Song: "Live for the Night" || Covering Artist: Cole Rolland || Original Artist: Krewella || http://youtu.be/0er1l4PfMdo ||
Comments: Good morning everyone! Today's entry is a pretty intense metal cover of Krewella's track "Live for the Night." I originally heard about this artist with Newt sent me a link to him, and I don't honestly remember if he linked me to this song or the cover of "Alive" that he's also done. Either way, they're both excellent, and props to Newt for letting me know. According to his youtube channel, this 20 year old Canadian prodigy is self-taught, which is impressive. One of the things I've really enjoyed about the explosive growth of youtube over the last several years is the proliferation of really good music talent, and this is an excellent case in point. Check it out!
Showing posts with label Cover. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cover. Show all posts
Stuck In My Skull 519 -- "Live for the Night"
Written By Christopher Audiophile on Monday, June 9, 2014 | 6/09/2014 08:46:00 AM
AMANDA-- "LET MY LOVE OPEN THE DOOR" by LUMINATE
Written By amandathepanda on Friday, September 20, 2013 | 9/20/2013 07:53:00 AM
Happy Friday all! Today's song comes from a contemporary-ambient rock group from Texas, Luminate. As you can probably guess from the name, they are a Christian band. I generally don't listen to Christian music with the exception of Skillet but their cover of Pete Townsend's "Let My Love Open the Door" blew me away this week. The song is one of Townsend's biggest hits and the "love" he sings about can be interpreted as either romantic love or "God's love," likely explaining why Luminate would choose to cover it. I came across the song while watching the season two finale of HBO's "The Newsroom" and in the context of the show (a cheesy, celebratory montage) it works quite well. Honestly, just from listening, you probably wouldn't have any idea the group is Christian, not that it really matters. Their version is obviously very different from the 80's original but the soft, ambient sound is a real treat to the ears. It's not easy to explain exactly but the overall tone strikes me as richer and grander. The slower tempo also makes it extremely easy to appreciate Pete Townsend's genius -namely the beautiful lyrics and composition. Moreover, it's a feel good rock song that may or may not give you lots of warm fuzzies inside. Enjoy and have a terrific weekend!
AMANDA-- "MAYBE I'M AMAZED" by JEM
Written By amandathepanda on Friday, August 9, 2013 | 8/09/2013 09:12:00 AM
Happy Friday! Usually I try to share something fun or upbeat to get y'all pumped up for the weekend but today I decided to change things up. The O.C., which aired on Fox from 2003-2007, recently celebrated it's tenth anniversary. In light of that, I've seen numerous articles describing the show's cultural impact in terms of its characters, storytelling, and, of course, music. Part of what made it such a phenonmenon at the time was the hip soundtrack, which was intended to be its own character essentially. The O.C. offered a unique selection of both indie and alternative music from bands such as Modest Modest, The Killers, and Imogen Heap, many of whom made guest appearances on the show. Today's pick, Jem's cover of Paul McCartney's "Maybe I'm Amazed," is one example of how the careful pairing of music and television can have a lasting impression on the hearts and minds of viewers, myself included. The Welsh artist performs her rendition live in an episode at the end of season two where a wedding is taking place. It should be a happy occasion but as it were the two main lovers about to separate and so the use of a love song here really plays up sadness. I thinkthe change of the pronouns from the original (now told from the perspective of a woman) and banjo works really well with the vocals here. Even without any knowledge of the O.C., it makes for a beautiful cover. All these years later and I still remember this song in the context of the show and how it made me feel. Happy tenth anniversary to one of the shows of my youth! Thanks for all the wonderful memories and music! Enjoy and have a great weekend!
Stuck In My Skull 428 -- "Dancing On My Own [Robyn Cover]"
Written By Christopher Audiophile on Tuesday, June 18, 2013 | 6/18/2013 05:44:00 AM
Song: "Dancing On My Own" || Artist: Robyn || Performed By: Carousel || http://snd.sc/11GXEUc ||
Comments: Good morning and happy Tuesday, everyone! Today's song comes to you by way of my friend Newt -- better known as DJ Abso-Newt-ly -- a man with exceptionally amazing taste in usic, and a virtual deity of electronic music. This track is the famed electronic duo Carousel covering Robyn's iconic "Dancing On My Own," with masterful results. The instrumentation somehow manages to be hauntingly clos e to the original but still have its own unique tone and feel, while the vocals give the song an overall mellow tone that I just love. This song is amazing -- check it out!
