Tunes Tuesday: "Call Your Boyfriend," Robyn

Hey, Lady Gaga? While you've been wedging yourself into a giant egg, parading around in a hamburger dress and singing about being as free as your hair, little ol' Robyn is stealing your claim to today's best top-40 synth pop. Example: this single-take video for "Call Your Girlfriend," a breakup dance track with lyrics from the point of view of both the woman scorned and the other woman.

I know this I'm late to the party here since this song was released in 2010, but it should be a radio hit today. C'mon America, let's make it happen! Robyn is more than talented enough to take some of Gaga/Rihanna/Katy Perry's cash.

At first I thought the best Robyn song was "Cry When You Get Older." Then I switched my allegiance to "Dancing On My Own." Thirty listens to "Call Your Girlfriend," and I'm sure that this is the one. All of these songs combine the perfect ratio of earworm melody, thoughtfully heartbroken lyrics and beats with just the right amount of sing-along pop cheese.

And going along with last week's Lollapalooza post, here's a shuffling take on the song by a band I was lucky enough to see at the festival, Noah and The Whale. Although they've changed it to "Call Your Boyfriend." I think it's cooler when musicians covering songs play the gender pronouns as they lay. Don't you think?

Tunes Tuesday: Lollapalooza Edition

The third and final day of the 20th anniversary of Lollapalooza - we were there, wallowing in the mud with 90,000 other music fans. Right before my personal favorite Arctic Monkeys took the stage, the sky opened up with a thunderstorm that was downright Biblical. We were more prepared than most. As soon as the drizzle started, I scrambled to poke a hole in the top of a Hefty garbage bag - the engineer's raincoat. You know what? Combined with an umbrella, it did the job. The girls who had on crop tops and rompers without fancy trashbag raincoats looked pretty miserable.

You gotta love the setlist Arctic Monkeys picked out when they finally took the stage after the rain: Brianstorm, She's Thunderstorms, and Crying Lightning. Who knew they had so many weather-related songs?

Joe's photo of the rainbow during Arctic Monkeys' set

But by then, our great spot in front of the stage had turned into an island in the muck. Flip flops and broken sandals were stuck in the mud, abandoned by their owners. What a mess. These pictures are an accurate depiction of conditions.

We thought the storm was behind us, but the clouds darkened, and just as Dangermau5 Deadmau5 took the stage it started pouring again. Instead of scrambling for an umbrella, the crowd started sprinting toward the stage and dancing in the rain. I thought poor Dangermau5 Deadmau5 might get electrocuted. Luckily not. Instead, it was a great Lollapalooza moment and that's why I've chosen this homemade video as this week's Tunes Tuesday. I was not as brave about iPhone video shooting in the rain.

PS - The Joy Formidable rocked really hard, go see them if you get the chance!

Tunes Tuesday: "Rough Gem," Islands

This song was playing over the weekend on a restaurant soundtrack, and I knew that it was in my iTunes with a playcount over 20, but who was the band? Why couldn't I remember that? And why do I so often jam out to restaurant and grocery store soundtracks? I refused to be ashamed of said jamming out, though.

I remember midway through the song, it's Islands, of course! Circa 2006. The name might've escaped me, but I didn't forget the melody. Take a melody that's in-your-face peppy, then add woodwinds, strings, handclaps and slide whistles and I'm sold. "Instant happiness," as one YouTube commenter said.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs in Coloring Book Form

Sorry for the radio silence, I moved last week and we don't have internet yet. I'm also moving offices at work, which is strange as I've had to pack up my entire life - both office and apartment - over the past couple weeks.

There's a lot of blog post ideas I've been delinquent on sharing, and I'll get to them, but let's start my posting my coloring piece de resistance, from the very fun Indie Rock Coloring Book, gifted to me by my friends Lauren, Emily and Andy:

How professional is that? This one is also nice:

Tunes Tuesday: "Hawaiian Air," Friendly Fires

It's officially summer, so here is a summer song. Light as air, Hawaiian air.

Plus it has ace lyrics like "Seeing the mountains through a fog/ Watching a film with a talking dog," and a beat that might be as catchy as the band's breakthrough single "Paris."

P.S. - My dad told us he was thinking of spending a month in Hawaii in October and that we were welcome to join. This is huge, as we've only been on one family vacation to date that didn't involve visiting relatives. But my brother immediately dismissed the free Hawaiian vacation, saying it would be too hard to work out his schedule. Don't screw this up for me, Danny!

P.P.S - Joe asked what I was listening to as I was playing this album. "Friendly Fires," I said. "How do you come up with this stuff?" he said. I said, "You don't know Friendly Fires? They are almost mainstream."

"Are they one hit away from you thinking they sold out?" he said.