If you're just visiting Max Bumps and you are fairly new to The Sixty One, you may wonder what the Grover avatars are all about. Our friend and fellow tune bumper, supergrover, recently found out that he has cancer and will be starting chemo soon. Many listeners and artists at The Sixty One have included a Grover into their avatar, very creatively might I add, to show their support for supergrover. We are with you supergrover! Be strong.
If you don't see your avatar, email it to batface89.
The Tin Angel is a small club located on 2nd Street in the Olde City section of Philadelphia, It is upstairs from an eclectic restaurant called Serrano, and both are welcoming and cozy. There's no place better to head on a sultry summer night to hear Anj Granieri perform her captivating music.
As we entered and decided on a table, we noticed Anj immediately. She's a tall, striking girl with that great hair! I introduced myself and my husband and she immediately started a conversation with us. We had lots to talk about since, like Anj, my husband is from the Atlantic City area. Anj is hoping to branch out from that area, and after spending time in New York, she is booking gigs in Philadelphia. She is also collaborating with some other artists (a few from thesixtyone) on live music ventures.
Now to the best part – the music! There were four performers on the bill and Anj was first. She is the kind of performer who gets the audience involved in the show by explaining how she comes by the ideas for the songs she writes and performs. We heard Bright Winter (you can feel the wind on the beach while listening to this one - a good way to cool off in June), Michelle (my personal favorite about the foster child her parents took in for a year), View of the Few (a song inspired by her family), The End of Love (that fabulous instrumental that just conjures up all kinds of emotions before you even realize what's happening), The Rest of Me (written while Anj was living in New York) and The Mark. The Mark is such a powerful song, and performed live just brought tears to my eyes, which is no easy feat.
She ended the show with her own version of God Bless America which was jazzy, distinctive, and respectful all at the same time.
I will definitely see Anj perform again. Her voice is one of a kind, and her personality shines through her compositions
Punts and “Puke Ass” Bagman with music from the following groups:
This is titled “Puke Ass” because I made Bagman laugh so hard in episode 00017 that he threw up. This week he started off our show with more talk about how damned sick he is AGAIN.
If you wouldn't mind boosting my fragile self-esteem...
Podcast Alley Vote button
Perhaps you could subscribe to Bagman on T61 as well.
TheSixtyOne has single-handedly restored my faith in modern music. Amarok has been gathering dust in the corner since I discovered it, in favor of my ever-growing radio playlist. As my addiction drove me to meander about the site for hours on end, I came across quite a few amazing—and certainly interesting—cover songs. I started to collect them,and I found I was able to direct a number of people to ones that had slipped by them, and then there were others who did the same for me.
So, I decided to make a compilation of what I feel are the best cover songs I have come across on this website—put in no particular order, for your listening enjoyment. There are surely some I overlooked, and doubtlessly there will be more to come, but you can't afford to miss these.
#1. Baby Got Back by Sir Mix-A-Lot, as covered by Derek Kurth This was the song that got this idea rolling, and I had to start off with a special one. It's interesting how well an acoustic guitar lends itself to the notoriously poetic lyrics.
#2. No Diggity by Blackstreet, as covered by The Klaxons I suppose you never thought you'd ever hear a cover of this song. I didn't either. This is one of the few songs on this list that is a faithful remake (As opposed to a re-imagining), but it's so well-done that I could hardly deprive anyone of this. One of my personal favorites here.
#3.Toxic by Britney Spears, as covered by Yael Naim Honestly, I can't personally stand the original. I love this version, however. I think it's that she hits the notes that Britney intended to hit when she wrote the song, but couldn't quite pull it off. Ms. Naim, on the other hand, has one hell of a voice on her, and really nails this one.
#4. Seven Nation Army by the White Stripes, as covered by Vivek Shraya Has a voice that rivals Jack White's, and the beat is as infectious as ever. There's something of a unique, atmospheric twist here though, and it's definitely worth a listen.
#5. Straight to Hell by the Clash, as covered by the Menzingers I was a little skeptical of this at first, being a huge Clash fan—and the fact that I think he misses the first couple of notes threw me in the beginning, but they really make this song their own from then on, and it truly is one hell of an homage to the original. It's got new energy, and it's definitely won me over.
