STRFKR

RIYL: daft punk, other techno-y upbeat jazz

STRFKR, as I will appropriately abbreviate it here is a electronic/ pop band that I could see very easily at ACL. They are kind of techno-y with more substance added with the addition of other band members playing typical instruments.

Here is my favorite song, "Quality Time"



This one is called "Bury Us Alive". This is their most popular song, it starts off with some pretty eerie singing, then picks up. It's not my favorite song by any means, but hey, what can you do?




And finally, here is "Julius". There is some crazy techno-fied at the beginning, I did it. The fun keyboard in this song is very similar to that of "Matt & Kim", and this is a very happy song.

Simon and Garfunkel

My favorite band that we listened to this week was Simon and Garfunkel. I really am into folky-music, and a lot of their songs really hit that note. However, I did notice a lot of variety in their music, while I found some songs much heavier and rock and roll like than others.

The Sound of Silence is the best:



The sounds is so soothing and relaxing. They sound a lot like one of my other favorite bands, Iron and Wine, in this song. I love the soft acoustic and harmonization.

Then in this song, Mrs. Robinson, they remind me so much of the Beatles, singing about a lady, and their singing style also mimics that of the Beatles.




Another of my favorite softer songs is The Boxer



There is one instrument in this song that haunts me at night because I cannot identify it. I think it is a flute? It does a little diddy every now and then.

Anyways, I really like Simon and Garfunkel and I appreciate their diversity.

Sunny Feelings Toward the Beach Boys

OH NO FML FML I just discovered this only got saved this as a draft instead of being published, so I suppose it is late now. Boo. Anyways, here is my post on the Beach Boys

I'm SO glad we are transitioning into the Beach Boys, they are one of my favorite oldie bands. Like you mentioned in class, I am also a sucker for the teen heartbreak lyrics, and can't help but to apply them to my own life and connect emotionally to the songs. I also LOVE the Jersey Boys, and I feel like their voices/ music is incredibly similar. I'm feeling Beach Boys musical....let's make it happen.

I LOVE "Wouldn't it Be Nice"



I'm so sappy, but I'm okay with it. I love the sensitive guy perspective portrayed in the lyrics. I also love their harmonies, I think they rival that of the Beatles, actually, they're a little better.

Here is a techno-fied version of the song,




And now it's time to D-D-DROP THE BASS



I think it's so interesting how once song can be altered and interpreted in so many different ways, and I know these aren't the best mixes out there, but for embedding purposes I am restricted to youtube. Sorry.

Anyways, BIG THUMBS UP for Beach Boys, they are easily my favorite band we've covered thus far.

You're going to need a breather after this post

RIYL: Kings of Leon, Mumford and Sons, Lifehouse

So, I mentioned NEEDTOBREATHE in class this week, as I discovered them at ACL this weekend and fell in love. At ACL, they were very folk-y and relaced, much in the typical ACL theme, but now that I have come home and looked up some of there stuff, they have some songs that are much more heavier rock than those I heard at ACL, and I'm really into this variety.


Here is some of their slower stuff, to show their mellow side:

This one is called "Something Beautiful" and is probably their most popular song, and in my top 3 favorites




This is "The Outsiders". Oh yes, it's banjo time



"White Fences", also a favorite.



So, they're kind of seeming like a soft country/ rock band, right?

Check out this transition..

This is called "Oohs and Ahhs"




Slow at first, but then it gets real passionate and heavier. The music has transitioned from a more acoustic-y type to more of the electric-guitar side, and I am digging it.

"Maybe They're Onto Us"




This one isn't as heavy music, but its definitely not as upbeat and folkly as the others. They kind of remind me of a less angsty Fall Out Boy in these two songs.

Anyways, I fell in love with NEEDTOBREATHE this weekend, and will be jamming to htem for a while.

Bob Dylan Re-amped

I hope you don't mind, but I really like the remix-beatles themed post I did last week, and I think that theme is going to become a regular thing on my blogs for when I'm sick of a band, or in this case, just could not care less for them.

For starters, while I do like the music and substance in Bob Dylan's lyrics, I just cannot get over his voice. I know he's not supposed to be a pro or anything, but I really can't handle it, it's too painful.

