W♥M

Minneapolis: September 25, 2015

Read More The Fratellis After a five year absent from the music scene, The Fratellis are back with a brand new album We Need Medicine. The Scottish band is currently in the middle of a tiny, tiny U.S. tour in support of it, and basically selling out every …

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area on September 25, 2015.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

THE FRATELLIS
at Varsity Theater
Friday, 09/25/2015, 7pm ($20)
varsitytheater.org

You may remember that we went down to Chicago to see The Fratellis at their sold out show at the Metro in 2013.

At the time, they were absent from the music scene... so it is good to see that the Scottish band is back - this time with a fourth album, Eyes Wide, Tongue Tied (which came out August 21, 2015, on Cooking Vinyl).

Critically acclaimed Los Angeles-based Grizfolk to open. The alternative rock released their single "Troublemaker" earlier this Summer, taken from their forthcoming full-length debut for Virgin Records.

Tour Dates:

09/21 - 9:30 Club, Washington, DC
09/22 - TLA, Philadelphia, PA
09/24 - Vic Theatre, Chicago, IL
09/25 - Varsity Theater – Minneapolis, MN
09/27 - Bluebird Theater, Denver, CO
09/28 - Urban Lounge, Salt Lake City, UT
09/30 - Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, BC
10/01 - Neptune Theatre, Seattle, WA
10/03 - Wonder Ballroom, Portland, OR
10/04 - Regency Ballroom, San Francisco, CA
10/06 - House of Blues, San Diego, CA
10/08 - The Wiltern, Los Angeles, CA

Read More On An On Minneapolis' On An On recently held a special album launch show for their latest album And The Wave Has Two Sides at the Icehouse in Minneapolis on Saturday, July 25th (technically Sunday …

ON AN ON
at Turf Club
Friday, 09/25/2015, 8pm ($12)
turfclub.net

We previously caught local On An On album release party for And The Wave Has Two Sides last July 2015. I wrote that despite starting their set at midnight, the Icehouse had a strong turnout in support of the band. I also mentioned that after their 2015, that the last date was their homecoming show - which is coming up this Friday, September 25th. It'll be good to have them back in the city.

Supporting them on this tour is London-born artist Eliot Sumner (also known as Coco Sumner or I Blame Coco), singing and playing tracks from her debut album Information (set for release in January 2016!). Her talents as a songwriter and instrumentalist have gained praise for her four new songs - "Dead Arms & Dead Legs", "After Dark", "Firewood" and "Species" (all from the forthcoming album).

Also on the bill is local Aaron & The Sea, now known simply as AATS.

Tour Dates:

9/20 Allston, MA @ Great Scott *
9/22 Toronto, ONT @ The Drake Hotel *
9/23 Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom *
9/24 Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall *
9/25 St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club*

* with Eliot Sumner

Read More ABBA I will confess to liking, no, loving ABBA. As you may have suspected, I actually love eurodisco and especially Swedish music. …

ABBACADABRA
at Mystic Lake Showroom
Friday, 09/25/2015, 8pm ($23)
mysticlake.com

"You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life!"

You know we love ABBA, but unfortunately the band broke up in 1982. Don't let that stop you from experiencing the magic of cover lover band Abbacadabra as they play all of their hits.

Here is how they describe the band:

With the new resurgence of the ‘70s, portrayed in part by the hugely popular live musical production and now the world wide release of “Mamma Mia” - The Movie, the music of ABBA is finding its way back into the hearts of those who lived it then and taking over the hearts of those who are experiencing it for the first time now.

adbacadabra promises to continue the momentum by performing 20 of the group’s greatest hits in full ABBA fashion and flair. You won’t be able to sit still in your seats as songs like S.O.S., Super Trooper and Dancing Queen are re-created with such precision you’ll swear you were listening to the originals themselves. The melodies of Fernando and Chiquitita will rekindle those feelings of first loves. Take a Chance on Me and Voulez Vous will lift you out of your seats to dance!

The show is authentic in music and dress and is performed to live music that will leave you excited and melancholy... at the same time.

Tour Dates:

09/25/15 Prior Lake, MN Mystic Lake Casino
09/29/15 Norsk Hostfest

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ itunes.apple.com

Cover Lover: Alternatively Yours

Read More Lucius Brooklyn's Lucius just recently released their debut LP Wildewoman internationally via Play It Again Sam (PIAS). The European release includes a bonus track, new recording of the fan favorite …

Cover lover? You've come to the right place...

LUCIUS
ilovelucius.com

We love Brooklyn's Lucius, having seen the band every time they play in Minneapolis (which, by the way, they are returning to a much bigger venue in October).

The band's latest 7" "Genevieve", came out July 1st via Mom + Pop/Dine Alone Records. The B-Side is a cover of their Tears for Fears song "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" (which incidentally was re-introduced to a legion of teenagers when Lorde covered the song for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Soundtrack).

I did give the song a listen, although it may not sound like the original song when it starts, you'll instantly recognize it when the chorus kicks in... and you may be surprise that you'll be singing along without realizing it!

Hear "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" now via Soundcloud.