#6. Maniac by Michael Sembello, as covered by Mark Nicholas Yes. It's that song from Flashdance. You love it, you know it, and you're going to like this even dancier cover.
#7. Surrender by Cheap Trick, as covered by Ox I always thought this song could not be covered. As soon as I saw the title, I figured I should be ready to get pissed off, but I was pleasantly surprised. He stayed faithful while still making it his own—it's pretty awesome.
#8. Video Killed the Radio Star by the Buggles, as covered by cavestar. Kind of. The video star's reign only lasted about twenty years, as the Internet star has since killed it off in turn. If you liked the original version, you'll like this one; but perhaps these lyrics will hit a little closer to home.
#9. Across the Universe by the Beatles, as covered by Kate Enlow. Kind of. Some of you are going to love this. Some of you will probably hate it. The Beatles, meet the Smashing Pumpkins. Smashing Pumpkins, meet Kate Enlow. Play nice.
#10. Sunday Bloody Sunday by U2, as covered by RX2008. Kind of. Like it or not, you cannot deny that this is impressive.
#11. Yellow by Coldplay, as covered by On the Rocks I am of the school of thought that Coldplay has far more fans than they will ever know, because it's so fun to hate them. I'm not ashamed to say that I like Coldplay, I like the original, and I like this cover. Chris Martin would be proud.
#12. I Am A Man of Constant Sorrow by the Soggy Bottom Boys, as covered by Rench Another song I never thought I'd see covered. This guy had the voice to do Mr. Clooney some justice, and, apparently, lots of spare records. Enjoy.
#13. Such Great Heights by the Postal Service, as covered by Rhythm & Blue Rhythm & Blue are something of a sixtyone staple. Everyone on there has heard them by now, and they rarely disappoint. They're one of the most dynamic groups on there, and it's songs like this that remind me of the amazing things that can be done with nothing but the human voice. If you like this, they have a handful of others here—this one just happens to be my favorite.
#14. Sweet Child of Mine by Guns N' Roses, as covered by Mylo Another track that will probably find as many lovers as haters. I'm personally in the former category, and having always been a fan of the song, I never thought I'd see it turned into a dance track. I'm starting to expect pleasant surprises from this site, though.
#15. Mister Blue Sky by Electric Light Orchestra, as covered by Lily Allen What can I say about this one? It makes me happy; it makes me want to dance; it makes me wonder why no one else thought to cover this gem before. Either way, I'm glad it was Lily, because this is a superb remake.
#16. Careless Whisper by Wham!, as covered by the Gossip Whether or not you like Wham!, this song has been given a completely makeover, and it is is wonderful. For some, it might take a little bit before you get into it, but if you're not singing the chorus with her by the second listen, I'll be impressed.
#17. Closer by Nine Inch Nails, as covered by T.J. Masters One of the great under-appreciated songs on this site, I stand by this cover. It's almost reminiscent of Richard Cheese, but its newfound atmosphere gives it a bit of a push in the direction of serious. The kid's got a voice on him, anyway, and as a die-hard NIN fan, I stand by this cover. Lighten up, haters.
#18. Heart it Races by Architecture in Helsinki, as covered by Dr. Dog We're getting into the more modern songs now. Fewer of you may recognize this song than in previous cases, and that may be true as well for some of the upcoming tracks as well, but you can't miss this song either way. It's catchy as all hell, and I think you'll appreciate the song even if you don't know it as a cover.
#19. Hospital Beds by Cold War Kids, as covered by Florence and the Machine As one comment on this track so aptly put it, “She sung the hell out of this one.” If you have not yet heard of Florence, get used to hearing her name, because she's got a great future ahead of her if she keeps making music like this.
#20. Teardrop by Massive Attack, as covered by Jose Gonzalez Fans of House might recognize this one. It was recently featured in an episode, and it just so happens to be a cover of the song that became House's notorious theme. Though indeed I was a fan of Jose's before coming to TheSixtyOne, and had also heard this song, I felt it was necessary to include it for those of you who have been unfortunate enough to miss out on this so far.
#21. Heartbeats by the Knife, as covered by Scala & Kolacny Brothers I had never even heard of the Knife when I first heard this song, but was happy to find that I got to include it in this list when I discovered it was indeed a cover. This song is beautiful, and the vocal harmonies are nothing short of angelic.
