Category: Music Discourse (Page 5 of 14)

Is It A Cover?

November 27, 2012 / aftertheshow

Most covers stay pretty true to the original song. It’s easy to recognize them as covers just by listening.

Some covers, though, are completely unrecognizable from their original songs, like Julia Stone’s cover of “You’re The One That I Want” from Grease and 67 Special’s cover of “Scar” by Missy Higgins:

“You’re The One That I Want”:

“Scar”:

But sometimes figuring out what qualifies as a cover can be harder. What about when a singer plays his song with a different band? Is it simply the same song and not a cover, or is it a totally new composition, or a semi-cover?

Two good examples of this murky cover definition are when Jenny Lewis played a song from her solo album with Rilo Kiley. The vocals were the same, but the music was different, and when Nina from Girl in a Coma played her song “Smart” with Joseph from Deadbeat Darling, turning the song into a duet:

“Rise Up With Fists”:

“Smart”:

There’s a fine line — An artist should make a cover her own, injecting her own fingerprint onto it, but if a cover is so drastically different from the original that it loses/ignores the melody, that’s not satisfying for the listener.

Outsider Art: Mrs. Miller

November 16, 2012 / aftertheshow

What are other examples of outsider art besides The Shaggs?

Mrs. Miller was a housewife who sold lots of records in the 1960s because of how bad a singer she was. The original William Hung of American Idol fame:

Mrs. Miller’s cover of “A Hard Day’s Night” — the singing is completely out of time with the music, as you’ll hear:

Outsider Art: The Shaggs

November 14, 2012 / aftertheshow

Outsider art describes artwork created by artists who live outside the boundaries of official culture. Outsider artists have limited or no contact with mainstream art institutions.

Specifically, outsider music refers to songs by musicians who don’t belong to the commercial music industry. These songs often ignore standard compositional conventions (either deliberately or because the musician is untrained).

The Shaggs, formed in 1968 in rural New Hampshire, are an example of outsider music. The band was comprised of three sisters whose father, Austin Wiggin, believed that his daughters were called to create a band.

The Shaggs’ music can be pretty difficult to listen to, especially because the drums are not in time with the guitar and everything is out-of-tune:

The Story Behind Band Names

November 6, 2012 / aftertheshow

What’s behind a band’s name?

Interviewers often ask bands “what does your name mean?” — here are some band names that reference other bands, songs, movies, pop culture, and history.

–Say Anything is named after the 1989 movie Say Anything…

–School of Seven Bells refers to a mythical school that taught pickpockets in South America called School of Seven Bells.

–Phantom Planet refers to the 1961 science fiction movie The Phantom Planet:

–Sun Kil Moon is named after a Korean boxer named Sung Kil Moon.

–Uh Huh Her is the name of PJ Harvey’s sixth album (and a song on that album):

–Dum Dum Girls is named after an Iggy Pop song called “Dum Dum Boys” and an album by The Vaselines called Dum Dum.

–Girl In A Coma is named after The Smiths’ song “Girlfriend In A Coma”:

–Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. refers to the stock car racer Dale Earnhardt Jr.

–Franz Ferdinand refers to Franz Ferdinand, the archduke of the Austrian-Hungarian empire whose assassination sparked World War I.

–Rooney is named after Ed Rooney, the principal in the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

–Tilly and the Wall refers to a book for children called Tillie and The Wall by Leo Lionni.

The Magic Behind Concert Photography

September 20, 2012 / aftertheshow

Standing in the audience at a concert — among tens, hundreds, or thousands of other people — can be quite a magical experience. You’re staring up at the stage with people you’ve never met, all singing the same words and sharing a moment.

The best concerts have really enthusiastic audiences (at least in the first few rows) and are emotionally moving. The sheer power and connection calls to mind a religious experience.

Good concert photography can capture the energy of a show and anticipation before a show starts. These photos make perfect computer/iPhone/iPad desktop backgrounds:

Sports Music Videos

August 16, 2012 / aftertheshow

Now that the 2012 Summer Olympics are over, where can you turn to watch feats of athleticism? To get your sports fix, look no further than these music videos.

1. Synchronized swimming: “What I Say and What I Mean” by The Like:

2. Diving: “In Too Deep” by Sum 41:

3. Water balloon fight: “Love Me Like The World Is Ending” by Ben Lee:

4. Treadmill: “Here It Goes Again” by Ok Go:

5. Tennis: “Hello” by Martin Solveig & Dragonette:

6. Tennis (again): “Giving Up The Gun” by Vampire Weekend: