Cover Of The Day-Money To Blow

From here one out I'm going to let remixes be included in the cover of the day's. I don't mean none of that techno-tized remix crap, dumbed down and sped up for the cast of Jersey Shore to fist pump and smush to. That's a whole new playlist on my iTunes. In order for a remix to land on my prestigious list (psych) it must be pretty intriguing. So hurs da remix of da day.

As I've said in an earlier post, Young Money is like a zoo full of rappers, and "Money To Blow" is like the art the elephants paint; not perfect, and overhyped, but at least it's not feces. The track is a hodge-podge of Birdman, Lil' Wayne, and Drake. The track doesn't really bring much of anything new to the table. It's got some dark spacious synth chords seering in the back ground the whole time, with a typical 5 word chorus that includes adding 12 syllables to the word blow (I'm going to try to look at it like an accomplishment, but I'm sure it's not). Despite it's mediocrity, it's got some substance. The rapping isn't bad and there is a pretty cool flute synth floating around quiet a bit; not to mention beats I've come to expect to be pretty good. It's listenable, but I hate when songs are just listenable.

A-Trak brings a whole new aspect to the song; fun. To quote Pitchfork where I found this track, "A-Trak and Drake share a sense of humor, celebrating the absurdities of club life, without making it sound any less fun." That really says it all. The song does have some simple techno moments, but in a way, it's alright, because A-Trak allows it, but never takes it all that seriously. It's like a fun Kanye West. Anyways, the remix has plenty of up-beat to it, and I can't get it out of my head.

Original

REREREREREMIIIIIIXXXXXXXX!X!X!X!X!X!X!

I can't get a widget for this so go to this site a read the original review I saw on it. The track is there too.

Vampire Weekend-Contra

Earlier this week I was skimming around Paste looking for some decent new artists who weren't so cool that I didn't understand them, and I stumbled upon this story. Is Indie Dead? Now, I would be thrilled if you all would read this article, but realistically, seeing as it is quiet lengthy, I'll sum things up for you. "Indie" is 1. Not what it ever was in the first place, and 2. The opposite of what it used to falsely be. Indie Started out as a technical term for any record released on an independent label, one of the Davids of the music industry, instead of the suit-wearing money-stalking executive Goliaths. If The Black Eyed Peas were released on some little label based out of Portland, they too would be "indie". HOWEVA, "indie" was morphed over years. Only a short time after "indie" had hit the playing field it meant something of a very different nature. Indie was now the uncool music. It started out as the punk rock movement, who made sure they were not at the status quo. The leather clad sons on anarchy would listen to anything that no one else would, leaving a very small following. But, over time, uncool has become cool. The nineties brought a lot of angst and revolt against everything right, and through this past decade, that angst has turned into quirk, at an extraordinary pace. We appear to be in this awkward puberty stage in music where discovery of the strangest sound is the next big thing. While the "indie" music has been great for music in general, it is no longer "indie". Indie is about as individual as a pseudo-suicidal emo in Hot Topic. It is dead, or at least, somewhat ironically, different.

Vampire Weekend is one of the primary "indie" bands on the scene. They are polo-clad Jewish New Yorkers who could rock out in a country club, and no-one would care. The band consists of the four Columbia grads Ezra Koenig, Chris Baio, Rostam Batmanglij, and Chris Tomsom. The band gained buzz around their college, playing for literary clubs, and recording EP's in their own dorms. The real peak of VW's train to fame was in 2007 when, like so many artists nowadays, their Myspace took them to places unprecedented in Columbia University band history. Ever since the release of their first self-titled album, The band has been busy recording this new album, Contra, and touring. If the planets align right, I'll get to see them myself in March.

