2007 November archive at The World Forgot

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Archive for November, 2007

Wakey!Wakey!

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billy

at November 29, 2007 in wakey wakey, cover, indie, music and mp3. 2 Comments

One more post before I get on the road. I don’t have a lot of time today to upload the next big band from {insert your neck of the woods here}. Instead I’m giving you the latest in a string of covers put out by New York’s brilliant Wakey!Wakey! Although this cover of a Beach Boys classic isn’t my favorite of the covers he’s done, I still think it’s quality. And really, if it’s on a blog you might as well download it and check it out.

mp3 : Wakey!Wakey! - California Girls (Beach Boys Cover)

Personally I would’ve liked to hear Mike Grubbs tackle Sloop John B or some other song from Pet Sounds, but I guess my wishes, as those of my mother, will go largely unfulfilled this year. Ha. Enjoy this cover and if you like it check out more from Wakey!Wakey! here on TWF.

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BOTM vol 02

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billy

at November 28, 2007 in bloc party, beirut, best of the month, daft punk, feist, lisa hannigan, gary lightbody, botm, live, radiohead, remix, music, kanye west, mix, sunset rubdown, acoustic and mp3. 6 Comments

This months BOTM volume is getting released a bit earlier than would be the normal case. I’ll be travelling this weekend and I don’t know when I’ll get a chance to post again {let alone upload loads of music}. Volume 2 is filled with all the good music I could get my hands on and I tried especially hard to find those tracks which may have slipped by you on the first go round. I understand that not everyone can check every blog every single day, I know I can’t, but hopefully through this mishmash of a collection I’ve found something everyone can enjoy.

And enjoy it you shall. This BOTM volume comes wrapped up in the tape of love. Cheers.

mp3 : Beirut - My Night With the Prostitute from Marseille
mp3 : Bloc Party - Flux (JFK Remix)
mp3 : Daft Punk - Harder Better Faster Stronger (Alive Tour)
mp3 : Feist - 1,2,3,4 (Van She Tech Remix)
mp3 : Feist - I Feel It All
mp3 : Gary Lightbody and Lisa Hannigan - Some Surprise
mp3 : Kanye West - Flashing Lights (Mano Uptemp Remix)
mp3 : Radiohead - Blow Out (Live Acoustic) {actually Thom Yorke and some of The Posies}
mp3 : Radiohead - Reckoner
mp3 : Sunset Rubdown - The Taming of the Hands That Came Back To Life

Every single one of these tracks is solid from start to end. I absolutely love the Beirut track and Lisa Hannigan has been on my mind ever since, well, everything she’s ever done. These, my friends, are the best of the month for a reason. They really are the best tracks that I found using the power of the interwebs and other various and sundry means of discovery. If you’re only going to download one track, out of all this goodness, I would recommend the track by Beirut. It really is brilliant.

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Zach Williams

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billy

at November 27, 2007 in live, folk, zach williams, indie, music and mp3. 1 Comment

Today’s blog formula is simple. Zach has some new music on his myspace so I’m posting it here. Zach is a great guy {although we’ve never met} and he hangs around with great people {although I’ve never met them either} and they all play some pretty great music out in NYC {this I can attest to as Zach is brilliant, as is a guy he knows who goes by the moniker Wakey!Wakey!}.

There’s no long story here. There’s not even an anecdote. I am simply beginning to wonder if/when the rest of the world will wake up and take heed of the wonderful music Zach Williams puts together. Enjoy the music. Cheers.

mp3 : Zach Williams - Across the Bridge (Live at Rockwood Music Hall)
mp3 : Zach Williams - Got No Place (Live at Rockwood Music Hall)

This is what indie folk music should sound like.

If you like Zach’s style, and happen to live in or near to NYC, you can catch him live December 6th at The Knitting Factory. 74 Leonard Street, New York.

