i'll cover youuu

hey there.

i've been browsing music lately, some undeservingly obscure artists i like,some runners up of our (at least previously) always awaited show American Idol.

as they progress through the show, they can't sing their own compositions every time, so they do covers. i listened back to these old covers, listened to the originals, and savoured it. some were a welcome deviation. some were like soundalike tributes. some total reinventions. any of which could be delicious ear candy or horrible earsplitters.

yes ladies and gentlemen, COVERS!

for those who might not know, covers are songs sung by artists that are not of their own composition or property. the most popular cover artist that i know of now being New Found Glory (unfortunately they don't seem to have an official site), famous for rocked out renditions of oldies such as I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing, Kiss Me, and others from their cover albums From the Screen to Your Stereo I and II.

but enough background, back to my reactions.

i was listening to these former Idol contestants, and some of my well-loved artists singing covers. they were fantastic. either reinvented or classically done, there's a certain little tinge of themselves they stamp on it to distinguish it from the original. i mean, if it was exactly like the first, why would anyone want to listen to it right?

try r&b to jazz in Corinne Bailey Rae's version of Sexyback , or more popular is David Cook's Billie Jean (it took me quite a while to recognize it as a michael jackson piece) or even Brooke White's You're So Vain

there's bunches more but sometimes it takes just a little bit of research and patience to find them.


but, ladies and gentlemen, nothing is ever all good. as much as i enjoyed having such music as accompaniment to my daily routines, there are some covers i just can't stand.

one example is Princess. when i first heard her rendition of Single Ladies, i was horrified. i mean, Single Ladies is clearly bannered a dance song, a beat song, something Beyonce shook her booty to in her advancing choreographies. then this girl, Princess, rips it out of that Single Ladies is a dun dance song. removing the beat and the fun, it was just plain boring. or at least that's my opinion.

of course, ripping a song from its original label can be good, like David Cook's Billie Jean, but risky. THere are only two ways it can go, lauded as an awesome inspired idea or stoned as a blasphemous noise on the original. or maybe in words not so violent :D


well anyway, it's all to one's tast, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

but there's my stand on covers. it's always fun to see what an artist will do with a tried and tested song. the result will not always be pleasing, but it WILL always be interesting.


got any cool cover songs you'd like to share? post them and any opinions - agreements or violent reactions in the comments. we're sure to reply.

i

Let's hear it, yo!

i: Hey Abby! I finally saw Body Language, it's so cool! Not one of my favorites but it's jesse mccartney all the same, I have to support my boyfriend! Ha-ha!

a: Boyfriend? He's my fiance. Ha-ha, kidding! Well, do you have any new song to share?

i: Yeah! Unrehearsed.

a: Let me guess, it's by Jesse Mccartney, isn't it?

i: Of course, I love it! It seems so straight from the heart although he didn't write it but his voice gives it emotion. I also downloaded some old songs.

a: Oh, good. Let's deviate from Jesse Mccartney! Did you already hear the Empire State of Mind? In New York, Concrete jungles where dreams are made of, there's nothing you can't do!

i: Yah! I love Alicia Keys' part, she's really so amazing, and it's so cool to have a song about where you are from.

a: Alright! Let's make a song about La Union, Let's hear it for La Union! Ha-ha!

i: Cool, with your talent, we sure can!

a: Thanks!

La la la la la la la la..... La Union!

The Hourglass Band!

When I first heard the name, I thought the band would be the ones with trumpets, harps. Like in an orchestra. But I was wrong, very wrong, this band which played in our Juniors-Seniors Promenade, is composed of six persons - 2 vocals, 1 bass guitar, 1 lead guitar, 1 drummer, 1 pianist.

I liked the voice of the lady, it can change ranges! Actually, the pianist sings too. The band members were talented. They seem nice too! They said that they graduated from Saint Louis College High School and they have experienced their Prom at the very gym where they were playing. So cool! One negative comment though, they played many modern songs and many students got "bitin" because it seeemed that the sweet songs are not enough, many ladies still hoped while some gents chanted "sayang." Other than that, they played good.

Wen I tried to google their band, I've come up with wrong results. There are I think many bands called HourGlass. I hope they will be famous! They are good and they were once Louisians.

Most importantly, they have made our night more memorable and life-changing because of the wonderful music that they have provided.

the love song

i here.

i was watching a musical a few days ago and i realized how far music had gone. from classic orchestra to big band to jazz to swing to rock n roll and hiphop.

a posted some stuff a while ago about different genres of music, and the seeming insignificance of nationalistic music. speaking of music being trodden over, i think i know what has taken its place.

love songs.

dear friends turn on the radio. i bet it's a love song. after the next five songs, one about life, about strife, a dance dance song, about anything in between but sure enough after that is another love song.

they come in all genres too - rap, opera, pop, rnb, hiphop, you name it.
some sound authentic, some totally not (which is more often than the authentic ones today unfortunately)

frankly, i'm not so impressed with the love song.

there's just sucha flood of it, and i believe music is supposed to evoke emotion, and some songs just don't do that. don't get me wrong, there are some really tingly feely ones still but there are some that are just cheap excuses for songs with a good beat.

oops, this became a rant, sorry!

still, i beliebve there is hope for the love song. looking at my music library, some people have real talent and i hope more of that comes out in the future.

s'all for now seeya!

-i

Why don't they prioritize nationalistic songs?

