SotW: Paparazzi by Lady Gaga Wednesday, Sep 9 2009 

music thisgaudygildedstage 2:29 pm

The remixes of Lady Gag’s “Paparazzi” were released this week in iTunes. I immediately downloaded them and started listening to them, since I already liked the album version. The original video was also great:

This video harkens back to the good old days of video art in which Madonna, Mariah Carey, and Michael Jackson made little films rather than “just” music videos. Plus, Alexander Skarsgård is too hot for words. And Lady Gaga as a semi-crippled woman is both amazing and totally crazy.

Of the remixes, my favorite is the Moto Blanco mix:

It’s got a great, danceable rhythm. So, I’ve decided that this remix is my song of the week. I’ll include the lyrics after the break.

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SotW: Growing Up Beside You by Paolo Nutini Friday, Sep 4 2009 

music thisgaudygildedstage 3:11 pm

This week’s song of the week is Paolo Nutini’s “Growing Up Beside You.” Here’s a great live version I found on YouTube:

This song is off Nutini’s new album, Sunny Side Up. It’s not the first single — yet again I prefer a different track on the album than the one that’s been released as a single/video, which is “Candy,” which is also a catchy song.

I haven’t listened to this album enough yet to decide what I think about it overall, but I love Nutini’s voice and its rock/folk quality. So many of today’s “artists” can’t sing live (does that make me sound like an old crank?!); Nutini is even better live than recorded, I think. Sometimes his producers drain some of the uniqueness from his voice, I think, to make him sound more mainstream. It’s his difference that attracts me to his music.

He’s definitely a musician I want to continue to hear from.

 

SotW: Wanna Be Starting Something Saturday, Aug 29 2009 

music thisgaudygildedstage 11:20 pm

Tonight I went over to my friend Michael’s house and then out to dinner. After dinner we met up with a couple of his friends for a drink.

One of his friends, Justin, is obsessed with Michael Jackson’s “Wanna Be Starting Something.” He gave us a ride back over to my friend’s house. As we drove, we listened to this song, which is now going to be stuck in my head. It’s way too catchy!

I was never much of a Michael Jackson fan — Tina Turner and Madonna were more my style. But this song made me interested in Thriller again, so I downloaded it from iTunes and am listening to it from start to finish really for the first time. It’s still not exactly my thing, but the big singles are all amazing pop songs. Jackson’s death really is the end of an era.

I’ll post the lyrics after the break.

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SotW: We Are Golden by Mika Wednesday, Aug 19 2009 

music thisgaudygildedstage 1:23 pm

Just when you thought Mika couldn’t get any gayer, he comes out with a video featuring him in nothing by white short shorts and various colors of glittering hightops (and lights shining out of his fingers and crotch). His new single is “We Are Golden,” a would-be generational anthem that would work well as the theme song for twinks at next year’s Pride Parades, is the first single off his new album. The embedding is disabled for this video on YouTube, so click here to see it. 

I love Mika’s first album, so I’m eagerly awaiting the release of the new one. I also think Mika is hot — he could be incendiary when he gets a little older — so I’m perfectly happy that he’s showing some skin in this video.

But mostly I like his creative energy and enthusiasm. His videos are always visually interesting, even when they cross over into total camp mess. “We Are Golden” really works, I think. Its motif of the boy singing along to his favorite song alone in his bedroom and using his imagination to express his relation to the music is a great concept. (And a totally gay one!) 

His album, The Boy Who Knew Too Much, comes out September 22.

 

Listening to Linda Ronstadt’s What’s New Monday, Aug 17 2009 

music and queer culture thisgaudygildedstage 7:14 pm

Lately I’ve rediscovered my love for Linda Ronstadt’s 1980’s albums of pop standards: What’s New (1983), Lush Life (1985), and For Sentimental Reasons (1986).These albums combined Ronstadt’s considerable vocal talents with arrangements by Nelson Riddle, who had previously worked with Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, and Judy Garland, among others. Here’s the title track from What’s New:

My dad had these albums when I was a kid, and I remember falling in love with many of the tracks as soon as I heard them. “What’s New” was instantly among my favorites. Even as an adolescent, I was impressed with this song’s story — I didn’t know music could do this. It made you imagine a little movie as you listen to it.

