Okay, more relaxing

Turn this on.

Sorry if you can't see it!

I spent most of yesterday listening to the slightly more gentle than video'd sound of the sea crashing. It was nice. It also got me tired, so tired, that today's post got delayed. I knew what I wanted to do, but upon trying I knew I could do a much better job. And if I can do a better job, I will. Just, well, not on time.

The rest of today was spent cleaning out a spare room with a bunch of somebody else's CD's. I kept what caught my eye,  Stevie Wonder hits, "Aretha Gold", The Joshua Tree by U2 (mhm), a live Miles Davis and Quincy Jones album (Hell yes), and Bob Marley's 'Soul Shakedown Party'. 

 

I'll be giving all these a listen when possible which doesn't seem to be soon. They can't be heard on my computer and I haven't owned a CD player in years. We'll see how I go about things. But the fresh new, old music, really excites me.

I'll do something about this.

Boy are you guys lucky!

For some twisted reason, I thought I was on a different day of the week than the rest of you all! Because of this I have to re-write another rushed up blog because I'm short on time and I can't overwhelm your ears with obnoxious songs because it's not Friday. Woo! Now that your ears have evaded near death, I must fill this up with... Something else!

F***

Enjoy Love me Two Times by The Doors. I'll be listening to this on my forced one day vacation. And yes, I will enjoy it. The vacation thing.

Have a great day!

Drunkenmunky - E

Drunkenmunky or Klubbheads is a group of House DJ's from the Netherlands. Now, there's nothing too stunning on this post, but I was amused at their use of the Eminem hit 'Without Me'.

I like wine too. I have a lot in common with monkeys.

It seems pretty original for the first, what, 5 seconds, then it gets a bit old with the sample being used over and over. However, play it to a drunk energetic audience and you would get some good times, or a good 3 minutes. You catch my drift! It's just easy to enjoy if you stop and not think for a while, especially if you see the video.

Alt Link | Buy

Maybe it's just my sense of humor, maybe it's the use of an awkward fist pump or badly choreographed Ricky Martin dance moves, but for some reason, the video along with the song has me grinning.

I take pride in how easily amused I am.

LAST MINUTE EXTRA: Yesterday I was featured in Blog Highlights. A neat blog dedicated to showing users other neat blogs, it's new, but it's worth checking out for future posts as well!

Easy Star's Lonely Hearts Dub Band

Well over here it's raining, it's cozy. It's time to light some incense and listen to something smooth. I've already talked about Mima and De Facto which would be perfect candidates for this type of day, so I'll go out of my way a bit for something else, just for the sake of different music.

Source

It's time for a compilation of Reggae artists performing a Beatles classic. The Easy Star All Stars' (from the Easy Star record label) take on Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band is decent happy music. I mean The Beatles in themselves had very happy tendencies, this is just a bit further. I've never heard a depressing Reggae beat. If you know of one, let me know.

But what's the line-up?

Well I'm glad you asked! Even though you didn't!

In this album you will find:

Junior Jazz
Luciano
Frankie Paul
The Mighty Diamonds
Max Romeo
Kirsty Rock
Ranking Roger
Matisyahu
Sugar Minott
Bunny Rugs 

U-Roy
Steel Pulse
Michael Rose 

and Menny More (I mean it when I say, pun not intended)

Don't worry, I didn't know most of them either. But in case you know some, you can see there's some talent going into this. They had to bring their elite if they were gonna cover an entire Beatles album with minimum negative critique! 

Alternate Grooveshark Link

Now I could be happier with the album, I'm not particularly happy with Matisyahu's take on Within You Without You, but maybe I'm just being too strict. It doesn't feel like reggae to me. Oh well?!

Overall, decent album. Some will dislike it, some might actually prefer it to the original. But if you feel like learning about some top notch Reggae stars, this is a good place to take a peek.

And I'll end this with  Max Romeo's version of Fixing a Hole, one of my favorites.

Alt Link

Rubén Blades - Plástico

I feel like Salsa today. Not some obscure unheard of underground stuff, not today. Today I'll post a classic. Lovers of the genre can re-enjoy a beautiful piece, while new comers can become acquainted with a Rubén Blades classic.

It starts off very un-salsa-like, going with the funky feel for half a minute before dropping a twist and introducing us to the 'Chica Plástica' or 'Plastic Girl'. Just in case her title confuses you, he quickly explains that she's the type of girl that sweats expensive perfume. Oh my.

Source

This brief introduction makes way for the introduction to the plastic guy, whom would end up with the plastic girl, turning into a plastic couple living in a world of illusions. This then turns to the dreaded plastic city, swarming with these plastic people who have given up their very rights to think.

The song explains it's about staying true to your heart, and though he directs it to the Latino community, I believe the world could pay attention to these lyrics. The general idea being that money isn't everything, stay true to your heart and be happy.

