Fondue is good, and it puts you in a good mood

That, folks, is the world’s worst advertising slogan, coined by the Swiss Cheese Manufacturer’s Union in the 70’s to encourage people to eat more fondue. The “Fondue is good, and it puts you in a good mood” playlist, however, should satisfy you on any number of tasty levels.

I decided to approach this month’s theme from the angle of a single meal: fondue, the most swinging, European, and communal of meals. The opening course is a cheese fondue, and there’s a chocolate fondue for dessert.

Enjoy:

1. The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players, “Fondue Friends in Switzerland”
   This was the inspiration for the whole playlist. I was sorting through my food-themed tunes, and this quirky pop nugget from multimedia adventurers the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players really stuck out. For those of you not in the know, the Trachtenburgs are a family band now based in NYC: Dad Jason writes the tunes, sings lead, and plays guitar and piano; 13-year old daughter Rachel plays drums and sings; and mom Tina sings and runs the slide projector. All of their songs are based on old 35mm slides that they find at garage or estate sales, and when they play live, the projected slides accompany the tunes brilliantly. Even without the visual piece, tho, their tunes are delightfully catchy and odd.
2. Richard Cheese, “I Melt With You”
   For main course fondue, you’ve gotta have some cheese, so I went with goofy lounge interpreter Richard Cheese and his cover of Modern English’s “I Melt With You,” which also fits the fondue theme nicely.
3. The Upper Crust, “Let Them Eat Rock”
   What do you dip into cheese fondue? Well, I’d go with a nice crusty loaf of bread, so here’s another ready-made pun: The Upper Crust’s “Let Them Eat Rock.” The Crust are a Boston-based group of hard rockers who basically play riff-heavy AC/DC-esque songs from the point of view of Victorian-era aristocracy. They dress in Victorian garb, complete with powdered wigs, ascots, and buckled shoes; and they kick total booty — you’ve gotta see them to believe them.
4. Semisonic, “Sunshine & Chocolate”
   Enough with the savory — onto something sweet. Semisonic will forever be best known for “Closing Time,” their classic ode to late-night hookups, but they were actually quite an underrated pop band. Dan Wilson is one heck of a songwriter (he won Grammys this year for his work with the Dixie Chicks on “Not Ready To Make Nice”), and their last album All About Chemistry, which features this song, deserves another look.
5. The Black Crowes, “Blackberry”
   Chocolate is heavy on the sweet, so I like to balance it out with something a little tart, like the Black Crowes’ “Blackberry,” a shot of southern-fried rock n’ roll from their mostly forgotten and criminally underrated Three Snakes and One Charm album.
6. Asobi Sesku, “Strawberries”
   I don’t normally dig strawberries — I prefer my berries tart, like blackberries or raspberries — but I will chow down on them if chocolate fondue is involved. I guess everything’s better when it’s coated in warm chocolate. As for the song “Strawberries,” it comes courtesy Brooklyn shoegazers Asobi Sesku, whose dreamy, feedback-drenched album Citrus was one of my favorites of last year. This version of the song was recorded live in the SoHo Apple Store in lower Manhattan.
7. M.I.A., “Banana (skit)”
   I personally can’t stand bananas, even the ones Gwen Stefani spells out, but I do like me some M.I.A., the British/Sri Lankan rapper, and I figured we could use a brief respite from the rocking.
8. Van Halen, “Poundcake”
   Pound cake is probably my favorite thing to dip into chocolate fondue: partly because it’s satisfying, but mostly because it stays on the week fork pretty well — I don’t have to worry about dropping it in and committing a party foul. The song is satisfying, too, coming just before Van Halen imploded into teh suck. Eddie even plays the opening licks with a freaking power drill — what’s not to love?

Eat up:

Download: The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players, “Fondue Friends In Switzerland” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Richard Cheese, “I Melt With You” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: The Upper Crust, “Let Them Eat Rock” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Semisonic, “Sunshine & Chocolate” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: The Black Crowes, “Blackberry” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Asobi Sesku, “Strawberries” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: M.I.A., “Banana (Skit)” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Van Halen, “Poundcake” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Uncle Sam’s “Fondue is good, and it puts you in a good mood” (XML playlist)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

You can also get the whole thing to go in a doggie bag:

Download: “Fondue is good, and it puts you in a good mood” (ZIP — SaveFile)
(Click here for download instructions)