Well, for this Easter Sunday, wrapped up in relaxation. Getting to read on a sunny day in a hammock for two hours will do that to you.
So, taking a cue from the Pixies, adding some piano, comes Maxence Cyrin with his cover of Where is My Mind. This is quite a good interpretation, especially for a tune that should be played loud.
Hope you all enjoyed your Easter! Have a great week. April Fools up next...
-om
Ok, from the 80s archive comes one of the more underrated, unsung bands: Jellyfish. Between the end of New Wave and the Pre-Grunge era came these alt-rock wonderkids from SF. The composition of the songs were interesting and layered. There was a surprising complexity to the songs, outside of the surreal lyrics given.
Bedspring Kiss highlighted both of these areas well. From the mandolin, the hammond organ, the really present upright bass contributing to the low end, to the undulating, slow vocals, this song represented the California alt-rock scene really well.
Finally, I'm going to give you another one, probably one of their more recognizable songs. Pretty standard rock beat, nice harmonies, easily memorizing lyrics. Also from the album "BellyButton," comes I Wanna Stay Home.
Happy Saturday everyone! Enjoy your Zombie Jesus day (or whatever holiday you want to celebrate).
-om
Coming out with a new album in a couple of months. I am so pumped. Of course, I may be a little too old to hit a show... but I don't know.
Again, this one is off the "Interstella5555" DVD. For all of you "Battle of the Planets" fans, great music coupled with Anime. Maybe I should find an anime channel...
In any case, One More Time is the biggest commercial Daft Punk hit to date. Sampled from here to eternity, so much to love in the song. I'm partial to other DP songs, but still love this one. Enjoy. I'm a little tossed, so enjoy.
Actually, is this the first acapella song? No matter, it's a fun one. (ed. note, we just had one a couple of days ago. were you hit in the head?)
In 2002, Coldplay released "A Rush of Blood to the Head," a good sophomore effort. The Scientist was one of the breakout hits of the album, leading many soloists and groups to cover it. Why not? It's a great song, with nice layers, and fun harmonies.
So here, we have a great Collegiate Acapella group: The MIT Logarhythms performing their version of the song. I wonder if YouTube will let me embed this?
OK, anyway, it's times like this that get you listening to new groups, or re-listening to the originals. In any case, enjoy. I have a feeling this week is going to speed up, and quickly.
-om
Yes, Madness. Sorry, not the band. I'm not starting down a ska track... you all know how that goes. one starts in, then you get a few weeks with ska-themed music. Yeah. I'll wait a bit.
However, madness comes in all forms. Right now, for me, it's work. Work and my daughter. And sorority girls trying to kill me for driving on Sunday mornings. And the news. And my phone. And my mom. Dogs and cats, living together... mass hysteria.
Actually, I just want to play this song. Madness, by Muse. Quite a few people think that Muse has sold out, or lost themselves. While this song, and the new album ("The 2nd Law") doesn't have the same panache as the older stuff, this tune is still quite badass. Turn up the song once you hit the bridge, and feel your head nod. Your speedometer race past ninety. Your smile grow wider. Your cares melt away...
...until it slows back down for the last 4 bars. Then you are back in the world. They're coming to get you.
-om
Funny enough, while tooling around near the University campus, I was almost sideswiped by some random girls not paying attention. If I didn't have the car I had, we would have collided. Thankfully, I have incredibly good brakes, and quick reflexes. She drove past a stop sign, and I stopped with her car inches from my front bumper. Had she been going faster, I would have t-boned her. If I didn't have good brakes, she may have hit my front quarterpanel. The force of the stop, however, even with ABS, was enough to throw out my back for a couple of days.
Hence, no monday post. I was in no position to post on monday. I feel only a little better today. Thankfully, I'm in much better shape today than I was a few years ago. I would be knee deep in pity and fudge right now. :)
Or, I could have been a Ghost. From the Head and the Heart. Long way to go for that one. Sue me. It's a great band, with good music.