I like to hope that's what music is about.

By the end it's expressed that there are people who are still true to themselves, who are not plastic. That these would be the bright future.

Grooveshark Alternate Link | Buy

Go ahead. Dance. You know you want to.

The instruments used are basic to Salsa, just wonderfully composed. What do you make of it? Does it sound like what's being portrayed?

The song can be found in the equally amazing album Siembra. If you liked this song, I'm pretty sure you'll like that album. Look for it.

Frances the Mute (single)

The song I'll be speaking of today was released in 2005 and is nearly 15 minutes long (Or a shortened 10 on the Youtube link I'll provide, but seriously, if you're gonna waste 10 minutes, you might as well spend 15). It's some weird Alternative Rock by The Mars Volta that not anybody can get into, but if you think you can, I suggest you click this link as of right now and start listening while you read this.. On the other hand, I wouldn't blame you if you're completely discouraged and don't even take a peek. I was too, at first.

Enjoy the album artwork for the single while you hear bells.

The first 4 and a half minutes is more of a warm up than a song. Borderline meditative music, some soft buzzing, some chiming bells (someone told me the bells were morse code for some disease where you hear bells. If anyone who knows morse code and has 4 minutes to spare can clarify for me, it'd be appreciated!).Anyway, it's going to prepare you for whats in store. You know how athletes stretch before and after their exercise? Consider the 4 minutes a mental stretch. As soon as the mental stretch finishes, you'll be plunged head first into a very awkward rhythm, riffs that don't initially make much sense as music, and soon enough vocals that seem to belong to an alien. We thank Cedric Bixler-Zavala and his intriguing tenor voice for that effect.

Any TMV fan will tell you how obscure the lyrics to any of their songs may be, some would even go as far as to say that there is no real meaning to most or any of their songs. After a few months (yes months) of research, I can prove those wrong. The heavy use of metaphors and words that can only be found in the dusty parts of your average dictionary, make it very discouraging to look up and understand. It would be wise to be happy with the sound and not look into the lyrics, unlike me.

I looked up just a little and was then fascinated with the song (and later the entire album). What grew to be a slight obsession took months of my life in the pursuit of nothing more than understanding a story.

This song that can't even be found on the album due to it not fitting on the CD, is a prologue to the album. The backbone to a complex story.

Spoiler Alert!

This is a spoiler to the very large audience that will decide to look up every obscure word on the song and album and then try to understand the metaphors. I'm a fan of sarcasm and similar things.

Also, it's pretty adult and stuff.

Throughout clues given in the song and the rest of the album, the simple translation for this single is that a woman, "Frances", had unprotected sexual relations (possible rape/statutory rape) with a priest (or someone of similar religious importance). Upon realizing she had become pregnant, to protect the credibility of not just the religious individual, but the entire group, Frances was gutted in an attempt at abortion. The child was left for dead and she was left to live.

The end of the song should repeat "This never happened but I saw you leave and crawl into a bed of broken windows". This is to imply the child lives on, but neither its mother nor the religious hypocrites have such knowledge.

It ends the prologue with the final mental stretch, no bells, but a simple, catchy melody.

End of spoiler

After slowly piecing this all together, I thought to myself 'And this is how it STARTS?!'. What an excellent opening, not exactly cheery, in fact fairly depressing. But the story-telling skills involved are quite beautiful, complex as it may be.

Of course, I'd advise that if you enjoy the music, enjoy it for what you have in front of you. Don't push it to somewhere it doesn't need to go like I did. You'll be surprised how quickly time can go down the drain. Unless you just enjoy it, then go for it. The song alone is a ridiculous puzzle for any who put their minds into it, the detail involved is much greater than what I expressed, so it's really up to you. 

Since this is not your average song, it can be understood why the song isn't worth the average 99 cents. going at just about $1.50,  you can get the song on Itunes or directly off the Myspace link I posted above, if you feel so inclined.

Here's the 10 minute version for you lazy mofo's

8 bit... Hip-Hop?

Being as I'm short on time, I'm deciding to share this little medley I found a while ago put together by a mister Tugboat. The first medley on that link will be what we're gonna see today. Now most of this modern-day Hip-Hop stuff isn't so great in my eyes, I mean Chamillionaire? Ew. However this awesome way of using 8 bit makes it sound fair. I have no issues.

Track listing as wonderfully borrowed by shotthen.com

Jay-Z - Dirt Off Your Shoulders
T.I - What You Know
Chamillionaire - Ridin’
Ludacris - What’s Ya Fantasy
Bonecrusher - Neva Scared
Twista & Kanye - Overnight Celebrity
Ludacris - Move Bitch
Lil’ Jon - Get Low
Kanye - Gold Digger

 There's a couple of songs up there I really like, pleasantly surprised to find them in a random Hip Hop medley, yes, even if it's 8 bit. Then there's others in there that.. Meh.

