L On Wheels!

The L's are finally here, after a three week layoff I'm back at it again. I actually finished listening to the L's about two weeks ago, but I was not able to get to writing them up until now because for two weekends in a row I went out of town with my family. Then the week that just passed was The Kentucky Derby. Working at a hotel, The Kentucky Derby is a busy time of the year here in Louisville, KY. I worked forty eight hours last week, and you don't really feel like writing after a long day at work. Now that all explanations and excuses are out of the way, I'll move on to the L's. The L's had some interesting variety. There were one or two artists who I was high on when I purchased the album but haven't listened to since, and there was one or two who had multiple albums on the playlist but their new work had turned me away. The L's were a quick listen, but featured plenty of one and done artists to make this post a bit longer.

The L's started out with a one and done artist, The La's. The La's were a short lived English rock band who released their one and only album in 1990. The album included the single "There She Goes" which has far outlived the band. The song was one of the iconic pop rock songs of the 90's, used in a lot of Hollywood's teen based romantic comedies. The song was all over pop culture in the 90's, but despite the success of this song the band went on hiatus in 1992. I'm not sure where I first heard this song, but like a lot of people my age it was probably in a movie. It's a song that I've been aware of for a long time, and it's a very nice love song. I enjoy the song when it comes up, but it's not really something that I could listen to on a regular basis. It's been overused in movies, and has become a bit annoying because of this. Despite that, it's still a good song worth noting.

Next up we have another song off of the much maligned and regretted The Blackest Album: An Industrial Tribute To Metallica. This time we have La Honda Militia covering the Metallica classic "Battery." This track is completely electronic, no live instrumentation at all. This song is more of an electronic/industrial remix of "Battery," there are no vocals in the song, so that's a plus. The electronic programming has a heavy industrial feel to it, and the guitars are just a basic chord played with distortion. Ironically this is probably one of the better songs on the album, in large part due to the fact that there is no singer to ruin it. It just feels like something somebody did in their spare time when they were bored, using basic recording software. It's still not that good, but it's better than a lot of the songs on the album.

The first artist to contribute an album to the L's is British MC, Lady Sovereign. Lady Sovereign gained popularity back in 2006 with the release of her full length debut album Public Warning, on Def Jam records. According to her Wikipedia article she was the first non-American female ever signed to Def Jam. The song that gained her the most attention was the single "Love Me Or Hate Me." The song featured Sovereign (SOV for short) making fun of traditional ideas of femininity and what is proper behavior for English women. The chorus of the song "Love Me Or Hate Me It's Still An Obsession, That Is The Question. If You Love Me, Than Thank You. If You Hate Me Than Fuck You!" has become an anthem for some in the LGBT community. Lady Sovereign raps over a range of beat styles, most of her beats have a very electronic computerized feel to them but she does rap over more instrumental beats as well. It's the instrumental beats that show some of the range of her musical influences, with tracks like "9 to 5" sounding heavily influenced by Reggae and Ska. Lady Sovereign distinguished herself from other British MC's by not attempting to hide her accent, she raps with a thick working class London accent. The accent can make her hard to understand at times, but it is a big part of her music. I first heard Lady Sovereign back in 2005 with the release of the song "Radom" as a single for the CD. The song was played frequently on MTVu, and I became a fan. I really liked her style and picked up Public Warning when it came out in 2006. I really liked satirical commentary of popular culture. She's just high energy and really fun to listen to. I still really like Lady Sovereign, and I still frequently listen to Public Warning. I would suggest Lady Sovereign to fans of M.I.A., The Streets, or Dizzee Rascal.

Lady Sovereign "Love Me Or Hate Me"


Lagwagon follows Lady Sovereign with the song "Status Pools," which comes to this playlist via Rock Against Bush Vol. 2. Lagwagon are a pop punk band out of California signed to NOFX front man Fat Mike's Fat Wreck Chords label. The band featured classic punk rhythms and chords, with a popular rock tinge. The song is much more melodic than a lot of punk rock. It's a good song, and one of the stand out tracks from the compilation. I had had heard the name Lagwagon before the compilation but I hadn't heard them until the compilation. They have a very similar sound to a lot of the bands signed to Fat Wreck Chords, which is a sound that's enjoyable but not something I listen to as much anymore. It's a fun, and catchy song that I will enjoy if it comes on during shuffle but not one I'll seek out.