Contra is a fresh twist on the same Afro-pop the band the band is so famous for. While most of the songs have the same sound, every track has a few things that have really been experimentally tweaked. For instance, "Holiday" contains distortion the you will not hear at all on the first album. The harpsichord in "M79" and "The Kids Don't Stand A Chance" has been replaced with acoustic guitar; a first for the band. One of the quirkiest changes is the auto-tune used in "California English". Were not talking "Shawty lemme smack that booty" auto-tune, it's just a slight little enhancer to the fluid drums and occasional chord spurt in the background. Vampire Weekend loves to reference pop culture from a distance, mentioning Lil' John and how boring English drama's are now, all in one song. The auto-tune, though very interesting and pleasant, could be the band's calling to the DOA(See Jay-Z's hit Death Of Auto-tune). Many critics think that the band is just trying to get that "indie" sound, but the great thing about bands are that, for the most part, their making music, not a stereo-type. Vampire Weekend doesn't care what they are. They won't take out their ska guitars and african beats to please people, and that in itself makes the band "cool" in my book.

Cover Of The Day-Dead Leaves And A Dirty Ground

Today's cover comes from a man whom I consider the greatest musician of the decade, and is translated by one of my favorite entertainers playing today. "Dead Leaves And A Dirty Ground" is the opening track to The White Stripes famous White Blood Cells. The lead guitarist, Jack White, wrote the song with a lot of influence from old blues singer Son House, which explains the grit in the crunchy guitar and the tremolo in Jack's voice. The song is essentially a hard-pressed blues jam, and it is a beautiful song, exploring all kinds of chord structures and distinct ragged sounds from the guitar and drums.

The cover comes from Chris Thile(pronounced Tee-lee, I think), a man I've seen live three times, once with Chris Thile and The How To Grow A Band, once more with the new moniker of the first band, The Punch Brothers, and once with Nickel Creek. I first heard Thile's super folksy Appalachian version of the song the first time I saw him in Knoxville. It really came off well on stage because they band just sped through it, while still nailing all sorts of intricate string solos. The song is a powerful song that has a touch of nostalgia in its old ragtime atmosphere. The track opens up Chris Thile and the How To Grow A Band's sole album, How To Grow A Woman From The Ground.

Cover Of The Day-London Calling/War

I haven't expressed my love of Bruce Springsteen yet, so I will now; I absolutely adore The Boss. There is not a performer in America that I respect more than this guy. He put on the best concert of my life back in November on the third to last show of a two year tour that included three hours and thirty songs of pure music magic. Bruce has recorded 269 songs, but he has played twice as many on stage throughout the years. See, the most intriguing thing about a Bruce Springsteen show is that he takes six or seven requests every show, and while you get your basic hits; Born To Run, Born In The USA, Thunder-road, you also get the deeper cuts; Rosalita, Thunder-crack, Growin Up, but must intriguing of all are the songs that Bruce has never played. It all started, as far as I know, with a fan bringing a sign with The Clash's famous hit "London Calling". Bruce brought it on stage, met with his band for about five minutes, and proceeded to bang it out cleaner than any normal musician should do. NO PRACTICE! That's carazay. He came back the next week and opened his show with the tune. Here's the result.

Original

I didn't realize that was a cover until just now so you get two covers today! FTW!

Anyways, for my show the boss got the call for a little ditty called "Ring of Fire" by a man named Johnny Cash. Nobody to big in Nashville or anything... The place blew up, and everybody sang along. I was entrances at how amazing it was without a single run through. I repeat. NO PRACTICE. THAT'S FREAKIN CARAZAY!

Now for today's song(number two!). The original song "War" was a grimly soulful plead to bring home the kids in Nam' from the heart of American soul singer Edwin Starr. The song was very catchy, but featured much more bouncy saxophones and jaunty trap set than the rugged Springsteen take. Bruce took the song and polished it down with his huge rock riffs and drums as loud as the guns in question. Accompanied with a tremendous story at the beginning, a skill Bruce is famous for, the song constructs the terrifying jungle with horns calling out like wild animals, drums exploding like a cannon, and a voice roaring orders of peace in same tone as the generals you see in the movies. The song has really stood the test of time, spreading a message that pertains now as much as it ever did in 1986. The song is on the Live from 75'-85' album, which is one of the best albums you can buy.