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Mumpsy

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billy

at November 26, 2007 in folk, dance, mumpsy, indie, music and mp3. 2 Comments

About six months ago I received a promo packet in the mail about an upstart little band called Mumpsy. With a list of guest musicians as long as my arm, a concept album about three people who can’t decide who to love, and a sound I couldn’t define it sat on my shelf for quite awhile. To be fair it actually sat on my brother’s shelf for quite awhile. You see I used to live in China, in a place you can’t easily mail albums to, so all my promos and other materials were opened, scanned, ripped, etc., by my little brother who then emailed the goodies on to me. It just happened to be I received this album a few weeks before moving to South Korea and then two weeks after that I began the long journey home here to the Midwest. Anyway, in the ensuing travel, unpack, madness, life, I lost this promo album I had received. But now it is found.

Although the album is titled 3 People (iTunes), the band is seemingly made up of anyone and their brother, the signature sound of Mumpsy emanates from one central character, Jeff Ilgenfritz. And although this album is billed as a dance/rave mixture on his label’s website it is nothing of the sort. Jeff cleverly mixes together a certain style of sixties retro folk with upbeat, albeit acoustic, dance beats to create something akin to a modern day Kinks or Beatles sound. There’s a lot of room for play in the five song EP and each song casually nudges your head to nodding and feet to tapping along with the stories Jeff sings. Although the concept of the album, which is described at length in the album notes, falls a bit short the aural aesthetic of the disc does not. This is what solid new folk dance music sounds like. And if you’re confused just listen to these tracks.

mp3 : Mumpsy - Iowa City
mp3 : Mumpsy - You Glued My Broken Heart

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Wakey!Wakey!

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billy

at November 24, 2007 in wakey wakey, cover, indie, music and mp3. 1 Comment

Have you ever wondered what The Demberists would sound like if they were covered by Ben Folds, or what Karen O’s voice would sound like if it was drained of her odd gusto and draped instead over a beautiful piano arrangement? Or perhaps you thought to yourself, late one night after the children had gone to sleep, “I wonder what Neutral Milk Hotel would sound like if their song Two Headed Boy was a piano anthem?” I don’t know if these are questions you’ve asked yourself recently, but I know they’ve been floating around my subconscious for quite some time now.

Luckily for me, and you, I finally went through a bunch of my inbox. There is a lot of good music in there. A lot. And hopefully I’ll be able to give some of that goodness away for Christmas presents both here as mp3s and in a more physical, mailed to you, gift. Only time will tell.

As for today my mind’s wanderings are answered all in one spot with Wakey!Wakey! Wednesday. This is a series of cover songs released by Wakey!Wakey! in preparation for the launch of the his first album entitled Silent as a Movie. A couple of days ago I included his cover of a Weezer classic and today I catch you up with the other three tracks he’s now posted and given away via email. Enjoy.

mp3 : Wakey!Wakey! - Apology Song (The Decemberists Cover)
mp3 : Wakey!Wakey! - Maps (Yeah Yeah Yeahs Cover)
mp3 : Wakey!Wakey! - Two Headed Boy Part 1 (Neutral Milk Hotel Cover)

But really, doesn’t Apology Song have a certain Ben Folds quality to it? Maybe if you added some crowd noise? {And yes, I do mean ‘Ben Folds quality’ as a good thing}

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Radiohead

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billy

at November 23, 2007 in cover, thumbs down, rock, radiohead, music and mp3. 2 Comments

For all you Yanks Happy Thanksgiving and welcome back shoppers. I hope your Black Friday was an event filled funfest and you spent it getting GPS devices for your mom, video games and movies for your brothers, and loads of food in you belly. I know I did. For the rest of the world I’m sorry that you don’t get to participate in the buying frenzy that is the holiday season in the US. It really is something to behold and as this is my first holiday time in the states since 2004 I am enjoying it to the fullest.

But regardless if you went shopping or not today here are some tracks that anyone can enjoy. Consider this a prelude to the greatness that is to come. I hope to have a steady stream of posts from now until the new year with a lot of Christmas music, a lot of Sufjan Stevens, and quite possibly the best BOTM volume you’ll ever see. Honestly.

