All Together Now, One More Time!

Artwork by Andy Parrish

I think maybe those dastardly scoundrels Simon and Garfunkel didn't appreciate me posting their cheery, clap-heavy hit, "Cecilia," and so Handclaps Part 1 was completely removed. Can anyone help me figure out how to make the track downloadability temporary? I'll post the playlist and, for now, you'll have to email me if you want to hear any of those tracks. The playlist might still be available for a listing via the Hypemachine.

Nothing says good times like handclaps, and boy, are there a lot of good times to be had. This is part one of the handclap series which harkens back to the days when everyone was so much cooler than they are today.

Big Joe Turner - Shake Rattle and Roll
Joe Turner is the man. He's always ordering his women around and threatening them with baseball bats and perving out on their transparent frocks, but he does it all with such lively enthusiasm!

The Routers - Let's Go (Pony)
The origin of ubiquitous stadium stomps revealed.

The Dixie Cups - Iko Iko
Blast this on the boombox during Mardi Gras.

Martha & The Vandellas - Jimmy Mack
Either Martha is just a faithful little sweetheart, or this Jimmy must be something really special.

Jimmy Soul - If You Wanna Be Happy for the Rest of Your Life
Sage advice for the gentlemen with dreams of marrying supermodels.

Irma Thomas - Break-A-Way
If you want to hear an awesome version of "Time Is on My Side", check out Irma's, which was released the same year as the Stones'.

The Angels - My Boyfriend's Back
Perfectly snotty fun.

Simon & Garfunkel - Cecilia
Oh man, Cecilia must be one of those pretty women Jimmy was talking about. She gets around.

I Pity the Fool

This week, one half of Hypercorrect feels pretty sorry for herself. She invites you to wallow along with her. Stay tuned for downloads. 

What a Fool I've Been-Carla Thomas

Chain of Fools-Aretha Franklin

Runnin' Out of Fools-Neko Case covering Aretha

Poor Little Fool-Ricky Nelson

Fool in Love-The Veltones

What Kind of Fool (Do You Think I Am?)-The Tams

Fools Fall in Love-The Drifters

Everybody's Somebody's Fool-Connie Francis

I'm a Fool to Want You-Billie Holiday

Why Do Fools Fall in Love?-Frankie Lymon

Love Makes Me Do Foolish Things-Martha & The Vandellas 

You Are A Badass

QUINTRON & MISS PUSSYCAT
GOLDEN TRIANGLE
some hardcore band in jumpsuits
October 22 2008 9PM
Larimer Lounge

Everyone not at the Larimer Lounge last night missed some head-shaking, dance-making rock and fucking roll last night. Hypercorrect was there and it was fab. The above picture is of opener Golden Triangle, which I ripped from some other guy's blog. The blonde is the bass player and the brunettes (one of them is a redhead now) bang tamborines and dance and yell into a microphone. If anyone has an opening in their band for someone to yell and dance and bang a tambourine and spit beer and look awesome, please sign me up. Golden Triangle's music was pretty great, too. The only recordings I've found were sub-par; you should see them live to get the full effect.

We watched Miss Pussycat's puppets perform "The Haunted Art Gallery" and moved right into Quintron's dance-rock freakout. Oh, yes. Anyone who invents their own instruments and wears a rhinestone-covered blue jumpsuit—unbuttoned—was bound to be this good live. Here's a non-live taste of what you missed:
Quintron- Witch In The Club

Defiant Void-filler

Ronnie Lane, scraggly bass player for the Small Faces, has something to say to you:

Ronnie Lane - Don't Try and Change My Mind

Chicken Band

Now, I'm not saying you should go out and copy this guy, but you should feel a little disappointed in yourself that you didn't think of this idea and try and make a go of it. Anyone who starts a band with chickens named Patsy Cline and Kitty Wells deserves more than a little credit. And guess what? They might be making a comeback.

Here's to a Less Creepy Wednesday

This morning I was awoken at 5:11 AM by the sound of myself talking. I might have been yelling at someone. After falling back asleep, I dreamt I was being levitated by ghosts. It was creepy. In an effort to make this a completely non-creepy day, here is a great song to forget your and my troubles:

Home Blitz - Stupid Street Blitzspace

Here's to a More Epic Wednesday

I recommend closing your eyes for these six minutes.

