Cover Songs

"[...] Supergroup News: Supergroup! Radiohead, Wilco, Smiths Team Up for Band, CD, Tour Supergroup? Introducing…Chickenfoot: Featuring ex-Van Halen,..."

New: Them Crooked Vultures–Best Supergroup Ever? | Music Vixen Blog

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Radiohead, Wilco, Smiths Collaborate on New Album

Published August 3rd, 2009 by Karen

ABOVE: 7 Worlds Collide live: Jeff Tweedy leads members of the Smiths and Radiohead through a cover of Radiohead’s “Fake Plastic Trees.”

It seems like an unlikely match, putting rootsy alt-country strummers Wilco together with increasingly experimental Brit-Rock noodlers Radiohead and iconic mopers the Smiths, but that is exactly what has happened during the recording sessions for the new album, The Sun Came Out.

The strange musical combination arises as part of the upcoming album by Continue reading »

"Based on their performance at Siren, I think I like the jammy direction they're going in... looking forward to the new album!"

Jason

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Built to Spill 2009 Tour Dates, New Album

Published July 23rd, 2009 by Karen

ABOVE: Built to Spill at Coney Island for the 2009 Siren Music Festival.

Fresh off of a week headlining big summer music festivals in Chicago (Pitchfork Music Festival) and Brooklyn (Siren Music Festival), Built to Spill is already adding dates to its 2009 tour, including shows with the Flaming Lips and four New York concerts that go on sale today at noon.

The bearded Idaho band’s latest album, You in Reverse, is in stores now. Slated for release later this year, the anticipated new album, There is No Enemy, is likely to reflect the band’s continued move away from simple song structures toward more free-flowing, almost jamband-like, movements-a sound that makes for hit-or-miss live shows that walk the line between rock concert and meandering jams. Hippie music for indie hipsters? Yeah, sort of.

BELOW: Elliott Smith covers a Built to Spill classic.

Built to Spill 2009 Tour Dates: Continue reading »

"happybert, Kris and some friends made the cd, it was not promoted by any record company. Kris never left Arkansas, he was completely undiscovered. Adam..."

jackson

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American Idol Michael Jackson Tribute Videos by Adam Lambert, Kris Allen

Published June 29th, 2009 by Karen

ABOVE: Idol Winner Kris Allen Performs Jackson’s “Remember the Time.”

In an effort to pay final tribute to the King of Pop, and make another buck on commercial sales, Fox is airing a special encore presentation/rerun of American Idol Season 8’s Michael Jackson night special. Odds are the snarky comments from the judges will be edited out of this airing of the show.

Idol fans may recall that during the MJ show, blind pianist/former judges’ fave Scott MacIntyre performed an obscure Michael Jackson number called, “Keep the Faith.” He said he picked the song because he wanted to do something artistic, which caused Simon to bluntly point out that, “It is fine being artistic, just not on this show.”

Good point, Simon. This is glorified karaoke, afterall. While the performances were met with mixed reviews by the judges, looking back at this performance special could be an interesting chance for fans to compare the performances of Idol winner Kris Allen and runner-up Adam Lambert.

The fact that Lambert is the runner-up is often overlooked, as his outgoing persona tends to overshadow Allen. However, word has recently surfaced that the two musical friends have expressed interest in recording together. Maybe they’ll make a great duo. American Idol’s tribute to Michael Jackson airs Monday, June 29 check local listings for times.

Before the show: Check out the complete list of all the Michael Jackson songs each of top 13 contestants will sing. There’s a good chance that these songs will become a big part of the upcoming 2009 Idols Live tour dates featuring this season’s top 10 contestants.

BELOW: Idol runner-up Adam Lambert sings Michael Jackson’s “Black or White.“ Continue reading »

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Tori Amos free “Maybe California” mp3 for Mother’s Day.

Published May 8th, 2009 by Karen

In case you forgot, Mother’s Day 2009 is May 10. Still don’t have a present? We’ve got you covered! Well, if your mom digs Tori Amos, that is…

In honor of Mother’s Day, Amos is giving away a free mp3 and video of her song “Maybe California,” from her upcoming album, Abnormally Attracted to Sin.

To go along with this gift, Tori has also posted a special, creepy video message delivered with her usual spaced-out voice and glazed over Stepford gaze. In the clip, Amos explains that she wanted to give a gift, “from one mother to another. I know these have been difficult times and sometimes I think you just need somebody to put their hand out, this song did that for me.”

Whatever that means. Maybe this song cures swine flu or something? Anyway, go grab Tori’s free “Maybe California” mp3 and tell us what you think of it.

We think the song is actually kind of a downer and might bum your mom out.

Some artists get mellower with age, but we think Tori has been getting odder lately– which is saying something.

The video at the top of the page is Tori in 2007 singing “Smells Like Teen Spirit” while dressed as Uncle Sam(?). After the jump, see Tori Continue reading »

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American Idol Top 13 Surprise? Tatiana Del Toro Loses, Again.

