't even really started yet when this was released). It's a dramatic, near apocolyptic rock song... pretty much a crescendo all the way through. It is also clearly a product of its time. There isn't a whole lot of music out there today that really sounds like this. In fact, much of the group's other output doesn't even sound that similar.

City Boy - The Day The Earth Caught Fire (zshare)

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Buy the album here.)

Kite - Ways To Dance

"I'm just longing for someone to take me on"

Okay, I'm giving into obsession today. In honor of Kite's debut Ep being released today (buy it for under 5$... you won't be sorry), I'm going to do something a little different. For those not in the know, the band Kite is the new project from Nicklas Stenemo, formally of one of my favorite bands ever... The Mo. The EP is definitely not a disappointment, in particular the brilliant Ways To Dance. Instead of posting an mp3 of that file (becuase I want people to buy it), I'm going to post a Mo themed muxtape including two hits by the band, the song by Kite, and solo works from Stenemo and Richard Karlsson (aka: Kaka). It boils down to a perfect five track EP that includes some of my favorite songs ever...all with a similarly amazing sound. I hope that Kite (which also includes Strip Club band member Christian Berg) finds the success they need to continue, although I must say as a die hard fan that their music can't quite touch Stenemo's solo stuff which is just pure gold. It is still some of the best work I've heard in 2008 and about as highly recommended as I can make it.

The Mo Muxtape!

Buy Kite's EP here
Buy The Mo albums here and here (for very cheap)
Buy Kaka's debut cd here
Listen to more from Nicklas Stenemo here

Cyndi Lauper - Echo

"All of my days, all of my nights standin' by you"

Funny thing about Cyndi Lauper: she's got everything I look for in an artist... great singles, fantastic voice, upbeat music, charisma, etc etc, yet for whatever reason I have never actually listened to one of her albums before. It's crazy, because I've always loved her. So, unlike 99.9% of the listeners out there, her new album Bring Ya To The Brink is my very first Lauper album. And, it's pretty good. I mean, there's some filler of course, but it's sure a hell of a lot better than that pathetic Madonna effort (hang it up already, please!). It includes at least three certifiable classics (Into The Nightlife, Echo and Grab A Hold), which is pretty impressive for an album released so late in an artist's career. I was originally going to post Into The Nightlife (my favorite), but I heard it'll probably be the second single so instead I'm going to post Echo, which coincidentally shares the same writer/producers. Great verses, amazing chorus... pretty much a perfect song. I am very impressed, and I'm going to have to delve into her back catalog now. It's about freaking time.

Cyndi Lauper - Echo (zshare)

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Preorder the album here.)

Luxxury - Something Going On

"You're home, but you're not alone"

From a softer synth sound yesterday to a much more aggressive one today, I've got an addictive dance track from US electro rock band Luxxury. Every song I've heard from these guys has got one of those crazy beats that absolutely demands movement. There is no way you're standing still to this one! Not all the melodies quite match the fantastic beats, but I do really like Something Going On, even if it takes a while to get to the chorus. This is one of the two songs available for free on their myspace right now. The other, Dirty Girls Need Love Too, is also really great and I had trouble picking between the two. I had to go with the beat on this one, though. It's just so addictive. They also have really great low budget videos.

Luxxury - Something Going On (zshare)

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Download more here.)

Don Juan Dracula - New Sensation

"It doesn't matter what you do, this is the new temptation"

Norway's great synthpop band Don Juan Dracula is back, and they've kindly offered two of their new tracks for free download on myspace. Their new album (also titled New Sensation) isn't out until the end of June, but I'm quite excited about it given how much I loved their last one. While this particular track certainly won't start any fires, it is a very nice piece of pop music with that stately DJD that we've gotten accustomed to. The other track, Shotgun, is quite nice as well. A bit more aggressive than this one.

Don Juan Dracula - New Sensation (zshare)

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Download more here.)