The 90s weren't all that bad #30 : Bis

When I am not busy journaling about the music of my preteen years, I occasionally journal about the music of the 90s.

Those were my college years, so I am a bit nostalgic about it.

Besides there were some things in the 90s that just made sense back then.

Maybe in 2014, we would think Johnny Ray isn't enough like the boys in One Direction, maybe the brother and sister love between the siblings in Len was kind of creepy; and maybe I don't want to hear gawdamn Dionne Farris ever again, but there were good moments too in those carefree pre-Dubya years.

One band that certainly typified the time was Bis. A three piece from Scotland. i can't explain it if you weren't there, but in 1997, being manic was a good way to get noticed. No doubt 1997 gave us the high water mark of Atari Teenage Riot. It was the Prodigy's most successful year, and if you wanted to be a hipster you always found ways to drop "the Beta Band" into conversation.

Bis, of course is probably best known for the Theme for The Powerpuff Girls. in the 90s, if you were hip, you watched the Cartoon Network. It wasn't ultrahip, adult content Adult Swim shows that were the rage, but all ages shows that were cleverly written to appeal to all audiences. I guess you had to be there.

So, Bis. Of course, I only thought of them because they are back together, and you likely haven't thought of them in awhile either.

Manda Rin has kept busy, recording solo and with others and providing artwork for iphone games (which seems oddly appropriate).

A little of the old and a little of the new.

"" (Watch on YouTube)

"" (Watch on YouTube)

Grlfrnd n Coma: I No itz SRS

Not being very active on Livejournal as of late means that I miss out on news, or precisely don't comment on news when it is much too late to mention in today's 27/7 newscycle world.

This means by the time I get around to certain things, they are no longer news.

In fact, maybe the news is that it wasn't supposed to be news at all.

So, I would have certainly jumped on the story that Morrissey joined twitter.

But he didn't.

Even if it was verified by Twitter, and his first tweet "Hello. Testing, 1, 2, 3. Planet Earth, are you there? One can only hope...," sounds like something he would write. Certainly, less subtle than what an impersonator might start with. Given his denial, I kind of think maybe he did join twitter, before thinking better of it.

The shortlived @itsmorrissey seems to bland to be the art of an imposter, though I am sure it has its appeal.



It's 2014, so why Morrissey on twitter seems like the most ridiculous thing in the world, similarly reclusive artists like Prince have even made the move.

of course, Moz is in the news as he has a new album.

Hope springs eternal for diehards like us. His autobiography showed a lot of spark, and each Moz album is looked forward to by us.

Moz spends a lot of his time in his book talking about how the music business sabotaged his career, but unfortunately the new album seems to confirm that Moz is usually his worst enemy.

"World Peace is None of Your Business" is another cumbersome title, and the title single unfortunately is my least favorite type of song- plodding, self-important, mostly humorless, and heading towards the worst kind of lounge music.

Still, with an album full of tunes upcoming next month, no doubt there will be gems, Unfortunately, songs like these tend to serve Moz distractors the kind of ammunition for ridicule they always reach for. There's no reason, Moz could take these dramatic stances but infuse some life into them, the way Marc Almond, Bryan Ferry and the younger generation like Patrick Wolf have and continue to do; but Moz steers into Celine Dion territory.

I don't come here to bury the man. For me, it's Morrissey and then everyone else, but he has always been one step away from self-parody, but he makes a big issue in his book that it wasn't his fault.

So when Moz records minute snippets of new songs in spoken word, it's the kind of thing people make fun of him for.

I don't really have a problem with him hanging around Victrolas as he does in "Istanbul" or tickling the ivories in a bowtie hanging with Nancy Sinatra in the spoken word version of the title track. It's what Falco would have done.

Besides without that outfit, Moz in 2014 resembles Robin Williams more than he does Robbie Williams, so sometimes the simple old time microphone and classic tux is the best look.

Nor do I have a problem with him cavorting with Pam Anderson (cavorting is hardly the word) on the roof of the Capitol Records building.

You just have to comment on that stuff.

"" (Watch on YouTube)

"" (Watch on YouTube)