Yeah, I know. Boring. Oldies. ETC.

Whatever they say, nationalistic songs still rock! Ha-ha. I just have just thought about it, these are songs depicting our country people's pride, feelings, devotions, and love for the Philippines.

However, I find it hard to find these kind of songs in music stores, be it the originals or the minus one copies. Why oh why? Didn't they think that still, many people need to listen to this kind of music. Even for different reasons.

Especially for cultural gatherings, during Buwan ng Wika for example, it's so difficult to find minus one copies for Sayawit (Contemporary Song and Dance).

Well, I just find this happening annoying.

Different Music Trips

Everyone of us can have different moods at different times. The mood you're in could be happy (just happy for whatever reason), excited (because you really wanna read our post, haha), guilty (you're not yet through with your research paper yet you're already visiting your FB), sad (you're not just in the mood to smile), hyper (you're having an overdose of enervon, well that's exaggerating).

Some people relate music to the moods of other people. It's funny how genre of songs can describe a person exaggeratedly or nonsenselessly (are there such words?). Some steoreotypes in the different genres are not fair. To know more about what we're talking about. Just read. :)

1. Emo
-"P're, na-e-emo ako." Students tend to use this word when they feel sad, then in timing, sing "because tonight will be the night that i will fall for you, over again" while thinking of the one who's making his/her feel emo-ish. Emos are generally described in one word with three letters- sad, sad, sad.

2. Novelty
-"I-giling giling mo hanggang matunaw ang taba". A group of teenagers will practice a dance number. Then one will joke, "yung kay willy na lang isayaw natin, sayaw darling", followed by a chorus of giggles. Novelty songs are often thought of as korni. :) peace.

3. Classic Instrumentals
-or even with the singer. (Intro of Careless Whisper, playing). Some students (immature ones) will glance at each other then laugh. (Intro of Wonderful Tonight). Jokers will dance in a flirty kind of way. These are great classics, the instrumentalists are good. It's on how people depict the songs.

Backmasking - creepy 0_o

Backmasking (also known as backward masking) is a recording technique in which a sound or message is recorded backward onto a track that is meant to be played forward. Backmasking is a deliberate process, whereas a message found through phonetic reversal may be unintentional.

Backmasking was popularized by The Beatles, who used backward vocals and instrumentation in recording their 1966 album Revolver. Artists have since used backmasking for artistic, comedic, and satiric effect, on both analog and digital recordings. The technique has also been used to censor words or phrases for "clean" releases of songs.

Backmasking has been a controversial topic in the United States since the 1980s, when allegations from Christian groups of its use for Satanic purposes were made against prominent rock musicians, leading to record-burning protests and proposed anti-backmasking legislation by state and federal governments. Whether backmasked messages exist is in debate, as is whether backmasking can be used subliminally to affect listeners.

Development

In 1877 Thomas Edison invented the phonograph, a device that allowed sound to be recorded and reproduced on a rotating cylinder with a stylus (or "needle") attached to a diaphragm mounted at the narrow end of a horn. Emile Berliner invented the familiar lateral-cut disc phonograph record in 1888. His design overtook the Edison phonograph in the 1920s, since Berliner's patent expired in 1918, and others were then free to utilize his invention.

In addition to recreating recorded sounds by placing the stylus on the cylinder or disc and rotating it in the same direction as during the recording, one could hear different sounds by rotating the cylinder or disc backwards. In 1878 Edison noted that, when played backwards, "the song is still melodious in many cases, and some of the strains are sweet and novel, but altogether different from the song reproduced in the right way".[4] The backwards playing of records was advised as training for magicians by occultist Aleister Crowley, who suggested in his 1913 book Magick (Book 4) that an adept "train himself to think backwards by external means", one of which was to "listen to phonograph records, reversed."

The 1950s saw the development of musique concrète, an avant-garde form of electronic music which involves editing together fragments of natural and industrial sounds, and the concurrent spread of the use of tape recorders in recording studios. These two trends led to tape music compositions, composed on tape using techniques including reverse tape effects.

The Beatles, who incorporated the techniques of concrète into their recordings, were responsible for popularizing the concept of backmasking. Singer John Lennon and producer George Martin both claim they discovered the backward recording technique during the recording of 1966's Revolver; specifically the album tracks "Tomorrow Never Knows" and "I'm Only Sleeping," and the single "Rain". Lennon stated that, while under the influence of marijuana, he accidentally played the tapes for "Rain" in reverse, and enjoyed the sound. The following day he shared the results with the other Beatles, and the effect was used first in the guitar solo for "Tomorrow Never Knows", and later in the coda of "Rain".According to Martin, the band had been experimenting with changing the speeds of and reversing the "Tomorrow Never Knows" tapes, and Martin got the idea of reversing Lennon's vocals and guitar, which he did with a clip from "Rain". Lennon then liked the effect and kept it. Regardless, "Rain" was the first song to feature a backmasked message: "Sunshine … Rain … When the rain comes, they run and hide their heads" ; the last line is the reversed first verse of the song).
If you want to know more about Backmasking and the messages obtained through it, visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_backmasked_messages

Personally, we think that these back masked messages could be possibly intended to communicate with our subconscious. We know that different people have different ways of expressing things, whether positive or not. But sometimes, it's really just a conspiracy theory you decide. Sometimes, people tend to hear what they want to hear or make their imagination flare. It depends on the people, on the listeners.