The track that follows Lagwagon is also from Rock Against Bush Vol. 2, this time the artist is The Lawrence Arms. The Lawrence Arms are a Chicago based punk band also signed to Fat Wreck Chords. The band plays a fast paced, high energy brand of rock that is displayed very well in this track which is less than 2 minutes long. I really like lead singer Brendan's voice, it's got a really interesting rasp to it that helps to distinguish the music from some of their peers. I hadn't heard The Lawrence Arms before this compilation, I liked the song though. I still like it, and I also like the song "The Devil's Takin' Names" which gained some play on MTVu back in 2006. This is a band I considered looking further into, but never followed up on doing so.

Next we have our second full album contribution with Lazy Boy. Lazy Boy is a artist that I hardly knew anything about, I bought the album but never researched until now. Upon investigating the Wikipedia article, I discovered that Lazy Boy is a musical project of Soren Rasted who was a member of the band Aqua ("Barbie Girl"). The project featured hip hop style beats with multiple voice overs featuring trivia, advice, or standup comedy. The songs featured social commentary about American culture and society. The song that gained Lazy Boy the most attention was "Underwear Outside The Pants," which features the late Greg Giraldo doing a stand up routine about American Culture. This is the song that drew me to Lazy Boy. I was very big into punk rock at the time and was frustrated with American Culture so this spoke to me. I really agreed with Giraldo's standup. I'm still not completely satisfied with the state of American Culture, but I'm not the same agnsty teenager I was when I bought this album. I still enjoy the songs, and find the facts and references interesting and amusing. I hadn't listened to this album since that initial period right after I purchased it. I still enjoy the album, but it's not something I'll be listening to on a regular basis.

Lazy Boy "Underwear Inside The Pants"



After Lazy Boy we have the first artist to contribute multiple albums to the L's, LCD Soundsystem. LCD Soundsystem was the musical project of record producer and co-founder of DFA Records James Murphy. LCD Soundsystem was just a collaboration between Murphy and a group of musician friends, but it started garnering attention with the single, "Losing My Edge," off of the debut self titled album. The song was all about Murphy, in his thirties at the time, feeling like he's losing touch with the hip scene. Murphy throughout his career has displayed a reluctance for the spotlight, never fully embracing the band's success and not expecting anything to come out of this album. The bands second album Sound of Silver is the album that really catapulted them into the spotlight, the album received rave reviews from some of the biggest musical magazines. Their third album, This Is Happening, was their final album according to Murphy. Murphy has said he no longer wants to do LCD Soundsystem, and will focus on producing. The bands electronic rock hit the right balance between the two genres and let them appeal to hipster indie rock fans, rock fans, and dance music fans. I first heard LCD Soundsystem when my older brother gave me their two disc self titled debut. I really liked the first disc and songs like "Losing My Edge," "Daft Punk Is Playing At My House," and "Tribulations." The second disc wasn't quite as accessible as the first, so I wasn't as big of a fan. I liked the debut enough to purchase Sound of Silver a few years later, and that album is what really got me excited about LCD Soundsystem. I really enjoyed songs like "Get Innocuous," "North American Scum," and "New York, I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down." When the band released This Is Happening in 2010, I went right out and purchased it based solely on the merits of Sound of Silver. It was a really good album in its own right, and featured great songs like "Dance Yourself Clean," and "I Can Change." I was lucky enough to get to see them live, opening for The Arcade Fire back in 2007. I will continue to enjoy LCD Soundsystem for a long time.