Published March 6th, 2009 by Karen

In a surprise twist that was likely missed by anyone attempting to watch last night’s American Idol on their DVR, a few seconds after the scheduled end of the show, the AI folks announced that they were going to select four wild card winners rather than three, as had been previously announced.

Basically, that means that this year’s Idol competition will start with the top 13, instead of the usual top 12.

Bad math? Apparently, this is what passes for drama these days. Yawn.

However, in what was surely the most surprising moment of Thursday’s Wild Card round of American Idol, Tatiana Del Toro was cut from the competition (again), after singing “Saving All My Love For You” (again). (Maybe she should’ve tried a new song?)

The drama queen who has become better known for her crying fits than her mediocre singing ability was cut from the competition in an earlier round, but was given a second chance at joining the competition.

While many (cynical) viewers expected the noisy Del Toro to be selected by the judges to stay in the contest, at least long enough to boost ratings, it was not to be. Del Toro was eliminated after her performance, although Paula Abdul awkwardly attempted to comfort the rejected singer by telling her that things weren’t over for her yet, and that maybe she could be an actress.

Or, maybe she can be a judge on a TV singing contest-you apparently don’t need any discernable talent to do that, either

Jasmine Murray, Megan Corkrey, Matt Giraud and Anoop Desai were the night’s big winners and will return for the next round of the competition along with the rest of the top 13.

Did the judges make a mistake by keeping predictable singers onboard and cutting singers with outrageous personalities like Del Toro, Norman Gentle and Nathaniel Marshall? Guess we’ll find out soon.

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American Idol Wild Card Winners Not Very Wild

Published March 5th, 2009 by Karen

To the surprise of no one, American Idol viewers voted Scott MacIntyre, Jorge Nunez and Lil Rounds into the top 12 last night.

Tonight’s episode of the show features the much dreaded wild card round wherein judges, not viewers, will select three more losers, uh, contestants to advance to the finals.

The most surprising part of the wild card round is that Norman Gentle won’t be back with his wild cabaret act, nor will the almost equally flamboyant Nathaniel Marshall and his silly haircut and ’80s fashion disasters.

The not-so-wild singers facing off during tonight’s wild card round are: Von Smith, Jasmine Murray, Ricky Brady, Megan Corkrey, Matt Girard, Jesse Langseth, Anoop Desai and, of course, Tatiana Del Toro.

Will this be the last we see of teary-eyed drama queen Del Toro? (She is the only person on Idol that cries more than Paula Abdul.) Or will the judges keep her around for ratings? We’re sure that the folks over at vote for the worst are already planning to make Del Toro the new Idol champ if she makes it to the next round.

Maybe Del Toro will finally realize that she’s only around because she’s a joke, and show up sporting a Sanjaya pony-hawk.

Guess we’ll find out tonight.

So far, the remaining contestants are pretty forgettable. Hopefully, things will get better as the contest progresses, but we’re not holding our breath.

This show has really gone downhill lately, and the addition of a fourth worthless judge hasn’t helped matters (Kara DioGuardi, we’re looking at you).

Then again, all of these dull contestants are probably more exciting than Season 7 runner-up David Archuleta.

Yawn.

Are you excited about this season of Idol?

Leave a comment and tell us who you think will win American Idol Season 8.

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Scarlett Johansson Sings, Ruins a Jeff Buckley Song. We blame Bill Murray.

Published January 28th, 2009 by Karen

Oh, for crying out loud, will someone please take the microphone away from Scarlett Johansson?!

Sure, she’s pretty when she’s all dolled up with her bleached out hair and anemic complexion, but someone needs to stop telling this girl she can sing—because she cannot.
We could also argue that she’s a bad actress (um, Black Dahlia? Vicky Cristina Barcelona?), but we’ll save that for another time.

In this age of digitally corrected popstars singing like boring robots, there is almost something commendable about singing in public despite any discernable talent. Almost.

Last year, Johansson released her debut album, Anywhere I Lay My Head, a misguided collection of Tom Waits cover songs, whose only noteworthy trait was that David Bowie sang backing vocals on one of the songs. Of course, far be it from the Thin White Duke to turn down the request of a pretty young actress.

Now, Johansson is at it again with a cover of a Jeff Buckley song that will be included on the soundtrack of what is sure to be one of the most horrible chick flicks ever unleashed upon mankind: He’s Just Not That Into You. A movie based on a book that was inspired by a line from Sex & the City? Run. Run now. Continue reading »

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Scarlett Johansson Wedding a Publicity Stunt Because Her Album Stinks?

Published May 7th, 2008 by Karen

The announcement of Scarlett Johansson’s engagement to actor Ryan Reynolds is a happy occasion, we guess. But, we can’t help think the timing is just a little too Hollywood perfect.

News of the pale blond one’s betrothed status hit the web just as negative reviews of her album, Anywhere I Lay My Head, and lead single “Falling Down” mp3, began to emerge. There is also a boring video for the boring song, here.

