There is only one album set to release this year that I am more excited for than Lady Gaga's Born This Way and Kanye West and Jay Z's Watch the Throne. That album is Coldplay's Mylo Xyloto. Not only did i love EVERYTHING about their first single Every Teardrop is a Waterfall including the awesome stop motion video, but this new single called Paradise is just as good. Take a listen for yourself.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Muppet's Post Addendum
Yesterday I blogged about the Muppet's Green Album which features celebrity covers of some of their hits. Today Id like to post an addendum since OKGO just released their video for the Muppet Show theme song, and boy is it amazing. Not only do they combine classic muppet characters and elements, but they also use some of their best music videos as a backdrop for the video.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Muppets the Green Album
When I opened up Aol Music today I found that the entire "Muppets Green Album" (a nod to the Beatles "White Album") was up for free listening. What I did not expect was that the entire album of Muppet's Classics (The Rainbow Connection, Manah Manah) are sung by contemporary artists the likes of OKGO and Weezer. You can check out the entire album yourself by clicking here, and leave your comments in the section below! I for one am loving it, but then again I am a huge muppets freak.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Why you should be using Spotify:
Let me start by saying this: I work at a desk all day, in an office where I am the only
person here. Spotify might not be suitable for everyone’s work environment like it is for me, but let me tell you, this program has changed my life. An import from England (why is it that England is way ahead of the music game than America?) this music streaming program allows you to listen to endless amounts of free music. Think Itunes meets Pandora. Not only can you add your own music, but you can also search for albums and add songs to playlists. You can search for music you were too skeptical to buy because you could only hear 60 second snippets thanks to Itunes, and listen to the songs and album in full. Yes, not every song is available on Spotify yet but I can only assume that it's only a matter of time.
This FREE service comes with limited commercials which can be a bit annoying at times, but it's totally worth it for this free unbelievable service. Where else can I make a playlist that features The Steve Miller Band, Coldplay, Simon and Garfunkel, Madonna, Maroon 5 and T.I? (I’m sure I could find this through random shuffle on my ipod, but I am lazy and need a way to listen at work without headphones). This service is seriously for anyone who loves music (even you mom! They have Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra).
To request an invitation for Spotify click here and create your account today! Also if you are super cool and have a smart phone this can be added as an app!
person here. Spotify might not be suitable for everyone’s work environment like it is for me, but let me tell you, this program has changed my life. An import from England (why is it that England is way ahead of the music game than America?) this music streaming program allows you to listen to endless amounts of free music. Think Itunes meets Pandora. Not only can you add your own music, but you can also search for albums and add songs to playlists. You can search for music you were too skeptical to buy because you could only hear 60 second snippets thanks to Itunes, and listen to the songs and album in full. Yes, not every song is available on Spotify yet but I can only assume that it's only a matter of time.
This FREE service comes with limited commercials which can be a bit annoying at times, but it's totally worth it for this free unbelievable service. Where else can I make a playlist that features The Steve Miller Band, Coldplay, Simon and Garfunkel, Madonna, Maroon 5 and T.I? (I’m sure I could find this through random shuffle on my ipod, but I am lazy and need a way to listen at work without headphones). This service is seriously for anyone who loves music (even you mom! They have Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra).
To request an invitation for Spotify click here and create your account today! Also if you are super cool and have a smart phone this can be added as an app!
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Best Music Videos of 2011 (so far)
I know it’s been a while since my last post, so I’m trying to come back on this one with a bang. I’m going to list my favorite music videos of 2011 so far. As you know music videos hold a lot of water in my estimation. They need to have one or more of the following qualities in order for me to like them 1) It has to be visually appealing 2) It has to be humorous, or not take itself too seriously 3) It should relate in some way to the song (even if that means splashing the lyrics occasionally on screen). So here goes:
10. Yellowcard: Hang You Up: I’m not sure why I found this video so funny, but It was amusing to me that no matter where Ryan, the lead singer of Yellowcard goes, everyone thinks its bizarre that he is singing. Basically it’s breaking the fourth wall within a music video, since most music videos have the singers singing and most of the people in the video completely oblivious. I particularly like when his ex-girlfriend, who he keeps singing about, comes on screen and without seeing who it is knows it’s her ex-boyfriend because he keeps singing. She says “I got a restraining order against you! You can’t sing within 500 feet of me!” Hilarious.