LCD Soundsystem "Losing My Edge"


We have another multiple album contribution up next in Le Tigre. Le Tigre was a feminist underground electroclash band co-founded by Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill. The band featured a mix of electronic programming over live instrumentation, and consistently featured left wing, LGBT and feminist ideals. Hanna's band Bikini Kill was considered to be part of the Riot Grrrl movement, which dealt with many of the same ideals featured in Le Tigre. The band often paid tribute to the women in music who had come before and inspired them, bands like The Slits and Sleater-Kinney. I first heard Le Tigre when my older brother gave their self titled debut album Le Tigre to my dad. My Dad was a big fan of the album, and so was I. I really liked the electroclash style mixed with catchy choruses that made it easy to sing along. For a long time Le Tigre was the only Le Tigre album I had, and I had listened to it so many times that it had become a bit boring. Then last year, I stumbled across their second album Feminist Sweepstakes in the used CD bin at Ear x-tacy. It was refreshing to hear new songs from Le Tigre after only hearing one album for so long. Feminist Sweepstakes was a lot more electroclash then Le Tigre but still really good. I recommend Le Tigre for fans of Riot Grrrl bands like Sleater-Kinney, Bikini Kill, or Huggy Bear.

Le Tigre "Deceptacon"


We have a one and done artist in Lee Weber up next. The song featured here, "Your Love's So Good," is a tribute to his lady and how good she is to him. The first part of the song features him asking her for some fat back and collard greens, and talking about how much he love her cooking. He sings about her great homemade cooking and her looks, saying that when he puts his arms around her he feels like he'll snap in two. The song is in the style of soul/R&B but also features Weber doing some scatting, using his voice to make it sound like an instrument. I don't really know anything about Weber, this song was given to me by my older brother for his wedding party and I couldn't find anything about Weber on Wikipedia. I like the song, it's a nice little soul song. I have a soft spot for good soul music so this hits the spot.

Next we have Leftover Crack, a punk rock band out of New York City. The band plays a style of music self described as crack-rocksteady. Their music draws its influences from punk rock, ska, death metal, and even a little bit of classical music can be heard in some of the songs. The band describes themselves as anti-bigotry, anti-religion, anti-police, and anti-government. Most of the songs are a high paced brand of punk rock with a few featuring ska breakdowns in the middle. The vocals range from your standard punk rock yell to a death metal inspired scream. The members of the band squat in a punk house in New York City and have had numerous run ins with the NYPD, which helped inspire their anti-police attitude. When NYC tried to kick them out of their squat they fought back, this is probably what helped influence some of their anti-government ideals. I first heard of Leftover Crack on the Myspace.com Punk Forum that I frequented from 2005-2008. I checked them out and heard the song "Life Is Pain." I liked the song, with its mix of styles, and social commentary. I purchased the album Fuck World Trade which featured the song. The album was OK, not great but OK. Upon listening again I can't say my opinion has changed much. "Life Is Pain," is probably the best song on the album, but the rest isn't that great. The songs are ok, but not something I want to listen to consistently.

Leftover Crack "Life Is Pain"


Following Leftover Crack we have Canadian singer songwriter Leonard Cohen. Leonard Cohen is an internationally renowned poet and songwriter who's thoughtful and insightful lyrics have earned him numerous honors over the years. Cohen plays a beautifully arranged style of folk music with elements of gospel and soul mixed in. He plays wonderfully arranged songs that feature themes such as religion, depression, sexuality, isolation, and interpersonal relationships. His songs are full of emotion, wonderfully expressed by his deep baritone. Songs like "Suzanne" feature an exploration of religion mixed with an expression of love for the woman named Suzanne. His lyrics are very much poetry sung out loud. His lyrics go a lot deeper than almost any popular modern artist in pop culture today. I was introduced to Leonard Cohen at a very young age, I grew up listening to Leonard Cohen's music. My dad was a big fan of Leonard Cohen, so I heard his songs a lot as a kid. As I grew up, I grew to like Leonard Cohen's music more and more. His beautiful melodies and lyrics are a rarity in the superficial world of popular music, and a great change of pace. When you want something not too loud, but also don't want something so soft that it's almost white noise Cohen is a great option. I will continue to enjoy Cohen for a long time, "Suzanne" and "Hallelujah" are probably my two favorite songs, and probably in my top 50 favorite songs.