Comments: Good morning and happy Tuesday, everyone! Today's song comes to you by way of my friend Newt -- better known as DJ Abso-Newt-ly -- a man with exceptionally amazing taste in usic, and a virtual deity of electronic music. This track is the famed electronic duo Carousel covering Robyn's iconic "Dancing On My Own," with masterful results. The instrumentation somehow manages to be hauntingly clos e to the original but still have its own unique tone and feel, while the vocals give the song an overall mellow tone that I just love. This song is amazing -- check it out!
AMANDA-- GAME OF THRONES--COSPLAY PIANO by SONYA BELOUSOVA
Written By amandathepanda on Monday, June 10, 2013 | 6/10/2013 11:17:00 AM
Hey guys! I'm filling in for Chris today and bringing you an excellent cover of "The Song of Fire and Ice," the theme from HBO's Game of Thrones by Sonya Belousova. Before a few days a go, I had never heard of her but boy am I impressed by her resume, which includes countless awards and a degree from the Berklee College of Music. In her newly developed video series, Cosplay Piano, the Russian composer and pianist performs covers of popular songs from television and movies. And in costume I might add. As a big fan of GOT, I must say that I've heard numerous versions of the song none but have managed to achieve what she has-making the epic theme sound elegant and beautiful. It's kind of insane how talented this girl is. I should add, the video is also VERY well produced. So if you're a fan of geeky things in general and/or classical music, I recommend checking out Sonya's other videos. There are only four episodes so far and not all have as elaborate set and costume design but they are still pretty fantastic. Enjoy!
Stuck In My Skull 422 -- "Halo Theme"
Written By Christopher Audiophile on Tuesday, June 4, 2013 | 6/04/2013 09:33:00 AM
Song: "Halo Theme" || Performed by: Lindsey Stirling and William Joseph || Written by: Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori || http://youtu.be/jLnL63cXmD8 ||
Comments: Good morning and happy Tuesday, everyone! Congratulations on making it through the worst day of the week, Monday. To celebrate, have an amazing song.
I've been a huge fan of video game music pretty much since I became a huge fan of video games. That is to say, I've been a huge fan of video game music for a pretty long time. Long ago, a friend of mine gave me a copy of the Halo 2 soundtrack, and I love it. I won't spend time talking about the content of the Halo games themselves, but I will say that they've always had an excellent soundtrack. While Lindsey and William's cover is not a note-by-note rendition of the score that Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori wrote, it is a very beautiful production that captures the spirit of the original piece perfectly in it's famed riffs and chords. It then goes beyond the original song to explore a new spin on the original feeling the piece creates, driven by the unique (for the genre) interplay of violin and piano with only occasional electric guitar riffs added in. This song is excellent, and you should definitely give it a listen. You can ignore the last minute or so, if you like. Lindsey Stirling seems to have gotten sponsored. While I generally dislike artists pushing products, I will say this in her defense: First, she really deserves a sponsorship -- she's an amazing artist and that could really give her a leg up. Second, she waits until after the video, unlike some other artists who simply build their music videos and lyrics around a product. Looking at you, Pitbull.
Lindsey's friend and the videographer behind the shoot made a video that's more action-centered and has less emphasis on the music. It's still excellent, has plenty of Lindsey Stirling and William Joseph in it, and is truer to the original score with less exploration. There's a link given to it at the end of the song, or you can just click here. Enjoy!