9. Ke$ha: Blow: “No Mythical Creatures were harmed in the making of this video.” Genius. I love how Ke-dollar sign- ha doesn’t take herself very seriously. I love James Van Der Beek in this video saying “Don’t Slanderbeek my name.” And I particularly like how their guns shoot rainbows! Can I get one of those?
8. Maroon 5: Never Gonna Leave this Bed: Originally, when I heard this song off of the album it was one of my favorites. I imagined a sexy romp in the sack video with Adam Levine (which in and of itself would have landed on this list). What I got instead, was an interestingly thought out video. What would happen if we decided NEVER to get out of bed? Maroon 5 tells us that the bed will travel with us (Bed knobs and Broomsticks was obviously WAY ahead of its time!) Needless to say, Adam Levine in a moving truck bed or a bed in the middle of Santa Monica is definitely a sight to be seen.
7. Foo Fighters: Walk: This video, a funny replica of the 1993 movie Falling Down starring Michael Douglas tells the story of an average guy who basically cracks while stuck in traffic. The movie is a bit more violent, where this is more amusing, and features Grohl in the same getup (down to the glasses) as Douglas.
6. All Time Low: I Feel Like Dancin’: This satire on the music business shows the band in the middle of trying to film a music video. They are getting advice from a manager type guy from “the label” who has his own advice for exactly how the video should go. He has 3 tips to make a video succeed all “following the model” of other music videos. I won’t ruin the surprise but the last one is by far the most hilarious. I actually laughed out loud.
5. Coldplay: Every Teardrop is a Waterfall: This video falls into the ‘visually appealing’ category. It uses a similar stop motion technique to their video Strawberry Swing but it doesn’t disappoint. When it gets to the main part where everything is backlit it plays out like an intimate and cool concert that you wish you were actually participating in.
4. Matt and Kim: Cameras: I love a good old fashion fight video and Matt and Kim’s Cameras does not disappoint in that vein. Not only did this video look fun to shoot, but many of the hits actually look quite real and make me wonder how bruised they got in the process.
3. The Black Keys: Howlin for You: Not only did the Black Keys give their video a plot, they gave it the plot of a movie! It’s an entire fake preview for a movie that doesn’t exist and it is brilliant. It appears to be a mix of Kill Bill and possibly a random buddy cop comedy? Regardless it’s quite smart and interesting.
2. Katy Perry: Last Friday Night TGIF: From start to finish I love this video. From the random cameos (Darren Criss? Rebecca Black?? HANSON!?) to the great acting by Katy Perry as a nerd turned pretty woman for a night, not to mention a crazy cameo by (“uncle”) Kenny G who plays the sax solo on the song, and then 80’s icons Debbie Gibson and Corey Feldman this video is an extreme foray into awesomeness.
1. Beastie Boys: Make Some Noise: This tops my list for part of the same reason as Katy Perry’s. CAMEOS ABOUND! Will Arnett?! Rashida Jones!? Kristin Dunst!? Will Ferrel! I LOVE how this video captures the same sentiment as Fight for your right to Party. I love even more that they hired actors (Elijah wood, Seth Rogen, Danny McBride) to play the versions of themselves straight from their other video (since they are definitely too old to play themselves now). On top of it all this song, is classic Beastie Boys. Basically everything about this video is pure genius.
Notable Visually Appealing Videos: Death Cab for Cutie: You are a Tourist: this light and action show supposedly was captured in one take, if that’s the case it’s a huge feat.
Maroon 5: Hands All Over: Stylized animation of Adam Levine? Hells yes.
What are your favorite videos of 2011 so far?
Friday, June 17, 2011
Glee's Top Ten Covers
In honor of the Glee concert last night at the Izod Center in New Jersey which I attended (YAY), I’d like to list my favorite Glee covers and why they are so great.
If you haven’t seen Glee, it is a television show about a group of misfit high schoolers who make up the school’s show choir and perform for their chance at the state and national championships, with many bumps and typical high school drama and romanced mixed in.
