Song of the Week 9/3/10

Mighty Mike - "Imagine a Jump"



Wow. Five days after first hearing it and words still fail me. One of my Top 3 favorite mashups ever.

Song of the Week 8/27/10

Cee-Lo Green - "Fuck You"



So I started this post on Monday morning, but new stuff kept being written about this marvelous Cee-Lo track that I felt like I had to keep adding to it. I happen to think the song is genius because it's damn catchy and yet there's no way the original song could be the out-and-out hit it deserves to be. (Who knows what will happen with the edited version titled "Forget You.") In other words, I won't get sick of this song as I did with the radio overplay that ruined "Crazy" or "Hey Ya," and for that I am thankful.

Let's break down the rest of the Internets, bullet-point style:

• Cee-Lo explains how the song came about. (And how about Bruno Mars this year?)


• Videogum covers the best uses of the song with video footage.


• KCRW has an insightful piece that draws from my friend Jay Frank's book FutureHitDNA. (Jay and I will discuss this further on an upcoming podcast.)


• The always great Fuel and Friends calls it the song of the summer.


• Maura says it's already being covered. And people knew almost all the words.


• Allison still prefers Skee-Lo. (I liked it long ago.)


• And Gawker just needs to fucking relax. (And shut up.)

Lastly, the "proper" video is funny too.

Song of the Week 8/20/10

Huey Lewis and the News - "If This is It"



This past weekend I took a trip back in time. Well, not literally, but it certainly felt like it at many moments. I went to Misquamicut State Beach in Rhode Island for the first time in 20 years. As a kid I spent many, many days at this beautiful beach with my aunt. We visited that area of New England virtually every summer of the 1980s. (Save 1983, where I lived outside San Diego and was able to let my Duran Duran and new wave fandom grow by leaps and bounds listening to 91X.) We went one last time in 1990 when I lived at home while I was interning at PYX 106 in Albany, but at that point I was more interested in spending my time indoors and soaking up as much about the industry I had (foolishly, some would say) decided would be my career. And what 20 year-old wants to spend time with their relatives?

As the past 20 years have gone by, I became more of a guy that avoided the outside. There's a great Lemonheads song from 1996 called "Outdoor Type" that sums up my state of mind perfectly. But this year that facade got cracked. I was very fortunate to date a lovely woman named Allison who embraced much of what I had pushed out of my life since I became a city dweller -- she loved the outdoors, loved traveling to new places and especially loved the beach. We were in New Hampshire in May and made a pit stop at her favorite beach. Standing there, with my feet in the chilly sand, I thought to myself, "Why have I avoided this for so long? This is pretty awesome, even if its not the best temperature to have bare feet." At that moment I knew I needed to get back to the beach. A month later I booked a hotel just over the Rhode Island border in Connecticut (which happened to be near Foxwoods casino, cough cough) and asked my aunt to go with me.

As the time for the trip approached, I pulled together a playlist of songs from 1984 to 1986. Those are the years that come to mind to the most when I think of Misquamicut. And of course that's the era when Huey Lewis and the News were at their peak. Their music is intertwined with those memories. We saw Back to the Future in nearby Westerly in 1985 and I, of course, chuckled at Lewis's cameo. I went camping in the area in the late summer of 1986 with my older friend David and on the way back we stopped at a Strawberries so I could by a cassette of Fore!, which had just been released that week. And "If This Is It" was released as a single in July of 1984, and I remember hearing it on radios up and down the beach when we went for a second visit of the summer in late August. It was my favorite song on Sports before it became their fourth Top 10 hit in a row, so being able to hear it more often made me very happy. And when I sat on the beach this past weekend, many of those teenage memories came flowing back, with a soundtrack supplied by a song with a video about going to the beach. How meta. (And what a bummer I can't embed it.)

Song of the Week 8/13/10

Wilco - "Magazine Called Sunset"



(Above: The view of Wilco from the hill behind at MASS Moca on a beautiful August night.)