Lucius' massive tour schedule:

07/06: Ottawa, ON @ Ottawa Bluesfest 07/11: Bridgeport, CT @ The Klein 07/12: Greenfield, MA @ Green River Festival 07/14: Vienna, VA @ Wolf Trap ~ 07/18: Chattanooga, TN @ Nightfall Summer 07/19: Asheville, NC @ The Mothlight 07/20: Louisville, KY @ Forecastle Festival 07/22: Raleigh, NC @ Red Hat Amphitheater ~ 07/23: Atlanta, GA @ Delta Classic Chastain ~ 07/25: Camden, NJ @ XPoNential Festival 07/26: Newport, RI @ Newport Folk Festival 07/29: Cincinnati, OH @ PNC Pavilion ~ 07/30: Nashville, TN @ Woods at Fontanel ~ 08/01: Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza 08/02: Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall 08/05: Seattle, WA @ Marymoor Park ~ 08/06: Portland, OR @ Edgefield ~ 08/08: Edmonton, AB @ Edmonton Folk Fest 08/10: San Francisco, CA @ Outside Lands 08/15: Hasselt, BE @ Pukkelpop 08/16: Hamburg, DE @ MS Dockville 08/18: Bristol, UK @ The Fleece 08/20: London, UK @ Lexington 08/22: Leeds, UK @ Leeds Festival 08/23: Paris, FR @ Rock En Seine 08/24: Reading, UK @ Reading Festival 08/26: Rotterdam, NL @ Rotown 08/27: Groningen, NL @ Noorderzon 08/29: Cambridgeshire, UK @ Lodestar 08/31: Salisbury, UK @ End of the Road

09/04: Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre 09/13: Burlington, VT @ Grand Point North 09/29: Memphis, TN @ Minglewood Hall * 09/30: Birmingham, AL @ Iron City * 10/01: New Orleans, LA @ Tipitina's * 10/03-10/05: Austin City Limits Festival 10/07: Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue 10/09: St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway 10/10-12: Austin City Limits Festival 10/15: Stockholm, SE @ Kägelbanan 10/16: Oslo, NO @ Bla 10/17: Gothenberg, SE @ Pustervik 10/18: Copenhagen, DK @ VEGA 10/22: London, UK @ Islington Assembly Hall 10/23: Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club 10/24: Liverpool, UK @ O2 Academy 2 10/25: Dublin, IE @ Whelans 10/27: Portsmouth, UK @ Wedgewood Rooms 10/29: Luxembourg, LU @ den Atelier 10/31: Zurich, CH @ Mascotte 11/01: Bulle, CH @ Ebullition 11/02: Milano, IT @ Circolo Magnolia 11/03: München, DE @ Atomic Café 11/05: Utrecht, NL @ Tivoli 11/06: Köln, DE @ Blue Shell 11/07: Berlin, DE @ Magnet 11/08: Strasbourg, FR @ La Laiterie 11/09: Brussels, BE @ Ancienne Belgique ~ = supporting Sara Bareilles * = co-headline w/ Lake Street Drive

Read More Pavement I wasn't expecting Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks to play any Pavement songs, but I was sure hoping he would (I'm not the only one hoping, everybody in the audience were expressing the samev …

RAY & REMORA
rayandremora.com

Electro-pop duo Ray & Remora (Dan Crane and Amanda Walker) just released their video for "Gold Soundz", their cover of the Pavement's classic song.

Their music video featured various stars, including Stephen Malkmus, Kim Gordon, Jeff Goldblum, Money Mark, Scott Shriner, Inara George, and Mike Viola.

Crane explained how the video came together, "We wanted to reference the original Pavement video somehow, that’s where the idea for the ‘chicken pamphlet’ came from. In the original video, the band dresses up in Santa suits and then shoots a raw chicken – or maybe it’s a turkey? It’s hard to tell – out of the sky with bows and arrows. So that became our quasi-religious symbol for the pamphlet we’d hand out... Through a very random series of events, we got him and his suitably handsome ginger-haired standard poodle, Woody. Apparently, Woody eats everything in Goldblum’s house, including pamphlets."

Ray & Remora's debut 1994 EP is out now. The six-track EP features covers of Pavement, Superchunk ("Like a Fool"), Weezer ("Say It Ain't So"), Sebadoh ("Skull"), Dinosaur Jr ("Feel the Pain"), and Guided by Voices ("Goldheart Mountaintop Queen Directory").

Read More Weezer I've always had a soft spot in my heart for Weezer. After all, this was a nerd band (who played D&D with their "twenty-sided die") and the godfather of "emo music" (according to my brother). …

YOU BLEW IT!
facebook.com/youblewitfl

Orlando's You Blew It! has a five-track all-Weezer covers EP called You Blue It.

Singer/guitarist Tanner Jones explained their love for the Weezer, "We chose Surf Wax because it's a really great song, plain and simple. We didn't want to do singles from the record, and luckily Surf Wax is one of those cuts that could have held its own as one, but seemed untouched enough to allow a fresh perspective on it. Not that we or any other band could, but we really didn't want to try and out-do Weezer. Our goal was to add our touch to Blue, but first and foremost, we wanted pay tribute to the songs themselves in the most respectful way possible. Surf Wax is a great example of that I think."

You Blue It will be out July 15th, a vinyl release is pending for August 12th.

Currently touring with Say Anything, The Front Bottoms, The So So Glos:

Jul 05 Toronto, ON @ Opera House
Jul 06 Millvale, PA @ Mr Smalls Theatre
Jul 08 Lansing, MI @ Common Ground Fest
Jul 09 Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
Jul 10 Columbia, MO @ The Blue Note
Jul 11 Chicago, IL @ Concord Music Hall
Jul 12 Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave
Jul 13 Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theater
Jul 15 Lincoln, NE @ Bourbon Theatre
Jul 16 Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall
Jul 17 Salt Lake City, UT @ Club Sound
Jul 19 Seattle, WA @ Showbox at The Market
Jul 20 Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
Jul 22 San Francisco, CA @ Regency Ballroom
Jul 24 Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda Theatre
Jul 25 Pomona, CA @ Glass House
Jul 26 San Diego, CA @ House of Blues
Jul 27 Tempe, AZ @ The Marquee

Read More Depeche Mode Depeche Mode is currently on their Delta Machine tour, stopping by Minnesota State Fair, of all places, last Tuesday, August 27th. The thing about the Grandstand stage …

MEGAN WYLER
meganwyler.com

Currently based in London, folk artist Megan Wyler just released her cover of the Depeche Mode song "Just Can't Get Enough" last month via Nowever Records. We recently caught Depeche Mode in Minneapolis last year, and yes that song was the highlight of the live show. Wyler's cover song is was semi-recently used on a Sainsbury's advertisement.

