Required listening: Cartoons

cartoons

In the late 90s, novelty dance acts were picking up a bit of momentum.  One such act, at least in Europe, was Cartoons.  I became introduced to them while on a school-sponsored trip to Italy (my only such trip to Europe, alas), and saw their music video for “Witch Doctor” on TV. I picked up the album while there. Continue reading

Making the case for Aqua

aqua

When it comes to one hit wonders, it’s generally easy at first blush to write off an artist, particularly one that made their mark with a novelty record.  So it comes as no surprise that many didn’t expect much out of Aqua when they scored with megahit “Barbie Girl.” Continue reading

Required listening: Aqua’s ‘Halloween’

At some point I need to get around to writing about Aqua.  Moreso than many dance-centric artists of the late ’90s and early 2000s, they managed to spin a novelty hit into something consistently entertaining, surprising and high-quality for a pair of albums. They recently attempted a comeback, but a good chunk of the public isn’t familiar with some of their strongest work. Continue reading