Brian Eno: Israel is at fault

NME.com has a story about the acclaimed English musician's opinion about the current Gaza conflict

"What we're seeing in Gaza is an experiment in provocation conducted by the Israeli government," he said. "You take one and a half million people, you stuff them into a small space, you deny them food, water, sanitation, medicine, and then act surprised when they get hostile.

"But you want that hostility, because that's the cue for you to act the victim. Israel is pretending to be a victim in a situation in which they are the oppressor.

"It's tragic that a country formed in the ashes of the holocaust should act in this way. It's heartbreaking. Why do the Israelis do it? What's the reason for creating this conflict?

"The reason is that under the cover of it they can continue to build settlements. They can continue to get large grants from the American government. They can continue to steal the homeland of the Palestinians, and continue to make a Warsaw ghetto in the Middle East.

well stated, mate.

as a Palestinian, as an American, and as a pacifist, I just want all of the violence to stop

Brian Eno - By this River [mp3 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!]
this song is so beautiful and wonderfully serene. the lyrics are as follows:

Here we are
Stuck by this river,
You and I
Underneath a sky that's ever falling down, down, down
Ever falling down.

Through the day
As if on an ocean
Waiting here,
Always failing to remember why we came, came, came:
I wonder why we came.

You talk to me
as if from a distance
And I reply
With impressions chosen from another time, time, time,
From another time.

of Montreal cover "Day Man"

I just finished watching the last episode of the fourth season of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (greatest show ever. watch it. please, for your own sake, watch it.) and then I looked up the hit song "day man" on the hype machine, and was pleasantly surprised to find that of Montreal covered it!

here is the original:

Charlie singing "Day Man" (link to hulu.com)

Charlie Day - Day Man [mp3]
hahahah so funny.

and here is the lovely cover:

of Montreal - Day Man (Charlie Day cover) [mp3]

BONUS:
of Montreal - The Final Countdown (Europe cover)
this brings back memories of another genius show. sadly, it was canceled, but a movie has been confirmed

thanks to You Aint No Picasso for the mp3s. they have a FABULOUS ARCHIVE OF oF MONTREAL COVERS HERE!

Robert Plant voted 'greatest voice in rock'

it seems like everyone wants to honour the Zeppelin frontman lately.

anyhow, according to NME, the poll, which was organized by Planet Rock, ranked the following artists as follows:

1. Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin)
2. Freddie Mercury (Queen)
3. Paul Rodgers (Free/Bad Company)
4. Ian Gillan (Deep Purple)
5. Roger Daltrey (The Who)
6. David Coverdale (Whitesnake)
7. Axl Rose (Guns N' Roses)
8. Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden)
9. Mick Jagger (The Rolling Stones)
10. Bon Scott (AC/DC)
11. David Bowie
12. Jon Bon Jovi (Bon Jovi)
13. Steven Tyler (Aerosmith)
14. Jon Anderson (Yes)
15. Bruce Springsteen
16. Joe Cocker
17. Ozzy Osbourne (Black Sabbath)
18. Bono (U2)
19. Peter Gabriel
20. James Hetfield (Metallica)

I don't think it's biased of me to think that Julian Casablancas of The Strokes should be on here. I mean COME ON! this is pure rock genius!

and what about LOU FUCKING REED?!

Sunday Morning Covers

belated by a few hours, I know

sorry guys

I slept in today, then proceeded to have lunch with my family, then my dad gave me another driving lesson. I'm basically proficient now...a few more lessons and I'll take the test.

anyhow, sorry for the delay, I'm making it up to you guys by posting some really excellent songs today.

seriously, this batch of SMC is phenomenal. I suggest that you download them all.

Adele - Black and Gold (Sam Sparro cover) [mp3]
this one...just wow. it's amazing. I think Sam Sparro is a mesmerizing wizard with magical powers to captivate anyone, and Adele does the original so much justice!