Andre Ethier - Pride of Egypt Ethierspace

I wonder if Dodgers' Andre Ethier likes this song.

Beautiful Things

Marian Bantjes is a really great artist/designer who lives in a cabin and spends a lot of time making beautiful things. Go look at her latest project, "Love Stories", which she did for Creative Review.

Dance Crazes Not Yet Discovered

I knew someone would come through with a fabulous follow-up to Dance Crazes That Never Caught On. Actually, I knew it would be Yetsko. Welcome to Undiscovered Dance Crazes. Let's get down:

Traveling Wilburys - Wilbury Twist Buy It
This dance sounds totally hard but totally worth it. And if you know nothing about the Wilburys, try and pick out the vocals of what are surely some of your favorite rock and roll stars.

Hasil Adkins - Chicken Walk Buy It
Hasil is such a bad-ass down-n-dirty original. Would this dance come off as completely goofy or strangely sexy?

Charles Sheffield - The Kangaroo
I'm guessing this dance fell the way of the Peanut Duck, but it's smooth, swingy and danceable nonetheless.

Les Sexareenos - Everybody Sexareeno! Buy It
Where did these guys come from? Did they materialize from all the weird shit collecting in Geetz Romo's garage?

The Real Kids - Do The Boob Buy It
Another incredible, incredibly obscure band I would have never known about if not for the fact that I have incredibly cool friends.

Roger & The Gypsies - Pass The Hatchet Buy It
It's time for a little funk.

J. Hines and the Boys - Funky Bumblebee
And, maybe, just a little more.

Monday Mix: Doing the What?

Dance Crazes That Never Caught On

A good dance craze, ideally, has an eponymous song to go with it. But only a few have stood the test of time and have been retained in the hearts and, well, soles of the American public. A good dance-craze party (e.g. wedding) should include a few fab hits like the Twist, the Locomotion, The Walk Like an Egyptian, and, yes, probably the Chicken Dance. Avoid the Macarena unless your party is full of nerds who would be totally into that sort of thing. But, after you've twisted, ponyed, boogalooed and watusied, play a few of these not-so-popular dance crazes:

The Tammys- Egyptian Shumba Buy It
Holy Shit. Have you ever heard girls freak out like this before? Goes best with uncontrollable convulsions.

Chubby Checker- The Mess Around Buy It
I know Chubby says this is a dance, but I'm not so sure. The originator of the Twist sounds like he's ready to skip the dancing and get down to business.

Kilima Hawaiians- Hula Samba Buy It
Dutch+Hawaiian+Hula+Samba. A marvelous mash-up. (Thanks, Y)

The Goodies- Sophisticated Boom-Boom Buy It
It would be awesome if every time you got stood up for a date, a group of enthusiastic teens were there to teach you a new dance so you could heal your bruised ego.

Marsha Gee- Peanut Duck Buy It
Nice try, Marsha. It's hard for a nation to be swept by a song about duck that sounds like it's choking on a peanut. But hey–it's fun, wacky, and worth trying out.

The Dirtbombs- The Thing Buy It
It's a little vague for a dance, don't you think? I highly recommend The Dirtbombs' Ultraglide In Black, a fabulous mix of infectious soul and funk covers. If I wake up to this record, I will dance myself out of bed.

The Frenchmen- Shake the Baby (A Dance)
Never attempt with a real baby. For real. Like how when you lasso-dance, you're not actually using a lasso on your partner.

Roxy Music- Do The Strand Buy It
How?? Tell me how!!

Got any awesomely unpopular dance crazes that should be added to this tiny sampling? Let me know below.

Please Read Me

I checked out Please Kill Me from the CU library my freshman year of college on a friend's recommendation. You should check it out too. It's set up as a pastiche of narratives from all the key players in the 60s-70s New York punk scene, and it's priceless. Lou Reed, Joey Ramone, Iggy Pop, Andy Warhol, Richard Hell, Nico, and all their tragically hip, drugged-out pals and bandmates contribute.

If you're still not ready to commit to a library trip and the inevitable overdue fines you're going to rack up, go ahead and get a feel for it at Google Books.

The Stooges- 1969

Kick-Ass Fabric Store Soundtrack Alert

The fabric store in closest proximity Hypercorrect Headquarters is the Hancock Fabrics located on 42nd and Wadsworth. Last Wednesday, I found myself wandering around there in a sort of morose and bewildered stupor after a very distressing week.

But that’s not at all the point of this posting. The big news that Hypercorrect needs to share is that the Hancock Fabrics on 42nd and Wadsworth plays KICK-ASS MUSIC, like, ALL THE TIME. Hypercorrect finds themselves at Hancock rather often, usually when our combined super brain power is needed to make critically important craft- and sewing-related decisions. Every time we’re there, whatever corporate satellite station they pump over the speakers is always playing a really marvelous mix. It’s the kind of mix that would be on the jukebox if Hypercorrect owned a cool dive bar (It goes without saying that it would be a cool bar if it was owned by Hypercorrect). Or if Hypercorrect were DJs at a snooty club. I get so distracted by the playlist at Hancock that I can’t even focus on matching buttons with rickrack with zippers with thread.

Here’s just a small excerpt of Hancock Fabrics’ Fab Wednesday Afternoon Soundtrack:
Break it to Me Gently - Brenda Lee
Mr. Pitiful - Otis Redding
Tossing and Turning - Bobby Lewis
Where Have all the Good Times Gone? - The Kinks
Everybody’s Talking at Me - Harry Nilsson
Bring it on Home to Me - Sam Cooke

Listening to lyrics like “Well, once we had an easy ride and always felt the same/Time was on our side and I had everything to gain/Let it be like yesterday…” makes the search for sewing supplies in a sad, fluorescently-lit suburban store seem really evocative and important. And Hypercorrect always loves it when the events of everyday life seem really evocative and important.

Happy Cinco de Mayo

For those of you who don't know, today celebrates the anniversary of Mexico's defeat of the French in the Battle of Puebla in 1862. I encourage everyone to take a trip down south to México and pick up a few lucha libre masks, for use in epic battles among friends. They're inexpensive and really fun. If you're unable to jaunt off to Mexico for a few days, the masks are also widely available online.

The Delights of The Lab

The fourth in the Taste Test series at Belmar's The Lab took place yesterday evening. After missing out on the lectures covering bacon, salt and mushrooms, we scored some tickets to the last installment, "Honey." I learned that honey can be used just like Neosporin in a pinch. When might you use this information to your advantage? Well...
Let's say after wandering away from your friends during a luncheon in the woods, you become lost. As you fruitlessly search for some object to lead you back to the picnic, a ferocious raccoon leaps out from behind a tree and attacks you. After flailing around and screaming for some time, the raccoon tires momentarily, which gives you a few seconds to pull him off and fling him against a tree. Stinging from the raccoon scratches, you open your backpack to discover you've foolishly left your first-aid kit in the car, and all you've got with you is a big bottle of honey. After slathering your wounds, you no longer fear bacterial infection, but are faced with numerous other safety concerns, such as dehydration, bears and stickiness.

In addition to the lecture, the event consisted of sampling six delightful honey types and a small meal of duck, gravlax, salad and bread, all containing honey. Afterwards, we perused the art exhibit around the corner by Phil Bender. He has an amazing collections of things (things like doilies, lava lamps, hardware store rulers, beaded belts, and more) and all these things were on display. It's super-cool and worth checking out. The closing ceremony is Tuesday, May 6 and you should totally go to it. Free beer. Check it out: Bender Bender

Katie

How To Speak Hip

How To Speak Hip
This is fun to listen to as a background to your daily web-surfing or computer-working activities. While the beatnik era has passed, today's hipsters follow a philosophy and rule structure eerily similar to the one presented on this album. Make sure to stick around for side two and the part about raspberry jell-o and paranoia.

Hugs Are Special

Now, would you mail this to someone? Hand it to the person and then go for it? Ridiculous, sad and charming.

French Music for Cool Kids: Part One

Françoise Hardy was born in Paris in 1944 and got her first record contract at the age of 17. In addition to having a successful music career, she's acted and modeled and hung out with the Rolling Stones. Aren't you jealous of her? I am. Here is her big breakout hit, which she also wrote:

Françoise Hardy- Tous les Garcons et les Filles.mp3

Welcome to Hypercorrect

We are your hosts, Katie and Beth. Lucky for you, we've taken it upon ourselves to explain, illuminate and bring to your attention the correct way to go about everything.

Let the games begin.