For this post I dipped awhile back to when Radiohead played a webcast they called Thumbs_Down. The reason it was given this wonderfully sketchy moniker is as follows. During the webcast Thom said “This is Thumbs_Down cause it’s … [holds thumbs down to camera]… We’re gonna play some music as we can still stand up. This is our way of celebrating the fact that way have finished a record. We’ve been doing some stupid stuff the past few weeks knocking some things together. Don’t expect any high quality cause there isn’t any.”

Anyway, here are four of the tracks they played. Three of them are cover songs and one is my favorite Radiohead song of all time. Enjoy.

mp3 : Radiohead - Ceremony (New Order Cover)
mp3 : Radiohead - The Headmaster Ritual (The Smiths Cover)
mp3 : Radiohead - Unravel (Bjork Cover)
mp3 : Radiohead - I Might Be Wrong

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Gossip Girl vol 08

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billy

at November 21, 2007 in eskimo joe, dawn landes, lynyrd skynyrd, the virgins, gossip girl, music, soundtrack and mp3. 4 Comments

Another week and another glimpse into the troubled lives of Manhattanites. Those lonely children with trust funds and broken homes. Now typically I insert a snarky comment about how bad the music on this past weeks episode was, but I can’t this week. To be honest I think that Patsavas is reading my blog. Now there’s no IP address, email, link, or anything else that could qualify as evidence to this fact other than, I repeat other than, the fact that the musical selection has taken a considerable turn for the better lately.

Looking back on my posts about Gossip Girl reminds me that all the bad things I’ve said about the music really doesn’t hold up under close scrutiny. On every episode there’s been at least one great track. The only problem is the fact that they fill the rest of the show with such garbage it’s hard to remember anything other than the badly written, badly sung, but perfectly produced hip hop songs that come a dime a dozen this year.

Continuing the upward trend of putting better music over most of the episodes, as of late, this week was no different. During the episode the entire EP by The Virgins was played with each track getting prominent airtime. If you were watching the show and kept thinking “wow, these songs are really good. Who is this?” Then the answer is most likely The Virgins. Enjoy the show {and the music}.

mp3 : The Virgins - Fernando Pando
mp3 : The Virgins - One Week of Danger
mp3 : The Virgins - Rich Girls
mp3 : The Virgins - Love Is Colder Than Death
mp3 : Eskimo Joe - How Does It Feel
mp3 : Dawn Landes - The Kissing Song
mp3 : Lynyrd Skynyrd - Free Bird {oh hell yes}

The Lynyrd Skynyrd track came up on the show as they were playing Guitar Hero II at a party. Although the song was heavily edited for the show it deserves its full 9:19 album length. Listen to Free Bird and realize what a guitar can do. The Dawn Landes and Eskimo Joe tracks are also quality. And if i didn’t sell you on The Virgins earlier then consider this my official endorsement of the above tracks. Give these all a listen.

Other tracks this week included music by The Shapes, Two Hours Traffic, Pinback, and Miss Eighty 6.

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Wakey!Wakey!

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billy

at November 20, 2007 in wakey wakey, cover, indie, music and mp3. 3 Comments

If you haven’t heard the sound of Wakey!Wakey! yet I suggest you get out of the cave you live in and read a few blogs now and then. I even dropped some WW knowledge awhile back when I posted the Cross Pollination Mixtape.

For those of you dear readers who are knew to the Wakey!Wakey! scene the band is made up of Mr. Mike Grubbs and his catchy sound is quickly gaining the devout ears of many music snobs. There seems to be an innate kinsmanship between boys who play the keys and it would be easy to list Grubbs alongside fellow troubadours Ben Folds and Jon McLaughlin. Although to leave off with this description of him at that point would lead many to believe that he sounds just like those two musicians. Which he doesn’t. He definitely has his own unique style; his own panache if you will. It’s hard to accurately describe the style of music that Grubbs plays without using words like authentic, passionate, and genuine. There’s a certain quality to his songs that transcends mere music and lyrics and makes listening to him sing more of a holistic experience.

