Stuck In My Skull 448 -- "Roar"

Song: "Roar" || Artist: Katy Perry || http://youtu.be/e9SeJIgWRPk ||

Comments: Good morning! Two on-time entries in a row? It's impossibru! No, it's Katy Perry! That's right, being the unabashed fanboy that I am, I am pleased to announce that not only is there a new album coming, but that the first single is out! This, ladies and gentlemen, is the newest track from Katy Perry, and it's an earworm. It's simple production allows Katy Perry's vocals to really drive the track, and the upbeat tempo moves everything along at just the right speed. The lyrics are catchy, and I smell a hit song. I feel confident in saying that this will probably chart in the next two months, and possibly even top the charts. Take a listen, folks -- you're going to be hearing a lot of this song. Enjoy!

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Stuck In My Skull 447 -- "Phat A** Drop"

Song: "Phat A** Drop" || Artist: DJs from Mars || http://youtu.be/xM16nr7VJ0Q ||

Comments: Good morning! It's Monday and that's okay, because it's time to wake up with Stuck In My Skull! I heard this song on the radio one afternoon as I was driving home, and I instantly fell in love. I cannot lie, I was laughing fit to burst. This track is simultaneously hilarious, a scathing commentary, and a great beat all at once. These Italian DJs are most famous for their mashups, but with this tutorial track, the cardboard box-wearing duo demonstrates their ability to cut right to the meat of exemplary electronic music production. This song is a well-produced track that's just long enough at around 3:40, with three drops conveniently announced by a cynical narrator that does nothing to detract from their awesomeness. This song carries a language warning, so grab some headphones if you're listening at work or around kids, but make sure you listen -- this song is great.

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AMANDA-- "MAYBE I'M AMAZED" by JEM

Happy Friday! Usually I try to share something fun or upbeat to get y'all pumped up for the weekend but today I decided to change things up. The O.C., which aired on Fox from 2003-2007, recently celebrated it's tenth anniversary. In light of that, I've seen numerous articles describing the show's cultural impact in terms of its characters, storytelling, and, of course, music. Part of what made it such a phenonmenon at the time was the hip soundtrack, which was intended to be its own character essentially. The O.C. offered a unique selection of both indie and alternative music from bands such as Modest Modest, The Killers, and Imogen Heap, many of whom made guest appearances on the show. Today's pick, Jem's cover of Paul McCartney's "Maybe I'm Amazed," is one example of how the careful pairing of music and television can have a lasting impression on the hearts and minds of viewers, myself included. The Welsh artist performs her rendition live in an episode at the end of season two where a wedding is taking place. It should be a happy occasion but as it were the  two main lovers about to separate and so the use of a love song here really plays up sadness. I  thinkthe change of the pronouns from the original (now told from the perspective of a woman) and banjo works really well with the vocals here. Even without any knowledge of the O.C., it makes for a beautiful cover. All these years later and I still remember this song in the context of the show and how it made me feel.  Happy tenth anniversary to one of the shows of my youth! Thanks for all the wonderful memories and music!  Enjoy and have a great weekend! 

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Stuck In My Skull 446 -- "March"

Song: "March" || Artist: MitchiriNeko || http://youtu.be/lAIGb1lfpBw ||

Comments: Good morning and happy almost-weekend, everyone! Today, I am bringing you a song with a title in a language I don't speak with a translation I can't pronounce, and I'm not sure if I even have the artist listed correctly. Anyone who is skilled with Japanese, please feel free to correct me. That being said, this song and video is a simply amazing combination. The song is a very catchy instrumental march that sounds incredibly happy, and the video is one of the most adorable things I have seen in a very long time. Many sites are describing this as "Cat March -- the happiest video ever." Honestly, I can't disagree. If this video doesn't bring a smile to your face, your smile might be broken. Enjoy!

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AMANDA-- "YOU'VE GOT TIME" by REGINA SPEKTOR

Hey readers! Hope you're having a good week so far! Today's song comes from the highly popular original Netflix series "Orange Is The New Black." In the short time it's been out, the show has attracted serious buzz and already been picked up for a second season. Through the eyes of a waspy female protagonist, viewers get a peek at the complex lives and relationships of women in a New York federal state prison. The lovely Regina Spektor wrote the theme song from scratch, having received snippets of clips and information about the show from creator Jenji Kohan. Spekor isn't someone I typically associate with rock, but here she nails it. It's a credit to her talent and versatility that she sounds more than Karen O on this track than say Fiona Apple. Like the show, it is something no one expected but that is undeniably awesome. The song starts off fast and hard then goes softer and slower, only to repeat this several times. Everything from the pacing to the lyrics captures the complex tone and storytelling of the series. Moreover, it's a very fitting theme and almost as addictive as the show itself. Enjoy!

