Tool - Vicarious

Tool is one of my all-time favourite bands. You won't find them on MTV, or in much mainstream media, but they're freakin' awesome. Intelligent progressive metal. So good. If there is one band I have to see live before my time is up it's Tool. I've seen A Perfect Circle, but it's not the same. So the point of me posting is to say two things: 1) Tool is awesome. 2) Don't live vicariously through others.

This video is not for the faint of heart. If you are one of those, harden up.

Unbridled awesome.

Gorillaz - Stylo

Good grief how did I miss this? Somehow I didn't even know that Gorillaz had a new album, even though I'm sure I read somewhere that Damon Albarn was galavanting about promoting it. Well anyway, creds to DJ Scout for bringing me up to speed, I am now fully Gorillified again. This track is frickin' sweet, and the video... I mean... Bruce Willis? In a frickin' music video? Done, son.

BONUS BEATS!

Gorillaz - Stylo [Alex Metric Remix]

Great tune, great remix.

Motörhead - Ace Of Spades

So I guess this is my 100th post. Yay. Well done. I'd celebrate, but I'm not really a fan of birthdays and such. Why should my 100th post be more exciting than, say, my 13th? Or my 84th? I mean, I really like those posts. Why throw a party for the sake of a number, when you can do it just to be drunk on a Wednesday and have a fun story to tell later on?

One guy who definitely knows how to party and enjoy himself is Lemmy from Motörhead. He has a real name but I don't remember what it is and can't be bothered to read up on it right now. It's not important. He's Lemmy. From Motörhead. He did a kickass song with Dave Grohl's Probot side project called "Shake Your Blood". He's a lot like Mad Max. Which is probably why this song is accompanying this video.

I hope my 101st post is half as cool as this one is.

Black Eyed Peas - I Gotta Feeling

Don't get me wrong, I don't hate the Black Eyed Peas. I actually dig some of their earlier stuff. It's just that they've become so ridiculously engulfed in the corporate cesspool that is modern pop music that they've tossed aside any remnants of artistic integrity by releasing rubbish like this. Now one might say I've stooped, myself, to a new low by posting this, but I just felt that Andy Rehfeldt did such a great job of re-interpreting this circus act that it merited some support. It did make me chuckle a little.

BONUS BEATS!

Black Eyed Peas - Imma Be [DJ Dan Vocal Mix]

Both better than the original.

Jack Johnson - You And Your Heart

Once a surfer, always a surfer. Once an Ironman, always an Ironman. Once a Muskateer... Jack Johnson is going back to his roots in this video. People often point out that he was a professional surfer before he was a professional singer, despite the fact that he was a "pro surf dude" for all of about two weeks. This isn't a knock against him though, as if it wasn't for his surfing prowess he probably wouldn't have met G. Love, and subsequently get noticed by bigger labels. Just goes to show it's all who you know.

Thanks Jack. That was swell.

Aloe Blacc - I Need A Dollar

This is the intro track from the HBO series "How To Make It In America". There's a blog that lists all the cool soundtrack tunes on it here. I haven't seen it yet, but it's getting decent reviews so I might give it a try later.

Anyway this is a sweet track from Aloe Blacc. It reminds me of John Legend. This video is kinda cool, and I dig the second part which is a snippet from another song called "Life So Hard", but I don't like how they cut the audio so abruptly. A little mixing goes a long way!

Check out the full-length cut here.

Them Crooked Vultures - Elephants

Take a little Foo Fighters, mix in some Queens of the Stone Age and mash it all up with a twist of Led Zeppelin and what do you get? Why, Them Crooked Vultures, of course. Josh Homme, Dave Grohl, and the legendary John Paul Jones pretty much kick ass and take names, as you can plainly see here in this live performance. I love the opening riff, very Zeppelin-esque. Just good ol' fashioned rock and roll. Who says I don't take requests? This one goes out to The Franchise.

FYI the other guitarist in the live show is Alain Johannes.

Esthero - Heaven Sent

Esthero released this killer track off her excellent debut album "Breath From Another" back in 1998 and then kinda disappeared. Apparently she released another one in 2005 and admittedly I haven't listened to it yet, but it's on my list of things to do.

BONUS BEATS!

Popof - Blow Me Down

Two bangin' tracks.

David Myles - Turn Time Off

Tonight David Myles performs at the Playhouse. To those with tickets (you know who you are), I envy you. Enjoy the goodness. And then don't come out to the Phoenix to hear something completely different... i.e. me playing crazy pumping house tunes. I'd love to sing you my own chilled out coolness, but I haven't quite refined my acoustic style yet. So here's some David Myles, with Alan Jeffries and Kyle Cunjak's moustache performing a sweet little tune in Duncan's Cove.

Nice job boys.

Claudio Sanchez - Here We Are Juggernaut

This is Coheed & Cambria lead singer Claudio Sanchez playing a brilliant acoustic version of the epic track off of the new album "Year Of The Black Rainbow". It's not the best Coheed album, but that's kind of like saying it's the least greatest chocolate in a stack of Swiss decadence. You can check out the original version here for comparison. This guy's probably my favourite lead singer out there right now, and this is a pretty good example of why.

And this guy writes comic books in his spare time...