10. Blackbird originally performed by the Beatles, covered by Chris Kolfer (Kurt): I happen to love Kurt/Chris and think he has one of the most interesting voices on the show, that’s not to say it’s the best because it doesn’t compare the powerhouse vocals of either Rachel or Mercedes, but it is still really interesting in unique. Kurt has many great hits (I particularly love his duets with Rachel and find all of them to be really beautiful melodically), but this one really touches my heart. The Beatles song, while slow and sweet is brough alive by Kurt and the Warblers and made all that much better.
9. Maybe This Time from the musical Cabaret performed by Kristin Chenoweth (April Rhodes) and Lea Michele (Rachel): In my house, Kristin Chenoweth can do no wrong. We would see every show she is in and love it regardless of its quality (For Example: The Apple Tree). This song made famous by Liza Minnelli and the cast of Cabaret was actually pretty new to me, in fact the first time I heard it was when it was performed on Glee. Kristin who is usually a powerhouse in her upper register actually sings in a much more mature lower register to get the husky quality of this song. In a duet with Rachel, the Glee club’s resident Broadway belter this song couldn’t be much better.
8. Poker Face originally performed by Lady Gaga, covered by Lea Michele (Rachel) and Idina Menzel (Shelby Corcoran): I can’t say this enough about this song, I LOVE THIS ARRANGEMENT. I know a lot of haters felt like this version lost the Gaga-esque quality by being stripped down and sung slowly, but I found it to be both amazing and inspiring. Idina Menzel is as fabulous as always and Rachel and her (both look alike and sound alike) play an amazing mother/daughter tag team.
7. Like a Virgin originally performed by Madonna, covered by Lea Michele (Rachel), Jonathan Groff (Jesse St. James), Naya Rivera (Santana), Cory Monteith (Finn), Matthew Morrison (Will Schuster), and Jayma Mays (Emma Pillsbury): I chose this number from the Madonna episode not only because it was an ensemble, but also because I felt like it was the most well done of all the Madonna covers (and there were lots). Each character’s voice had a chance to shine (thank you Ryan Murphy for finally putting Santana in the spotlight here!) but it was fun, and frothy, and even lost a bit of the 80’s vibe which made the song so popular back in the day. Kudos.
6. Songbird originally performed by Fleetwood Mac, covered by Naya Rivera (Santana): Ok so this number, a more recent performance, was immediately one of my favorites. Santana has a really interesting sultry and bluesy vibe to her voice, which usually comes out when she sings songs by Amy Winehouse. However on this number, a classic Mac song, she slows it down in one of the most heartfelt and beautiful performances of the entire second season.
5. Aint No Way originally performed by Aretha Franklin, covered by Amber Riley (Mercedes): Oh Mercedes. How I love you. Mercedes to me has the best voice in the Glee oeuvre. She can belt, she is a mini Aretha (no great feat) which is why this song is really brought to life. It’s a pretty underrated Aretha song, taking a backseat to more popular numbers like Natural Woman, and Respect. But Mercedes does this song incredible justice and brings it back into mainstream and the spotlight where it really deserves to be.
4. Teenage Dream originally performed by Katy Perry, covered by Darren Criss (Blaine) and the Warblers (The Beelzebubs): This was one of the biggest surprises for me. As many of you know I have sort of a love/hate relationship with Katy Perry’s music. Sometimes she is good (Hot n Cold/I kissed a Girl), and sometimes she is really bad (Firework, Peacock). Katy’s version of the song was completely overplayed on the radio when the Warblers version came out but what I wasn’t expecting was how different and exciting it would be. The fact that it is an acapella version elevates the song about 20 levels from pop froth to actually good music.
3. Don't Rain on My Parade originally performed by Barbara Streisand from the musical Funny Girl, covered by Lea Michele (Rachel): It’s incredibly hard to beat Barbara, but I think in this number Rachel does it. Her version literally gave me goose bumps the entire song. She can 100% belt out a song, and doesn’t need help from anyone else to make a song great (as noted by the fact that this song is sung without any vocal accompaniment).
