The Flaming Lips - "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots" (2002)

Last Song Syndrome with Renzie.

Aw man, I just love The Flaming Lips. While their first ever hit was 1993's alternative hit, "She Don't Use Jelly", this hard-working band had been around since 1983, and to this day, has released some twelve studio albums already.

Other than "She Don't Use Jelly", two other personal favorites from The Flaming Lips are "Bad Days" (which was featured on the Batman Forever (1995) OST), and of course, 2002's "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots".

Check out The Flaming Lips here on a video clip of the band performing on the Top of the Pops, shared by pollutiongirl on YouTube.

Enjoy!

The Flaming Lips
"Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots" (2002)

Her name is Yoshimi
She's a black belt in karate
Working for the city
She has to discipline her body

'Coz she knows that
It's demanding
To defeat those evil machines
I know she can beat them

Oh Yoshimi, they don't believe me
But you wouldn't let those robots eat me
Yoshimi, they don't believe me
But you wouldn't let those robots defeat me

Those evil-natured robots
They're programmed to destroy us
She's gotta be strong to fight them
So she's taking lots of vitamins

'Cause she knows that
It'd be tragic
If those evil robots win
I know she can beat them

Oh Yoshimi, they don't believe me
But you wouldn't let those robots defeat me
Yoshimi, they don't believe me
But you wouldn't let those robots eat me

Yoshimi

'Cause she knows that
It'd be tragic
If those evil robots win
I know she can beat them

Oh Yoshimi, they don't believe me
but you wouldn't let those robots defeat me
Yoshimi, they don't believe me
but you wouldn't let those robots defeat me

Oh Yoshimi, they don't believe me
but you wouldn't let those robots eat me
Yoshimi, they don't believe me
but you wouldn't let those robots eat me

Yoshimi

Can't get that song out of your head? Then check out more of Renzie's Last Song Syndrome Project, the only blog service dedicated to getting that persistent tune out of your system- by giving you lots more of it!

Cheers, everyone!

Iglu and Hartly - "In This City" (2008)

Spring jammin' with Renzie Baluyut.

Here's one of those songs I fell in love with the first time I heard it.

While Iglu and Hartly came out with this song late last year, "In This City" has been getting heavy rotation on my media player at home right now, and I can tell it's gonna be one of my favorites.

Check out Iglu and Hartly on this video on YouTube, courtesy of AltitudeTV, taken from a live performance at the 5 Gum GoTV music showcase at this year's SXSW.

"In This City" (2008)
Iglu and Hartly

You came in to my life
You cannot separate yourself

And I found that 'round here,
(In this city)
That I won't disappear
(In this city)
I got nothing to fear
(In this city)
(In this city)

And I found that 'round here,
(In this city)
That I won't disappear
(In this city)
I got nothing to fear
(In this city)
(In this city)

Close those doors
Close those doors
Now, now, just keep 'em open
Keep 'em open
Yeah, keep 'em open
I'll keep on, keep keep on going

Taking it in so, so heavy
Take it easy son, this ain't so deadly
Got keep on, gotta go on, gotta go on
Take it all with what we've done

Gotta push it push it push it
To the top of the building
Even when no one is feeling
It might bother you
Don't let it
If these people just don't get it

They can't express it
They won't accept it
She said it's okay that they may never give

you that credit.

And I found that 'round here,
(In this city)
That I won't disappear
(In this city)
I got nothing to fear
(In this city)
(In this city)

And I found that 'round here,
(In this city)
That I won't disappear
(In this city)
I got nothing to fear
(In this city)
(In this city)

I've been down here
Down these roads
People pass through
Some stay some go
Standing here broke
Not a penny to my name
But she says she loves me all the same

I try my best
And you do too
And all you want is something you can move to
Everybody's gotta get their kicks somewhere
Everybody gotta fit in somewhere

There's an open road
And I'm traveling down
Don't know where to go
But I lock and load
Shoot that sky 'till the moon explode
(Moon explode)

Now we're laying in a field
White flowers on our backs
Talking 'bout home
But we can't go back
I guess that's why we left
So we could take a step
Keep moving and forget the rest.

You came in to my life
You cannot separate yourself
You came in to my life
You cannot separate yourself

And I found that 'round here,
(In this city)
That I won't disappear
(In this city)
I got nothing to fear
(In this city)
(In this city)

And I found that 'round here,
(In this city)
That I won't disappear
(In this city)
I got nothing to fear
(In this city)
(In this city)

And I found that 'round here,
(In this city)
That I won't disappear
(In this city)
I got nothing to fear
(In this city)

Can't get that song out of your head? Then check out more of Renzie's Last Song Syndrome Project, the only blog service dedicated to getting that persistent tune out of your system- by giving you lots more of it!

Cheers, everyone!

Chicks In Music: Shirley Manson of Garbage

by Renzie Baluyut

Shirley Manson, where the heck have you been all this time?

You probably remember Shirley Manson best as frontwoman for 90's rock group (one of the best 90's acts, in my opinion) Garbage. That's her below with Steve Marker, Duke Erikson and Butch Vig, taken on the set of the video for "Only Happy When It Rains" in 1995.