Hear "Just Can't Get Enough" cover on soundcloud.com.

Here is the full description of the cover song:

Megan Wyler’s understated yet enchanting rework, showcases her lush indie-folk style and swaps the new wave keyboards of legendary pop guru Vince Clarke for a contemporary sound that's more first sunset of summer than last song at the disco. Effortless vocals breathe new life into the song’s catchy “hear-it-once, hum-it-all-day” earworm lyrics, with warm acoustic guitars, soaring harmonies and sweeping strings underpinned by a deep analogue synth bass and a driving kick-drum. It’s produced by Luis Almau, and co-produced by Peter Raeburn and Oli Julian.

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Cover Lover: Totally 80s

DUNCAN SHEIK
duncansheik.com

You all remember Duncan Sheik, he found massive success with his single "Barely Breathing" from his self-titled debut album from Atlantic Records. He won a Grammy for "Best Male Vocal Performance, Pop", you know, no big deal.

So it's been a while, but Duncan Sheik returns to pop music, and it's obvious that Sheik wears his influences on his sleeve with his all covers album, Covers 80s (released earlier this month via Sneaky Records). I can only imagine that Sheik is a bit of an anglophile, considering the artists covered here: The Cure, The Smiths, Howard Jones, Love & Rockets, Tears for Fears, Japan, Talk Talk, Blue Nile, The Psychedelic Furs, Depeche Mode, Thompson Twins, New Order. No Cyndi Lauper, no Madonna, no cheesy Def Leppard.

I can tell that Sheik loves these songs, it really shows in his covers, and especially the song choices. The Smiths' "William, It Was Really Nothing" isn't one of their more popular songs, and even the almost-random The Blue Nile (from Glasgow) song, "Stay" doesn't quite belong, but he loves it enough to include it on the album. The pronunciation is a little off on the Smiths cover, it sounds like Duncan is saying "Willie-um", which may be a disservice to one Steven Patrick Morrissey.

If you like 80s synth, which many of these artists are, especially Depeche Mode, Howard Jones, and Japan, you may be disappointed that the synthesizers are nowhere to be found on Duncan Sheik's covers... which are more low-key. This is a good thing, in my opinion. Sheik is trying to put his own spin on these songs, and like or hate it, I feel it's the right course.

Other notable mentions is that Holly Brook and Rachael Yamagata appears on the record. I am assuming that is Yamagata singing with Sheik on "Shout" and Brook on "Hold Me Now", which is my favorite cover on the album.

Covers 80s, the seventh studio album by Duncan Sheik is out now.

THE ASTEROIDS GALAXY TOUR
theasteroidsgalaxytour.com

Yeah, you know the story. I think these guys are great, calling them top for 2008, and to this day, I sometime hear "Around the Bend" at clubs - which is pretty amazing how far the band's come.

I finally got a copy of The Golden Age EP for review. Guess what? The Asteroids Galaxy Tour covered "Safety Dance", what perfect timing since I just saw Men Without Hats (they are still alive and breathing). The Asteroids Galaxy Tour's version has a bit more horns and that unique Danish vocals from Mette Lindberg. Their version doesn't take into account the extended remix, but that's just fine, it's a perfect pop song.

As for the rest of the EP, lots of horns, giving it a more 70s flavor to it. It is obvious to me that these songs are meant for the dance floor, especially for "Fantasy Friend Forever" and "Safety Dance" cover ("because if your friends don't dance...") If you don't believe me, listen for yourself on their soundcloud set. If video's your poison, their 2+ million youtube video is 70s spectacular: one-eyed villain, kungfu and a spy flutist (yes, it's also a Heineken commercial).

Here's what left of their galaxy tour on Earth:

7/01 – Poland, Open’er Festival
7/10 – Hungary, Balaton Sound Festival
9/23 – Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Rock in Rio

What Difference Does It Make

STRANDED HORSE
theestrandedhorse.com

I love covers and I love the Smiths, and if my math is right, I should love all Smiths covers. That isn't always the case, especially when I heard Emily Browning's "Sing Me To Sleep" on the awful, awful, awful Sucker Punch movie. The song is about suicide, hearing it as a pop song is just.... but anyway, Stranded Horse's cover of "What Difference Does It Make" is actually pretty good. If you listen to it (available as a free download at soundcloud.com), it's basically deconstructed to just singer Yann Tambour's vocals and plucky kora acoustics. It has a very medieval/madrigal feel to whole thing.

Stranded Horse is not actually not a brand new band, it's just shorten from his ex-band, "Thee, Stranded Horse", and just to give you a little background on Tambour, he is French, but based on the Smiths cover and And The Shoreline It Withdrew In Anger, his English is impeccable. His latest album, Humbling Tides was written and recorded in Bristol, UK, but he is returning and touring to France this Fall:

sept, 10 • Bordeaux • Festival Ouvre la Voix
oct, 01 • Bruxelles (b) • Festival 'Comme à la maison'
nov. 03 • Pau • la Centrifugeuse
nov. 04 • Bayonne • le Microscope
nov. 08 • Clermont Ferrand • l'hôtel des vils
nov. 09 • Allonnes (72) • la péniche w/ Arlt
nov. 17 • Martigues • Scène Nationale, Théâtre des Salins w/ Piers Faccini
nov. 18 • Katowice (p) • Festival 'Ar Cameralis'
nov. 24 • Paris • la maroquinerie w/ Arlt

LOVEDRUG
www.lovedrugmusic.com

These guys, I only know because I liked their cover artwork. They make attractive CDs.

