11 posts tagged “music”
I've covered DJ Earworm's spectacular mashups before, but I must inform you that he has a new song up on his site called "Together As One". Take a listen. It involves U2, The Beatles, Diana Ross, and Mariah Carey. In my opinion this is one of the only ways (besides the mute button) to make Mariah tolerable. That sums up the quality of this track.
Secondly, there is a super secret (or not) cache of youtube videos by what seems to be a small group of French bloggers called La Blogotheque. Their videos have low production values but tend toward the awesome. Filmed mostly in Paris, but sometimes elsewhere, they feature global indie bands big and small including REM, Of Montreal, Beirut, and the Shins. Unlike other music videos, these have an interesting twist - such as performing in public to unsuspecting French people, singing in an apartment bathroom, or shoving the entire Arcade Fire into an elevator. Why? On ne sait pas.
Here are two of my favorite Blogotheque videos. Cold War Kids singing "St. John" while being pushed on a cart through a factory, and Grizzly Bear singing "The Knife" a capella while strolling through Paris. The a capella version is as good or better than the album version.
These Chinese guys filled a huge line of bottles with different amounts of liquid so they make a different tone when struck. They attached a "mallet" to a remote-control car so when the car drives by it strikes the bottles. Tempo is controlled by spacing the bottles apart.
Naturally, as all electronics platforms play Doom, so do all Internet instruments play the Mario Theme.
The Internet (and the Chinese) win this round!
But, for a rocking good time, check out this site: tony-b.org.
It's a mouse or keyboard-powered synth-like toy complete with drum loops and fun sound effects. You can even save your recordings. I'll be perfectly honest, this little toy makes you sound pretty great - a one man dance party!
This practically derailed an entire day's worth of productivity at the office. Whoops.
Note, "flip" the switch for either qwerty or azerty layouts, depending where you are in the world :-)
On his website is a new song called The United State of Pop which combines the top 25 songs of 2007 from the Billboard Charts. This sounds like it would be a terrible idea, but it's pretty good.
On the site you can listen to a ton of other stuff too - and it includes a list of the source songs for each composition.
My favorite piece is this one which combines Scissor Sisters, the Beatles, Aretha Franklin, and George Michael into a sonic wonderland. You will not be disappointed or your money back.
Some nice news in the world of civic engineering – researchers in Hokkaido, Japan have patented “musical roads”. A series of grooves are cut into the road surface. Depending on how far apart they are, they form different tones. So far there is a pop song carved into at least one road. Playback only works at 28mph and can be difficult to “hear” just right.
I’ve never liked the rib-juddering rumble strips before toll booths that are trying to slow you down on the approach, but I never imagined they could be adjusted to make music.
Here are some songs that I can't get enough of right now. I've linked to youtube videos where possible, but please get your paws on the others. Some of the videos are not the greatest quality, as can be expected.
Knife - Grizzly Bear
They sure know how to arrange, harmonize, repeat. If the glee club sang awesome songs, this band would happen.
Saint John - Cold War Kids
Dirty sounding rock that constantly sounds like it's about to derail yet doesn't. Hint o' blues.
They Won't Go When I Go - Stevie Wonder
Actually the blues, sung the way the blues should be sung
Melo do Vitiligo - Bonde do Role
Dirty Brazilian baile funk. With a little help from AC/DC. Who cares what they're saying?
Ocean of Noise - Arcade Fire
Reminds me of old U2 somehow.
Penelope - Of Montreal
Triptastically happy. Literally combines 3 songs in one, all at the same time. Could be drug-induced.
Fake Empire - The National
Sexy/depressing bass voice and just a well done song with a cool transition of rhythm.
The Libertine - Patrick Wolf
A half-crazed song about doing what you want from a musician who does what he wants.
Long Time Traveler - The Wailin' Jennys
A capella bluegrass/gospel. Not earth-shattering. Just pretty.
I Hate Camera - The Bird and the Bee
Breezy chorus. Song about being famous, yet not annoying.
Fluorescent Adolescent - Arctic Monkeys
Bouncy tune with well written lyrics. The music video is lame.
Oh You Pretty Things - David Bowie
Just....classic. This vintage BBC video is absolutely excellent.
John Saw That Number - Neko Case
Gospel-ish alt country. She has a really strong voice, and this song shows it.
I literally think they make perfect rock. The music has some jazz and country hints, and they aren't afraid of multipart vocal arrangements or syncopation. But even better, it's catchy and fast - the kind of songs you will want to sing when you are in a bar and a little drunk.
So do yourself a favor and take a listen!
This is a whole subculture I never knew about, and it is as awesome and silly as you can imagine.
These people are serious about not playing the guitar. It is in some US theaters now and has been making the indie film and concert circuit as well.
This reminds me a little of the real instruments that would play themselves at House on the Rock, a highly eccentric home-now-museum in Wisconsin that I visited as a child. Incidentally, it played a significant role in the equally strange but wonderful book American Gods by Neil Gaiman. Visit, if you get a chance.
