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| Posted: 19 Jan 2009 04:08 PM CST Tommie Sunshine is one of those artists that fit into a multitude of categories; producer, DJ, remixer, songwriter. Yet despite his long list of talents he is best known for and most talented at creating dance remixes of popular songs. The amount of remixes he has done flows onto pages and pages, so here is but a sliver of his work. I certainly suggest listening to as many as you can. Fall Out Boy - Dance Dance So I’ll admit that Fall Out Boy isn’t really my kind of listen. I’ve personally found their style of rock generic and uninspiring, yet even I can’t deny that their blend of pop and punk on Dance Dance is pretty catchy. It’s got a lively drum line, fuzzy, yet typical guitar riffs and far searching vocals, that all miraculously come together to form a listenable melody. website | myspace | Folie A Deux review “Tommie Sunshine Remix” Though the original could be forgotten easily, Tommie Sunshine ensures you take his remix seriously. The vocals are made clearer, stronger and more adult like, if you will. The rest of the song is thrown to the dogs and replaced with a lot that is better. Tommie Sunshine starts off by slapping on an electronic buzz and dub into the song, which continues throughout. Synths and syncopated beats are added, as are break beats, which are fleshed out in the verses. The highlight comes at the chorus though. Where the lyrics/vocals of the original are already catchy, strapping on four to the floor house beats does wonders. In Tommie Sunshine’s hands this song transforms from an emo-esque high school whine to a gloomy, and moody love lost plea. Fall Out Boy - “Dance Dance” (Tommie Sunshine Remix) – Hellogoodbye - “Here (In Your Arms)” So can this song be classified as cheesy pop? It makes me laugh to think so. But it’s so good, so catchy, so fun, and has so much more than cheesy pop numbers do. Well, either way, there was a point in late 2006/early 2007 where you couldn’t go anywhere without hearing this song or even worse, having it stuck in your head. It’s a simple song really; slow at parts, then picking up pace with a fast dance beat, auto-tune on danceable vocals, and the lyrics are just really sweet. It’s a summery, euro-pop special. Hellogoodbye - “Here (In Your Arms) Tommie Sunshine Remix Tommie Sunshine keeps the main melody intact for this one, which makes sense, since it’s already danceable, but he transforms it slightly by using distorted synthesizers, which throws in much needed grit to the song. That is really the highlight of the remix, it’s simple, yet it changes it so much. The chorus adds a pulse effect coming from a synthesizer. There are no down tempo parts to this mix like the original, so the song keeps on going with the electronic/house flair that it has. Hellogoodbye - “Here (In Your Arms)” (Tommie Sunshine Remix) – Blondie - “Heart of Glass” Heart of Glass is of course one of the most famous songs of all time. Rolling Stone ranked it as #255 on their list of the 500 greatest songs of all time. Though Blondie was a forefront band in the New Wave music scene, this is a pure Disco track, which caused much stir when it was released, as the band was accused of selling out to the popular Disco genre at the time. Either way, it’s a great song, with Debbie Harry’s vocal coos and sexy sighs. The pop/click/staccato intro is sublime and only bettered with the jump in of the dream pop guitars and synths. Tommie Sunshine Remix If you’re going to take on one of the greatest songs of all time, you better do it right, and with no surprise, Mr. Sunshine does just that. This remix is incredible. It totally transforms the song, melding the disco aspect of the original with the house music of today. It starts with a funky, bassy, riff, soon met with a hard-hitting floor beat and then a really, really cool, lush, opulent and laser-like/dreamy disco/electro beat. The song is sped up overall and just stirs you out of your seat. It’s impossible to sit still while listening to this. This mix bubbles and moves and Debbie Harry’s sighs are prominently focused on. Blondie - “Heart of Glass” (Tommie Sunshine Remix) – The Killers - “Somebody Told Me” Not much needs to be said about this band or this song. This is their upbringing, their Vegas influenced track of Sin City and the The Strip. It is gritty and fueled with sexual energy. The track is stamped with The Killer’s early signature of crashing guitars and fly by synths. The song, at the same time, manages to be fun, edgy and mysterious. The Killers - “Somebody Told Me” website | myspace | Day & Age review Tommie Sunshine Remix When a song is this good, there isn’t really much you can do with it. I’ve heard plenty of remixes of Somebody Told Me and none compare to the original, and so is the case with Mr. Sunshine over here, though it’s still a good listen. He extends the song, adds in electronic handclaps to a story like intro he creates. The track is slowed down, but the fast pace of the original is what makes it a powerhouse in any case. Fuzzy and distorted synths and guitars are layered on and the final product is complete. The Killers - “Somebody Told Me” (Tommie Sunshine Remix) Written by: Ali Hussain Related Posts This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 19 Jan 2009 01:15 PM CST It is actually a fairly common story: guy meets girl, they make a band, they break up and then the usual trend is that the fledgling band breaks up. Fortunately for the Philadelphia group East Hundred, they persevered and this break up resulted in the stunning debut that is Passenger. Guitarist Brooke Blair writes on their website, "We're not the first band to write a breakup album, and we're not the first band to have formed, in part, around a romantic relationship. And maybe we're not the first to write that breakup album as the relationship falls apart…but that still doesn't mean it's easy." The