This year, we’ll start with the notable debuts. Or, more appropriately, the notable debut (singular). I listen to a great deal of music every year, and even this only scratches the surface of a solitary droplet in the oceans of new material released, so I should preface this with the disclaimer that there may indeed be other, excellent debuts that I’ve missed. If there are any that you know about, I encourage you to leave that information in the comments section below, and I’ll check it out asap.
That being said, the award for best debut of 2011 goes to Yuck, a band that I picked up because I thought the album cover was kind of cool and quirky. At first, I was hesitant, as this is low-fi, distortion-heavy garage rock. However, tracks like “Suicide Policeman” gave me a shock and all but dared me to listen more carefully and not find substance. By the second listen, I was taken with Yuck’s raw but purposeful style, and it is without reservations that I pass them along to you here.
Mullins is a distinctive songwriter, steeped in tradition but indisputably original, and he assembles a keenly woven set of tracks in Light You Up — still, there is something tauntingly brief about Matthew Sweet’s appearance on “California.” (You petered out after your debut, so mull it over: an electric Thorns album would be sweet!)
Hello and welcome to another all-new week of cover song music videos at the Laptop Sessions! This promises to be a good week, because not only will there be new Monday and Tuesday videos, but I will also be publishing my review of the new Weezer album.
And, trust me, that one will be a doozie…
For now, though, let’s focus on the present. Tonight’s video is a song that I came across quite randomly on my iTunes, intending to listen to it only to test out a theory I have about how the “skip count” works on the software. From the first few moments of the song, I was immediately interested in it. As the song continued to play out, I picked up my guitar and began working the chords out. Then, after listening to it a dozen times this weekend, I was ready to record my session tonight.
The song I am referring to is Beck’s “Canceled Check,” the fourth track from his 1998 album Mutations. I suppose you could say that this was dumb luck that I stumbled across this song, but I truly knew within the first thirty seconds of hearing this song for the first time that it would make a fun cover song music video. The album as a whole is actually very enjoyable, blending strong acoustic guitar and harmonica elements with more experimental sounds, such as the confusion that closes this track. For my session, I enlisted a little help and am excited to present an “experimental” ending of my own. (I hope you enjoy it!)
This music video also has the virtue of being one of the very few, if not the ONLY, Laptop Sessions that I’ve completed in one recorded take. Granted, I spent a good deal of time practicing, but still…
In other personal music news, I recently sent a reply email to the Fruit Bats, commenting about their excellent performance on the Craig Ferguson show (the Fruit Bats mailing sent out the link to view it) and their excellent album. I wrote, “I’ve been listening since “Spelled in Bones,” but the new album has me spellbound and officially a BIG fan. Again, thank you for what is easily one of the top 5 best albums of the year!!! (and I’ve bought almost 30 new albums this year already, so I feel like I have some perspective!)”
The reply? Well, I wasn’t so much expecting a reply as I was just simply compelled to write this feedback. I write so many music reviews here, and particularly for a band as under the radar as the Fruit Bats, I just had to try sending my words out to them.
I did get a reply, and I’m grateful to whoever decided to send it. However, it made me feel like I was in high school again. The response read, “Wow — thanks Chris!”
And, yup, this suddenly reminded me of the reply of several girls to whom I confessed my affection for. It’s kind of like that moment when someone says “I love you” to someone else, and that person replies by thanking them.
Anyway, I really was happy to get a reply. Most bands that I listen to wouldn’t take the time to do even that. Coming from someone who has been in a band that worked overtime for not so much return, though, I would have been compelled to say something more in reply…
Still love their album. 🙂
Without further ado, I hope that you enjoy my take on “Canceled Check.” I certainly enjoyed recording it — in fact, I had more fun learning and recording this song than I have had in a good long time.
Hello and welcome to another all-new Laptop Session! Today is a special treat for me, as I’ve finally summoned up the courage to sing one of my favorite Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers songs. Is it a classic like “Free Fallin’”? Well, maybe not. Is it a great album cut like “A Woman in Love (It’s Not Me)”? Um, no, but I’ll probably cover that one in the future.
This is my version of “Rhino Skin” off of the 1999 Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers album Echo. I’ve covered the title track previously (click here to listen!), and I had so much fun doing it (and such a response — it’s my #3 most viewed video!!) that I had to record another one from this album.
As a final note, I’m eagerly awaiting the April 29th release of Mudcrutch, the self-titled debut from Tom Petty’s recently-reformed high school band. I can’t wait!!
For now, though, I’ll look forward to the more instant gratification of the “session-a-day” project at www.guitarbucketlist.com …
