W♥M (Archive)

Sex Sells: the Comedy Edition

Read more Sex Sells and comedy articles.

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JIMMY FALLON
blowyourpantsoff.com

I don't really stay up late to watch the variety shows, but among the late night stars, you would have to agree that Conan O'Brien and Jimmy Fallon are the more internet savvy host. You can tell because their guests include internet-stars and commentaries on the latest viral videos.

Jimmy Fallon's latest album release, Blow Your Pants Off, is coming out June 12th, and features audio recording of his music-related skits that originally aired on his show. I think it's a smart move to bring awareness to how creative and original his songs are, and also involves absolutely no work on his part because all these songs are done and recorded!

Overall, this is a great comedy/music album, but I do have some issues with it: because it was recorded with a live studio audience, you do hear the laughter and hand-claps. I know sometime it's good to hear the crowd's feedback, but sometime it is distracting and it feels like you're missing out because you're wondering what the visual cues were. In fact, I ended up going online to try and track some of these videos to see what I was missing. Unfortunately, due to the wisdom of NBC, most of these videos are not available on youtube because of copyright take-downs. It's also lame because NBC refuses to put up these clips on their own website (was this done specifically to sell Fallon's album?)

The other problem I had was that I'm not that into kid pop songs, so the cover of "Whip My Hair" by Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen was lost on me, but I got the gist of it because Young does an excellent re-imagining of "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" (his version actually sounds pretty amazing). Same goes for Rebecca Black's "Friday" cover, which is seriously outdated (hey, people it's 2012).

The songs I did "get", I absolutely think they are pretty incredible and funny. "Tebowie" is a stand-out cover of David Bowie's "Space Oddity", about Tim Tebow's Christian faith. Sample lyrics:

Tim Tebow to Jesus Christ
Can't win by myself but with your help I might
Tim Tebow to Jesus Christ
Commencing fourth down hut hut hike
Snap the football and may God's love be with me

Like Tebowie, the Doors singing "Reading Rainbow" is pretty awesome too (just imagine that kids-friendly song turning into an acid-style trip as only Jim Morrison can sing). Same goes for Bob Dylan's "Charles in Charge".

A really entertaining album, it's highly recommended if you like Jimmy Fallon or comedy music. If you end up purchasing the album, you can get a variety of packages (the sunstache sunglasses looks amazing, I wish I could just order that by itself instead of the most expensive bundle) at blowyourpantsoff.com. If you would rather just get the digital album, iTunes is offering 2 bonus tracks not found on the standard CD: "Jeremy (Linsanity)" and "Let Us Play With Your Look". The latter is kind of a toss-away, the title is the only lyric that gets repeated until you want to shoot yourself. "Jeremy" is pretty funny, I believe that's Eddie Vedder singing about basketball player Jeremy Lin, but in the style of his band, Pearl Jam's famous "Jeremy" song.

PS, the cover, as shown on amazon is a censored version, you can see the uncensored version here. I don't really know what the big deal is, it's "tastefully" done and I just don't understand why people find it offensive.

TENACIOUS D
tenaciousd.com

Speaking of censored cover artwork - what is up with the censoring of Tenacious D's third album, Rize of the Phoenix? I had no issues with the album artwork, but I guess people are sensitive to these sort of things. It would've been less subtle if they had just called the album "Rise of the Penis", you know? If you want to see the uncensored artwork, click here.

As part of the promotion of the album, the duo offered audio commentary to each of their song via Spotify, which is great for people who has this software. Sorry, since I don't listen to music on my computer and don't want to pay for Spotify's mobile services, I'll just sit this one out.

Anyway, thanks to the controversy, the duo has been selling out their shows in London (but I suspect this has more to do with the star power of Jack Black and Dave Grohl).

Jun 05 O2 Academy Brixton London, UK Jun 06 O2 Academy Brixton London, UK Jun 07 O2 Academy Brixton London, UK Jun 09 Download Festival Donnington Park, UK Jun 10 O2 Apollo Manchester, UK Jun 12 SECC Glasgow, UK Jun 23 Ryman Auditorium Nashville, TN Jun 25 Tabernacle Atlanta, GA Jun 26 The Fillmore Charlotte Charlotte, NC Jun 28 Hammerstein Ballroom New York, NY Jun 29 Hammerstein Ballroom New York, NY Jun 30 Penn's Landing Philadelphia, PA