Gang Starr - Ex Girl To Next Girl

Say goodbye to the Guru... half of Gang Starr has left us today for pastures new. Chilled out jazz beats and lyrics with a purpose, these guys have been reppin' the east coast for over twenty years. Thanks for the grooves guys.

Go get yourself Jazzmatazz 1 while you're out and about.

Plan B - Pass Out

This is British rapper Plan B's cover of Tinie Tempah's "Pass Out". Performed on the Live Lounge series from BBC Radio 1. As you can see, I like this live studio stuff. It has a little more honesty than heavily processed music videos. I suppose this is somewhat of an ironic statement from an electronic music producer, but we all have to understand our limitations. Or find crazy ways of getting by them...

BONUS BEATS!

Retrodance - Don't Stop Til You Get Enough [Ariel Perazzoli Remix]

I'll try to get my updates done earlier from now on.

Gnarls Barkley - Going On

This is Gnarls Barkley at their best "From The Basement". If you haven't heard of that production series yet, I highly recommend clicking on that link and checking out the website. Enjoy.

So good.

Team America - Freedom Isn't Free

In dealing with the harsh reality that I will have to find alternative methods of fund generation, i.e. another job, in the very near future, it has occurred to me that freedom is a grossly under-appreciated value in today's society. Every day new laws are being passed telling us what we can't take on planes; how much money we can give to our family members; how little peanut butter you can take in your sandwich to school. Sure, we don't have people driving around in tanks on our streets or landmines blowing up our children as they walk to school, but somebody somewhere does, and it's a hefty fee to pay.

I swear to Peter, if anyone told me when I was going to school that I couldn't bring peanut butter sandwiches for lunch, there would be hell to pay. If I'm to pay my buck o' five for freedom, it's coming with some frickin' peanut butter.

BONUS BEATS!

Dennis Ferrer - Hey Hey [Wayne Robinson Remix]

Oh hey check this out.

Regina Spektor - Somedays

Well I gave Dave a little airtime so I figured I'd better let Jay in on the act too. Luckily he does have this one wonderful performance by a certain Regina Spektor that I felt worthy of a post. There's an "unofficial" video of sorts you can see here that has the album version, but I find Ms. Spektor to be spectacularly alluring in this video. She's definitely not your traditional pin-up beauty but my goodness she looks good here. Anyway check her stuff out, she's really talented and she has a very unique style. A little Fredericton Playhouse action maybe? Dare to dream.

Wowzers.

Matisyahu - One Day

Anyone else tired of seeing "this content has been blocked in your country on copyright grounds"? That really grinds my gears. Thankfully this time it has a happy ending. I was looking for the acoustic version of this song by Matisyahu and instead while I eventually found it on Metacafe, I found this even cooler cut and I'm glad I did, it's pretty awesome. I really dig this guy's stuff, uplifting reggae in a Jewish flavour. I highly recommend it if you're into dee reggae or some good chill out tunes. You can check out the original version of this song here.

BONUS BEATS!

Oliver $ - Ginger Ale

What's the message in your bottle?

Wilson Pickett - Land Of 1000 Dances

Remember that classic John Candy and Dan Aykroyd flic from way back "The Great Outdoors"? What an awesome movie. If you haven't seen it you're missing out. The soundtrack is key too, and it included this shakedown from Wilson Pickett, a disciple of the James Brown school of rocking out on stage. Check out the hair on ol' Davey boy, and Paul's giving 'er on the keys too.

Sweet soul spectacular.

Akira Kiteshi - Ming The Merciless

I was talking to a fellow DJ the other day about whether or not dubstep was cool or not. I'm on the fence. My biggest complaint is just that I have no idea how in heck you're supposed to dance to it. He said something along the lines of "think giant robots on acid". This particular cut uses elements of dubstep but also electro, drum & bass, glitch, and lots of complete insanity. I think I kinda like it. I don't know who this Akira Kiteshi fellow is, but he's probably should probably go see an electrician about his noggin'. Props to Hexstatic for the ridiculous video.

BONUS BEATS!

Grizzler - Hell & Back

Wacky.

The Muppets - Bohemian Rhapsody

Today I am blissfully hungover and so I have few words except... what a show! I can't clearly remember all of it but it was an evening of pure madness and good times. Before the show the guys had on some music videos and this was one of them. I'm almost embarrassed to say that I hadn't seen it before. I'm sure you'll love it just as much as I do.

Amazing.

Jimmy Swift Band - When Worlds Collide

I remember my first JSB experience, way back in the day. Well, sorta. Bits and pieces really. Mostly a blur, but what a blur! If colour could stream out from the band and the instruments and the sound itself, and to be fair it often does, there would be a rainbow of energy so emancipating you would think you had slid down straight into the pot of lucky charms and had absorbed all their greatness in one fell swoop. There have rarely been live performers more spiritually liberating than these guys. I could go on, but we have music to listen to.

These guys rocked the UNB campus last night (sadly I missed it) but the amazing Aaron Collier and colossal Craig Mercer will instead don their Scientists of Sound outfits and obliterate our senses with the pumping madness of Daft Punk's "Homework" album once again. For those who missed the last show, read my review here, and for the love of all things awesome get out and see this show. Or don't. And be the one who missed out who has to listen to me and everyone else saying how freakin' awesome it was. Here's some JSB to get us through the day until we hit up the Capital.

That's mystical Mike MacDougall keeping it steady on the 7-string monster bass.