iPlay: Shiny Toy Guns

March 5, 2010 by NaysWay · Leave a Comment 

I’m really beginning to hate car commercials. And car insurance commercials. I don’t know who began the trend, but ad agencies the world over have tapped into the popular-song-as-marketing-gimmick gravy train. Maybe I wouldn’t hate these car and car insurance commercials so much if those ad agencies weren’t so smart and g-darn successful in having me walking away, singing a tune to a song I had no intention of having stuck in my brain.

So thank you State Farm Insurance. Thank you Lincoln MKT. You’ve almost become as bad as Coca-Cola (and those were the early years).

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Artist: Shiny Toy Guns
Song: Major Tom (Coming Home)
Album: Girls Le Disko (2009)
Heard on: Lincoln MKT commercial
FEAR says: Hearing this song only makes me think of this guy who sang nothing but David Bowie songs throughout The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou (one of my favorite Wes Anderson movies).

Whatever Wednesday: Redacted

March 4, 2010 by NaysWay · Leave a Comment 

It’s not Wednesday. Although, honestly, after I watch LOST on Tuesday nights, I have a hard time remembering what day it is.

In honor of my having a 9-to-5, children, and a life outside of this site (as much as that saddens me), here is what I would have posted yesterday. Any other time, I would have skipped over this post as a wash, or saved it for another Wednesday. But I am so excited (read: SQUEEEEE!) about this album and this group, that I couldn’t wait.

Of course, then they slapped me in the face by making it un-embeddable.

(I have got to stop making up words. This is getting embarrassington.)

Gorillaz – Stylo (from the upcoming album Plastic Beach)

(Before you ask, yes. I could have made this an iPlay on Friday, but this no-you-can’t-embed-my-video-crap they’re doing is making it virtually impossible for me to adequately show it love… for now.)

iPlay: Kansas

February 12, 2010 by NaysWay · Leave a Comment 

Corporate marketing teams, those tricky devils, are getting even trickier with their tricks. The viewing public no longer watches commercials. With DVRs and internet watching, who has time for ads? Especially after the painfully pitiful attempt to show people what they were missing during this year’s Super Bowl, it added more indicators to the list of reasons why not. (Charles Barkley rapping about Taco Bell. For serious?)

Hooray for those that get it right, though. I have to say, after I heard this song playing on a State Farm commercial, paired with the cute little bespeckled dude playing air drums to the beat in his car, I’ll have to admit. I acquired a new-found appreciation for the song and the band. So I uploaded their catalogue onto Rock Band. Because that’s how music appreciation is done in the 21st century. Respect.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Artist: Kansas
Song: Song Point of Know Return
Album: Point of Know Return (1977)
Heard on: This State Farm commercial
FEAR Says: Ever want a greater appreciation for a song? Play it on RockBand. Carry On My Wayward Son is still the best listen and hard to play. Oy, my scabula.

iPlay: Miriam Makeba

February 5, 2010 by NaysWay · Leave a Comment 

I heard this song on a commercial for a car. It drove me nuts, not because I didn’t like the song, but because I COULDN’T STOP SINGING IT. AND IT’S NOT IN ENGLISH! So what was I singing? Nothing short of saying “bubblegum” over and over again. Or, in this case, “zaka zuka zaka zaa, niceeeeee pata pata”.

Thank God I knew the song was called “Pata Pata”. How the hell else would I know where to put it?

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Artist: Miriam Makeba
Song: Pata Pata
Album: Pata Pata (1967)
FEAR says: Miriam Makeba was on this episode of The Cosby Show. One of my favorite.

iPlay: Juno (The Soundtrack)

January 29, 2010 by NaysWay · Leave a Comment 

I can’t remember when I saw the movie Juno. I know it wasn’t at a movie theater, and it must have been after the Oscar buzz when this strange woman with all these tattoos came on stage to accept her Best Original Screenplay Award and I’m all who the heck is this?! I must follow those tattoos!

While Juno was a happy accident, the soundtrack was gold to me. I like weird music and, I think it’s pretty safe to say, this is some weird stuff. I am especially, strangely drawn to the songs that sound like they’re being sung my children. Not like KidzBop. *shudder* But like little pygmies sitting around with ukuleles in a cabin somewhere in the back woods. It is awesome.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Song: Vampire
Artist: Antsy Pants
Album: Juno Soundtrack (January 2008)
FEAR says: I dare you to listen and not end up singing it the rest of the day.