53. Synkronized by Jamiroquai
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TounIThLmXw&list=PLnjdy1NbfUQIkADjL14lO0QUlO3eM12Z0
We want the funk! Give up the funk!
Synkronized gots all the funks--fast funk, slow funk, disco dance funk, '70s chase scene funk, psychedelic keyboard funk, brassedelic trumpet funk, bassedelic butt-rumbling deep beats funk, Godzilla funk, and...wait for it...didgeridoo funk!
The song most people associate with this album is "Canned Heat," as it was the song in the 2004 film Napoleon Dynamite that Napoleon danced to in front of the student body at Preston High School. And it's now hard to hear that song and not think of Jon Heder dancing in snow boots--kind of like how I can't listen to "Working for the Weekend" and not think of Chris Farley dancing shirtless with a bow tie and white cuffs. After the movie, some of the young kids had to go home and search the interwebs to find out what song it was that Napoleon danced to. But when I saw the film in the theater, I knew exactly what song it was from the very opening notes because I had purchased the 1999 album Synkronized during my second year of grad school at Utah State and had repeatedly listened to it on my headphones as I wrote HTML code at work.
While I can see why "Canned Heat" would be the most popular song off the album--it's got an irresistible deliciously danceable disco vibe--the album is chock-a-block full of other danceable songs. But the goofy thing about this album is that the songs you hear on it all depend on which country you bought it in. The UK version of the album included the bonus track "Deeper Underground," which was featured on the 1998 Godzilla movie. The Japanese version got a bonus track "Getinfunky," which is kind of weird, because you'd think the Japanese audience would want the bonus track from a Godzilla movie instead. And Australian's didn't get a bonus track on the album. They got a whole extra bonus disc! It had "Deeper Underground," "Getinfunky," and, my favorite of all the bonus songs, "Wolf in Sheep's Clothing." Also, there were two versions of the single for "Canned Heat," and one had "Deeper Underground," while the other had "Wolf in Sheep's Clothing,"--all of which means that these songs were written around the same time as the songs on the album, so they weren't new songs added onto an anniversary release of the original album just to boost sales. So I say if you're wondering which version to listen to so that you can say you've listened to the entire album, it's fair dinkum to consider yourself a triple-bonus funker from down under.
One of the things I like about these lists is seeing how similar and how different our tastes are. You'll list an album I really like, and I'll feel a bit validated. Or, you'll list an album I'm not familiar with, and I'll listen and really enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteBut, sometimes our differences are actually different. Sometimes you'll list an album I'm unfamiliar with, and I'll listen to it, but I just can't really get into it. And that's okay. As much as I've enjoyed St. Vincent and Daft Punk, I just can't feel the full love for Jamiroquai. (Maybe it's because I have to look up the name every time I try to spell it. In comparison, Daft Punk is much easier.)
I'm not saying I dislike this album, just that after two or three listens nothing from it really grabs me. And that's okay. (I'm sure you feel the same way about some of the albums on my list.) (Maybe.) (Because my list is pretty damn good.)