Thursday, Feb. 25, 2010

Pod Picks for February 25, 2010

This week we recommend new tracks from three proven rock/pop acts looking to rise above the clatter, which you can download (legally, of course) to your iPod or other personal media device.

"On My Feet" by Eels

Oh, the breakup album, sometimes nothing is greater creatively than being totally broken emotionally. That is what Mark Everett, aka E, was able to convey with absolute beauty on his new Eels album, "End Times." This song is complex through its sparseness. A transient organ, an acoustic guitar and E's voice that sounds scarred, but not self-pitying, instead reflective - like a man that may have learned from his mistakes, although the lessons have left bruises. He sings, "I'm a man in great pain over great beauty, it's not easy to stand on my feet these days, but I'm pretty sure I've been through worse, I'm sure I can take the hit." This is a great song for anyone who has ever been through that big breakup, but the entire album is one of those rare listens were you almost feel like a voyeur, eavesdropping on a true artist dealing with his pain.

"Mars Needs Women" by Rob Zombie

Zombie has taken a step back from making movies after the misdirected, "Halloween II," to create another sequel musically to "Hellbilly Deluxe." Maybe he will have more control over the outcome of this endeavor. "Mars Needs Women" is vintage Zombie with a twist. A big intro with an acoustic guitar building from a western soundtrack into power chords, conga percussion pounding into a riotous tom accompanying the chant..." Mars needs women, angry red woman." There are breakdowns highlighting sexual moans and laser beams, an ode to low-budget alien movies. Zombie has always been a figure to root for, bucking the studios and record companies while trying to deliver shock and gore through a watered-down system. He does it while his tongue is firmly pressed in his cheek. Love him or hate him, he is a son of drive-in cinema and late night TV, a vessel for preserving the monsters and Martians and freaks, to be translated in whatever medium he can get away with on his own terms.

"Stylo" by Gorillaz (Featuring Bobby Womack and Mos Def)

Your favorite cartoon band is back with its third album, "Plastic Beach," and a new single that is rich with guests. Def Poetry's poet laureate, Mos Def, ushers in and escorts out the track with his signature reverbed rap. The legend of soul, Bobby Womack, lets his vocals fly over the drone beats that have become a Gorillaz trademark. The Gorillaz were born from the pairing of the music of Damon Albarn (of indie-favorites, Blur) and the virtual art of Jamie Hewlett. The influence of uber-producer, Danger Mouse, has hung on since the second album, "Demon Days," layering samples of early '80s rap that were originally samples of disco and George Clinton's Parliament. Gorillaz's fans will be pleased with this unique blend of the familiar.