Now if I could only get him to play shows with another of New Yorks burgeoning male vocalist scene, Zach Williams, I think between the two of them they could sell out shows from Xi’an to Lhasa. Or at least all across the Western World. So here’s the official call out to both of you. Wakey!Wakey! and Zach Williams would make an excellent live show or split EP. Contact me and I’ll get you in touch {just as long as I get mentioned in the liner notes of course. haha.}

mp3 : Wakey!Wakey! - Get Away (Here We Go Again)
mp3 : Wakey!Wakey! - Say It Ain’t So (Weezer Cover)

This is hands down the best cover of any Weezer song I have ever heard. Trust me, your day is not complete if you haven’t heard this song. If you like what you hear make sure to catch Wakey!Wakey! live at the Rockwood Music Hall in NYC this upcoming December 5th. For free at 8pm.

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A Weekend with Weezer

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billy

at November 19, 2007 in weezer, blue album deluxe, a weekend, rock, music and mp3. 0 Comments

Alright, get over it, I know it’s Monday but I felt as if this modern day fab four deserved to have one last post. I understand the weekend is gone, but in our hearts Weezer shall forever live on. In 2004, commemorating the ten year anniversary of their first studio album, Weezer rereleased The Blue Album as a deluxe version (iTunes). This version contained a second disc packed with rare tracks, previously unheard material, some live songs, and a few fan favorites that had only ever been played in concert. Although much of this material was old news to many in the Weezer fan base it was still nice to have the tracks compiled and in good condition. Cheers to you Weezer and best of luck on your next studio album.

mp3 : Weezer - Jamie (Live Acoustic B Side)
mp3 : Weezer - Lullaby For Wayne (Previously Unreleased Pre-Production Recording)
mp3 : Weezer - Mykel and Carli (B Side)
mp3 : Weezer - No One Else (Live Acoustic B Side)

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{Don’t worry, I’ll now return to my regularly scheduled blogcast of music. I hope you enjoyed this weekend.}

A Weekend with Weezer

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billy

at November 19, 2007 in maladroit, make believe, weezer, rock, music and mp3. 1 Comment

With this post we come to the end of the weekend as well as the end of the studio albums made by Weezer to date. First after The Green Album came a little ditty called Maladroit (iTunes) which was only the second of their five discs not to feature the band on the cover artwork. This, though, created a pattern so far which has the band appearing on every other album cover. Following this trend would lead me to believe that the new studio album due early next year will feature some form of art on the front cover and not a picture of the boys.

Although this album received favorable reviews from many critics the inclusion of a slightly metal or grunge sound for the guitar riffs threw off much of their loyal fanbase and was a leading cause in crashing the album sales. As a quirky sidenote most of this album was recorded in sessions where the uncut and rough tracks were available on a daily basis to avid fans via internet forums. In this way Weezer had a lot of fan input and discussion in the making of their fourth album.

mp3 : Weezer - Keep Fishin’
mp3 : Weezer - Love Explosion

Their latest studio effort dropped on shelves eleven years to the day from the original release of The Blue Album. Although it received mixed reviews from fans and critics alike the album sold well and eventually went platinum. Some people loved it, some people hated it. I don’t really think it’s as cut and dry as the reviews make it out to be as there are some sparkling moments on the disc. Admittedly it is a departure from all previous efforts the band has made as Make Believe (iTunes) clocks in at a sprawling 45 minutes and has only one song that clocks in under three minutes. {Note that an album length of 45 minutes is sprawling for Weezer as only this and their first studio album come in at over 35 minutes long}

To be honest I really liked this disc and saw it more of a maturation of their trademark Green/Blue album sound. It shows a valuable progression in tempo and style of song structures while still acknowledging that they are in fact, and always will be, those guys who sang Buddy Holly and Undone. These three tracks below showcase what Weezer sounds like now that they’re a little more grown up.

mp3 : Weezer - Perfect Situation
mp3 : Weezer - Hold Me
mp3 : Weezer - The Other Way

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A Weekend with Weezer

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billy

at November 18, 2007 in weezer, green album, a weekend, rock, music and mp3. 0 Comments

In case you were not aware Rivers Cuomo has an album entitled “Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo” which drops exactly one month from today on December 18. Expect some greatness from this upcoming album as Rivers appears to be one of the most prolific writers of this modern music era. There are allegations that Rivers writes well over one hundred songs for each Weezer album and then only chooses what he thinks are the best ten to fourteen tracks for the final pressings.

