Hurry Up, M83's Bandwagon is Growing

With special thanks to Spotify for helping introduce me to the following group, Stars and Slights proudly offers you the musical renditions of M83 today.

They have been around since 2001 and have, for the most part, stayed under the radar in countries not named France, their home country.

It is difficult to compare M83 to other artists due to their unique sound. One common description of their genre is 'shoegazing', which is signified by an amalgam of guitar effects and vocal melodies.

Regardless of M83's style of music, they are no doubt gaining notoriety worldwide. Of their first four albums, none of them gained attention from charts outside of France. Their fifth album, Saturdays = Youth, placed on the billboard charts in both France and the US.

Growing in popularity, they began opening for other headlining bands such as Kings of Leon, the Killers and Depeche Mode.

Hurry Up, We're Dreaming, their sixth full length album, is a double album that was released a full three years after Saturdays = Youth. In an interview with Exclaim Magazine, frontman Anthony Gonzalez revealed the inspiration behind releasing a double album.

I would hold the CD in my hand and read all of the lyrics while listening to that album over and over. For me it was a discovery and I want younger generations to experience what I got from the Smashing Pumpkins double album.

Gonzalez and M83 produced a mesmerizing sound while telling an intriguing lyrical story about twins and their efforts have not gone unnoticed. They are gaining momentum and are on billboard charts across the globe. Play the first few notes of their hit single Midnight City and even the casual listener will be drawn in.

Hurry up, their bandwagon is quickly filling up.

Kings and Queens

When you combine emo with grunge and hard rock the resulting sound is bound to be nothing short of innovative and potentially epic.

In 2009, the band 30 Seconds to Mars, led by frontman Jared Leto, mixed those aforementioned genres together to create "This Is War", a contemporary and epic album demonstrating that not all new rock music has to sound the same.

Accompanied by his brother Shannon Leto (drums, percussion), Jared Leto (lead vocals, rhythm guitar, songwriter) formed the band in 1998 as what was intended to be a family project. The brothers Leto eventually auditioned other members and expanded to add a bassist and keyboard artist.

Success first beckoned the group in 2005 following the release of their second album, A Beautiful Lie. The album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and garnered several awards for the single "The Kill (Bury Me)". Featuring band members reenacting scenes from The Shining, the music video for "The Kill (Bury Me)" also received critical acclaim.

It should be no surprise that the band takes an interest in acting and music video production. Jared Leto is an actor who has played many roles throughout his career. After gaining interest for his efforts in the TV series My So-Called Life as Jordan Catalano (opposite Claire Danes) his career led him to several popular films including American Psycho, Fight Club, Urban Legend, Panic Room, Lord of War, and Girl, Interrupted.

Leto's biggest film, however, was the cult classic Requiem For a Dream in which he played the lead role of heroin addict Harry Goldfarb.

Despite on-screen success, though, Jared Leto and 30 Seconds to Mars have not let musical ambitions fall to the wayside.

Kings and Queens was the second single to reach the top spot on the Billboard Alternative Songs. Its music video won the 2010 MTV Video Music Award for Best Rock Video.  Stunning views of Los Angeles are offered throughout the video as it features cyclists touring around the famous city.

For fellow rock fans you will probably find the closest musical similarities to 30 Seconds to Mars by comparing them to bands like Rise Against and Angels & Airwaves.

Regardless of the comparisons one can make, though, 30 Seconds to Mars will not fail to entertain ones ears or eyes.

Once

Our esteemed colleague and member of alt-rock group Cutting Room Floor, Luke Sweet tipped me off to the film/soundtrack Once and after watching it, well...once, I'm quite taken with it.

I was reluctant at first because it's most certainly a romantic tale and in some ways a "chick flick". The story is cool however, and the lack of a large budget ($160,000) gives the film a certain charm found to be lacking in the bright lights and gloss of Hollywood.

The songs were all composed and performed by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová. Hansard is the founding member and frontman of the popular Irish rock band The Frames and both had collaborated previously.

The track, "Falling Slowly" won the 2007 Academy Award for Best Original Song and it's just tremendous, thus explaining the embedded file below.

Footloose Pianist

It has been far too long since our last post of music we like and this selection is sure to please even the softest of music palettes.

Liu Wei was a contestant on the Chinese version of 'America's Got Talent' and brought tears to not only the judges and audience but also millions of viewers across the globe.

At the surface Wei's talent is not that uncommon. He is a talented musician that performs at a high level and has an ability to captivate his audiences.

