Florence and the Machine – Acoustic tracks and Robert Palmer

At the end of 2009, Florence and the Machine released a special 4-disc deluxe edition of their debut album, Lungs.  The bonus tracks include acoustic versions, remixes, and live performances of the songs from the debut album.  Florence’s powerful voice shines on these acoustic tracks.  ”Hurricane Drunk” is the 6th single from the album and will be released on March 22, 2010 with the acoustic version included.  Not included in the deluxe re-release was Florence’s cover of Robert Palmer’s “Addicted To Love.”  It’s a pretty amazing version of the hit song from ‘86 and certainly not what I was expecting when I first learned of it.  These are truly great, beautiful songs.

MP3: Florence and the Machine – “Hurricane Drunk (Acoustic Version)”

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MP3: Florence and the Machine – “Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) (Acoustic Version)”

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Lungs (Deluxe Edition) (November 2009)

MP3: Florence and the Machine – “Addicted To Love (Robert Palmer)”

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Flaming Lips – Dark Side of the Moon

The Flaming Lips just released a cover album of Dark Side of the Moon.  Theirs is a very cool take on the classic 1973 Pink Floyd album.  In addition to the Lips’ hard rock and heavy, psychedelic guitar style that you might expect after Embryonic, the songs feature vocals from Henry Rollins and Peaches.  Stardeath and White Dwarfs also join the team to contribute to the cover album as they add their own distinctive sound giving the album even more of a rock edge.  Hopefully, this new version will synch up with The Wizard of Oz just like the original…

MP3: The Flaming Lips & Stardeath and White Dwarfs featuring Henry Rollins – “On The Run”

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MP3: The Flaming Lips featuring Henry Rollins & Peaches – “Great Gig In The Sky”

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Dark Side of the Moon (December 2009)

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AM – “Christmas Time Is Here”

If you love hearing Christmas songs around Christmas time, you’ll love AM’s new EP, Holiday Happiness and Cheer.  AM’s voice sounds strikingly beautiful over a soft and comforting version of the Charlie Brown Christmas classic, “Christmas Time is Here.”  AM’s take on “Home for the Holidays” is irresistibly fun and features playful sounding orchestral strings which complements the cheerful, folky feeling of the original.  Aside from being truly beautiful renditions of holiday classics, both songs showcase an impressive talent for song arrangement.  Whether you’re just in your car by yourself or DJing a holiday party for your friends, or even if you’re just looking for music to put to your holiday e-cards, now you’ve got something really special.  Happy Holidays!

MP3: AM – “Christmas Time is Here”

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Holiday Happiness and Cheer EP (November 2009)

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Reworks of art?

I’ve wanted to share these songs for a while now but I didn’t have too much to say about them all.  I think they’re all awesome remixes and covers of great tracks but check them out and decide for yourself…

The xx – “You’ve Got The Love” (Florence and the Machine) (Download)

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Washed Out – “Feel It All Around (Toro y Moi Remix)” (Download)

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Taken By Trees – “My Boys” (Animal Collective) (Download)

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Florence and the Machine – “Drumming Song (Boy 8-bit Remix)” (Download)

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Phoenix – “Lisztomania (Alex Metric Remix)” (Download)

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Dr. Fox’s Old Timey String Band – “Kids” (MGMT) (Download)

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Mayer Hawthorne – “Green Eyed Love (Waajeed Remix)” (Download)

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New Thom Yorke

Two of the songs Thom Yorke alluded to several weeks ago on Radiohead’s deadairspace blog have been leaked.  The video for his Miracle Legion cover, “All For The Best” is also available now.  Check it all out below…

“Feeling Pulled Apart By Horses” (Click here for MP3)

“The Hollow Earth” (Click here for MP3)

Video below…
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Weekly Dose (8/1/09)

A little over a week ago, I heard a great, new Thom Yorke track on the radio.  The song Yorke’s version of Miracle Legion’s “All For The Best” that he recorded and contributed to the album Ciao My Shining Star: The Songs of Mark Mulcahy.  The album is a tribute to Mark Mulcahy who lost his wife 1 year prior to the album’s release date, September 2009.  Check out the original if you haven’t heard it.  It’s a great track and Thom Yorke did an impressively distinctive cover of it.

MP3: Thom Yorke – “All For The Best”
Ciao My Shining Star: The Songs of Mark Mulcahy (due September 2009)

MP3: Miracle Legion – “All For The Best”
Surprise Surprise Surprise (1987)

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Jeremy Sole is one of my favorite DJ’s on KCRW.  He also DJs every Thursday night at Zanzibar in Santa Monica for an event called “Afro Funke” which features an ecclectic mix of music from all over the world.  When I originally checked out SoundCloud.com, I noticed Jeremy Sole had an account.  He had uploaded a remix of a Femi Kuti song and it was awesome.  Recently, he posted this awesome remix of Marvin Gaye’s “Anger.”

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Portugal. The Man released their new album, The Satanic Satanist, on July 21st.  The blues-style indie rock sound is undeniably attractive and it isn’t just limited to 1 or 2 tracks.  The album is great all the way through.  These are some of my favorites…

MP3: Portugal. The Man – “Guns and Dogs”
MP3: Portugal. The Man – “People Say”
The Satanic Satanist (July 2009)

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Rakim hasn’t released an album since The Master in 1999.  There was supposed to be one released in 2002 but Dr Dre, who was producing the album, and Rakim cited “creative differences” when they announced that they would not be releasing an album.  Pretty much since then, I haven’t even tried to keep up with the drama surrounding the album, I just want to hear it.  ”Holy Are You” was released on July 28th and is the first single from the upcoming album The Seventh Seal.