I'm a huge Garbage fan myself. Since the band exploded into the music scene in the mid-90's, they've come out with five albums: their self-titled debut in '95, Version 2.0 in '98, beautifulgarbage in 2001, Bleed Like Me in 2005 and finally a compilation Absolute Garbage just last year.

Here's one of my absolute favorite Garbage songs: Steve, Duke and Butch were all music producers and had already been working on some songs, but wanted a female vocalist. They caught Shirley Manson performing for Angelfish (her pre-Garbage band), and asked her to come audition.

She did, but hadn't quite nailed it the first time. She auditioned once again though, after Angelfish disbanded. And the vocals for that very same audition made it to the final cut of "Stupid Girl".

So here's Shirley Manson and the dudes of Garbage with the song that made the band famous virtually overnight. Enjoy!

Garbage "Stupid Girl" (1995)

"Stupid Girl" made use of a drum sample from one of The Clash's more radio-friendly tunes that made a hit in 1984 , "Train in Vain". The entire video was shot in just four hours in a warehouse they got for the production. Inspired by the opening sequence of the 1995 movie Se7en, Director Samuel Bayer cut the footage into pieces, soaked it in his bath, then deliberately added thumbprints and abrasions onto them before putting it back together by hand.

In May 2008, Shirley Manson joined the cast of The Sarah Connor Chronicles as a regular, and having seen the first three episodes of the second season, well, let's just say that you know there's definitely a Terminator-on-Terminator smackdown sometime in the near future.

Right now though, we know Shirley's working on a solo album, though no word yet when her album is going to be released.

What I'm Listening To From Shirley Manson Now

The second season of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles premiered on TV some two weeks ago, picking up from where the first season left off. Without spoiling anything, you have Cameron (the Terminator character played by geek favorite Summer Glau) restoring herself and making her way to the Connor household in the opening scene, to the unmistakable sound of Shirley Manson's vocals- her version of The Grateful Dead's "Samson & Delilah"

A lot of the old Garbage songs are still on my mp3 player, most of which are from the first two albums, including "Milk", "Only Happy When It Rains", "The Trick is to Keep Breathing", "When I Grow Up" and "I Think I'm Paranoid".

Right now though, I'm revisiting "Vow" and "Queer", two songs Garbage released right before they became famous.

Check out Shirley Manson here on her entry on Wikipedia, or you could go ahead and check out the official Garbage website here.

Cheers, everyone.

Chicks In Music is a regular feature on My Thoughts In Stereo. We pay tribute to the hottest ladies in the music industry- with updates, trivia, video clips and links to their websites and social media. Checking out your favorite females in rock, pop and R&B online has never been so gratifying- Chicks in Music!

Last Song Syndrome: Paramore - "CrushCrushCrush" (2007)

Man, I just gotta get this song outta my system. Been singing the chorus all day.

By far, my favorite Paramore song so far- "CrushCrushCrush" is the third single off the band's second album Riot! that came out last year.

My sister and I hit a karaoke place a few weeks back- I remember choosing this song, but to our disappointment (well, mostly mine) it didn't have any lyrics to go with it (just the regular music video, really). So I thought I'd get me my Paramore fix by putting up a Last Song Syndrome post right here.

Enjoy!

Paramore
"CrushCrushCrush" (2007)

I got a lot to say to you
Yeah, I got a lot to say
I noticed your eyes are always glued to me
Keeping them here
And it makes no sense at all

They taped over your mouth
Scribbled out the truth with their lies
Your little spies
They taped over your mouth
Scribbled out the truth with their lies
Your little spies

Crush
Crush
Crush
Crush, crush
(Two, three, four! )

Nothing compares to a quiet evening alone
Just the one, two, of us who's counting on
That never happens
I guess I'm dreaming again
Let's be more than, this

If you want to play it like a game
Well, come on, come on, let's play
Cause I'd rather waste my life pretending
Than have to forget you for one whole minute

They taped over your mouth
Scribbled out the truth with their lies
Your little spies
They taped over your mouth
Scribbled out the truth with their lies
Your little spies

Crush
Crush
Crush
Crush, crush
(Two, three, four! )

Nothing compares to a quiet evening alone
Just the one, two of us who's counting on
That never happens
I guess I'm dreaming again
Let's be more than this now

Rock and roll, baby
Don't you know that we're all alone now?
I need something to sing about
Rock and roll, hey (hey)
Don't you know, baby, we're all alone now?
I need something to sing about
Rock and roll, hey (hey)
Don't you know, baby, we're all alone now?
Give me something to sing about

Nothing compares to a quiet evening alone
Just the one, two of us who's counting on
That never happens
I guess I'm dreaming again
Let's be more than

No

Nothing compares to a quiet evening alone
Just the one, two of us who's counting on
That never happens
I guess I'm dreaming again
Let's be more than
More than this
Oh

Video posted on YouTube by McrAndGreenDayRok . Check out more of Paramore on their official website, or on their Wikipedia entry right here.

Can't get that song out of your head? Then check out more of Renzie's Last Song Syndrome Project, the only blog service dedicated to getting that persistent tune out of your system- by giving you lots more of it!

Cheers, everyone!