I'm picky.

Enjoy!

Funky Peace Music

I enjoy funky music. I like that 60's sound, call me a hippie, I like it. So when I found out that some of the worlds most known peace activists did a funk-off.. Well, I have to smile!

Alternate Link

The kick-ass line up is Diddy Lama on the drums, Mother T on the bass and Nelson "The Man" Dela, for those of you who can't watch either vids. The idea is funny, but not wrong in anyway! Music can capture wide audiences, simply mentioning peace in a song title can make something of a difference, even if it's just someone being more aware. Yay for great ideas!

Now for the fun part! Do you play an instrument? Would you like to jam out with Diddy Lama, Mother T and Nelson? You totally should. And you can! Just check out the Youtube page which already has a nice area for you to jam in, jam along and record it! Send it in, they want you to! I think the idea sounds like fun, both to do and watch. 

Oh yes, and if you do, (or already did) a nice video submission, why not post the link on the comments? Do it for me, I like jam sessions.

You can also check out the Facebook page here.

Puya

The world of Latin Rock is enormous. The world of creative, innovative and passionate Latin Rock, is just a bit harder to find, but still there. To help us find a decent blend of Latin and Rock genres, we have Puya.

The current Puya line up! (2011)

Ramón Ortíz – Guitars (The bands backbone)
Eduardo Paniagua – Drums
Harold Hopkins – Bass guitar
Sergio Curbelo – Vocals

Their last 3 albums are the most known amongst the general public, because, well, because the ones before those suck. Members or fans of Puya, forgive me if you're reading this, but really, it was an earlier time. Let's admit things and move on. It's because these last 3 albums are the only ones I feel worth noting (again, sorry) that those will be the only ones I mention.

Gasp.

First up, their most recent EP, Areyto. 2010.

I would've felt dirty not posting this album artwork. It looks to promise an album with dark sinister sounds, potential progressions, and possibly a splash of a surfer feel? This was a personal interpretation. Over all, this album cover proves that one should not judge a book by it's cover. Even if it's positive.

The end result was nice, but nothing at all to what the artwork would allow one to think. There's a strong Latin vibe, which is a good thing! Some Metal-like sounds and fair singing. If you're new to Puya, this is a good place to start.

No alternate link for this vid, sorry! :(

This particular song, No Hay Mal Que Por Bien No Venga, is probably the happy medium of the  album. It shows different styles, happier and strong-ish sides. The perfect song to show you what to expect. No laughing mutated skulls here. 

Their preceding 2001 album (yes, 9 years) titled Union, is a bit darker. It has less of a Latin feel. Still Latin, just less. It's been compared to some of Slipknots earlier work, which could be an insult or a complement. Totally up to the listener.

 Apologies once more for the seemingly more and more obscure band D=

This song is titled Erizo, or, Sea Urchin. The Latin feel can be felt through a dense, strong feel. The use of Rap can be heard and isn't always appreciated. Regardless, some people really enjoy this sound, I include myself.

Preceding Union was the 1999 Fundamental, the most successful and well known album, incorporating everything from fast paced Punk to lazier poetic sessions, a heavily influenced Latin feel helped kick start this album to its peak, earning the respect of many.

Alt Link! 

 The odds are that if you've ever heard a Puya song, it would be this one. The song shows their variety, what they can do when they're inspired. Of course, not everyone can enjoy such drastic changes in a single song, but realize that what's being displayed is their potential, not their track listing.

Learn more about Puya. 

Want to support Puya? Check out their site!

If Puya is too soft for you, you should probably check out Ankla ;)

Cry Me A River

Sometimes, you just have to sink into a mood fit for oldies. Today I was thinking about Cry Me A River, a mid 50's classic originally intended for Ella Fitzgerald, but initially shot down. She did sing it in a near future and it's definitely a beautiiful version. More instrumentation, very nice.

However  for me the classic would be the oldest version by Julie London. Her voice suits the subtle but defined bass perfectly, expressing enough emotion to make the song work.

Alternate Link | Buy

A perfect example of less is more. There's minimal effort, no straining of the voice or any need to over do it, leaving a nice clean sound.

While Julie London's version may be my personal preference, the best version sung would be by Borgore's sister, Yael Borger on his version of the song. She delivers a beautiful tone that fits the song as it should, much more emotion, much more general feeling. Of course it's Borgore, that means that after the first amazing few seconds, it turns into some filthy Dubstep. I don't entirely approve of the way that song pans out, but I do admire the vocals.

And who am I kidding, I like the genre. I just think her vocals alone would've been nicer.

Here's the song if you're interested. She does have a whole minute of vocals before the Dubstep hits.

Alt Link | Buy

The original idea was chill music. This is what happens when you give me too much time. Tsk.

What Planet is This?!