Their best of album, strangely titled Best of I AM LOVEDRUG is not really a best of Lovedrug, but a best of covers by "I Am Lovedrug". I know, it's confusing.

You can see the songs covered for yourself at freefallmediagroup.net, the album is available now (June 28th). You can download their cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams" for free via their Facebook-thingy.

They didn't list the artists, but here's what I've compiled:

Only Shallow (My Bloody Valentine)
Dreams (Fleetwood Mac)
Hysteria (Def Leppard)
Me and My Arrow (Harry Nilsson)
Talk To Me (Stevie Nicks)
Plug In Baby (Muse)
Zombie (Cranberries)
Pure Imagination (Willy Wonka)
Billie Jean (Michael Jackson)
God of Wine feat. Kevin Cadogan (Third Eye Blind)
Endless Day (The Kinks)

 

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

 

Salinthia wrote:

It's called 'Best of I AM LOVEDRUG' b/c all the recordings are from fans pledging for cover songs as part of their PledgeMusic campaign which was called I AM LOVEDRUG (www.IamLovedrug.com).

Posted Tuesday, 05 July 2011 at 01:05 PM

I Like Trains: Last Christmas

I Like Trains - Last Christmas

Sally loves Last Christmas, so here's a cover by I Like Trains:

This is an alternative rock band from Leeds, England, who is embarking on a huge tour through the UK in 2011, to support their sophomore album, He Who Saw the Deep (just recently released in October).

The band's been around since 2006, and their debut album, Elegies to Lessons Learnt, was released on Beggars Banquet Records. The band's no stranger to Christmas music, having already released a semi-Christmas song called "The Christmas Tree Ship" on the same-named EP, but "Last Christmas" does not appear on that release.

So, as you listen to I Like Trains' version of "Last Christmas", it's a bit somber. When a song's been slowed down like this, you can really, really hear all the lyrics in its sadness.

You can grab their version of "Last Christmas" via their website.

Below are their entire confirmed 2011 tour dates:

01/12/11 Comet Club – Berlin 01/13/11 Perron 55 – Venlo 01/14/11 Ekko – Utrecht 01/15/11 Botanique Rotonde – Brussels 01/17/11 Karlstorbahnhof – Heidelberg* 01/18/11 Gleis 22 – Munster* 01/19/11 Gebaude 9 – Cologne* 01/21/11 Knust – Hamburg* 01/22/11 Beatpol – Dresden* 01/23/11 Brotfabrik – Frankfurt* 01/24/11 Kranhalle – Munich* 01/26/11 Chelsea – Vienna 01/27/11 Ligera – Milan * support from Delay Trees		01/28/11 Bronson – Ravenna 01/29/11 Rote Fabrik – Zurich 01/30/11 Rocking Chair – Vevey 01/31/11 La Rocher Palmer – Bordeaux 02/02/11 The Hope – Brighton^ 02/03/11 Moles – Bath^ 02/05/11 Norwich Arts Centre – Norwich^ 02/06/11 The Jericho - Oxford^ 02/07/11 Nottingham Bodega - Nottingham^ 02/09/11 Fusion – Sheffield^ 02/10/11 Shipping Forecast – Liverpool^ 02/11/11 The Duchess – York^ 03/10/11 Camden Barfly – London - XFM show ^ support from Napoleon IIIrd

vu () ♥ iliketrains.co.uk

Last Christmas

Wham! - Last Christmas Wham! The Carpenters-Can't Smile Without You The Carpenters

"Last Christmas, I gave you my heart, but the very next day - you gave it away!"

That very next day, well that's today. In honor of the day after Christmas, Cover Lover presents: "Last Christmas"!

Wham!'s "Last Christmas" song is possibly one of the best Christmas pop song. Released in 1984, it dominated the charts and is still very popular even today (especially in Japan and Southeast Asia). Re-issues after re-issues, song is one of the best-selling single in UK chart history.

All that success lead the music publisher Dick James Music, to sue George Michael for plagiarism for the song "Can't Smile Without You". If you listen to the song by The Carpenters from their 1976 album, A Kind of Hush, it does bear a heavy resemblance - and eventually the matter was settled out of court.

Britt Nicole-Last Christmas

Twelve Girls Band - Last Christmas

I've previously already mentioned Britt Nicole and Twelve Girls Band's version, so be sure to check them out. I will comment that "12 Girls" is a misnomer, that there is actually 13 girls in the band. I have thought about it later and realized that the Chinese are very superstitious about luck and numbers. 12 is lucky, while 13 is not.