I've been a huge fan of video game music pretty much since I became a huge fan of video games. That is to say, I've been a huge fan of video game music for a pretty long time. Long ago, a friend of mine gave me a copy of the Halo 2 soundtrack, and I love it. I won't spend time talking about the content of the Halo games themselves, but I will say that they've always had an excellent soundtrack. While Lindsey and William's cover is not a note-by-note rendition of the score that Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori wrote, it is a very beautiful production that captures the spirit of the original piece perfectly in it's famed riffs and chords. It then goes beyond the original song to explore a new spin on the original feeling the piece creates, driven by the unique (for the genre) interplay of violin and piano with only occasional electric guitar riffs added in. This song is excellent, and you should definitely give it a listen. You can ignore the last minute or so, if you like. Lindsey Stirling seems to have gotten sponsored. While I generally dislike artists pushing products, I will say this in her defense: First, she really deserves a sponsorship -- she's an amazing artist and that could really give her a leg up. Second, she waits until after the video, unlike some other artists who simply build their music videos and lyrics around a product. Looking at you, Pitbull.
Lindsey's friend and the videographer behind the shoot made a video that's more action-centered and has less emphasis on the music. It's still excellent, has plenty of Lindsey Stirling and William Joseph in it, and is truer to the original score with less exploration. There's a link given to it at the end of the song, or you can just click here. Enjoy!
Stuck In My Skull 411 -- "Space Oddity (Chris Hadfield Cover)"
Written By Christopher Audiophile on Tuesday, May 14, 2013 | 5/14/2013 07:00:00 AM
Song: "Space Oddity" || Artist: David Bowie || Covering Artist: Chris Hadfield || http://youtu.be/KaOC9danxNo ||
Comments: Good morning, everyone! First, a little bit of housekeeping. As I alluded to in Monday's entry, I recently did some travelling. I'm going to do my level best to keep a consistent schedule of posts going up, but unfortunately, I'm in an earlier timezone now. This means my posts might be going up a little later in the day. I'm still going to try to make this a breakfast blog, though. In fact, I'm writing this entry while eating breakfast (leftover lasagna, yummy!).
Right, the song. If it wasn't clear from the video, Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield covered the David Bowie song "Space Oddity" and made a video of himself doing it... aboard the International Space Station. Is that not epic? I confess I actually prefer this cover. Perhaps it's just because I heard Chris Hadfield's version before I listened to David Bowie's original, but I definitely prefer the cover over the original. (Yes, I'd never heard the original song before today. Yes, I know. There are some serious holes in my musical education.) Chris Hadfield actually has a pretty nice voice, and his accoustic guitar playing skills definitely appear to be up to snuff. I suppose it's possible that the original track was used and he's just pretending to play guitar in zero-gravity, but I don't think so. I mean, I've seen Chris Hadfield be pretty active in answering questions and doing science experiments (here's a good example: link), so I don't think he'd really be the type to fake it. But I'm getting off track. The song is good and the video is pretty cool too. Check it out!
Random thought: Randall Munroe -- the guy who does the comic xkcd -- determined that by most sane criteria, this is not the most expensive music video produced. His logic is explained here.
Right, the song. If it wasn't clear from the video, Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield covered the David Bowie song "Space Oddity" and made a video of himself doing it... aboard the International Space Station. Is that not epic? I confess I actually prefer this cover. Perhaps it's just because I heard Chris Hadfield's version before I listened to David Bowie's original, but I definitely prefer the cover over the original. (Yes, I'd never heard the original song before today. Yes, I know. There are some serious holes in my musical education.) Chris Hadfield actually has a pretty nice voice, and his accoustic guitar playing skills definitely appear to be up to snuff. I suppose it's possible that the original track was used and he's just pretending to play guitar in zero-gravity, but I don't think so. I mean, I've seen Chris Hadfield be pretty active in answering questions and doing science experiments (here's a good example: link), so I don't think he'd really be the type to fake it. But I'm getting off track. The song is good and the video is pretty cool too. Check it out!
Random thought: Randall Munroe -- the guy who does the comic xkcd -- determined that by most sane criteria, this is not the most expensive music video produced. His logic is explained here.
