Commander Chris Hadfield, the Canadian astronaut, returned home on 14 May. He rerecorded David Bowie’s Space Oddity in flight… and describes the landing.
<p><a href=”http://video.news.com.au/2384789860/Space-Oddity” mce_href=”http://video.news.com.au/2384789860/Space-Oddity”></a></p> <p>

David Bowie
(and Chris Hadfield’s changes)
Ground control to Major Tom
Ground control to Major Tom
Take your protein pills (lock your Soyuz hatch) and put your helmet on
Ground control to Major Tom
Commencing countdown, [...]

songs | No Comments »

I love, love, love how Herbie Hancock explains how he composed Watermellon Man.

Link to Woodie Herman’s hard bop version of 1962
Link to Mongo Santamaria’s hit of the same year
Link to Herbie Hancock and the Headhunters’ funky version from the 70s
The intro to that version played on a bottle, picks up the Watermellon Man’s call:

songs | No Comments »

The lyrics of this marvelous song by Merz (1999), are by Gerard Manley Hopkins, 1844–89, an English Jesuit and innovative poet who experimented with metre and developed what he called ’sprung rhythm’, anticipating free verse.
The Starlight Night
Written Feb. 24, 1877. Published 1918
LOOK at the stars! look, look up at the skies!
O look at all the [...]

poetry, songs | No Comments »

The death of Margaret Thatcher has led to an outburst of celebration in the UK that has been absolutely astonishing to someone like myself, on the outside looking in. I had no idea that her policies could excite anything like these emotions so many years later. What I want to know is: Where does the [...]

other, songs | 1 Comment »

This has been the coldest spring on record. They say temperatures are going up to 9 degrees this week. Come, wanton spring!

Talk Talk – April 5th
from The Colour of Spring, 1985/6
Here she comes
Silence in her sound
Here she comes
Fresh upon the ground
Come gentle spring
Come at winter’s end
Gone is the pallor from a promise that’s nature’s gift
Waiting [...]

songs | No Comments »

Wow. Kishi Bashi. I hadn’t seen the ads, instead discovering him through Paste Magazine. All that attention to detail, craftsmanship and polish. Animal Collective meets Andrew Bird and classical Japanese music.
They are hosting a video-based riddle contest for idioms like

wearing _ _ _ _ h _ _ _ _  _ _  your  _ [...]

short film, songs | 1 Comment »

This fantastic version is at the Kennedy Center Dec 26, 2012, in honor of Buddy Guy. Beth Hart’s voice is like a bass. Note: She sings “I’d rather be blind, girl.” Check out all the rock royalty in the audience.  (Thanks, Chris!) Contrast this version with Etta James’ classic, released in 1968.

Something told me [...]

songs | No Comments »