That Silly Ole Spelling Bee

Hope you’re enjoying the last day of May and I also hope you enjoyed the annual Scripps National Spelling Bee. Every year there is always something goofy that happens (or so it seems) and the victim of said goofiness this year was the eventual champion Sameer Mishra. I definitely laughed at the following clips when I stumbled in last night and they were just as funny when I replayed them this morning. The first is the aforementioned goofiness that happened this year and the second, super funny and super awkward, clip comes from a CNN interview with last year’s eccentric winner. Enjoy the afternoon and Happy World No Tobacco Day!

[MP3] Fishboy – Half Time at the Proper Name Spelling Bee (check out more Fishboy)

[MP3] The Do: "Stay (Just A Little Bit More)"

I will preface this entire post by making a presumptuous claim: you will really like this song. It’s extremely enjoyable, light, happy, and so perfect in its construction that I don’t even know where it came from! Fear not, for after some light research into the band that created such a terrific gem I received my answer: Finland and France. Ah ha! Perhaps that explains it, a strange pairing of Finnish and French nationalities that are more than adequate at combining the finer elements of folk, jazz, pop, blues, and rock into a beautiful sound.

The Do, as in the first/last note on a standard musical scale, are a charming European duo comprised of Olivia B. Merilahti and Dan Levy. They cite classical and jazz music as their main influences, genres without boundaries for improvisation that they’ve keenly applied to a folk-rock-pop sound which flow through Dan’s instrumentation and Olivia’s silky vocals. “Stay (Just A Little Bit More)” is a splendid blend of clever lyrics and musical structure that should send you into the weekend with an ear-to-ear grin.

[MP3] The Do – Stay (Just A Little Bit More)

Billy Joel may condescendingly consider this the perfect pop song just because of the “if you’re gonna have hit, you gotta make it fit” prescribed length. Don’t let the length fool you though, this song exhibits the type of precise composition that inserts the right instruments at the right time – ukulele, xylophone, guitar, string bass, whistling, strings, shakers, and a playful organ/percussion combination that sounds as if they should be performing under a circus tent. I was extremely impressed at how well this song came together and how enjoyable the lyrics were to read alongside the song (a very funny final verse). This European outfit’s latest album, A Mouthful, was released in January and may very well find its way (along with the band’s popularity) from the Old World to the New before you know it.

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Label Site | MySpace | More MP3s | Download A Mouthful via Cero en Gimnasia

[News] Radiohead say "Unblock it, Mr. Prince!"

For those that attended Prince’s live set at Coachella this year or downloaded a bootleg or even scoured the far corners of YouTube for live clips, you’re probably aware the the Symbol himself covered a handful of songs. It’s not unlike Prince to cover great songs on big stages, so when the man in purple covered Radiohead’s “Creep” it became on overnight viral video via cell phones, digital cameras, small camcorders, and any other miniscule video recording device(s) that could be easily hidden from the scary men in XXL yellow SECURITY t-shirts.

Hiding the live videos from the security staff is one thing but keeping them out of sight from the big wig copyright vultures is another, it coming as no surprise that the cover versions of “Creep” were all yanked from YouTube due to copyright infringement. Thom Yorke, having received a text message about Prince’s cover (which he thought was hilarious), was humorously confused when bandmate Ed O’Brien said the copyright blocking of the video prohibited him from seeing the cover. Thom isn’t passive (to say the least) and knows a few things about copyright – he’s calling for Prince, the same artist who released his own music via Sunday morning British newspaper, to put the video back up!

“Really? He’s blocked it?” asked Yorke, who figured it was their song to block or not. “Surely we should block it. Hang on a moment.” Yorke added, “Well, tell him to unblock it. It’s our song.”

It’ll be interesting to see if one mega-musician responds to another, especially considering both Prince (released his first CD to internet in 1997) and Radiohead (e.g. In Rainbows experiment) have been forward thinkers in the internet medium.

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On a side note, a very “Happy 21^st Birthday” to my good friend Stacy! Her big day of legality has finally come so the chapter of her life dealing with the memorization of false information and flirtation with omnipotent bouncers has come to a close. I’ll be joining up with her in a few hours (after I introduce this next band) to drink poolside for a bit and then board the Party Bus for a night of bar hopping debauchery in Cincinnati! Check out a few fun tracks below and a picture of what this drunkard will be in store for..

