Stuck In My Skull 481 -- "Stayin' Alive" and free Röyksopp song!

Song: "Stayin' Alive" || Artist: Bee Gees || http://youtu.be/I_izvAbhExY ||

Comments: Good morning everyone! Monday is here, and this funky disco song will help you through it. I have absolutely no idea why this song is stuck in my head, but I do know that it is painfully catchy. According to Wikipedia, this track was written for a movie called Saturday Night Fever, which I confess I haven't seen. Instead of the film it belongs to, I associate this song with a certain friend of mine, who found a ten-hour looped version of this song and strutted around dancing for well over an hour and a half. Despite how sick of it I got after hearing it for 90+ minutes in a row that one time, this song is good and deserves the praise it's gotten in the many years since it was released. The only thing I get hung up on is the lyrics -- nobody seems to know what the lines "We can try to understand / The New York Times effect on man" means. If you know, drop me a line and help me out. Enjoy!

Edit: I almost forgot. While I ended up not writing about it today, Röyksopp has a new song that they're giving away on their website. It's free, so download and enjoy!

Download

AMANDA--"TAKE BACK THE NIGHT" by JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE

Happy Friday all! Today I'm serving up some fresh and funky beats a la Justin Timberlake's new single "Take Back the Night." I'd be lying if I said I didn't have some reservations about the song, which unfortunately shares its name with an anti-rape organization founded in the 1970's. When questioned, Timberlake denied any association with the group, who he had never heard of previously. Thankfully for him, the Take Back the Night Foundation has dropped the lawsuit against the singer. It's one of several 70's inspired songs containing sexually suggestive lyrics topping the charts  right now (sadly "Blurred Lines" comes to mind). In that sense, his latest single is not  unique but if you can get past the poor choice of name, you might find it enjoyable. What separates Justin Timberlake from the likes of Bruno Mars and Robin Thicke is that everything he does, he does impeccably and with class. It's not exactly ground breaking material and drags on a more than it should but there's something to be said about how grand and sophisticated "Take Back the Night" feels. Furthermore, my hope is that the controversy will translate into good publicity for the organization and lead to informed discussion. Anything that increases it's visibility or support and awareness in general is a good thing, even a silly pop song. Enjoy.

Download

Stuck In My Skull 420 -- "Get Lucky" [Pop Week II]

Pop Week II || Song: "Get Lucky" || Artist: Daft Punk feat. Pharell Williams || http://youtu.be/5NV6Rdv1a3I ||

Comments: It is Friday! Congratulations on surviving the week! Just finish out today, and you're in the weekend! To help you through the day, I give you this song. I've seriously been looking forward to today all week just so I could use the song. In fact, this song is the reason I wanted to do Pop Week II in the first place: It reminded me that pop can be good. And seriously, this song is amazing. First, let's talk vocals. Pharell Williams is great. As is my habit when I don't know much about an artist, I go read their Wikipedia page -- he has had quite a career. My first exposure to Pharell Williams was in the track "One (Your Name)" by Swedish House Mafia, in which he provided vocals. Honestly, I wouldn't have recognized him if I hadn't already been aware he was in this track. I know he's got a good vocal range, but he sounds completely different -- he has a completely different style in this track. And what a style it is, flowing perfectly with the funky, guitar-plucking, disco-esque feel of the song. And on that note, this song is something else. Trust Daft Punk to mix it up and go disco. Pharell's vocals dominate most of the song, but Daft Punk's signature vocoder vocals do make an appearance in the last minute. According to the Wikipedia page about the song, "Upon hearing "Get Lucky", Pharrell remarked that the music evoked the sense of being on an exotic island during a "peachy color[ed]" sunrise." I find myself agreeing completely. If you haven't noticed yet, I love this song. Check it out!

Download

Stuck In My Skull 405 -- "I Will Survive"

Song: "I Will Survive" || Artist: Gloria Gaynor || http://youtu.be/ZBR2G-iI3-I ||

Comments: Sorry this is going up so late. To be quite honest, I have precisely no idea why I have this song stuck in my head. But I do, and boy is it catchy. 35 years after it was first sung, it's still a hit. Oh, disco. This song is quintessential disco. It's got a steady beat with cymbals everywhere, and it still is worth dancing to. So kick back, relax, and remember: You will survive.

Download

AMANDA-- "MOSKAU" by DSCHINGHIS KHAN

Hey folks! Today's song is pure delight. The seventies gave us a lot of great music and we much of it to Eurovision. If you ask me, the European music competition had American Idol beat decades ago and produced musical sensations like German pop band Dschinghis Khan (and ABBA too!).  Many people I know aren't huge fans of disco but even they have to admit how  utterly awesome and catchy "Moskau" is. The video features the leader singer rocking the Santa look and the entire band busting some sweet moves. I have yet to get sick of it and thought it was extremely appropriate now that Christmas is nearly upon us.  Thanks for reading and enjoy this wonderful tribute to the beautiful city of Moscow!

Download