Category: Music

Here we go….

holyshitholyshitholyshitHOLYSHIT! New MUSE! This is the track that was the subject of the global scavenger hunt that I talked about last week. A track off their new album, The Resistance, which comes out this September. They’ve always been obviously inspired by Queen, but in this track? Wearing it on their sleeves. I *love* this. Muse – “United States of Eurasia (+ Collateral Damage).”

A song used on SYTYCD this week — a 2002 piece from Brooklyn-based musician Clarence Greenwood, released under his pseudonym, Citizen Cope. It’s been used in a bunch of different places (several TV shows, an Acura commercial, etc.), so you might be familiar with it: Citizen Cope – “Let the Drummer Kick.”

A brilliant single from Regina Spektor, who starts of with a bit of mockery and turns it into a great song in its own right: Regina Spektor – “Dance Anthem of the 80s.”

From Southland Tales, an absolutely amazing version of our national anthem. The minute I saw the performance during the film, I new that I’d feature the song here. It’s that good. Rebekah del Rio and the Section Quartet – “The Star Spangled Banner.”

The latest single from Mos Def, from his album The Ecstatic, showcasing why he is currently my favorite MC. Mos Def – “Quiet Dog.”

…and we’ll close with more hip-hop, albeit of a goofier variety, called “gangsta folk” by the artists themselves: Flight of the Conchords – “Hiphopopotamus vs Rhymenoceros.”

There you go. Enjoy!

Been very busy, so I haven’t had the time to go scouting as much as I’d like to.

Here is some new music that I did find, though:

First up: I always prefer to listen to songs in their original language — songwriters write lyrics with specific rhythms and tones in mind, in addition to meaning. This gets lost when the songs are translated. Shakira is a great example of this — I love her Spanish material, but can’t stand the English stuff that has been released. She has a new song, and I stumbled across a site that had in in both language versions — the problem is that the directly-translated lyrics are awful. So, instead of giving you “She Wolf”, I’m giving you the version she wrote first: Shakira – “Loba.”

Zero 7, one of my favorite electronica outfits, has their first new album in 3 years coming out soon. The first track from Yeah Ghost has been sent out to various blogs, and it sound as good as everything else they’ve done: Zero 7 – “Everything Up (Zizou).”

Here’s a track from London-based Guy Connelly, who records under the name Clock Opera – “Once and For All.”

I still haven’t found a complete track from the new Muse album. They’re doing a brilliant marketing scheme, where they’ve taken a song from the album, “The United States of Eurasia”, put it on USB sticks and scattered in in various cities around the globe. They’re doing a world-wide scavenger hunt. Here’s a news story about it. They’ve also leaked an all-too brief sample of the song, which, if you want to torture yourself with an incomplete listen, can be heard by clicking here.

Here we go….

First up — something that I discovered during the recent Iranian uprising. Western music is illegal there, but there is a thriving underground scene, often with music recorded by expat Iranians, smuggled back into the country. Here is a bit of Iranian hip-hop, recorded by the Netherlands-based female MC, Farinaz. The title translates as “In the Name of Women” — a song of political and cultural protest. Farinaz – “Be Name Zan.”

A request by Dotta Numba 2, here is some NYC-based gypsy-punk: Gogol Bordello – “Start Wearing Purple.”

Something old, now — forgive the cock-rock, but this is my all-time favorite track by this band, far more than the lovely but now-clichéd “Stairway to Heaven.” I find this much more musically interesting — plus: DUDE! How could teenage me *not* buzz to these lyrics: “Oh let the sun beat down upon my face, stars to fill my dream — I am a traveler of both time and space, to be where I have been.” Led Zeppelin – “Kashmir.”

The latest ear-worm– the infectious bit of music used for the new Palm Pre commercial. I needed to find out who this was, and thankfully South By Southwest had the answer, and a free mp3: IO Echo – “Doorway.”

I heard this on this week’s episode of So You Think You Can Dance (yes, I watch it. Shut up.), and was reminded how much I like it. I prefer the original Betty Hutton version from 1944, but try finding *that* as an mp3 online…. So, here’s the version from the film “For the Boys” — Bette Midler – “Stuff Like That There.”

Lastly, in honor of Nikola Tesla’s 153rd birthday (while simultaneously avoiding anything by the god-awful hair-metal band that took his name), here’s some 1984-vintage Orchestral Maneuvers In The Dark – “Tesla Girls.”

Enjoy.