[MP3] Matt Singer – Stacy J. (Hilarious; definitely listen!)
[MP3] Stacy Epps – Arms (feat. Bilal Salaam)

Thursdays and Covers

The last time I threw up multiple cover versions of the same song and polled everyone on their personal favorites it seemed to be an enjoyable, interactive hit. This time around we’ll spice things up a bit by gauging the public opinion on The Beatles “Come Together”. The song, as some of you Beatlemaniacs know, was originally written by John Lennon for Timothy Leary’s 1970 California gubernatorial campaign against Ronald Reagan. Leary, using the campaign slogan “Come together, join the party”, joined John & Yoko at their famous Montreal bed-in where Lennon constructed him a campaign song. Of course Leary’s arrest on marijuana possession ended his campaign and Lennon reformatted the song to the well-known version existing today. Below are a handful of “Come Together” covers, some of which you may know and some you may not (look out for a sweet vocal bass line from McFerrin and solid vocals from comedian Robin Williams), that offer up some different twists on the Lennon classic. Either way, you’re in charge of passing judgement on your favorite!

[MP3] Joe Cocker – Come Together
[MP3] Axl Rose & Bruce Springsteen – Come Together (Live)
[MP3] Tom Jones – Come Together (Live)
[MP3] Ike & Tina Turner – Come Together
[MP3] Michael Jackson – Come Together
[MP3] Soundgarden – Come Together
[MP3] Robin Williams & Bobby McFerrin – Come Together

more at twiigs.com…

[MP3] Pretty Good Dance Moves: "P.G.D.M."

“You’ve got pretty good dance moves and white Converse shoes” -P.G.D.M.
Nothing like a little electro pop on a breezy, sun drenched afternoon to get your feet tapping. Pretty Good Dance Moves are, well, pretty good at combining appealing electronic beats and loops with simple lyrics and back-and-forth female/male vocals. The electro-instrumentation is appealing enough to grab your eardrum’s attention, but the polar opposite vocal effect of the standard male, light vocals of lead singer Jimmy with the smooth singing of Company Of Thieves (future post in the works) lead Genevieve Shatz. Her vocals are somewhat dreamy, strong, and may very well remind you of a sort of diet Regina Spektor – some want the sugar and some don’t. The track “P.G.D.M.” appears to be a self-abbreviated form of their band name, leading one to wonder which came came first (the chicken or the egg?!), encompasses the aforementioned fine ingredients of an electric style of pop music with the charming male/female vocal waltz – a pretty good dance move within itself.

[MP3] Pretty Good Dance Moves – P.G.D.M. (song removed by request, link goes to hype machine)

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MusicNation Site | MySpace | More MP3s | “P.G.D.M” on KEXP’s Song of the Day

[MP3] March Fourth Marching Band: "Space Hole"

March Fourth is a date, a command, and a band. Imagine Duke Ellington meets Sgt. Pepper in an international big-top Fantasia evoking a familial community reminiscent of the Grateful Dead. Imagine a 1920’s speakeasy where Mr. Bungle meets the Shogun Warriors in a PG Clockwork Orange. Imagine running into this 35-person spectacle marching through a festival, down a street, or onto stage. The impact is immediate and infectious.

I was in the midst of constructing another post this morning (it’ll be up later) when I became seriously sidetracked by a bizarre band out of Portland, OR. I’ve been clicking hotlink after hotlink, video after video, and song after song in an attempt to wrap my noggin around the eclectic outfit known as the March Fourth Marching Band. The Pacific Northwest has definitely come to be known as a creative hotspot over the years and I’m slowly piecing together that Portland may take the crazy, albeit in a seriously good way, cake. This creative entity seems like every high school band member’s dream come true, every marching musicians own crème de la crème, and just a giant ball of noisy fun. I’m guessing some of our Portland based readers could help give us a native’s perspective on this act but until they do enjoy their original composition titled “Space Hole” (2007 International Songwriting Contest Winner) and a video released in 2004 highlighting the bands initial premise and origins! (“We got home from Burning Man…”)

[MP3] March Fourth Marching Band – Space Hole

Note to self: I need to make a trip out to Portland.

