Feature Song of the Day = 'I Wrote the Book' by Beth Ditto

Today's feature song is I Wrote the Book, by American singer-songwriter Beth Ditto. Beth Ditto (Mary Beth Patterson) is based out of Portland, Oregon, USA (originally from Searcy, Arkansas, USA) and is most well known for her work with indie-rock group Gossip. I Wrote the Book comes off of her upcoming 2011 debut solo and self-titled EP. If you like what you hear be sure to check out her work with Gossip at their MySpace page HERE.

Today's Feature Song = 'Dancing With the DJ' by The Knocks

Today's Feature song is Dancing With the DJ by American electro-pop/dance duo The Knocks. The Knocks consists of Ben "B-Roc" Ruttner and James "JPatt" Patterson, who are currently based out of NYC. Dancing With The DJ was released in November, 2010 on the EP of the same title (which contains this song plus a few other remixes) and it can currently be purchased on ITunes or Amazon. Also, be sure to check out their MySpace page HERE if you want to hear more from this artist.

Song for November 29th, 2010: "Take Me Over" by Cut Copy

Today's song is...Take Me Over, by Australian indie-synth-pop group Cut Copy. Cut Copy originate in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia) and consists of Dan Whitford (vocals, keyboards, and guitar), Tim Hoey (bass guitar and sampler), and Mitchell Scott (drums). Cut Copy started out in 2001 with Dan Whitford who is both a DJ and a graphic designer, and in fact Whitford released the first single and EP on his own before he recruited the other band members that comprise the band today. I have had the privilege of seen Cut Copy live on two occasions, and I highly recommend checking them out live if you ever get this chance, a very good show. Take Me Over is the the second single release from their upcoming third studio album Zonoscope, which is set to be released in full on February 8th, 2011. Both of these singles are quite good in my opinion which bodes well for the album (although it should also be noted that the band has stated there may be different final versions of these singles appearing on the actual album upon its release), although I would be pleasantly surprised if they could out do their 2008 In Ghost Colours album, which I also highly recommend checking out if you like this one. Paste!

Song of the Day for November 20th, 2010: "Echoplex (feat. Mai)" by Miami Horror

And the song for today is....Echoplex (feat. Mai) by Australian electro-pop group Miami Horror. Miami Horror has been posted a few times on this vlog, so to remind you who they are I will paste a portion from an earlier post. Miami Horror is a four-piece group out of Melbourne, Australia which has been active on the music scene since 2007 and consists of members Benjamin Plant (producer), Josh Moriarty, Aaron Shanahan, and Daniel Whitechurch. The group has released an EP titled Bravado (2008), as well as a full studio album titled Illumination (just released in August of 2010) from which today's song comes off of. Much of Miami Horror's music has been influenced by 70's and 80's dance-pop and electro-synth-pop, which makes for an interesting mixture going into the '10s. Echoplex comes off of their Illumination album, and features the enchanting vocals of Mai.  I recommend checking out both the Bravado EP and Illumination album as they both have great tracks on them!

Song for November 1st, 2010: "Holidays (feat. Alan Palomo)" by Miami Horror

And the song is....Holidays (feat. Alan Palomo), by Aussie electro-pop group Miami Horror. Miami Horror is a four-piece group out of Melbourne, Australia which has been active on the music scene since 2007 and consists of members Benjamin Plant (producer), Josh Moriarty, Aaron Shanahan, and Daniel Whitechurch. The group has released an EP titled Bravado (2008), as well as a full studio album titled Illumination (just released in August of 2010) from which today's song comes off of. Much of Miami Horror's music has been influenced by 70's and 80's dance-pop and electro-synth, which makes for an interesting mixture going into the '10s. I recommend checking out both the Bravado EP and Illumination album as they both have great tracks on them!

Song of the Day for September 7th, 2010: "Met on Mars" by Mammoth Logic

And the song of the day is....Met on Mars, by Australian electronica duo Mammoth Logic. Mammoth Logic consists of Dave Crowe & Reid Jones, and they come out of the city of Adelaide, in South Australia. The electronic duo have been described as a mix of 'futuristic pop' with 'French-electro' with post-punk-rock, which is quite a mix indeed. This song came out just in the past few months of this year (2010), and they are set to release an album, so keep your eyes peeled for that. If you like the song then you should take note that it is currently available as a free download at this page.