hard work the band put into this album shows as Passenger is a melodic feast in which the table is overflowing with emotional rawness, powerful vocals and lots of synth. Nearly every band writes a break up song, but few explain it as perfectly as East Passenger. Each song on this album has an honesty in their musical representation. While most artists whine about their pain, East Passenger shows it. “Autopilot” expertly shows what it is like to be so emotionally bruised you have trouble focusing. Singer and former girlfriend to Blair, Beril Guceri, sings: “It’s hard to stay focused when the rush is over. Some things don’t ever change into love.” Not only are her words so true, but with her powerful voice like Kristen May of Vedera mixed with Lizzie Powell of Land of Talk, they stick in your head. Meanwhile, the guitar repeats the same notes over and over like it, too, has entered into the autopilot mode that many enter when they become numb to the world. East Hundred - “Slow Burning Crimes” Though many of the songs are downbeat and run the risk of depressing, the final number, “After Love”, is fittingly uplifting with a beautiful instrumental bridge building the keys over the guitar. It reminds that while a break up hurts or isn’t easy as Blair has said, it does get better and you can become stronger and happier once you find the will to move past the initial pain. Passenger will be available on February 3, 2009. Tracklisting: East Hundred: website | myspace  Written by: Bethany Related Posts This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| An Evening With Rufus Wainwright: an Interview and a Preview Posted: 19 Jan 2009 10:25 AM CST Rufus Wainwright’s live show is not one to miss. In the past, his critically-acclaimed shows have featured fans joining him on stage, his sister, Martha, singing with him and more recently he got into the spirit of his covers of Judy Garland by dressing in heels. His shows can be quite grandiose and theatrical, but with his handful of February dates, Wainwright has a more intimate angle in mind that will overview his career in a sort of “potpourri of Wainwright.” “It’s very laid back and just chill,” says Wainwright about his plans for his upcoming shows. “An evening with Rufus in the living room situation. I actually try to tailor to that particular evening in that particular city and anything that’s going on in the news that day.” Wainwright plans to visit four US cities this February: Red Bank, NJ; Montclair, NJ; Philadelphia, PA and Kansas City, MO. Though he is busy writing his opera, “Prima Donna”, which debuts this July 10th in Manchester, England, Wainwright wanted to visit some cities that have always been welcoming to him. “I can’t really tour intensely because I have to orchestrate and postulate and light candelabras all the time, so I’m pretty busy,” remarks Wainwright of the brevity of the tour. “But I still have to eat at nice restaurants and pay my rent, so I have to do shows here and there.” Perhaps the want of nice restaurants explains why he has chosen these particular cities, considering Philly is known for its cheesesteaks and Kansas City for its BBQ, he is sure to be taken care of for both food and rent money. Even if you can’t see Wainwright in one of those four cities, there will be plenty of other chances to get a February fix of Wainwright. For the first time in his prolific career, Wainwright has been nominated for his first Grammy in “Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album” for his album Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall. The 51st Annual Grammy Awards are on February 8, 2009. With competition like Josh Groban and Natalie Cole, Wainwright is trying not to get his hopes up, but just in case he says he has written about eight speeches. Unfortunately, he says he cannot attend the awards due to rehearsal, but if he does win he says, “I’ll just have to announce it to the string section and they’ll play ‘Over the Rainbow’ for me or something.” Wainwright also covered Brian Wilson’s “Wonderful” & “Song For Children” for a compilation album for War Child, an organization that helps war-affected children. Wilson handpicked Wainwright to cover his songs for the fund raising album and as Wainwright says, “When the king orders, you deliver.” The War Child compilation album, Heroes, hits stores February 24th. With shows, the Grammys and Heroes, it shouldn’t be too hard to check Rufus Wainwright out. So do your best to catch Wainwright somehow or somewhere this February. Tour dates: Rufus Wainwright: website | myspace  Written by: Bethany Related Posts |
| Posted: 19 Jan 2009 08:45 AM CST Sara Lov’s The Young Eyes is a lovely dream pop introduction to her music before she later releases a full-length record this year. Lov’s gentle vocals and her down-tempo piano melodies are sure to make her as successful as those ladies from the Hotel Cafe posse. Her piano skills shine on “Seasoned Eyes Were Beaming”. It is gorgeous the way she carries the bass line, but creeps up the keys. Though her original songs are well-written and arranged, Lov includes two covers on this EP. The first, a cover of Beck’s “Timebomb”, is more upbeat than her other songs, but too slow in her rendition to keep the repetitive lyrics from getting annoying. I’m not even sure this song worked well enough for Beck for it to be a worthy cover. Her other cover, however, features an Arcade Fire song. “My Body Is a Cage” is a better stylistic fit for Lov and her cover is beautifully crafted. Though the range is a bit low for her, the way she caresses the lyrics in a whispered-croon reminds me a lot of the hauntingly-lasting effect of Gary Jules‘ version of “Mad World”. Sara Lov - “Timebomb” (Beck) Sara Lov’s Young Eyes is digitally available now and will be physically released on January 20, 2009. Tracklisting: Written by: Bethany Related Posts |
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