#22. Stronger by Kanye West, as covered by 30 Seconds to Mars I was tempted not to include this song in this list simply because the band is so well-known outside the walls of TheSixtyOne, but it's such an interesting remake that I felt compelled to include it on its own merits. They really manage to bring out the power of Kanye's deep, poetic lyrics.
#23. Hey Ya by Outkast, as covered by Obadiah Parker On one hand, I had heard this well before coming to TheSixtyOne. On the other hand, it's been spread so far and wide that I was hesitant to put it on this list. But, as of this writing, it currently stands as the single most-bumped track on the entire website, and deservedly so. I could not, in good conscience, exclude it. So, if you've heard this amazing piece of work already, I am sure you won't mind hearing it again. Otherwise, sit back and relax, because you are about to experience something beautiful.
I just came out of one of those never-ending youtube sessions... One clip leads to another, and another and another…and before you know it, half the day's gone. Well, this time, I discovered a goldmine for music magic. It’s a youtube channel called “LaBlogotheque” and their thing is to capture live performances in very intimate/unusual settings in Paris. What got me all excited was the fact that so many of my current favourite artists have taken part in these “concerts a emporter” (“take-away shows") and that it all takes place in my hometown (I can now see on the original blogotheque website, that they've branched out to other cities such as New York)
the website is called blogotheque.net. Here's a link to the English version
Here’s a small sample of these moments of pure magic:
Alela Diane outside a Parisian church
Arcade Fire in an elevator
Beirut on the streets of Paris, making good use of the trash cans
Grizzly Bear in a Parisian bathroom
Vampire weekend in a van
Bon Iver – there are so many to choose from, so I’ll go for the one that features this funny French building attendant at the beginning. Make sure to watch this one till the end for they hit the streets half way through the performance.
One of my favorite albums that I've been listening to this month is Cassettes Won't Listen's Small-Time Machine. Now, this isn't a particularly new release; the album came out in March, but I hadn't given it a listen yet until earlier this month and I'm glad I checked it out.
Cassettes Won't Listen is Jason Drake and he's a one man band blending electronica and indie rock. When he started, he was just having fun with it and he wanted to trick people into thinking that it was a full band. He fairly effectively did this with his early songs including the first song he had written under the name Cassettes Won't Listen, Cutting Balloons.
In 2007, Cassettes Won't Listen released a free EP called One Alternative, his most recent in a string of EPs that were released only in digital form. This 5-track EP consists mainly of covers of songs that Drake used to listen to growing up and two songs on the site are from this EP: his cover of Blind Melon's Change and his cover of Sebadoh's The Freed Pig.
Small-Time Machines is the first physically released album that Cassettes Won't Listen has made. Small-Time Machines shows Drake's skill in layering putting many instrumental lines together and making the countermelodies work. The site already has one of the album's strongest songs, Paper Float, layering electric guitar, piano, and synth with his vocals into a catchy song. Below is another track from this album.
Cassettes Won't Listen also has various remixes to its name such as one of Pela's Lonesome Hearts. On his remixes, Drake has said, "I approach a remix from a hip hop producers mentality. I rarely use anything other than the vocal track and I usually don’t listen to the original song much. I feel it would have a negative effect on the outcome. I usually scrap the chord progression and song structure and create the music from scratch. I often look at it as a puzzle where I have to unlock the music within the vocals. I can usually listen to music and hear a completely new song underneath the vocals. That's usually how I start."
For me, this week’s t61 highlight was that San Francisco-based band, Minipop, joined the site. Honestly, with so much music from the SXSW sampler, I was easily overwhelmed, especially with more of the rock stuff. However, Minipop was one of those bands that just stood out to me after listening to their song, “Like I Do”. If you don't know already, I have a slight bias toward dreamy indie pop songs. I actually thought about blogging about them before, but now that they’re t61 official…even better!
Obviously with the whole contest and all, there have been numerous remixes floating about. Here's an interesting one that missed the deadline. (Be patient, the song begins at 1:21)
...and here are a couple mixes on t61 that posted (in case you missed them).
