Blogcritics

Songs That Touch My Soul, Ten

A.L. Harper — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 12:20:13 EDT

This track makes me crave one of those bodice ripping, pushed-up-against-the-wall, scratching-your-back, screaming...
We all have them, songs that seem to touch a secret place in your soul – sometimes secret even from you. They can grow and occasionally fester like an open wound, or they can fill you up, inspire you and occasionally even heal you. Sometimes they don't even reflect your musical tastes. They can be shameful secrets that you keep from...

Songs That Touch My Soul, Nine

A.L. Harper — Thu, 15 May 2008 08:58:00 EDT

With summer on its way, this one is full of summery pop craziness.
We all have them, songs that seem to touch a secret place in your soul – sometimes secret even from you. They can grow and occasionally fester like an open wound, or they can fill you up, inspire you, and occasionally even heal you. Sometimes they don't even reflect your musical tastes. They can be shameful secrets that you keep from...

Songs That Touch My Soul, Eight

A.L. Harper — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 08:03:35 EDT

He makes my panties wet and, as many of you know by now, that really is the door to my soul.
We all have them, songs that seem to touch a secret place in your soul -- sometimes secret even from you. They can grow and occasionally fester like an open wound, or they can fill you up, inspire you, and occasionally even heal you. Sometimes they don't even reflect your musical tastes. They can be shameful secrets that you keep from family...

Songs That Touch My Soul

A.L. Harper — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 01:25:20 EST

Come let me show you how much pelvic control it takes to gyrate and grind slowly while straddling you.
We all have them, songs that seem to touch a secret place in your soul – sometimes secret even from you. They can grow and occasionally fester like an open wound, or they can fill you up, inspire you, and occasionally even heal you. Sometimes they don't even reflect your musical tastes. They can be shameful secrets that you keep from...

Songs That Touch My Soul - Valentine's Day Editon Part Two

A.L. Harper — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 01:13:09 EST

This one is really very naughty indeed at the end.
We all have them, songs that seem to touch a secret place in your soul – sometimes secret even from you. They can grow and occasionally fester like an open wound, or they can fill you up, inspire you and occasionally even heal you. Sometimes they don't even reflect your musical tastes. They can be shameful secrets that you keep from...

Songs That Touch My Soul - Valentine's Day Edition Part One

A.L. Harper — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 19:08:41 EST

Just a warning, this may be more than just gently dirty, I frequently fall directly into smut.
We all have them, songs that seem to touch a secret place in your soul – sometimes secret even from you. They can grow and occasionally fester like an open wound, or they can fill you up, inspire you and occasionally even heal you. Sometimes they don't even reflect your musical tastes. They can be shameful secrets that you keep from...

Christmas-y Songs That Touch My Soul - Part Two

A.L. Harper — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 07:40:53 EST

No lust, just jingly bells, ho, ho, hos and alt Christmas faire.
We all have them, songs that seem to touch a secret place in your soul – sometimes secret even from you. They can grow and occasionally fester like an open wound, or they can fill you up, inspire you, and occasionally even heal you. Sometimes they don't even reflect your musical tastes. They can be shameful secrets that you keep from...

Christmas-y Songs That Touch My Soul - Part I

A.L. Harper — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 17:13:00 EST

A special Christmas instalment, but unlike most of the �Songs� column�s this edition isn�t full of passion, desire and lust... Come-on it's Christmas!
We all have them, songs that seem to touch a secret place in your soul – sometimes secret even from you. They can grow and occasionally fester like an open wound, or they can fill you up, inspire you and occasionally even heal you. Sometimes they don't even reflect your musical tastes. They can be shameful secrets that you keep from...

Announcement: Short-content feeds

Phillip Winn — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT

Sunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding.