Anyway, here are some more covers:

CRAZY FROG www.jamba.de Crazy Frog - Last Christmas As much as I admire and love British culture, I could not understand their love for that Crazy Frog (Europe's love for the Crazy Frog sent him to #1 in the charts - simply by selling ring tones!) If you've never heard of Crazy Frog, it sounds to me that they just remix music by other people and through the brilliant marketing of an animated frog. Thankfully the craze never made it over to the States, and if it does, I'll bet you that Americans will complain about the Frog's penis. If you were wondering about the woman singing on Crazy Frog's housey "Last Christmas", it is by singer Nicole Bolley.	ASHLEY TISDALE ashleytisdale.com ♥ ashleymusic.com Ashley Tisdale-Last Christmas Like many other modern girl pop singers, Ashley Tisdale came out of the Disney school of music... or better known as High School Musical. Hate it or not, it's hard to ignore the impact of HSM on popular culture. In 2006, Tisdale decided to release her studio recording of "Last Christmas" for Warner Brothers Music. The song was eventually released only as a one-track radio promo, and only available as a digital download. However, if physical CD is your thing, you'll find the song as a B-Side on her He Said She Said EP. If you get a chance to listen to the sort-of-whiney version of "Last Christmas", it doesn't really add much to the song. It's definitely more modern and pop.
I'M SO LOOK YOU myspace.com ♥ imsolookyou.blogspot.com I'm So Look You-Last Christmas I'm So Look You is from Japan, I think mostly driven by DJ Muranao. I couldn't make any sense of her myspace or blogspot, as it's mostly written in Japanese, so I can't really tell you much about her. She seems like a young woman with a talent for mixing. Anyway, she recently remixed "Last Christmas", adding a little jingle bells, "Joy to the World", violas, synth, and techno beats to the original song. The vocals are modified enough that you might not recognize that it's George Michaels. She'll be DJing in the Nagoya area, check it out: 12/24/08  domina "パジャマ de オジャマ de KISS!!" 12/31/08  club buddha & R-base cafe "年越しパーティー☆" 01/10/09 GOLDEN CHILD CAFE 01/14/09  SARU 01/24/09  club EDITS "藤澤志保 Release Tour" 01/29/09  domina "HEIDI" 02/01/09 club EDITS "TRASH" 03/13/09 club buddha "LOVE LIFE MUSIC!!!"	HILARY DUFF hilaryduff.com ♥ myspace.com Hilary Duff - Last Christmas Hilary Duff is probably best known as Lizzie McGuire (yet another Disney child star). She ventured into music obviously, and from her first real studio album is actually a holiday album called Santa Claus Lane, released in 2002. The title is a fictional street, as originally referenced in the 1947 song "Here Comes Santa Claus" and probably inspired the poppy "Santa Claus Lane" song on the album. No surprise, but I don't think Duff wrote any of the songs on the album, they were either written for her or established songs. Some of the covers I did recognize is Paul McCarthy's "" and Wham's "Last Christmas". Incidentally, the "chicawah" sound effects on "Last Christmas" made Duff's version very cheesy. The quirky effects are also applied to other songs on her album. Someone should've stopped the mixer/producer from over doing it.
BILLIE billie-piper.net (unofficial) Billie - Last Christmas Billie Paul Piper or better known simply as "Billie" is a British singer and actress. Unlike her teen pop contemporaries, she's not of the Disney music school. However, they're all pretty much interchangeable, aren't they? She dabbled in music, but have only managed to released two albums (strangely securing a "Greatest Hits" album based on the two previous studio albums) and seems to have taken more into acting. Currently, she's better known for playing Rose Tyler next to the Doctor in the television series Doctor Who (2005 to 2006), where she's won numerous awards for "Best Actress" to GQ's "Woman of the Year".	DAM VINH HUNG damvinhhung.ws ♥ myspace.com Dam Vinh Hung-Last Christmas Dam Vinh Hung is a pop singer from Vietnam. It must be hard to be a singer or actor in Vietnam because the state of things in the region is that everything is bootlegged and you can forget about money and royalties from legitimate sales of your records or DVDs. It's gotten to a point that people prefer the bootlegs due to the attractive dirt cheap prices. Anyway, the cover song is sung entirely in Vietnamese and contain the opening dialogue. I'm probably mis-translating it, but he said something to the extent of: My love, do you remember me? I know you don't love me anymore.

Links: www.weheartmusic.com podcast.weheartmusic.com news.weheartmusic.com

After-Work Music: Peter Bradley Adams, Leavetaking and The Morning Benders, The Bedroom Covers

Peter Bradley Adams-So Are You to Me Peter Bradley Adams Tour Dates 08/20/08 Eddies Attic Decatur, GA 08/21/08 Workplay Theater Birmingham, AL 08/23/08 Evening Muse Charlotte, NC 08/25/08 IOTA Club Arlington, VA 08/26/08 Gravity Lounge Charlottesville, VA 08/27/08 Coffee East Easton, MD 08/28/08 Rockwood Music Hall New York, NY 08/29/08 Lucky Star Lounge Front Royal, VA 09/04/08 Schubas Chicago, IL 09/19/08 Rosenzweig Arts Center Columbus, MS 09/24/08 Le Set De La Butte Paris, France 09/25/08 La Bellevilloise Paris, France 09/26/08 Le Manga Saint Quentin en Yvelines, France 09/27/08 Le Soleil De La Butte Paris, France 09/30/08 Le Palais Bar Paris, France

There isn't much that's nicer after a long day at work than listening to a nice, laidback album of gentle, melodic music to help you unwind and forget the daily dose of bullshit you've dealt with at the workplace. Some of my favorite albums of this sort are" John Prine's first "greatest hits" compilation, Prime Prine; Mazzy Star's So Tonight That I Might See; anything by Azure Ray; and Benjamin Løzninger's Crossweek EP (previously mentioned here). Music can be an effective healing balm--and here are two great new albums of aloe vera sound to salve away the razorburn of our everyday lives.

Peter Bradley Adams' (MySpace) new album, Leavetaking, which was just released on August 5th by Seattle's Sarathan Records, is a lovely album of straightforward singer/songwriter music in the alt-country tradition of the aforementioned John Prine or The Jayhawks. Adams was once one-half of the duo eastmountainsouth, but once their label DreamWorks tanked, Adams self-released a solo album, Gather Up, in 2006 and now, two years later, has released another album of music that will appeal to folkies and indie-rockers alike.

