Soundcheck

Last week, we kicked off That Was A Hit?!? our new occasional series with the mission to explore the improbable success of songs that today seems positively baffling. Billboard editor Joe Levy returns to take a look at another strange hit: Candyman's 1990 song, "Knockin' Boots." "The rhymes are terrible, the hook is ok, but the flow is awful." Levy says. "This is a song that I remember from the time, and I remember thinking...I believe in pop, public taste, the charts. Even if I don't like it I think it's telling us something. But when I heard this I remember thinking we've reached a moment that we must escape from." This segment originally aired on Feb. 21, 2013.   Got an idea for "That Was A Hit?!?" Tell us below!

Watching Le1f perform live, it's clear you're witnessing something unique. The magnetic New York rapper commands the stage with choreographed dance moves and wild body gesticulations, often culminating with Le1f taking down his long hair and whipping it around in a cyclone of braids -- all while spitting his idiosyncratic deep-voiced wordplay without skipping a beat. It's all the more impressive because Le1f (born Khalif Diouf) takes his performance as seriously as his rhymes: he studied ballet and modern dance, earning a degree in dance from Wesleyan University; he's a fashion icon with a so-called “hoodrat Tumblr aesthetic;" and he's known in the LGBTQ community for being both out and proudly outspoken. Now, following standout sets at last year's South By Southwest, the unreal success of his "Wut" music video, and a pair of stellar mixtapes -- 2013's Fly Zone and Tree House -- the MC and producer looks poised for a major breakout in 2014, with his just-released major label EP, Hey, and a full-length in the works. Le1f's dance-ready music is edgy and experimental, mixing dark electronic tracks with big beats and rapidfire phrasing. And while the production is always ambitious and borders on the avant garde, these songs will still get you moving on the dance floor in a hurry.  Set List:   "Wut" "Sup" "Boom"  

Michael Dorf came to New York City from Milwaukee when he was 23. It was the mid-1980s. Soon the live music venue he established in Manhattan, The Knitting Factory, was a haven for experimental and off-beat music. Fast forward two decades, and Dorf's latest venture, City Winery, is a busy home to wine aficionados and singer-songwriters from across the country. Dorf's highest-profile project turns ten years old this year: An annual concert at Carnegie Hall honoring an iconic musician. This year features the music of Paul Simon -- as interpreted by Judy Collins, Madeleine Peyroux, Sam Moore, Mike Gordon, Josh Ritter, and many more. Other artists who have received similar treatment in years past include Prince, R.E.M., Springsteen, Dylan, Joni Mitchell, and The Who. In a conversation with Soundcheck host John Schaefer, Dorf reflects on his early years in New York, talks about pairing wine with pop music, and explains how he ended up on stage at Carnegie Hall with R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe.

There's a reason that we humans have been making music for millennia -- because most of us really like it. Our brains respond to music positively, and in turn, we feel good when we listen to it. But a recent study published in the journal Current Biology shows that some people -- in fact, 2% of the population -- don't feel anything when listening to music. Researchers refer to this newly described condition as "specific musical anhedonia." Dr. Robert Zatorre, a neuroscientist at the Montreal Neurological Institute at McGill University, was involved in the study, "Dissociation Between Musical And Monetary Reward Responses In Specific Musical Anhedonia," which asked groups of students at the University of Barcelona various questions about their response to music. In a conversation with Soundcheck host John Schaefer, Zatorre explains the project, how the condition differs from amusia, and why music might not have an impact on some brains. Do you think you or someone you know doesn't experience joy from music? Tell us about it in the comments, on Twitter, or leave a voicemail at 866.939.1612.

Following his critically acclaimed 2011 album, FOMO, Liam Finn made a big life change: he moved to New York. Compared to London, where he had been living previously, the New Zealand songwriter found the new environment far more encouraging for writing his rich pop songs. Once Finn set up his studio space in Greenpoint, Brooklyn which overlooked the Manhattan skyline, he says he felt inspired and the new songs immediately began taking shape. The result, Finn's third solo album, The Nihilist (out May 6), is packed with fizzy and dreamy pop gems full of fantastic melodic details and subtle sounds that fill your headphones. For the album, Finn reportedly played a whopping 67 instruments himself, but also turned to his frequent collaborators and bandmates, Eliza Jane Barnes (vocals), fellow New Zealander Jol Mulholland (bass), and his brother Elroy on drums. With both mellow psychedelia on "Snug As F--k" and fuzzy rockers like "Burn Up The Road," Finn and company have crafted another superb and surprisingly dance-ready record.       Liam Finn is currently in the middle off his month-long residency at Union Pool in Brooklyn. Set List: "Snug As F---" "Ocean Emmanuelle" "Burn Up The Road"    

