Today’s Sounds: Carly Rae Jepsen

There was once an old female acquaintance of mine who had the most unusual of morning rituals: for breakfast she would eat lightly toasted wonderbread slices with strawberry and chocolate Quik crystals sprinkled on top.
One day, against my better judgement, I asked her for a bite. Naturally it tasted awful, and the powdered mix rubbing up against my rapidly degrading enamel was an unforgettably terrible feeling (an earlier incident, where she bit into a clump of powder and began coughing uncontrollably like those YouTube cinnamon-eating fools, also entered my mind), but there was something about the way the meal looked, gleaming and glittering on the table, that made it oddly enticing.

Record:

Carly Rae Jepsen, Kiss (Interscope/Universal)

 
There was once an old female acquaintance of mine who had the most unusual of morning rituals: for breakfast she would eat lightly toasted wonderbread slices with strawberry and chocolate Quik crystals sprinkled on top.

One day, against my better judgement, I asked her for a bite. Naturally it tasted awful, and the powdered mix rubbing up against my rapidly degrading enamel was an unforgettably terrible feeling (an earlier incident, where she bit into a clump of powder and began coughing uncontrollably like those YouTube cinnamon-eating fools, also entered my mind), but there was something about the way the meal looked, gleaming and glittering on the table, that made it oddly enticing.

There’s something about the way cheap things shine that’s entirely different from a true gem. They can be shinier, gaudier and just as mesmerizing upon initial viewing, but the effect isn’t quite the same in the long-run.

I couldn’t help but think about that morning serving of sparkling white bread while listening to Kiss, an album so carefree, peppy and inviting that no matter how much I enjoy it, in my right mind I know it in no way can be consumed regularly as part of a healthy, balanced diet.

Musically speaking, this album conclusively proves the Madonna “Holiday” template can be repeated over 12 songs and not grow stale. And yeah, “Call Me Maybe” is on this thing, but so are more than a few other good examples of sugary pop, like “Tiny Little Boys,” “This Kiss,” “Turn Me Up,” “Hurt So Good” and “Guitar String/Wedding Ring.”
 

Track:

Twerps, “Work It Out”

Close your eyes and picture yourself in the ’80s, when “college rock” ruled the underground. This song by Australian indie outfit Twerps will get you halfway there.
 

 

Video:

The Coup, “Land of Seven Billion Dances”

These Bay Area hip hop revolutionaries, who release their next record Sorry to Bother You on Oct. 30, drove around Oakland documenting some of the locals’ sick moves, namely turf dancing, joking, B-boying and house. Check it out here.

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