// Category Archive for: Music

Tori Amos, Y Kant Tori Read

By Christian Lipski

I heard about Tori Amos in early ’92 from a Kate Bush newsgroup, where they kept referring to this mysterious album called Y Kant Tori Read and wondering where it might be found. I dug Little Earthquakes so the existence of an additional entry in the Amos canon was a tantalizing thing. I saw a copy of YKTR once in a record shop in Tucson, Arizona, selling for $300—so close, yet so far.
(more…)

Before They Were Famous: Top Ten Artists Formerly Known As. . .

By Kristin Messina, Mandy Mullins, and Jaime Sparrowhawk

Fresh from their stint at Will’s Pub with Quintron in Orlando, Florida, the three sassy lasses from Garbo’s Daughter share ten tantalizing tales of celebrities who were famous before they were famous. Read on and you’ll see what we mean.
(more…)

Give Me Take You: The Music of Duncan Browne

By Emily C.

While bands like Roxy Music gained much publicity and popularity in the mid-1970s, Duncan Browne’s musical talents—superior in many ways—seemed doomed to fade into obscurity. Duncan Browne was a classical guitarist and singer who began his career in a folk vein with 1968’s Give Me Take You album. In many ways, this album is like the solo work of the Beatles, only less saccharine. Many of these gorgeous-sounding songs wouldn’t seem out of place next to George Harrison’s “My Sweet Lord” (perhaps the best post-Beatles song by any member of that band) with their whispery vocals, ambitious horn sections, and Browne’s impressive guitar figures.
(more…)

I Want My MTV: A Collection Of Nostalgic Complaints

By Brenna Chase

This month, Total Request Live ends its ten year run, marking the end of the oldest show still running on MTV and the end of “music” content on the channel for good. Everyone who grew up in the 90s has their memories of the viewer-controlled, top-ten-music-video-countdown, but was it ever really that great? Though the concept of TRL was geared to encourage viewers to vote like crazy to see their favorite video, it rarely showed music videos in their entirety. The show always lacked a much-needed charismatic host (did anybody ever like Carson Daly?). And while I started tuning in every day after school once the show premiered, I stopped watching years before the network (ironically) began pre-taping half of the week’s “live” episodes. I actually agree with MTV’s decision—a rare occurrence these days—to pull the show off the air. TRL sucks, and it has sucked for a long time. So why is it such a shame to see it go?
(more…)

Divas In Disguise: Top Five Most Misguided Phases of Musicians

By Emily C.

5. Spinal Tap does jazz fusion (from This is Spinal Tap)
“On the bass. . . Derek Smalls. . . he wrote this. . . “
(more…)

The First Synthpop Song, Part Three

By Less Lee Moore

In the July/August 2008 issue of Popshifter, I attempted to answer the question, “What was the first synthop song?” Not being able to resolve the quandary quite so easily in one article, I delved further into the issue in our September/October issue.
(more…)

Electric Six, Flashy

By Christian Lipski

I remember when Electric Six (E6) was explained to others as “that band that did the Gay Bar song for that video with the kittens.” Now, of course, they’re “that band that did the Gay Bar song for that video with the kittens which you may not remember.” This is through no fault of their own, of course; E6 are hilarious and fun and at times amazing, but their label certainly doesn’t have the sheer cash-power to compete with the Top 40 acts. Thanks to the Internet, though, they’re well-known and loved by hipsters, geeks, and perverts the world over.

(more…)

London Triad, 1987: Sigue Sigue Sputnik, The The, Fuzzbox

By Christian Lipski

Twenty-two years ago I was in my freshman year of college, and my friend Mark and I decided to spend two weeks of our winter break in London. We were both huge music fans: Mark was a Beatles expert and I followed David Bowie, so London was Music Mecca for us. Pictures of me from the trip show a plastic shopping bag always at my side, full of tapes for my Walkman. My headphones were nearly always on, pumping a steady diet of British sounds into my brain. Adam Ant, Gary Numan, Bowie, Rolling Stones. . . the bag was very heavy.
(more…)

Must-See-TV: The Eighties

By Kaye Telle

Say what you will about the eighties, but the explosion of music videos and competition with new cable stations made for some good television. Growing up in the midwest (pre-alternative rock) one felt completely isolated if they didn’t take a Journey to the river Styx on the R.E.O. Speedwagon. Looking back I can only chuckle at my gumption in pointlessly arguing the merits of Devo’s cover of “Satisfaction.” But alone with the TV after school, there were these crazy kids in California who understood. I can remember looking at the clock while snapping my watermelon Bubble Yum during school, ticking down the minutes until I could go home and watch my compatriots on MV3. Late at night and into the early morning hours on weekends, strange short films and more music beamed over the wires via a show on the USA Network called Night Flight. And I thought: I am not alone. An awful lot of cool things happened in that decade—and many of them happened on the boob tube.
(more…)

Be Epic: The Glory of Power Metal

By Christian Lipski

Let us drink to the power, drink to the sound
Thunder and metal are shaking the ground
Drink to your brothers who are never to fall
We are brothers of metal here in the hall
Manowar, “Brothers of Metal Pt. 1”

(more…)