I don't think I'm alone when I say I can't stand saxophones in rock music. To work through my fear of sax, and to help any fellow saxophobes out there, I've dug up ten exceptional uses of the sax in rock. Think of it as saxophone exposure therapy.
Do you like the idea of free, feminist concerts? This radical world music and trans and queer SXSW showcase are two crowd-funded projects you'll want to check out!
It's Friday, which means (at least for some of us) that it's payday! Which for most of us also means being able to pay rent, go grocery shopping, and splurge on a microbrew instead of PBR at the bar this weekend. This playlist, inspired by Hall & Oates' "Rich Girl," is all about women's relationships with the green: wanting and needing it, wishing and working for it, pretending to have it, and not caring either way.
Digital artist and kickass musician Erika M. Anderson (EMA) released her latest single today, "Take One Two." Not only is it a great song, it comes with a touching (and nostalgia-inducing, for those of us who were teens during the '90s) video, and the proceeds go to a great cause. Take a look at the video (and read what Erika hopes viewers take away from it after the jump):
Not only is today Valentine's Day, it's also the final day of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show! Celebrate either (or both) holidays with a mix of love songs for the pets in your life.
We've had Karaoke-themed BitchTapes in the past, but as an enthusiast of the sport who has seen far too many dud performances (and given a few myself), I'd like to revisit the topic and offer some helpful Karaoke don'ts. Let these songs serve as a guidebook of sorts, to keep you from looking like too much of a fool the next time you get on the mic.
Björk trades exclusively in weird, constantly redefining herself in ways that challenge conceptions of women in music. I love Björk for shaking off any definitions people have applied to her, so let's cruise through a short "greatest hits" list of classic Björk moments that have helped shape her nebulous character.
While brainstorming for this week's mix (too early for anti-Valentine's Day songs and too late for Squirrel Appreciation Day?) Kelsey came up with something brilliant: a mix inspired by the 1993 movie Groundhog Day featuring the same song played over and over again (Bill Murray's character in the film experiences, inescapably, the holiday every day). But because the utter meta-ness of the mix might be overpowering (and because 8Tracks doesn't let you include two songs by the same artist), I thought different artists singing the same song might be a little more palatable. It turns out one of the most-covered songs of all times, "Yesterday" by the Beatles, is more than apt for Punxsutawney Phil's shadow-casting on Thursday. And from En Vogue's harmonizing to Tammy Wynette's lonesome wail, it turns out some of the most original covers have been by women. So here's ten tracks dedicated to yesterday, Bill, and Phil... and if it ever feels like déjà-vu, just press "next."
Chilean-French emcee Ana Tijoux (whose mixtape Elefant I included in my best of 2011 podcast) is back with a thoughtful, third release today—La Bala—from Nacional records.
Suzanne Ciani basically had the coolest job ever: As a groundbreaking electronic musician in the seventies, Ciani composed sounds for pinball machines, composed Atari and Coca-Cola commercials, did the sound-effects for Meco's disco Star Wars theme, and scored The Incredible Shrinking Woman (becoming the first woman hired to score a major Hollywood film). And that's just how she paid rent.
Ciani was an innovative musician in her own right, as well. And now for the first time, a mix of her early commercial and compositional work (1969-1985) is coming out from B-Music/Finders Keepers.
Björk trades exclusively in weird, constantly redefining herself in ways that challenge conceptions of women in music. I love Björk for shaking off any definitions people have applied to her, so let's cruise through a short "greatest hits" list of classic Björk moments that have helped shape her nebulous character.
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