Adams' Leavetaking would be a great album if it featured nothing more than him and a guitar. He's a hell of a songwriter, and tracks like "I'll Forget You" and "So Are You To Me" (a song that has become so popular as a wedding piece he's giving away the sheet music for free on his MySpace page) will resonate well with anyone who has loved and/or lost. But Adams' music is a lot more varied. From the piano-and-acoustic-guitar Americana of album opener "The Longer I Run" to the reverse-reverbed introductory notes of "Always" (a song that out-Ben-Folds Ben Folds himself), Adams' arrangements are excellent examples of layered production. I particularly like the languid banjo plucking on "I'll Forget You" and "Always," which gives those songs a beautiful roots-music feel that calls to mind scenes of pastoral relaxation. The echoed vocals and pristine guitar tones of "Ohio" creates an air of autumnal melancholy very reminiscent of the Jayhawks' Rainy Day Music. In fact, Adams' voice sounds a lot like Gary Louris' at times--especially on "Keep Us," a track that literally defines exactly what "alt-country" is--but that's not a bad thing. The album concludes with the brief "Song for Viola," on which Adams trades lyrics for a breathtaking viola solo that will crack open even the stoniest heart with its eerie beauty. Anyone who remembers watching Peter Burns' The Civil War on PBS back in the early '90s may find themselves thinking of that documentary's haunting theme, "Ashokan Farewell" after listening to "Song for Viola," but whereas "Ashokan Farewell" has the solemn finality of a graveside goodbye, Adams' album closer has more of a "I hope I'll see you again someday" feeling that'll leave you with a wistful longing.

The Morning Benders - He's a Rebel (Crystals Cover) The Morning Benders Tour Dates 08/07/08 El Rey Theatre L.A., CA 08/22/08 The Blank Club (w/ the mumlers!) San Jose, California 09/13/08 MONOLITH @ RED ROCKS!! Morrison, Colorado 09/15/08 Paladium Salt Lake City,UT 09/21/08 TREASURE ISLAND MUSIC FESTIVAL (hell yeahhhhhh) SAN FRANCISCO BAY, California 09/28/08 The Casbah (w/ Ra Ra Riot!!) San Diego, California 09/29/08 Modified (w/ Ra Ra Riot) Phoenix, Arizona 09/30/08 Plush (w/ Ra Ra Riot!@! yea!@) Tucson, Arizona 10/02/08 The Loft (w/ Ra Ra Riot) Dallas, Texas 10/03/08 Stubb’s (w/ Ra Ra Riot) Austin, Texas 10/04/08 Rudyards (w/ Ra Ra Riot) Houston, Texas 10/07/08 The Social (w/ Ra Ra Riot) Orlando, Florida 10/08/08 Club Downunder (w/ Ra Ra Riot) Tallahassee, Florida 10/10/08 Drunken UNICORN (w/ Ra Ra Riot!@$) AtlantA, Georgia 10/11/08 Local 506 (w/ Ra Ra Riot) Raleigh, North Carolina 10/12/08 Black Cat (w/ Ra Ra Riot) washington DC yo, Washington DC 10/14/08 Ottobar (w/ Ra Ra Riot) Baltimore, Maryland 10/15/08 Johnny Brenda’s (w/ Ra Ra Riot) PHILLY, Pennsylvania 10/18/08 Middle East Downstairs (w/ Ra Ra Riot) Boston, Massachusetts 10/20/08 Puma In-Store (Acoustic) Boston, Massachusetts 10/21/08 Puma In-Store (Acoustic) New York, New York 10/22/08 Case Western (STUDENTS ONLY) Cleveland, Ohio 10/28/08 UCSB Santa Barbara, California 10/29/08 Puma In-Store (Acoustic) Santa Monica, California

On the other hand, The Morning Benders' (MySpace) 100% totally free album of cover songs, aptly titled The Bedroom Covers (download it here), is a somewhat different creature--equally as relaxing, but much less alt-country and much more Arcade Firey. Since 2005, founder/frontman Chris Chu and friends (drummer Julian Harmon, bassist Tim Or, and guitarist/organist Joe Ferrell, all fellow alums of UC Berkeley) have been producing upbeat, bouncy guitar-pop with a sunny Californian sound. Imagine an odd, but lovable, combination of The Beach Boys and The Smiths and...you pretty much have The Morning Benders, a band whose lively music belies the sharp edge of their wit.

However, The Bedroom Covers sounds nothing like that. Or, well, not totally.

The album is precisely what it says it is: "a free album of covers we did in our apartment...our little thank you to everyone for all the love and support you given us over the last couple of months"--and as such, it has a very intimate, lo-fi atmosphere that will make you feel as though the band were hanging out right there in your pad with you, unwinding after a show by drinking some beers and playing some of their favorite songs. This is very obviously the effort of a band who wants to return a little of the love and support their fans have given them: it's a warm and cozy little effort that'll leave you with a smile even after a day spent dealing with your Bill-Lumbergh-wannabe boss.