I spent last weekend at the three day Solid Sound Festival at Mass Moca in North Adams, Massachusetts. Curated by Wilco, the fest had just enough great music (The Baseball Project were worth the four hour drive alone) and weird art (seriously, there was a room just filled with red knitted rope) to make it a great summertime diversion. (And it was especially needed as work was starting to make me feel a little crisp around the edges. )

Wilco's headline set on Saturday night was good, but not as great as the show I to went at the Wellmont Theater in Montclair, New Jersey back in April. Yet it's hard to be disappointed with any gig where they play one of my Top 5 Wilco tunes ("Nothingsevergonnastandinmyway(again)") and dip into their 1995 debut A.M. ("I Must Be High"). The highlight had to be seeing them do the More Like the Moon EP track "Magazine Called Sunset." I never thought I'd get the chance to see it live, so be able to enjoy it on a gorgeous night in the Berkshires was, well, solid.

Song of the Week 8/6/10

Los Lobos - "Angel Dance"

I went to see Los Lobos last Tuesday at Bowery Ballroom to do a "record release" show for their latest disc Tin Can Trust. It was obvious that the Band From East L.A. hadn't been doing too many of these new songs in their sets this summer, as both David Hildago and Cesar Rosas needed lyric stands so they wouldn't mess up when singing. (As someone who has used a music stand at gigs for close to five years, I totally understood their pain.) The lack of lyrical knowledge with their new material didn't take away from what was a fun and extremely stress-reducing couple of hours. Seven songs into their set Hildago made a comment about Robert Plant giving him a call saying he wanted to cover one of their songs. I had to chuckle when Hildago said, "Wow, it turned out really good."

The song Plant covered is "Angel Dance" from the Lobos' 1990 album The Neighborhood. I've given that album the short end of the stick over the years because it didn't seem as strong as 1987's By the Light of the Moon and then paled in hindsight compared to 1992's masterpiece Kiko. I've gained new respect over the years for The Neighborhood because I've seen the band play many of the songs over the years (the Bowery show opened with "Emily" from said album and included "Georgia Slop" and the title track) and WFUV a.m. jock Claudia Marshall always seems to play one of the songs from it once or twice a month.

I think "Angel Dance" has grown on me over the years specifically because a) it's turned into such a powerhouse live (it was tremendous at Bowery) and b) lyrically it captures that time gone by, the innocence of kids running around in the summer having fun and lamenting when they have to go to bed that I'm more readily to understand (or long for, I suppose) as a soon-to-be 41 year-old man than I would have as a soon-to-be 21 year-old kid that couldn't wait to hit the bars.

"Angel Dance" is the first single from Plant's upcoming Band of Joy album, which makes me very happy because it'll mean a few more bucks in the pockets of Hildago and his co-writer Louie Perez. And even though Plant's take on "Angel Dance" couldn't touch the original in my ears, the legendary Led Zeppelin singer (and his producer Buddy Miller) do a fine version. The video, shot in June in Chicago, totally captures the mental picture Hildago and Perez painted in my head. And Plant was kind enough to have Hildago and Perez in the clip. But why do they have to drive Plant around? Hmmm.



And it looks like Plant and the new Band of Joy have already improved on the recorded version:



Here's Los Lobos from The Neighborhood tour performing "Angel Dance" on Austin City Limits. Check out the great fretwork from David Hildago:


BONUS: Here's Plant joining Los Lobos and Los Lonely Boys on stage in Chicago in June to cover "Treat her Right."

Song of the Week 7/30/10

The Drifters - "Under the Boardwalk"



I heard this song four times last week -- and only two of those times were on CBS-FM. That's kind of weird. But, it makes for an easy choice for SOTW.

I loved this song as a kid. But considering it was a Top 40 hit five years before I was born, I wonder how the heck I knew it so well as a 10 year old.

