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Mr. Lava's Trash Music Compendium Another round-up of the best, the worst, and the most intriguing trash of the past and present.
When I recently visited the Eiffel Tower I spent several minutes watching the ice skaters on the first level going round and round to such Eurodance classics as Black Legend's "The Trouble With Me." Excellent! You can view the above pictures in greater detail here and here. Here's the last compendium written in the year 2004 (and posted a little late).  Jentina - Bad Ass Strippa2004 Jentina's "Bad Ass Strippa," a Timbaland production, makes lyrical reference to several urban stereotypes. The butt gyrations she performs in the video are, well, they're kinda silly, aren't they? I mean, is this really what passes as sexy these days? Hello?...Well! Just fifteen more reviews to go... Nâdiya - Et c'est parti2004 French chanteuse Nadiya takes on English-language rapper Smartzee in what might be the strangest pop pairing of 2004. The song is called "Et c'est parti." Smartzee sounds like he's doing a Tupac impersonation. Or maybe Tupac is alive and well in France! Amazingly, the song is not available on iTunes, last we checked--but the video is! Rachel Stevens - Some Girls2004 Rachel Stevens, the S-Clubber who sold the most calendars, watched her debut solo album tank in 2004. That's too bad, because "Some Girls" rocks. It's all been arranged by mashupper extraordinaire Richard X for an industrial chorus line. And KICK and KICK and KICK! Duran Duran - Reach Up (for the Sunrise)2004 Duran Duran return with a song that sounds like a lost track from Rio. EXACTLY like a lost track from Rio. So, if you loved Rio half as much as I did, you'll find nothing to complain about in "Reach Up (for the Sunrise)," which has entered the Italian dance charts. Alcazar - This is the World We Live In2004 Alcazar sing the chorus from Genesis's "Land of Confusion" atop a loop of Diana Ross's "Upside Down" to produce "This is the World We Live In." You've already fallen in love with the concept, haven't you? Blue Lagoon - Break My Stride2004 Blue Lagoon's summery cover of the perenniel "Break My Stride" did good business in Germany, where I heard it at places like Kultfabrik in Munich. Earlier on these pages I claimed that singer was the same Estrella who sang on "La Playa del Sol" a few years back; I no longer feel confident about this, as Blue Lagoon were a German group and I think the other Estrella was Italian. Hi-Q - Poveste fara nume2004 If Romanian popsters Hi-Q ever put out a greatest hits CD it would hopefully find an audience wherever O-Zone was big, because Hi-Q is the better band. Consider: "Cat te iubeam" (soaring pop with jackhammer breakbeats), "Mi-e tare dar" (spooky, late-night house), a boisterous Romanian language version of "I Will Survive" (one part pop song, two parts palinka-fueled Romanian folk [slam]dance). Now add to that this fall's "Poveste fara nume," one of the sweetest songs ever warbled in the Romanian language. Ah, memories of that summer in Constanta! Inaya Day - Nasty Girl2004 Recently I sang the praises of Space Cowboy's 2002 cover of Prince's "I Would Die 4 U." This month we plug the currently charting (in Italy) Inaya Day interpretation of Vanity 6's "Nasty Girl," a song originally performed by a group that was also featured in Purple Rain. Sistem - Departe de tine2004 Romanian popsters Sistem offer a percussion-heavy number called "Departe de tine." It's as if the drums serve as the chorus. Unconventional and booty-motivating. Carolina Marquez - The Killer's Song (Club Mix)2004 Welcome back, Carolina Marquez, born in Colombia, now the truest of true Eurotrash. "The Killer's Song" takes that whistling number from the "Kill Bill Vol. 1" soundtrack and turns it into nu-Italo disco stupido. You too will love how she rolls her "R's." And what exactly is "the sound of thunderground"? Could it be that she remembers the 1992 Infonet records band of that name? Unlikely! Violeta/Benassi Bros. feat. Violeta - Rumenian2004 Starts off "Benassi as usual," then takes a turn into the darkest recesses of your mind. Spooky, uplifting, then wayyyy spooky. The House Keepers - Go Down (Master Keys & DJ Umile Extended Mix)2004 A slamming house (duh) cover of the mysterious Amanda Lear's "Queen of Chinatown," called "Go Down." A Studio feat. Polina - SOS (2004 Europa Short Mix)2004 Happy pianos have been in short supply on recent house tracks. Don't know why they went out of fashion—when it comes to dancefloor motivation they're as reliable as a 303. Michael Gray - The Weekend2004 Michael Gray came up with a good title for his house smash "The Weekend." Consider: singing solely about Saturday night commits your song to being played on just that one night. And Friday night? Think about it. THINK about it. THINK ABOUT IT. Exactly! Same problem. But Gray's genius goes beyond the title: the lyric goes "I can't wait for the weekend to begin!" so the song can also be played on weekdays in anticipation of the weekend. Not really appropriate for Sundays, though. I'll get back to you about holidays. Two more reviews to go. Daphne and Celeste - U.G.L.Y.2000 Daphne and Celeste's Y2K classic (well, in circles like ours) "U.G.L.Y." rolls a barrage of playground insults into one three and a half minute package of abuse. And there's a banjo! The vocalists are two teenage girls who evidently breathe helium. Jentina/Sabres of Paradise/Renegade Soundwave/Human Resource Mashup2004 I recently produced a pretty good (if I may say so myself) mashup of Jentina's "Bad Ass Strippa," Sabres of Paradise, Renegade Soundwave, and Human Resource. It's out there somewhere. 2004? Done. The compendiums: |
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