I am not a Cowboy Bebop fan or anything, but I do have some love for the series' Jazz band The Seatbelts. I have to thank a buddy of mine once again for introducing me to their better known "Tank!" song, and exposing me to this band which I otherwise would've only found out about on a day of pure boredom, flipping through the channels and stumbling upon the series' intro.

Not that that could happen or anything.

This particular song is perfect for the average gloomy Monday such as today! (For me anyway). And as such, is the perfect excuse to continue with my Happy Monday Music! Woo!

Now go enjoy some generally happy sounds, get uplifted, break out in dance, break out in song!

Or just sit there and be boring. Whatever.

Regardless what you do, enjoy What Planet is This?! by The Seatbelts.

Alternate Link with Shorter Song

I absolutely love that Latin feel they spin on it at around 2:20, completely out of the blue. If you had to use the alternate link, I'm afraid you wont be able to hear it as the particular version is only found in the Future Blues album. Sorry!

As a side note to my Happy Monday, I am indeed happy, the ridiculously funny blog Colorful Rants of a Fed Up Sista has placed my blog along with a few others under her CR Family. So check those out, and if you're not already following her, you should, it's honestly one of the more entertaining blogs out there, which is probably why I'm honored. ^_^

Benassi wasn't that bad

For those of you who don't know, yesterday I went to an "electronic fest".

It's funny, I read peoples reactions on the events Facebook wall, and they have no reasons for liking what they like, but plenty of reasons for disliking something.

There was a comment somewhere stating Benassi should retire, the reasons were that he did not play Satisfaction or anything similar. It seems I'm the only person who was actually happy about this. He mixed up some House sounds with some very original use of Dubstep, nothing overpowering and nothing easy either. My respect for the DJ.

Haters make me smile too, Benny

I would also realize that people would state a lot of good things about Sub Focus. Despite the fact that the entire hour and a half played seemed to sound like the same song with minimal progression. The first 45 minutes were nice.

Everything else was average, The Bloody Beetroots was a DJ set and definitely not their prime, too many people enjoyed them way too much. DJ Aero and Tommy Lee were a very amusing combo to witness in person, the music wasn't very amazing. Axwell was a great finish though, even with my high expectations of the night as a whole, I was glad to finish up with some of his hype.

Considering I did have high expectations, it was a great event to chill at with some friends. The night was fun, and I'm not too f***ed up. I would definitely recommend most people with the option to see some of these DJ's to do so. There's better out there, but from a just for fun point of view it was good.

It can be enjoyed sober.

Expect a better written post tomorrow!

If you're completely lost on the aspects of this post, you can either scroll down or click here for yesterdays post, explaining things better.

Electronica Awaits Me

Forgive me for the lack of an actual post today. Within a few hours I will be gone and by 3am tomorrow morning I will have completely submerged myself in music of the electronic nature. I will be revisiting some memories as I listen to The Bloody Beetroots, I've previously shown my excitement about this.

I will also be listening to Axwell, one of the 3 DJ's in the group Swedish House Mafia, and I am 95% sure he will play 'One'. This excites me.

I'm also expecting Benny Benassi to mount a ridiculous playlist. I'm actually hoping it DOESN'T contain too much of his classic 'Satisfaction'.

Satisfaction By Benny Benassi - Amazing videos are here

And you all can expect my opinions of this event as a whole some time tomorrow if I'm not feeling like a steaming pile of dog poo.

Wish me luck!

And if this doesn't interest you at all, have you checked yesterdays post? It was on Max Romeo's Reggae classic!

Lucifer son of the morning, I'm gonna chase you out of earth

No, this post isn't related to the Jay-Z song titled Lucifer. It's about the classic Reggae song by Max Romeo and The Upsetters, on the 1976 album War Ina Babylon. The actual name of this song is 'I Chase the Devil'.

There are two versions (that I know of) of said song, the original being my favorite. A very genuine, less than perfect feel. The talent portrayed was direct with minimal tampering of the sound. Not many people care, but I value that quite a bit.

The Original

Alternate Link | Buy

Slow, relaxed. What you choose to consume while hearing this is completely up to you. Me however, I'm happy just hearing this when I'm in my relaxed mood. I take it as an extra precaution to stay in the mood in the off chance something odd and un-happy happens.

The second version of this song can be found in his 2008 Best Of album, and it features Kamau. It has a much cleaner sound, and being as it's a Best Of compilation, you can really tell they were aiming towards perfection. This is a downfall to me, but as Kamau switches the lay out of the song a bit, I also give this one a fair listen.

The Remake

  Forgive the inconvenience but at this time I could not find a video for this version outside of Youtube, despite it being easier to come by.

The song was made popular in more recent years by its use in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. So if you thought you heard it somewhere but weren't too sure where? Probably on there. It's also possible you heard it through The Prodigy's excellent sampling in the song Out of Space, which is an amazing song to hear live. Just saying. And of course it's also possible you have generally great music taste and heard it on one of his albums before I wrote this. If so, give yourself a humble applause from me.

