Menomena burst onto the indie scene last year with the stunning debut album I Am The Fun Blame Monster which caught audiences off-guard. Who WAS this band from Portland and what IS this record label named Muuuhahaha!? Those questions weren’t exactly answered on the album or their website for that matter, but what was clear (at least to Stylus writer Kareem Estefan) was “one of the most enjoyable albums of the year…” going so far as to compare it to Broken Social Scene’s You Forgot It In People. High praise indeed, which is why we asked the band’s drummer, Danny Seim, to pick out three songs that he’s been currently been enjoying. He was more than happy to go into great detail about them. So, without further ado:

I have to admit that my first gut reaction was to pick three of the most obscure songs from three of the most obscure artists in the world, regardless if I was actually listening to them at the moment or not. This decision would certainly establish myself (and my tastes) as a credible source for critical opinion, therefore validating my own artistic statements in the process.

On the other hand, I could choose my favorite songs from the current crop of top-40 hits, making an ironic gesture to thumb my nose at the indie-hipster elite. Ashlee Simpson! Hoobastank! Ludacris! Interpol! Wait… Scratch that last one.

In the end, I’ve decided to honestly come clean with my ACTUAL (No irony! No pretentiousness! Hopefully!) three current favorite songs in the entire world of recorded music (or at least the relatively tiny cross-section of music that I’ve been exposed to recently). Here goes:

Jay-Z– 99 Problems, [The Black Album]

My wife Holly is a lot better with music than I am. Not because she exclusively listens to early-80s Pere Ubu imports on 180 gram vinyl or anything (thank God), but because she can listen to music without any concern about the artist’s cultural integrity, social responsibility or critical credibility. She prefers music that she can dance to… Music that can affect her mood… Music that she can sing along to without worrying that the performer in question once licensed a song for a McDonald’s commercial. I seriously envy that mindset. Occasionally, I’ll buy a CD by an artist that would normally be found in HER collection. Jay-Z’s “The Black Album” is one of these.

The track “99 Problems” is my favorite song on the album. Not only is the beat bigger than anything John Bonham ever played (or wait, IS that a Bonham sample?), but the distorted hook is catchy enough to get stuck in my head without being annoyingly catchy. That’s a hard balance to achieve. Jay-Z’s lyrics are also powerful enough to stand on their own, regardless of the musical backdrop (see The Grey Album, The Slack Album, or The Black and Blue Album). This feat alone is quite an achievement in any genre of music.

But best of all, I can play “99 Problems” at full volume in my Honda Civic without feeling like I’m compromising anything because after all, the song was produced by CREDIBLE studio guru RICK RUBIN! Not only that, but the video has a cameo by CREDIBLE actor/director/artist VINCENT GALLO! Thank you, Jay-Z! Thank you, Holly! And no, you can’t have your Justin Timberlake CD back just yet…

[visit Rocafella’s website here, buy The Black Album here, read Scott McKeating’s Stylus review here]

Dizzee Rascal– Stand Up Tall, [Showtime]

I bought the first Dizzee Rascal album Boy In Da Corner shortly after illegally downloading the single “Fix Up, Look Sharp”. I hadn’t ever heard anything like that guy’s voice before. It made me realize for the first time how important it is for me to be sucked into one certain aspect of a song before I decide if I like the entire piece or not. On “Fix Up, Look Sharp” (and in most of Dizzee’s music), the “one certain aspect” is the vocals, more specifically the line “…flushing MC’s down the loo / If you don’t believe me bring your posse, bring your crew”. Now I’m no hip-hop historian, but I’m pretty sure this instance is the first time the words “loo” and “crew” have ever been rhymed together in a song. Awesome!

So three days ago, I bought Dizzee’s new release Showtime. Upon the first few listens, the album is really, really good… Possibly even better than his debut, though only time will tell (more on that concept in my 3rd selection). The second track on the album is entitled “Stand Up Tall” and I absolutely love it! It makes me want to drive my Honda Civic fast while drumming relentlessly on my steering wheel, which is always a good sign. Unless you happen to be in the bicycle lane next to me.

Again though, it all starts for me with the lyrics. Check out this gem, “…can’t run the marathon without training / Or stretch the arse hole without straining”. Well, at least I HOPE that is what’s being said. Dizzee never includes lyrics with his albums, so his thick accent is left up to the nerdy listener to decipher. Unlike the minimalist “Fix Up, Look Sharp”, the background instrumentation of “Stand Up Tall” deserves as much of a spotlight as Dizzee’s vocals. The only musical comparison I can immediately think of is Erasure, and with me, that’s always a good sign.

[visit XL’s website here, buy Showtime here, read Gavin Mueller’s Stylus review here]

Steve Winwood– The Finer Things, [Back in the High Life]

In 1987 I was stealing those little pink M.U.S.C.L.E. figures from the local drugstore, collecting baseball cards, skateboarding, and listening to Stryper exclusively by direct order from my parents. So why am I mentioning “The Finer Things” here instead of “To Hell With the Devil”? Because through the wonderful world of illegal music downloading (stealing those toys as a 10 year old was obviously just the beginning of my slippery slope into the life of high crime), I’ve recently discovered a new nostalgic love for all the music I subconsciously digested throughout my childhood. Steve Winwood is at the top of the pile.

I laughed along with “The Finer Things” immediately after inserting the shiny CDR into my car’s (make and model unimportant) player. The synthesizer solos were just as corny as I remembered them to be, if not cornier. Steve Winwood’s voice still has that slightly froggish quality to it that always made it simultaneously unique and mostly annoying, but not quite as annoying as the amphibian strains of Randy Newman. But upon the third, fourth, and fifth listens, I found myself moved to tears. I’m not joking here.

The first line of the song carries the most emotional impact, “While there is time / Let’s go out and feel everything”. Ok, maybe that sounds trite and possibly even cliche, but to me it is beautiful. Winwood is acknowledging the finite structure of human life and relationships, and he is resolving himself to live and function to the fullest extent within those celestial constraints. From there, the song could possibly work as a slow, emotional ballad (such as Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time”- same era, no nostalgic attachment for me) but without warning, it kicks in to the first dramatic chorus. The mood is instantly lifted, and the listener is hooked for the duration of the song. This listener, at least.

Admittedly, I have a sinking feeling that in a few more years I’ll be expressing these same sentiments about Tom Cochrane’s “Life is a Highway”. But alas, for now I must realize that “…time is a river rolling into nowhere” and that we truly MUST “…live while we can / And we’ll drink our cup of laughter”. Thank you Steve. Amen.

[visit Winwood’s website here, buy Back in the High Life here]