Music: Songs from District 12 and Beyond

I just watched the Hunger Games movie today and I have to say it was spectacular. Gary Ross did a phenomenal job directing this story of  strong emotion to a movie of actors and actresses with equally strong emotion. You see deeper meanings in tiny glimpses of the characters’ minds that go beyond senseless violence and action like in many other movies. It was a very well done film. A very fast paced, heart pounding film that was faithful to Suzanne Collin’s work.

What also makes a movie is the soundtrack. We were so excited and bought the CD in the deluxe edition at Target for $11.99. All we can say about the soundtrack was that it was not quite worth $12 and there was nothing too deluxe about it. The whole soundtrack was very morose and somber, with themes of darkness, perseverance, and hope which are all part of the theme of the “Hunger Games”. The songs are great to listen to if it accompanies the movies, but not so riveting when listening to it on its own.

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Viral Video Friday: North Korean Musicians Play A-ha!

These students are jamming A-ha’s classic “Take On Me” with their accordions.  Surprisingly, these music students are from the Kum Song school in North Korea and, as you know, North Korea is known for other things.

Music: Somebody That I Used to Know = What Music Can Be

The quality of pop songs in America has gone down in the years, with the younger generation enjoying more music about clubbing, drinking, and having multiple lovers. Wouter “Wally” De Backer, a Belgian-Australian musician addresses this downward trend in an interview. Clubbing songs are nice and fun but it can get tiring and played out. Artists that sing and write about partying and drinking, dominate the charts and rule over the radio waves with listeners brainwashed into believing what their definition of life is. Gotye and Kimbra’s song “Somebody that I Used to Know ft Kimbra” written by Gotye, peaked at #1 in Australia for eight weeks straight and ranked amongst the top 5 in U.S Billboard Hot 100. Their song speaks loudly and differently from mainstream, overplayed pop songs of the recent years. Singing about the complexities of regret, sadness, and longing after a relationship has ended, it is a clear reminder of what many songs lack these days.

Here is a video of their song “Somebody I Used to Know”

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Music: Converse’s “Three Artists One Song” Project

FeatureHow awesome is this idea? Converse’s “3 Artists 1 Song” project brings together 3 different artists to create a brand spankin’ new thing of beauty. Not only that, Converse then offers FREE DOWNLOADS of each track. Check the links below the vids to get your music fix!

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The newest: Gorillaz + Andre 3000 + LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy = DoYaThing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6FUkgFuJ4I

Download here

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Music: Aussie Imports – The Veronicas

The “Down Under” has imported great musical pop groups and singers like INXS and Kylie Minogue to the US.  One pop act that has not crossed over just yet, these twin sisters hailing from Brisbane – Jessica and Lisa Origliasso, make up the pop rock group The Veronicas.

In 2005 – The Veronicas released their debut album – “The Secret Life of …”. The LP won me over with a great mix of pop rock beats, up-tempo rifts, and a mixture of pop ballads.  In 2007, the second album was released – Hook Me Up.  For me it wasn’t a great album, even though they had 4 top ten singles on the Aussie charts.  I think they fell in love with the drum machines and that off-putting electro-pop genre.

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Music: SynthPop Returns with HURTS

In the 80s – SynthPop drove pop music in the UK and Europe with the likes of the Pet Shop Boys, Depeche Mode, New Order, Erasure, Human League, Thompson Twins, etc.  Ever wonder what it would sound like today?

From the UK, the duo of Theo Hutchcraft and Adam Anderson make up HURTS.  They have not made it across the pond over to the US yet, but everybody should listen to them.  They use a mixture of uptempo beats and pop dance sounds.

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Music: Why Depeche Mode Rocks Even More Now

Are you feeling down and out?  It’s not a good week?  Well, take a look at this music vid on YouTube.  After watching this – it should put a smile on your face.  Dicken Schrader and his two kids – Milah & Korben play and sing classic Depeche Mode songs.

Depeche ModeEverything Counts video by Dicken ft Milah & Korben:

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Making A List: Top 40 Cartoon Songs

Art by J. Scott Campbell

I have to say some of the coolest pop songs in 1980s and early 1990s were from cartoon TV shows.  Every once in awhile, I can be humming along these cartoon theme songs.  Thanks to YouTube now, everybody gets a chance to relive the experience and do some karaoke cartoon show tunes.  So, here’s my Top 40 list of the best cartoon theme songs from 1980s thru the early 1990s.

1.  Saber Rider & The Star Sheriffs – There’s no better chessy glamrock song than Saber Rider & The Star Sheriffs.

2. Jem & The Holograms was truly outrageous.

3. Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers – “no guts, no glory!”  The theme song makes me want to do some electric air guitar.

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Music: Kaskade BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix

Kaskade BBC Radio1 Essential Mix

Whenever the subject of good music comes up – I think of Kaskade.  He’s the hottest DJ/Remixer/Producer on the planet right now.  I love his big stadium sounds – he knows to how get people onto the dancefloor.  Kaskade was recently on BBC Radio1’s Essential Mix program and he did an amazing 2 hour set.  Check out the Playlist Set.

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