Kashmir - Lucia Micarelli and Jethro Tull (Cover, incase you weren't sure)

I deeply enjoy the sound of the violin and all similar instruments, just as I ever so deeply enjoy the flute. It would be logical to think that when you tell me of the very beautiful violinist Lucia Micarelli  teamed up with a flute legend such as Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull..

(Source)

That I would wet my pants in excitement. But shh, don't tell anyone. 

Now I would love to make this post much longer and more informed, but the truth is I have less time than I estimated and I'm going to be far away from technology for a couple of hours, so instead of going into deep detail about the amazing way the violin and flute compliment each other in this Led Zeppelin cover (Oh dear, all these big names are going to excite me!) I'll let you watch it and decide what to make of it yourself. I mean, with all the talent being tossed around, whatever, right? I don't need to convince you it's good. 

Youtube Link

Don't think too much about the meh-able video quality. The sound is decent. Enjoy that.

And yes, I'm aware that towards the ending it seems to cut and get placed again. Pft.

Hevisaurus

Today we're gonna focus on some interesting Metal from Finland. This group consists of 4 dinosaurs and a dragon.

Now, I don't know about any of you, but the first time someone mentioned 'Dragon-Metal' to me, I thought of...

Particularly because it made a lot more sense than what I first heard. The first song I heard was Saurusarmeija and it left me in somewhat a state of awe.

Buy

Now don't be ashamed. I too could've sworn I was past my Barney stage, and all of a sudden, it's like kids really DO have somewhat decent music to look forward to. Now sure, some people can argue that they're not really that heavy, or that most of their songs (if not all) sound like Finnish covers of known Metal bands with the words switched up to make it all about dinosaurs. Of course maybe I just don't care about that one because I can't understand the language.

But even so, the way I see it is this is not your ordinary band, this is a children's band, exposing kids to what many of them will grow into anyway! If they're gonna grow into it, start it off early, expose our young ones, the future, to simple sounds such as Hevisaurus. 

The result will be that when they reach further into it, they wont spend their teens spending money on talentless ass-faces like My Chemical Romance or whatever the hell is currently trending that really shouldn't be. Instead, what they would pay and support would be the artists that actually try to give the public something other than a loop with words. And when good things are awarded, more good things are created!

I find this to be very wishful thinking to an extent. Children are easily pleased as far as music is concerned, and so people will strum a couple of cords on their guitar, call it a children's album and make an easy buck. Why would talented people direct themselves solely to kids?

Admittedly, as something similar to an adult, I'd go to a Hevisaurus show even without a kid to accompany me. Just watch the live performance to their single Hirmuliskojen yö, why wouldn't I support that?

Yes I know the video starts a little late but come on, it's live. What do you want?

Regardless of how uphill it may seem, I hope more bands of talent will apply themselves to kids in the future, that it becomes a trend for talented musicians of all genres to have side works just for their future fans. Other than Sesame Street.

Russ Chimes - Midnight Club Trilogy

Russ Chimes is so unknown for some reason that he doesn't even have a Wikipedia for me to tell you his age. What I can tell you is he's from London and he makes beautiful electronic sounds. As if making catchy tunes wasn't enough, in 2010 he teamed up with director Saman Keshavarz to turn his debut Midnight Club EP into a beautifully directed, written, and generally composed trilogy.

Let's just top it off with fairly decent acting and an amazing musical composition.

If you'd like the rest of the credits as well as all 3 videos back to back, check it out here. Though, I find that the very last few seconds stick, but maybe for some reason that was just me. 

The trilogy lasts a bit past 16 minutes, so if that doesn't motivate you much, watch it in the chunks I'm willing to provide for you.

Part 1: Never Look Back

Russ Chimes - Midnight Club EP (Part 1: Never Look Back) from Russ Chimes on Vimeo.

Part 2: Tertre Rouge

Russ Chimes - Midnight Club EP (Part 2: Tertre Rouge) from Russ Chimes on Vimeo.

Part 3: Targa

Russ Chimes - Midnight Club EP (Part 3: Targa) from Russ Chimes on Vimeo.

Don't forget to check out the rest of Russ Chimes' videos or his site if you like what you hear.

If you really liked it you could buy the significantly cheap Midnight Club EP.

Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons - Beggin'

It is happy music day once more, so happy Monday to anyone who happens to be reading this on a Monday. Yay!

I'll be talking about a song sung by Frankie Valli in a bit, but first, know I am not a Frankie Valli fan at all. His voice in most other songs, whilst talented, simply isn't my cup of tea.

Second of all, the only reason I even found out about this song was because of these two. So while others may say they ruined a perfectly good song, I applaud them for leading me to a version better than theirs. Or not, depending on your personal preference.