#61 of VJ Samsonite's Top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown!: "Come Go With Me" by Exposé (1987)

Back to the 80's Countdown, and at number 61 is.....Come Go With Me, by American pop band/vocal group Exposé. Exposé formed originally in 1984, coming out of Miami, Florida and members were Sandra Casañas (1984–1986), Alejandra Lorenzo (1984–1986), Laurie Miller (1984–1986), who were later replaced by 3 new and current vocalists Ann Curless, Jeanette Jurado, and Gioia Bruno. Their debut album, titled Exposure, had 4 top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, and in fact they were the first group to achieve this with a debut album. An interesting tidbit from wikipedia states that the original 3 singers of Exposé were replaced just before the recording of groups big album Exposure, as the record company felt that the original 3 vocalists lacked "star potential," despite the fact that the original 3 had produced their single Point of No Return, which was later recorded with the new vocalists and re-released in 1987 to reach #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. Come Go with Me, which is #61 on this countdown, was led by vocalist Jeanette Jurado, and was the first official song by the group to reach the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and it also peaked at #5, and the 12" single release also reached #2 on the Billboard Hot Dance Singles Sales chart. It appeared on that same album, which was released in February of 1987. Well, enough trivia, on with the dancing!

Song of the Day for July 31st, 2010

And the song for today is....Where I'm Going, by Aussie synth-pop band Cut Copy. Cut Copy originate in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia) and consists of Dan Whitford (vocals, keyboards, and guitar), Tim Hoey (bass guitar and sampler), and Mitchell Scott (drums). Cut Copy started out in 2001 with Dan Whitford who is both a DJ and a graphic designer, and in fact Whitford released the first single and EP on his own before he recruited the other band members that comprise the band today. I have had the privilege of seen Cut Copy live on two occasions, and I highly recommend checking them out live if you ever get this chance, a very good show. Now, I am not sure if Where I'm Going is the first song off of their new album (TBA in 2011), or if is being released as a single, but its a goodie for sure, and it can be downloaded free in mp3 format at their website if you join their email list. Go out and pick yourself up a copy (no pun) of their In Ghost Colours album (released in 2008), which I would personally sum up as a mix between Duran Duran and Radiohead. Enjoy one of my top fav bands!

And the "Hot New Music" song of the day is....

...Bang, Bang, Bang, by English guitarist, music producer, and co-founder of Allido Records Mark Ronson & the Business INTL (feat. QTIP and MDNR). Mark Ronson is known for working with other artists, primarily as a DJ and producer in producing hit pop-hop and electronica tracks such as his 2003 release "Ooh Wee" (feat. Ghostface Killah, Nate Dogg & Trife), which appeared on the Hitch movie soundtrack that year. Mark Ronson has released 3 studio albums, and has won a BRIT Award for Best Male Artist in 2008. Bang, Bang, Bang comes off of his still unreleased Record Collection album, due to come out sometime in this year of 2010. This video is pretty cool, especially the beginning bits with the flashing lights reminiscent of japanese animation and 80's cartoons the likes of Voltron and Thundercats. Don't miss this one, its an instant Summer hit fo sho!

And the "Hot New Music" song of the day is....

...Don't Be on With Her, by by Aussie electro-pop group Miami Horror. Miami Horror are based in Melbourne Australia, and Don't Be on With Her comes off of their Bravado EP. I have made a previous post of another song of theirs so look to it for further info, or try wikipedia. Also, note how well they have captured the 80's feel, they even got the film style down to the 80's/70's visual themes and styles, not to mention the synth. Enjoy!

#92: of VJ Samsonite's Top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown!

Welcome back to VJ Samsonite's top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown! Today we are presenting #92 of the top 100 countdown!And the song is...Dancing With Tears In My Eyes, by 80's British new-wave rock band Ultravox!. According to wikipedia they were one of the primary bands involved in the Brit-electro-pop of the early 1980's. They were considered to be associated with the new romantic and the new wave movements. The band was originally formed in 1973 under the name Tigerlily. In 1976 the lead singer changed his name to John Foxx and the band changed their name to Ultravox!  The actual evolution of the band and its members is rather convoluted and if you really want to know the details then I suggest you check out their wikipedia page. Dancing with Tears in My Eyes is a great dance track, and was the second single release off of the band's 7th studio album, Lament (released in 1984). Dancing with Tears in My Eyes hit #3 on the UK single charts, thus effectively putting Ultravox! back on the radar. Apparently (again according to wikipedia) the song is about nuclear power plants and the possibility of nuclear meltdown, which is depicted in the music video. I find that kind of strange now, seeing that the Chernobyl disaster occurred just two years later in 1986, but I suppose that would have made their message regarding the risks of nuclear power even more significant. There are a few different versions of the song, including the 7" and 12" vinyl versions. Enjoy!