Songs i can't get enough of

Hesta Prynn

whether jamming out in the car stuck in rush hour traffic, listening to my iPod on the train, prepping the classroom for full afternoon, or painting in my studio, i'm listening to music. listed below are some of the songs i can't get enough of.



hesta prynn - we could fall in love
example - kickstarts
a*m*e - play the game boy
celeste buckingham - nobody knows 
kylie minogue - in your eyes (jean jacques smoothie mix)
jessie ware - running
solange - losing you
martin solveig - the night out (madeon remix)
parachute youth - can't better than this
hesta prynn - can we go wrong
walk the moon - tightrope
bryan ferry - the 'in' crowd
beyonce ft j cole - party
mndr - faster horses 

Album review, "True Confessions" by Bananarama

"I'm your Venus. I'm your fire. At your desire." Venus

i resisted as long as i could, but i eventually found myself mentally crafting a review of yet another bananarama record as i eagerly await my cd/dvd set celebrating 30 years of the most successful girl group in history. check your facts, that's not hyperbole. take '86 True Confessions with nearly a half dozen hits.

this record is where i officially began my long-time love affair with bananarama. i discovered them through their hit single, Cruel Summer, of their previous album. but True Confessions Venus is positively the moment when i suddenly couldn't get enough of sara, keren, and siobhan. smart, sexy, sassy, and with their devil-may-care attitude, bananarama were the epitome of cool through the '80s and into the '90s. i was 6 when this record came out, but my mom and aunt were young enough to appreciate their pop/rock sound and originality of the 'nanas and True Confessions was played often. now as an adult i appreciate the ingenuity that went into this 11 song collection. sincere and beautiful mid-tempo songs like, Dance with a Stranger, or, Trick of the Night, stand out amid the more pop inpired songs and hold ground against crowd pleasing sex tinged tunes such as, More Than Physical, and affirming, Do Not Disturb.

26 years after its release, True Confessions is a bit dated, as much of the music from the early to mid '80s is. nonetheless, the album is a bit of pop history as it carried the girls to higher stardom. the before mentioned, Venus, is still an anthem for women and gay men to this day. i grew up with bananarama and their music became the soundtrack of my life, starting with this.

for further reviews of other bananarama albums:

Pop Life, 1991
Ultra Violet, 1996
Exotica, 2002
Drama, 2005
Viva, 2009

Album review: "Exotica", Bananarama

"I see the stars in your eyes where our universe collides." Starz

i didn't intend to post two album reviews by the same artists in a row, but i can't fully express my excitement when i found Exotica on iTunes this past friday! i first discovered Exotica on a trip to paris in 2007 for eighty euros, nearly one hundred american dollars. as i was still a student in art school, i had to pass. i would learn the price was substantial because the record was extremely rare. on said friday i came across the record by accident while i was beginning to make a weekend playlist for one of two small parties my partner and i were hosting. the record proved to be perfect for the events, as it has for the car, and for the gym.

Exotica was released in 2001/02, in france only, with very little promotion - only two singles, If, and a cover of george michael's, Careless Whispers. from my understanding, the album was intended to be mostly re-recorded mixes of bananarama's classic hits from the '80s and '90s. instead the record only contains four, the latin version of, Cruel Summer, being the best, and the horrible karaoke type remix of, I Heard a Rumour, being the worst. i quite enjoy the original material and can't stress enough what great songwriters band-mates sara dallin and keren woodward make. Crazy and Sleep are beautiful in their description of the heartache of a bad breakup and speak from the heart. the album contains gorgeous voice arrangements of dallin and woodward ooze sex in several tracks. What You Gonna Do? in particular demonstrates the erotic tone as dallin and woodward whisper and demand for answers. what i like most about Exotica is the mix of rock, alternative, and funk - yes, funk. possibly my favorites besides, Sleep, are, Boom, and Got a Thing For You with severe modern day disco hooks that force your hips to move as you boogie along.

i've been listening to this unrecognized eighth album from banarama for the last few days and i've begun to enjoy it a little more each time. no doubt re-released for bananrama fans in appreciation of the group's momentous thirtieth anniversary, Exotica is well done. uniquely all its own, this record should be firmly recognized amid the more well-known records like, True Confessions, Wow, Drama, and bananarama's latest album, Viva.

Atlas Genius & Asteroid Galaxy Tour & song I can't get ENOUGH of!

two very different bands with their own sounds that have been on my playlists for the last few days.

Atlas Genius, Trojan



Asteroid Galaxy Tour, The Golden Age




if you know me at all or follow my blog from time to time, you know i love house music. two songs i have been listening to regularly for months are --

Blank & Jones ft. Cathy Batisstessa. Miracle Man



Spagna, Love At First Sight