More Covers!

Elbow - Independant Women

This cover still eaves me scratching my head. Xylophones and...is that...and accordian!? And then the far more shocking question - What on earth is Elbow doing listening to Destiny's Child? Guaranteed to make your friends take a swing at you if you play it in a full car.


James Mercer - The Holiday Song (Live)
I believe that James Mercer could perfect time travel, split atoms and tame Macy Gray's hair. He can do anything he darn well wants to. So when James wants to break out a Pixies cover during a radio session, who the heck is gonna stop him?


Flaming Lips - Thank You/Death Valley 69
I didn't belive it when someone told me that the Lips pulled off a great Zepplin cover...I'm not quite sure why I didn't belive it. And then the fact that it's easily one of the best songs that Robert Plant ever wrote. What I wasn't told was that it would turn into a version of Sonic Youth's "Death Valley 69" that will make the biggest SY fans stand up on their feet and sing praises to the Lips. I only wish the audio quality was better...


Matt Pond PA - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
Take one of the most perfect songs ever written and add some lush instrumentation and what do you get. A great version of this Neutral Milk Hotel classic.

Sorry about being a terrible blogger lately...its not been the best of weeks...

Get Up Kids

I'm feeling quite lazy today so listen to some Get Up Kids B-Sides.

Get Up Kids - Lost in the Light
Get Up Kids - Send Us a Saint

Cat Power Covers!

Sometimes on the internet you run into something that is just too fun for words. Such is the case with a cover session that Cat Power did on John Peel a few years ago. She breaks out covers of everyone from Bob Dylan to Mary J. Blige to Lynyrd Skynyrd. Unfortunately, on these mp3's, there is quite a bit of talking, but we'll let it slide. Mr. Music can talk all he wants.

So enjoy these Cat Power Covers in .Zip format:
Cat Power Cover Session (.Zip Format)
01 Sophisticated Lady
02 Hard Times In New York City
03 Wonderwall
04 He Was A Friend Of Mine
05 Deep Inside / Come Up In My Kitchen
06 Werewolf
07 Up & Gone
08 Sister / Knocking On Heaven's Door
09 Freebird

Music Just Because I Can

Warren Haynes - Beautifully Broken (Acoustic)

You think that you're busy? Try being Warren Haynes, the man with the Golden Voice and the Golden Fretboard. He is in Gov't Mule, The Dead (the Jerry Garcia-less incarnation of the Grateful Dead), the current incarnation of the Alman Brothers Band, and has his own solo career, not to mention the fact that he just shows up on stage at all kinds of other peoples concerts. When does the man find time to eat and sleep? This track here is one of the best that he does - unfortunately this version doesn't have the ever so awesome tease of "When Doves Cry". Oh well. It's still good.


Grandaddy - Nebraska
There are a ton of great songs by Grandaddy, but for some odd reason this one is my favorite. I remember the guys saying that people keep telling them that they should re-record this song, which is off their first release, but they just never have. Hey guys, don't listen to 'em. No one can touch this. No one.


Bright Eyes - Well Whiskey
Why this song was buried on the Lua EP is beyond me, since this is one of the finest songs that has ever been written and released by Bright Eyes. By the time Conor yells, "You've got bars on your windows and a hole in your door!" you wanna kick a hole in yours. Maybe Conor wants me to listen to Country. But I won't. Unless it's him. Or that "Honkytonk Badonkadonk" song. It makes me laugh.


Ned's Atomic Dustbin - Grey Cell Green
I will admit to knowing absolutely nothing about Ned's Atomic Dustbin. All I know is how much I love this song. I heard it on the radio once quite a while ago when a DJ was just randomly playing songs off cd's he had lyring around. I had to go find this song after I heard it. I listened to a few of their other songs but none touched the intangiable feelings I found in this song. That's a shame.