fun.-Aim and Ignite

Well, I've been kind of hung up on the words this week, but bear with me here. The other day I got a peculiar word stuck in my head, and I wish I could tell you how it got there. Thump. No, not the slang for sexual intercourse made popular by frat bros, jocks, and guido's. Thump; like a rabbit. The more I would say it the more I felt the word. Thump sounds exactly like what it means. Its a striking word; very clean and aggressive. Another great is husky. Say it. HUSKY. It's a rough word. When I think of the word husky two things come to my mind; lumberjacks, and the Russian women's softball team. It's big and hairy and in your face. Greasy works too. Saying greasy or even thinking about it has this real slimy feeling, like motor oil trickling out of your mouth. Sounds fun right?

fun.(recognize the under-case and .) sounds like what they mean. fun.(the band) is a fun(the adjective) band. It's music that's hard to listen to on those days where your girlfriend dumps you because your dog died and you're crying like a baby (because it happens quiet a bit), but perfect for those days when you just won the super bowl and you're on your way to a date with Blake Lively(because that's even more likely). It is the best day of your life music. fun., basically started out as the unplugged version of itself. Nate Ruess started The Format with Sam Means, and the band became a local hit and produced two very good acoustic guitar driven pop albums. However, the douche bag that is the music industry via Atlantic Records, dropped the duo, and the group sort of fizzled out. TO BE CONTINUED......

NOW. Nate, being the musical entrepreneur he is. decided to move to New York and began fun. with Jack Antonoff and Andrew Dost. After the band snagged producer Steve McDonald and had songs arranged by the legendary Roger Joseph Manning Jr., Aim and Ignite was recorded and here we are today.

I think the thing that intrigues me the most about this band is that they sound like what I would produce. Now, it's not my favorite group, not by a long shot. The band has their faults; they have a very slender range of variety, and at times they start to sound like Panic At The Disco, which is dangerous at best. However, if I had the talent and ability at my disposal to record and album, I think the results would be very similar. There are three things that really draws me to this music.1. The band has stated that the album was influenced by the vast amount of Broadway musicals the band had seen prior to recording. I don't think that musicals are "gay" or "stupid"; I really enjoy them. Rich experimental orchestration and great harmonies are actually very impressive. Anyways, the songs have a very theatrical feel, always lightly bouncing along despite the multitude of instruments being played, and fun. uses three part harmony as well as anyone since Queen. 2. I go ape over a well placed string instrument, and this albums is chock-full of that crap. I don't think there is a single song that doesn't have at least a violin. Seriously, it's almost as amazing as 3. ROGER JOSEPH MANNING JR.!!!!! This guy is THE man. Yea, that one. In case you don't know who this saint is (and lets be honest, you don't) he is one of the prominent members of Jellyfish, one of my top three bands of all time. The man is a pop genius with a constantly swirling mind of jovial piano riffs, peppy vocals, snappy rhythms, AND I LOVE EVERY MINUTE OF IT! I can shamelessly plug Jellyfish all day but i'll stop here.

Every track is so happy-go-lucky that Edgar Allan Poe would have snapped his fingers and shamelessly sung like Miley Cyrus to it. Despite my PATD reference earlier, they really do have interesting songs. If anything the band extracts the good qualities the emo-rockers have and leave the stupid make-up and disco ball behind. "Walking The Dog" features a quirkiest little rim click that really kicks off the song, shortly picked up by a rain of Passion Pit-y electro-rock showers. The song features everything from ska-guitars to harpsichord. Where else will you hear that? Another track, "All The Pretty Girls" opens with a homage de force to Queen with a huge three part harmony tag. The song really acts as a microcosm to the whole band, projecting a desperately optimistic love message, backed with cheers of joy from the trumpets and cellos. To close, don't listen to this in a bad mood expecting a pity party. fun. Is going to pick you up and throw you on your feet, whether you like it or not. So absorb the music and have a great day.

Sudan 365-A Beat For Peace

I just got the chance to hear this incredible pseudo-documentary/drum beat/call to action encouraging the general public to push leaders at a referendum for the country in 2011 to put a stop to the war for good. It includes the drummers from Radiohead, The Police, Elbow, Pink Floyd, and Snow Patrol, as well as well over twenty different ethnic drums from all over the world. It's especially neat for a drummer, like me.

