Between this post, the January ghostface millah mix and our recent stream of The Knife opera, Swedes are sure giving us enough to listen to and talk about. This time around we’re focusing our attention on jj –the ever elusive duo made up of Joakim Benon and Elin Kastlander. For their second full length, jj keep to their core introduced on n° 2: melodic electronic-twinged pop juxtaposed with a hint of longing, sense of humor and the occasional sample or two. My prayers were answered.
Full review, track list and songs after the cut. (more…)
Hey indie bands/artists, this post is for you. Still struggling to figure out if social media can help propel your career? Well, while you mull it over, brilliant indie bands like NYC’s Love and Logic are making their dreams come true.
The band decided to cover Adam Lambert’ssong “Whataya Want From Me” then took to the streets of Manhattan to shoot an authentic video starring everyday New Yorkers (and probably tourists). The video, though simplistic in concept, is visually catching. Shot in black and white, the video features members of Love and Logic interspersed with close-up performance shots and random strangers holding up a cardboard sign that reads “What Do You Want From Me.”
Love and Logic then (smartly) uploaded the video to YouTube and used Twitter to get the video in front of Adam Lambert. The singer took notice and tweeted the video link with the message “Wow!!! This is beautiful” and his rabid following did the rest. Views skyrocketed and rumor has it, MTV has expressed interest in the video and Love and Logic.
Props to the band. Check out the video after the jump! Then listen to Adam Lambert’s original. We wanna know, which do you prefer? Give us a shout in the comments.
Okay okay, so you’re sick of this song –or maybe you’re not, but I kind of am. Living in New York City, this song is pretty unavoidable and I don’t even listen to the radio. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great pop/hip hop track, but it’s become something of a movement in NYC: an example for born-and-bred NYC natives to speak about the city they know and love, but it’s also been appropriated by recent NYC transplants to reinforce what attracted them to this city and subsequently why they moved here (myself included).
In my humble opinion, this cover is more inspiring than the original Jay-Z & Alicia Keys version(s). For starters, the Keys parts are sung by a very talented little girl (go Dominique!), but more so it seems as if the song’s subject of potential is matched by potential of these children –as if they’re better suited to sing about the magic of New York City than two megarich superstars. Plus, it’s fun to watch them dance in their seats.
Clip after the cut; make sure you watch till the end for an adorable outtake. (more…)
I’ve always like Nada Surf – even before I knew I did. I first heard “Deeper Well” on 89.5 KQAL in Winona longer ago than I’d care to admit. Later, I learned that it was the same group who had done “Popular,” everyone’s favorite guide to young romance. I would go with The Proximity Effect as a high water mark, but Nada Surf has always been consistent, turning out accessible, indie rock for over a decade.
(Don’t listen to Pitchfork, they’re just mad everyone isn’t covering “My Girls.”)
That’s why, even though everyone and their mother has released a cover album – from Duran Duran to Mark Kozelek – but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t pumped to hear Nada Surf cover Kate Bush.
The phenomenon known as Sublime rose to fame as acts like No Doubt brought punk-ska to the mainstream world. The band’s self-titled major label debut hit #1 with the single “What I Got” even after the the untimely death of lead singer, guitarist and songwriter Brad Nowell in May of 1996. The album Sublime went on to sell 5x platinum, but more importantly became the soundtrack of much of ‘96 and is forever rooted in the hearts of twenty-somethings (approaching 30).
But encompassing the sense of place and purpose long associated with Sublime’s music, Badfish, a Tribute to Sublime continues to channel the spirit of Sublime with a fury not felt for some time. What separates Badfish from other tribute bands is that they have replicated Sublime’s essence, developing a scene and dedicated following most commonly reserved for label-driven, mainstream acts. Badfish make their mark on the audience by playing with the spirit of Sublime. They perform not as Sublime would have, or did, but as Badfish does!
Badfish hits New York City this Saturday, Dec. 19th as they play Nokia Theater. The show starts at 8p, doors open at 7p. Tickets can be purchased at Ticketmaster. Check out the band doing their rendition of “Santeria” after the cut.
We love Robbie Williams. We love The Killers. So it’s only natural we’d love Robbie Williams covering The Killers “Human” on BBC’s Radio 1 show recently. Robbie’s stripped down version full with string section is a refreshing twist on The Killers more dance-synth version. Worth a listen if you like cover songs.
“The Real Thing” is a breath of fresh air thanks to being completely Ronson-ized with his trademark sound of heavy horns and percussion. Bebel’s sultry voice pairs nicely with Ronson’s signature touch ithat we’ve grown so accustomed to thanks to his work with Amy Winehouse, Daniel Merriweather, and Lily Allen. “The Real Thing” appears on Bebel Gilberto’s new album, All In One, but you can grab it for free now.
Download Bebel Gilberto “The Real Thing” Featuring Mark Ronson
You may recognize the vocals on this track, as Taken by Trees’s sole member is Victoria Bergsman, the female vocalist on the Peter Bjorn and John hit “Young Folks” and former lead singer of The Concretes. Being a one-woman group with a psuedonym, a laSt. Vincent, Taken by Trees opens Bergsman up to a casual- and earthy-feeling (hence the name) world music approach and this Animal Collective cover is no exception; “My Boys” is a quasi-island-inspired take on the AC Peter Pan complex –this time with understandable vocals.
As a band whose first album contained the song of the iPhone campaign, folksy outfit Orba Squara, aka Mitch Davis & co, have remained decidedly grounded –literally. According to the band’s unique side-scrolling website:
To celebrate the release of the new album we decided to get on a bus and take a 10 day journey cross-country to play some new music, meet some new people and, along the way, see what we’ve been missing.
From there what unfolds (er, unscrolls?) is a refreshingly noncommercial, well executed modern masterpiece in collage. Reportedly measuring over 400 feet long (!), the site serves as an earnest scrapbook that is at times poignant, funny, obvious, and endearing –all the while clips from The Trouble With Flying provide the soundtrack. The whole thing feels like a lighthearted Wes Anderson film, at the very least the title card and diorama bits from those films. The album is solid, too, filled with straightforward baroque/folk pop (ba-folk pop?) reminiscent of The Boy Least Likely To. Check out the title track (MPfree!) and let us know what you think. The Trouble With Flying out June 23rd.
There’s more Orba Squara behind the cut! Listen to their excellent cover of “Poker Face” (originally performed by Round Table fave bane Lady Gaga), PLUS watch the original iPhone commercial featuring “Perfect Timing (This Morning)” from debut album Sunshyness.
We started as a three friends having conversations about music during lunches together at the office. Since then we have expanded to seven members, including a Chi-town native, and the conversations have gotten bigger and better. The Round Table has grown into a casual setting where music aficionados can gather to discuss all things music. Topics include (but not limited to) artists and bands, new music releases, concerts, recording industry news and concerns, and the occasional nugget of entertainment gossip. We have tastes that cover the entire music spectrum and love to share them (and our opinions) with each other. We are The Round Table! Come join the conversation!
You may recognize the vocals on this track, as Taken by Trees’s sole member is Victoria Bergsman, the female vocalist on the Peter Bjorn and John hit “Young Folks” and former lead singer of The Concretes. Being a one-woman group with a psuedonym, a la St. Vincent, Taken by Trees opens Bergsman up to a casual- and earthy-feeling (hence the name) world music approach and this Animal Collective cover is no exception; “My Boys” is a quasi-island-inspired take on the AC Peter Pan complex –this time with understandable vocals.
As a band whose first album contained the song of the iPhone campaign, folksy outfit 
