Category: Music

Here we go–

First off, I’m eagerly awaiting The Fame Monster, the new album from Lady Gaga, due on the 27th. Originally, it was just supposed to be a few new singles tacked onto a re-release of her debut, The Fame, but she successfully lobbied her label, and now it’s a full 8-track CD, available on its own, or packaged in a 2-disc deluxe edition with a copy of The Fame (for those who have ignored my Friday Music posts this year and don’t own it yet). Instead of posting one of the new singles, I’m posting an interesting version of a well-known one: stripped down, no band, no synths, just her and a piano. Lady Gaga – “Poker Face (acoustic version).”

The refrain from this song (“Bang bang bang bang… Vamanos vamanos!”) has been stuck in my head, ever since I saw the commercial for Left 4 Dead 2 that features it. A track inspired by traditional blues, from their recent album, From Beale Street to Oblivion: Clutch – “Electric Worry.”

I posted about Kutiman and his Thru You project earlier in the year — he took video clips of people playing music that he found on Youtube (piano recital, drum lessons, singers, rappers etc.), and mixed them into original compositions. This is one of my favorites- after listening to the song, go to the site (linked at the beginning of this paragraph) and watch the video, which stitches together the original video sources. Brilliant. He’s remixed the planet. Kutiman – “I’m New.”

Chiddy Bang are a Philly-area threesome, comprised of a keyboard player, a drummer and an MC. Check them out on their myspace page — great stuff. Sharp instrumentals and beats, with some seriously skilled rhyming, geek references, etc. This track, based around a tempo-shifted Sufjan Stevens vocal sample in the chorus, becomes their “cover” of one of his songs: Chiddy Bang – “All Things Go.”

More hip-hop, this time from the Pacific Northwest, with definitely its own regional feel, separate from the East/West/South sounds that have dominated the national scene. Chill organ samples, an almost Thievery-Corporation-esque vibe on the instrumentals, and some inventive lyrical structures. Ohmega Watts – “Stay Tuned (feat. Sojourn).”

Even more hip-hop — this track wormed its way into my head from its use during the recent World Series win for the Yankees — and it quickly became one of those tracks which makes me miss living in NYC: Jay-Z – “Empire State of Mind (featuring Alicia Keyes)”

Lastly, some House, which I don’t post as often as I should. Get yer asses moving: DJ Sprinkles – “Grand Central, Part 1 (Deep Into The Bowel of House Bassline Dub)”

There ya go. Enjoy.

Hey there, Kats n’ Kittens — another weekly mixtape of ‘teh intarwebs’ for ya:

First, one of the tracks that featured in Emilie Autumn’s show this week — a remix she had featured on the soundtrack to Saw IV, which I will now forever associate with fire-hoop dancing: Emilie Autumn – “Dead Is The New Alive (Manipulator Mix)”

Here’s a bit of a rare gem — an unreleased track from Muse, taken from (I believe) their sessions from The Resistance. The Internet is a wondrous thing, neh? Muse – “Soaked (unreleased).”

Love this — a roots-music/folk/alterna-pop act called The Wailin’ Jennies do a brilliant cover of an Emylou Harris classic. Even better, this is a live recording, giving a clear picture of just how good they are: The Wailin’ Jennies – “Deeper Well.”

Pomplamoose have a new cover song out on YouTube — their version of MJ’s “Beat It.” After you’ve done watching, click here to download the mp3, which the band has made available via mediafire: Pomplamoose – “Beat It.”

Here’s a bit of the new hotness in the South African electro scene. It’s been growing on me the more I listen to it. Popskarr – “Tonight.”

The local “alternative” station does a show at lunchtime called “The 90s at Noon”, and this week, during one of my rare forays into radio listenership, I heard them play “Angry Johnny” by Poe. Whereas I loved that song, you still hear it from time to time — but you almost never hear her other single from the same album, which I loved even more: Poe – “Trigger Happy Jack (Radio Edit)”

Watching the news this morning — seeing the stories from Fort Hood, pictures of the lunatics that the GOP brought to Capitol Hill for yet another anti-Obama protest, and stories about the wars we’re still in nearly a decade on… I needed to hear this song. I think it’s worth spreading around. Elvis Costello & The Attractions – “What’s So Funny ‘Bout Peace, Love and Understanding.”

Listening to Costello from that period always leads me to think of this track from Marshall Crenshaw from around the same time, who was very much of the same ilk, and whom I was convinced would be equally big. Marshall Crenshaw – “Someday, Someway.”

There you go. If a link gives you trouble, try copy-and-paste — some of these are pulled from flash players and sometimes they don’t like hotlinking, but a C&P usually gets around that.

Enjoy, and I’ll see you for more next week.

Friday kinda snuck up on me — I didn’t have a chance to do my usual site-digging for mp3 goodies during the week.

In honor of Halloween, though, I’ll leave you with this:

Marilyn Manson – “I Put A Spell On You.”

(and that’s about it — I’m afraid that several years of Halloween-themed Friday Music installments have exhausted my “spooky novelty” resources.)