Songs That Touch My Soul

A.L. Harper — Thu, 5 Jul 2007 16:41:36 EDT

We all have them, songs that seem to touch a secret place in your soul - sometimes secret even from you. They can grow and occasionally fester like an open wound, or they can fill you up, inspire you and occasionally even heal you. Sometimes they don't even reflect your musical tastes. They can be shameful secrets that you keep from family and friends. You feel like a drug addict craving your next fix. At times like those you thank the powers that be for MP3 players - the syringe of those suffering with this affliction.This is the sixth installment of songs that touch my soul. And as always, this edition is full of passion, desire, and lust. This is a form of therapy, this sharing of my neuroses, my secret inner lunacy, the big ball of crazy that is me. Welcome to my musical schizophrenia."Super Selfish" - Korben"Super Selfish" has possibly the greatest intro ever written. The driving Foo Fighter-esque guitar riff and fabulous beat, give-way to frontwoman Erin Gerber's smooth vocals that give the petulant lyrics life. Erin's voice is creamy smooth, but with an emotive edge that completely conveys the passion, anger, pain, or melancholy of any fractious lyrics."Don't Stop The Music" - RihannaA Euroclub-feel dance track with overpowering beats, sensual electro-dance hooks, and a sample of mamasay-mamasas - from Michael Jackson's "Wanna Be Startin' Something" - that perfectly blurs into the track, complete with Jackson's signature high pitched "woo hoo" scattered eloquently throughout. This track is more than memorable it's manifestly unforgettable."Kiwi" - Maroon 5Drenched in wet, erotic imagery layered on by Adam Levine with lyrics like "I wanna give you something better/ Than anything you've ever had/ A stronger and a faster lover/ The world will disappear so fast." And the deliciously graphic line "Sweet kiwi/ Your juices dripping down my chin/ So please, let me/ Don't stop it before it begins". Although someone should tell Levine that in this instance, as a rule, faster isn't better."Slow Bullet" - The SlidesThe Slides are the ultra cool four-piece from London who are, if "Slow Bullet" is any indicator, destined for much bigger things. This swirling-whirling, creamy-rich song bounces in at you like the fool dancing around with joy, but like the fool "Slow Bullet" is tinged with regret and sadness. Frontman Rod Da Rosa has one of those voices that is both effortlessly smooth and passionately raw, with the curious ability to seemingly keep harmony with itself. His vocals carefully pick a path through and around the delicately prancing sounds of the Hammond organ and the careening rock noise of the guitar. The Slides make the fantastically trip-rock sounds of "Slow Bullet" seem so uncluttered, but then only the truly talented could make something so complicated appear so effortless. I have included the video for this stellar song below."Are You A Boy Or A Girl" - Imperial DragThe greatest band you have never heard of. Imperial Drag rose from the ashes of Jellyfish to release one fantastically glam-rock/power-pop album in the late 90s only to split shortly after. Imperial Drag are what The Darkness aspire to be, if only they had the talent and vision. "Are You A Boy Or A Girl" wouldn't be out of place in the movie Velvet Goldmine, frontman Eric Dover even looks frighteningly similar to Ewan McGregor's character Curt Wild. This fabulous glam-rock epic track has everything you would expect from T. Rex or Brian Eno of the mid 70s. I think though, that you have to hear it to appreciate its glammy genius. So I have included the video -- a homage to Russ Meyer's Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls -- below. "Slow Bullet" - video from The Slides"Are You A Boy Or A Girl" video from Imperial Drag

A.L. Harper is an American lost in the history and passion of living in Scotland. She enjoys motorbikes, music, art and wanking. She is Blogcritics Assistant Music Editor and runs the Band of the Week feature, profiling a different indie (unsigned/inde label) band every week (contact her for more information). She is also the Managing Editor for AllThingsGirl.com and a freelance writer.

