august 29

Right out the box, I find A+, born Andre Levins, and his biggest hit, “Enjoy Yourself.”

I’m convinced that anything sounds good with a Fifth of Beethoven. I think the reason nobody’s heard of him is he hasn’t found the right name. He’s not to be confused with the rapper A Plus, from the Hieroglyphs. But his birth name’s too close to Andres Levin, the music producer. So (for now) he’s trying to release a new album under the name Young Plus. None of this speaks well for the imaginativeness of his lyrics, I’m sure….

Elizabeth Frasier gave the Cocteau Twins their ethereal voice in the 80’s and 90’s. Imagine if Enya had the hankering to start a pop band, and you’ve got the Twins. They’re like those instant summer rainstorms, the kind that fall while the sun keeps shining, a slightly miraculous feeling.

Since the Twins broke up in ’97, fans have been waiting for their return. Heck, fans have been waiting for Fraser’s solo album since 2007, but it was pulled, without explanation. The band was scheduled to reunite for Coachella 2005, but they cancelled, without explanation. The fan site Elizabethfraser.com was taken over by her management team in ’07, and currently only has a “coming soon” type notice (don’t know if the music on the page is new or not…)

Anton Newcombe is the chief mastermind of the Brian Jonestown Massacre, another college radio staple of days gone by. If you liked Pink Floyd before Syd Barrett ‘left’ the band, definitely give the BJM a try. Otherwise, the rock documentary “Dig!” can give you a better idea of his reputation, deserved or not. I picked a song from their 2008 release, which sounds and looks like something that would have run on Night Flight in my childhood…


And it’s David Desrosiers’ birthday, too! The secret weapon of pop-punkers Simple Plan! He’s, uh… a bassist! Yeah, so…

Aw, heck, I’m trying to dole out some attention to others before I write about Michael Jackson. How can I not? And yet, what hasn’t been written about him since he passed? About his homicide, his kids, his mystery son, his legacy? I mean, I was blasting his greatest hits when my friends were still throwing around babysitting jokes; now, everybody's finally saying nice things about him, while I still need a break.
No matter what happened, you’d be reading about Michael Jackson, just so I could post his 'appearance' on the Simpsons:


Happy Birthday, Michael. We miss ya…