Here’s a song I’m overplaying this week: Lewis & Clarke‘s very chilled-out cover of The Cure‘s “Disintegration”:

(Compare with the original if inclined.)

Another cover I’ve been digging lately is Elbow doing Peter Gabriel‘s “Mercy Street”:

(Original here.)

I don’t usually like covers, but these are two of my favourite bands, and I think they’ve treated the songs well, putting in their own interpretation rather than just doing karaoke, which is all too common with covers. My opinion is that 95% of covers are complete crap and can only diminish the song, but that’s just me. I know some of you think covers are the shit and you’d rather listen to The Barenaked Ladies’ “Lovers in a Dangerous Time” than Bruce Cockburn’s original. Or you think that The Barenaked Ladies actually wrote that song, because you are 12. Gah, kids today.

I mentioned Elbow to a friend the other week who listened for a bit and then referred to them as something like “Coldplay Wannabes”, which is crap since Elbow’s been around far longer, so if anything Coldplay wanted to be them way back when. And in any case I think Grounds for Divorce is one of the best songs to come out of the past few years. There’s even an orchestral version.

Real life blogging will be returning eventually, honest, but people have been complaining about a lack of music recommendations so here are some.

So I don’t really think about that book much but somehow it ended up in my head today because when I got to work I had a sudden desire to listen to Kate Bush.

I don’t tend to get this urge much as her voice lives in that ethereal realm of being both beautiful and really fucking annoying sometimes, so I prefer to avoid listening to her in case I can only hear the annoying bits that day. Although I will admit that this doesn’t apply to Running Up That Hill, which I can listen to on repeat (but not the inferior Placebo version they seem to like playing in vampire movie trailers), and often do.

Later in the day I brought up semaphore flags in conversation for some reason I’ve since forgotten, and the other person thought I was talking about those found in operating systems and I had to correct him that I actually meant real flags. Monty Python fans might realize where I then went with this: to demonstrate the concept, I sent him this educational Youtube video (please ignore the subtitles):

So I’ve now spent more time today thinking about that book than I really ever wanted to in my life, but there you go. Mind you, it was really wuthering today in Kelowna, enough to riggwelt a sheep. Or something.

(I blogged about their first video to the song two weeks ago).

Between this sort of stuff and Mythbusters I keep wishing I’d become an engineer instead of a computer scientist. Not that I’d be good at it, I come from a long line of crap engineers (so a great-uncle once told me).

I like, and agree with one of the comments on this video posted at BoingBoing: “shit like this restores my faith in humanity.”

OK Go – This Too Shall Pass from OK Go on Vimeo.

If you can recall, these guys got internet famous in 2006 with music videos of them dancing in a backyard, and again on treadmills. Their new album, entitled “Of the Blue Colour of the Sky”, is out now (for once I mention an album that’s already released). I’m really digging the lo-fi videos from the indie music scene, another one being the semi-deconstructed Cousins by Vampire Weekend.

Many of you don’t know this, but I got into music via marching band. My first instrument was the glockenspiel. Believe me, it’s hard to aim for the right key when you’re stomping around. Also when you have bad aim to begin with. The clarinet was easier, it stayed still.

Disregarding eating, going to the bathroom, and commuting, I was working 23 out of 24 hours. Someone should give me a medal. And a pillow.

Back in high school, when I first did all-nighters (unlike many people, my later high school courses were university-level, except I had to take 7 academic classes at a time instead of university’s 5, which was fine since I wasn’t having any sex yet anyways) I would spend the day in a daze, drinking herbal tea. Don’t know why; that barely has any caffeine. But somehow I managed it.

In university, specifically near the end when I was finishing my computer science degree, I started having strange sleep-deprivation-induced hallucinations. These were often spiders or insects (either one large one, or a flying swarm of something) but strangely also severed heads. I don’t know about the severed heads, but the insect stuff is supposedly documented as being common. It’s trippy once you realize you’re just imagining it.