Leonard Cohen "Hallelujah"


Less Than Jake are the next artist on the L's, and also another full album contributor. The album featured here is Losing Streak. Less Than Jake are a ska infused punk band based out of Florida. The band plays a fast paced brand of pop punk that heavily features a horn section and the ska punk guitar style of fast sticcato notes on the up beats of the song (Thank You Andrew, again, for that description). The band's songs frequently feature humorous titles and themes such as "Johnny Quest Thinks We're Sellouts," "How's My Driving, Doug Hastings," and "Sugar In Your Gas Tank." I was first introduced to Less Than Jake by Andrew Williams (of Jack's Lament) a few years ago, I had heard the name around but hadn't really listened to them. I was at the tail end of my exploration of 3rd Wave Ska and I enjoyed them quite a bit. I really enjoy the fun bouncy rhythms and guitars of 3rd Wave Ska, and the fun themes made the songs even more enjoyable. Chris Demakes' vocals are a nice addition to the bouncy fun music, and make for a thoroughly enjoyable experience. I'm not as big into 3rd Wave Ska as I used to be, but I still enjoy it. Fans of bands like Catch 22, Streetlight Manifesto, or Mustard Plug should enjoy Less Than Jake.

Less Than Jake "Johnny Quest Thinks We're Sellouts"


Following Less Than Jake we have Li'l Cap'n and Travis. Li'l Cap'n and Travis are a country rock band. That's about all I know about them. I believe the song here "Natural Fool," is one of the songs included with Microsoft Windows Vista. It's a forgettable song, with some classic country rhythms and melodies. It's just nothing particularly special. That's about all I can say, they don't have a Wikipedia page. This song is on the playlist via Windows Vistas music sampler.

Next we have the Liars, a post punk/ dance punk band based out of New York City. The band features an interesting lineup in that they have a singer/guitar player, a guitar/synth/percussion player, and a drummer. The band plays a loud, fast, and hard brand of rock and roll that is at the same time slightly danceable. The band focuses heavily on rhythms and mixing sounds. The band has shifted styles with each new album, making them very hard to truly classify. The album featured here is their debut They Threw Us All In A Trench And Threw A Monument On Top. The album garnered the band national attention at the same time similar bands like the Yeah Yeah Yeah's and The Strokes were also coming out of New York City. I first heard of the Liars because of this attention, and my younger brother had this album. I liked them, but I was more into the Yeah Yeah Yeahs at the time. I was lucky enough to get to see the two bands perform together at The Southgate House in Newport, KY just a few months before the Yeah Yeah Yeah's Fever To Tell came out. They put on a good live show. I hadn't really listened to Liars much in the past few years, they had a brief resurgence in popularity near the end of the 2000's, but I never really listened to them beyond what I had already heard. I got this album from my younger brother, but hadn't really listened to it more than once or twice since. I'm glad I listened to it again, it's a good album and a lot of fun to listen to.

The Liars "Mr. You're On Fire Mr."


After the Liars we have the English Garage Rock Revivalists The Libertines. The band plays the rawer style of rock and roll commonly associated with Garage Rock. That's not to say that the group wasn't very pop oriented, featuring big hooks and very accessible choruses and lyrics. The band was led by Carl Barât (vocals/lead guitar) and Pete Doherty (vocals/rhythm guitar). The band played a style of melodic rock and roll that reminded you of bands like The Kinks or The Clash at times. The bands two full length albums were even produced by Clash lead guitar player Mick Jones. The band gained a lot of attention for their music, their second album was named the second best album of the year in 2004 by a British music magazine. Eventually though, like Hole, the band became more and more for the bad behavior of one of its leaders. Pete Doherty became a British tabloid staple for the fact that he was dating Super Model Kate Moss, and for his addictions to crack cocaine and heroin. He began to act out more and more as his addictions worsened, and has been arrested numerous times for things like possession and theft. I was introduced to The Libertines when my older brother introduced my younger brother to them. I didn't really listened to the album at the time, but did eventually get a copy of it from my younger brother many years later. I like this album, even though I wasn't familiar with it beyond the song "Never Gonna Get Me." I hadn't listened to this album much more than one or two times since receiving it, but it's a very enjoyable album.

