Flashback Friday: Jimmy & The Boys - Products Of Your Mind



"We are the children of the age of desperation"

Mix Scissor Sisters with Marilyn Manson and you've got the weird style that was Jimmy Boys. An Australian new wave act with two releases in 1980 and 1981, the group was fronted by Ignatius Jones, who was quite a controversial figure in his day. They had their biggest hit in 1981 with a cover of Split Endz's They Won't Let My Girlfriend Talk To Me, but I prefer this punkier, edgier, way-over-the-top track from their first album. I could imagine this track being used in The Rocky Horror Picture Show. It's definitely a theme song to this band, describing them perfectly! And the video? Wow.

Jimmy & The Boys - Products Of Your Mind (zshare)

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

Mongo Lounge - Put On The Neon

"The beat will go on"

Mongo Lounge's myspace page lists them as coming from England and Sweden, and frankly I can't imagine a better pairing of countries when it comes to music. They're a trip-hop band, which--if you're like me--conjures boring, unimaginative downbeat techno. Luckily, Mongo Lounge has a great way with a pop melody and an adventurous, fun sound. Put On The Neon is instantly catchy, like a more accessible The Knife or a poppy Bjork. And how is that for a fantastic catchphrase? Put on the neon! That should be, like, the mantra of this blog.

Mongo Lounge - Put On The Neon (zshare)

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

Standfast - No Longer

"I wonder am I restless?"

I've got a gorgeous, laid-back Swedish track today. No Longer is the kind of song you play during the dog days of summer, preferably while lounging out in the sun with a tall glass of lemonade. How cliched is that?? But it fits the cliche wonderfully. Standfast couldn't be any more different than McFly yesterday, but they're still going to impress you the moment you hear this song. There are tinges of the Cardigans in here, but the sound is far more dreamy and ornate. My advice: close your eyes and just let the music take you away. It will.

**Update: After listening to this more today, I've upgraded it to instant classic. Jeez it sure is pretty!!

Standfast - No Longer (zshare)

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

Miley Cyrus - Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

"My father yells what you gonna do with your life"

This should have been an unqualified disaster. I've never been a fan of this song in the first place, and common sense says a cover version by a Disney starlet would make it even worse. Surprise, surprise, surprise. Okay, I've got to get it out of the way first. As I've written on here before, Cyrus is a bit of a guilty pleasure for me. I'm almost ashamed to admit that I think she's got the goods to sustain a career past Disney. She's definitely got the voice: a huskier, rockier tone than any of the channels' other faux-crap-singers. Her new album is actually quite good and I could see it having the same kind of success that Kelly Clarkson's Breakaway had a few years ago (Breakout... Breakaway... maybe this is what she was going for?). And this should-have-been-crappy cover is one of the surprising highlights. I give much of the credit to the producers, who decided on a punchy, time-shifting, orchestral-stabbing arrangement that really transforms the song and heightens the drama. Of course Cyrus delivers the spunk, as usual, and when everything comes together it really is teen pop at its best.

Miley Cyrus - Girls Just Wanna have Fun (zshare)

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