Blog: Tuneage

Galaxie 500 - "Submission" (Sex Pistols cover) We've already posted two covers today, so why stop now? I actually thought it was the original. Maybe it should be…

Hugo Martin - "Avril 14th" Matt's The Bad Plus post got me thinking about one of my favorite covers of all time (that also happens to be an Aphex Twin cover). The cover is a simple guitar arrangement of Aphex Twin's "Avril 14th" (which can be found on disc one of Drukqs ), and I'll be damned if I don't like it more than the original.

The Bad Plus - "Flim" Known mainly for their Jazz covers of popular songs, The Bad Plus can actually play with extraordinary breadth. "Flim" runs the gamut from simple, subdued melody and accompaniment to much more complicated rhythmic patterns and dissonant harmonies. It's a shame their version of Avant-Garde Experimental Jazz-Rock hasn't caught on more over the years.

Yonder Mountain String Band - "Half Moon Rising" On a typical day, I don't reach for bluegrass; however, a recently rekindled love affair with Colorado-based bluegrass group Yonder Mountain String Band has me reaching for bluegrass more than I used to. As their name implies, YMSB is a quartet of stringed instruments (banjo, mandolin, guitar, and bass), and with the possible exception of their self-titled album (of which I've only heard the AmazonMP3 preview snippets), you won't hear any percussion on YMSB's songs. Personally, I wouldn't have it any other way. [...]

How about a little comic relief for the weekend? This sketch comes from the British comedy The Fast Show , which regrettably hung up its boots for good in 2000. Give it a name, brothers and sisters, it's Indie Club . (Thanks, Inky .)

Bears - "How to Live" Somehow, economic depression and long, cold, Cleveland winters have given way to indie pop genius in the form of the band, Bears. Yeah, they are cute… but not too cute. And yeah, their vocal harmonies are delicate… but not too delicate. Their short blasts of musical amazement make you wonder if they have short attention spans or if they are really just that good.

Ellen Allien & Apparat – "Way Out" As two of my favorite sound engineers, Ellen Allien and Apparat make a beautiful musical pair. After listening to their individual 2008 albums, I still come back to their Orchestra of Bubbles project. I'm very much in love with it forever. The song "Way Out" is exactly what it says, and this impressive animation by Gaia Bracco is strangely mesmerizing. Just before the story literally takes flight, I'm reminded of Dalí's Metamorphosis of Narcissus . I think Ellen is singing "way [...]

Lusine - "Drip" (Apparat remix) I had never heard of Lusine until Apparat's most recent album Things to Be Frickled . Lusine is Jeff McIlwain, a Seattle-based Texan. You can hear his film score in Snow Angels by David Green, who is also known for Pineapple Express and Undertow . Lusine's sound is mostly ambient, and Apparat puts a firm structure to this track that direct its drift. This track is also titled "Drift" in some places, and I can't figure out if [...]

Friendly Fires - "Jump In The Pool" Friendly Fires dropped into Tuneage's mailbox recently. I'd probably have dismissed them as another electro-pop band without so much as a listen if they hadn't been from the UK. Fortunately, I didn't. They met in school and in their first band together, "First Day Back", focussed more on emulating Fugazi's style than their own. They've come a long way since then, with their first album due next month. This song was made entirely by themselves on a laptop, using a "crappy microphone gaffer taped to a [...]

Dri - "Free Tonight" There's something perfect about a twinkly light song just as fall approaches. Dri hails from Kansas but her music is so polished and perfect it sounds like she's already been around the indie world and back. This song is off her album Smoke Rings , which is already out on Range Life Records.

Local Natives (formerly Cavil At Rest) - "All Is Well And Good" Even though this band has not done much in the past few years, they still have a lot of potential, a great vocalist, and really unique songs. What do you think?

Ra Ra Riot - "Can You Tell" I've been listening to this album non stop since Friday. The Rhumb Line is full of gorgeous string parts as well as melodies that easily get stuck in your head. There's a fullness to their songs which keeps me listening. Ra Ra Riot formed in 2006 in Syracuse, NY and recently signed to Barsuk Records. They have played CMJ, SXSW, and have toured with Art Brut, Bow Wow Wow, Editors and Tokyo Police Club. From track to track, I hear influences including The [...]

Music Go Music - "Light of Love" It's OK, you can admit it. You have a soft spot for ABBA's "Dancing Queen", and there's nothing wrong with that. I know this is true because their bouncy, sunny, Swedish disco electro-pop is nearly impossible not to like. ABBA may be gone, but their essence makes a comeback in Music Go Music's first single, released earlier this year. "Light of Love", off Music Go Music's first 12" of the same name, is a 5-minute onslaught of ABBA-like pop that's every bit as sunny, [...]

The Best Jazz Radio in the U.S. : Newark, NJ is home to an NPR station that provides diverse content within the scope of Jazz music, stretching from Dixieland to contemporary artisits. Their programming includes commentary by the artists themselves and an array of sub-genre focused shows. Think about the jot and spicy Latin Jazz Hour. If you've enjoyed the past Jazz posts, or if you're looking to explore further, have a listen live via their free stream. You might even feel compelled to contribute.

Bishop Allen - "ClickClickClickClick" Bishop Allen is known for their quirky, DIY indie pop music; fun lyrics, catchy hooks, and just an overall good vibe, that's what I think of when I think of Bishop Allen. This song, with its simple, plucky hook and undeniably catchy chorus, has been bouncing around my head all morning. Bishop Allen's latest full-length release, The Broken String , is currently available through Dead Oceans . And although it's currently out of print, I highly recommend their debut, Charm School , if you can [...]

Dolly Parton - "Jolene" Oh no, Dolly ain't jealous! And she certainly paints Jolene beautifully. My best friend during high school always had her albums in the car, and I'd bet that every one in coal country loves her. I had to post the original Jolene with all the covers out there. Here's a live performance of hers that's kinda funny. Don't even act like y'all don't like a little country.

The Stills - "Snow In California" This song is off of The Stills newest album, Oceans Will Rise , which was released today on Arts and Crafts Records. This is the third full length release for the Montreal-based quintet, and the band will be touring the States beginning in September. I feel like this album is missing a lot of the melodic keyboard lines from its previous album, Without Feathers , and it also seems to be a bit darker, but this is definitely my favorite song (so far) from this album. [...]

DJ Shadow - "Building Steam With A Grain Of Salt" Grandiose. Epic. Anthemic. Gigantic. These words hardly describe the downbeat for this Godfatherly trip/hop and ambient composition. It is truly bigger than that. As soon as I hear it, I have the strange desire to stab my hands and arms into soft earth and dig. Not so much fast or out of control, but deep, deliberately and with great care. I dig and dig, and as I move past the mantle of our planet the song begins to engulf me. At some point around [...]

Richard Swift - "Would You" I stumbled across Richard Swift recently and was shocked by what I heard. Was I actually hearing a guy in 2008 doing 50s soul/doo-wop? Yes. Yes I was. Richard Swift recently released a free 5-song EP called Ground Trouble Jaw that sports a little soul, a little doo-wop, and even a little synth-pop. This song, "Would You", is the lead-off cut and one of the soul tracks. I can't help but be reminded of the Motown era when I listen to this, and [...]

Van She - "Changes" "Changes" might just hand clap you out of your funk and pop that ex right out of your head. It's the latest from Australian group Van She's debut album V , released this past week. Perhaps you've enjoyed Van She Technologic's remixes of Dragonette, The Presets, and The Bravery? Well, this album is not so technologic, but it is an assortment of 80's pop feel that puts me somewhere between a mellow Tom Vek and a more ethereal Cut Copy.