Disclaimer: If you're going to watch it, watch the whole thing, because the end is great.

Cover Of The Day-Don't Dream It's Over

I haven't posted something in a while. Sorry, if you care. I get this intense feeling that no-one is reading this, but I do know I have a few followers, so thank you to everyone who gives me the time of day. Let me know who you are and i'll send you a crazy awesome mix-tape or something.

Anyways, today's cover is from the son of a famous Renaissance Man, Richard Thomspon. His son Teddy picked up many of his folksy attributes and really punches emotion into his songs, for what I can tell. To tell you the truth, this is the only song I know by the guy, BUT TRUST ME, it's a good one. Here's a picture of the guy to make up for my incompetence.

The original song comes from a classic little band called Crowded House who contributed a significant amount of music in the 80's. I love some of the song writing their main guy thought of. I can't keep going about the two artists because I don't know much about either one, so hurr ya go.

The Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca

It's kind of amazing how culture has manipulated phrases and words to their own liking. For instance; Whenever you need me, I'll be there. As nice of a thought The Jackson 5 had in this ballad it is impossible. When someone needs you, you don't automatically pop up, ready to go. Yea, it's kind of a confusing thought, but the best english teacher in the world, Mr. Loope (Mr. Norris) taught me to look out for misused phrases. Do you know what awesome means? What is it, then? Wrong. Awesome means to be awe-inspired, which is to have the breath of God move through you. I guess it is possible that some things are truly awesome, but I doubt that it includes about 98% of things that get the label. Just take count of how many times you hear the word in one day. Unique is a biggie, too. In order for something to be unique, it must be one of a kind. The single lone example of a specimen. There are thousands more stretched and manipulated phrases that have completely different meanings than what they are used for.

The Dirty Projector's are unique. I have never heard anyone like them. the storied indie band has been making one-of-a-kind music for a good while, too. The Dirty Projectors is the creative brain-child of Yale drop-out Dave Longstreth. Dave recorded his first album The Graceful Fallen Mango in 2002, exposing the indie world to his spontaneous rhythm spurts and flailing vocals. Longstreth recorded his first album on a four track, contributing the band's artistic approach to lo-fi/hi-fi music production. Before producing the bands newest album, Longstreth recorded with many other various artist, the only one of which I have ever heard of is [[[[VVRSSNN]]]]. (AGH INDIE IXPLOSION)(<- that's a comment from me, not the band name. Dang it vrsn) , released five more albums, including an internet only release, a Don Henley tribute album, a full ten piece orchestral collaboration, and a reinterpretation of Black Flag's album Damaged. I mean, honestly, this guy is grabbing the word obscure by the cajones.

Bitte Orca plays off of many famous indie sounds, while maintaining it's own image. In places the band is a stripped down Minus the Bear; in others, a poor man's Vampire Weekend. The pseudo-hit "Stillness is the Move", is reminiscent of both Arab sitar, and hip-hop back-beats. The band's three female side-kick singers add vocals that would be found on a Rihanna track; very strict foundations with tags and descants galore, giving the song tremendous variety. The song ends entirely different than the beginning would suggest.

There is not a single song anything like "Stillness is the Move" on the album, and probably in the rest of the band's repertoire. They are masters of experimental music. One song will sound grungier than a angst/acne induced garage band, while the next is pretty enough for a wedding. "Remade Horizon" let's the Grizzly Bear in the group pull out and blissfully serenade with precise harmonies and ska guitar. You might be thinking, Man, "Andy's a hypocritical idiot. He talked about how this band is unique by stating who they sound like"(just like that, too) but you've got to hear the music to understand. If anything, Bitte Orca is a testament to the power of experimentation. The Dirty Projectors are making a new thought, a new word. Their music could pave the way for musical sounds to come.

This is a great song too. Listen to it now........NOW!!!