Song of the Week 7/23/10

Fastball - "The Way"



I found myself listening to All The Pain that Money Can Buy a couple weeks ago while walking through my beloved borough of Brooklyn, and I'll be damned that the entire album holds up 12 years later. Every song is a power pop gem. So I was pleasantly surprised when this 90s cover band, The Bayside Tigers, broke into it at the Saved By the Bell House event Saturday night. I actually found myself getting into their kind of hokey performance after they busted out "The Way" and then followed it with "Lump."

Reality quickly returned when they did Spin Doctors "Two Prince," which I despised long before it became a hit. (Shudder.) That song still makes my stomach ball up. Ugh.

Song of the Week 7/16/10

Firenza - "Waterloo Sunset"

Not much time to write this week's post as it's been packed with work and apartment wrecking. But I couldn't let the week go by without noting the great debut gig of Firenza, the new band featuring my friends Michael Boyd and Chris Powers and their monster of a drummer Eric Slovin. Powers has a knack for great hooks, and this new outfit gives his songs a muscular sheen that I haven't heard before. And as strong as the originals were, the cover of The Kinks "Waterloo Sunset" was, hands down, the highlight of the night. It sounded like Ray Davies joining The Who to perform the song.



I can't wait to hear what's next from these guys.

Song of the Week 7/9/10

Christina Aguilera - "Hurt"



I went to the funeral for my cousin's 17 year old son on Saturday. I can say that -- without a doubt -- it was the most emotionally heart-wrenching thing I've experienced this year. Watching one kid after another well up in tears describing how great their friend was and how much they would miss him is something I would not wish upon my worst enemy. Their pain really put into perspective that what I thought were bad things that have happened to me this summer are pretty fucking minor in comparison, and that I really should fucking cowboy up and move on and be happy with the great things that have touched my life in 2010. And I definitely am.

The service included the playing of this ballad, and it took on a whole new meaning as the 17 year old kid's girlfriend sobbed uncontrollably through it. I'll never think of it as a lightweight pop ever again.

Song of the Week 7/2/10

Elton John - "Rocket Man"

These three things happened in a span of 14 hours, making this Sir Elton classic an obvious SOTW choice:

1) I met Bunnie England's drummer Scott at Bonnies in Park Slope for a pre-gig dinner. "Rocket Man" came on as we were getting ready to leave, which caused Scott to mention that he thought "Rocket Man" was a great karaoke song. Alas, it's too piano based for us to tackle.

2) I got home from the gig and put on CBS-FM. They didn't have their Fourth of July A to Z countdown going overnight, instead sticking with their usual syndicate show Rewind with Gary Bryan. That show was doing a flashback to man landing on the moon and they played a special remix of "Rocket Man" that utilized clips from the July 1969 launch and landing.

3) This morning I'm listening to CBS-FM as I installed a new router and did some paperwork cleanup. The countdown was in the R's, and of course "Rocket Man" came on again.

If Old 97s break out a cover of it in a few hours at South Street Seaport, I'm totally going to freak out.

Song of the Week 6/25/10

Bee Gees - "More Than a Woman"

Saturday night I felt compelled, for no particular reason, to listen to some Bee Gees hits. I always get a special thrill out of walking through my borough listening to the Gibb brothers sing. I had their songs percolating in my brain when I went to sleep and when I woke up Sunday morning. And then on Sunday afternoon, while I was doing a little work in the air conditioned environment of my office, "More Than a Woman" came on.

So I had to find a clip on YouTube. They did a pretty good job of it in 1997:

Song of the Week 6/18/10

B.o.B featuring Hayley Williams of Paramore - "Airplanes"

I heard this song in an Old Navy the other day while buying a pair of pants. I was singing along to the chorus by the time it was over. This might be my summer jam, 2010 edition.

Song of the Week 6/11/10

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - "I Should Have Known It"

The first time I heard the first single from Petty and company's new album Mojo, I was not happy. I even wrote on my Twitter, "Uh-oh--TP w/o hooks? Not good." Where was the classic Petty chorus that I would want to sing at the top of my lungs while driving my car with the windows down? I just didn't hear anything that would stick with me.

Then I finally watched their performance on the season finale of Saturday Night Live.