MP3: Rakim – “Holy Are You”
The Seventh Seal (Fall 2009?)

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Yim Yames, better known as Jim James of My Morning Jacket, posted his tribute album to George Harrison on his website, yimyames.com.  The album will be available everywhere on August 4th.  Check it out below…

MP3: Yim Yames- “My Sweet Lord”
MP3: Yim Yames – “All Things Must Pass”
Tribute to (August 2009)

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It’s been a couple of weeks, maybe a month, since Muse released their newest track, “United Stated of Eurasia.”  The song has been compared to Queen, as has Muse, and especially the lead singers of both bands.  Matthew Bellamy isn’t as great as Freddie Mercury, but they are from very different times so it’s hard to compare them.  But the sound and style of “United States of Eurasia” is so similar to Queen’s rock-opera anthems that it makes it hard not to compare them.  To be honest, I don’t really care.  Muse is different enough even though this song’s resemblance to Queen’s sound is unmistakable but the song is enjoyable nonetheless.  I don’t love it, but it’s good.  For me, comparisons like that will occasionally take the fun out of listening and that’s perhaps the best reason of all to try to sound more original.

MP3: “Muse – United States of Eurasia”
The Resistance (September 2009)

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So many more- Covers, Remixes, and Mash Ups

Everyone loves covers, remixes, and mash ups.  Here are some of my recent favorites and some I just haven’t posted until now…

Daniel Merriweather – Change (Gigamesh Remix)

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Beck’s new Record Club

Beck recently announced the details of a new project called the Record Club. Beck (and friends Nigel Godrich, Joey Waronker, Brian Lebarton, Bram Inscore, Giovanni Ribisi, Chris Holmes, and Thorunn Magnusdottir) will pick an album, spend a day recording a cover of it, and then post it on the internet for all to enjoy.  ”An album will be chosen to be reinterpreted and used as a framework. Nothing rehearsed or arranged ahead of time. A track will be uploaded once a week on beck.com as well as through the web sites of those involved with the project.” –  Beck.com.  A couple of days ago, Beck & co. released the first edition and debut of the record club, their version of “Sunday Morning” from Velvet Underground and Nico.

MP3: “Sunday Morning

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Weekly Dose (6/10/09)

Matisyahu’s new single “One Day” is the first release from his upcoming album, Light due in August.  I think it’s obvious when you listen to this song that it’s going to be a big hit.  Most people know Matisyahu for ”King Without A Crown” his first hit song.  ”One Day” might be bigger.  I’m not saying it’s better, but I do think it has the potential to reach a much larger audience and become more popular than “King Without A Crown” ever was.  For some reason, it makes me think of Pixar movies- like the song will be the musical equivalent of successful family films.  At least, I’m sure it will be used in films, TV, and commercials since it is such an uplifting anthem.

Listen to ‘One Day’

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Vitamin String Quartet is great… and hilarious.  I’m always surprised at how much I like the covers they do.  I wouldn’t have thought string quartets covering popular contemporary music would come up with anything I was interested in, let alone a whole album.  Vitamin String Quartet performs In Rainbows was released June 2nd and it’s absolutely great.  Their version of Radiohead’s latest masterpiece is fun and highly enjoyable.  Just listen to “15 Steps” and you’ll see what I mean.  LaLa.com released the whole album online so we can check it all out.  Here it is:


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Two new artists for us all…

  • The first is Will Dailey from Boston.  Someone who works with Will wrote and suggested I check him out.  Her favorite track, “Never Be Your Baby” is an upbeat, catchy and impressive track.  Dailey’s planning on releasing an EP every 3 months for the next year so it seems like he’s got a lot of material and I’m anxious to hear what he’s got in store.  Check out his myspace page here.
    MP3Will Dailey – Never Be Your Baby (Live)
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Will Dailey

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  • The second is Kurty Durty.  The rapper from Bakersfield definitely has some serious skill.  I love the production on “You And Me” and Durty’s solid delivery was more than enough for me to decide to check more out.  You can get his mixtape here.
    Here’s a little history- Kurty Durty had “the opportunity to open for Ice Cube & WC in Bakersfield. Having performed so well at that show he was invited back to open up for Snoop Dogg later that year, performing on the same stage as [and finishing the tour with] Snoop, Warren G, DPG, The Twinz and Lady of Rage.” - DubCNN.com
    MP3: Kurty Durty – You And Me
     
Backstage with Ice Cube

Kurty Durty backstage with Ice Cube

Jose James – the SoulCulture interview

SoulCulture in the UK recently interviewed jazz, neo-soul singer Jose James.  SoulCulture is a great place to find more news, interviews, and videos like this one.  Check out the video below and more at SoulCulture.co.uk.
In the interview below, Jose James shares his thoughts on today’s music and reveals some details about his upcoming album.  I especially enjoy hearing that he’s working with Flying Lotus again.  I didn’t know who Jose James was early in 2008 when I saw that he had covered Freestyle Fellowship’s “Park Bench People”.  The song is creative but complicated- it’s not for everyone.  Performing the song requires an incredible sense of timing and rhythm.  Jose James nailed it.  The song was featured on James’ debut album, The Dreamer, which also had a bunch of other impressive tracks that instantly turned me into a fan.  The new album is something you’ll definitely want to check out.

MP3: Jose James – Visions of Violet (Produced by Flying Lotus)
MP3: Jose James – Park Bench People

Jose James – Love

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