On to the song! It gives a very strong funk feel, the hip use of instrumentation really ties this particular song together into something fit for a Monday. I'll present to you a more recent video for a song that comes from the 60's.

Frankie Valli -The Four Seasons - Beggin por Larolke

If I had just been hearing this on the radio or something one day, I wouldn't have guessed that not only the singer, but the entire band is white. Not to seem ignorant, it just sounds more like something Al Green would have written, to me. Instead we've got some suave Jersey boys with some classic vocals and an amazing band.

I have to ask myself, between all the music my grandparents hear, between Frank Sinatra and Steely Dan, why I hadn't heard THIS song before. Thank goodness for the internet and its connecting me to music from all the years.

Happy Monday guys!

Mustard - Creep (Radiohead Cover)

Before I really start, you should all know that my mood for nice soft quality music today is entirely thanks to Lhosreiff and her amazing post. If  you feel like getting relaxed, you click the hell out of that link muhfuggah. This post wont go anywhere. You can click that and come right back.

About a year ago, I was introduced to a video of a Daniel Mustard, also known as Homeless Mustard or just Mustard. In this video he sung Creep by Radio Head, a song I adore.

At first I didn't expect anything from him, the first few seconds when he sings, you hear a graspy voice, and throughout the song if you pay enough attention you will notice that his voice gives out a couple of times. This is one of the few instances where that only makes the song better. He makes it pure, he makes it his own and he gives it the right kind of emotion. With this single song, he created chills through my spine.

Maybe I was just sensitive that day. But I still adore his interpretation of the song. What do you think, did I get all gooey over nothing? Enjoy.

Mustard sings Creep from Rex Kramer on Vimeo.

But you ARE special, Mustard

It makes me happy that someone could make such great music and be happy with such a simple lifestyle. We need more Mustards in this world.

If you want more of Mustard, check out his myspace, it's not a musicians myspace, but he does have his music on the left. And if you like, you could buy it right there.

Uhm

This is my post explaining about how my stomach feels like lava right now. I'm pretty sure mixing rum with beer and tequila doesn't do many good things to your body.

Now, this is really going to be the shortest blog I've ever written, so maybe, if I feel better later, I'll post another. A real one. Maybe.

Here's a music video with yesterdays dumb-ass state of mind.

Buy

I should really grow the f*ck up.

It says I'm here but I'm really not

I can feel a long lasting love between me and the blogger 'drafts'. Most likely, as you read this, it's being put to use, and I am actually far, far away from my computer, enjoying a surf competition with a cold beer in hand. This is my personal bliss. Now, what do we listen to on the 3 hour ride?

Well in all honesty a lot of things, we'll range from all kinds of Electronica, to Rock, to Hip-Hop, all the way through Instrumentals and Spoken word and Ballads and all sorts of things. But that's not what I'm gonna post today. I'll post a personal relaxing beach must.

DJ Dain is a Mash-Up genius. Just sayin'. His ears deserve praise, he can mix and match songs in such a way that can't help to leave me smiling. But this is just me! The relaxing, soothing, soft, beautiful song is titled 'Don't Worry, I'm Yours'. Enjoy.

Don't Worry, I'm Yours [Remastered] (Jason Mraz vs. Bobby McFerrin vs. Israel Kamakawiwo'ole) by DJ Dain

As you might be able to see, there's currently a working download link. So take this beauty and share it with the world. It may be a little long, but damn, is it pretty.

DJ Dain has a blog, btw. Check it out.

Now where IS my Corona and lime!?

La:Sadies - Shoukei Hatan Sekai

I know I have the EP titled Lu:Ciel somewhere, but I can't for the life of me find it. So instead I'll just talk about the one song I have in digital format, Shoukei Hatan Sekai by a pre-Dir en Grey band called  La:Sadies. Again, I have to thank the very same friend who introduced me to this J-Rock band as a whole. She's opened me up to these bands and similar sounds, and when I hear something new, it always deserves a very long thank you.

Now I've previously talked about the song Berry, its horror-film qualities and general spooky-ness and I find that this particular track has similar qualities. The sound is a bit vintage, imagine a modern day horror movie idea involving clowns and blast it back, say, 40 years, this general idea is what you get when I close my eyes and listen to this thing.

Allow me to show you a terrible quality boot legged VHS from 1997 of the band performing this particular song.

The 'action' starts at around 1:30

I know, I know, it sounds terrible! Just imagine that with REAL sound and you'll get what I've been trying to say. 

UGH, why am I telling you to use your imagination?! Now this is normally where I look up some  stuff for you and your lazy ass so you can hear the real version by spending a buck or two. However, this album can't be bought. If anyone does go through with the extra trouble and finds some possible way of buying this, do let me know, and I'll update this post. But until then I'll leave you with a link.