In other news Weezer will have their sixth studio album out in the Spring of 2008. So if you’re not really into the unedited yearnings of a Harvard grad then you can always wait until his three buddies join him on what is sure to be a romp through romance, failures, the trials of life, and the slow maturation of little boys into men.

These tracks included below hail from Weezer’s third studio album which was self titled but is mainly referred to as The Green Album (iTunes). Hearkening back to their roots with The Blue Album these tracks found the band splashing away merrily with a sound and a vibrancy that most fans and critics adored from the start. It’s a short album but all the trademarks are still apparent. Falsetto harmonies, a massive wall of guitar sound, and some well written guitar licks apply to almost the entire album from start to finish. For those people who had never heard of Weezer 2004 was a good year to start liking the band.

mp3 : Weezer - Don’t Let Go
mp3 : Weezer - Island In The Sun

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A Weekend with Weezer

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billy

at November 17, 2007 in weezer, pinkerton, a weekend, rock, music and mp3. 4 Comments

Weezer’s second full length album, Pinkerton (iTunes), was a departure from their original guitar driven surfer/loner/nerd anthem style of rock. As such, when it was first released in 1996, it was panned by critics and many fans alike who were eagerly anticipating a second edition of The Blue Album. To be frank here folks it seems like bands cannot seem to please anyone with a sophomore effort. In the case of Weezer they went in a new direction for their second album and fans and critics hated it. But look at The Strokes, who essentially released a second album, which could have been called This Is It to answer their first albums title Is This It?, that was so similar in sound and style to their first disc that audiences, critics, and even fans blasted the band for not changing.

Pinkerton, fortunately, has stood the test of time and now can be heard in a much more favorable setting. Attempting to give fans more of a slice of what their live shows were like Weezer dropped their producer, played the songs together in studios, and layed down the three separate vocal tracks at the same time. If their first album dealt with the peccadilloes of life in a broad sense then Pinkerton focused more on the minutiae of angst and longing. One could credit or lambaste Rivers Cuomo for this style of writing as it gave rise to latter day followers, Dashboard Confessional, who have successfully aped this type of story telling so well they have made it their own.

Here below are three powerful tracks from Pinkerton. The first two are of the standard Weezer variety of guitar driven power pop while the third track, the album closing Butterfly, is a slow motion acoustic song detailing the end of a relationship. Pay attention to the lyrics of Butterfly where Cuomo sings lines like “if I’m a dog then you’re a bitch” or “every time I pin down what I think I want it slips away.” If ever there was a critic who claimed Weezer was too one dimensional Pinkerton stands in bold defiance of such a claim.

mp3 : Weezer - Pink Triangle
mp3 : Weezer - The Good Life
mp3 : Weezer - Butterfly

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A Weekend with Weezer

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billy

at November 16, 2007 in weezer, blue album, a weekend, rock, music and mp3. 2 Comments

Did you know that virtually no one posts in music blogs over the weekends? It’s strange but true and I’m here to try to reverse that trend. A trend which probably started due to the fact that almost all bloggers blog from work, instead of working, and when they’re at home they stop doing all of those avoid-work-at-all-costs activities. Or, if you’re a realist, it might be due to the fact that people have lives, no one cares to read weekend blog posts, or any other of a plethora of legitimate excuses, none of which my current life qualifies me for.

Taking all of this in stride I thought I would begin a little tradition here at The World Forgot to help me push through the mundane world of weekend blogging. Hence the first ever “A Weekend with” themes has begun. This weekend I’ve chosen Weezer and I’ll attempt to post at least once about them Friday, Saturday, and Sunday thereby turning this four or five day a week hobby into a full time all out obsession. Hopefully I’ll be able to keep up the “A Weekend with” theme at least twice a month from here until eternity. Enjoy the music.