A lazy Sunday morning. Yes. That's why I have been working since 4am. Well, what else was I going to do? My mind was traipsing through some really knotty problem, so what better to do than to pop open the laptop and try and figure this out?
And then, on comes the tunes. I can parse out anything as long as it's a fast, angry beat. DubStep? No problem. Punk? In one ear and out the other. Bright Pop? Dead stop. I have no idea what that means. It is not that I don't like bright pop, but I don't absolutely love it either. It does make me smile though... and what better thing to do on a Sunday morning? Assuming you aren't hugn over, or passed out in a bathtub somewhere...
So, today's Sunday excursion comes from Jess Penner. Strange, she doesn't exist according to Wikipedia... but that is pretty cool.
Anyway, from her album "Growing in the Cold," is Blue Bird. See if it stops you like it did me.
-om
I used to intersperse a lot of acapella groups in this blog. I have actually tried to stop, or at least, not promote Glee as much. I'm not on the "I hate Glee" backlash bandwagon, but I figure that Glee doesn't need my help in promoting their product. Plus, Glee is sticking to pretty much cover stuff, and not actual acapella.
Which brings me to the next group in line Straight, No Chaser. First off, love the name. A classic acapella band, all vocal. No help from instruments, autotune, etc. Secondly, they have an actually pretty interesting following. Finally, they have started to get the notice of Vocal artists that want to work with them on projects. SNC will be releasing an album in May with the likes of Elton John, Seal, Jason Mraz, and Sara Bareilles.
Sara Bareilles and SNC do a great cover of the Jackson Five's, I Want You Back. It captures the spirit nicely. In any case, enjoy the trip back to acapella lane. Maybe next month we will see another? You never know.
-om
Hmmm, a bit of a change from my Friday routine. It's been a hell of a week. I thought I would shok you and the world by giving you a little Jake.
Jake Shimabukuro has been taking the world by storm with his ukelele playing. Since 2002, he has released 10 albums, played with notables like Bette Midler and Jimmy Buffet, and has done more for the ukelele since Tiny Tim. I was shocked the first time I had heard some of his compositions, and his covers were amazing. Here are a few for you.
First off, a great cover of The Beatles' While my Guitar Gently Weeps. Killer stuff.
And finally, a live version of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody. That's right, I almost detest Live versions of songs. The leveling is usually off, the sound reproduction is horrible. However, this was awesome. I almost felt there. Plus, the Uke is made of Hawaiian Koa wood. How cool is that?
Enjoy your friday, keikis. Aloha and Mahalo!
-om
Ok, I'm going to get posted as a softie for posting this one. It's pretty much a poppy love song. However, the Beatles wrote a ton of them, so what the hell.
If you have been listening at all, you have noticed that I like songs that tell stories. This song is one of them. Complete stories are great, but I love snippets as well. This is pretty much a framework song, where the beginning and end are encapsulated in the tune. One can argue that not all the story is there, or that they would love
to hear more. However, that can be said about anything. No one ever
tells the story of the Laser Operator who let the Droid Shuttle go in
Star Wars, do they? I'd like to see how that guys story turned out. He
was the one who ultimately destroyed the empire... but I digress.
A Silent Film's Danny, Dakota and the Wishing Well. Enjoy. I did.
-om
Well, trying to replicate the late success of the Stones and other bands is achievable, but it doesn't mean that a band should do so. Go away gracefully, like Oingo Boingo (however, if they came to the Casino for a cheap reunion tour, I would be first in line).
That being said, Depeche Mode is releasing a new album in a couple of weeks. You can hear it streaming on iTunes right now. I listened to the first couple of tracks, found myself washed in "Meh."
So, I can't actually subject you to that. I can, however, give you a cut off of Martin Gore's solo album Counterfeit: In a Matter of Speaking. Aaah, what the Emo kids don't know. So sad. Plath-ian, even.
Nice, classic, 80's angsty Goth rock. I'm going to give it a shout out by wearing neon pants today. And Vans. Sounds like a good day.
-om
Yeah, this is a cheat. But I couldn't find the right song (You Crack me Up, by Huey Lewis and the News). So, I came across this one. I may have to pick this one up.
