Earlier I posted about Blink 182’s new song and Mark Hoppus’ other, anti-Blink 182 band, +44. Well, with the +44 song, there was also an electronic remix of that song, which was pretty good.
Check it:
Category Archives: Music
The new Blink 182 song is very un-Blink 182, and For That I Like It
It’s very interesting to see Blink 182 coming back onto the scene with their new album and their new song, Bored to Death, a song that I only turned on because it kept popping up on my Facebook, so I turned it only only because I was curious. I decided about 30 seconds in that I really liked it, because it was cool to see Mark Hoppus’ band “+44” come back around to make some cool new music.
I’m sorry, I meant “Blink 182.”
But that was a question that came up right away: Why did they even bother calling themselves Blink 182? Hoppus and Travis Barker had already come around in another band that was essentially just a Tom Delonge-less band, and this new song basically made me think of that.
Granted, +44 had a much stronger electronic bend than this new Blink song, which still holds true to its rock and roll roots, but still; this new song sounds so far from Blink 182, and sounds much closer to +44, that I’m actually punching the former into my music streamer so I can hear some of their songs.
Let’s do a fun comparison, here’s Bored to Death:
And now +44:
Please tell me I’m only playing tricks on myself. But damn, I’m suddenly really digging on +44.
Bloc Party Announces Tour Dates and Performs New Music
I love Bloc Party. They’re one of the few bands that, somehow, I haven’t gotten simply lost interest in at some point (looking at you Green Day). Even with the bands constant changes and uncertainties (are they even a band anymore?) I still get excited whenever I learn some update about the band.
Which is why i’m thrilled about this new bit of news, even if I shouldn’t be so thrilled. First the good bits: The band has some new songs, and they’re going on tour. They recorded a new full length album, and I’m predicting that they’ll go on a US tour pretty soon. The sketchy bits: They replaced a few members of the band, Matt Tong and Gordon Moakes have left, replaced by Louise Bartle and Justin Harris on the respective instruments.
Right now they’re only touring UK and Europe, but keep an eye out regardless.
Amsterdam, Paradiso (November 27)
Koln, Live Music Hall (28)
Berlin, Astra Kulturhaus (29)
Paris, Alhambra (December 1)
Brussels, Cirque Royal (2)
Manchester, Albert Hall (3)
London, St John At Hackney (4)
This Old Thing Again
A couple weeks (months?) ago I was inspired by Casey Neistat to work on a daily blog. Casey has his daily vlog which he seems to do a good job at actually posting daily vlogs. It seems that he records a ton of video content, and, at some point, finds the time to dedicate a few hours to edit them all together. And he does this daily!
It makes me struggle to think about how he’s able to maintain patience, focus, and dedication. I wonder if editing video is as natural to him as brushing his teeth; it’s not simply a job, it’s an extension of his regular activities required in order to live, like breathing. If that is the case, then I am severely jealous.
I decided that I want to replicate that kind of work ethic and maintain a daily blog. And, of course, the very day that I decided to maintain a daily blog, and I opened a word document, to type down some words, I lost focus within an hour, and walked away. I haven’t posted anything on my blog since.
Will I do that tonight? I watched a vlog of Casey as he and a dude skateboarded through an airport and eventually walked around the VMAs, because, you know, they’re celebrities, kind of. Throughout the airport, Casey made a bunch of peculiar editing decisions, as well as peculiar angles for his shots. It made me wonder how he got the shots he did, and why he edited them the way he did. He held the camera in his hand as he walked to the check in desk, and then it cut to a distance shot of him and his buddy at the same desk, presumably still checking in, and then right back to the camera in his hand. It made me wonder, did he deliberately halt the check in process so he could run ten feet away to put his camera on the floor as it recorded them? And then stop the conversation again so he could get the camera and move it to another spot on the floor that simply reverses the shot?
It blew me away how much effort and energy he puts into those videos. And I started thnking again about my daily blog. I should maintain a daily blog. Even if it is only a couple hundred words at a time.
