Yeah, I was pretty sick of Gangnam Style too – it’s sort of been…everywhere. I decided to make an exception when I stumbled upon an a cappella cover though, because I find the conceit of a cappella versions of electronic songs to be intriguing. Turns out, I was pretty impressed by how well a group of just five people were able to cover the entire song while keeping the tone and tenor (pun intended) intact. Definitely worth checking out.
OMG Fraggles! As a lover of all things Muppets, Fraggle Rock was pretty much the highlight of my week as a kid. So obviously, I was super excited when I stumbled across this video. The media brainchild of former MTV personality Chris Hartwick, Nerdist, poured their talent and nerd cred into producing this exclusive video for Ben Folds Five’s new album. In case you were wondering, yes, you’re right. It has been forever (13 years) since Ben Folds released a new track, making them almost as much of a throwback as the Fraggles. But who cares? They “Do It Any Way.”
I honestly have no idea why I am drawn to this video. It just sort of sucks you in. The music is both mellow and optimistic and the visuals are so randomly beautiful. According to the description, it’s “a musical voyage into the depths of the subconscious.” Sure. I buy that. Regardless of what this music video is or was meant to achieve, it is also deeply relaxing and pretty to look at. So sit back, sip some kombucha, and zen out my friends.
A karaoke classic sung by just about every awesome movie character you can think of.
Watching for the first time (of 20), I cheered for a few more random cameos including cartoon Batman and Professor Farnsworth. I must say, this masterfully crafted mash-up that took someone a very long time to piece together. According to the video description, Sir Mix-a-lots’ booty-shaking anthem is layered with clips from almost 300 movies.
Bonus cool: if you turn on the close captions you can see exactly what movie each clip is from.
As the world around us becomes more and more interactive and we as humans can give instant feedback from our phones (note: the crazy amount of people watching through their phones), performers of all kinds have had to find ways to adapt. One way, as CDZA music has so aptly figured out, is to let the audience be a part of the show. A musical duo (plus a dinosaur) put out tip jars that gave passerby the ability to control the music being played, turning them into a ‘Human Jukebox’ of sorts. Then they let the audience determine how fast or slow the song should be performed. I think this is a pretty awesome way to busk about town. And these guys put on a good show!
Ladies, gentlemen: it’s been fun. This video is short and comes just about context-free, but it’s packed with excellence in the form of the craftsmanship of the robot, the choice of song, its oddly charming little dance, and the delight of the crowd. It makes me wish I’d thought of that, although I did once host a similar party once years ago where people dressed up as robots to dance to excellent music, though we didn’t generate it ourselves. Anyway. Happy Friday!
I’m a fan of the Showtime series Weeds and every time I hear the song “Little Boxes” regardless of who it is sung by, I visualize the opening credits rolling through my head. But this video (and subsequently cover) by Walk off the Earth wipes that visual clean. The song is so simple and clean, yet has depth and harmony. Then there is the set, made entirely out of cardboard boxes! As a kid, I loved to build the things I wanted but couldn’t have out of boxes so that I felt one step closer to getting it. Clearly, I needed to think bigger.
Many might not agree, but Monsters Inc is by far my favorite Pixar movie. So I’m partial in my love for this video. That said, it’s actually really hard to compose a sound by remixing a small set of sounds. And it’s even harder to match visuals to that! So high five Nick Bertke. This video is awesome!
PS this Snow White video by the same guy is also pretty sweet!
This video broke me. As in I’m sitting at my desk laughing so hard I can’t breath, broke me. Which must be why I forgot to mention, this robot band has the vocal styling of Stephen Hawking.
Step aside Maroon 5, in a battle of you vs robot Stephen Hawking, the robot clearly wins.
(hat tip: ohhaveyouseenthis)
I love stories, especially ones that share insight into a time or place in history that many people didn’t have access to. I also love music. The combination of these two passions may explain why I have read the biographies of almost every popular musician who has published one (Note: I highly recommend Slash’s.) It also explains why I think story time with Mr. Roth is so “awesome”.
In this video published to Van Halen’s vimeo page, David Lee Roth explains why they wrote a “No Brown M&Ms” clause into Van Halen’s contracts. I think the reason is pretty brilliant, and no it’s not because he’s allergic to food coloring or gets off on being a rock diva.
Here's Some Awesome 