;)

Damian Marley featuring Nas - Road to Zion

The great thing about going out for a nice long drive  is all the music I hear in the process. It easily gives me a dozen ideas to post on here, subjects I can build on and such. The bad thing about going out for a nice long drive, is the fact that it's long and leaves me with little time to actually blog. Oh no!

One of the songs that came on during the ride was from Damian Marley's Grammy winning album, Welcome to Jamrock. It features Nas, this means that if listening to Jr. Gong's thick accent is too hard for you, it's all good, there's a nice chunk of song you can understand well, by a grade A rapper. Not that that changes anything for me. I simply hear the song because of its general positive message.

Buy

This is "Reggae Fusion", I like it, I tend to like these musical fusions, takes my ear and slaps it around a little. I tell myself it's got a reggae feel, listen to the base, but then it's got a simple sound going on, like hip-hop, but it's not ALL hip-hop... I could talk to myself forever, really.

I don't expect everyone to like this, some may think the meaning is too religious or too far from their beliefs, some might think it's too basic and unclear to the ears, some may feel that Nas ruins the song. I know however, that some of you, like I, will enjoy the talent and effort this single song displays, so enjoy.

Apocalyptica - Quutamo, and all of its versions

Some of you may have realized by now that I have a thing for the cello. If you haven't, now you know. I show nothing but respect for this amazingly versatile instrument. The different sounds it can make, along with the range of emotion it can tackle, easily makes this one of my favorite instruments.

Todays post could have been about the Apocalyptica album, their fifth and self titled. But sometimes I don't see it fit. In the case of Apocalyptica, measuring up a whole album would take much more than I'd allow any of you to read on my blog, so I cut my opinions of them into chunks, using their songs as base. The first I heard from them was Quutamo, one of their more successful singles.

Am I the only one who finds head banging to cellos hilarious?

Now, I am indeed aware of the popularity of this particular song, so forgive me if all I'm doing is showing you something you've already heard all over again, but I honestly felt my first post about Apocalyptica needed to be about this one.

Now, there are 3 other versions of this song, the differences being that they have lyrics. If you're happy with instrumental all the way, like me, then you can just skip this part. If you like yourself some vocals, I can tell you theres an English, French and German version. Initially I never made anything of this, but it's interesting to me now as I write this that there's no Finnish lyrical version, being that, yeah, they're from Finland. Just interesting to me.

The French version is sung by 'Manu' or Emanuelle Monet. Her version is called En Vie (link)

The German and English versions are both performed by the Czech Marta Jandová. They're titled Wie Weit (link) and How Far (another link)

Me though, I like instrumentals. More focus on the music.

For a second there, I thought today would be post-less

But it's not and it's Monday which means it's Happy-Music-Day!

Yeah!

I'll be keeping it fairly short though as I don't expect to be on the computer for very long.. throughout the day.

Because of this I've decided that todays post will be about a single song from the Flobots. I think they have a bit too much fame on their side to decently talk about them, but according to the reactions I get via comments, I'll consider talking about some more of their stuff on the future. Back to todays post though! I wish to share the first song I heard by them, the one that really sparked my interest, oddly enough it is not their ever popular Handlebars but a re-interpretation of The Turtles' classic, Happy Together.

Now I can fully understand why this version would upset some people. They took the original, made it a bit harder, and got rid of most of the singing in exchange for rap. I understand. I get it. But the way I see it, they used the base of the original as an inspiration, it's a twist, displaying modern times as opposed to when the original first came out, and with that difference, a change of genre was in order. At least that was how I saw it. Who am I anyway?

I really dig the funky feel, the use of the cello and other instruments blending nicely to make this Funk-Rock/Hip-Hop experience. I know it's not for everyone, but I play it when I'm happy. And that's the objective of Mondays for me! So have a nice Monday everyone!

Eminem is meh

No new music today. See, recently I overheard a conversation debating Rap and Eminem...

Usually people can argue about mainstream Rap, and I'll take a listen to each side and have an obvious siding. It's great when arguments are as simple as yes and no. Soulja Boy? No. Lil Wayne? No. Ludacris? Not anymore, and so on.

Now, when that argument reaches Eminem, usually people side with Eminem being top quality. To a point, you can say this is true. Not every rapper can take on dozens of different rhyming styles in a single album, even less can rap multiple styles in a single song. I have no doubt that when it comes to being ballsy enough to give every single rhyming style within reach a shot, and often making it work, Eminem takes the trophy and verbally multiplies it.

However... Eminem is nearing his 40's. He probably he thinks that in his most recent CD, Recovery, he played it off as a mature, understanding rapper. And of course the average mind will completely overlook the lyrics in general and just take the chorus to each song and go:

  "Hey look, Eminem is like, a role model to me like, because he's so mature now and things. Gosh, just listen to that sentimental song with Rihanna Oh Em Gee."

