The Lovecats (covered) :: Go and throw all the songs we know into the sea

I do not love cats by any means. Kittens, sure, and I've met a few decent cats but their overall redeeming qualities were their dog-like traits. The musical Cats also is something I never ever need to see.

This is my own personal seventh circle of burning hell.

However recently I was listening to the fine new Luke Doucet album (loved the last one) and found myself enjoying the twangy creativity of his cover of the 1983 Cure song "The Lovecats." It is a challenging song to cover, because it's so weird that really only Robert Smith and his eyelinerness can pull it off. I shuffled around to the sexy OK Go version of it (noble effort), then Googled out a few others. So now you can hear the lines, "We should have each other to tea, we should have each other with cream" through a variety of different lenses. Including (?!) Paul Anka, as much as that makes your skin crawl.

The Lovecats - Luke Doucet
The Lovecats - OK Go
The Lovecats - Paul Anka
The Lovecats - Jamie Cullum & Katie Melua
The Lovecats - Tricky

The original: The Lovecats - The Cure

OK Go to Jail

Damian Kulash, lead singer of OK Go, was arrested last night in Orlando following a show when he apparently disobeyed a police officer's order to move from the sidewalk in front of the House of Blues while he was chatting with the fans.

You can read the whole (actually humorous) story here, but the classic classic thing about it is that Damian was able to convince the arresting officer to watch the band's genius backyard dance music video to "A Million Ways" on his computer while Kulash was in custody. Now that's entertainment.

OK Go see them on tour

OK Go is one of my pet bands of 2005 since they rocked my socks off in concert when they were touring with The Redwalls last summer. I've posted about OK Go before, and today got the good news that they just announced some new tour dates. They have intelligent, scathing lyrics and a really great, tight pop sound (handclaps abound), so you should take some time to see if they jive with you as well.

DOWNLOADS:
Oh Lately It's So Quiet - OK Go
The boys get all falsetto Prince-throwback on this fabulous track. It's sexy and a bit mysterious (about getting over an old flame) but still fun. "Darlin', if you're not here haunting me, I'm wondering whose house are you haunting tonight? Whose sheets do you twist, whose face you kiss...whose house are you haunting tonight?"

A Million Ways - OK Go
Please tell me that you have seen the dance video for this song (above) because it is sheer brilliance. Again, clincher lyrics do it for me on this cut:
"Sit back, matter fact,
teasing, toying, turning, chatting,
charming, hissing, playing the crowd.
Play that song again, another couple Klonopin
A nod a glance a half hearted bow.
Oh such grace, oh such beauty
and lipstick and callous,
and fishnets and malice.
Oh darling, you’re a million ways to be cruel."

You've also gotta love the backing lyric to the chorus "One, zero, zero, zero, zero, zero, zero cruel." Baby, it's as good as it gets.

I highly recommend both of their CDs, OK Go (2002) and Oh No (2005).

TOUR INFO EMAIL
"...As for OK Go, they've spent January widening the rock-hole over the United Kingdom with a severely sold-out tour. America, it's your turn now. (And look alive, Canada, because you're next.):
Headlining Shows:
1/24 Brooklyn, NY--North Six
1/25 South Burlington, VT--Higher Ground
1/26 Providence, RI--Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel
1/27 Boston, MA--Paradise Rock Club
1/28 New Haven, CT--Toad's Place

Supporting Controller.Controller:
1/30 Moncton, NB, CA--Manhattan
1/31 Halifax, NS, Canada--The Pavilion EARLY SHOW
1/31 Halifax, NS, Canada--Stage Nine LATE SHOW
2/02 Montreal, QC, Canada--Cabaret Music Hall
2/04 Kingston, ON, Canada--Grad Club EARLY SHOW
2/04 Kingston, ON, Canada--Grad Club LATE SHOW
2/06 Guelph, ON, Canada--Vinyl
2/07 Hamilton, ON, Canada--The Casbah
2/08 Waterloo, ON, Canada--Starlight

Supporting Motion City Soundtrack:
2/16 Milwaukee, WI--The Rave
2/18 Marquette, MI--Northern Michigan University
2/20 Lawrence, KS--Granada Theatre
2/21 Englewood, CO--Gothic Theatre (dang, I'll be in Cali!)
2/22 Salt Lake City, UT--Lo Fi Cafe
2/24 Pullman, WA--Washington State University
2/25 Seattle, WA--Neumos
2/26 Portland, OR--Loveland
2/28 San Francisco, CA--Slim's
3/02 Los Angeles, CA--Henry Fonda Theatre
3/03 Pomona, CA--Glass House
3/04 San Diego, CA--Soma
3/05 Tempe, AZ--Marquee Theatre
3/07 Austin, TX--Emo's
3/08 Dallas, TX--Gypsy Ballroom
3/09 Houston, TX--Meridian
3/11 St. Petersburg, FL--State Theatre
3/12 Orlando, FL--House of Blues

Bonus Show:
4/21 Forth Worth, TX--Main Street Arts Festival--FREE SHOW

Sheck it out.

Ok......Go!

So here is a bit more on OK Go, who I mentioned in my "Let's spread the clap" post. No, OK Go does not have the clap (well, they might but that is really their business. I hope they don't because they are all quite cute), but the title was a reference to the use of handclaps in their music, which is intelligent, catchy, and hip-shakin fun.

Some of you may have seen their genius backyard-dance video for the song A Million Ways, which I can only liken to a synchronized-swimming routine done on land, with the bass player doing the lip-syncing to the words. They also usually end their live shows with it. It is a thing of riotous beauty. (If the above link doesn't work on your computer, you can select a different player at their homepage www.okgo.net).

Damian Kulash, lead singer of OK Go, wrote an interesting article in the New York Times yesterday morning (12/6/05), so I guess that means he is muy importante now. From the OK Go email update:

[Damian's] article is about DRM, or Digital Rights Management, which is industry shorthand for "the reason your computer stopped working after you bought the new CD by The Coral," and shouldn't be confused with IHY, or It Hates You, industry shorthand for "the reason your computer stopped working after you bought the new CD by Celine Dion."

Damian's article is called "Buy, Play, Trade, Repeat." You'll find it here, unless you're one of those hip retro-ironists who insist on reading the actual paper, in which case you'll find it on the Op-Ed page (industry shorthand for "opposite the editorial page") next to an article by some boob named Wesley Clark, blah-blah-blahing about the Middle-something-East.

OK Go is playing a free show in Los Angeles on 12/14, and unfree shows in Columbus and Albany. For details check their website at www.okgo.net. If you live in one of these cities, definitely go check them out.

**Photo credit David Goldman, shot for Alternative Press at the Hotel 17 in NY