Cover Of The Day-Just Like Heaven

SCREW LANE KIFFIN. I HOPE L.A. OPENS UP AND IS SWALLOWED BY THE DEVIL HIMSELF. There, that cats out of the bag. I've been a little upset by the events of the last couple of days. Sorry, I had to release somewhere. But, my music won't leave me for a wealthier listener, that's for sure. I hope.

For the longest time, my view of the Cure was very mistaken. I saw the Cure as a couple of old gothic emo's who had a knack for white makeup and depressing songs of ex lovers and suicide. I guess I got the image from seeing images of the lead singer in magazines and such. I know, I know, don't judge a book by its cover, but have you seen the guy? Look. He looks like the best friend from My name is Earl had a makeover from Courtney Love. He's a strange guy. Nuff' Said.

However, one day I was scrounging Paste, my favorite music magazine's website for anything worth hearing and found this cover on the site's "Awesome of the Day", which is one of the coolest near daily pop culture 'splosions ever. This is my favorite cover of all time. It is remarkable. And while the two musicians are extrenuosuly (don't question me) remarkable at making music, the absolute spontanaeity of the video makes "Just Like Heaven" so relinquanient (I said don't question me). The video is shot in some suburban driveway outside of Atlanta. The camera is shaky and sound quality is mediocre at best. The singer, Damion Soumi, founder of the To Write Love On Her Arms campaign, has some serious trouble with the higher sections of the song. The audience of about four praises the performance with sarcastic South Park imitations. Through its imperfections, the song is perfect. Here is "Just Like Heaven", by The Cure, who I now have great respect for, and "Just Like Heaven", by two guys enjoying music.

Cover Of The Day-Superman

I am an absolute huge fan of covers. There's something about the different spin on songs that really impresses me. Anyways, I'm going to post a good cover every few days or so.

To start out, here is a great cover of the Scrubs theme song. The original is called "Superman" by alt-rockers Lazlo Bane (It's a whole band, not a person. That kinda threw me off at first). It has a strangely serene banjo and theramin part (I think. That's what it sounds like. I don't know. I need to find that out) that keeps the song from doing anything but trudging along, but that's alright because it's kind of what the song is about in the first place. The song was used as the theme for the often hilarious show for the 8 season run.

Now, a new version of the song by WAZ is played for the spin-off Scrubs: Med-School. The show is not as funny as the original, but it still has the quirky attraction like the original. The new song has a lighter pop to it. It sounds younger and less experienced than the original, following suit with the show itself. Both songs manage to fulfill their purposes, and are catchy enough to draw anyone into the show. Good pick Comedy Central/ABC.

Young Money - We Are Young Money

Before I type a single word on my next review, I have to let you know my stance on hip-hop and rap (I don't know the difference, so don't question my authoritay) Hip-hop is one of my favorite types of music, but I also listen to fewer rap artists than any other genre of music. For me, rap is special because its a process that just has to click. Much of my white boy music can be great for strictly musical talent, great instrumentation, nice lyrics, etc., but hip-hop has the right to break that rule. Some hip-hop song's can be simple as a backbeat of edgy drums and an aspiring cocky young artist spewing egocentric monstrosities like an AK-47; and it works. I don't know how but it works. Well, It can work. At the same time it can be a disaster.

Cue example...

Let him take you to da movie. He knows you like.

No one should be subject to that. No one.

Anyways, I guess i just want you to know that I am not a "music-lover" who hates rap because "It's not music"(I was too cool for rap in middle school, but in middle school I liked Good Charlotte, so...). I've even got rappers for every season. Winter is for Jay-Z, Spring is Kanye time (Don't hate on Kanye. Yea he's a douche, but he's a hip-hop pioneer; a genius. Late Registration is one of my favorite albums of all time (No MTV awards pun intended), so shutup...), Weezy in the summer, And T.I. fills in the fall slot. However, half of that group has been/are going to be incarcerated soon, so I may have to find a sub for this summer.

Oh yea, I can't stand Gucci. Sorry obnoxious middle/upper class white frat boys who feel "hood" after listening to him. Garth Brooks is probably next on your playlist.

Cue review...