Jul 02 Bank of America Pavilion Boston, MA Jul 03 Mohegan Sun Arena Uncasville, CT Jul 05 Echo Beach Toronto, ON, Canada Jul 06 The Fillmore Detroit Detroit, MI Jul 07 Aragon Ballroom Chicago, IL Jul 19 Austin Music Hall Austin, TX Jul 20 Palladium Ballroom Dallas, TX Jul 21 Brady Theater Tulsa, OK Jul 23 The Pageant St. Louis, MO Jul 24 Uptown Theater Kansas City, MO Jul 26 Red Rocks Amphitheatre Denver, CO Jul 28 House of Blues Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV Jul 29 SDSU Open Air Theatre San Diego, CA

GARFUNKEL & OATES
garfunkelandoates.com

Speaking of sex, this comedy ukulele/acoustic duo Garfunkel and Oates released their third album, Slippery When Moist , four months ago (February 21, 2012). As you can guess, they took their name from the two sidekick partners of Simon & Garfunkel and Hall & Oates.

I think they are very funny, but their new song, "29/31", is borderline depressing! I guess it's funny if you're already married (one can only hope that Kate or Riki are still single). The song isn't on any album, I believe they just wrote it, you can see it for yourself on their blog.

By the way, my favorite song off the Bon Jovi-inspired title album is the 'accidently masturbating' song, "Kart Racing". If you haven't heard of it, just youtube it or something. Warning: you might get distracted and end up seeing their amazing one-take video for "Handjob, Bland Job, I don't understand Job":


Garfunkel and Oates is featured on Comedy Central's “The Half-Hour”, this June 8th. They will also be playing live at LARGO in Los Angeles on June 22nd. Expect to see them on HBO somewhen in the near future. I can only hope it'll be more like "Flight of the Conchords"-style comedy… but with more sex.

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ +W♥M

Sex Sells, Part Two

The Rolling Stones - Brown Sugar The Rolling Stones

Sex Sells, Part 1

http://weheartmus...

The first album here is the 2005 self-titled debut album from French singer, Pauline Croze (paul...

Sex Sells, Part Two

In "Sex Sells, Part One", I showed you the very breast of album art. In part two, we'll be taking a closer look at what the men can offer... well mostly.

In Sex Sells, Part Three, I am hoping to have another round of steamy covers to show off. If you have any suggestions, feel free to contact me.

THE ROLLING STONES
rollingstones.com ♥ myspace.com
Who could forget this classic cover artwork of Sticky Fingers by The Rolling Stones? It's 1971 and Andy Warhol is the photographer and art designer for the record. I believe this was the first (and only?) album to feature a working zipper - that when you pull down to reveal the guy's underwear!

VH1, in 2003, named Sticky Fingers the "No.1 Greatest Album Cover" of all time, and who can argue with that?