Yet it is not enough to merely point out what his talent is, rather the full story must be shared to explain how he earned it.

You see, Liu Wei lost both of his arms when he was 10 years old because of a freak accident. He grabbed a live electrical wire while playing hide and seek and from that moment on his life was forever changed.

He appeared on China's Got Talent and spoke of his remarkable story to the judges.

For people like me, there were only two options. One was to abandon all dreams, which would lead to a quick, hopeless death. The other was to struggle without arms to live an outstanding life.

At 23 years of age he has already defied so many odds and shown more perseverance and bravery than most humans exhibit throughout their lifespan.

We applaud Wei for his incredible courage and determination. His story is a truly touching one. Teacher after teacher told him he would never succeed at his dream of becoming a pianist but at age 18 he taught himself and the results are nothing short of breathtaking.

Suffice it to say, Wei is living not only an outstanding life but also an inspirational one.

Atomic Tom iPhone Subway Song

Remember the iPhone spoof video that poked fun at the seemingly endless possibilities enabled by technological advancement? If you need your memory refreshed watch the following video.

Although the video embellishes about impractical features of the phone, there are actually far-fetching opportunities created by the iPhone that perhaps were unthought of during its development. All it takes are a few clever individuals who challenge how mobile devices can expand upon their intended uses.

Enter Atomic Tom, an up-and-coming electronica rock band from Brooklyn, NY. The quartet spent four months recording their debut album, The Moment, in a tiny apartment with the help of one of their close friends.

Ironically enough, their big break came from a recording in an even smaller venue: a NYC subway train car.

Atomic Tom, comprised of lead vocalist Luke White, Phillip Galitzine on bass, guitarist Eric Espiritu, and drummer Tobias Smith proved that seemingly anything is possible with the aid of an iPhone.

Dream Theater keyboardist Jordan Rudess has used an iPhone application during live concerts before, which is also impressive, but you would be hard pressed to find a performance more remarkable than what follows.

To push this over the top, the video was shot and edited using three iPhone cameras. It was shot live in one take.

"Take Me Out" is not only the band's first single but also the infamous song in the subway video. According to vocalist Luke Wilson, "It's a vulnerable song. It's about letting people into your life, letting people rescue you."

For these Brooklyn rockers, they've let approximately 2.5 million people into their lives from youtube alone as of this posting.

Metallica- Enter Sandman (Smooth Jazz Version)

I stumbled upon this a few days ago and have been laughing quite a bit ever since.

Even though I feel like we feature this song all the time, this is a really cool, and incidentally hilarious version of Metallica's classic "Enter Sandman".

If you don't feel like watching the whole thing, by all means be sure to check out the first full minute. James Hetfield's vocals are used in this, and when he shouts to the crowd it's just riotous.

There's a pretty cool little solo that stays fairly true to the original while remaining decidedly jazzy.

Enjoy.

Ted Nugent Star Spangled Banner

This probably should have been saved for the Fourth of July but I couldn't resist. The following is a recording from the meeting of the Cowboys and Eagles on January 9, 2010 in the opening round of the playoffs.

Guitarist Ted Nugent originally stuck his claim to fame as a member of the Amboy Dukes more than forty years ago but has since embarked on a very successful solo career.

While not nearly as epic and revered as Jimi Hendrix's famous performance of the Star Spangled Banner this was certainly a memorable showing.

Song Of The Day: Grizzly Bear- Two Weeks

If you wander the vast expanse of the Internet anywhere near as much as I do, you're probably familiar with the band Grizzly Bear by now.

Over the past year or two, they've become the big thing amongst the "indie hipsters" who just love their independent flair.

Because of this (and the fact that Pitchfork loves them), I was always reluctant to listen to their stuff. I finally broke down and watched this video for the song, "Two Weeks" off their successful album Veckatimest.

This song immediately struck something with me. It has some beautiful vocal harmonies that dominate the song, something very rare these days. I'll admit, I haven't been able to really get into the other songs on the album, but I also have yet to listen all the way through.

This may well be one of the coolest -and no doubt creepiest- videos I've seen. You've been warned.

OK Go - This Too Shall Past

Two years ago Jimmy Clausen and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team traveled to sunny Southern California to over Thanksgiving weekend to battle Mark Sanchez and the USC Trojans. The end result? A miserable performance from the entire Irish squad, which did not manage a first down until the end of the third quarter.

As painfully unforgettable as that performance was there was an equally memorable performance by another Irish squad: the University of Notre Dame Marching Band.

