Beck’s Record Club: INXS

Perusing Mentalfloss.com last night I read about Beck's Record Club, which has so far recorded the music or The Velvet Underground (I know, shut up), Leonard Cohen, and now INXS' album Kick. I know.

From Beck's site:

Record Club is an informal meeting of various musicians to record an album in a day. The album chosen to be reinterpreted is used as a framework. Nothing is rehearsed or arranged ahead of time. A track is put up here once a week. The songs are rough renditions, often first takes that document what happened over the course of a day as opposed to a polished rendering. There is no intention to 'add to' the original work or attempt to recreate the power of the original recording. Only to play music and document what happens.

This is genius. Some of the tracks flat-out blew my mind – "New Sensation" for instance. I've played this 42 times.

http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=10634950&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=ffffff&fullscreen=1

This is good stuff.

http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=10995672&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=ffffff&fullscreen=1

And you could say they took "Mediate" in an, um, different direction.

http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=11319799&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=00ADEF&fullscreen=1

http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=12378567&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=ffffff&fullscreen=1

Beck is alone on "Loved One". He did a fantastic job.

http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=11565183&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=00ADEF&fullscreen=1

"Never Tear Us Apart" makes me want to pick up the violin again, but I am against torture. St. Vincent's vocals are perfect for this song.

http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=11991409&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=00ADEF&fullscreen=1

That was enjoyable. And the way to make '80s music relevant and refreshing. Go Beck.

end love

Because I love pretty much everything OK Go does, here is their new video for "End Love." Damian's pants are really tight. I did not just write that.

But they are – are they not?

By the way, the video was released today and the goose that follows them around in the video already has his own Facebook page.

movies about tunes you need Tuesday: Spinal Tap

Spinal Tap is one of my favorite movies. It's all kinds of hilarious. It's a faux-documentary that follows the faux rock band Spinal Tap on tour. If you've never seen it, then shame on you – you need to watch it right now. If you haven't seen it in a while, watch it right now.

Here are the credits.

I bet you didn't know that St. Hibbins was the patron saint of sensible footwear.

sunday rewind: inxs (listen like theives)

I know Kick is the album INXS is most celebrated for, but Listen Like Thieves is my favorite album by the band. It's more of a stripped-down INXS, but just fantastic. Let's go to the videos. Only "What You Need," "Listen Like Thieves," and "This Time" are the original videos, but I found excellent quality concert footage of the other songs — good stuff.

"What You Need" is most like the stuff off Kick. The video is artsy and fun, very similar to what bands were doing in the mid '80s.

Let's talk about the "Listen Like Thieves" video. I couldn't find it on You Tube, but I knew one existed — in my mind I could see the weirdness. Don't worry, I found it on Daily Motion and the weirdness was there. The video is like Mad Max meets INXS. The band is playing, there are armed guards, an old Cruella deVille woman with opera glasses, and a bunch of Mad Max extras watching the band. It's interesting.

I very much enjoy "Shine Like it Does". Great song.

Same goes for "Kiss the Dirt (Falling Down the Mountain)".

I hope you enjoyed the '80s Sunday Rewind. Have a great Sunday.

all “to sir with love” all the time

So, Glee made me cry this week with the group singing "To Sir With Love," one of my favorite songs of all time. It was superfantastic.

If you didn't see it, here it is.

And because I simply adore this version with all my heart, it's Natalie Merchant and Michael Stipe.

"If you wanted the moon I would try to make a start, but I would rather give my heart" is pure poetry. That's magic, people. It doesn't happen everyday.

tunes you need Tuesday on Thursday: The Drums

Shut up.

I love this new band. The Drums are a band from Brooklyn who released their first full-length self-titled album on Tuesday. They've managed to take parts of the Smiths, The Cure, Joy Division and mix it with the sounds of summertime and they sound like this:

I just adore that.

And this should be the song of summer 2010.

"I'll Never Drop My Sword" is superfantastic. I've played this one 42 times.

And "Forever and Ever Amen" may be my favorite, although it's hard to pick. The video is all kinds of fun.

So, The Drums new album is available at the iTunes store, so get it. It's your summer theme music.

fake ben folds

I dig the Ben Folds. I'd been listening to his stuff all morning, then thought I'd seek out some of his fake songs for fun. When Ben released his latest album, Way to Normal, he recorded a bunch of "fake" songs with the same or similar titles as the real tracks and leaked them online. Ben likes to mess with people. Some of the songs are good, some are obvious jokes; I'm just glad they're out there. Enjoy.

I really like "Lovesick Diagnostician." This should have been on the album.

"Free Coffee Town" isn't bad.

This "Frowne Song" is just silly.

I prefer this "Bitch Went Nutz" to the album version.

I'll say it again: Ben is the man.

Sunday rewind: omd

It's about time I had a decent Sunday Rewind, don't you think?

True story: in 1987 I asked an aunt for OMD's greatest hits album for my birthday and she bought me an album by Ozark Mountain Daredevils.

OMD is Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, the fantastic synthesizer-based '80s band from England made popular by their song "If You Leave" from the film Pretty in Pink. Love that movie. OMD made great catchy songs that stood apart from their contemporaries in that their music was different, poetic, and often very special. What Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys did was give a heart to synthesizer New Wave.

Let's explore the best of OMD.

"Talking Loud and Clear" is an example of OMD doing something different.

"So in Love" is so nice.

Love this song.

"I look at you and I make the same mistakes" is pretty poignant, I think.

I saved the best for last. "If You Leave" is one of the '80s songs that is just perfection. I'll play this 42 times today.

http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/video/xz3ge

Does it get better than that? No.

a little Regina Spektor for your Wednesday

Y'all know I love the Regina Spektor. She is simply amazing. I adore her. The song of the day is "Hotel Song," because COME ON.

I could listen to this song all day. The version you'll find on iTunes is great as well, but you won't get Reggie Watts' afro.

tunes you need Tuesday: Elliot Smith

Sometimes a songwriter comes along and is only around a short time, but the impression they leave is undeniable. Elliot Smith was that kind of songwriter. He recorded six albums before his death at 34 in 2003 and is probably most well known for performing half the songs on the Good Will Hunting soundtrack (his song "Miss Misery" was Oscar nominated and lost to Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On").

If you're not familiar with Elliot Smith, he has a tragic story. After a mostly indie career and drug and alcohol abuse, then reportedly getting clean, he died of two stab wounds to the chest. Despite a found Post-it suicide note, his death was not ruled a suicide and his death remains a mystery. Several musician friends have released tribute songs about Smith; Ben Folds' "Late" and Rhett Miller's "The Believer" are two that come to mind.

My favorite Elliot Smith song has always been the song that made me a fan, "Miss Misery."