Weezer Pork and Beans

I have a new favorite music video. Weezer's Pork and Beans manages to tweak just about every Internet meme from the past several years. All your Net favorites are here, including Peanut Butter Jelly Time!

Police State or Free Video Crews?

Here's a way to take lemons and make them into lemonade (or at least make a strong political statement about the lemons).

Unable to afford a proper camera crew and equipment, The Get Out Clause, an unsigned band from Macnehster, Britian--a country which has an estimated 13 million CCTV cameras--set up their equipment in eighty locations around the city and proceeded to play to the cameras. Then, they wrote to the companies or organisations involved and asked for the footage under the Freedom of Information Act.

A little editing later, their free CCTV footage is now their music video. Bloody brilliant!

(BTW, it's clear they cheated a little on the concept and used some handheld video, but it's still a funny, insightful and even artistic way to comment on the growth of CCTV cameras that are supposed to keep us safe, but it seems do not.) [Via BoingBoing]

Joe Jackson's Greatest Hits

I'm going to see Joe Jackson Monday night. He's composed and performed music since the 70s, earning five Grammy nominations and charting with hits such as "Is She Really Going Out with Him?", "Steppin' Out", and "You Can't Get What You Want (Till You Know What You Want)".

Joe is known for his literate lyrics and catchy pop/rock melodies. For your enjoyment, here are some of Joe's songs, lyrics, and music videos.

The Obvious Song

There was a man in the jungle
Trying to make ends meet
Found himself one day with an axe in his hand
When a voice said Buddy can you spare that tree?
We gotta save the world, starting with your land.
It was a rock 'n' roll millionaire from the USA,
Doing 3 to the gallon in a big white car,
And he sang and he sang 'til he polluted the air,
And he blew a lot of smoke from a Cuban cigar.

Nineteen Forever

Only my mirror sees me crying,
Each time I lose another year.
Wouldn't be a drag to be like you,
Settling down and having kids,
and telling them what to do?
Well I'm gonna stay nineteen forever!

Steppin' Out (briefly featuring a Miller Lite logo)

We are young but getting old before our time,
Well leave the TV and the radio behind,
Dont you wonder what well find,
Steppin' out tonight.

Real Men
(Note about the lyrics: Much like Randy Newman, Joe Jackson often writes from the perspective of less pleasant or confident characters as a way of telling a story.)

Man makes a gun,
Man goes to war,
Man can kill and man can drink
And man can take a whore.
Kill all the blacks,
Kill all the reds,
And if there's war between the sexes
Then there'll be no people left.

Is She Really Going Out With Him?

Tonights the night when I go to all the parties down my street.
I wash my hair and I kid myself I look real smooth.
Look over there! (Where?)
Here comes Jeanie with her new boyfriend.
They say that looks dont count for much.
If so, there goes your proof.

Blinded by the Light

I always loved this song. Blinded by the Light was written by Bruce Springsteen, and despite all of his hits, the Manfred Mann's Earth Band recording of "Blinded by the Light" is still Springsteen's only Number 1 single as a songwriter on the Billboard Hot 100. Here from 1977 is Manfred Mann...



And here is the audio track of a '73 concert in which Bruce sings his own version of his song...

Happy 80s Music

My last two posts were a little heavy, so I went looking for levity and found it on TambaBay.com where they list the 20 happiest songs of the 80s. I don't agree with all of them (where's Peter Gabriel's Solsbury Hill?), but here for your enjoyment are three of the happiest:

Our House (Madness):



Safety Dance (Men Without Hats):



Magic (The Cars):

Hot at SXSW

If you couldn't get to Austin, here are some of the hot acts that got some attention. [Via TrendCentral]

Duffy: Apparently the world is looking for a saner version of Amyu Winehouse. Duffy is a young Welsh soul singer has been compared to '60s chanteuses like Petula Clark and Dusty Springfield.



Yael Naim: This French singer-songwriter already had her song featured in a MacBook Air commercial, and once Apple anoints a new talent, you know what happens.



The Ting Tings: In January 2008 this co-ed Manchester drums/guitar duo was voted third in the annual BBC 6 Music poll of industry experts Sound of 2008, for acts to emerge in the coming year. In February 2008 they were the opening slot act on the 2008 Shockwaves NME Awards Tour. Up and coming!