+++++

Weezer’s original debut album, most commonly referred to as The Blue Album (iTunes), was the very first CD I ever owned. I remember that crisp autumn day as I walked gallantly into Best Buy to purchase, for myself, one of the best guitar driven garage/surf rock albums of all time. To this day I can still sing every song word for word and I would bet many of my readers can as well. It was an album born of the garage band heyday, but came slightly after the depression that was grunge and other forms of dirty rock emanating from the Pacific Northwest. Obviously influenced by Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys, as well as The Cars, the quartet that was Weezer put together a wonderfully idiosyncratic album about broken relationships, going surfing, and the pathos of life. In 1994 it seemed as if every single song on this album could get anyone in any shower, car, or public pool singing along as if they meant it.

Making every “best of” list from Rolling Stone to Pitchfork to Blender to Popmatters shows the depth of sound and the legacy that The Blue Album has left in behind. At first blush it was the ultimate guitar driven answer to a generation that was looking more and more for something alternative to the depression of grunge and metal that was so prevalent in the early 90’s. And now, fourteen years later, it has stood the test of time as one of the most influential pieces of the last twenty years. Honestly, after listening to the next two songs who couldn’t help leaping around practicing their air guitar?

mp3 : Weezer - My Name Is Jonas
mp3 : Weezer - The World Has Turned and Left Me Here

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Nominated

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at November 16, 2007 in vote, best music blog contest, nomination, billboard.com and hey! nielsen. 1 Comment

It was recently brought to my attention that this little slice of the blogosphere [heaven] has been nominated for the award “Best Music Blog” given out by Hey! Nielsen and Billboard.com. While I think it’s totally ridiculous to have made the list of 103 finalists, alongside many of my friends and lovers, I would like to say thanks to whomever nominated this blog or whatever process of this screwed up universe allowed me to be entered into the competition.

Oh, and if you so desire you can vote for The World Forgot here.

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Britney Spears

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billy

at November 15, 2007 in justic, britney spears, remix, music and mp3. 5 Comments

Where have you gone sweet Britney of old. What happened between Whoops I Did It Again and this present day state of shaved heads, drug accusations, and all the other shenanigans? Honestly, what happened? And fans, please note, I’m not attacking Britney here, I’m just asking some questions that we would all like an honest answer to. So before you go Crystal O Jones on me take a moment and really think about how America took a mousketeer and turned her into an unfit mother.

And before I forget, let me explain the reference I made above to Crystal O Jones. Awhile back I had a post about Britney Spears and I received this comment from a devout Britney supporter. Crystal wrote “I think Britney would get better if all the A-holes would leave her be aspecially the paparazzi they suck! Put yourself in her place, if someone was following you around with a camera in your face watching your every move just to see you mess up wouldn’t that make you angry? I’d hate it, I’d get sick of it, and I’d probabely flip out too! Plus people today need to seperate fact from fiction. Just because someone prints it doesn’t make it true. So leave brit’ alone and let the singer/songwriter come back to us the way we know and love her. Brit’ I’m your biggest fan and I wish all the happiness in the world and may God Bless You!!!”

Now honestly I do think that there’s a bit too much hype and paparazzi around Ms. Spears as of late. There is a line that needs to be drawn between the public and private lives of celebrities, but it was Ms. Spears herself, who posed naked for pictures while pregnant, who significantly blurred those lines to begin with. I’m just saying that maybe Britney needs to work on bringing sexy back. Or at least work on getting her life back to a normal center. Honestly, even China Daily is reporting on how off kilter she’s been as of late.

All of that hullabaloo aside here’s a track that I stumbled upon earlier this week here on the interwebs. It’s a rather clever remixing of Britney’s track Me Against the Music which originally appeared on her fourth studio album In The Zone (iTunes) and featured Madonna. Oh how the mighty have fallen. This rendition is a remix by the laptop gurus Justice and it’s deserving of a couple of minutes of your time.

mp3 : Britney Spears - Me Against the Music (Justice Remix)

No, really, where did the sweet Britney of yesterday disappear to? I really would like to know.