Here is a subtly different mix of his song "Subterranean Homesick Blues". It feature some bass/ and background beats from a band I'm really fond of, The Ting Tings




Check out this chick, covering Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are A Changing"



I'm going to be honest, I'm not even really that into this cover, but I like just about anyone's voice better than Bob Dylan's. Whoops, did I just type that? YEAH I did. Anyways, even though this girl is in a weird fluffy coat, she can sing.

HEY LOOK IT'S JOHN MAYER



Even though I hate John Mayer (personality wise), I love to hate him, and this cover is beautiful. His guitar gets almost banjo sounding sometimes, I really like it.

In conclusion, not a Bob Dylan fan. That is all.

Dieing for Die Antwoord

RIYL: MIA, Aqua, Passion Pit

It's finally ACL Time!!!

In honor of the sacred weekend, I thought I would give a tribute to one of my favorite (and scariest) bands, Die Antwoord

Here is there most popular song. There is plenty o' profanity in here, but hey, what can you do?:



So, these guys are a techno/ pop duo from South Africa, and are both super weird. The petite girl does most of the vocals and rocks all black contacts, and a bleached/ half shaved hair do, and then is joined in the unexpected duo with a kind of white trash/ grunge-y rapper. The girl has a very foreign vibe, and regularly sings in a Hebrew-ish sounding language.

My favorite thing about their music is the tribal themed music they feature in most of their music, I assume this comes from their African roots.


In this song, there is a regular, prominent drum beat, that reminds me of an African tribal dance.



This song reminds me SO MUCH of Aqua (the artist behind the famous Barbie Girl) especially with the eerie intro.




These guys are playing at around 4 or 5 on Sunday, so if you don't have a particular band in mind to see then, I would highly recommend checking these guys out. I hear they have absolutely...insane live performances. I am bringing my very sheltered/ innocent boyfriend to this concert, and absolutely I cannot wait to corrupt/ terrify him there.

The Beatles: Remixed

I feel like I have already done countless Beatles blogs, and to be real, I'm kind of super tired of them. So, to keep this blog post from boring even myself, I'm going to put an interesting spin on this post. I'm going to share some unique remixes of Beatles songs, and compare them to the originials. Feel free to entirely hate them, no hard feelings, I feel like people are really touchy about the Beatles, so watch out.

Here is a slowed down, remix of "You Never Give Me Your Money"



Johnny Cash also kind of made a little cameo in the end, but whatever. I LOVE this mix,it is entirely different from the original. I love the soft vocals in the original, and the original kind of has a more country vibe, while is is more jazzy. This a way more low-key mash-up than most remixes are, and I really like its unique factor.


This a remix of "And I Love Her"



It gets a bit too techno-y for me at times, but for the most part, I'm digging it. This is probably my favorite Beatles remix out there. They left a lot of the original song in, and just added some extra beats and computer sounds. I just did a post on Justice, and this reminds of me something they would produce.

And just incase Rubber Sole wasn't trippy enough, here is a dubby- trippy version of "Tomorrow Never Knows"



So, while these modernized Beatles mixes will never live up to the legacy of the originals, I still think they're pretty cool and I like to see how music has progressed since then, and how it meshes with music from the past.

Serving Music Justice

RIYL: Daft Punk, LCD Soundsystem, Deadmau5

Justice,is an electronic/DJ duo made up of two Parisian guys,Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay. They started out as a huge internet sensation, as they are famous for remixing popular songs like MGMT's "Electric Feel" (my favorite justice song, I attached the video below)and the work of Britney Spears, Daft Punk, and Fatboy Slim. Then, as their covers gained popularity, they started making their own stuff and eventually got a record deal. I LOVE their album, Cross, I will attach links to it below.

Surprsigly, their most popular song,"D.A.N.C.E.", is not my favorite. For some reason, I really hate when little kids sing in songs. It's just a music pet peeve. It's just like...get out, I came here to listen to the band, not you juvenile amateurs. Anyways, here is a link to the song. I do really like the music in the song and the funky radio noises/ disco sounds.




Here are my favorite songs awww yeahhhh:


The beginning of this song is so ominous, like an evil dictator's theme song or something, I love it. Then the beat kicks in and things get lovely.This song starts off their Album, Cross, and I think it is the perfect intro into the album.



Here is my favorite remix I mentioned earlier, the cover of MGMT's "Electric Feel"




I actually like this version a lot better than the original, which is rare for me. The pitches of the voices have been altered a little, and I feel like the music has more substance in this version, like it's smoother and more interesting to listen too. There is a lot of fading in and out with the vocals, which I think is super cool.