Lunamania

Got in last night to surprise my grandma with my bleary eyed self. She had no idea I was coming and answered the door thinking I was delivering flowers. It was defintely worth the trip.

I left the Christmas fever of the US to revel in the ever 45 rpm Tokyo pace. I thought I had flexed my crowd navigating controls during my week roaming lower Manhattan. I knew I was wrong as soon as I emerged from the south exit of Shinjuku station. In Japan the next couple of nights are prime year end party and close out event times. Think Broadway and Prince the Saturday before Christmas times 10 and replicate that all the way up to to 34th St. and down to Bowling Green. Then pack 5 million Christmas lights on top of what is probably the highest concentration of neon signs in the world. Welcome to Shinjuku. The density and sensory impact is a total rush. Who needs speed when you can just absorb Tokyo?

I plan to roam a lot and catch up on some music here. I hadn't mentally prepared myself for this trip, but do have some music missions to fulfill. I have a Monday Michiru request from Roz. I'll probably vibe off of that and look for Monday's "Optimista" and Monday leads us to Mondo Grosso and Bird and Kyoto Massive Jazz and and and aren't I happy to be in Tokyo?!! I'm less optimistic, but no less enthusiastic about Eddie's request--a recording of Tamlyn Tomita's one and only single. It was released in Japan sometime in the 80's and we don't even know if it ever made it to CD...Time to dig deep and get those fingers dusty.
Off to start the day!

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Several years ago, German (I think) scientists actually studied the phenomena of annoying tunes/loops that get stuck in our heads. The scientific term for having Christina Aguilera's Genie in a Bottle replaying in my head for 48 hrs? Ear worms. The cause? In my case, it's usually Alba or Elaine over sharing whatever is ringing in their ears.
I'm sure each of you already have a music source to feed your inner ear worm. Now, add Lunamania to that list.
I recognize I'm entering grey file sharing territory. So, files will only be up for a brief moment. Although I guess the brevity of the post doesn't make a difference...

The inaugural track to share is Tell Me, Groove Theory (LP version.)

Back in 1995, Groove Theory dropped their first and last album. As embodied in the the Mariah and Whitney showdown, for female vocalists, that was the decade of the 7 octave range diva. (This is pre-"crazy" Mariah.) So despite topping the charts with Tell Me, Amel Larrieux's more limited vocal range didn't get the hype it deserved. But hey, look where Mariah and Whitney are today. Larrieux is still making great music. Earlier this year, Larrieux released Bravebird, a solo album that defies genre and categorization. We likes that. More reason to be happy she didn't get caught in the diva hype.
Over-produced caucaphonous hip-hop makes me want to lounge around to Tell Me's masterly production showcasing a warm female vocal. Production props go to Bryce Wilson. Don't know where he is now...
This version is the LP cut, but as the vinyl heads reading this know there are multiple re-mixes of this track. My favorite is the BKNY Hip-hop mix with the Edie Brickell sample.

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Doh, this blog is looking empty. I spent last week in New York catching up with my peoples and jaywalking everywhere. I love jaywalking.

During our absence, Hamachi discovered that it is felinely possible to clog and break a bathroom sink using only cat fur and cat pee. Ewww...

Usually, I make a short random lists of trip highlights or thoughts. There were too many good things on this trip to itemize. The overall theme was appreciating my many good peoples and wishing there was more time to see everyone. I love visiting, but miss the feeling of sharing all the big and small experiences of living in the same city.

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I know many of you have already signed the petition, but no harm in spreading the love. Click here to ask the District Attorney to drop the murder charged against David Wong.
Visit the Free David Wong website to learn more.

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