This week, Dom Passantino talks about five (well, four) songs that he thinks you should hear.

Courtney Love – But Julian, I’m A Little Bit Older Than You, [America’s Sweetheart]

Apparently, Ken was better than Ryu. His Dragon Punch had a wider range, and he also had something like three extra combos. As such, he was “more successful”. The thing is, though, I easily preferred Ryu. I think all right-thinking people did. He was more likable than Ken. Ryu looked like he meant it. He was angry and pissed off, he’d taught Ken everything he knew, and at the first opportunity he turned his back on him and start beating him. Whilst Ryu was sweating away in the dojo dedicating his life to the art, Ken would just swan around enjoy the playboy lifestyle, picking up chicks and spending his pay checks on sports cars. Ken was, simply, an asshole. So I always played the game as Ryu. It may have been a losing battle, but I knew in my heart that I was right.

(I hear that Auf Der Maur has sold better than America’s Sweetheart)

[buy America’s Sweetheart here, read Dom’s review of America’s Sweetheart here]

Caparezza – Giuda Me, [Verita’ Supposte]

Caparezza is so far ahead of all other non-English language rappers that he’s lapping them. Whilst the rest Xerox West Coast gangstaisms circa 1995 (watch Polish music television for some of the most hilarious/mind-numbingly depressing examples of this artform), Caparezza employs a style more Italian than waving your arms about wildly when you don’t get a penalty. This song begins with a looped sample of what sounds like a swineherd rounding his glock up, before Capa turns up and decides to cosh you in the face with his flow. Whilst you stagger around blindly trying to stem your nosebleed, he rhymes “Ariel Sharon” with “Tron”, and twists rhymes so intricate as to leave you lost in Italianate lyricism without a Baedeker.

[visit Caparezza’s website here, buy Verita’ Supposte here, read Dom’s review of Verita’ Supposte here]

Richard Cheese – Feelin’ This, [I’d Like A Virgin]

Novelty act? Novelty like a fox. They all laughed at Christopher Columbus when he said the world was round, and they probably all guffawed at the first person that suggested Richard Cheese could make a song that touched hearts rather than the #3 spot on the Funny Five. Here he goes arm in arm with Blink 182, taking them dancing through a dew-laden park on a spring morning, pausing solely to ruffle their hair lovingly. This song was performed by Cheese live at one of Blink 182’s wedding. Yeah, that thought scares me as well.

[visit Richard’s website here, buy I’d Like A Virgin here, read Dom’s review of I’d Like a Virgin here]

Tori Amos and Maynard Keenan – Mohammed, My Friend, [Live Bootleg]

If Stylus was a homosexual, we’d be non-scene. The trouble with being non-scene of course is the need to find a gay icon outside of the Friday night at G.A.Y. playlist. Bjork’s Icelandic, Courtney’s insane, Polly is from Devon or Cornwall or somewhere, Sophie is pop really when you think about it, Anastacia wears glasses, and Amy Lee is a Goth. So Tori wins by default.

Tori Amos is the people’s gay icon though. The big giggle with her covering Eminem’s “97 Bonnie and Clyde” is that whilst the press sheets may tell you that Marsh is the first post-modern musician, Amos was flying on that Derrida tip years back. However, whereas Eminem’s best work is always defined by his relations to either Dre or Kim, Tori’s spectres come in the shape of a rapist and a miscarriage. This is the woman who lyrically described abortionists as “ice cream assassins”. MTV won’t even play her jams.

So, “Mohammed My Friend”, live, as done with cheeky chappy MJ Keenan. When rapists and foetuses aren’t appearing in her songs, she usually reverts to religion. Here, alongside the popular Islamic prophet, you get guest appearances from Moses, Pele (the fire god, not the Viagra-plugger), and the Pope, and allegations that Christ was a woman. Just another typical day in Amosia.

[visit the Tori Amos’ website here, buy Boys for Pele here (note: does not include Keenan’s vocals), read Dom’s Playing God of Tales of a Librarian here]

Skitz feat. Wildflower, Tempa and Estelle– Domestic Science, [Countryman]

Dom left for vacation and forgot to write about this song. As such, I had a look around the internet and was pleased to find that a Stylus contributor had written about the song in a review of the accompanying album:

The yearnings to get out of London in “Domestic Science” aren’t in any way cowardly or backward; they’re forward-looking, compelled to refresh oneself, the perfect definition of Countryman’s nationally-relevant vision (the very title of the album pretty much demands that it should be so, and oh how it lives up to it). - Robin Carmody, from his review of Countryman here.

[visit the Ronin Records website here]

Note: These songs are no longer available for download.