Before t61 came along, I had no idea I’d be digging this electronic, 80s-vibe sort of dance music. Particularly, I’ve been very pleased with the two mixes from Moulinex that have come to the site, and I hope more are on their way. Not to be confused with the French manufacturer of small household appliances, Luis Moulinex is a Portuguese dj/German producer who is part of D.I.S.C.O.Texas, a collective of artists (think RAC). I didn’t think anything would come about my random question during my interview with Andre (of RAC) about being from Portugal, and then I read this interview with Luis Moulinex who also admitted Portugal not having a thriving music scene. Portugal sure looks like it's missing out as these artists are fleeting their native country and going elsewhere. Anyway…Moulinex = good stuff!
…and obviously I immediately liked SymbolOne too. Apparently these are long lost “musical” twins that reunited. Not only that, they are Justice and Danger-approved! Justice featured “Love Juice” on their (rejected) Fabric Xmas Mix, and Danger has put his own spin on the track as well.
Lux Lisbon, one of the first bands to really catch my attention at The Sixty One, makes infectious pop rock. Their mini album is called 'When I Hear The Culture I Reach For My Revolver', four tracks of monumental epic guitar rock. Their bio on The Sixty One declares a clarion-call guitar sound (a clarion-call is a powerful request for action or an irresistible mandate). They're pretty spot on with that assessment. The sound erupts with a confidence that you don't often see in a band's first release.
I've been listening to the album on my iPod on morning walks and it definitely gets the blood flowing. Track 1, 'Plastic Lullaby' has a luscious jangly guitar sound, reminiscent of U2, with beautiful boy/girl harmonizing. Stuart Rooks vocals take off in the chorus and I caught myself singing along after just a couple of listens. Total ear candy.
'Poppy Fields', the second track, has been some compared made to the chorus of U2's 'City of Blinding Lights' because the line "Oh you are so beautiful tonight". Yes, they're the same words, said in a similar manner and I do hear some U2 influence in their music. However, my take, it's a completely different song. I mean, how many songs are titles 'All I need?' I was thinking about that on my morning walk yesterday when Radiohead's All I Need came on. It got me thinking about Jack Wagner's sappy song with the same title. Air, Fat Joe, Matchbox 20, Amerie and probably 1000 other bands have songs of the same title, but I digress... 'Poppy Fields' is a fantastic song.
'Cherry Blossom Tree' is a sweet, softer song, just as the title suggests, but the guitars get going in the solo and the song crescendos into a grandiose spacious sound. It's another song fromt the album that lodges firmly in your brain and you can't get it out of your head (but do you want to?!)
'Animals' has great hooks and lyrics, but it is so steady and rocking that you're almost tired after hearing it! OneMonkey of The Sixty One commented that "You need to check your pulse!" True true.
The final track 'Sunflower' is in the same vein Rob Thomas sound, a mid-tempo pop-rock that really shows off Rook's flourishing vocals.
Technically, all of the musicians play tightly and it's obvious that they've pushed themselves in their craft. Stuart Rooks vocals are always powerful and emotive, allowing him to sing both the ballads and the more rockin' music with equal skill. The band has clearly found their own distinctive sound and if they can get the exposure, they could be chart toppers.
What I don't get is the title of the album, When I Hear The Culture I Reach For My Revolver. I should have asked them about this in the interview. Is it a commentary on the bad music that is so popular and pushed by the RIAA (like the 'New country' genre that I so loathe)? Is it some statement about gun culture?
Experts say that music with exercise boosts brain power. The extra cerebral assistance obviously hasn't helped me figure out the meaning of the album title, but it certainly keeps me from getting bored and quitting my exercise routine early. My only complaint is that five tracks clock in at just over 20 minutes and it's simply not long enough to satisfy my needs. It's finished just as I'm completely into the groove. Gimme more, Lux Lisbon!
As we entered and decided on a table, we noticed Anj immediately. She's a tall, striking girl with that great hair! I introduced myself and my husband and she immediately started a conversation with us. We had lots to talk about since, like Anj, my husband is from the Atlantic City area. Anj is hoping to branch out from that area, and after spending time in New York, she is booking gigs in Philadelphia. She is also collaborating with some other artists (a few from thesixtyone) on live music ventures.
She ended the show with her own version of God Bless America which was jazzy, distinctive, and respectful all at the same time.