Morrissey - The National Front Disco MORRISSEY itsmorrisseysworld ♥ myspace.com For someone who claims to be asexual and celibate, Morrissey's Your Arsenal (1992) gave long-time Morrissey fans something to ponder with its cover and album title. The photograph by Linder Sterling shows us a playful Morrissey with a suggestive pose, a flash of the tongue and holding the microphone like he's got the whole world in his hand. With his upcoming Years of Refusal out on Attack Records on February 17th, 2009 - The Mozzer will also be setting on his "Tour of Refusal" World Tour. The most interesting thing I've read is once you pre-order Years of Refusal, you are given the opportunity to buy advance tour tickets prior to public sale. Details of the tour dates are below. 02/28/09 Boca Raton, FL Mizner Park 03/01/09 Orlando, FL Hard Rock live 03/03/09 Jacksonville, FL Florida Theater 03/04/09 St. Petersburg, FL Jannus Landing 03/06/09 Myrtle Beach. SC House of Blues 03/07/09 Atlanta, GA Variety Playhouse 03/09/09 Asheville, NC Orange Peel 03/11/09 Durham, NC Durham Performing Arts Center 03/13/09 Richmond, VA The National 03/14/09 Washington, DC Warner Theater 03/16/09 Montclair, NJ Wellmont Theater 03/17/09 Pittsburgh, PA Carnegie Music Hall 03/19/09 Buffalo, NY University of Buffalo Center for the Arts 03/21/09 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom 03/22/09 Philadelphia, PA Acadmy of Music 03/25/09 New York, NY Webster Hall 03/26/09 New York, NY Carnegie Hall 03/28/09 Mashantucket, CT Foxwoods 03/29/09 Boston, MA House of Blues 03/31/09 Ann Arbor, MI Michigan Theater 04/01/09 Columbus, OH Palace Theater 04/03/09 Milwaukee, WI Eagles Ballroom 04/04/09 Chicago, IL Aragon Ballroom 04/06/09 Minneapolis, MN State Theater 04/07/09 Kansas City, MO Midland Theater 04/08/09 St. Louis, MO Pageant Theater 04/10/09 Dallas, TX Palladium Ballroom 04/11/09 Houston, TX Jesse H. Jones Hall 04/12/09 Austin, TX Bass Concert Hall 04/14/09 El Paso, TX Chavez Theater 04/15/09 Albuquerque, NM Sunshine Theater PS, Remember all those rumors last year that Morrissey will stop touring, and I laughed it off on our podcast?	The Black Crowes-Wiser Time THE BLACK CROWES blackcrowes.com ♥ myspace.com The Black Crowes first came into fame with their rocking version of Otis Redding's "Hard to Handle". I don't think they have ever achieved such success, at least from what I remember. They did have a bit of a controversy with their cover artwork for Amorica, because of the pubic hairs. If memory serves me, most of the version that was eventually released just had all black except for the triangle. Anyway, the Black Crowes got the image from Hustler Magazine (July 1976). They are currently doing a few tour dates: 12/17/08 The Fillmore San Francisco, California 12/19/08The Fillmore San Francisco, California 12/20/08 The Fillmore San Francisco, California Yuppie Pricks-Collars Up YUPPIE PRICES yuppiepricks.com ♥ myspace.com Obviously Yuppie Pricks' Balls. is an homage to The Black Crowes' album. Their biography lists them as " self-styled pharmaceutical business magnate", but the truth is, they're just good old punk guys. They obviously have a sense of guys humor with their influences in old 70s punk bands like the Buzzcocks and the Sex Pistols. Apparently the cover image is of Trevor Middleton. Balls. is out now and you can pick it up from their record label, Chicken Ranch Records.
The Silentreatment-Pretty Little Girl THE SILENTREATMENT thesilentreatment.net ♥ myspace.com The Silentreatment's lustful lesbian cover of Sinful Acts of Audio is obviously trying to catch your attention... and it certainly got mine. The Silentreatment are an alternative rock band from Pennyslvania, they kind of remind me of Matchbox Twenty, which I'm sure is a good thing. Most of their songs seems to be searching for love, at least on first impression. Check out "Pretty Little Girl", with that blowing kiss at the end! Looking at their store, it looks like they are offering their music as a free download, but making money on T-Shirts and physical CD (which I recommend). Check them out on tour: 12/26/08 Ole Tyme Charley’s Plains, Pennsylvania 12/27/08 Bar Louie @ Mohegan Sun Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania 01/02/09 Tonic Dunmore, Pennsylvania 01/30/09 Tink’s Entertainment Complex Scranton, Pennsylvania 02/06/09 Tonic Dunmore, Pennsylvania 02/15/09 Tink’s Entertainment Complex Scranton, Pennsylvania 03/06/09 Tonic Dunmore, Pennsylvania 03/20/09 Tink’s Entertainment Complex Scranton, Pennsylvania 03/27/09 NEPA’s Rock Autism Now Scranton, Pennsylvania	Dionyza-I Told Myself DIONYZA dionyza.com ♥ myspace.com Dionyza's Quite Like Me was released earlier this month (12/08/08), and the cover artwork I was given (not seen here) features her two assets. Actually, the final artwork for Quite Like Me has a bit of a sexual suggestion as well - it's hard to miss. I was expecting to sound more Disney-esque, ala Highschool Musical, but it's definitely more R&B and pop. The reason why I had this misconception is that she sang on the High School Musical. The production is excellent, the music and background mixes are there to play around her innocent ("Quite Like Me") - yet experienced ("Give It To Me") - sweet voice. She seems really comfortable performing and singing, but it shouldn't be such a surprise as she comes from a musical family: I've been around music all of my life, up to the wee hours in studios while Mom and Dad were working. My greatest memory is being at Motown where I got to meet Smokey Robinson. And Teena Marie took my sister and me to the park while my parents were in the studio. I have two older brothers and one sister - I'm the youngest. As children we saw the ups and downs of the music business first hand, so they didn't have to 'warn' us about anything! Every one of us can sing…but I'm the only one taking it all the way! - Dionyza My song choice would probably be "I Told Myself" because it samples from a Kanye West, Jay-Z and Scarface song. You can pick up Quite Like Me from Little Dizzy Records. Other fun fact: Dionyza provides the singing voice for Sasha and Jade on the cartoon The Bratz.
Xiu Xiu - Fast Car XIU XIU xiuxiu.org ♥ myspace.com Xiu Xiu is an experimental indie band from the West Coast. The band revolves around singer-songwriter Jamie Stewart, who got their name from a Chinese film called Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl (1998). They first gained fame (at least on my radar) with their second album, A Promise, featuring a very disturbing photography of a naked asian man. You can see the uncensored cover on wikipedia (not safe for work). The recording of the album was struck with tragedies: original members Yvonne Chen left the group, while Cory McCulloch only wanted to work on production, Stewart's father committed suicide. Certainly you can hear the sadness on these songs on A Promise. It looks like the band is kind of on a break after their Women As Lovers release. There's some sort of Polaroid Project Book or something and band member, David Horvitz, stated that he will not be able to be on the next Xiu Xiu tour.	Padre Pio-Madeline PADRE PIO myspace.com/padrepionyc This The Madeline EP by Padre Pio just came in house and looking at the cover artwork, I can't quite tell if it's a woman or a man. It's quite androgynous, isn't it ? I would hazard a guess that it's a woman, possibly the Madeline. The EP was released earlier this month and it was an easy six song listen. I did like the background piano on the title song, "Madeline", and something about her bleeding. Is she hurt? It's a mystery to me. David Mosey's vocals has a vague resemblence to The Psychedelic Furs' Richard Butler. It was a surprise to find out that their keyboardist, Joe McGinty - who previously spent five years playing keys for the Furs! The other thing is that the EP reminds me so much of early 90s British alternative music - mainly focusing on the lead singer. None of the musical instruments (including the sax on "Common Day" or the girl-pop backup singers on "Whenever Moonlight") ever distracts you from Mosey's clear voice. They will be playing at The Delancey in New York on January 29th.

