This has been a busy summer, travel-wise. I’m heading out of town for another week, this time on business, and once again I find myself needing some placeholder posts for the blog.
I’ve noticed a lot of covers (some intended as parody, some not) of Robin Thicke’s latest sleazoid smash, ‘Blurred Lines,’ so this week I’m posting five of them.
Of all the songs on Vampire Weekend’s stellar debut album, ‘One (Blake’s Got a New Face)’ was the hardest to love at first listen. It starts out great, with one of those Graceland riffs that permeate the record, but once Ezra Koenig hits the chorus, all bets are off.
Now I must go on record and say that I’ve always kind of liked the call-and-answer shrillness of this song’s chorus. Its oddness suggests the confidence with which the whole record was made.
It’s been almost a year since I last featured Eminem on the blog, and about that long since I’ve listened to him at length. But every time I do, I’m reminded what a fascinating and talented artist he remains.
In fact, I consider his most recent album, Recovery, among his very best work. It lacks the shock value of The Marshall Mathers LP but it’s a more confident record musically and lyrically.
Today’s medley of hits from the summer of 2012 is yet another showcase of the ample talents of both Kurt Schneider and Sam Tsui. But I won’t dwell on its merits (enjoy those for yourself) — instead I’ll discuss the clip that runs after its over.
As on most of his videos, Schneider ends this clip with a quick request that viewers like, subscribe and all that good stuff. But this time he and Sam have an announcement as well.
I really need to see Pitch Perfect. The movie has become a cult hit and made a music star out of indie actress Anna Kendrick (who is a very cool and funny person, based on her Twitter feed).
And it spawned this ‘Cups’ sensation, which I’ve only experience in bits and pieces. I assume it comes from a scene in the film? It’s a very cute song, and the accompanying cup percussion is both an impressive challenge and pleasant to the ear.
