M83 "Steve McQueen"

All my potential wasted...

To think I could have been doing this all these years:

Hopefully, he won't be strung out on drugs by age twelve...

About the only thing that could possibly make this kid any cheesier is if we found out his name was Tommy Lee:

A perfect combination...

Tron + Daft Punk = Dangerously Cheesy anticipation:

Reliving the classics...

There was a time in my youth when INXS was my favorite band and Kick was my favorite album, which makes this cover project by Beck and friends all the more cheesier. Check out the video below for a teaser, and Beck's Record Club for videos of them covering the rest of the album.

I carved your name across three counties...

That's a line from the first track from Middle Cyclone by Neko Case, as she sings from the point of view of a tornado. It's an almost violent kind of song that seems to capture the intensity of a tornado as a metaphor for passionate love. Given the experience we've had with growing up around tornadoes here at the Kool-Aid Gang, it was quite awesome to pick apart the words to this song.

Somehow I avoided listening to this CD when it came out in June. Perhaps I was a bit skeptical given it's prominence at the checkout counter at Starbucks when it came out, but damn if it isn't the best album of 2009.

Dallas finally got a radio station playing music worth listening to, and I happened upon that first track, "This Tornado Loves You," on a drive home from work. I picked up the album shortly after. I'd suggest you do the same.

Check out her performance on Letterman earlier last year:

I kind of enjoyed this video about her creative process making this album, too:

This rating may be premature, and I may change my attitude towards this album after more repetitive listens, but for now, I'll go with:

Mammaaaaaa!

I think enough years have gone by since Wayne's World killed this song for me that I can actually enjoy the updated version of this Queen classic by the Muppets:

Gear up for the weekend...

New Weezer in 11 days...

In response to Firecracker George's "Best Concert I've Ever Been To" post...

Being close enough to almost feel like you could touch Bono? Eh. Overrated. My seats at Cowboys Stadium were so much better than what Firecracker George managed to get, or even Wild Willie, for that matter. Not only did I not have to be bothered by the sight of all of U2's aging wrinkles and the smells of their body odor, I had the wonderful opportunity to stare at the colossal behemoth that was the unused black expanse of the Jerry Vision TV that was so much more spectacular than U2's puny little stage (you can see a bit of the TV in the upper right hand corner of the picture above).

And the acoustics of Cowboys Stadium? Outstanding! It was like listening to gunfire in an oil barrel. How could you not want that? And if you don't believe me about the sound, take a gander to the video below. No, that's not some fancy audio editing--that's how awesome the concert really sounded from my seats!

Seriously, though, if you're ever tempted to buy tickets to anything other than football at Jerry World, let me give you some advice--don't. The concert literally did sound like that (Muse's opening set sounded almost unrecognizable), and the ginormous video screen that had to be specially raised to accommodate U2's stage was a huge distraction. I almost thought the monolith from 2001: A Space Odyssey was floating above the whole time (which I guess could have fit with U2's space cowboy theme). It didn't help that I found out general admission tickets on the floor were almost a third what I paid for my nosebleed seats. I guess I got the benefit of cup holders to put down my $8.00 bottle of beer. Luckily, U2 is the greatest band on Earth and they put on quite a show. Lemon and I left happy--that's just how good they are.

A little late to the party...

During my recent trip to Los Angeles, I skipped the FM radio and kept the tunes streaming in from the satellite via Sirius XM U. Phoenix, which Firecracker George posted about awhile back got some pretty heavy play, as did plenty of other slightly less mainstream bands including this group, Animal Collective. I downloaded the rest of the album, Merriweather Post Pavilion, at it's got some pretty awesome tracks that incorporate that synthesized wall of sound rave-like kind of atmosphere. Kind of interesting to me that we're getting back to that 80's style of processed electronica after a decade or so of acoustic, "unplugged" music in the 90's.

Anywho, give this album a listen if you get the chance. Apparently, it's already been out for a few months. By the time I catch up with all these new bands, the pendulum will swing back to bare folk music. I am so not hip.

Some bands are just timeless...

I wasn't even aware that Depeche Mode had a new album due out this year until Wander mentioned it in a recent email. After watching this video for their new single, I'm officially intrigued:

Who needs talent when you've got a computer?

Microsoft Soundsmith is an application that generates an appropriate musical accompaniment to any vocals you lay down. This has created a whole slew of refreshed versions of modern classics, such as this reimagining of "Wonderwall" by Oasis:



Soundsmith isn't limited to mere vocals, however. Even the recent stock market meltdown has provided inspiration for musical genius. Suddenly, that big hit I took in my stock portfolio doesn't seem so depressing anymore:

Funny how I hate dancing, but I dig dance music...

Lemon got this Ladyhawke CD over New Years which has a pretty cool 80's nostalgic vibe to it. I listen to it thinking it sounds just like someone from the 80's, but can't seem to place it.

Anywho, I liked this music video from her single "Dusk Till Dawn," especially the t-shirts that morph from the predictably frightening like "Ghost" and "Werewolf" to even more scarier things like "Your Mother" and "Burt Reynolds."

Is it just me or does this sound kind of generic?

All you need is four chords?

John Williams is the man...

Yeah, yeah.  This is kind of nerdy.  Lemon has been giving me the eye as I've watched this video like, "OMG.  My husband is a dork."  That's OK, 'cause I think it's pretty cool:

I miss the days when MTV actually showed music on TV...

Back in the day when I was kid that watched endless hours of TV yet had no cable to feed my addiction, I had to resort to watching Friday Night Videos on NBC to keep up with the latest and greatest music videos of the moment. This meant I probably missed seeing a video every so oftent and maybe that's why I never realized that Toto was kind of a dorky looking band. Anywho, now MTV MUSIC has posted a number of classics and new releases on the Internet so I can catch up with all the cheesy 80's videos I missed.

Toto |MTV Music

The 80's will never go away...

Is it just me or does this new song "Human" from The Killers sound kind of like something that could have been on the radio 15 years or so ago? Nothing wrong with that. I kind of like this tune even though I haven't quite figured out what the lyrics mean:

I'm wishing for a Quantum of Solace after hearing this garbage...

The new theme song for the next 007 film Quantum of Solace leaked out onto the Internet.  Jack White + Alicia Keys sounded theoretically promising.  Unfortunately, that is all it will be--this song sucks. What a waste of waa-waa horns. I don't know if the peformers are to blame or David Arnold who wrote this thing. Where's John Barry when you need him? 

Addendum:  Oh, I guess Jack White wrote and produced this whole thing.  It doesn't change my opinion.  It still doesn't work for a Bond flick.  

Luckily, the movie itself still looks likes it's going to kick ass!