Glen Phillips

Most people rightfully know Glen Phillips as the frontman of one of the best yet most underrated bands of the early 90's, Toad the Wet Sprocket. (You know you're parents were scratching their heads when you brought home the cassette too...) But when TTWS broke up, Glen did not go into hiding. He's put out 2 fantastic solo studio albums, a great live album and an album with Nickel Creek under the moniker of Mutual Admiration Society. (By the way, the Mutual Admiration Society tour also featured John Paul Jones of Led Zepplin and Pete Thomas from Elvis Costello's band, the Attractions) The man constantly tours and puts out great overlooked albums.

Here's a few to get to know Glen's solo career by:
Glen Phillips - Easier
Glen Phillips - Men Just Leave
Glen Phillips and Nickel Creek - Fred Meyers (Demo)

New Colin Meloy!

You probably remember (and dug) the EP that Colin (front man of the Decemberists) made available of nothing but Morrisey covers. We know Morrisey and love Morrisey. But who on Earth is Shirley Collins? I looked up a couple of her songs and I was not impressed in the slightest but thought that Colin could make some interesting covers of the songs. And he did.

Check em out:
Colin Meloy - Barbara Allen
Colin Meloy - I Drew My Ship

Tanner Walle, Pt. 2

I swear that the first thing that goes on a credit card, when I finally get one, is going to be a file hosting service.

Here's a few live covers by Mr. Walle:
Tanner Walle - God Put a Smile Upon Your Face (Coldplay Cover)
Tanner Walle - Wanna Be Startin' Something (Michael Jackson Cover)
Tanner Walle - She's A Bad Mama-Jama (Carl Carlton Cover)
Tanner Walle - Rock Your Body (Justin Timberlake Cover)

Tanner Walle

Tanner is another act from the area that I dig. You can tell the man loves what he does, which is produce great guitar pop music. His originals have great personality and are fun to listen to and his live covers are always a treat. As a matter of fact, his Myspace page currently features a great Steely Dan cover. Don't feel bad if you don't get to see him play right away - he'll be doing this for a long time to come. As always, check out his official page too.

First get to know the man in the studio:
Tanner Walle - Crazy Messed Up Thing
Tanner Walle - Never A Day

Savefile is not working particularly well so I will try to get up a few of the covers I intended to post a bit later today. Sorry 'bout that!

Charlie Hunter

This man is amazing. Charlie plays bass and guitar at the same time - he has a hybrid guitar with (I believe) 5 guitar strings and 3 bass strings. All the guitar and bass that you hear in his songs are all played simultaniously in the studio and live. This is some great slicked-up jazz music. On his album, "Songs From the Analog Playground" he added in a number guest voaclists, including Norah Jones and Mos Def. This track is the perfect song for a lazy Saturday afternoon.

Charlie Hunter and Mos Def - Creole

The Lucksmiths

I have still yet to figure out what the heck "twee" is exactly. Are the Lucksmiths twee? I have yet to get a functional definition of what twee is under 3 peragraphs. I'm lazy - I don't want to read that much.

So listen to the Lucksmiths and tell me if you think they're twee. All I know is that they make great upbeat, catchy pop music that I love to listen to.

The Lucksmiths - I Started a Joke (Beegees Cover)
The Lucksmiths - The Chapter in Your Life Entitled San Francisco
The Lucksmiths - There is a Boy That Never Goes Out

New Flaming Lips Track!

Here's a new song from the Flaming Lips upcoming, "War with the Mystics". I hope it grows on me like "Mr. Ambulance Driver" did.

Flaming Lips - The W.A.N.D.

Old Guy Music

Thin Lizzy

Thin Lizzy - Little Girl In Bloom
After hearing Belle and Sebastian reference Thin Lizzy, and then hearing Ted Leo cover this song and name them as one of his biggest influences, I knew i had to check these guys out. Of course, just like everyone else, I had heard "The Boys Are Back In Town" which is a good song. But then I read a review of "Jailbreak" that gave the album 5 of 5 stars. Worth checking out. After I listened to the album the first time I ran to my dad and said, "Why didn't you tell me it was like THIS!?" He just shook his head and said, "You wouldn't have listened." Listen to me. Give this song a chance.