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Stuck In My Skull 445 -- "Feel the Beat"

Song: "Feel the Beat" || Artist: Darude || http://youtu.be/mN84To5ndw0 ||

Comments: Good morning everyone! I've had this song stuck in my head a few times lately, thanks to a radio station that uses a tiny sample of it in their station ID. I had honestly thought I had written an entry on this song a long time ago, or I would have used it much sooner. But better late than never, so here it is! By the same DJ that made that beautifully campy track "Sandstorm" comes Darude's second single from the same album, "Feel the Beat." I love this track -- it's just as campy as it's video, and both scream "Hello, 2000!" I can't tell who provides the vocals on this track, and for once Wikipedia has failed me. If you know who the vocalist is, drop me a line! That aside, this track is campy awesomeness, and still excellent over a decade after its initial release. As far as I can tell, Darude's career seems to have stagnated some time ago, so this classic appears to be the highpoint of Darude's career, and what a highpoint it is. This song is so cheesy, and so catchy. Give it a listen if you haven't heard it before, and even if you have. Enjoy!

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Stuck In My Skull 444 -- "LRAD"

Song: "LRAD" || Artist: Knife Party || http://youtu.be/4qC9KwujVtQ ||

Comments: Good morning and happy Monday, everyone! Happy Monday? It is for me, and it will be for you too when you listen to this track. It is incredible. Knife Party is a group generally known for their dubstep hits, but they're flexing their musical muscles with this single from their latest EP, bringing much more of a house vibe and leaving the wub-wub almost completely behind. I love it. I can't get enough of this track. The drops are deceptive and catchy, the beats are beautiful, and the melody is masterfully crafted. Ladies and gentlemen, this is EDM. Enjoy!

Would you or someone you know be interested in writing for Stuck In My Skull? Drop us a line!

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AMANDA--"CARRIED AWAY" by PASSION PIT (TIESTO REMIX)

Hola! To help you get the weekend started off just right, here's a fabulous Tiesto remix of the Passion Pit single "Carried Away." I knew of the band for a long time but their music never caught my attention until I heard this song. What's so brilliant about the remix is how Tiesto accentuates the best parts of the original- specifically frontman Michael Angelakos' amazing vocals/lyrics-while also making it his own. He tones down the seriousness and turns up the beat to create dance magic. To be clear,  I enjoy both versions, albeit for for different reasons. If you're looking for something light and fun, give this remix a listen. There are separate videos for the songs and I won't pretend to know what is happening in this one. I will say that whatever those kids are having, I'd like some. Happy listening!

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Stuck In My Skull 443 -- "Dear Daily Mail" (NSFW)

Song: "Dear Daily Mail" || Artist: Amanda Palmer || http://youtu.be/IY8qkJSQJ8M (just the song [NSFW, video below]), http://youtu.be/OiAffX0x04k (everything [also NSFW]) ||

Comments: Good morning, everyone, and happy Friday! You've made it, the weekend is nearly here! To celebrate (and because I feel bad for missing Tuesday's entry), have a lovely ditty by the one and only Amanda Palmer. Warning -- neither of these links are safe for work. Some background to this story -- not long ago, Amanda Palmer had a wardrobe malfunction in the midst of an otherwise normal concert at Glastonbury. Rather than mention anything about her singing or anything that happened in the rest of the concert, the Daily Mail wrote a rather dumb article where all they talked about was her wardrobe issue. Perhaps the Daily Mail wasn't aware that some celebrities shoot back when somebody takes pot shots at them, and oh, did she ever. This song was written in response to the Daily Mail's being stupid, and by her own words, will only ever be performed once, so there will be no higher quality video, unfortunately. Despite the fact that the entire piece was a satirical response to an act of stupidity, I could not get it out of my head yesterday. If that happens to you, I suggest you go look up more of Amanda Palmer. Her website (mild profanity) is lovely, and explains how her store works with her philosophy on digital music which is neatly summed up as 'pay what you want.' After you take a moment to reflect on how awesome of a philosophy this is, go try some of her music! If you're lazy, here's a link to a youtube search for her, and a link to her store where you can pay any amount of money including none at all for her music. (But you should most definitely pay something if you can and like her music -- let's all encourage this sort of philosophy, because we need more open-minded artists like her in the world.) If nudity and/or profanity bothers you, don't click any of these links or videos. If it doesn't, go nuts! Go and enjoy the incredibly catchy, incredibly flippant, incredibly heartfelt response to some people being stupid, and enjoy the weekend!

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Stuck In My Skull 442 -- "Gun"

Song: "Gun" || Artist: CHVRCHES || http://youtu.be/ktoaj1IpTbw ||

Comments: Hello, everyone! Sorry about missing Tuesday's post. To make up for it, I'll attempt to do one tomorrow. I promise, I'm doing my level best to get back on a regular schedule for posting. Moving right along, let's talk about this song. I heard it for the first time last week on BBC Radio1's "Dance Music Marathon," then I heard it again the other day when DJ Abso-Newt-Ly posted a mashup of this and an Ellie Goulding song on his blog. I figure it's time to get on the bandwagon, and talk about CHVRCHES. Pronounced "Churches," this is a group that I've never heard of before, although I don't know why. If this song is typical of their music, they're excellent. This Scottish group puts the pop back in electropop without sounding overwhelmingly electro, and does a magnificent job of creating a track that will appeal to a wide range of tastes. Their album is set to release in September, and I'll probably buy it based on the strength of this track alone. CHVRCHES has found a great balance between organic-sounding vocals and a well-mastered and multi-layered synth line. Aspiring artists, take note -- if you want to emulate a style, you can't go wrong with CHVRCHES.

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