dancing in the streets

I don't have much to say about this video besides, "Huzzah! I love it!"

"Thinking 'Bout Somethin'" is the first single from Hanson's forthcoming LP, Shout It Out!, and it is irresistible. The Hanson brothers are no strangers to the process of writing excellent pop songs and this track is a cheery, infectious, big-band pop-soul gem. 

The video is delightful, too, with choreographed dance numbers in the streets of Hanson's hometown Tulsa, Oklahoma. Isaac, Taylor, and Zac aren't shy at all in this clip --- they join the masses at the very end of the song to shake their tailfeathers in solidarity. As if that wasn't enough to make you smile, there's a cameo by Weird Al, who appears gyrating and playing a mean tambourine. 

The concept for the video was inspired by the Ray Charles scene in the 1980 cult film The Blues Brothers. "Thinking 'Bout Somethin'" isn't the first time Hanson has played tribute to The Blues Brothers and Ray Charles. On their first world tour over a decade ago, Hanson covered several Blues Brother songs, and their song "Georgia" from the 2007 release The Walk is an obvious nod to Ray Charles's "Georgia On My Mind." 

Hanson has always had a knack for writing good pop music. For over a decade now, they have been the only band that can put me in a better mood, no matter what. Their music does not rely on the shallow, artificial peppiness of bubblegum pop. There's a much deeper, dynamic joyfulness to a Hanson song. Taylor Hanson has called Shout It Out! an "unapologetic, bright, melodic thing" --- that sounds like a pretty accurate description of much of the boys' oeuvre. 

Watch "Thinking 'Bout Somethin'" --- I dare you not to tap your foot or smile. You will. 

You can file this video under one more reason to love Hanson despite what naysayers and the ill-informed may have to say about these young men. If you need further proof, check out Hanson's work to fight HIV/AIDS and poverty over at Take The Walk.  

See? They're the best.

listen to the cars

My good friend, Novice Theory, is a magnificent musician. In September, he released an EP entitled, "Ordinary Death." This record is extraordinary, and one of my favorite tracks is "Listen to the Cars." It is a treatise on human relationships at the end of the world, and it is incredible.

As a fiction writer, I am constantly blown away by Novice Theory's lyrics. His songs are like poems or vignettes: narrative, vivid, and emotive. "Listen to the Cars" is no different. The track features imagery that burns with life and asks searingly poignant questions of its audience.

Gems include:

"Will you fix this, fix me, early Friday morning?"

as well as...

"At the start of the new world order, in our dark homes/... Our hammer-hearts, they go beat beat beat."

and...

"The low, low rumble in my gut tells me you are a creature, electric and dark."

Musically, "Listen to the Cars" is both interesting and beautiful. It is soulful, piano-driven, and utilizes lilting carnival music, as well as some lovely strings and the accordion.

I wrote a review of Ordinary Death and Novice Theory's work a while back for WireTap. Check it out here.

And while you're at it, listen to some Novice Theory. You won't regret it.

Buy an album. Support Brooklyn-based independent music that rocks!