Elton John

Elton John - I Feel Like a Bullett in the Gun of Robert Ford
My dad comissioned me to look for this song. He said that the first time that he heard it, the song really expressed how he felt. I don't know if he wanted me to find it because I was too. I can't believe that NO ONE has covered this song yet. I have always been a big Elton fan but this song really cemented it for me.

The Zombies (It's really hard to find pictures of The Zombies)

The Zombies - It's Alright With Me
These guys do not get NEAR the credit they deserve. Their music has influenced the who's who of indie pop music, including guys like Elliott Smith and Jon Brion. If that's not reason enough to listen to the Zombies, then I don't know what is - oh yeah, the fact that they're amazing. Check out the keyboard on this one.

By the way, I had a really great bonus song to post here but Savefile wouln't let me upload it for some odd reason. You'll get it another day. Now you just have to wait. *evil genius laughter!*

Kniggit!

I found the grail.

I do not have a credit card. Thus, it is quite difficult for me to buy many indie albums, because Kansas City Kansas has no record stores. (Only Nebraska Furniture Mart and Wal-Mart.) So, whenever I get a chance I always look around any record stores I am near. Last night I was at an F.Y.E. in Olathe and took a minute to look around. I have been looking for the Ugly Casanova cd, "Sharpen Your Teeth" for nearly 2 years now. I had never actually seen a copy of the cd in person before but I was always looking for it. Last night, I finally found my holy grail.

Celebrate with me with these two freshly ripped tracks:
Ugly Casanova - Barnacles
Ugly Casanova - So Long for the Holidays

Bonus (Not Ripped by Me):
Ugly Casanova - Baby Clean Conscience

Lauren Hoffman

Yesterday I left my home at 5:30 am and did not get home until 11:30pm. I left again at 6 am this morning and just got home so I am tired, but I will try to get several really good things up here today since I didn't get a change to post yesterday.

So, first off today I bring you Lauren Hoffman. I first heard of her because she did some work with Jon Brion, thus I naturally had to check her out. Her music has some great laid back qualities and some great upbeat stuff too. A lot of guitars moving around and all. It's some pretty great stuff.

Lauren Hoffman - Love Gone Wrong (Highest Recommendation)
Lauren Hoffman - Heavy Scene
Lauren Hoffman - Fall Away

Swing by her Official Site and her Myspace Page.

EDIT - Links fixed.

Modest Mouse - Live and Acoustic

This is the only known live acoustic performance by these guys. From what I've heard, it took place in a parking lot before one of their scheduled shows. Enjoy it!

Modest Mouse - Paper Thin Walls
Modest Mouse - Third Planet
Modest Mouse - Trailer Trash
Modest Mouse - Lives
Modest Mouse - Diggin' Holes in the Water
Modest Mouse - I Came as a Rat


First off, I just accidentally mis-typed my web address and look what came up. Hilarious!

Second, check out Copy, Right? for one of the most messed up covers ever. Saul probably won't be happy.

Ted Leo

Ted Leo is my musical hero. He is proud to listen to Thin Lizzy and the Specials, he plays guitar like a bat outta J.Mascis's basement and is still doing what he can to keep away from evil large record companies. I've even heard that while he's not on tour he lives with his parents and works manual labor. The man is great. I got a chance to go see him play in Lawerence, Ks. several months ago and the show was one of my two best of the year. He explained why he wouldn't play "Since U Been Gone", and played everything we wanted to hear. He's the best.

Check out this rare live cover of Bruce Springsteen:

Ted Leo - Dancing in the Dark (Live)

Sorry about the late post but I do have some great stuff coming up soon. Keep a big eye out through the next week for some big great ones.