Stuck In My Skull 402: Songs Revisited, Part 3 -- "Resistance (Muse) [A Cappella]"
Written By Christopher Audiophile on Tuesday, April 16, 2013 | 4/16/2013 09:19:00 AM
Songs Revisited, Part 3 || Song: "Resistance [A Cappella]" || Original Artist: Muse || Covering Artist: Voices in Your Head || http://youtu.be/fzuQ9-KlRDE ||
Comments: Hello and welcome back to Songs Revisited Week on Stuck In My Skull! When I write entries with covers of songs, I always have this debate about how I should write titles and taglines for the entries. In this case, I decided to follow the title used in the video accompanying this song for the tagline, and split the information in the entry into Covering Artist and Original Artist. Originally featured in Entry 2, this song is the a cappella cover of the Muse song "Resistance" as performed by the group Voices in Your Head, the a cappella group of the University of Chicago. Perhaps I simply haven't had enough exposure to a cappella groups and performances, but I found myself somewhat surprised to find that the performers not only covered the vocals but also the instrumentation of the song. This includes not only keyboard or guitar parts, but one of the longest and most competent beat-boxing performances I've ever seen to cover the percussive elements of the song. If I hadn't seen the video to this song, I frankly would not have believed that a group of human beings was capable of producing the vast and staggering array of sounds used in this song. The vocal 'instrumentation' of this song is so impressive that it almost outshines the actual vocals of the song, which are impressive. I mean, forget Glee covers, this is insane. Rather than try to imitate Muse vocalist Matt Bellamy's signature falsetto vocals, Voices in Your Head doesn't even try. Instead, they focus on the emotive, room-filling tones of their own lead vocalist (whose name I do not know), and back it with their jaw-dropping supporting vocals. Their supporting vocals are so strong that I feel as though they could probably carry the song alone, on their own power. This song redefined my notions of a cappella music, and I can honestly say this is one of my all-time favourite covers. To top it all off, Voices in Your Head filmed a truly excellent music video to the song, in which the quality shines brighter than I thought college students would be capable of producing. You should definitely check this song and video out.
AMANDA-- "MAD MEN THEME SONG...WITH A TWIST"
Written By amandathepanda on Friday, March 8, 2013 | 3/08/2013 11:45:00 AM
Hey readers! I apologize for my lateness but it's officially Spring Break for most of us here at Ohio Wesleyan University. Today I bring you a fabulous mash-up of Nat King Cole's "Nature Boy" and "A Beautiful Mine," the theme song from AMC's Mad Men. I came across this a while back but had no idea the singer was actress Allison Williams, who currently stars as Marnie on HBO's Girls. MIND BLOWN. Who knew she had such a lovely singing voice. Anyway, I've got packing to do so that's all I'll say. Enjoy and happy Friday!
AMANDA-- "HIT ME BABY ONE MORE TIME"
Written By amandathepanda on Wednesday, February 20, 2013 | 2/20/2013 08:43:00 AM
Hey readers! I'M BACK! As much as I enjoyed my short break, it's good to be writing again at Stuck In My Skull. Today I've got something a little different for you all: a swinging jazz cover of Britney Spear's beloved pop ditty "Hit Me Baby One More Time."I heard this sometime in December but promptly forgot the name of the artist and spent the subsequent weeks trying to find it on the interwebz with no avail. A couple days ago I finally managed to track it down and here we are! In contrast to the original, its slow and sultry, the perfect music for cuddling up to your sweetheart or having a romantic spin around the dance floor. Ms. Spears isn't exactly known for her lyrical genius, but here her lyrics work really well. This is an excellent cover by a talented but relatively unknown group called the Sidewalk Strutters, "a dynamic, superbly entertaining group of musicians who come together to
play music in the style 1930s and 40s traditional jazz." I hope someday soon they will get the recognition they deserve, especially their fabulous vocalist Sasha Masakowski. These guys aren't even on Youtube yet so I've provided the link below which will direct you to the singer's website where you can listen to the song and hear more of the Sidewalk Strutters. Happy listening!
AMANDA--"BI***S AIN'T SH*T" by BEN FOLDS
Written By amandathepanda on Thursday, October 18, 2012 | 10/18/2012 02:00:00 AM
Hello! Today is the second (and final part) of my mini cover week. As you might have guessed from the title of the entry, this song is NSFW. Admittedly, I have a really hard time actually enjoying and taking the original seriously but Ben Folds manages to turn Dr. Dre's "Bitches Ain't Shit" into an incredibly lighthearted, whimsical pop song. Misogyny aside, there's something I find kind of charming about it. This version also makes it much easier to sing along to Dre's lyrics. Enjoy!