The Libertines "Boys In The Band"



The Like Young follow The Libertines, with their track "Worry A Lot." The Like Young, according to Wikipedia, were an indie rock brother and sister duo. The song featured here features a mix of upbeat indie rock and synthesizer lines. The siblings trade off singing and harmonize together throughout the song. It's a nice song that has some definite pop rock appeal, but not enough to get it noticed by the masses. The band released two albums and then called it quits. The song is a pleasant one, but not something I would listen to with any kind of regularity. I believe it was part of the Window's Vista music sampler, and that's the only reason I have it.

Following The Like Young is two tracks from one of the most popular rappers in popular music right now. Lil Wayne exploded onto the scene back at the start of the 00's, but really blew up with the release of his album Tha Carter III back in 2008 (The album sold 1 million copies in its first week). Wayne is best known for his syrupy voice rapping over funky digital beats. His raps tend to be about money, women, and fame. The songs featured here are "A Milli," and "Lollipop." Wayne is known as a word smith among the rap community, and is often praised for his metaphors and double entendres. "Lollipop" is an example of this, rapping how "she lick me like a lollipop" which is a thinly veiled metaphor for his penis. I generally am not a fan of popular hip hop/rap, and for the most part Lil Wayne is no exception. I can really only listen to Lil Wayne in small doses, like the two songs featured here. I wouldn't want to listen to an entire album, but his syrupy voice is amusing enough for me to listen to one or two songs. I enjoy him more when he's providing guest spots on tracks, where he isn't the lead.

We have yet another one and done artist following Lil Wayne, Link Wray and his song "Run Chicken Run." Link Wray was an American guitar player who was most famous for his instrumental guitar work in the 50's and 60's. His best known song was "Rumble." Wray's guitar style is considered one that paved the way for punk rock and hard rock. Wray's distorted guitar style was credited as inventing the power chord. Power chords are used heavily in punk rock and hard rock, the simple chords allow for a faster and more distorted sound when the guitar player strums up and down. Most traditional chords are used for more melodic music, and don't always translate well to being distorted. This track, "Run Chicken Run," is a very quick high pitched instrumental. The way Wray plays the guitar you can almost imagine a chicken running away from someone or something trying to catch it. I got this track from my older brother, it was part of his playlist of music for the party celebrating his wedding. I hadn't heard Link Wray before he put it on my computer five years ago, but I've come back to it periodically over the years. I even played the track on my radio show on several occasions. I like this, I'm usually not a huge fan of purely instrumental music but this is a good song.

The next artist to contribute multiple albums to the L's follows Link Wray. Linkin Park are an alternative rock band based out of California, who rose to rock stardom with the release of their debut album Hybrid Theory in 2000. The band took elements of the Nu Metal movement and the Rap Rock movement and brought them together into a radio friendly combination. The band featured two front men, Mike Shinoda did the rapping and Chester Bennington did the singing/yelling. The band also featured a DJ, Mr. Hahn, who layered the heavy rock with samples and turntable scratching. The back and forth between Bennington and Shinoda mixed with these samples is what led to their popularity. Hybrid Theory is a certified Diamond Record, and it's singles "One Step Closer," "Papercut, "Crawling," and "In The End" were and still are alternative rock radio staples. The band followed the success of their debut with Meteora, which was successful but not as much as Hybrid Theory. This is where I stopped with this band. I liked their mix of rap and hard rock when they came out back in 2000. I purchased Hybrid Theory back in 2000 and I had it playing on repeat for a long time. At the time, it was right in the sweet spot of my musical taste. I felt at the time that I wouldn't ever get tired of the album. I see now, that's not entirely true. I purchased Meteora and the remix album Reanimation, and I like both albums, but not nearly as much as the debut album. I then lost interest in the band in the four year period between their second and third albums, and when they came back I wasn't interested anymore. They had changed their style, more heavily featuring Bennington and relegating Shinoda to the background. Their music was less layered and had become overly simple. I hadn't really listened to Linkin Park in the past few years before going through the L's for this blog. I would occasionally hear their songs on the radio, but that was it. I gave away the Linkin Park poster that used to hang in my room, to my young cousin who was just discovering them. Listening to them again, I still enjoy Hybrid Theory but not nearly as much as I used to. The songs are catchy and well written, but don't do it for me like they did ten years ago. I probably will go back to not listening to them aside from radio airplay, they just don't hold my interest like they used to.