The Dodos: This San Francisco band The Dodos wowed festivalgoers with their freak folk sound reminiscent of Animal Collective.

Space Oddity through the Years

From David Bowie's first television appearance in 1970 to 1997, here is how David and Space Oddity have aged through the years. I think both made it through the decades quite gracefully.

1970


1972


1980


1990


1997

Baby Got Many Backs

Is "Baby Got Back" the most covered song of the past two decades? Check out all the versions, from Gilbert and Sullivan to folkie. The original video is the last in the list below. (And no, that isn't really Kidz Bop rapping--it's a parody.

Hillary's Response to "Yes We Can"

Is this Hillary Clinton's campaign's response to the Will.I.Am video for "Yes We Can"? It would appear Hillary's campaign staff hasn't listened to a new CD since, well, CDs were invented. It's back to the future with Hillary...

McCain and Not.Will.I.Am: Parody of "Yes we can"

A week ago I posted an inspiring and artful piece of propoganda called "Yes We Can," which turned a speech by Barack Obama into an uplifting music video. Here is MoveOn.org's funny take on the McCain version. (Never too early to start slinging mud for the general election, I guess.)

Mellow Thursday: Philip Glass' Violin Concerto, 1st movement

Why Mellow Thursday? The week has a head of steam, and you're probably rushing to the weekend. Time to sit back and enjoy a bit of mellow music to clear your head.

This is one of the most lovely and hypnotic things I've seen online in quite some time. Enjoy Philip Glass' Violin Concerto, 1st movement set to striking time-lapse images. If you click through to view the video on YouTube, select the little box in the bottom righthand corner of the video window to watch this full screen for maximum relaxation.

Amen

Kid Rock: Preacher, counselor, saint, sinner, nag, adviser, human rights activist, philanthropist, critic, internationalist, conscience, patriot, humanitarian, and judge:

Boulevard of Broken Songs

This is one of the greatest mash-ups ever. It's called "Boulevard of Broken Songs," and it seamlessly merges Green Day's "Boulevard of Broken Dreams", Oasis' "Wonderwall", Travis' "Writing to Reach You" and Aerosmith's "Dream On". This comes from DJ Party Ben and was among the most downloaded songs way back in 2004.

Nat King Cole Classic

One more music video to brighten your holidays. The word "classic" has never been more appropriate than for Nat King Cole's version of "The Christmas Song."

David Bowie and Bing Crosby

You've heard this number before, but you probably never saw it. David Bowie sings a duet with Bing Crosby on the Little Drummer Boy for the kind of TV holiday special they don't make any more.

This was recorded in September 1977 for Bing's television special, Bing Crosby's Merrie Olde Christmas. Bing died a little over a month after recording this song.

It never should've worked, but it does.

Fairytale of New York

The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl sing one of the more unusual contemporary holiday tunes, Fairytale of New York.

All I Get for Christmas is Blue

Picked up Over the Rhine's holiday CD, Snow Angels, and I love it. I am a fan of Christmas music, but normally find original holiday music falls short. This CD has hints of holiday blues, Christmas hope, and a just a bit of sap, and it's become my favorite CD of the season.

This video shows the band performing "All I Get for Christmas is Blue." I prefer the acoustic version on the CD, but it's a terrific tune!

Dominick the Italian Christmas Donkey

I had to post this because it's just so damn weird (and my dad sent the link to me.) (Always listen to your parents, kids!)

All You Need is Love

Blast from the past: The Beatles recording "All You Need is Love" for a live TV broadcast. The song was first performed by the band on Our World, the first ever live global television link. Broadcast to 26 countries and watched by 350 million people, the program was broadcast via satellite on June 25, 1967.

Dig the young Mick Jagger in the audience and the super, cool, funky musicians playing brass and strings.

Mellow Thursday: Jason Mraz & Jamie Cullum

Why Mellow Thursday? The week has a head of steam, and you're probably rushing to the weekend. Time to sit back and enjoy a bit of mellow music to clear your head.

Here are two singer-songwriters with very different styles, but both found a comfortable way to create pop while borrowing elements from styles as diverse as rap and jazz.

Take a lazy gondola ride with Jason Mraz and his guitar.



Jamie Cullum's jazzy, relaxing "Photograph." (Alas, the killer piano solo from the CD version is not included in this video.)