This week’s installment:
Caught a recent episode of ICONOCLASTS, the Sundance Channel show where they film as two creatives from different fields hang out and talk (the first episode I saw was Quentin Tarantino and Fiona Apple, for example). This most recent episode featured Eddie Vedder (from Pearl Jam) and Laird Hamilton. They hung out at Hamilton’s family home in Hawaii, and talked art, music and surfing. During the show, Vedder played the following song for Hamilton, which was recorded as a tribute to the big wave rider: Pearl Jam – “Big Wave.”
Catching the internet trailer for Lost Boys 2, and hearing the emo cover of “Cry Little Sister” during it (by some group called Aiden, which will be featured on the soundtrack), reminded me of how much I liked Gerard McMann’s original. According to the wiki entry, McMann says that he’s recorded new material for the new film. Another chalk mark in the “maybe it won’t suck” column. Gerard McMann – “Cry Little Sister.”
For : The original single version, complete with Max Headroom: The Art of Noise (feat. Max Headroom): “Paranoimia.”
Some new Swedish pop, with a distinctly Winehousean vibe, from one of the contestants of their version of the ubiquitous Idol competitions. Pretty good stuff. Amanda Jenssen – “Do You Love Me.”
There was a turntable group in NYC that called themselves the X-Men. They got an album release in the early part of this decade, where, for legal reasons, they were called the X-Ecutioners. They had one single, a collaboration with Linkin Park, to cash in on the rap-rock sound, which was actually pretty good: The X-Ecutioners (feat. Linkin Park) – “It’s Going Down.”
I was listening to Donald Fagen’s “The Nightfly” earlier this week. It still blows me away — only 8 tracks, and every one of them perfect. Here’s one of my favorites — a cautionary tale of an interracial Romeo & Juliet: Donald Fagen – “Green Flower Street.”
Lastly, some remixed Miles Davis, from the Evolution of the Groove Remix album. Late in the song, they hand some MC duties over to Nas, and it’s not bad — but really, I think they should have kept it just the Miles stuff, which is far, far better. Miles Davis (feat. Nas) – “Freedom Jazz Dance (Evolution of the Groove).”