Young Money is a rap supergroup composed of two prominent rappers, a la Lil Wayne and Drake, and various smaller rapper such as Jae Millz (Windmills and s*&^, yo), Gudda Gudda (gutter? good? don't know what he's getting at), Mack Maine (reppin Augusta; Compton of the North East), Nicki Minaj (From that obscure welding class you took sophomore year), Lil' Chuckee (Need I say More), and Lil' Twist (And shout). The group is all under Young Money Entertainment, owned by Lil Wayne himself. This squad should be required to produce semi-decent material. They've all shown their chops before and should have some talent.

Unfortunately, they group is not what they should be. Every song is the perverted rambling of a group of immature adults who find a sexual metaphor for everything in life. Seriously, the entire album is a verbal porno. It seems that there is a checklist to make songs for Young Money.

• The song must contain 3/4th's "creative" metaphors on how to sleep with seven women at once
• Always mention how ever many toilets are in your house. Don't question this.
• Talk about how much you don't want to fight, but never end that remark without saying that you will fight/kill people. Otherwise you're just a soft. Pansy
• Try your hardest to mention the Meca of Young Money; "New Arlins"
• Reference your drug uses. That way it's like a game of hide and seek with the DEA.
• NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO, GET LIL' WAYNE ON THE TRACK SOMEHOW. EVEN IF IT IS A RECORDING OF HIM WALKING AROUND IN TAP-DANCE SHOES, GET SOMETHING OF HIM ON THERE.

That's right, the whenever the kid's get in trouble (apparently you can only talk about consummating so much), the kids call daddy Wayne to fix the track. And sure enough, the three deceiving hits that convinced me to buy the album feature more Weezy than any of the other 12 excruciatingly mediocre tracks. In those three songs, "Every Girl In The World", "Bedrock", and "Steady Mobbin", Dwayne Carter manages to salvage the mess, but Papa Wayne can't get the crew out of trouble on the rest of the mess. The album cover is painfully ironic as angry looking Daddy Wayne is permanently crying over his groups attempt at an album. Drake somehow got out of a good portion of the album, and is the least connected to the project in the group. There are some truly bad verses from the people you would expect ("My momma calls me Gudda"). Nicki Manij is one of the hardest to hear. Nicki Manij sounds like the ridiculously vulgar spam porn messages in chatrooms, vocalized. She is nasty. She doesn't have a problem in stating to the world that she is the biggest slut in the history of desperate rap groupies. She is disgusting bait to lure in obliviously horny teenagers to the music. It disturbs me that she puts material into the public to be heard, because it is destroying any image of complexity rap is trying to convey. Let me give you a heads up, just don't listen to "Bedrock", "Play in My Band", "F@#$ Da B$%^S@#$", "Roger That", "Street's Watchin", or "Finale", as they all feature the musical travesty. And speaking of musical travesties, Lil Wayne spends the first 50 seconds of "Mrs. Parker" saying "Mrs. Parker" and "You will never let a n#$%%^ fall" thirteen times, which is miserably annoying. Lil' Wayne should be punishing both his "kids" and himself for the piece of crap that is We are Young Money. Don't believe me? Listen for yourself.

Brandi Carlile- Give Up The Ghost

Well, school's back, and I couldn't be more excited...........My classes are decent, I guess. Pre-Cal is going to suck, badly. I'm just ready to cruise out of the big SD and sail right on to the significantly bigger UT. But, you don't care. You are hopefully reading this for advice on music. So without further ado, I present, Brandi Carlile.

Brandi Carlile, born in Ravendale, Washington (about 50 miles from Seattle), began singing on a local country radio station at the age of 8. At 17, she learned how to play guitar after catching a glimpse of rock and roll from Elton John's Tumbleweed Connections. Brandi started working her way up the ladder, takings gigs wherever she could, and eventually began opening for bands like Dave Matthews, Indie.Arie, and Shawn Colvin. In 2005, Brandi Carlile signed with Columbia Records. She released her self-titled album in 2005, The Story (produced by T Bone Burnett) in 2007, and Give Up The Ghost (produced by Rick Rubin) in 2009. For those who don't know, that is heck-a impressive.

