Archive for the ‘Music’ Category

The Lion Sleeps Tonight

Thursday, November 14th, 2013

Since I’ve reached the age where being “cool” is impossible anyway, I can link things others might find corny, like this version of The Tokens revisiting their big hit “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”:

This, of course, was an adaptation of Solomon Linda’s “Mbube”:

But the Tokens version is better and more interesting, despite the fact that they could be mistaken for 4 Jacks and a Jill. It’s obvious lead singer Jay Siegel still loves singing this song even after four decades.

But my favorite version, which sort of combines the sensibilities of the two, is Ladysmith Black Mombazo and all-girl acapella group The Mint Julips covering it, from a PBS special called Spike and Company Do It Acapella from back in 1990.

Shoegazer Sunday: DIIV’s “Wait”

Sunday, November 10th, 2013

For your Sunday doze of shoegaze, here’s New York’s DIIV with the NSFW-ish “Wait.”

Shoegazer Sunday: Black Tambourine’s “Throw Aggi Off The Bridge”

Sunday, October 27th, 2013

For your Sunday dose of shoegaze, here’s Black Tambourine’s “Throw Aggi Off The Bridge.”

Shoegazer Sunday: Velveteen’s “Poster Boy”

Sunday, October 20th, 2013

Velveteen is a band from Germany most famous (for certain values of “famous”) for having their album hoaxed as a Death Cab for Cutie album. (Disclaimer: I couldn’t recognize a Death Cab for Cutie song with a gun to my head.) Correction: The band wrote to note they’re the London Velveteen, not the German one. “Poster Boy” is another video whose theme is “War is bad and stuff.” Or alternately, “stock footage from the Vietnam is pretty cheap.”

Shoegazer Sunday: Ride’s “OX4”

Sunday, October 13th, 2013

Here’s another dose of classic UK Shoegaze band Ride with “OX4.” Hard to understand how this never charted, as it has a perfect, catchy pop melody underpinning it.

It reminds me a little of Brain Eno’s early solo work…

Shoegazer Sunday: Starframe’s “Broody Soldier”

Sunday, October 6th, 2013

Here’s another dose of Italy’s Starframes with “Broody Solider,” whose message seems to be that war is bad and stuff.

The video appears to have been done by somebody who watched Tapeheads.

Shoegaze Sunday: The Telewire’s “Never Been Alive”

Sunday, September 29th, 2013

Here’s another dose of The Telewire. “Never Been Alive” sounds like The Archies dropping acid.

I mean that in a good way.

Shoegazer Sunday: SPC ECO’s “Push”

Sunday, September 22nd, 2013

Sunday’s does of Shoegaze comes top you from SPC ECO (supposedly pronounced “Space Echo”)’s “Push”:

There’s also a tiny bit of 8-bit and dub in there for flavor.

I listened to this and few of their other song’s and went “This sounds a bit like Curve,” and indeed half the duo is Dean Garcia, who was in Curve.

Musical Mashup Frenzy

Friday, September 20th, 2013

Someone did a mashup of The Ting Tings’ “That’s Not My Name” with The Knack’s “My Sharona,” Toni Basil’s “Mickey,” Plastic Bertrand’s “Ça Plane Pour Moi” and a few other things, and damn if it isn’t catchy, especially when you get about 4:00 in.

Then again, I’m a sucker for additive processes leading up to a glorious wall-of-sound climax.

It reminds me a lot of The Killers’ “All These Things That I’ve Done,” so here that is as well:

Shoegazer Sunday: The Sunshine Factory’s “My Sugar Cane”

Sunday, September 15th, 2013

For your Sunday dose of Shoegaze, here’s Mobile, Alabama-based The Sunshine Factory, with the bright, distortion-drenched “My Sugar Cane.”

Really, more regular blogging will resume Any Day Now…