Linkin Park "Papercut"



After Linkin Park we have the 90's Alternative Rock band Live. Live were a band out of Pennsylvania who gained mainstream success in the mid 90's with the release of their album Throwing Copper. The band became known for their brand of 90's alternative rock mixed with the crooning vocals of lead singer Ed Kowalczyk. Kowalczyk's sweet voice distinguished them from the rest of 90's Alternative Rock. I discovered this band with the release of their fourth studio album Distance To Here in 1999. I really liked the song "Dolphin's Cry" and purchased the album. I thought the album was ok, but it wasn't one of my favorites. There wasn't a huge difference between the songs, they were all pleasant rock songs about a higher power and love. Listening to Live again for this blog, I'm even less impressed than I was back in 1999. "Dolphin's Cry" is probably the best song on the album, and I'm not really liking that song that much anymore. It feels a bit cheesy and over done. I just don't like the song anymore. Live is a band that I have lost all interest in over the 12 years since I first heard them.

Live "Dolphin's Cry"



We have another multiple album contribution next with the two studio albums of the band The Living Things. The Living Things are a American rock band out of St. Louis who gained attention with the release of their debut album Ahead Of The Lions and the controversy surrounding lead singer Lillian Berlin's stance against President George W. Bush. The band became known for their provocative stage shows where Berlin consistently defaced pictures of Bush. The singer was arrested at the 2004 Republican National Convention in 2004 for burning a picture of Bush and hurling meat at a blow up doll with his face. The band also garnered attention musically, with the release of Ahead Of The Lions' first single "Bom Bom Bom." The song written by Lillian Berlin is a politically charged commentary on the military industrial complex, one of the constant themes throughout the album. Berlin rattles against the complex but has consistently saluted the men in women in uniform. The album was a raw garage rock call to arms against everything Berlin felt was wrong with American Society in 2005. The band released their follow up Habeas Corpus in 2009, to little attention from mass media. The album was much more polished than Ahead Of The Lions, featuring better production and slicker tracks. Track's like "Let It Rain" felt almost mainstream polished, and a lot warmer than their previous album. The album also incorporated some synthesizer lines into a few of the songs, this led the song "Oxygen" to be compared to Duran Duran by Spin Magazine in their review. I first heard The Living Things back in 2005 right around the time of the release of Ahead Of The Lions. I had read about the controversy surrounding the band, so I knew who they were when I heard "Bom Bom Bom" on MTVu. I liked the raw garage rock sound and the booming chorus of "Bom Bom Bom," so I picked up Ahead Of The Lions. The rest of the album was just as raw and angry, and I liked it. I listened to the album a few times before moving on to other bands, but my interest was renewed with the release of Habeas Corpus in 2009. Since then I've listened to both albums several times in the past two years. There are rumors of a new album coming out this year, and I will definitely pick it up if that is the case. I recommend The Living Things to fans of bands like The Libertines.

The Living Things "Bom Bom Bom"



Before our next multiple album contributor there is a one and done artist in Lone Justice. Lone Justice were a Country Rock band active in the 1980's. The band comes to this playlist via the compilation box set Left Of The Dial: Dispatches From The 80's Underground. It features the vocals of Maria McKee over a country infused rock and roll song. The guitar sound is reminiscent of the style common among country musicians, over a rock and roll rhythm section. It's a nice little song, but not one that stood out for me when I listened to this box set. I doubt I'll come back to this song intentionally, but it is a pleasant enough to be enjoyed when I put my iPod on shuffle.