For the first time in 35 years Notre Dame brought its band along for the holiday weekend in Los Angeles. Determined not to completely disappoint the domers in attendance the band put on one of the more talked about shows in school history.

While not a 'show band' by any means the Notre Dame band is known to entertain students, alumni, and visitors with halftime performances featuring dancing by band members.

On the fateful night of November 27, 2008 the Irish performed "Here It Goes Again" by OK Go. This song sparked the group's rise to fame as its music video featured band members synchronously dancing on treadmills.

It rose the group to such popularity that the Notre Dame band choreographed a halftime show to it in 2007. Crowd reaction was so overwhelmingly positive that Director of Bands Dr. Kenneth Dye decided to save it for later use.

You can see the actual performance of the song below starting at the 2:30 mark but will have to bear with the awful commentary.

Members of the band OK Go were in attendance and were so impressed by the performance that they sought out the Irish for an opportunity to film a music video.

Shooting for the video was held over Notre Dame's fall break this past October. The Observer, a student-run newspaper at Notre Dame, has an excellent write-up with interviews from band members and Assistant Band Director Emmett O'Leary.

On a week typically reserved for recovery from midterms several Irish Marching Band members stuck around for this once in a lifetime opportunity.

"This Too Shall Pass" is the debut single from OK Go's new record, "Of the Blue Colour of the Sky" and could be the next craze on YouTube.

Kudos to members of OK Go and the University of Notre Dame Bands for making this happen.

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

A Song For A Son

In perhaps one of the most daring business models ever revealed by any musician, Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan announced he would release all 44 songs of the Pumpkins' new concept album Teargarden by Kaleidyscope for free, available for download one song at a time on their website.

Here is what Corgan had to say about his radical concept:

[I] don't think I'm going to make albums in the old-fashioned way, meaning 12-15 songs, etc. in one small package. My desire at this point would be to release one song at a time, over a period of 2-3 years, with it all adding up to a box set/album of sorts that would also include an art movie of the album... My thinking is that if I focus on one song at a time I would approach them as beautiful, distinct paintings that would each require the attention they deserve. This would also mean I would choose what I am recording quite carefully as there would be tremendous internal pressure to get it just right, and that is the kind of pressure I like, which is to make the most beautiful thing possible. I've gotten lost many times during the long haul of making a record and have overlooked some great songs because of that. The new standard for an SP song would that it be excellent and fantastic and most importantly essential or it's not coming out. I will do my best to meet that intention fully.

Based on those comments it his clear that this album is being made for the sheer enjoyment of writing music, not for the immediate monetary benefit so many artists seek and often 'sell-out' for.

Best of luck to Corgan and the Smashing Pumpkins on this truly unique endeavor.

I'm On a Mac

Seriously, we, the founders of Stars and Slights, are on Macs.

What's not to love about Apple? Aside from the chic designs of its products and the fact that Mac users encounter few (if any) viruses, Apple has literally revolutionized the tech industry with must-have gadgets.

Why else would CNBC produce a segment called "Planet of the Apps" in honor of the Apple product (iPhone) that pioneered the use of applications in mobile technology?

In honor of our support of Apple we invite you to view the following spoof of the popular SNL video "I'm on a Boat."

This particular video, entitled "I'm on a Mac", was created by the Pantless Knights. Hats off to these hilarious gentlemen for a witty and slightly inappropriate way to yet again communicate why Macs are better than PCs.

Guitar Hero Light Show

In all likelihood the following video, and song of the day, is entirely fake. Even if it is, sit back and enjoy the smooth musings of Eric Johnson's "Cliff's of Dover."

As an aside, the song won a 1991 Grammy Award for the Best Rock Instrumental Performance.

It's Time for an Uprising

Hey you, closet pop/rock fan. I know what goes through your mind when you get into conversations about which bands you like and what your favorite genres are.

You like some kinds of "heavy" music but your soft spot is classic rock. Led Zeppelin, Guns N' Roses, ACDC, and The Beatles can fill out any playlist you create. You like some stuff on the radio from today's modern rock bands like the Foo Fighters, The Killers, and Green Day.

When it comes to heavy metal you feel repulsed by the mostly vulgar and angry lyrics. Justin Timberlake is a large part of your collection but you claim your sole interest is a result of his cheeky humor on SNL.

You don't know much about synthesizers but perceive them as a byproduct of the '80s that morphed into goth and glam bands.