Last night’s work resulted in my afternoon nap including a really detailed lesbian dream. So now sleep deprivation is making me gay, great. The other chick in the dream was really hot, but I didn’t really know what to do, since she didn’t have a penis. It was a real cock-tease of a dream, especially since it didn’t contain any cock whatsoever.

The local radio station that wakes me up every morning (well, except this morning when I was just putting my head down when it went off) seems to be playing a lot of my Grade 5 soundtrack this week, to remind me of a time when I got my 8-9 hours every night:

(Interesting to Dad, the guy above is from Sheffield.)

(Songs about Americans always seem to be written or sung by Canadians.)

This week, however, I discovered one of the best things to happen from me moving here, and to have picked this apartment building (as if I had a choice, nowhere else would allow cats): I’m 3 blocks from the local indie venue. I’ve been laughing at how I now have little excuse not to see a show, what with it being right there, tickets being $10-15 and the place serves food until about 11. There were 4 concerts this week I would’ve liked to have seen, but what with my having a job and needing to sleep I only made it to half of them.

Last night’s was the Vancouver singer-songwriter Dan Mangan, of whom I’ve been a fan for a couple years after I first heard “Journal of a Narcoleptic”, which according to iTunes is my 3rd most played song since I got my Macbook 2 years ago:

I’d never seen him live, so it was a real treat to catch him at a small, intimate venue like The Habitat and I recommend you check him out should he play in your town. He ended last night’s set (or tried to, before he got heckled into doing an encore) with “Robots”, which is off his new album. He got a few audience members to play percussion and the rest of us to sing along to the chorus at the end, which was a sweet way to end the night. He hasn’t made a video for the song yet, but here’s a fan version:

On Tuesday I was there to check out Grand Archives opening for The Most Serene Republic. I really went for the former band, though I have albums from both groups because I have albums from everyone you’ve never heard of. I felt obliged to buy merchandise because it seemed like stealing to see them both for $13 or whatever I paid for the ticket online. Luckily you can’t have too many band t-shirts (it’s true).

Grand Archives captured my attention instantly with their unison mandolin playing to the first song off their new album (song: “Topsy’s Revenge”; album: “Keep In Mind Frankenstein”), which sadly I can’t link to online but you should check them out if you like quieter stuff a la Iron & Wine. Here’s “Sleepdriving” off of their earlier album:

I’d lazily describe The Most Serene Republic as “chamber pop” because I’m too tired to come up with anything better for this Ontario band with a penchant for lush instrumentation:

I’ve been nagged into doing a music recommendations post so this is what you get for now.

I find this kind of cool, because in my life CDs have become rather archaic; everything I listen to comes out of a computer or iPod, and I tend to buy mp3s online and probably wouldn’t recognize the newer album covers of most of my favourite artists anymore. I applaud anyone trying to bring CD art back into prominence, especially in such an out-there way.

You can read a bit more about the design and see stills of the packaging here, but the gist of it is about

…a fictitious character named Adam and his internal struggle with an audio triggered bipolar disorder. The cover splits Adam to reveal inside his head, a 3D animated hologram which morphs from a passive lamb into an agressive ape. The CD and insert artwork documents Adam’s mental state along with vital statistics and final prognosis.

That’s deep, yo.

Unfortunately I’ve only heard a song or two of theirs previously so I can’t say much about their sound (will have to wait until I get a copy of the album), but Thompson is an awesome musician and I have fond memories of watching him perform at various UBC beer gardens back when we were in music school. I believe he plays guitar and sings backing vocals with these guys, and would ignore me if I were to scream “play El Scorcho!” (perhaps the early 2000′s cover band’s “Free Bird”) at one of his concerts now. Le sigh.

Here’s a video I discovered a week or two ago, a cover of Talking Heads’ “This Must Be The Place”, but where the music video is an homage to American Psycho. Miles Fisher does have an uncanny resemblance to Christian Bale in this video, though I haven’t seen the movie (I don’t like horror, gore or chick flicks for that matter, not that it is one but it does star Christian Bale) so I can’t make a comparison there.

Yeah, so, like, don’t watch this if you’re at work, or if there are little kids around, or anyone who’s easily disturbed.