Given that a large number of listeners have panned the inexplicable album of Tom Waits covers, maybe Reynolds popped the question just to make his girl feel better? Or to take some of the attention off of her horrible record and redirect it to her shiny new diamond ring?

Perhaps this engagement is merely a consolation prize for having released such a horrible album?

Then again, Johannson’s beau may not be the best judge of music—afterall, he was formerly engaged to Alanis Morissette, AKA, the most annoying female singer ever to sell a zillion albums. (Remember her Dave Coullier-bashing hit, “You Oughta Know” mp3? Ick.)

Anyway, you can see Scarlett’s lovely new engagement ring, here. Rumor has it that Beatle-spawn Stella McCartney wants to design Johansson’s wedding gown when the time comes.

If you like to look at trainwrecks, check out reviews and listen to Scarlett’s album here.

What Do You Think?
Is the announcement of Scarlett’s engagement meant to distract attention from her singing? Leave a comment and tell us what you think!

"Are you nuts? That album is fantastic, I've never heard something as original."

Sofie

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Scarlett Johansson Album Sucks More Than Ashlee Simpson? Wow.

Published April 24th, 2008 by Karen

Actress/singer (?)Scarlett Johansson’s debut album, Anywhere I Lay My Head, doesn’t officially hit shelves until May 20, but thanks to the wonders of the internet, you can hear it all now.

While there are places where you can (ahem, illegally) download the whole album, for a legal preview check the official site featuring clips of all eleven of the album’s tracks.

Or don’t bother.

On film, Johansson’s smoky rasp is typically on the border between being seductive and asthmatic. Unfortunately, as a singing voice, it’s less smoky jazz club and more Velvet Underground featuring Nico. Of course, that’s fine if you’re one of those people who pretends to admire Nico’s gruff monotone, but you’re only fooling yourself.

If you don’t already know the details on this project, it’s basically Johansson releasing an album of musician/actor Tom Waits songs. (She did co-author one track, “Song for Jo”.)

Yeah, we’re not sure who wants to hear this either. Maybe the indie-rock dorks who are stoked about Natalie Portman hooking up with obnoxious neo-folkie Devendra Banhart? Who knows.

And, we’re not usually quick to defend crumby pop-stars, but seriously, even Ashlee Simpson co-writes some of her own songs on her new album Bittersweet World. Her contributions are likely minimal compared to those of her songwriting team, and yes, those songs suck a lot of the time, but at least it’s an illusion of effort.
An album of cover songs is a cop-out. A sure-fire way to fail, but in a noble fashion.

If you’re going to do cover songs, it’s cool to pick a solid artist like Waits, but there’s nothing remotely fun or likable about this dirge of an album—it’s respectable, but scarcely enjoyable.

Tom Waits is a well-respected artist relegated to the fringe, and albums by actors are essentially novelty items to start with (watch as William Shatner sings “Rocket Man”)—so combining an actor with the overly novel idea of a cover song album is either brilliant or ridiculously alienating.

Guess we’ll find out when the album hits the charts (or doesn’t) next month.

Tell Us What You Think…

Who is a better singer: Scarlett or Ashlee? Leave a comment and tell us what you think!

"[...] in-demand songwriter, Tedder has also written hit songs for everyone from newcomers Leona Lewis and Jordin Sparks to superstar Jennifer [...]"

New Kelly Clarkson Song Admittedly “Ripped Off” from a Beyonce Hit | Music Vixen Blog

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Who is Leona Lewis? And Why Are Bleeding Love Lyrics So Horrible?

Published April 16th, 2008 by Karen

Leona Lewis seems to be everywhere lately, but we have to wonder: Who cares?

This fake star was the 2006 winner of the X Factor, the UK talent show that spawned American Idol. After winning the show, she recorded an album and won a cheerleader in judge Simon Cowell.

While everything Cowell touches seems to turn gold, the fact remains: He has AWFUL taste in music.

Lewis is being touted as the UK’s version of Mariah Carey, which is frightening. (For those who don’t keep up with the blog regularly, suffice to say we like Mariah’s soulless vocal acrobatics about as much as we like paper cuts).

Sure, the 23-year-old pop star wannabe is bound to seem a little fake, since she’s the winner of a TV talent show, but Lewis is so made-up she barely seems human. Her bad hair, Pussycat Doll/drag queen make-up, blinding lipgloss and fake orange tan make her look like the “before” picture of one of Tyra Banks’s Top Model makeovers.

Lead single, “Bleeding Love,” features every vocal gimmick Mariah ever used all crammed into a few minutes of bad pop. And the cheesy lyrics certainly don’t make this tripe any easier to swallow. Did we mention that the music sounds like it was made using a cheap-o Casio keyboard? Classy.

Regardless, Lewis’s over-hyped debut album, Spirit, is set to debut at the top of the charts in the US—a first for a British songstress.

We really hope Amy Winehouse cleans up her act so she can prove that Brit girls are capable of making good music, unlike this pre-fab pop garbage.