THE SOUND will appear on www.brainsofminverva.com the first Friday of every month.
JEFFREY MARSHEK is a self professed music junkie whose life changed dramatically after the creation of iTunes and the decline of chain music stores. He will forever miss the days of new music Tuesday and CD liner notes. He is also the creator and star of CUL DE SAC ROCK: A One Man Rock Opera about his dysfunctional Jewish Family in 1980’s Cleveland. He lives in New York.
MY-POD: THE SOUNDTRACK
The Shaky Hands
*THE SHAKY HANDS Clap Your Hands, Now!
Portland Oregon’s favorite Rock and Roll band, The Shaky Hands, offer up the sound of a Modern day Velvet Underground, by way of The Strokes. Their latest release Let it Die is a real homage to Rock music of the 1960’s.
Shaky Hands favor the sounds of vintage Blues/ Rock melodies and rustic tambourines best displayed on tracks like Allison and The Ancient Eyes as well as the keg party title track where lead singer Nick Delff dons an old school Mick Jagger growl begging you to “Let it Die.” Later in the album, the influences take a subtle shift where the band plays with Pop and Folk styles. Gonna Hold You Tonight is a slow dance at the campfire with a real sweet Beach Boys feel. Already Gone is full of piano playing/ hand clapping sounds reminiscent of E.L.O. And Leave it All features a Hare Krishna chant laden hook that is uncannily Crosby, Stills Nash and Young.
Drawing on great Rock music from the past with a modern feel, put your hands together for The Shaky Hands!
Zero 7
*ZERO 7: Trip Hop and you don’t stop
The Long awaited new release from Brit-electro Zero 7, Yeah Ghost finds the duo of Henry Binns and Sam Harderer challenging the spirit through day dream beats and irresistible grooves, as well as eclectic new guest artists.
The trip hoppers work wonders on their fourth LP, particularly with Eska, whose soulful styling’s on Mr. Mcgee is part funkified Marrakesh Express/part Brimful of Asha. The hypnotic vibe carries on into the brilliant self help mantra Everything up with Binns, backed again by Eska, chanting the affirmation “yes we can, imagine it if we can.”
Yeah Ghost doesn’t entirely abandon the formula proven successful for the band, with tracks like Pop Art Blue and Swing giving off a real identifiable Zero 7 ambient groove, featuring Sia like vocals by Martha Tilston.
By the albums end, Sleeper is dancehall ecstasy rebellion at the ashram.
Aided by Eska’s hook “I don’t sleep, I keep a radio on,” you just may be inspired to do the same.
Kid Cudi
*Kid Cudi: Kid Incorporated
He’s Hip Hop. He’s Rap. He’s Alt. He’s Electro.
Influenced by Hip Hop fusion acts before him such as Neptunes and Outkast, Kid Cudi’s (A.K.A Scott Mescudi) style of music is ambitiously anti-pigeonhole. The Cleveland bred Hip Hop star on the make is experimenting with the genre to varying effects on his LP Man on The Moon: The End of the Day. Tracks like Simple as that and In My Dreams introduce his knack for catchy hooks, best displayed on the stoner anthem Day and Nite.
Having already collaborated on both Kanye West and Jay-Z’s latest releases, Cudi continues to expand on his ever impressive rolodex of superstars. Here, he joins forces with Kanye and Common, via a Lady Gaga sample, in the clever musical repetition game Make Her Say.
Kid Cudi’s hodgepodge flow of rapping and singing works wonders on the space age disco Enter Galactic. And to hypnotic affect on Pursuit of Happiness where he collaborates with MGMT, playing off the psychedelic rockers cosmic electro vibe and producing a double dutch chant for the ages.
Keep your eyes and ears open: This ‘kid’ is going places.
BUZZZ / RE-MIX!!
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Heads Will Roll by Yeah Yeah Yeah’s as remixed by James Iha
The former Smashing Pumpkins guitarist takes Karen O and Nick Zinner out of the modern day mosh pit and into a 1970’s inspired roller boogie spectacular. The track has a natural rollicking rock beat and a dance feel as well. But it is Iha’s remix that really pulls the beats of disco and sounds of glam rock right onto the tips of your stereo speakers.
Suddenly, the track transports you to studio 54, giving new meaning to O’s belligerent order of ‘off with your head! Dance dance dance till your dead”
Peaches
Lose You by PEACHES as remixed by Station X
The electro clash diva gets a fresh shot of adrenaline from the synth master minds. Lose You already comes with the feel of a contemporary torch song but in the hands of Station X the tunes gets a welcome seductive, Giorgio Moroder edge.
The remix takes the listener slowly into a private moment of vulnerable confession, where her sighs of rapturous delight become pure voyeuristic kink for your listening pleasure.
YOU TUBE: UNDER THE COVERS
MGMT
The new wave college sensation pays tribute to the original frontiersmen of new wave, The Talking Heads. MGMT is very well suited for the task of taking on David Byrne and Tina Weymouth’s definitive leisure song Naïve Melody and the result is sublime.
DUFFY
The Welsh songbird takes on the Paul Weller staple, bringing haunting, lived in vocals and a pained point of view to the rock standard You Do Something To Me.
A real change of pace for those familiar with Duffy’s pop-ified radio friendly hit, Mercy.
PETER GABRIEL AND HOT CHIP
The music legend teams up with UK dance hall geeks Hot Chip, picking up the natural Graceland sensibility from the Vampire Weekend signature tune. The unique collaboration infuses some world music flavor with a daring electronic touch on the indie great.
FRANZ FERDINAND featuring La Roux
The Scottish rockers and the brit electro poppers pair up for the Blondie masterpiece Call Me.
A fresh, aggressive dose of testosterone revives a classic.
www.myspace.com/franzferdinand
I’ve been playing the Duffy video constantly. Thank you, Jeff!