This is my favourite Talking Heads song but I consider it so joyful that combining it with images of sex, violence and 1980s narcissism is really incongruous to me. Well, maybe not on the last point, the song is from 1983. In case you feel the same way I do, here’s the unicorn chaser of the live Talking Heads version:

We did discuss that The Byrds‘s Dylan covers (like Mr. Tambourine Man) would have been better for this; I prefer harmony to unison because the combined sound gives me more pleasure, and The Byrds were all about the complex harmonies (I think from David Crosby‘s influence, but I don’t know for sure).

Oh dear God, there’s even a William Shatner version.

A Youtube search has just informed me that we’re not the first people to document Simon & Garfunkel as Okanagan road trip music:

I wonder why it is. Maybe the summer desert climate matches their sound? Disregarding this song, of course.

I recently read an article in Scientific American Mind called Why Music Moves Us that I recommend; I’m fascinated by how music affects people, or specifically me. It seems that music “hijack[s] brain systems built for other purposes such as language, emotion and movement”. Now I have an explanation for my own stupidity!

I’ve been lax in my music recommendations lately, as friends have nagged, so I will get to that soon. There isn’t really anything else to talk about at the moment, as I’m still in the midst of organizing and cleaning and you deserve better than to listen to me talk about that. Thank God for good music to keep me from falling asleep at the mop!

Ouch.

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, and I said this to him too: having a music degree means nobody can insult your musical tastes. I truly believe this: you don’t have to like what I listen to, but most likely if you’re questioning my taste you have less music education than I do. In essence, I’m more qualified to bug you for what’s on your iPod; but I think the only bad taste is that which isn’t open to new types of music. Or if your favourite band is Nickelback.

(Sorry, couldn’t help myself.)

I’ve been relaying the interview story to friends, particularly those who take a similar liking to up-and-coming, independent music artists. It’s a bit silly to dismiss indie music outright as being a “phase” one goes through in early adulthood, since by definition it really just means any band or artist who isn’t signed to a major record label, regardless of what genre they play. But, of course, if you’re not on a major label then it’s because you suck, right?

Sheesh.

Back in January I wrote about the correlation between recessions and fixed-meter hits on the radio, the example for nowadays being Beyonce’s “Single Ladies”. I said then that I found myself listening to a lot more pop music, perhaps to compensate for feeling crappy about being unemployed. That trend has continued, along with my lack of a regular paycheck, and I’ve recently realized that I seem to be listening almost exclusively to indie pop. Man, has my life sucked.

I haven’t recommended any music in a long time, so let me point out a few of the songs and artists on my current happy-making playlist:

1. Tiga: Shoes

   I saw this video a few weeks ago on The Wedge, the only show left on Muchmusic that doesn’t make me feel old. I really hated it at first, but the song’s an earworm and I have to admit the retro design and video effects are a big win.

2. fun.: At Least I’m Not as Sad (as I Used to Be)

   This is a new band formed by Nate Ruess of the on-haitus The Format along with dudes from Anathallo and Steel Train. The band’s name itself is ironically unironic, in that they’re an indie band that plays fun music. I saw them opening for another band (Manchester Orchestra, who have a name consistent with indie naming rules since they’re neither an orchestra nor from Manchester) at The Biltmore a few weeks ago and enjoyed every second of their performance. Sadly they have only released one song, and their full-length doesn’t come out until August. This was my personal anthem last month.

3. Passion Pit: Moth’s Wings

I heard these guys were the new It-band at this year’s SXSW. The new album is upbeat, multi-layered electro-pop, but this song stuck out for me because of its lyrics (which are often an afterthought in such genres).

4. Phoenix: Lisztomania

   I have to admit I like this song just for its title, and for the title of its album (Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix), which I highly recommend if you’re wanting to get in a pick-me-up sort of mood. I can’t understand what the hell they’re singing (they’re French), but who cares?

Is it just me, or can you too no longer differentiate between music videos nowadays and those from the 80s? I mean, hair, clothes, design, effects… I feel like I’m supposed to be starting elementary school on Monday.