Have you taken a minute to actively search for new music, though? You cocoon yourself into what you already know and what disc jockeys proclaim are the up-and-coming future stars of the music industry.

Let me help you out. Ever heard of Muse? The trio hails from England and is quickly growing in popularity in the US. I've not seen (or heard) much exposure for them but their time will come.

A blend of keyboards, synthesizers, lead guitars (no rhythm necessary due to pulsing bass distortion), and percussion create perhaps one of the most unique sounds available on the market.

Today's song of the day showcases Muse's truly one of a kind sound. "Uprising" is the first track (and single) off of their newest album entitled "The Resistance."

We've featured their music before but this is probably a more authentic representation of their style than "Stockholm Syndrome."

I encourage you to check out more of their collection as there are few aspects left to be desired for the pop/rock lover you not so outwardly express yourself as.

Where Da Song of The Day At?

On my drive in to work this morning I was reminded of an old YouTube craze called "Leprechaun in Mobile, AL" that is the basis for today's song of the day.

93X (93.7 FM) in Minneapolis is without a doubt my favorite source for music in the Twin Cities. During the morning hours they, like every other radio station, mix in their version of a talk show aptly named the "Half-@ssed Morning Show."

A frequent listener of the show apparently emailed the following video to the guys at the station, who proceeded to devote about 5 minutes of air time debating if the 'leprechaun story' was real or not.

Without a doubt, the million dollar question is whether or not the sketch was drawn by a professional artist or kindergartner using Etch-A-Sketch? You be the judge.

The 93X fellas also shared their awe that people in 2009 would make this a news-worthy story (ironic, I know).

I hate to burst their bubble but I can't believe they had never seen this video before. It was originally posted in 2006 and remains a cult classic to this day.

In the technological landscape we live in, where home videos can become overnight pop culture sensations, it is difficult for stories to carry public interest with such longevity but "da leprechaun" was certainly up to the challenge.

A fan site dedicated to the story illustrates just how much pull "da leprechaun" still has.

Without any further adieu I present to you a rap song dedicated to this truly epic story.

Song Of The Day - Stone Temple Pilots

Today's song of the day is from the Stone Temple Pilots, an often defunct but resurrected band that dates back nearly two decades ago.

"Interstate Love Song" is off of their second album, Purple, and to this day it remains one of their biggest hits. In fact, the song set a then record atop the Billboard Charts in the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks category as it stuck claim to the number one spot for 15 consecutive weeks.

Lead singer Scott Weiland claims the lyrics for the song were written about his troubles with his then girlfriend and heroin. After completion of the album, Weiland checked himself into a detox clinic in the first of several attempts to kick his ugly habit.

Say what you will about rock and roll and drugs but there's no denying the fact that many great musicians depended on the very substance(s) that ruined their lives. Ray Charles, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain and Jimi Hendrix come to mind but the list goes on...

While I don't condone his drug use I have nothing but positive things to say about his collegiate football affiliation. Check out part 1 and part 2 of his interview with the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette from May 2009 as he talks about his affinity for Notre Dame.

Weiland is quite openly a 'huge' ND fan and helped illustrate that fact while tailgating two weekends ago in South Bend. Instead of using his hands to catch a ball he decided he'd give his face a try. The football won.

As for the Stone Temple Pilots, they are reunited once again and back on tour. Rumor has it that they are due out for an album sometime within the next year.

Seventeen is number 87!

Confused? Don't be. Today's song of the day, "Seventeen" by the band Winger, was rated as the 87th best hard rock song of all time by VH1.

Headed by frontman Kip Winger, the band gained popularity throughout the '80s and early '90s before fading quickly to grunge. Kip Winger and Kurt Cobain likely were not great friends. While Kip went on to a brief solo career after the band broke up in 1994 he has stayed true to his comrades from his original band, Blackwood Creek, hoping to release a new album in 2009.

Seventeen was released in 1988 and hit #26 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was featured as a song on the video game Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s.

If you're a fan of glam rock or 80s hair bands you'll enjoy this gem from Winger.

Welcome Home Stanley Cup

What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the Stanley Cup Playoffs? Besides from Lord Stanley, the cup itself, Wayne Gretzky, Barry Melrose, and perhaps Don Cherry, it's probably the Versus Network.

Ever since the 2004-2005 NHL Lockout NHL games lost their mainstream contracts (including a bid from ESPN reportedly worth $130MM) and instead settled for an agreement with the Versus Network.

