This guy has taken it to the next level recreating covers in MS Paint and I especially appreciate his subject choices. Click on the thumbnails to enlarge.
you can also find a huge collection of these MS Paint renditions in this set which has been collected from various user submissions on music forums. it’s a goldmine!
Went to Day 2 of the Treasure Island Music Festival, didn’t bring my main camera but posted a few on the Tumblog from my phone. Flaming Lips headlined and their set was so much fun in an eternal pizza party sort of way: a cosmic vagina on the huge LCD backdrop literally gave birth to the band as the entrance, lots of gospel dancing Yetis on the sidelines, Wayne crowd surfing inside a giant beachball/hamster ball, lots of robots and George Lucas looking creatures, lots of confetti and balloons and then confetti in balloons exploding every 4 bars…. I’m really digging the new album Embryonic which is a little dirtier sounding, way psychedelic, more percussion oriented, sparse with instrumentation but not with the spacyness or fuzz. Some of the songs sound like more thought out Silver Apples tracks off of the Contact LP with a hard driving low-end pulse. My kinda sound
Here’s some pics I found from doing a search on flickr:
and here’s some video:
Now that I got a hold of the 10CD 13th Floor Elevators Box Set, I can share two incredible previously unreleased live versions of songs that sound so amazing and dynamic from the disc titled “Death in Texas” recorded in Houston in 1967.
“She Lives in a Time of Her Own”
“Reverberation”
God I adore this band.
//photo from SF Gate article
With a layer of coastal stratus coating the valley floor of Santa Rosa and Healdsburg, Calif., moisture from tropical storm Linda is seen as lightning stikes early Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009 over Sonoma County.
What a somber day at work, for obvious and non-obvious reasons. My coping mechanism may be shot today due too many sudden overwhelming variables at once, but never underestimate the awesome uplifting power of the people you love and the music you love. I’ve been playing “Stupid Girl” and “Drive Back” a lot today off of Neil Young & Crazy Horse’s Zuma album and it’s temporarily breathing some much needed life back into me before the start of a busy weekend of social obligations. It’s been a while since I’ve listened to him, but today I remembered how much I appreciate the sharp contrast between Neil Young’s solo releases and his stuff with Crazy Horse. On the solo albums, a majority of the songs are understated and lo-key and his voice is vulnerable sounding — so much at times that it sounds like it is hopelessly mired in turmoil. But by contrast on the Neil Young & Crazy Horse albums, he sounds strong and alive and the music is more plugged-in, blown out loud & proud and has this great dirty guitar sound. He’s got a deep range of emotion and expression and this is only the tip of the iceberg of many reasons why I think he rules.
Hearing “Drive Back” again today made me curious about its meaning. A few years ago, I used to think this song was about two lonely people being conflicted about an unexpected impression of love from a one night stand, which is completely retarded now that I think about it. I guess I’m constantly learning that I think it’s possible that I can find myself thinking that 5 minutes ago me is really stupid. So…maybe not about a one nite stand, but maybe it could be about a one night stand-off? Or an ashamed fugitive who can never go home again. Or in more general terms, a desperate person who tried to escape problems and driven by a strong desire for a clean slate. Or a last ditch 11th hour intervention before an inevitable final goodbye. OR! a mix-n-match combination of any of those scenarios and so on. Neil is a lot of things and that’s why I love him. In addition, “Barstool Blues” was the first, and really to the this day, one of the few complete songs I learned to play on guitar. And just like remembering how to ride a bike, I don’t think I can ever forget how to play it because I could always relate, even in my happiest moments. For sentimentality alone, he will always have a special place in my heart.
Anyway, for the many reasons I listed above, listening to songs like “Drive Back” goes beyond the oversimplistic saying “There’s two sides to every story” and makes me think there could be infinite sides. His lyrics can be not-so direct, but also not-so ambiguous puzzles that I enjoy paying attention to and trying to solve because they are poignant and not esoteric at all. If you can get past the long-winded guitar wankery outro, which could understandably ruin it for some (I have a high-tolerance for wankery), this song is satisfyingly dynamic while Neil’s vocals smolder intensely and are so, so resolute sounding that there is a je ne sais quoi quality about it that is somewhat empowering to me. I am absolutely enamored by its soulfulness. While technically his voice isn’t stellar, I really believe the honest & expressive tones in his vocals are so distinctive that it’s special and unequivocally worthy of admiration. But that’s just one side to Neil I felt compelled to highlight and I can go on and on about him. Case in point, “Ohio” about the Kent State shootings reminds me of Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo who was a freshman on campus when it happened. To me personally, it’s a fascinating cross-cultural pollination of my interests and 3 of my most major obsessions: history, American pop culture/Americana & music. And on another human nature level, but completely different note, this particular quote from “On the Beach” kills me:
I could chew on every line from his catalogue.
