Right here, right now

"Right Here, Right Now"--the new collaboration between Giorgio Moroder and Kylie Minogue. No video yet, but the clips I've seen look gorgeous, stylish, and fun--much like the song itself (which, it should be noted, is not the Kylie tune from 1991's Let's Get to It album!).

What a wonderful collaboration! Very much in the "Kylie classic" pop-dance genre. This, in fact, could be the killer single that 2014's Kiss Me Once LP seemed to lack (even though I still think that's one of Kylie's better, more mature-sounding albums).

Here's hoping for some future musical output from the two--47 (Kylie's current age, I believe) might also be the new 74--and the new 24.

Nina und Nana

Your Friday afternoon dose of Whiskey-Tango-Funkhaus: Nina Hagen and Nana Mouskouri perform the German standard, "Lili Marleen."

Higher calling

The Daily Show
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From the January 12, 2015, episode of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter discusses his work helping to eradicate guinea worm worldwide. The number of cases has decreased from over 3 million to just 126.

Meanwhile in Texas, someone is painting pictures of his feet while relaxing in a bathtub.

Spinnin' around

Some recent finds from KCRW in Los Angeles, which, along with RFI Musique in Paris and Içi Musique (the fomer Espace Musique) in Montréal, is my go-to broadcaster for new music these days. I wouldn't say no to Philadelphia's WXPN either. I miss living in the Harrisburg area and being able to pick that one up on my car radio.

I have no idea who Marian Hill is, but I like the Aaliyah quality to the music and her voice for "Got It," although admittedly that may be a superficial comparison. Still, there is a hip-hop sound to the song without being slavish to it. My humble opinion.



Ah, a day without video--just enjoy the music of Børns, who I also know nothing about. But what do you need to know? What a lush, gorgeous, melodic song! It vaguely reminds me of something Brent Bourgeois would have done back in the day, something unapologetically heart-on-the-sleeve without being too ridiculous.

I would have hurt someone for a chance to have hair as thick and luxuriant as Brent's back in the day. I would have hurt someone for hair, period.



And there's this, "On the Regular" by Shamir, which gets props for me from sheer catchiness, vibrant colorfulness, and a seeming disregard for street cred and gender tickboxes. Clearly, reading the comments in YouTube (always a disheartening action), this is a preponderant concern for a certain segment of the population, part of whom seem unable to accept the notion that Shamir is a young man or move beyond the "outrage" that Azealia Banks (please don't ask me to relate who she is because this isn't my genre and I honestly don't care enough to investigate further) did it first with "212."

A matter of opinion, I guess. I frankly don't hear Azealia as being an original, and that's really a slam against her. There's nothing wrong with taking a riff, expanding upon it, and making it your own: That's called inspiration and was considered normal in the pre-litigious copyright age. So both she and Shamir are doing what they should do and more power to 'em.
br />But at least Shamir doesn't repeatedly make crude references to his vagina. Sorry to be an old man here, but it seems well past time to move beyond talking about your sex organs in popular culture. Is there anything left to know at this point?

Rant off! Enjoy some quality time with the music.

Liberté, egalité, fraternité

Nous sommes Parisiens, nous sommes français. En cette saison et toujours.

Sorry!

Back at work yesterday after two weeks off for the winter recess/holiday break/holiday-that-must-not-be-named. Lately on Facebook, I've taken to referring to work (and my boss) as the board game (or bored game?) Parcheesi. It's a none-too-subtle way to bitch about my job and the associated ridiculousness of it all while keeping it light and breezy, reminding myself and others not to take it too seriously.

And sometimes I'm actually successful at that. Well, every once and a while.

But yesterday, the first day when everyone was back after Christmas and New Year's, Chanukah and Kwanzaa, was more like a game of Battleship or Stratego. Or Chutes and Ladders, as one friend put it. Or Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots with a Barrel of Monkeys thrown in for good measure.

Or Sorry! as another friend said.

But when I think of Sorry! I think of this:



The Carol Burnett Show's classic Eunice and Mama sketch of the most dysfunctional, passive-aggressive (or perhaps just aggressive) family let lose on American culture (other than Dick Cheney's family, of course). It's the perfect homage to my workplace: Obsessive rule-making, using the rules as a cudgel, hurt feelings, recounting of past grievances, constant recriminations, insincere claims of "Sorry!" when offenses occur . . . .

And on and on and on.

Part two is worth a look as well:



"It looks like we're all going to be stuck here for a while!"

Sadly, yes, we are.

Here's hoping to new opportunities for me and for all of us in 2015.