Flashback Friday: Benjamin Orr - Too Hot To Stop



"It's about time"

When it comes to 80's group The Cars, I find that their stuff is really hit and miss for me. Most of my favorite songs from them were sung by sometimes-vocalist Benjamin Orr. He's got a great voice, as evidenced by their mega hit Drive. He also released a solo album (his only) in the mid eighties called The Lace. Too Hot To Stop is the opening track on that album and it's insanely catchy. The song and the album really didn't do anything commercially, but both are worth a listen if you like synth flavored melodic rock. Orr's hair (and video) are a bit questionable, but I'll let that slide.

Benjamin Orr - Too Hot To Stop (zshare)

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

Scarlet Soho - Analogue Dialogue (Kill The Beat)

"Conversations in the air"

I've literally been meaning to post this track for months, but for some reason keep passing it by. I don't know why, because this track by Scarlet Soho is one of the catchiest pieces of Depeche Mode-ish eighties pop that I've heard all year. The band opened for Delays during their spring tour, despite sounding much like them. They've got a much more electronic, danceable sound... much like White Rose Movement (except a little more polished sounding). I posted a song by them ages ago and I'm quite frankly surprised that this wasn't the track to totally give them the break through they needed. It's just so incredibly catchy.

Scarlet Soho - Analogue Dialogue (Kill The Beat) (zshare)

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

And this is why I love the Disney Channel...

I am so in love with this horrible yet amazing song and video right now. Just look how incredibly bored Emily Osment looks! I swear, at one point she even mouths the words "save me" as pasty pimp boy attempts to humor her. And then she sporadically disappears... escape attempts I'm assuming. The embarassed applause at the end really says it all. The prevailing sense of "oh my god, what the hell is Disney doing to me?" is all over this thing, and that's why I love the Disney Channel.

And by the way... does he actually sing "funky optic nerve?" I swear that is too weird to be true.

Krill - Shake It Up Ma

"She goes out on her own"

My roommate just compared this to Cyndi Lauper covering Alice In Videoland so there you go. The song itself reminds me of something the Cars would have sung in the early 80's except a girl version. Krill, like many fantastic electro groups of the moment, hail from Australia. They are primarily a girl group with one unlucky male member who gets shoved in the back of all the promo pics. That's alright, though, because the ladies are very stylish. If you're not taken right away with the song, wait around for the chorus (ie: the "shake it up, ma" part) because that's really where the fun lies.

Krill - Shake It Up Ma (zshare)

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

Rongedal - Stroke Of Luck

"A stroke of luck's just what I need"

It took me a bit to finally post a song by these guys (honestly, I've had the songs for awhile but I just keep forgetting to put one up). For those not in the know, Rongedal are a Swedish pop group fronted by two twin brothers that creates music very much in the Mika/Scissor Sisters vibe. In other words... very very catchy (I mean, insanely catchy) pop music. The debut cd is a treat for anyone looking for a good, upbeat time. It's certainly not deep or anything, but pop music doesn't really need to be. Stroke Of Luck is one of my favorite non-singles on the album, with a particularly fun chorus that I could actually see my idol Ola Salo singing.

Rongedal - Stroke Of Luck (zshare)

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

Neonbeat - Hang On Or The World Will Fall

"You're marching on, you're moving on"

It's super nice weather out here today at Alienhits HQ so I'm definitely in the mood for some upbeat synth/dance/pop. I first discovered Neonbeat because they remixed one of my favorite bands, Superfamily. Now I don't know if they're exclusively a "remix band" (if that makes any sense or not) or if they've got their own material as well. I'm assuming that this track is their own, but their myspace isn't particularly forthcoming. Anyways, it doesn't matter because this song is very very good. It is also very very retro, like totally could have been released twenty years ago. The group is from Norway and they've got some more amazing tracks streaming on their site as well as the Superfamily remix which isn't quite as amazing.

Neonbeat - Hang On Or The World Will Fall (zshare)

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! No album yet, but listen to more here.)