This post is a completely shallow, terribly edited post, but it is a post nonetheless. The last time I decided to post daily, didn’t post, and my blog went ignored more months. Though, to be fair, I seem only only update once every couple of months anyway. Let’s see if I can keep this blog going again? Probably not.
And now for a song that I came across today:
Miley Cyrus covers Led Zeppelin’s cover of a Really Boring Song
There’s something about Miley Cyrus that draws up a deep-seeded, biblical rage in some people. The mere thought of Cyrus brings to mind terrible, torturous noise-as-music, as well as the confirmation of societal descent into madness, where society has ceased to decline and finally tipped over the edge into irrecoverable decadence and horror, and we are all horrible people, and may God have mercy on our souls.
Incidentally, people used to say the same thing about The Beatles.
And if you think that connection is unfair, here’s another example: Justin Timberlake.
Now… Where was I… RIGHT! So,
Miley Cyrus recorded a cover to Led Zepplin’s “Baby, I’m Gonna Leave You,” and as AV Club pointed out, the response varied. Some people liked it, some hated it, and a lots of others wondered what a lead zeppelin is. Myself, I don’t hate it. It has a low-fi quality, which i’m a sucker for, and she really goes all out with the vocals. If she’s not breathing fire, then she’s earnestly trying to.
It’s probably a safe to bet that any ire she’s provoking comes from the simple fact that she’s covering Led Zeppelin. It’s easy to write her off as a pretentious, self-absorbed fool to think she could even pretend to rise to the level of Led Zepplin. They are rock gods! Timeless! Who’s Miley Cyrus? Some annoying girl who practically mooned the entire world on TV and humped a foam glove, and who completely shattered any and all preconceived notions of who she is and what she stands for. Did you know she’s in the Guinness Book of World Records?
So I thought i’d do something fun. Zepplin’s version is actually a cover of Joan Baez’s version. I’m going to post all three versions right here, so if there’s any weirdos like me out there, you’ll want to hear all three, just because. So enjoy.
New Music: Blind The Thief – Scientists Have Feelings Too
I’ll be be honest, it took me a little bit to warm up to this band. I worked with the guitarist for awhile, so I feel bad when I say, the first couple tracks slightly underwhelmed me. At the same time, however, i’d hardly given their album a chance, so I couldn’t quite form an honest opinion, so I persevered. I started over, and I must say, it blew me away.
The turning point came when I arrived at the track, “In The Sandbox,” which does everything that I love in songs: It’s improvisational, it contains urgency, it has a psychedelic sound that would make Deerhunter proud, and it contains a brilliant use of samples that caused me to pause the track a number of times just to make sure I didn’t have anything else playing at the same time, and I mean that in a good way. After that track, I was hooked. I feel I need to see these guys live, ASAP. I feel bad; I was invited to one show, but I didn’t go, because i’m a c***.
Bonus: If you can tell me, within a day of this post, what the name of the band is in reference to, I will send you a bottle of whatever beer you want. Serious.
Some New Tunes
Thought i’d share a few. A couple songs I came across tonight that feel like they’re telling us Autumn is here. And thank goodness – I hate summer. Too damn hot.
Scientific – Somniac
Check out this incredible tune, one of those chilled out pieces of ambiance that makes you glad to be alive. At least, that’s how I feel. Perfect for a lazy sunday. And maybe a beer.
Kishi Bashi – *Cool Song*
My last post was a toss up between this and the other one, so I went with the more vulgar choice. Now that it’s out there, i’m going to throw up something sweet and moving. The video is pretty good too; I could do without all the smiling, clapping children, but I love the acid trip that surrounds it all.
Music to Share
Still working on my next post, but I felt I needed to share this song I discovered the other day. The War On Drugs is the name of the band, and the song: Red Eyes. I love it, and i’m listening to their entire discography as I type. Enjoy!
Project Gregory 