Following Lone Justice we have the internet sensation The Lonely Island. The Lonely Island consists of Saturday Night Live cast member Andy Samberg and his friends Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone who are writers on the show. The group began in Berkley, California with the three friends working together writing for different comedy shows. The group moved to New York City and began working for Saturday Night Live. The group began gaining popularity in 2005 with the SNL Digital Short "Lazy Sunday," which featured Samberg and fellow cast member Chris Parnell rapping about going to see a matinee showing of The Chronicles of Narnia. The video instantly went viral on YouTube at a time when YouTube was just starting out, and wasn't the popular site it is today. "Lazy Sunday" was followed by several other Digital Shorts such as "Dick In A Box feat. Justine Timberlake," "Jizz In My Pants," and "I'm On A Boat." All of these became tracks for the groups first album Incredibad in 2009. All of the tracks that featured music videos went viral on YouTube, each one getting millions of hits. "I'm On A Boat" became a pop cultural phenomenon with people quoting it constantly whenever they would get on a boat. The videos continued to be popular on the internet, and the group began producing new songs like "Motherlover," a follow up to the popular "Dick In A Box," once again featuring Justin Timberlake. Then at the end of 2010 the released a video for a new song called "I Just Had Sex feat. Akon," and then at the beginning of 2011 they released another song and video called "The Creep feat. Nicki Minaj." The band released its follow up album Turtleneck & Chain on May 10, 2011. I first heard The Lonely Island back in 2005 when I saw "Lazy Sunday," I really liked the song and video. Then in 2009 I heard "Jizz In My Pants," and that is what really made me a fan of the group. Their songs are hilarious and ridiculous. Incredibad features Academy Award Winner Natalie Portman rapping about beating people up and doing drugs, and songs about Carlos Santana having his own Champagne. Turtleneck & Chain opens with the song "We're Back," a song all about how limp and smelly their dicks are. The thing that makes this group really good is that their songs aren't just funny, they're really good. Their rapping and the beats behind them are legitimately good, and on some of their best songs they are completely serious, but rapping about a ridiculous subject. I really like The Lonely Island, and I have been listening to their music constantly over the past two years. Fans of Flight of The Conchords, Tenacious D, or Weird Al should love The Lonely Island.

The Lonely Island "I Just Had Sex"



Following The Lonely Island is a country artist who has been called "The First Lady of Country Music," Loretta Lynn. Lynn the daughter of a Kentucky Coal Miner started her musical career after her husband bought her a guitar when she was 24. Lynn went on have seventy different tracks make it onto the music charts, and in the process became one of the most controversial country artists of the 60's and 70's. Her songs often dealt with issues from her life, and touched on subjects that the conservative genre of country music didn't approve of. She sang about subjects such as cheating husbands, birth control, double standards for men and women, and losing her husband to Vietnam. She sung about issues important to her and other blue collar women, and this led to some radio stations refusing to play her songs. Despite all of this Lynn became one of the most respected and beloved country artists off all time. She enjoyed a brief resurgence in her popularity with the release of 2004's Van Lear Rose, which was produced by Jack White of The White Stripes. White also played guitar on the album, giving it a bluesy feel to complement Lynn. I grew up listening to Loretta Lynn, my Dad is a big fan of classic country music and Lynn was part of his collection. I really started to notice her as more than just something my Dad listened to when I heard Van Lear Rose. The album is beautiful and full of emotion and heartache. Lynn's voice is beautiful and you can feel that she really means what she sings about. I hadn't listened to this album for a few years before getting it from my Dad, but I'm glad I started listening to it again. It's a really well done album. If you haven't heard Loretta Lynn and you like Johnny Cash and other classic country, you should give her a listen.

Loretta Lynn "Van Lear Rose"



The final six artists of the L's are all one and done artists, and the first is Los Shakers. Los Shakers were a band out of Uruguay who gained popularity in Latin American in the mid 1960's. The band modeled their music and style after The Beatles, and commonly sang in English. The song featured here "Break It All," was their most popular. You can really hear The Beatles in the song, it's got a very similar sound but with a bit of Latin flavor. The song has been featured in numerous Hollywood films in the past couple decades, so it's a song I was pretty familiar with before this blog. It's a fun song, and easy to sing along too since the lyrics are in English. I enjoy this song when it comes up, but I don't go looking for it in my iTunes specifically.