Formerly known as OLN, Versus has positioned itself as the man's network, featuring programming like hunting shows, hockey games, and extreme cage fighting.

In keeping in line with their manly programming they have also associated themselves with hard, heavy metal intros when moving in and out of commercials.

Below is an example of one of their ads:

The song playing in the background of the commercial is entitled "Welcome Home" by Coheed and Cambria.

Originally featured as the third track of the album "Good Apollo, I'm burning Star IV, Vol.1: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness", this melodic progressive rock song has been used by various sports teams/players and radio stations as intros, by video games for commercials and in-game experience (Rock Band), and movie trailers.

Below is an acoustic version of Welcome Home performed for the Fuse Network. I would have embedded the actual music video for this song, but YouTube tells me embedding has been "disabled by request."

Oh well - hopefully you find the acoustic version as scintillating as the original.

Spring Is In The Air...*sniff* Oh Wait...

Today is a special day for some of you. I won't delve into specifics for fear of some type of unjust persecution, but if you get it cool. If not, that's cool too.

I've selected some tunes for today's occasion that should make everyone happy because they're good no matter how you feel. If you're down, they'll bring you up, if you're up they will continue the trend upwards, or "higher" if you will.

First of course is Bob Marley. Those who cite his music as simply stoner-fare are doing a disservice to both the man and to themselves. His wisdom and ideals were pure and he strove everyday to make this world a better place.

The most famous example of this came when he was attacked and wounded in his home by unknown gunmen in 1976. He suffered minor injuries, but his wife and manager were seriously wounded. Two days later, he played as scheduled to a festival crowd of 80,000 people. When asked why, he famously responded, "the people who are trying to make this world worse aren’t taking a day off. How can I?

Perhaps his most genius line, and one of the greatest put on paper has to be this:

"Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery
None but ourselves can free our minds…"

I've chosen the optimism of "Three Little Birds" because in this troubling time, we can all use a little bit of positive thinking.



The other song is The Grateful Dead, taken from a live performance in 1988 in Hampton, VA.

Sugar Magnolia is without a doubt my favorite Dead song. I just don't think it's possible to listen to it and not feel incredibly happy. I remember the first time I heard this song and thinking, "Oh okay, I can see why people painted vans and rode around following these guys around everywhere they went."

This particular performance takes a bit to get going. The intro is the first few bars of a Miles Davis song called, "So What", a pretty classic song in it's own right. Apparently, Jerry Garcia actually did a number of acoustic jazz sessions that were later released following his death.

Anyway, this is a cool performance despite the crappy video quality. Hearing it is the important thing anyway.

Also, if you want to read some crazy stuff, check out Grateful Dead on wikipedia here. You should read all of it, but in particular check out the stuff towards the bottom about their sound system known as the "Wall Of Sound". They didn't use it for very long due to it's impracticality (it weighed 75 tons!) but holy Hell did it generate a lot of power. 26,400 watts. The sound quality was acceptable up to a quarter of a mile. There were separate channels for every instrument and even each of Phil Lesh's bass strings had it's own channel.

So enjoy the music, enjoy the day. Be safe and smart and may these tunes bring a little joy to your life.

Song Of The Day - Stockholm Syndrome

Today's song of the day is slightly more juiced (no pun intended from the prior post, A-rod fans) than our previous songs of the day. Muse formed more than 14 years ago in England and are still comprised by the original 3 members. Matthew Bellamy (vocals, guitar, piano), Christopher Wolstenholme (bass guitar, vocals, keyboards), and Dominic Howard (drums, percussion) are known for their high-energy shows with lighting displays akin to fireworks shows.

Falsetto vocals and eclectic key changes make Muse an easily distinguishable and undeniably unique band. The name "Stockholm Syndrome" was derived from a bank robbery that occurred in 1973 in Stockholm Sweden. Days after being held captive the victims defended their captors due to an emotional attachment developed during their days as hostages.

Originally recorded on their third studio album entitled "Absolution" this particular recording was performed as part of the AOL Music Sessions, an on-going series of live performances by musicians from all genres.

Asian Drum Solo: Travis Barker

Found this video while doing a random search on YouTube for "Drum Solo." Apparently somebody thought they were clever when they entitled this video Asian Drum Solo TRAVIS BARKER. I don't get it and I don't expect you to either, but I think it is pretty funny nonetheless. Watch as this guy explains how to play a "rock and roll" beat on this Creative keyboard. You can thank me later for wasting the next two minutes of your lives.