Song(s) of the Week ... a 50th post celebration!!

Guess what? This is the 50th post in Thnairg's World of Music! Yay, me! To celebrate, I thought I'd give you, my faithful readers, a special treat: not just one Song of the Week, not two, not even three or four ... but a whopping FIVE! I figured "5" was a good tie-in with "50", and about as many as I dare post at once for fear of running out of Songs of the Week too quickly. Anyway, think of this as a "Thnairg 50th Anniversary EP" ... now, download and enjoy!!

"Can I Get a Hit?!" by Kavana -- A few years ago, when former UK pop star Kavana was trying to launch a new career in the US, he made this song available as a free download. His plan fizzled, but he's since gotten renewed interest -- and a greatest-hits compilation with three previously-unreleased songs -- thanks to a recent appearance on a UK TV talent competition. This song is a bit more rocky/dancey than the stuff that made him famous, but it's one of my favorites of his.


"Venus Butterfly" by Hidell -- After The Moffatts but before Same Same, Bob and Clint Moffatt formed this rock band with two friends, and they unfortunately only ever released one album. I was lucky enough to get my hands on it, and to rip the tightly copy-protected (but vulnerable to Windows 98) disc into MP3's before getting rid of my old computer. Excellent song and album ... kind-of picks up in the rockier direction that The Moffatts' "Submodalities" started going in.


"Strange" by Erik Faber -- It's hard to pick a favorite from any of his albums, they're all so good, but this song, from Norwegian pop artist Erik Faber's sophomore album "Century", does well at capturing the slightly more mellow part of his sound. This should be strong evidence of why his albums are, in my opinion, very much worth seeking out.




"Falling" by Eman -- Emanuel Kiriakou is a talented and experienced producer, songwriter and instrumentalist, having worked with some of the biggest names in pop music. A few years ago he released his own album on an independent label, and it showed that his talent extends into performing as well. Every song is excellent, but this one is my favorite. His good friend and frequent collaborator, Joey McIntyre, covered it on his album "8:09", and it can also be heard in a very entertaining live album, "Joe Mac and Eman: One Too Many".

"Out Of My Bed (Still In My Head)" by Gil -- He's now a heavy rocker, but Israeli/German musician Gil Ofarim started out as a bubble-gum teen-pop star with a significant following, especially in Southeast Asia. This song, from his second album, was rumored to have been written for another, more popular, recording artist, but I've never found out whom. It would have been a good single for most anyone, but of course it sounds perfect in the hands of Gil.


And now, on to the next 50 posts...!