Huey Lewis. Covering a great Beatles song. Not too bad, since it fits right in Huey's wheelhouse.
Huey Lewis, with Oh Darlin'
Sorry so late. Doing another one in a bit. Waiting for new tunes to cycle through
Time we come to the last day of the fun Drinking Holiday! And of course, we should have have another Irish drinking song. So, in honour of tradition, that is what I bring to you: Another Irish Drinking Song.
I was going to provide all the lyrics (like I did last time), but the fun of the game is to really come in on the chorus. Otherwise, you lose out on the fun lyrics trying to keep up. Play the game!
Chorus: Now everybody’s died So until our tears are dried We’ll drink and drink and drink and drink, and then we’ll drink some more We’ll dance and sing and fight until the early morning light Then we’ll throw up, pass out, wake up, and then go drinking once again!
I gotta tell you, my daughter loved this the first few times she heard it. She now rolls her eyes when I sing it. Oh, the joys of my little one; She has her father's jaded cynicism. She's going to be trouble. Now remember everyone, for those of you going out and getting wasted today: Do not call in sick tomorrow. That's for suckers. If you are going to be hung over, you may as well get paid for it. Cheers! -om
So, with St. Patty's day right around the corner, I thought I would provide 2 Pogues songs on this Saturday. Oh the Pogues. We loved the Boat Train. Now it's time for the next lesson.
The first song is The Band Played Waltzing Matilda. There is an 8 minute version of the song, and a 4 minute version. The 8 minute version is slow, but includes a interesting, minor-key horn section in the midst. Additionally, more of the story is provided of the young Australian soldier who was wounded in the Battle of Gallipoli, so... I chose the 8 minute version. The 4 minute version didn't have the gravitas that I was looking for. Plus, if you have ever read Preacher, I'm betting the 8 minute version is the one Cassidy sings.
The Pogues -- The Band Played Waltzing Matilda.
Next up on our journey is fun. From one of the most insane descriptions in music comes The Irish Rover. Again, back to Preacher (trade paperback #3, or issue 26), all Cassidy's buddies are named within the song. The ship that is sung about is enormous, as is its cargo. The fact that it comes across and a hand-down tale from the only survivor of the ship is just great. Additionally, the tune is one of Ireland's great drinking songs. Amazing, since Ireland's drinking history goes back centuries further than 1966. While i don't have a reference for it, I'll make sure to note it when I go next year.
Oh Shane McGowan. Such an insanely strange front man. Enjoy your Saturday. Tomorrow there is one more little ditty for the holiday, and it should be fun. Not the Pogues (since they had the honor last time), but still something fun.
Sliante!
-om
Ok, so I went browsing for new music today using the XBox Music app. Came across this one, by Mikky Ekko, Pull me Down. What surprised me was why hadn't this singer popped on my radar previously.
This is Friday night after the bar music. The last drink. The calm before the storm. I liked this sound. Plus Virgos don't get callouts like this.
Happy Friday kids. This is the first weekend in two months where I am not going to kill myself with activities. So, I'm going to enjoy and ingest a bunch of music. And Red Bull.
-om
Ok, I'm not a fan of bands re-releasing albums, since I'm too jaded to think that it's anything but a money play. However, thanks to the new model of being able to download single songs (unless tied into an album that you need to buy the whole thing to get the one track -- aaargh), it makes adding to the collection that much simpler. However, when one of my all-time favorites do it?
ELO re-released the massive, awesome album Out of the Blue. I believe I have owned this one almost every format but DAT. I got the original LP when I was around 10, listened to it hundreds of times, bought everything they did since, scoured record stores for imports and rarities.
The Track. Getting to it now.
ELO's Latitude 88 North. It's gotta be cold as hell. The lyrics are great, the tune is catchy. I don't know why I like it so, but I do. There is something about it that takes me back. Maybe the fact that I have been listening to bands that play roughly 3 chords, lately.