Whatever gets you through the night
That’s all right with me
When it’s time to say goodbye
I have to make you seeYou won’t know me
I won’t call you
I won’t be there
To remind you
What you told me
When I showed you
In the morning
Let me know you’ll
Drive back to your old townI wanna wake up with no one around
If somebody is haunting your mind
Look in my eyes
Let me hide you
From yourself and all your old friends
Every good thing comes to an end.
Buck and Judy
Download Deerhoof playing Buck and Judy
- original version appears on Offend MaggieChatterboxes
Download Deerhoof playing Chatterboxes”
- original version appears on The Runners FourFresh Born
Download Deerhoof playing Fresh Born
- original version appears on Offend Maggie
The allmusic.com bio is much better at the descriptors:
The Move were the best and most important British group of the late ’60s that never made a significant dent in the American market. Through the band’s several phases (which were sometimes dictated more by image than musical direction), their chief asset was guitarist and songwriter Roy Wood, who combined a knack for Beatlesque pop with a peculiarly British, and occasionally morbid, sense of humor.
It surprised me when I learned how popular they were in the UK during their run but never achieved commercial success in the States for the reason that Cheap Trick blatantly uses the The Move’s “Brontosaurus” riff on “California Man,” one of my favorite sing-a-long tracks off of the Heaven Tonight LP. But perhaps that just further illustrates how cool Rick Nielsen was despite his cartoonish bow-tie nerd image. I recommend checking out the Looking On, Message from the Country, and Shazam LPs as they are solid from beginning to end. Here are 4 songs that I love off of them, (the absolute minimum, mind you):
about objectionable age-inappropriate love
Title track off of Message from the Country
the outro is a swaggering & epic finish (starts @ 4:20 mark)
and it sends chills down my spine
I need you to forget that Weezer covered this. File under guilty pleasure – I played this (& “Down in the Park”) to pieces while roaming London streets by my lonesome and it was great. Yay minimoog!
In celebrating the 40th anniversary of the First Man on the Moon, the NYT blog recently posted about this Pink Floyd Moon-Landing footage that I had no idea about. This atmospheric instrumental aired on BBC TV during live coverage of the moon landing.
David Gilmour had this to say:
We were in a BBC TV studio jamming to the landing. It was a live broadcast, and there was a panel of scientists on one side of the studio, with us on the other. I was 23. The programming was a little looser in those days, and if a producer of a late-night programme felt like it, they would do something a bit off the wall.
Pretty amazing, because that would never fly on network tv these days. God bless the 60s. I get goosebumps watching this.
This is a blatant steal from Jesse Pollock, but it’s okay because real friends steal from each other. This group called Steel Harmony played Joy Division’s Transmission during this artist Jeremy Deller’s Procession in Manchester earlier this month and it’s blowing my mind.
I don’t know how to explain my feelings. I’m laughing because it’s such an odd and joyous rendition due to the inherently beachy & carribean nature of the instrument but it also is pretty freaking good and fun to hear it in this context. I would be in heaven if I were walking down a street in Manchester and randomly stumbled upon this performance. According to Jesse, this band also played other Joy Division songs as well as the Buzzcocks. Man oh man.
I’m not a fan of Kenneth Anger films like some kids are as they are too esoteric for my taste and surreal (in the bad way). Even though I love listening to quality psychedelic music, seeing overtly LSD-inspired imagery can be upsetting/irritating to me. Plus, I always thought his nom de plume was really lame and it makes me cringe in the same way hearing that awful Metallica album title “Saint Anger” does. Oh, and you know what else bothers me?! I feel weird about him hiring Bobby Beausoleil to do music for his film Lucifer Rising. Beausoleil was an LA musician first associated with Arthur Lee from Love’s first band The Grass Roots but later became a member of the Manson Family and was involved in the murder of music teacher Gary Hinman 40 years ago on this day. I never stop marveling at all the crazy stuff that happened in 1969, such a weird & momentous year (see my apollo 11 posts below).
Man it kinda seems like I have a lot of anger towards Anger, har har. But his simple (and undruggy) 1949 short film showing a Hollywood actress getting ready for showtime called Puce Moment always struck a chord with me because I really loved these two songs (“Leaving My Old Life Behind” and “I’m a Hermit”) that this guy Jonathan Halper composed for it and received no credit for. Listen:
The first one is dreary and remind me of Syd Barrett stuff. I always found it interesting and full of potential and daydreamed of recording a cover of it someday. Although these accompanied Puce Moment, I have doubts that they were from 1949 but I unfortunately can’t find any information. If you are familiar with the culture of collectors who search for private press records or can understand an obsession with unreleased artists who composed scores for films that don’t have an official OST, it can be a tragic revelation knowing how much wasted talent there is out there and that there are gifted artists who were doomed to live in the shadows of history due to lack of publicity. Or apathy, as it were. I personally have a list of interesting songs (or scenes, really) that I’ve been meaning to rip audio from my films on vhs tapes & dvds that don’t have an OST. My to do list has been a daunting beast for some time now…
I’m not fanatical about Guided by Voices and Bob Pollard like some folks are, but I can understand it and think they are worthy of appreciation. Tractor Rape Chain kills me every time I hear it. The lyrics are painfully good (like a jackal picking at my heart) and if I ever came across this song in a karaoke songbook, I could die a happy person.
