Music downloading is a wonderful thing. Finally, something has come along that liberates us from having to spend twenty bucks on a mediocre CD just to get that one great song. That said, I don't mean at all to encourage illegal downloads; now that services such as iTunes and Rhapsody exist, there are plenty of ways to get your favorite songs online in a completely legal and ethical manner. I actually used to be a big Napster fiend back in college, but once I started making my own music and films (and putting tons of work into them), I realized how upset I would be if I commercially released anything and then saw the revenues compromised by unauthorized free downloads. So, I thought, how could I in good conscience do this to other people? The answer, of course, was that I couldn't. It's easy to convince yourself that this stuff isn't really stealing, but, well, it is. So I stopped using Napster and gave up on online music for a while. But then iTunes came along, and it's been fantastic.
In tribute of this, I'd like to list some off-the-beaten-path tracks that I've purchased via iTunes. These are all songs that aren't too well known (as far as I'm aware), and ones I likely never would have bought on CD. But it's all great rock music, and I highly recommend anyone to check them out.
Goldfinger - "Here In Your Bedroom" This was a minor hit back in the mid-90s, but wow, what a song - it's one of the catchiest pop-punk-ska songs ever.
Sponge - "Wax Ecstatic (To Sell Angelina)" Remember these guys? They had hits back in the 90s with "Plowed" and "Molly" (the song that went "sixteen candles down the drain"). But as good as those are, "Wax Ecstatic", the title track from their second album, is even better.
Blue October - "Calling You" Don't know much about the band, but this song is an absolute modern rock classic and was a big local hit in Dallas a couple years ago.
Injected - "Faithless" See above.
Cold - "Stupid Girl" This song is actually somewhat well known, but I had to include it since Rivers Cuomo helped write it. (Plus it's an awesome song too!)
Counting Crows - "Amie" This cover of Pure Prairie League's hit from the '70s isn't on any Counting Crows album (it may be a B-side), but unbelievably, it's better the original, which is a pretty darn good song itself.
The Von Bondies - "C'mon C'mon" The Von Bondies are probably best known for their lead singer getting into a fight with Jack White a couple years ago, but this classic garage pop song should have turned them into superstars. Without doubt, one of the catchiest songs of the past few years.
Warren Zevon - "Porcelain Monkey" I never really listened much to the late, great singer-songwriter, but I heard the ultra-catchy "Porcelain Monkey" on a compilation that came with a magazine, and it instantly became one of my favorite songs. I still have no idea what the lyrics are about, though.
Golden Smog - "V" This is my favorite country-rock song, ever. Golden Smog was a mid-90s "supergroup" featuring members of Soul Asylum, The Jayhawks, and a few other bands. They never got too famous as Golden Smog, but they did release an MTV video for this song. It wasn't a big hit, but wow, what a tune - I could listen to this all day.
Unit 4+2 - "Concrete And Clay" I first heard this song on the Rushmore soundtrack, but apparently it was a hit back in the '60s. Just listen to it, and you'll see why; it'll stick in your head for so long you'll start to wonder where the heck the band came up with the name Unit 4+2.
The New Pornographers - "The Electric Version" and "From Blown Speakers" I'd never heard of this band before, but one day I heard these songs playing as I walked into Tower Records, and as soon as I got home, I immediately raced to the computer and downloaded them. They're both fantastic power-pop songs with great hooks, catchy instrument playing, and superb singing. What more can you ask for?
Seven Channels - "Breathe" Another local hit in Dallas from a few years ago (you've probably guessed by now, but yep, I used to live there), this song kinda sounds like Creed, but is even better.
Sugarcult - "Pretty Girl (The Way)" The nasal vocals here can get slightly annoying upon repeated listens (a la Blink 182, Sum 41, Good Charlotte, etc.), but the ultra-catchy chorus more than makes up for it.
The Caesars - "Spirit" and "It's Not The Fall That Hurts" These guys got famous as the band that sang "Jerk It Out" on Apple's iPod TV commericals. And certainly "Jerk It Out" isn't a bad song, but these two tracks from the same album far eclipse it. "Spirit" is an exhilirating power-pop anthem (every time I hear it I can totally picture lighter flames extended up in the air), while "It's Not The Fall That Hurts" is a fresh blast of catchy garage rock that sounds better every time.
Smashing Pumpkins - "The End Is The Beginning Is The End" Somehow, this song from the Batman and Robin soundtrack never made it onto the Pumpkins' Greatest Hits album (I'm not just saying that out of opinion; it was indeed a hit). But it stands up there with Billy Corgan and company's best songs.
Beach Boys - "Winter Symphony" The Beach Boys had almost all their big hits in the '60s, but they continued to make fantastic albums well into the late '70s. (I plan to review them here sometime too.) Recorded around that time, "Winter Symphony" was orginally intended for a Brian Wilson solo album (I think so at least), but ended up unreleased until the late '90s. But hey, better late then never - this is a fantastic song with great singing, beautiful orchestration, and a catchy Penny Lane-influenced horn section.
Jonny Polonsky - "Love Lovely Love" Wow, what a great song! This was a very minor radio hit back in the mid-90s, but its chart position didn't do it justice; this is one of the catchiest songs of its time. I saw Jonny back at Lollapalooza '96, and he played a killer live version too. Unfortunately, the radio version of the song is currently unavailable on iTunes, but this demo version is, and apart from sounding a bit rough, it's just as good.
Generic - "Contra And Zelda" I have no idea who this band is, but they do an awesome instrumental medley of themes from these Nintendo games.
