7QT: An Extended Respite

I recently turned in my final assignment of the semester and so I get to enjoy a bit of a longer break than normal before my coursework resumes in the summer. Thankful for the opportunity to catch a deep breath, I celebrated in my own little way by replaying some new songs (new to me, at least) that I've grown fond of in the past couple of months. Below is a snapshot of my trip down memory lane.

1. School of Seven Bells

I first heard of School of Seven Bells on the All Songs Considered show following the Paris bombings of last November. I enjoyed their style of atmospheric dream pop but kept them shelved until their latest album, SVIIB, dropped this February. When I heard their opening cut, whose music video was released just a week ago, I was instantly hooked and simultaneously disheartened at the fact that this would be their last release given the loss of instrumentalist Benjamin Curtis to cancer in 2013.

"Ablaze" by School of Seven Bells

Covers Set #4: Quarterly Report

A while back when I was biking home from class I got to thinking about a cover, and then another, and then another... and so decided to do another countdown. Hope you enjoy!

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(#20) "Overkill (Men at Work Cover)" by Colin Hay

Ok, this one isn't so much a cover since Scottish singer-songwriter Colin Hay was the former vocalist of the pop-rock band Men at Work. The band formed in Austrailia in 1979 and is best known for their homage to the homeland "Down Under." In 1986, the band broke up and Colin Hay pursued a successful solo carrer. He's been known to re-record songs he composed himself (like "Overkill") and some of these recordings find their way into popular programming (like Scrubs).

Listen to the cover (studio) here.
Listen to the original here.

Feeling replaced

So I just got my hands on some personal live performances that I'd like to upload, and I thought I'd let the masses know here. I'm just posting one video here, but you should check out the blog's YouTube channel for more.

Just the other night (Thursday) I performed at a quaint and chic open mic. I started off with one of my all-time favorite songs: "Left of the Dial" by The Replacements. The song itself is a heartfelt ode to college radio and life on the road. I've grown to have a personal attachment to the tune, as it has played a significant role on various occasions as the backing soundtrack to various life-changing moments in the past few months.

"Left of the Dial (Cover)" by Kelvin

Listen to the original here.
Listen to a 1989 live performance here.
Listen to a 1993 live performance here.
Listen to a 1996 live performance here.

The Feast of St. Valentine

Happy Valentine's Day!

Unfortunately, I have an exam this evening that I am diligently studying for, but I still wanted to pass on my favorite song about the season: "Valentine" by The Replacements. There are several recorded versions of this song out there: the original studio, a rough mix on Boink!!!, countless live bootlegs...

My favorite version happens to be the studio demo on the 2008 reissue of Pleased to Meet Me. If you're musically inclined, you can try to learn how to play this song (more or less) and serenade that special someone on this special day.

But hurry!!! There's less than 20 hours left!!!

Picking valentines,
Kelvin

Pepsi should have hired these guys

As I stated in my last post, I first heard The Replacements through Rock Band 2, which featured one of their songs. It was catchy and I probably played it 3 or 4 times before Christmas Break 2008 was over. A few months went by and I got into the habit of watching King of the Hill. After the upteenth episode, I was curious to find out who played that rockin' intro (curiously called "Yahoos and Triangles"). The credits at the end were flashing pretty fast, but I was able to make out the artist: The Refreshments.

I thought that The Refreshments was "that one band from Rock Band," so I decided to check them out because "now they had two cool songs." My search led me to the album Fizzy Fuzzy Big & Buzzy and I started listening to it from the beginning. A few seconds into "Blue Collar Suicide" I thought, "This sounds... different." Halfway into the song, I thought, "I don't think this is the same band." By the time "European Swallow" started, I had already determined the distinction online. Nonetheless, I continued listening, because I liked what I heard.

Out with the old, in with...

... The Replacements! The Replacements formed in late-70's Minneapolis, Minnesota. Switching from hard rock to punk rock, they released a demo in mid-1980. Twin/Tone liked their sound and agreed to sign them; they released Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash in 1981. This and the Stink EP were hardcore punk-influenced, but their second album Hootenanny (1983) showed a progression towards more mature songwriting.