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Zach Williams

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billy

at November 14, 2007 in live, zach williams, indie, music and mp3. 1 Comment

As long as I have blog left in me I will continue to represent Zach Williams as one of the best undiscovered artists currently on the planet. He continues to play amazing live shows where he not only entertains the crowd, he goes so far as to woo them. Yes woo them. When Zach finishes a set and walks off stage the audience cannot help but consider themselves hopelessly in love with this sound. With this voice, this style, this humble man from New York City.

I encourage you, I implore you, to please check out Zach’s music. Go to his myspace page, stream his entire album on his own site, or just grab these tracks, and more, that have been posted here on The World Forgot. Whatever you do don’t brush this post aside. Let the new folk sounds of Mr. Williams sink to the depths of you and ease you through this middle of the week menagerie. He’s brilliant and you’d be the fool for choosing not to hear his songs.

mp3 : Zach Williams - Dirty Feet (Live at Rockwood)
mp3 : Zach Williams - Mountain Water (Live)

The song entitled Dirty Feet is a little bit of new folk mixed with hip hop. If that can be believable. This is the live take of the track and it sounds a bit like jazz, a bit like new folk, and a bit like whatever it is you just imagined new folkhop to sound like. The second track, Mountain Water, is more of the Zach Williams bread and butter. It’s pure and simple with lyrics and melodies that tug at your heart. His albums will make perfect Christmas gifts. Trust me.

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Lightspeed Champion

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at November 13, 2007 in lightspeed champion, indie, music and mp3. 1 Comment

Lightspeed Champion is Dev Hynes. A man who used to be the thrash, punk, screamo set in a band called Test Icicles. I never really liked the old sound Dev was associated with so I was skeptical about this new project. And I’m sure I would have remained a skeptic had it not been for the blog that he maintains. His posts are often barely lucid and the stream of consciousness style that he’s adopted seems to mesh well with the inner monologue that narrates my life. Not to mention that he talks of having a Libertines guitar competition with friends, writing and recording an entire album in five hours, or drops that The Strokes music cannon contains the best songs to play with other guitar wielding friends.

From reading his blog for a good twenty minutes it was easy to postulate his musical style would mesh easily with my musical taste. The only problem I found is that his music is a very slippery beast to get a hold on. I looked high and low and came across some tracks he’s preformed live, the aforementioned album he wrote and recorded in less than five hours, and a lot of references to other bands. Finally I found the penultimate prize in the Lightspeed Champion catalog and it is this song that I’m putting up first.

mp3 : Lightspeed Champion - Waiting Game

If you’re a fan of M Ward, the Strokes, Bright Eyes, Modest Mouse or just solid guitar work and clever lyrics in general then this song is a must download. I encourage everyone to hear this song from start to end as it builds continually from start to end with layer upon layer of plucky sonic goodness.

The following songs come from a variety of places, most notably Lightspeed Champion’s own website which doubles as his personal soap box of a blog. The first three tracks listed below come from his album that he wrote and recorded in under five hours. They don’t have proper titles as the project was picked up and finished, never to be worked on again, in one day. The entire album has more tracks than just these three, but these are the best of the disc. Included are tracks 6, 7, and 8, and I believe they showcase the depth of Dev and the talent he has yet to unleash on this world. Notice too the strong influence The Strokes seem to have on his sound. And don’t mind too much the fact that he obviously recorded this quickly and somewhat sloppily. Listen to the ideas behind the maxed out and fuzzed out sounds.

mp3 : Lightspeed Champion - One Day Record 6
mp3 : Lightspeed Champion - One Day Record 7
mp3 : Lightspeed Champion - One Day Record 8

The next two tracks are taken directly from Dev’s blog. The first is a song he played live and is a cover of an Elton John classic. The second is a song that he was writing to sing/give to someone in particular, but he soon realized he hated the song, scrapped even the thought of salvaging it, and put it in his blog as “this song is shit.”

mp3 : Lightspeed Champion - Better Off Dead (Elton John Cover)
mp3 : Lightspeed Champion - This Song is Shit

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