The Benders cover a wide range of songs--everything from Roy Orbison's "Crying" to the Ronettes' "Why Don't They Let Us Fall In Love?" to Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams," The Cardigans' "Lovefool," and Talking Heads "Pull Up The Roots"--and each cover has a unique arrangement and atmosphere. Most of them are simple, downtempo tracks with heavily-reverbed vocals and laidback acoustic guitars, very basic percussion (mostly shakers, tambourines, and handclaps), though some, like their cover of The Crystals' classic "He's A Rebel" (one of my alltime favorite '60s jams), are downright energetic and punchy! For the most part, though, The Bedroom Covers is still a predominantly chilled-out affair, and it will chill you out. Especially on "Dreams," Chu's voice sounds positively ethereal, drifting like a cloud of smoke over the instruments. Needless to say, there isn't an ounce of fat or filler on this album, and all of the covers are fairly true to the originals. The band isn't interested in re-imagining these songs, they're simply playing songs they love, and that love is guaranteed to seep into you.

So the next time you come home ready to punch a hole in the wall because your jackass superiors have been hounding you all day about the damn cover sheets for your TPS reports, save yourself a trip to the hospital to have your knuckles re-set. Put Leavetaking or The Bedroom Covers on. Sit back and let the music massage you.

Links: www.weheartmusic.com

 08/07/2008 19:51:08  ♥ written by derek ( / www.pegritz.com)

The Undertones - Mars Bars and Teenage Kicks

 

 

The Undertones - Mars Bars

The Undertones

 

Mars-almond

I had another review that was scheduled to go up today, but inspired by a dream I had just now (I just woke up, it's 4am now), I'm going to write about something else... My dream involved a mobster about to kill a gay music director at a banquet. After I drove the drunken mobsters home, all that was left at the banquet were Mars Bars. Now I'm not sure if the technology exists now (it certain exists in Futurama), but I'll bet the Mars Bar people would love to advertise in people's dream!

Apparently, according to wikipedia, the US and UK had very different versions of Mars Bar. The UK version was a sweeter version of Milky Way (US version), while in the States, Mars Bar had notably almonds in it.

The US candy bar was discontinued in the US in 2002 and the branding changed to Snickers Almond Bar. This is sad, considering The Mars Rover could really use a snack with all that digging.

 

 

The Undertones - Teenage Kicks

Fortunately this all ties in to one of my favorite b-side, The Undertones' "Mars Bars" (off of the single Jimmy, Jimmy in 1979). They were probably better known for being a John Peel's favorite band from their first single "Teenage Kicks".

I love this song, it has all that garage inspired feel of 70s punk (think Ramones and Buzzcocks), yet it's very accessibly and poppy. Obviously, I'm not the only one that loves this song, it's become one of most-covered songs, including Peter Bjorn and John, The Raconteurs, Sahara Hotnights, Snow Patrol, Razorlight, Ash, Skunk Anansie, Busted, Groovie Ghoulies, The Saw Doctors, Therapy?, Nouvelle Vague, Green Day, Thee Headcoatees, Franz Ferdinand, The Coral, Violent Delight, Criminal Mischief, The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, KT Tunstall, and Seabear.

Although I don't have all the cover songs, but here are five:

Sahara Hotnights - Teenage Kicks

Nouvelle Vague - Teenage Kicks

Ash - Teenage Kicks

Seabear - Teenage Kicks

The Raconteurs - Teenage Kicks

Another cover lover, at your service.

Mars Phoenix

http://twitter.co...

Whoohoo! Was keeping my eye on some chunks of bright stuff & they disappeared! Sublimated! So it...

Update: Mars Rover uncovered ice on Mars:

Are you ready to celebrate? Well, get ready: We have ICE!!!!! Yes, ICE, *WATER ICE* on Mars! w00t!!! Best day ever!! about 19 hours ago from web

 

Links: www.theundertones.com

Seasons in the Sun

Jacques Brel - Le Moribond (Seasons in the Sun) Jacques Brel   Terry Jacks - Season In The Sun Terry Jacks

"Seasons in the Sun" is one of those songs that is massively popular in Asia, especially where I'm from originally in Vietnam. I found out that the song is actually a 1961 Belgian French song called "Le Moribond" (The Dying Man) by folk singer Jacques Brel.

Brel lived in Belgium and moved to Paris in the 70s, and most of his body of work (from 1954 to 1977), was mostly composed and sung exclusively in French.

The song was translated into English and recorded as a song by Rod McKuen, which sounds kind of like Leonard Nimoy's acting/singing... especially at the end, where it gets a little exaggerated. I found the recording on imeem, so hopefully the embedding feature will work out.

Prior to Terry Jacks hit recording, there were several attempts by The Kingston Trio (1963) and The Fortunes (1968), and Pearls Before Swine (1970), but none of them ever got as popular as Jacks' version in 1974.

A couple of notes, about the Fortunes, they are still active (and playing live) and have the "Seasons in the Sun" song available for download on their website, although from listening to it, it sounds like, perhaps it's a re-recording(?). Anyway, some tour dates:

05/24/08 California Cliffs, Great Yarmouth.
06/06/08 Keswick Rugby Club, Cumbria
06/08/08 Whitby Pavillion
06/13/08 Memorial Social Center, Wickhambrook, Newmarket.
06/28/08 Theatre on the Steps, Bridgnorth, Shropshire
07/05/08 Spa Pavilion, Felixstowe
07/13/08 Pavilion Theatre, Cromer
07/19/08 Alvaston Hall, Nantwich (Warners)
07/25/08 Purley Chase Golf Club. Nr Nuneaton.
07/26/08 Artrix Theater Bromsgrove
07/31/08 Canterbury (CUTG)

More tour dates on thefortunes.co.uk

So the story behind the #1 hit song by Canadian singer Terry Jacks, was that Jacks had proposed to The Beach Boys to record "Seasons in the Sun", but The Beach Boys abandoned the project. Jacks decided to record and release the song himself, and to this day have sold over six million copies.

The main difference in Jacks' version and previous versions, was that his version is a little happier, including removing the 'cheating wife' part.

Speaking of happy, Westlife's version is ... let's just say quite interesting. Their singing and upbeat song doesn't really carry across the message of a dying man. At all. Still the song did well for them, although it was eventually left off their Greatest Hits CD in 2002, possibly due to licensing/royalities rights.

A vast contrast to Westlife's poppy version is from Nirvana, who seems to stumble through the song. It's also interesting to note that you see Kurt Cobain playing the drums, instead of Dave Grohl (who looks like he's playing bass in the video).

Also interesting to note is that the song is vastly popular with punk bands such as Bad Religion, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes and Blink 182.

I am including a few other covers below, my favorite is Black Box Recorder, who I've previously mentioned. Their version sounds like a French film soundtrack :).

The Fortunes - Seasons In The Sun

Me First And The Gimme Gimmes - Seasons In The Sun

Black Box Recorder - Seasons in the Sun

Westlife - Seasons In The Sun

Nirvana - Seasons In The Sun

Links: www.weheartmusic.com

Too Much Joy - Seasons In The Sun (Album Version)

Papi Chulo wrote: Tue, May 20, 2008 at 7:04 PM

Don't forget the awesome version by Too Much Joy (click the Play link next to the track on that page. You can listen to 25 tracks per month free on Rhapsody). They were one of my favorites back in the day, and they still do the best version that I've ever heard. Even better live.

 

 

Dream Bitches

Dream Bitches - Bronxy Marie Dream Bitches Tour Dates 05/18/08 Sweet Tomatoes Pizza Falmouth, MA 05/19/08 Lucy Parsons Center Boston, MA 05/20/08 Abbey Lounge Somerville, MA 05/21/08 Monkey House Winooski, VT 05/22/08 Rendezvous Turners Falls, MA 05/24/08 Cake Shop - NY 06/06/08 AS220 Providence, RI Discography [2005] Black Molly: From The Batcave EP [2005] Sanfransisters [2008] Coke -and- Spiriters Sounds Like Best Friends Forever http://weheartmus... This is just a placeholder for Best Friends Forever, Peppermint Patty, and The Terrordactyls at ...

Dream Bitches are a folk-pop group from New York. They have a sophomore album, Coke-and-Spiriters coming out on May 20^th, and just by noticing their cover of Belle & Sebastian's "Me and the Major", I can already tell you that I will absolutely love this band.

Dream Bitches - Me and the Major Belle & Sebastian - Me and the Major

Their version feels more like a singalong, with some great guitar playing. The original song is a gobful of fast-singing lyrics, so I'm glad to see that they manage to pull off the cover without mangling the lyrics. I mean, try saying "me and the major comes from different worlds, but if I get stuck in the lift its always with a toff", especially if you have no idea what a toff is.

B&S aside, this band is really between two BFF, Yoko Kikuchi and Ann Zakaluk. They started making music as Black Molly, and listening to Coke-and-Spiriters I get the impression that they have this really cute sense of humor. For instance, "Sweet Anneth" tells the story a girl who accidentally had 16 children, all the result of that she "sips cider through a straw". That probably didn't make sense to you, but that's the punchline.

Although, from my understanding, that this album has more of a fuller sound (with the addition of Casey Holford - the only boy, Julie DeLano - the bass, and Jen Knee - drums), and certainly songs like "Maniacal Mechanic" and "Hierarchy Island" really shows this off. However, surprisingly, I much more prefered the acoustic song, such as "Bronxy Marie" and "Spoke on a Wheel", that mostly centers around Yoko's vocals (hey, that rhymes).

The album ends with "Way to Go", a "serious" song, but with a Dream Bitches nerdiness, of course. Lyrics like "I'll be your Silver Surfer" and "We will hold hands/but only under the table/I will be your Soup of the Day" definitely deserves thumbs up from me.

By the way, there's also a hidden track, about Sammie Thompson, so be sure to stay after the credits roll.

Coke-and-Spiriters is out next Tuesday on RIYL Records, any fans of cute duo-singing and lyrically-obsessed fans should want this album in their collection.

Links: www.dreambitches.org myspace.com/dreambitches www.riylrecords.com

Total Luna Eclipse (of the Heart)

Total Eclipse Of The Heart Bonnie Tyler Total Eclipse of the Heart Hurra Torpedo

Did you know yesterday (Feb 21st) is the Lunar Eclipse? What makes this total eclipse special is that the next one of the moon won't occur until December 21, 2010.

I missed it :/

Of course you know I thought of "Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Bonnie Tyler. I mean, who wouldn't?

This power ballard song was Tyler's biggest hit song from 1983, hitting the Billboard chart at #1 in the US, Canada, Australia and the UK.

The song's been covered by many artists (including boy-band Westlife), but I only have this really wacky version by Hurra Torpedo, a band out of Oslo, Norway.

Apparently this cover song (from 1995) is their only claim to fame. However, before you dismiss them, I should mention that the most interesting thing: they use kitchen appliances as part of their show!

You can download this song on their website, check out their hilarious live performance (complete with butt-crack):

02/22/2008 00:05:44 vu my♥posts www.bonnietyler.com www.hurratorpedo.org

The Dan Band - Total Eclipse of the Heart

Total Eclipse of the Heart (Reggae)

kazumano wrote:

Feb 22, 2008 at 11:34 AM

Dude you should check out the cover by the Dan Band. And check out the rest of his covers too. Some are really good.

www.youtube.com

Ann wrote: Feb 22, 2008 at 12:01 PM

Two years ago for Christmas my friend made a cd of all the versions of this song, including the Tori Amos bootleg. Here's my post about it.