[MP3] March Fourth Marching Band: "Space Hole"

March Fourth is a date, a command, and a band. Imagine Duke Ellington meets Sgt. Pepper in an international big-top Fantasia evoking a familial community reminiscent of the Grateful Dead. Imagine a 1920’s speakeasy where Mr. Bungle meets the Shogun Warriors in a PG Clockwork Orange. Imagine running into this 35-person spectacle marching through a festival, down a street, or onto stage. The impact is immediate and infectious.

I was in the midst of constructing another post this morning (it’ll be up later) when I became seriously sidetracked by a bizarre band out of Portland, OR. I’ve been clicking hotlink after hotlink, video after video, and song after song in an attempt to wrap my noggin around the eclectic outfit known as the March Fourth Marching Band. The Pacific Northwest has definitely come to be known as a creative hotspot over the years and I’m slowly piecing together that Portland may take the crazy, albeit in a seriously good way, cake. This creative entity seems like every high school band member’s dream come true, every marching musicians own crème de la crème, and just a giant ball of noisy fun. I’m guessing some of our Portland based readers could help give us a native’s perspective on this act but until they do enjoy their original composition titled “Space Hole” (2007 International Songwriting Contest Winner) and a video released in 2004 highlighting the bands initial premise and origins! (“We got home from Burning Man…”)

[MP3] March Fourth Marching Band – Space Hole

Note to self: I need to make a trip out to Portland.

[B-Side] The Kooks: "No Longer"

Back when The Kooks first jumped onto the scene, their clever riffs, nifty lyricism, and those damn catchy British-infused vocals made it extremely easy to dive headfirst into their sound. A few years and sophomore release later, The Kooks have all but cemented their popularity in the U.K. – continuing to garner praise and fans alike. For those that didn’t run out and purchase Konk the day it released (like me), you missed out on a limited edition bonus disc titled Rak with nine b-sides! Nine may seem like a lot for one b-side disc, but when you claim to have 80-90 songs written I suppose it’s a small portion in the grand scheme of things.

[MP3] The Kooks – No Longer

I enjoy “No Longer” because it’s far more organic than most of the pop laden, electrically infused tracks that The Kooks have all but come to represent. Aside from appreciating the “toned down” sound The Kooks represent in this song, I love the harmonies they’ve utilized to inject some vibes that are caught in between catchy and groovy. This band is multi-talented; a large reason why “No Longer” strikes me as different could be due to the fact that lead guitarist/back-up vocalist Hugh Harris wrote and took on the duties of being lead vocalist the entire song!

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Official Site | MySpace | More MP3s | <a href=”
http://www.insound.com/search/showrelease.jsp?from=19060&p=INS43835″>Buy Konk

Georgia’s always on my mind

Please forgive the potential lack of updates from my side of the equation this week– I’ve headed down south, Georgia way, for about a week with my family. As a kid who grew up in a predominantly liberal environment (with the exception of my four-year span at a conservative christian boarding school), I’ve been living in somewhat of a bubble in the Northeast. Right now I’m in a hotel in Myrtle Beach, S.C. — far from the deep south I’ll be hightailing through in a few days — and culture shock has already set in.

Without going on a tangent, can someone explain this to me: earlier today I passed by a small house which looked to be inhabited by an african american family (standing around the porch and lawn) that had swinging boldly from its flagpole a confederate flag! The good ol’ stars and bars, standing in defiance to the Northern aggressors who had the nerve to dare to support the abolitionist movement! Maybe I’m reading into things too much, but damn. That caught me off guard. (or maybe it’s more common than I thought)

Anyway, I’ll be praying for free wifi hotspots during my travels so I can toss up a few more updates before the end of the week. Wish me luck! I’ll leave you with a track about Georgia and one from a Georgia native.

[MP3] Elliott Smith – Georgia, Georgia
[MP3] Neutral Milk Hotel – Bucket (rare)

Any northerners got any crazy stories about their travels to the deep south? Or on the other side, any southerners felt the shock from the unforgiving northeast?

Happy Memorial Day!

“I have never been able to think of the day as one of mourning; I have never quite been able to feel that half-masted flags were appropriate on Decoration Day. I have rather felt that the flag should be at the peak, because those whose dying we commemorate rejoiced in seeing it where their valor placed it. We honor them in a joyous, thankful, triumphant commemoration of what they did.” -Benjamin Harrison

[MP3] Donovan – Universal Soldier