Graham Coxon, Pt. 2

Last night on my way home from work, I got a chance to REALLY listen to the upcoming Graham Coxon album, Love Travels at Illegal Speeds. It is incredible. I really dug his 2004 effort, Happiness in Magazines, but this one blows it out of the water. He's letting his words do more of the talking than his guitar this time around, but that doesn't mean its lacking anything. The album is great all around - it bounces, it cries, it yells, it makes you happy, it makes you think - everything a great album should do.

Here's two of my favorite tracks from the album:
Graham Coxon - Flights in the Sea (Lovely Rain)
Graham Coxon - See a Better Day

BY THE WAY, if I mess up a link, please let me know. I messed up both links on my Ultimate Fakebook post earlier and no one told me! I'm still really new to HTML so please help me out.
And please feel free to leave me some comments!
Thanks!

Ultimate Fakebook

I love the mid/late 90's to early 00's Kansas City/Lawerence music scene. There are so many great bands that came out of that click. Two of the biggest names (and rightly so) were the Get Up Kids and The Anniversary. One that often got overlooked was Ultimate Fakebook. They made great power pop just like the other guys did, but without the exposure that came from Vagrant records. Their album "This Will Be Laughing Week" (released on Epic/550 and Noisome) is one of my favorite albums and it is for darn good reason. The guitars are blazing, the drums never stop and the vocals and lyrics both are spot on. (And you gotta love the falsetto on "Soaked in Cinnamon.)

Ultimate Fakebook - Far, Far Away
Ultimate Fakebook - Soaked in Cinnamon

and for more Kansas music, visit RockKansas.com

Pinback

If you don't know who Pinback is, you should be ashamed. Really. This band has one of the coolest sounds around. The bass and guitar just kinda groove together into a sonic wave of sound. (That was a bit redundant...and repetitive...) Some people have kinda ragged that the vocals and lyrics are kinda boring and meaningless, respectively, but if you're listening for the lyrics and vocals, you're listening for the wrong reason. I dare someone to listen to "Penelope" and not walk away humming the breakdown...or just kinda stop and shake it with the baseline.

Check out these in studio acoustic tracks:
Pinback - Some Secret History
Pinback - Penelope
Pinback - Junior

Covers Day!

R.E.M. - Wichita Lineman (Glen Campbell Cover)
I've not always been an R.E.M. fan, but once I started looking at the list of covers that they've played over the years I saw that they had great taste in music. They've covered Glen, the Velvet Underground, David Bowie and more recently they've even covered bands like Interpol. I've heard a ton of covers of this song, due to the fact that it has a special place in my heart, and this is one of my favorites.


Natasha Bedingfield - The Scientist (Coldplay Cover)
I am still not a fan of Natasha's. I will admit, however, that her voice is amazing. She could sing barnacles off of the wreck of the Titanic. Of all the covers of this song that I have heard, this one most differentiates itself from the original and most expresses the dep emotion in the lyrics. While Chris Martin's delivery was a bit cold, this one is warm and filled with loss.


Gillian Welch - Black Star (Live) (Radiohead Cover)
I was incredibly worried when Gillian Welch started this song up. How can the meloncholy bluegrass queen tackle a Radiohead song? With brilliance and grace. And one hack of a guitar solo from David Rawlings. It ended up being perfect for her.


Calexico - Rose Parade (Elliott Smith Cover)
There has been a glut of tributes and covers of Elliott's songs lately, so why should this one be any different. This one is great because it doesn't mess with the original. It feels so much like Elliott's that it couldn't go wrong. I love hearing the guys ask for a copy of it at the end too.

I don't Know Why...

