2/23/20-Five Songs They Should Be Playing on The Radio

I always wonder how far back I can go on the music I pick for these lists, but I feel there's so much to catch on, so MANY good songs that have flown under the radar! So as far as I'm concerned, sky's the limit... which leads us to our first song!

Mister Heartbreak - Laurie Anderson

I first encountered Laurie Anderson's music when she appeared on Lorne Michaels' "The New Show" in 1984. She performed this song from her just released Warner Bros. album, "Mister Heartbreak" and a song from her larger stage work called "United States Parts I-IV", called "Mach 20".

It was unlike anything I'd ever heard before and I quickly bought all that I could of what was released. Avant-garde, to be sure, she also doesn't take herself seriously, usually managing to work in a wry sense of humor and wordplay into her work.

She is a pioneer in the avant-garde music field and also in electronic music, where she invented two instruments, the tape-bow violin (she is an accomplished violinist) and the "talking stick", a six-foot long baton-like MIDI controller that can access and replicate sounds. Having collaborated with artists as diverse as Peter Gabriel and Kronos Quartet, she quickly built a sizable following.

Laurie Anderson's Amazon Music page can be found here.

Self-Effacing - Sparks

When their song, "This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of Us", was used in the first Kick-Ass movie, I had to know what Sparks was all about. It quickly became to be an obsession and all I listened to for awhile. But then again, they've released 22 albums since 1971, so I had a lot of catching up to do.

Their latest single, "Self-Effacing" was just released and is from their soon-to-be-released album, "A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip". As usual, the song highlights their witty lyrics, theatrical vocals and intricate keyboards.

The band was formed by brothers Russell and Ron Mael in 1967. Numerous personnel changes in backing musicians happened through the years, but it was to be expected as they were always changing styles, never wanting to become stale. This versatility kept them on the forefront of the Art-Pop music scene for decades.

The smart songs of Sparks can be found on Amazon here.

The Funk in Your Funk - Octave Pussy

So I was skimming my "Release Radar" playlist on Spotify and saw a song by "Octave Pussy". I've never heard of them before and I'm not gonna go into what about their name caught my eye, but there you go.

I clicked on the song and saw from the album cover that it was a collaboration with George Clinton/Parliment/Funkadelic, so now I knew for a fact, I was gonna have to check them out.

They hail from The Hague in the Netherlands and was formed by brothers, Joris & Steve van Rijn and Edwin Konings in 1996. In 2004, they released their second album, "(The Life Of The) Funkshipz Captain" which featured George Clinton and Parliment/Funkadelic on two tracks.

This song is off their 2015 album "Assfunk: I'm Sure I Saw Sum Funk in That Ass". I found it while researching the band on YouTube and it just wan't let my ears loose. With a laid-back funk groove and strong Funkadelic vibe, it is definitely something that will get you out to the dancefloor.

Octave Pussy doesn't have an "Artist Page" on Amazon, but you can find their music on the site here.

Just in Case - The Phantom Blues Band

The Phantom Blues Band was born when blues legend Taj Mahal assembled a backing band for his 1993 release, "Dancin' The Blues". That backing band became The Phantom Blues Band and went on to release several albums of their own, win two Grammys and a W.C. Handy award.

This song is from their latest album, "Still Cookin'", just released in February of this year. I'm a sucker for a good horn section and this band has one of the sweetest. It's got a good groove and and again, the horn charts are great.

You can get a hold of this album here.

Sonsii - Nine Treasures

I have to admit it doesn't take much to pique my musical curiosity. Sometimes it's just a phrase. Like...

Mongolian Folk-Metal.

I'm in. That's right, that's how easy I am. I should be ashamed, but when I found treasures like this, my guilt is assuaged quickly.

Nine Treasures was formed in 2010 in the autonomous region of Inner Mongolia, combining traditional Mongolian songs with Metal elements. They released their second album, also called Nine Treasures in 2013 and this track is one of the highlights. It's a hard rocking song that also incorporates string instruments and Mongolian Throat Singing.

The group has since toured extensively in Europe and in 2017 released their third album, Wisdom Eyes.

This group also doesn't have an Amazon Artist page, but their music can be found here.