Bee Thousand is a great album and I wish I could turn more folks onto it but the lo-fi recording quality makes it a hard sell. A friend of mine says that makes me an ‘advanced listener’, but frankly as a person who thrives on sharing and getting others excited about music, that’s kinda disheartening to me and I don’t understand it. Tractor Rape Chain seems like a no brainer for me, and I might be crazy (bad extreme) or simply a hardcore nerd (good extreme) – [see my obits fake kinkade post]. But it bothers me that that connection isn’t instant for others. God, it’s way too easy for me to get obsessed about music
ok, i’ve mentioned how great wfmu is here numerous times. the blog is incredible and after i first complained about the solo face, they came through with a full gallery. yes! i love it when people and/or organizations i respect have similiar fascinations.
Anyway, I saw this late, but who cares. WFMU program director (and amiable music nerd) Brian Turner wrote this hilarious post about ‘crabcore’ that had me in stitches. I can’t stop laughing at this terrible band’s video and their crab moves
Crabcore moves
Chiefly among the crabcore musician’s repertoire of stylistic gestures is the crabwalk itself, from which the genre’s title is derived. The crabwalk is identified by the player’s extremely low stance, wherein both feet are set apart from one another as far as possible, while still allowing the player to maintain at least a 90 degree bend in his knees. While in the crab stance, the player then purposefully transfers the weight of his upper body between each leg, achieving a swaying motion intended to have a hypnotic effect among audience members.
the object fetishist in me can’t stop thinking about this limited run 13th floor elevators box set. it’s 10 discs. 10 DISCS! remastered to their full potential (if you know these orig mono recordings, you know how much better they can sound) and a beautiful comprehensive hardbound book too boot. It will be mine!
They were the first to introduce me to the fact there was a creative psych scene in TX during that time and I had a nice WTF moment recently when I heard a Spectrum cover of one of these obscure TX psych bands. Maaaaan, some of these innovative music scenes in townie settings like cleveland and austin make me really proud of american rock music.
Attention bookworms and record geeks! Look at this set called Cover Versions. so creative!
Classic records lost in time and format, re-emerged as Pelican books.
I saw Shellac play at the Great American Music Hall last Wednesday night. Steve Albini is still an amusing asshole, Todd Trainer is still a freak and Bob Weston still solicits questions from the crowd between songs while Albini tunes the Travis Bean guitar strapped to his waist like it was a tool on a utility belt.
One highlight question to Weston, probably joking, was “How often do you use your Pro Tools rig?” It prompted the response “I don’t own a Pro Tools rig, my friend,” which made the audience giggle. Albini and Weston are two renown recording engineers who are still very much Nazis when it comes to being hardcore analog loyalists. Albini who has only recently caved in to the pressure of having a digital set-up in his Electrical Audio studios refuses to use it himself or even talk about it. Other questions from the crowd were gear related as one guy asked “Where’s the Harmonic Percolator?”, referring to a rare distortion pedal that is now holy grail material for hardcore audio nerds thanks to Albini championing it. This was truly the nerdiest/fanboy rock show ever but highly satisfying and cathartic for someone who had a very stressful day at work (AKA me). Going to this show alone and being one of the very few women there kinda made me feel like a perv.
Anyway, I don’t know why I feel this is worth mentioning, but Albini repeatedly did these pump fake b-ball moves towards the audience during “A Minute” but in a really intense and straight-faced serious manner. I was dying of laughter and really wish I got video. Here’s some other video instead
If it seems at all weird that I like this kind of dark and depraved rock music, here’s an old disclaimer post I made about Shellac in 2007
in 1970. makes perfect sense if you are familiar with Kraftwerk off-spring groups such La Dusseldorf and Neu! (See early Stereolab discography) but still…it’s kraftwerk. These german youth didn’t know what hit em
All the Conan’s greatest hits & retrospectives I’ve seen the past month in anticipation of him taking over Leno’s chair on the Tonight Show failed to include one of my most sentimental & poignant Late Night w/ Conan moments ever. Back in 2003 during a Thanksgiving hiatus, they reran one of his old episodes in claymation.
Claymation.
It was surreal, brilliant, hilarious and every adjective possible one can use to describe something wonderful. What was also special about this episode (and Conan & his team, as it were) was that this would have never made sense on any other show. Never. I remember being amused and incredibly engrossed in this episode from the start and then a few minutes before the credits rolled, my personal piece de resistance came on: Clay David Bowie began performing one of my most cherished rock ballads (and easily one of my favorite Neil Young songs) “I’ve Been Waiting For You.”
It has remained one of my most favorite and indelible tv memories and here’s a video clip that I had saved
And here’s a b-side Pixies version with Kim Deal singing that I adored in college
just a corner of the interweb for me blab on many things