Ok, fine. One of the best things in Vegas to do is to run to the Nine Fine Irishmen in NYNY, and listen to the regular band there, Sin É RÃ-Ra. They play a lot of classics, but nothing gets the crown on their feet like this one. Th e Little Lion man cover is spectacular, actually, but you will have to go down and have a listen. It's totally worth the trip.
I couldn't find one of them playing that didn't sound like poop, so here is the Irish Descendents singing the Rattlin' Bog.
Such a fun time about Irish folk songs is that everyone sings and dances. It's infectious. Even people that I know that don't like music, love signing Irish folk songs in bars. They're fun, tell great stories, trip up your tongue, and get you to forget your troubles. Well, that may be the Guiness/Jameson, but they are gone none the less.
So, try to learn this one. The Rattlin Bog. There will be a test. Cheers, -om
Ok, I have to admit, I looked at this band due to one of their album names: Safeways Here we Come. Of course, if you don't get that reference, you probably aren't reading this blog. Or, maybe you are. Who knows? (ed-Google does)
So, listening in, it brought out the bespectacled twelve year old boy in me. Basic chords, emo lyrics, formulaic stuff. But you know what they say about formulas: Formulas work.
Give a listen to Chixdiggit. Love the name. Grab some cheap beer and hang out near the 7/11. Talk about the bullshit that you don't really want to change, and mess up your ollie and whack your skate deck against your chin. Good times.
Anyway. Chixdiggit. That they do. I Remember You. They may not have a large following, but they are on Fat Wreck Chords, in the same vein as Me First and Pennywise. Good company.
So, my daughter and I were at the EMP this weekend, where I caught this playing in the museum. Feet, playing in the Sound Off! 2012 Finals. Interesting sound. Their Website describers them "Alternative Indie Chill," amongst other things. The main line gets a bit repetitive, but still, promising music from a neat band.
Feet, Lucky Charms.
The EMP is a great place. Pretty lucky to have it here in Seattle. Music, Pop Culture, and various items troll through here on a regular basis. Plus, it's damned cool to stand a foot away from Jimi's guitar. Give it a look if you are here. Currently, there is a Nirvana Exhibit, A Video Game retrospective (which my daughter and I went to see), as well as a Sci/Fi and Horror extravaganza below the main floor. Awesome.
My Daughter had her first sleepover this weekend. I was the caretaker, chauffeur, chef. Nosewiper, nurse and nanny. Which left me wanting Jim Beam, Jack and Jose Cuervo (I almost didn't think of that last one). Egads, girls are loud. I hear it gets better. This is why tigers eat their young.
Of course, I should be happy. All too soon she will be in her own little world. Texting her friends, giggling incessantly... Boys. What was the line? "Kill the first one and word gets around." Good words to live by.
So, to that end, the first track of the morning (and the blog week) is Three Bad Jacks' Gone Gone Goodbye. Great guitar riffs, nice lyrics, simple stuff. Classic rockabilly type of tune. Rock and Roll. The type of music that really isn't made much anymore. Reminiscent of classic Stray Cats.
Three Bad Jacks. Fun tune, good band. Watch out for them, I think it would be a cool show to hit. Plus, the drinks may be cheap, and the crowd absent of hipster-wash. Score.
-om
A few years ago, I was searching for some more ecclectic music, when I stumbled across Fanfare Ciocarlia. A pretty sweet Balkan/Romani band, playing fun stuff. When I saw the baritone horns, I knew I was in.
This is more Saturday/Sunday early morning clean up music for me. Coffee, newspaper, etc.
This is Caravan. I need to see them if they ever come to town.
Here they are playing an homage to James Bond, with the James Bond Theme. I like some of the more esoteric stuff, but this one they hit out of the park.
Enjoy your Saturday, kids! It may be snowing where you are, so be careful.
-om
Ok, can I say that I have never been impressed with music critics?
A Seattle Weekly article has been lighting up the interwebz with a damning critique on Punk Rock. While everyone is most certainly entitled to ones own opinion, one should not come across as a petulant, hipster douche with an axe to grind against others that are also striving to create the same thing you are: Art. Ars gratia artis, or to the layman, art for arts sake.