STFU

While glad as I am that it wasn't yet another CD with his teen angst emotions towards his ex-possibly-current-again-when-you-read-this-wife, Kim, 

Careful where you hear this.

and it also wasn't completely full of pent up emo anger over what we already understand is his horrible mother,

HE EVEN SAYS WE'RE PROBABLY TIRED ABOUT HEARING ABOUT HIS MOM

I don't know about you

BUT I SURE AM

and oddly enough, it didn't even have some decent celeb-bash songs. At all.

What it has is a lot of witty rhymes, funny analogies, puns, and catchy beats that we can thank Dr. Dre for. It's what you get if you strip Eminem from his immature mind. He only has one mind, so you're left with empty material. Not that the previous "Relapse" was any better. I suppose if you like nasally accents, though, it's the album for you. 

I don't want to be the hypocrite. I listen to Recovery, I listened to Relapse, my favorite album aren't the classics, it's Encore. The first time I heard Eminem, or any rapper for a whole CD. I don't like every song on it, but it's the CD with the most that I do.

That doesn't change the material-less album that is  Relapse, though it's surprising how well he can rap about simple subjects. That IS talent.

My opinion? If Em were to go spend a summer in Tibet, hell, a week, he'd come back with the best Rap album anyone has had the privilege to hear. He has all the talent I can only wish someone with true insight had, so I say, give him the insight.

Call me when Eminem learns about the part of the world that doesn't revolve around him.

It'll be a musical revolution.

Q.A.P.

Quick Ass Post. That's right. I have done exercise today, I have gone to The Music Store for an autograph (Mike Portnoy.. YEAH!) I have not showered and I have not eaten since breakfast.

Want some more ands? AND my day isn't even over. I could be taking a nice shower, but instead I have the hopes that I can post something before I have to continue my day. Night. Thing.

So what am I gonna leave you with? Well if I could, I'd leave my headache up for grabs to whoever wants it, but I can't. Bummer. I could tell you about how contrary to what I've been told, Mike's a pretty chill dude, but then it'd be over with in too little words. Pft. I could tell you that if you have some form of cold, don't exercise in the blazing hot sun, but this isn't a blog about common sense, it's a blog about music! So instead, I leave you with an awesome video of this dude dealing with a homebuilt PVC instrument. Think Blue Man Group, but with less blue and less men. Some of you may have seen it, it is popular, but hell if I care, I want my shower. Enjoy!

More of snubbyj? Sure!

An amazing and happy happy joy joy side note, I won a contest  (if you can call it that) yesterday through this kick-ass blog that deals with rorschach interpretations. It's one of the favorites. Even before I won some artwork.

"Wait, who's Mike Portnoy?" He's a drummer, I wrote about one of his bands, Liquid Tension, here.

Now for that shower!

What the FLUTE is this?

I admire the use of the flute. Usually as a sound on the side to give a fresh feel, such as used on Mägo de Oz, Puya, or Focus. I also really like it as a main pull, used as the attraction, such as Eric Dolphy, Nestor Torres and others. I'll get in to all of those in good time, for today, we're having a little bit of both worlds.


Today, I want to talk about someone or.. some people, I found through surfing the internet.


 I love youtube. I can casually look at a video of a girl attempting to beat box about her chapstick, to some real beat boxers, to someone who beatboxes with a flute in such a way, that it was just easier to say that the flute was a wand, and he was honestly just a wizard.

Below I'll show a video of this amazing beat boxing flutist who's already gotten some viral fame. But D4 says it's not enough! Notice how you can hear him inhaling and exhaling, despite the loud FCKAPTCH sound he makes to tag along with his flute near the end. He must have the lungs of Superman, and even then, the sound fits the beatbox well.


Fckaptch is a fun word to write. That's why I wrote it again.

I was impressed, but the video had honestly, no information about him. At all. Disappointment quickly vanished as I found his youtube channel, complete with a long list of flute beatboxing videos ranging from Inspector Gadget to some Peter and the Wolf and even the Super  Mario Brothers theme.

At this point I go, Woah, what a kickass one man band! I quickly become a fan of this artist named Greg Pattillo. Not too far from that point, I realize he isn't a one man band, but has a trio.

PROJECT Trio 

is made up of:

Greg Pattillo - Flute 

Eric Stephenson - Cello 

Peter Seymour - Bass

There's significantly less beat boxing in the trio, but their hip jazzy feel pretty much makes up for it. I can't like them any less than I liked Pattillo's Flute-Boxing.

Their Website

The nice smooth jazzy feel is a favorite of mine. The flute with it's slight beatbox and the cello and bass all synchronized perfectly, each instrument complimenting the other. It's beautiful.

PROJECT Trio can be found at cdbaby and are also available for download on iTunes.

Oh, and if you liked it, don't forget to subscribe to their youtube Channel.