After Los Shakers we have the band Louis XIV. Louis XIV were an American band based out of San Diego, who became more known for their sexually explicit lyrics and the accusations of bigotry then their music. The song featured here is "Finding Out True Love Is Blind," the single off of their 2005 album The Best Little Secrets Are Kept. The song came under fire for referring to different women as "chocolate girl" and "vanilla girl." The song is a very sexual song, with the lyrics talking about what he wants in a woman. Then the breakdown features lyrics like "wind you up, and make you crawl to me." These lyrics and others led to media backlash and the banned being banned by a town in Alabama. The songs musically are the same loose style that of garage rock revival that was popular in the early and mid 00's when the band gained its popularity. I liked the song when it came out, but I only downloaded this song because I had heard a few of the other tracks and wasn't impressed. I take the song's lyrics to be playful and in jest, and not meant to be offensive to anyone. I like the song, but I won't come back to it with any regularity.

The next one and done artists is the band Love. Love were a rock band from the 1960's and 70's who are often considered to be part of the psychedelic music movement of the late 60's and early 70's. The song featured here, "7 and 7 Is" comes to this playlist via Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From The First Psychedelic Era box set. The song is a very pleasant classic rock song, with a few themes not of the mainstream. It feels right at home with other 60's and 70's bands like The Rolling Stones. I wasn't really familiar with this track before listening to the L's for the blog, it came to my computer via my older brother. I like the track well enough, it's good 60's rock but not something I plan on coming back to any time soon.

Following Love is the band Love & Rockets. Love and Rockets was a band made up of former members of the gothic rock band Bauhaus. The band however leaned away from that genre and slightly more towards more psychedelic rock and glam rock that was popular in the mid 1980's when the band formed. The band enjoyed moderate success and scored a spot of the charts with the single off of their 1989 album. The band's guitar have a bit of a heavy distortion to them, and just play the same few chords constantly, only changing during the chorus. The vocals are monotone and spacey, going well with the guitars and most likely being part of the psychedelic label. I wasn't familiar with this song before this blog, I got it from Left Of The Dial: Dispatches From The 80's Underground but it wasn't a standout song for me. I like it well enough, but nowhere near enough to want to hear more.

Another artist who came to this playlist via Window's Vista is up next, this time it's Luciana Souza/Romero Lubambo. Luciana Souza is a Brazilian Jazz singer and classical composer. The track featured here "Muita Bobiera" is a very pleasant and simple arrangement of Souza singing and scatting over the quick picking Latin guitar picking of Romero. I grew up listening to Latin music, and this is a great example of it. It's very pleasant and simple, just a voice and guitar. That's part of what I really like about this song, it's not some slick over produced "Latin" song, it's a genuine Latin Jazz song. I wasn't familiar with the song before this blog, but I did enjoy it. I probably won't come back to it, it's a single track and I usually like to listen to entire albums, but if it comes up on shuffle or I need an example of Latin Jazz, I'll enjoy it again.

The final one and done artist of the group and of the final artist of the playlist is The Lyres. The Lyres were an alternative rock band active in at the end of the 70's and throughout the 80's. The band plays a guitar driven style of garage rock very similar to something you would hear on some of the later records by The Kinks. It's not as clean as a lot of the rock and roll of the time, it's a little more distorted like The Kinks were in their later years. I wasn't familiar with this song before listening to it for this blog despite having heard it when I listened to the compilation box set of 80's Underground music previously mentioned in this blog. It's a nice little song, I like the Kinks so I enjoy this song. It's just not very distinctive to me, it sounds too much like a lot of other songs that came out in the 60's and 70's. I doubt I'll be coming back to it.

That's it for the L's folks, once again sorry it took so long. The M's will hopefully be up within the next two weeks, but I've got almost 1200 songs and 59 artists to go through. Please continue to comment on my posts and let me know how I'm doing.