So, a person (John Roderick) in The Long Winters (a band I never heard of, but not a big deal) rails against successful bands like the Ramones and The Clash, calling them "conservative," and a "World-music band," respectively. Not bad, but then again, not very punk. Somewhat de-fanged, if you will. He touts punk as an escapism from bands like Genesis and ELO. Yet, when listening to some of his most popular tracks on iTunes (I picked Scared Straight, from "When I Pretend to Fall"), the ELO influences are pretty evident during a 10 second listen. Same with the next two, Cinnamon and Pushover. All well and good, but comparing this band's music to ELO's long body of work, one will obviously find similarities. Totally understood. To lambast a complete genre of work due to the fact that one doesn't play in or understand said genre smacks of myopic idiocy.
So, in the air of fairness, I decided to download the album. I'm not going to torrent it, but I'm bloody well not buying it either. I'm going to use either YouTube or the free streaming service with my XBox Music Service (great service, confusing interface) and give it a chance. Why? I have to be open minded about this stuff. Will I comment on how the Long Winters album names remind me of bad teenage poetry ("Putting the Days to Bed," "Ultimatum," "Pretend," and "The Worst you can do is Harm)"? But of course not. Am I surprised to find out that one of their tunes is on "The O.C. Mix3" Christmas album? Not even close.
The Long Winters -- Scared Straight. Possibly better than punk. You decide.
Of course, I'll present NoFX's "The Decline." Possibly better than the indie rock stuff previously.
Yes, these guys are over 18. They have savings accounts. Families. Societal trappings. Yet they are PUNK. Maddengly awesome punk. Much like all the other bands out there, successful or not, famous or less than, good and bad. They are all trying to do the same thing. Play music, have fun and do something cool. Doesn't make them not punk. It makes them artists. Mr Roderick, if you had half the talent, you would have more respect. If you could form a logical argument, with sound data to back up your assertions, you wouldn't come across as a petulant, hipster shit.
Interesting stuff. Opinions and Assholes, everyone has one. Thank you Mr. Gore, for inventing the internet. Without it, I would have to travel to far flung coffehouses on Saturday nights to get this hipster drivel bullshit diatribe (and to expectorate my own).
-om
So, I have two songs for you today. Two different genres. I don't want to leave you on a sad note, since my first song is a bit of a downer.
Mike Ness, of Social Distortion fame, cut the album, "Cheating at Solitaire" in '99. While good, not really well received. It was mainly a lot of cover songs, with a SD feel to them. However, a great Johnny Cash song, Long Black Veil was tossed into the mix. Perfect for an SD crooner to kick out. Actually, I like it a little better than the Cash version...
...and I just realize that I could have put this song on for Cover Song Thursday, and left you with September. Guh.
Fine. Onto the next tune. A little more upbeat, and possibly a surprise to many of you. Going back to a time where one could actually catch a flight to havana and have a great time. Rum, Cigars and perfect Salsa. If you don't know what I am talking about, catch Guys and Dolls sometime, 3/4 of the way through the movie (and the play) features Cuba, dancing and fun as only pre-embargo Havana showed us.
Anyway, we have the fun Desi Arnaz coming out with Cuban Cabby. I must admit, I was listening to Eddie Murphy do his comedy bit with this in it, so I thought I would dig it out of the woodwork and dust it off for you.
I agree with Murphy, Desi was the man. Ba ba lu, everyone! Happy Friday.
-om
Such a long day, Thursday, with no music. I cannot believe I never put this song up. I was going to start a "Cover tune Thursday," but I didn't want to Glee it out.
So, here it is. No cover this week, but one I wanted to post a cool one to. Earth Wind and Fire's September. Great tune. Plus, the afros are just amazing. I so want an afro, but I don't want the weight (or the wait). The 70s were such a fun time. Well before high fructose and hipsters. Damn.
So, pretend this one is Thursday. Queuing up another tune in a sec.
-om
I needed a little pick-me-up this morning before my workout. Thankfully, I have gotten into some dubstep with Skrillex recently. Unfortunately, if you are over 20 cranking Skrillex, people tend to look at you in shame.