You’ve heard the question a thousand times: “Are you a Beatles person or a Stones person?” (Recently on Soundcheck, we even pitted the two sides against each other during a live Soundcheck Smackdown). It's perceived as the biggest rivalry in rock music -- but when the Beatles wrote the song “I Wanna Be Your Man" -- it was for The Rolling Stones. So how real was this supposed rivalry? In his new book, music historian John McMillian says it wasn’t… except when it was. The book is called – what else? – "Beatles vs. Stones" – and John McMillian joins us to talk about it. 

For years, disco has suffered from a bit of a bad rap. But a few bands have lately taken the glitter and four-on-the-floor beat and turned it into a full scale revival. Brooklyn’s 15+ member band known as Escort led the charge a few years back with the single “Starlight.” Now, they’ve released a brand new, self-titled full length. They join us live in the studio to share their disco fever. This segment originally aired on Jan. 30, 2012.

The desire to get into shape (and the drafting of New Years resolutions) will send Lycra and headband-wearing crowds to the gym in the early days of 2012. A clue to the success or failure of the huffing and puffing masses just might be in the music they use to power through. Today, the sport psychologist Costas Karageorghis explains how the right soundtrack can really pump up a workout. And, he shares tips for creating a performance enhancing playlist. This segment originally aired on Jan. 3, 2012.

The song has been around for a hundred years, but it never grows old. It (purportedly) comes from the Irish, but virtually every immigrant community has made it their own. "Danny Boy" is the subject of a new documentary by producer Patricia Moore and director James Maycock. Danny Boy: The Ballad That Bewitched The World features actor Gabriel Byrne, author Malachy McCourt, rocker Larry Kirwan, songwriter Rosanne Cash, and many others, all recounting stories both personal and historical about the myriad incarnations of this timeless song.  Whether it's Elvis singing the song to himself in Germany during the Second World War, or Johnny Cash claiming a part of his Southern lineage, or Harry Belafonte identifying with the themes of love and loss -- Danny Boy has been interpreted and re-interpreted so many times since its publication (by an English lawyer) in 1913 that it has its own internal history.  In a conversation with host John Schaefer, Maycock, Moore, and Malachy McCourt talk about what they discovered in researching the film; the song's latter day meaning in the wake of 9/11; and debate whether, in fact, anyone at all ought to try singing the thing without advanced vocal training... Here is the beautiful instrumental version of The Londonderry Aire heard in the conversation:   And here is the trailer for Maycock's film:

In his new book Rebel Music: Race, Empire, And The New Muslim Youth Culture, Columbia professor Hisham Aidi explores how communities of young Muslims across the globe have been -- and are -- impacted by Western musical culture, particularly hip hop. "Hip hop today is the global youth culture, the global lingua franca for youth around the world," says Aidi. "Hip hop resonates in particular, more than other musical genres."  In a wide-ranging conversation with host John Schaefer, Aidi talks about the global influence of Malcolm X; Islamic social movements in Brazil; how a one-time Tupac Shakur collaborator became a vocal Salafi critic of hip hop culture; and more. Plus: We find out what exactly is "state-sponsored hip hop"?  Abd Al Malik, from France, is a Sufi spoken-word artist who was previously a street hustler and gangster rapper. He is lauded by the French government as a model and counter for "angrier" hip hop coming out of the poorer regions of the country.  