Entry 269-- "Walking with a Ghost"
Written By Christopher Audiophile on Thursday, August 16, 2012 | 8/16/2012 05:00:00 AM
Song: "Walking with a Ghost" || Artist: The White Stripes || http://youtu.be/jeYyoU8kKPQ ||
Comments: Oh, this song takes me back. As I recall, I originally found this song a few years ago when I really started exploring The White Stripes. To put things in perspective, playlist.com was actually popular and useful then. After some poking around, I learned that this song was, in fact, a cover of the original song by Tegan and Sara, another very good two-person group. You should take a listen, and if you like it, go find the original and see what you think. Enjoy!
Comments: Oh, this song takes me back. As I recall, I originally found this song a few years ago when I really started exploring The White Stripes. To put things in perspective, playlist.com was actually popular and useful then. After some poking around, I learned that this song was, in fact, a cover of the original song by Tegan and Sara, another very good two-person group. You should take a listen, and if you like it, go find the original and see what you think. Enjoy!
Entry 262-- "Phantom of the Opera" and Site Update!
Written By Christopher Audiophile on Tuesday, August 7, 2012 | 8/07/2012 05:00:00 AM
Song: "Phantom of the Opera" || Artist: Lindsey Stirling || http://youtu.be/TCL94-MsxYc ||
Comments: I originally ran into Lindsey Stirling when I was slumming around for material for Tour of Techno Week, if I recall-- her "dubstep violin" came up on my radar, and very nearly made it into the slot for dubstep. Lindsey Stirling is a freakishly talented violinist and a talented dancer. She has an energy that radiates through the screen to the audience, and infects them with her vibrant spirit. Having heard many a cover of Phantom of the Opera, I can say that not only is this one of-- if not the-- best, but it's a fantastic medley. This song is very much worth a listen, and the video is a captivating watch. Check it out! (click to read more)
Comments: I originally ran into Lindsey Stirling when I was slumming around for material for Tour of Techno Week, if I recall-- her "dubstep violin" came up on my radar, and very nearly made it into the slot for dubstep. Lindsey Stirling is a freakishly talented violinist and a talented dancer. She has an energy that radiates through the screen to the audience, and infects them with her vibrant spirit. Having heard many a cover of Phantom of the Opera, I can say that not only is this one of-- if not the-- best, but it's a fantastic medley. This song is very much worth a listen, and the video is a captivating watch. Check it out! (click to read more)
Entry 2-- Muse- Resistance (Voices In Your Head a cappella cover)
Written By Christopher Audiophile on Sunday, July 17, 2011 | 7/17/2011 10:09:00 AM
Song: "Muse- Resistance [A Cappella]"
Artist: Voices In Your Head
http://youtu.be/fzuQ9-KlRDE
Comments: A certain friend of mine introduced me to this video some time ago. Voices In Your Head is University of Chicago's A Cappella group, and I think they do a marvelous job in producing both the music and the accompanying video in this cover of Muse's "Resistance."
Artist: Voices In Your Head
http://youtu.be/fzuQ9-KlRDE
Comments: A certain friend of mine introduced me to this video some time ago. Voices In Your Head is University of Chicago's A Cappella group, and I think they do a marvelous job in producing both the music and the accompanying video in this cover of Muse's "Resistance."
Entry 2-- Muse- Resistance (Voices In Your Head a cappella cover)
Song: "Muse- Resistance [A Cappella]"
Artist: Voices In Your Head
http://youtu.be/fzuQ9-KlRDE
Comments: A certain friend of mine introduced me to this video some time ago. Voices In Your Head is University of Chicago's A Cappella group, and I think they do a marvelous job in producing both the music and the accompanying video in this cover of Muse's "Resistance."
Artist: Voices In Your Head
http://youtu.be/fzuQ9-KlRDE
Comments: A certain friend of mine introduced me to this video some time ago. Voices In Your Head is University of Chicago's A Cappella group, and I think they do a marvelous job in producing both the music and the accompanying video in this cover of Muse's "Resistance."
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