Andre Molnar 2.0 - Music

Mokin' Bird Hill

Wed, 22 Feb 2006 18:54:24 -0800

If any of you remember the film Porky's (the highest grossing Canadian film of all time), one of the first tunes you hear in the movie is a song called Mokin' Bird Hill.

tra la la la
twiddlee dee dee
it gives me a thrill
to wake up in the morning
to the Mokin' Birds trill

Well, it turns out in 1951 this was a pretty popular tune. So popular in fact that two seperate artists had a billboard top 30 hit with the same song.

Both Patti Page and Les Paul & Mary Ford managed to score a hit with the ditty. But, for the folks trying to compile a Porky's soundtrack, you are looking for the Patti Page version.

But, if that isn't strange enough, the song (It's No) Sin was also featured in the top 30 - twice - with two other artists. (Eddy Howard and The Four Aces)

And since Patti Page, Les Paul & Mary Ford, Tony Bennet and others had multiple hits, music trivia nuts you can mark 1951 as the year with a top 30 chart with fewer than 30 artist and fewer than 30 songs.

Taking Viral Marketing to Such Great Heights

Sun, 29 Jan 2006 19:59:35 -0800

Okay, I am going to spread this virus because the virus itself is interesting.

The story to date in case you missed it:
Subpop band (and personal favorite) Postal Service makes a video for their February 2003 release "Such Great Heights"

Apple makes a commercial for their new Intel based Macs.

The two works are for all intents and purposes the exact same thing. The Apple commercial is a shot for shot remake of the Postal Service video - shot by the same director.

Some people notice the similarity. *update - a better look at the two works side by side

Some people start investigating.

Magic Numbers

Sat, 03 Dec 2005 20:55:26 -0800

On Thursday December 1st, I checked out the Magic numbers at Lee's Palace in Toronto.

I didn't have any expectations going into the show. I wasn't too familiar with the band or their music - or so I thought. A couple of their tunes turned out to be familiar, but it wasn't that familiarity that made the show great.

Part way through the show a woman in the audience shouted out - "you guys are just so lovely." I couldn't have said it better myself. Simply put, the band was lovely. The band imediately made a connection with the audience and kept everyone involved from beginning to end. As hokey as it may sound - there was a great vibe in the room.

It turns out that the show was the last of their current North American tour - but, instead of giving a half assed performance and be done with it - they gave it their everything. At the end eventually everyone involved in the tour (sound techs, managers, opening act et. al.) were up on stage jamming and genuinely having a great time much to the delight of the audience that clapped and sang along participating in the special moment.

Ima Robot

Thu, 12 May 2005 22:41:26 -0700

I'm late to this party - but I just got myself a copy of Ima Robot by Ima Robot.

I don't get as much time as I would like to feed my craving for fresh new music. But, every so often I binge and listen to a ton of it... most of the time its a single or two that catch my attention and the rest of a band's album will forever fade away... but every once and a while I hear an album that I really dig.

Ima Robot is just one of those albums. I don't know a thing about the band - but then again I couldn't care less. The album is a breath of fresh air. Well sort of.

Its a early 80s post punk early synth sound - dare I call it 'new wave'? blech... nah - 'new nu wave' - uggg... never mind...

I'm cool with the heavy use of disco bass and drums that fill songs from several current indie pop bands (its catchy after all) - but its over done. Its as if every record label had the same idea at the same time... sign and push every band that's got a catchy retro beat with a modern twist... Well, Ima Robot is not one of those bands... and for that reason the sound is refreshing - and for that reason getting heavy rotation on the iPod.