Brandi's voice is the central driving force behind every song she belts. Everything else is trivial; beautiful, eloquent, and genius, but trivial. She has such extreme control over her vocals, that she can captivate audiences from of all ages (her shows are known to entertain a large assortment of toddlers), and to everyones listening pleasure, she has managed to showcase all aspects of her vocal ability on this masterfully crafted 11 track album. On her senior year epiphany "That Year", Brandi pours out her feelings for a boy without realizing the harsh beauty in her words. As the song plays, I envision high school slowly reeling into the darkness before my eyes while I watch in apprehensive acceptance.

In one of the most dramatic mood shifts of all time, Brandi suddenly revs up the engine and takes her audience on a sunny road trip on brightly rolling "Caroline". With terribly catchy melodies and a full barrage of wild west piano riffs, honky tonk guitar, and imaginative storytelling, the song takes listeners and throws them into a state pure music happiness. One verse in the song takes its time weaving intricate details of the never ending touring and her love for the "stars and lights and birds" before nonchalantly declaring, "I love you best". The song rolls on to an end like a train lulling into station, always ready for another round.

Brandi's backing band is subtly phenomenal. The focus never really strays from Brandi, but there is not a song with a single musical hole to b filled; everything fits together like a jig-saw. The pieces all click together as the perfect compliment to the sultry folk Brandi lays out to the world. The album is directed towards any one in pain, of any sort. Brandi seems to be asking you to give up the ghost in your life, whatever may be holding you back from the joys of living. So, put in the album, sit back, and deal with your troubles later; just focus on a beautiful sound when you are given the chance.

For the love of everything good, give Wing a chance.

Do you enjoy the frolick and merriment of late night drunk karaoke? Do you enjoy the sound of a woman slowly being impaled by butter knife? Well then, you are going to LOVE Wing. Wing is your creepy little old asian neighbor from down the street who will invite you in her house and feed you hard candy until your gums bleed; all the while asking you questions of your favorite hobbies and if you like girls yet. Have I got across how creepy Wing is yet? Ok, this is the male version of Wing.

Do you get it yet? Anyways, pretend that this creepy lady from down the street is so god-awful that someone gave her the chance to record not one, not two, but sixteen albums, all available for your listening pleasure on her website and Itunes. She is an even more concentrated form of William Hung. She really might be the worst singer of all time, all the while being one of my favorite singers of all time. It's almost awe-inspiring how she perseveres in her career. She knows that the music must be heard. Allow me to list some of the classic albums Wing has released.

1. Wing Sings All Your Favorite's
2. Wing Sings The Beatles
3. Wing Sings AC/DC
4. Wing Sings More AC/DC (because one album couldn't cover all the awesomeness)
5. Dancing Queen By Wing
6. Wing Sings Elvis
7. Beat It (Featuring Beat It, The Man In The Mirror, Candle In The Wind, and My Heart Will Go On)

So I've established that Wing is a pretty amazing woman; utilizing one of the worst voices in history to reach out to almost no one. But I'm determined to change that. Buy one of her albums. Please. It would make both mine and Wing's days a little better. On a side note, If you tack on three extra dollars to the purchase of one of her albums (only on her site) she will sing to you over the phone. Honest to god, I'm not kidding. She will call you up and sing you the song of your choosing. Even if you just want one song, purchase something, play it loud for everyone to hear, and brighten your day more than you ever dreamed possible.

Michael McDonald?

It's a bit old now, but I just got the chance to hear Michael McDonald with Grizzly bear on the track "While You Wait For The Others", and I am shocked. The same man who has excreted some of the absolute cheesiest music in history; the same man who has raped various christmas songs for every ounce of their worth, recorded a great song with one of the "hippest" indie bands on the music scene today. While the thought of Michael McDonald in skinny jeans and a tight denim button-up might haunt my dreams, his voice really shines behind the super mellow guitar fidgeting. Now I want to hear Rick Astley singing "Mansard Roof" with Vampire Weekend.