Holy shit, I was wrong. EVERYTHING about the song is a hook. Mike Campbell and Scott Thurston's intertwined guitar lines, Steve Ferrone's Bonhamesque thump, Petty's venomous vocal. Fuck me, it's all fantastic. I even recorded the SNL performance to put it my iTunes, just so I could relive that adrenaline rush again and again. I can't wait to see the Heartbreakers rip into it at the Garden next month.

U.S. vs. England 6/12/10

This was about as last minute of a themed DJ stint I’ve done. I got the call yesterday to spin at The Bell House in between World Cup matches -- specifically before the U.S. versus England match. So I scrambled to come up with enough acts from both sides to make it work. I think it turned out rather well. See what rock bands battled it out to a draw below.

The Beach Boys - “Wouldn’t It be Nice”
The Beatles - “A Hard Day’s Night”
Ramones - “Beat on the Brat”
Sex Pistols - “God Save the Queen”
Guided by Voices - “Glad Girls”
The Who - “I Can see For Miles”
Big Star - “September Gurls”
Oasis - “Rock n Roll Star”
Beck - “New Pollution”
Bloc Party - “Helicopter”
Wilco - “War on War”
Radiohead - “My Iron Lung”
Black Flag - “TV Party”
Black Sabbath - “Paranoid”
Queens of the Stone Age - “No One Knows”
Queen - “Tie Your Mother Down”
Van Halen - “(Oh) Pretty Woman”
The Darkness - “I Believe In a Thing Called Love”
Kiss - “King of the Night Time World”
The Kinks - “Destroyer”
Dio - “Rainbow in the Dark”
Def Leppard - “Photograph”
Joe Walsh - “Walk Away”
Joe Jackson - “Look Sharp”
The Shins - “So Says I”
Blur - “Parklife”
Talking Heads - “Once in a Lifetime”
English Beat - “Save It for Later”
Cheap Trick - “I Want You to Want Me”
Buzzcocks - “Ever Fallen in Love”
Devo - “Whip It”
The Stone Roses - “She Bangs the Drums”
Dinosaur Jr. - “Just Like Heaven”
The Cure - “Why Can’t I Be You”
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - “Don’t Do Me Like That”
Tom Jones - “It’s Not Unusual”
Elvis Presley - “Burning Love”
Elvis Costello & The Attractions - “Oliver’s Army”
The Smithereens - “Behind the Wall of Sleep”
The Smiths - “Panic”
Husker Du - “Could You be the One?”
The Clash - “Julie’s Been Working for the Drug Squad”
The J. Geils Band - “Love Stinks”
The Rolling Stones - “Rocks Off”
Superdrag - “Sucked Out”
Supertramp - “Breakfast in America”

Song of the Week 6/4/10

Guster - "What You Call Love"

I'd be disclosing this fact later in the year on the RT20 albums list, but I might as well spill the beans early. I've been hired to write the bio for the new Guster album. It's a great album, maybe their best. I actually feel more pressure doing this bio because it's so great. And "What You Call Love" is the track that's been stuck in my head since I first listened to the album 10 days ago. It starts with a ukelele playing and builds into a masterful pop song that reminds me of the Beach Boys in spots and Jellyfish in others. Oh goodness I can't wait for people to hear it. Expect it on any mixes I make from September on.

Gee, I hope I don't mess up their bio.

PS: I wrote this on my iPhone on the Amtrak back to the city. I needed to do something so I didn't kill the idiots in this car.

Song of the Week 5/28/10

Tom Petty - "Time to Move On"



Tom always knows the right thing to say. It seems like its' been that way for 25 years of my life. How does he do that?