2. River Deep Mountain High originally performed by Ike and Tina Turner, covered by Amber Riley (Mercedes) and Naya Rivera (Santana): This is probably my favorite glee song to date. I wasn’t super familiar with this song before it was on Glee but I can tell you it’s been on the oldies radio station probably 100 times since then. Because it featured two of my favorite singers in the entire cast (Mercedes and Santana) I was bound to love it. The two harmonize beautifully, and belt incredibly. All in all an amazing number.
1. Don’t Stop Believing originally performed by Journey, covered by the entire Glee cast: How could I not have the song that put Glee on the map as my #1. When I heard the preview for Glee I wasn’t necessarily going to watch it that is until I heard a tiny snippet of their version of this song. Again, even in snippet version, it gave me goose bumps (a sure sign in my book that the artists are talented, and that the song is a success). The cast sounds phenomenal in every note, and actually performs the beginning semi acapella which is interesting.
What are your favorite Glee covers?
7. Like a Virgin originally performed by Madonna, covered by Lea Michele (Rachel), Jonathan Groff (Jesse St. James), Naya Rivera (Santana), Cory Monteith (Finn), Matthew Morrison (Will Schuster), and Jayma Mays (Emma Pillsbury): I chose this number from the Madonna episode not only because it was an ensemble, but also because I felt like it was the most well done of all the Madonna covers (and there were lots). Each character’s voice had a chance to shine (thank you Ryan Murphy for finally putting Santana in the spotlight here!) but it was fun, and frothy, and even lost a bit of the 80’s vibe which made the song so popular back in the day. Kudos.
6. Songbird originally performed by Fleetwood Mac, covered by Naya Rivera (Santana): Ok so this number, a more recent performance, was immediately one of my favorites. Santana has a really interesting sultry and bluesy vibe to her voice, which usually comes out when she sings songs by Amy Winehouse. However on this number, a classic Mac song, she slows it down in one of the most heartfelt and beautiful performances of the entire second season.
5. Aint No Way originally performed by Aretha Franklin, covered by Amber Riley (Mercedes): Oh Mercedes. How I love you. Mercedes to me has the best voice in the Glee oeuvre. She can belt, she is a mini Aretha (no great feat) which is why this song is really brought to life. It’s a pretty underrated Aretha song, taking a backseat to more popular numbers like Natural Woman, and Respect. But Mercedes does this song incredible justice and brings it back into mainstream and the spotlight where it really deserves to be.
4. Teenage Dream originally performed by Katy Perry, covered by Darren Criss (Blaine) and the Warblers (The Beelzebubs): This was one of the biggest surprises for me. As many of you know I have sort of a love/hate relationship with Katy Perry’s music. Sometimes she is good (Hot n Cold/I kissed a Girl), and sometimes she is really bad (Firework, Peacock). Katy’s version of the song was completely overplayed on the radio when the Warblers version came out but what I wasn’t expecting was how different and exciting it would be. The fact that it is an acapella version elevates the song about 20 levels from pop froth to actually good music.
3. Don't Rain on My Parade originally performed by Barbara Streisand from the musical Funny Girl, covered by Lea Michele (Rachel): It’s incredibly hard to beat Barbara, but I think in this number Rachel does it. Her version literally gave me goose bumps the entire song. She can 100% belt out a song, and doesn’t need help from anyone else to make a song great (as noted by the fact that this song is sung without any vocal accompaniment).
2. River Deep Mountain High originally performed by Ike and Tina Turner, covered by Amber Riley (Mercedes) and Naya Rivera (Santana): This is probably my favorite glee song to date. I wasn’t super familiar with this song before it was on Glee but I can tell you it’s been on the oldies radio station probably 100 times since then. Because it featured two of my favorite singers in the entire cast (Mercedes and Santana) I was bound to love it. The two harmonize beautifully, and belt incredibly. All in all an amazing number.
1. Don’t Stop Believing originally performed by Journey, covered by the entire Glee cast: How could I not have the song that put Glee on the map as my #1. When I heard the preview for Glee I wasn’t necessarily going to watch it that is until I heard a tiny snippet of their version of this song. Again, even in snippet version, it gave me goose bumps (a sure sign in my book that the artists are talented, and that the song is a success). The cast sounds phenomenal in every note, and actually performs the beginning semi acapella which is interesting.
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