I also love the emotion of the song. Ronstadt’s ability to capture the embarrassment, disappointment, and yearning that imbues this song fascinated me. It’s so beautiful, delicate, and sad when she sings it. And the final cry of the last line’s crescendo is amazing.

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SotW: It’s a Sin by the Pet Shop Boys Monday, Aug 10 2009 

music and queer culture and religion thisgaudygildedstage 8:14 am

This week’s song of the week is a golden oldie, the Pet Shop Boys‘ “It’s a Sin” from 1987. Here’s the video:

I stumbled across this song again last week. I was looking through our CD collection in an effort to find more tracks for one of my workout mixes. I started listening to a couple of PJ’s Pet Shop Boys CDs and instantly fell in love with “It’s a Sin.”

I don’t remember the song from 1987, though it sounds vaguely familiar. After uploading it to iTunes, I went over to YouTube to see if there was a video. As soon as I saw it, I loved it too. Not to sound like too much of a typical gay guy, but I especially loved the guys in their underwear. Very sexy in an innocent sort of way.

This song became even more relevant to my thinking this week after I saw Save Me over the weekend. As I wrote about yesterday, I really enjoyed that movie in part because of its ability to present its Christian characters in a non-stereotypical sort of way.

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SotW: Lose You by Peaches Tuesday, Aug 4 2009 

music thisgaudygildedstage 12:36 pm

Now that I work in the office from 8(ish) to 5(ish), I often go home for my lunch hour. While I was eating my leftover potato and cauliflower curry yesterday, I turned on Logo’s NewNowNext PopLab to watch a couple of videos while I ate. “Lose You” by Peaches was one of the videos that came on while I was home. I immediately fell in love: 

“Lose You” is not only my song of the week; it’s also in contention for a spot on my year-end list of favorite songs and videos for the year. I love the simplicity of the video, its homemade feel, and the fact that it just keeps visually expanding and expanding. The backup dancers are fabulous. 

When I got back to the office, I downloaded Peaches’s album, I Feel Cream. I love it too. Soon, I’m sure I’ll be getting into her previous music. 

Peaches is an f-ing genius! 

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SotW: Say It’s Possible by Jay Brannan Monday, Jul 13 2009 

music thisgaudygildedstage 7:13 pm

This week’s song of the week is Jay Brannan’s cover of Terra Naomi’s “Say It’s Possible.” Brannan recently put out his new Cd, In Living Color. Although “Say It’s Possible” is not the first single off the album (“The Freshmen,” his cover of the Verve Pipe song is) this song is currently my favorite track on the album (though “The Freshmen” is amazingly good!).

I found this video on YouTube, which features Terra Naomi singing along with Brannan first in private and then at a concert:

I don’t know Naomi’s music, but I might check it out after seeing this video. I think she has a great voice. Brannan is coming to Columbus on Wednesday. PJ and I were going to go, but I don’t think we’ll be able to now.

I’ll admit that when I first heard Brannan’s music I thought it was little too coffeshop for me. Now I love it his quiet acoustic sound. He’s definitely more than just a pretty face or hot body. (He was pretty, hot, and a great actor in Cameron Mitchell’s Shortbus). I’m enjoying the new album and can’t wait for his next video.

I’ll post the lyrics after the break.

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SotW: Dreams Come True Girl by Cass McCombs Tuesday, Jul 7 2009 

music thisgaudygildedstage 1:01 pm

I’ve been waiting for what at least seems like months for Cass McCombs‘ new album to come out so that I could make this song my song of the week. Finally, it’s out.

I love this song and adore that Karen Black is featured on it. Her contribution is a throw back to Nashville, a great Robert Altman movie about country music. While her presence could have made this song campy (and I wouldn’t have minded if it had), I don’t think that’s the effect.

Instead, it’s just a great song. I also really like the quirky simplistic of the video. I’m now listening to the whole album, which is great so far.

 

SotW: That’s Not My Name by the Ting Tings Thursday, Jun 18 2009 

music thisgaudygildedstage 2:18 pm

My song of the week this week is the Ting Tings‘ “That’s Not My Name.” Here’s a live version I found on YouTube:

I first saw their video for this single on Vh1 last week. This British duo is another in the increasingly long list of British music acts that I love. The Ting Tings are from Manchester. Wikipedia has a nice little entry on them. I’ll include the lyrics after the break.

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