Lyrad's Random 10

Oh, what is there to say about Frenchy? Of all the Squirrel Nut Zippers, etc out there during that retro/swing craze, there's only one band worth listening to. This is Frenchy. Born from the mind of former Dead Kennedys guitarist East Bay Ray, Frenchy doesn't necessarily hold reverence for the style that others did, but they did saturate the style with as much sex as possible. Some of the songs are their own and some of the songs are older, but they are infused with as much exotica as they'll hold. The clarinet is sexy, the voice is sexier, and the marimba takes it over the top. With songs like "My Old Flame," the theme from TVs "Spiderman" and "The Devil's Beating His Wife," how can you go wrong? I wish they'd released more than two albums, but their only output was "Bumps & Grinds" from 1996 and "Che's Lounge" from 1997. Both, fittingly enough, were released on Dionysus Records.

1. Frenchy--Bumblebee
2. Radiohead--Let Down
3. Black Star--Astronomy (8th Light)
4. Elliot Schwartz--Phoenix for Basoon & Piano (Charles Kaufmann, Bn; Blair McMillen, Pn)
5. Guns 'n' Roses--Think About You
6. Evan Parker--Tumutumu Kohatu Pakohe
7. Chipper Thompson--Am I Born To Die
8. Ministry--Diety
9. Jess Johnson--My Mother and My Sweetheart
10. Alicia Keys--How Come You Don't Call Me