Songs That Touch My Soul - Five

A.L. Harper — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 14:50:29 EDT

We all have them, songs that seem to touch a secret place in your soul – sometimes secret even from you. They can grow and occasionally fester like an open wound, or they can fill you up, inspire you, and occasionally even heal you. Sometimes they don't even reflect your musical tastes. They can be shameful secrets that you keep from family and friends. You feel like a drug addict craving your next fix. At times like those, you thank the powers that be for MP3 players - the syringe of those suffering with this affliction.This is the fifth installment of songs that touch my soul. And as always this edition is full of passion, desire, and lust. This is a form of therapy, this sharing of my neuroses, my secret inner lunacy, the big ball of crazy that is me. Welcome to my musical schizophrenia.“Shiver” – Maroon 5Maroon 5’s debut album Songs About Jane is hot, from beginning to end. It drips with carnal desire, emotional longing, and romance. What more do you want from an LP? “Shiver” is easily the hottest track from this very steamy album. With lyrics like “You chew me up /And spit me out /Enjoy the taste I leave in your mouth” and “I shiver when I hear your name/ Think about you but it’s not the same /I won’t be satisfied till I’m under your skin,” it’s bound to be hot. There is something about Adam Levine’s vocals that does it for me. Far from being the ideal of throaty or sensual, Levine’s vocals are saturated with desire and carnality, driven, – by lust I always imagine – intensely passionate, and regret-filled making them uniquely sexy. An irresistible combination to me, as Maroon 5’s album Songs About Jane always leaves me wet, naked, and quivering – metaphorically speaking of course – and “Shiver” is the primary aphrodisiac.“Open Your Eyes” – Snow PatrolI love the album Eyes Open, Snow Patrol’s fourth release. “Open Your Eyes” touches me for the caring protective love it expresses in its lyrics. “Get up, get out, get away from these liars /'Cause they don't get your soul or your fire /Take my hand, knot your fingers through mine /And we'll walk from this dark room for the last time”. This touchingly beautiful sentiment is courtesy of frontman Gary Lightbody, a man who can write a regret-filled, heartbroken, melancholy love song to rival all others. And this one works for me. “Smiling” – Big StridesIf you haven’t heard of Big Strides you should have. This British trio have one of the best original sounds around. And “Smiling” is the perfect introduction to Big Strides’ particular brand of stripped-down funk, jam-band style sound. Their lyrics are always cool with a twist of humour and “Smiling” is the same “I couldn’t believe she was smiling at me. I couldn’t have smiled if I wanted to.” Coming from a frontman as groovy, cool, and self assured as Marcus O’Neill these lyrics make me smile. Their funky, jazzy, alt.rock sound is so cool and I just can’t get enough. This is one track you must hear to understand. You’re probably better just buying the whole album.“There Is None” – The Working TitleI love The Working Title, that is no secret -- people this talented deserve my love. And I love About Face, their debut album, it's one of those can't-put-it-away-albums. I have tried, many times, but it never lasts more than a week. The Working Title blend guitar melodies and piano hooks with the husky, sensual, hands-down-my-panties vocals and soul-stirring, passionately emotive lyrics of frontman Joel Hamilton. Hamilton's raw, earthy voice finds your inner erotic being and holds you in its ardent, intense embrace, with the help of his powerful lyrics, for the entire album. In “There Is None” Hamilton’s voice takes on a wounded, plaintive quality mixed with eroticism that strips you of all your natural defence. Then he bombards you with the broken-hearted “I want to write a song about our love/ But there is none”. Makes your heart melt and your loins heat up all in one neat little song.“Fingers” – PinkAnother track from I’m Not Dead about masturbating but it’s a non-US bonus track only. What can you expect from a country where a large portion of the population considers sex a four letter word – not my readers obviously. “Fingers” is not just about wanking – one of my hobbies you’ll notice – it’s about videotaping yourself wanking. Ladies you know the scenario; he has finished, rolled off, and fallen asleep. What’s a girl to do but finish herself off? How about when he just rolls over and fall asleep and you’re feeling playful? You only have yourself to play with, what else are you to do? And if you record it so you can torture him with what he missed, all the better. And Pink understands too, “When it’s late at night and you’re fast asleep/ I let my fingers do the walking /I press record I become a fiend /And no one else is watching /I let my fingers do the walking”. The full on electro-dance feel of “Fingers” helps to set it apart from the rest of the album's guitar rock sound. It is perfectly arranged to be hot, horny, and a ton of fun – just like wanking.“Darling Nikki” – Foo Fighters (Prince cover)Prince did it first, the Foo Fighters did it right. You’ve all heard this track no doubt. In the Foo Fighters’ version gone are the '80s style synth, electric drum, and whiny grunt noises replaced with Dave Grohl’s far more substantial vocals, tons of rockin’ guitar and other alt.rock flourishes. Prince on steroids, massive, pissed off, and horny. But Prince always did do lyrics like no one else and “Darling Nikki” is a shining example. It says what we all want to be true -- intense physical gratification is just a naked lap-dance away. This track makes me want to sit naked on my lover, wet and panting, grinding until he screams with pleasure.