I love Fall Out Boy. Its a very non-indie thing to do. But I do.
Here's a couple of pretty fun remixes for ya:

Fall Out Boy - Dance Dance (Patrick Stump Secret Agent Remix)
Fall Out Boy - Dance Dance (The Lindberg Palae Remix)

John Fahey Tribute

this is the info I have on the tribute:
As one of acoustic music’s most influential innovators, John Fahey has influenced musicians from many genres. On February 14, a who’s who list of indie rock artists’ pay their respects to the guitar-extraordinaire with the release of I Am The Resurrection: A Tribute To John Fahey. Produced by M. Ward, the tribute features cuts from the Fruit Bats, Sufjan Stevens, Calexico, Devendra Banhart, Sonic Youth's Lee Ranaldo, and Granddaddy, among others – a full track listing is below.

To commemorate the 40th anniversary of his signing with the label (12/12/66), and the fifth anniversary of his death (2/21/01), a simultaneous reissue of the 1968 fan favorite The Yellow Princess is also planned. The reissue will include three new tracks, as well as new and original liner notes.

The goal of the tribute, which was the idea of Vanguard staff member and the album’s co-producer Stephen Brower, was to compile a roster of contemporary artists, primarily from the indie rock and indie folk worlds, who have been profoundly influenced by John’s work. “As relatively obscure as he was, John Fahey’s unmistakable stamp is all over the current strains of rock and folk music,” says Brower.

01 Fruit Bats - Death of the Clayton Peacock
02 Pelt - Sunflower River Blues
03 Sufjan Stevens - Variation on 'Commemorative Transfiguration & Communion at Magruder Park'
04 Devendra Banhart - Sligo River
05 Calexico - Dance of Death
06 The Coelcanth - The Singing Bridge Of Memphis, Brooklyn Bridge Version
07 Lee Ranaldo featuring the Lazy 8 Chorale - The Singing Bridge of Memphis, Brooklyn Bridge Version: The Coelcanth
08 M. Ward - Bean Vine Blues # 2
09 Cul de Sac - The Portland Cement Factory at Monolith, CA
10 Immergluck, Kaphan, Krummenacher, & Hanes - Joe Kirby Blues
11 Currituck Co. - Medley: John Hurt Shiva Shankarah
12 Peter Case - When the Catfish Is in Bloom
13 Howe Gelb - My Grandfather's Clock

and here's two of the tracks that I have:
Calexico - Dance of Death
Devendra Banhart - Sligo River

and keep an eye out - I'll be posting some tracks from the upcoming New Amsterdams record in the next day or two...maybe even later today!

ALSO, I just realized that I've been messing up the track names and artists on the download pages. I apologize for that, and all the new ones after today will be done right. I swear I need to learn what I'm doing sometimes...

Some By Sea

I happened upon the new album by Some By Sea. I'll admit to never having heard of them before but I'm loving this new record. They're a bit closer to Matt Pond PA then the obvious Belle and Sebastian comparison. (Can you tell I love b&s?) So here's a couple of tracks from their new album, "On Fire (Igloo)." It is more bright and sunshiney pop, some of my favorite stuff on the planet. The harmonies are subtle and downright subliminal at points. The songwriting is fantastic. Swing by their Myspace page and their official page for more info and more music. I predict that we'll be seeing a bunch of stuff by them on blogs soon enough. They're worthy of it.

Some By Sea - An Introduction You Just Can't Walk Away From Someone Who Is Leaning on You

Some By Sea - A Night Without a Cineplex

Kaki King

Kaki King is mind blowing. Sometimes you come across music that is mind boggling and completly unexplainable. This is it. Swing by her website and watch the video of "Playing With Pink Noise". Hard to believe, isn't it? All her stuff is that mind boggling. ALL OF IT. Don't believe me? Here you go:

Kaki King - Magazine

Kaki King - Playing With Pink Noise

Devendra Banhart vs. R.Kelly

Devendra Banhart is one odd man. All you have to do is take a look at the cover of his album, Cripple Crow to see that. And I swear that one day I will have a beard as cool as his.
Until then, enjoy this cover of R.Kelly's "Step in the Name of Love."

Devendra Banhart - Little Monkey/Step in the Name of Love