Links: www.weheartmusic.com podcast.weheartmusic.com news.weheartmusic.com

Sex Sells, Part 1

Here are some random album artwork that's sexually suggestive. We're not talking explicit or anything, just some eye-catching covers that I've noticed.

Pauline Croze-Mise à nu

Neon Neon-Raquel (Radio)

Robots In Disguise - We're In the Music Biz

The first album here is the 2005 self-titled debut album from French singer, Pauline Croze (paulinecroze.com). The cover shows (what looks like) a naked Croze, looking innocent with her doll-like eyes. She was twenty-five when they took that picture for her debut album, but the truth is she started writing and playing music when she was fourteen.

Last year, she released Un Bruit Qui Court, and seems to be more popular than ever.

Neon Neon (myspace.com/neonx2) has a rather suggestive and rude cover for his EP, Raquel. I don't really know much about him, apparently he's currently residing in Los Angeles, by the way of Wales?

This song, "Raquel", reminds me of early 80s new wave dance music, which I like... and apparently other people like him too as he's featured on the cover of last month's BPM Magazine.

Look closely at the cover to 2008's We're In the Music Biz by Robots In Disguise (robotsindisguise.co.uk) and you might be surprised. They're actually naked, with body paint. I guess they're more than meets the eye, huh?

If you got that joke, that's because they stole their name from Transformers^[W♥M].

These two English girls reminds me of DIY punk DJs mixing some electronic music (but they also sing). They sound really fun, don't they?

Nizlopi-Make It Happen

Dylan Mondegreen - Wishing Well

The Crayons-God Hates Me

 

Speaking of looking closer, does the map of Make it Happen by Nizlopi (nizlopi.com) remind you of something else?

I think the cover is pretty clever actually, nothing too sexual, and at a quick glance, you wouldn't notice the woman's body.

Apparently there's only two members in this band: Luke Concannon and John Parker, two dudes from Leamington Spa in the UK. They got their name (Nizlopi) from Concannon's crush on a Hungarian girl.

While I Walk You Home features what looks like two people about to do the horizontal tango, but with the sunlight through the window, I would have to guess this is the morning after.

Despite the somewhat sleazy cover art (at least I think so), the music of Norway's Dylan Mondegreen (dylanmondegreen.com) is actually quite nice and folky.

Finally, we have a blatant booby cover of What's Wrong With You from New York's The Crayons (thecrayonsmusic.com).

I hope the tanned gorgeous babe on the cover sell some CDs, and as easy-on-the-eye as the cover, they're actually easy-on-the-ear as well.

Check out this song "God Hates Me".

So, this ends the first part on "Sex Sells". I hope to have a collection of "unintentional porn" in my next article. (Please send me some suggestions).

 04/15/2008 00:05:20  vu my♥posts weheartmusic.com