Happy Halloween - Here's Some Music

Since it's the day before Halloween, I thought I'd put together some "scary" tunes for your Friday viewing/listening pleasure!

This is a live cut of Pete & The Pirates doing "Blood Gets Thin", a cool song about a fella dating a vampire.



Here's A LINK to the official video which is suitably gory for the holiday.

Just can't get enough of the vampires? I've got another one for you. Here's the Blakes doing Vampire.

Moving from vampires to other things that go bump in the night...ZOMBIES!



Metric's video for Monster Hospital has a film noir vibe that should get you in the mood for fright and horror.

This video isn't scary at all, but it is about ghosts...



It can't be Halloween without a little devilment, right?



Here's hoping you enjoy your Halloween and all the fun the holiday brings!

Tune Travel on Thursday - Sweden

Today we're going to visit Sweden during our tune travels. Sweden is the third largest country in the European Union in terms of overall area, and has a total population of over 9.2 million. ABBA put Sweden on the musical map in the 1970's and there have been many other internationally successful bands since, such as Roxette, Ace of Base, Europe, and The Cardigans. So, what's hot from Sweden now?

Helena Arlock released Old Dirty Hound in the spring 2009. It has the same sort of bubblegum pop melodies paired with infections beat one has come to expect from artists like Lykke Li, but with slightly stronger vocals.

Misery by Helena Arlock

Pink Bubbles by Helena Arlock

Moving from bubblegum pop to a more driven sound, Sahara Hotnights call Robertsfors home. With an overall style that incorporates elements of garage rock, power pop and punk, the band, which formed in 1991/1992, has had a long and critically acclaimed career with several award nominations and increasing radio play. The band's sound has often been described as a mix between Blondie, The Ramones, and Nirvana. Take a listen and let us know what you think.

Keep Calling My Baby - Sahara Hotnights

Mind Over Matter - Sahara Hotnights

Flashback Friday

This edition of Flashback Friday is dedicated to the "alternative rock" bands that I listened to circa 1993-1994.

First off, we have the mighty California band, Stone Temple Pilots. They were immediately successful with the release of their debut album, Core. STP had a number of hits from that album, but their second effort, Purple, is my favorite. The first single from that record was "Vasoline," and it was a very cool song with a strange video, which is typical of videos of that period.

Dinosaur Jr. are a highly-regarded and influential band led by vocalist/guitarist J Mascis. Their melodic but feedback-heavy sound was unique back in the 90s, influencing even the late Kurt Cobain. Their 1994 hit, "Feel the Pain," received heavy rotation on MTV and reached #4 on the modern rock charts. Check out the crazy video, which features a pretty dangerous game of golf.

Finally, we have Dig, whose video for "Believe" received a great deal of airplay on MTV back in '93. I remember a specific commercial on the channel advertising their "Buzz Bin," and Dig was the main attraction. Everywhere that I saw anything relating to the band mentioned their "Buzz Band" status and how they were the next big thing... The strange thing about this song is that I absolutely hated it when it was out. Well, recently, Dig popped into my head for some reason and I had the inclination to look this video up. Oddly enough, after listening to "Believe" again after so many years, I find that I really like the song and I am not sure what I thought was so bad about it before. Better late than never to appreciate a pretty good alt-rock song from back in the day.

Have a good weekend!

One Hit Wonder Wednesday - EMF

EMF, which stood for "Epsom Mad Funkers", were an indie dance band that formed in Cinderford in Gloucestershire in the early 1990's. Their one, and only, hit "Unbelievable" topped out at #3 on the UK Charts and #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Though they had some single success with other cuts off their debut album, Schubert Dip, they never again managed to get a real chart topper, despite their catchy, dance-inspired sound.

FUN FACT: The single features sampled utterances from comedian Andrew Dice Clay.

I actually owned this CD, and really liked it. So here's an extra bit of video fun.