This might be hard to imagine, but there was a time -- not too long ago -- when teenagers didn’t exist. Yes, there were people between the ages of 13 and 19. But the term “teenager” didn't enter pop culture until the end of World War II, in 1945. Matt Wolf is the director of a new documentary called Teenage, and joins us to talk about how the term and the concept behind it came about -- and the role that music played in its worldwide spread.      On the coining of the term "adolescence" by psychologist G. Stanley Hall in 1904:  It was a huge thing. It really came with the abolition of child labor. Before, you were just a child, and then you'd go to work like an adult. But when youth stopped working, there was all of a sudden this second stage of life. Young people had a lot of time on their hands and they were getting into trouble. So all of a sudden youth became a kind of social problem. And forever after, adults have been trying to figure out what to do with them.    On using a contemporary soundtrack written by Bradford Cox of Deerhunter for the film:  I wanted to combine archival imagery with contemporary music, because it's really transformative. Instead of it feeling stodgy, like these are the clothes and dances my grandparents would have done, it makes you see yourself in the material. 'I could have been that flapper kid.'   On the importance of music in the spread of teenage culture worldwide:  It was critical. I would say that swing and jitterbugging was the first full-fledged youth culture.... I was fascinated by the jitterbugs. I could totally see myself being part of that and being one of them. And it's also something that had its origins in black culture, and then became a youth phenomenon, but then the mass media caught on. And it became this bigger thing that spread to Europe, and it took on this political dimension for youth abroad. 

While we know writer Ralph Ellison best as the author of the acclaimed 1952 novel “Invisible Man,” he was also a musician, a critic, a teacher, and a record collector. In 2007, more than a decade after his death, his large collection of records was given to the National Jazz Museum in Harlem -- and now, they're on display there in an exhibit called Ralph Ellison: A Man And His Records. In a conversation with Soundcheck host John Schaefer, Loren Schoenberg, artistic director of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, talks about the records in Ralph Ellison's collection, his musical life story, and what we can learn about a person from his or her musical taste.  To browse Ralph Ellison's record collection, click here.   

Bear's Den has built a cult following in England thanks to its heartfelt three-part harmonies, personal songwriting, and DIY approach -- right down to the custom hand-carved potato paw prints stamped on each CD. A part of the same London folk scene that produced Laura Marling and Mumford and Sons, the British trio -- comprised of Andrew Davie, Joey Haynes, and Kevin Jones -- is now winning over fans stateside, touring with likeminded artists like Daughter and the Mumfords. On its two critically acclaimed EPs -- last year's Agape, and the followup, Without/Within -- band's intimate songs evoke a warm tranquility, with romantic and aching musings about love and loss. With a full-length album coming later this year, Bear's Den appears to be on the cusp of something far bigger, and it will be fun to see where they go next.   Set List: "Writing On The Wall" "Agape" "Isaac"

In the early 2000s, R&B singer Ashanti was a franchise player for the rap and R&B label Murder Inc. She provided the slinky guest vocals on hits by Fat Joe (“What’s Luv") and Ja Rule (“Always on Time”) and her debut set a first-week sales record for a female solo artist. One single, "Foolish," spent 10 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100.  As Murder Inc. grew increasingly mired in rap beefs and legal problems, Ashanti stuck by the label's founder, Irv Gotti. But for her first solo album in more than five years, Ashanti has released Braveheart through her own independent label. In this interview with Soundcheck host John Schaefer, she talks about the album's title, her relationship with Nelly, the landscape for women in R&B, and working with Rick Ross, French Montana and others.

You know a lazy song lyric when you hear it. Thematically trite. Clunky phrasing. Cliched rhymes. Slate writer Ben Blatt has done some deep digging as regards that last issue, and he found that one pair of end-rhymes, in particular, shows up in a staggering number of pop songs from the last 50 years: "do" and "you." Seems simple, not terribly shocking. Until one considers just how frequently it shows up. It's the go-to rhyming pair for Madonna, Kanye West, and Whitney Houston. But also for The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Elton John, The Rolling Stones, U2, and other titans of pop music. In 1999, the statistical high point of the Do/You pair, it showed up in a full 15 percent of all Billboard Year-End Hot 100 songs. Justin Bieber has used the rhyme in twelve different songs during his short career to date -- while Blatt found that Queen never used a single rhyming pair on more than five different occasions. "I can't blame someone for using do/you," says Blatt in a conversation with Soundcheck host John Schaefer. "If you make it the centerpiece of all your songs, there may be a problem." In addition to exploring the frequency of "Do/You," Blatt created interactive rhyme charts showing the change in popularity for 20 different word pairs, as well as a chart showing the favorite rhyme schemes of several dozen major artists. Blatt talks about why he tackled this subject, and what he's found about trends in rhyming.