The Honorary Title - No One (Alicia Keys cover) [mp3]
I don't care what people say. I freaking love this band, whiney or not. the lead singer Jarrod does seem to be a drug addict of some sort, based on my interaction with him when I saw them at Slim's. regardless, this cover is heartbreaking and beautiful.

Voxtrot - Heaven (Talking Heads cover) [mp3]
ok, this isn't even fair. I am a HUGE fan of both Voxtrot and Talking Heads, and I only found out about and acquired this song, like, a few days ago? WTF?! Voxtrot's leading man Ramesh Srivastava is our generation's Morrissey.

BONUS:
The Section Quartet - The Man Who Sold the World (Bowie cover) [mp3]
because I looove this string quartet, and because their album FUZZBOX is probably one of the most under appreciated gems of our time, and because I love Bowie and hate it when people think that he was covering a Nirvana song (really, now, what the hell?). seriously, if you want me to punch you in the face ask me "oh, yeah, isn't that a Nirvana song? who is this Bowie person covering it?"

happy listening!

The Queen of England loooves her some Zeppelin

Robert Plant is now a member of the Order of the British Empire.

now, as an ignorant American, I don't know exactly what this entails, but I'm sure it's like, Rock n Roll Hall of fame status, but for British achievements.

regardless, I love me some Zeppelin.

Led Zeppelin - Moby Dick (instrumental) [mp3]
helloooooooooo drum solo. I know this one technically doesn't have any vocals...so I present:

Led Zeppelin - Immigrant Song [mp3]
here's a tune for you which showcases Mr. Plant's talents. my oh my, can he sing.

Saturday Music Definitions: Happy

I've been in a ridiculously good mood all day. That may have to do with the fact that I spent the entire day reading Ulysses, listening to the Strokes and drinking tea and hot cocoa.

really, it doesn't take a lot to get me cheerful.

and now, for some songs:

Modest Mouse - Make Everybody Happy-Mechanical Birds [mp3]
some early Modest Mouse (1996) for you. it's so much fun to listen to them evolve over the years.

Jenny Lewis - Happy [mp3]
I love everything about Jenny Lewis, right down to her reverence for the late Elliott Smith.

Violent Femmes - Rejoice and Be Happy [mp3]
a higher energy song than the rest of the bunch, classic VF.

Mika - Happy Ending [mp3]
I was looking through some old letters and found a card my friend wrote to me shortly after we went to see this brilliant man in concert. Mika is like a more worldly Jason Mraz with a falsetto like nobody's business. ironically, though, this is one of his more depressing songs. here is something a bit more chipper.

Bob Marley - Don't Worry Be Happy [mp3]
stoners have this incredible knack for putting a smile on anyone's face. what is that, you want proof you say? well here you go.

BONUS:
The Rolling Stones - Happy [mp3]

Band of the Week: Music for Animals

sounds like: OK Go meets Of Montreal meets The Hives
there is definitely some punk sensibility here

I saw this SF based band sometime early last year. they went on an American wide tour with...gosh what was that HORRID opening band's name? Long Live Logos. (thank you Rickshaw archive.)

they are one of my favourite local bands, although I have to admit that their record is not as good as their live sound. it's still pretty sweet, though, and an excellent dance record.

they only have a couple of shows coming up, but if you can, go for it! you'll have a lot of fun, I promise.

Feb 7 2009 8:00P
Hop Monk Sebastopol, California

Mar 6 2009 9:00P
Bottom of the Hill All Ages!! San Francisco, California

they have a new EP out, and from the songs which I've heard (off of their MYSPACE), I think it's sounding really good. especially "If Looks Could Kill". I think I'm gonna buy it.


Music for Animals - Bi or Curious [mp3 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!]
this is the song that got me into them in the first place. mmh.

Music for Animals - Apartment [mp3]
this one gets really good midway through. like after the 2 minute mark.

visit the boys on MYSPACE

you can buy their debut on AMAZON for 1 penny! it's worth a lot more than that