"It's time to move on, time to get going
What lies ahead, I have no way of knowing
But under my feet, baby, grass is growing
It's time to move on, it's time to get going

Broken skyline, movin' through the airport
She's an honest defector
Conscientious objector
Now her own protector

Broken skyline, which way to love land
Which way to something better
Which way to forgiveness
Which way do I go

It's time to move on, time to get going
What lies ahead, I have no way of knowing
But under my feet, baby, grass is growing
It's time to move on, it's time to get going

Sometime later, getting the words wrong
Wasting the meaning and losing the rhyme
Nauseous adrenaline
Like breakin' up a dogfight
Like a deer in the headlights
Frozen in real time
I'm losing my mind

It's time to move on, time to get going
What lies ahead, I have no way of knowing
But under my feet, baby, grass is growing
It's time to move on, it's time to get going

It's time to move on, time to get going
What lies ahead, I have no way of knowing
But under my feet, baby, grass is growing
It's time to move on, it's time to get going

It's time to move on, it's time to get going"

Song of the Week 5/21/10

LCD Soundsystem - "I Can Change"

The new LCD Soundsytem album is pretty good. It might not been on the same level as Sound of Silver, but it's a worthy follow-up. My favorite track is "I Can Change," which bears more than a passing resemblance to Eurythmics "Love is a Stranger." The last line in the second chorus--"I can change if it helps you fall in love"--is something I can totally identify with at this point in my life. Alas, its something I didn't do enough.

BONUS: Here's a live version of "I Can Change"...



...and here's that Eurythmics song.

Song of the Week 5/14/10

The Figgs - "A One Man Fiasco"

One of my favorite shows of 2010 when it's all said and done will be The Figgs show at Fontana's in Chinatown on May 14th. It was an early 45 minute set, so they decided to just play their new album The Man Who Fights Himself in order. I had seen all of the songs live in the past four years since their last album Follow Jean Through the Sea, but it was fun hearing them all bunched together like that.

Before the show singer-guitarist Mike Gent told me that his uncle had died and he'd have to travel up to Troy in the morning for the funeral. During the show, just before "A One Man Fiasco," Gent told the crowd about his uncle and asked everyone to raise their glasses in honor of him. And every single person did. It was a very moving sight. And then when Gent got to the third verse, I got a huge lump in my throat.

"Maybe some sleep, will bring a little peace.
The saddest thing I've ever seen.
Family will come, and eventually
All will have to leave."

It was the most emotional moment I've had at a Figgs show in probably a decade. "A One Man Fiasco" is the centerpiece of a very strong album, and is a song I have a feeling I'll keep going back to for years and years.

BONUS: Here are the Figgs playing it two nights later in Philadelphia.

RT 20 Podcast 33: Brian Cogan, Part 2

Whoa, sorry for the delay in posting part 2. What kind of radio station are we running around here anyways?

Oh, right.

You can check out Brian and his band The In Crowd Saturday night at Union Hall in Brooklyn opening up for my beloved Figgs.

To download this podcast or stream it, click here. To have your iTunes automatically download each new podcast, click here.

Song of the Week 5/7/10

Aerosmith - "What It Takes"

Weird things can happen with music. Case in point is this SOTW.

Spring 1990: My roommate Hank and I have a party in our garden apartment on the IC campus. We're drinking with our friends, spinning different albums. "What It Takes" comes on, and in a fit of drunken stupidity, I turn around and decide I needed to lipsynch it to the nearest woman. That happens to be my friend Lisa, who is a native of New Hampshire. I give a devastating performance that I am sure all of my friends that were at the party can still recall to this day. Heck, it became a running gag for many, many years after that initial Steven Tyler impression.

Spring 2010: I'm in a car riding around (wait for it) New Hampshire, listening to WZLX out of Boston play a rock block of Aerosmith. For some reason Allison (also a New Hampshire native) mentions that "What It Takes" is one of her favorite Aerosmith songs. Stunned, I tell her that its one of mine as well and explain the story above. I added that the song was kind of obscure and it would be doubtful that any radio station played it these days. She disagreed, saying that it wasn't that obscure. The next day another Aerosmith block comes on WZLX, and I'll be damned if they don't play "What It Takes." (Alas, Allison was not as excited as me, especially when I turned up the station to a volume that would deafen most normal people.)

BONUS: I had totally forgotten there were two videos made for this song.

Here's the initial "in the studio" version:


And here's the "concept" version: