Great Things

I wanna do great things, like find someone new for president, and I think you are the one, la, la, la. So take me home and make sure you don’t crash into any peach trees on the way.

Echobelly – Great Things
Echobelly had a bit of a buzz back in 1995 when they released “ON” with Sony Music, but have been on a slow decline into obscurity ever since. It didn’t help that their accountant stole £500,000 (nearly a million dollars) from them during their heyday. Nor that one of their band members asked us if we had any cocaine after their NYC show. Lately, they’ve started their own record label and have released more mellow, less biting tunes than their past. Lead singer Sonya Aurora Madan, with gorgeous voice and stunning looks reminiscent of Audrey Hepburn, sang in one of their tunes, “Feed the fire, fan the flames, ‘til the world remembers your name,” but that has yet to materialize. Maybe this year.

Other Echobelly Songs to Check Out: One In A Million, Bellyache, Car Fiction, King Of The Kerb, Go Away, Pantyhose & Roses, Nobody Like You

Eskobar featuring Heather Nova – Someone New
Eskobar is a great Swedish band with early '80s influences. Here a very simple, streamlined arrangement opens up for the fragile voices of lead singer Daniel Bellqvist and Heather Nova, which mingle dreamily on this song of love lost. I hope Eskobar find some new listeners.

Other Eskobar Songs to Check Out: On The Ground, On A Train, On My Side, Tumbling Down

Morten Abel – You Are The One, La, La, La
We last heard Morten Abel in the inaugural entry for Musica Obscura, as lead singer of The September When, and since many of you clamored for more of The September When and because Morten Abel is THE MOST GIFTED songwriter in Norway (and one of the best anywhere), I figured you might like to hear more from this master. But don’t be too disappointed if it’s not what you expected. This song is unlike The September When, more electronica fun than solemn rock.

Other Morten Abel Songs to Check Out: Not Emotional, Inparticular, Tulipz, Birmingham Ho, Be My Lover, Later Maybe, All Or Nothing… Oh, hell. All of Morten’s songs are good. Get them all!!!

Don Juan Dracula – Take Me Home
Don Juan Dracula is a fun bit of gothica stylized '80s influenced pop, except that despite having a gothic influence and a name like “Dracula” they are known for wearing their WHITE suits not the de rigeur black of gothica. This is some good stuff, but get it while it’s hot, this Norwegian band is determined to remain obscure. Although they only released their first full-length album in 2005, they have announced they’re calling it quits: "We sadly announce the break-up of Don Juan Dracula. The band has agreed to put away their white suits and their makeup for good. Even though the last year has been great for the band with all you foreign guys taking an interest in us! The band has along the way lost some of the spark that was Don Juan Dracula. And as they say, it's better to quit while on top!"

Other Don Juan Dracula Songs to Check Out: Sick Little World, Run Away With You, Changing You Changing Me

Pogo Pops – Crash
While it may seem there’s a lot of Norwegian music in this week’s Musica Obscura, well that’s because some of the best rock music in the world is made in Norway and being a small country, their music is mostly pretty fuckin’ obscure. Sweden may have popdom and a machine sponsored by the state to promote their pop sweetness, Norway has far superior rock music, but no apparatus to get the music to the masses. Pogo Pops is a delicious rock band and not generally very pop, despite their name. It was hard to decide whether to select the more accessible “Crash” or “Jennifer Peach” for this week’s selection. Before I knew the lyrics (or the name of the song) to “Jennifer Peach,” I thought they were singing about Jennifer Beale of Flashdance (and “The L Word” fame). You should give Jennifer Peach a listen, too.

Other Pogo Pops Songs to Check Out: Jennifer Peach, Scooter Girl, Rain, Butterfly, The Man Inside My Head