"Destroy Rock & Roll"

Mylo - Destroy Rock & Roll (2003)

"...Missing Persons, Duran Duran, Missing Persons, Duran Duran, Duran Duran, Duran Duran..."



The vocal is a sample of a religious diatribe against popular culture by an unknown member of the Church Universal and Triumphant. The sample is a list of musicians poplar during the 80s. Mylo created the electric drum heavy musical track. I like the cowbell that shows up through the song. Basically the whole song is a man reading names and a computer created track playing behind it.

Un-sourced opinion is that Mylo did all the graffiti art in the video as well. If so, I like him much better. The song is forgettable, but some of the stencil art is great fun. I really like Tina Turner as her own legs, ZZ Top as a negative space portrait studio photo of themselves, and Big Country as the lower 48 states, even though they are from Scotland. I love Thompson Twins as Charlie Chaplins looking at each other, and the best one of all is The Cars as a Volkswagen Beetle, followed immediately by the artist slapping a 53 on the picture, making it a reference to The Love Bug and Herbie, which makes sense because the next musician intoned is Herbie Hancock.

"Strict Machine"

Goldfrapp - Strict Machine (2003)

Distopian future dance hit.

A British electronic dance track about being trained to accept and in fact take pleasure in complying with orders given. It's synthesizer heavy and even the drum part sounds like it was played on a machine. The lower bass synth sounds and the highest synth sounds both really make me think of New Wave. The artists have said they were drawing from late 70s disco and glam, but all I'm catching is pure 80s. It even has backmasking, with backward recorded vocals inserted near the end. This song would not be out of place in a Tron style movie. Except in this version, the MCP wins. In fact, primary color and kaleidoscope inspired video not withstanding, this song really makes me think 1984 in more ways than one.

"Professional Widow (Armand's Star Trunk Funkin' Mix)"

Tori Amos - Professional Widow (Armand's Star Trunk Funkin' Mix) (1996)

Honey bring it close to my lips...

DJ Armand Van Helden retains only two lines from this Tori Amos song in making his dance version. I just don't understand the appeal. The bass line is reminiscent of 70's era funky soul, which is great, but it never stops. The drum machine only knows two measures, and aside from spacey electronic sounds that is it. I've broken down the entire song for you. OK, not entirely, there is a interlude in the middle; echo effects over a verse mentioning Judas and Muhammad Ali, then right back to the dance.

Dance music is just not my thing, I'm going to have to make some sooner or later just so I can understand.

"Supermassive Black Hole"

Muse - Supermassive Black Hole (2006)

This is, I think, the first of these reviews to feature a song I have heard the original group perform it live. Muse opened for My Chemical Romance on The Black Parade tour and I saw them in MD. I don't remember too much, I was sick as a dog and shouldn't have been there, but I'm glad I went.

This song has a very 70s garage sound to it before the vocals kick in. It's the fuzz guitar effects, get me every time. Bellamy's voice is almost unmistakable, and the harmonies the rest of the bad brings make this song really unique when played over this music track. I could try to compare it to Goodbye Yellow Brick Road era Elton John playing with Black Sabbath, but that's not right, and is an oversimplification. The drums sound a little perfect, like a drum machine, but overall the song is a success for me.