So, this is the type of music that my Dad would typically call "noise." Screw it. There is something interesting about this, and the mixes that Skrillex does. The beats are typical and primal, easily for the mind to identify as safe and not outlandishly fast. There is a mix of both calm and frenetic sounds and lyrics. The drops are hard, and lend something to the more chaotic/creative side of the brain. Great stuff. Skrillex's "Hey Sexy Lady." Totally give it a listen.
Pro tip: Make sure your radar detector is on when listening to this tune. A cop would have pegged me this morning. I didn't even notice the speed.
Finally, for those of you new to dubstep, here is a bit of an educational primer, brought to you by Key and Peele.
Yes, I know that this band has been getting a ton of air play. Totally Pop-rap stuff. However, I love the infectious energy of the song, and the amusing lyrics. The video is so overly unpretentious that is seems like a compilation of a friend and his friends getting together and putting something personal in there.
Additionally, Macklemore jumps around wearing checkered vans at one point. Gotta give props toward that.
However, I saw this group on SNL last week. The totally irritating thing about the presentation was the fact that SNL screwed up the leveling of the lead mic. Seriously? Were they late to the sound check? Couldn't be, since everything was perfectly leveled. The awesome horn section (6 pieces... sweet), leveled. That would have been a bitch, since it was 4 trumpets, 2 bones. They got it corrected for the next song, but hosed the first one. Damn it.
Finally, I think I spend too much money on clothes. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (featuring Wanz). Thrift Shop. Check it out.
Cheers,
-om
This song was pretty interesting. Piqued my interest this Monday, since I'm currently searching for my arrow. White People Problems. :)
Gah. Finished a book I wanted to like, but end up not doing so. Staying home to do the dishes, laundry and relax. I think I need a workout. While this song won't get my blood pumping, it does give me a smile. Needed, since my cat has decided to use me for a shredder.
Another Australian band, the Jungle Giants have a fun sound. They just recently toured with Two Door Cinema Club... I'll probably get to them soon. A great band I heard during my hiatus from the blog.
The song is a classic pop song, but something about this reminded me of Mad Dog 2020, or even School of Fish. The guitar/lute intro is catchy, and hooks you quickly. The drum work, however, makes the song. Listen to the variation during the slowdowns, catch where it could be a classic 4/4 beat, versus the fun little adds that are there. I bet you can't wait to try to tap this out against the steering wheel. I know I can't.
The Jungle Giants. Mr. Polite. Where have I heard that before?
-om
I'm going to say to give this a listen before you kill me.
This is a nerd homage in the World of Warcraft game to the awesome Evil Scientist homage Skullcrusher Mountain, by Jonathan Coulton.
Jonathan Coulton (for those of you still paying attention), rose to internet fame by doing his "song-a-week" website. Created all these songs, and delivered them for free over Creative Commons License. That way, people were free to do the very thing he wanted them to do: share and come up with fun things. He hit the cult mainstream with Still Alive from Portal (but of course, sung by the lovely GLadOS).
This one is about a megalomaniac and a girl. Seems harmless enough. Who hasn't wanted to burn the atmosphere while tooling about in a golden submarine? If you haven't, you were probably some B-School drone, not reading this anyway. Could be a perfect song, if there were only dolphins with frickin lasers. The video? Meh. Not so much. Great attempt, though.
I thought I would come back to a safe place. A fun place. And I would bring music with me. Of course, doing so is pretty tough, after so long. There would be so much build up. So much expectation. So much to compare against...
So, I'm not going to angst about it.
This would sum up things somewhat succinctly. Angus Stone's "Monsters." Folksy-bluesy. The male half of Angus & Julia Stone. Something about the lyrics matched the video nicely, while being discordant at the same time. Great juxtaposition.
"... Billy was a drivin' man. He got lost in the wind..."
Plus, I could never grow facial hair like that. Envious of that. Be well, people. There are monsters in the dark, waiting for us to play. I hope you enjoyed the recess.
-om
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