Tag Archives: chris moore

“…Baby One More Time” (An Cover of the Fountains of Wayne rock cover of the Britney Spears pop song)

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By Chris Moore:

Mwa-ha-ha… And a good EVE to all joining me on this FRIGHTENING 31st of October, 2008.  This is All Hollow’s…

EVE!

And I think that, tonight, the title pretty much says it all.  What could be scarier, as Jim asked last night, than Chris Moore covering a Britney Spears song?  Well, I can’t think of anything off the top of my head.  In my defense, I’m not exactly doing a Britney Spears cover.  Technically, this is a cover of the Fountains of Wayne arrangement of Britney’s hit single, first released on their “Out-of-State Plates” album, a collection of non-album tracks and previously unreleased material.  Now, these collections are usually hit-and-miss, but this is actually a really good one.  There’s a couple of new tracks (one of which, “The Girl I Can’t Forget,” is one of my favorites from them), some great live stuff (including a rare better-than-the-studio-album version of “She’s Got A Problem”), and crazy tracks like this, their arrangement of the classic “Hit me baby one more time!”

So, I know you can’t wait to listen, and I certainly want to rush back to the big Fusco-Moore Experience All Hallow’s Eve bash, with special guest (and Richard Simmons impersonator) Mike Fusco!  He really went all out — I’m talking head-to-toes, red tank top labeled “PUMPkin’ and SWEATin,’” leggings to disguise leg hair, and amazingly 80’s-esque velcro sneakers.  Thankfully, Jim and Becky have changed out of their terrifying, horrifying costumes… as Jim said, they wanted to be the scariest people he could think of… namely, John McCain and Sarah Palin.  Meanwhile, I’ve had a sudden urge to manage a beet farm and shun my co-workers (if you’re not an Office fan, I was Dwight Schrute tonight).  And, yes — it’s true: as part of his tip, I left our On the Border waiter a Schrute Buck.  He earned it for actually ensuring that the chips and salsa were bottomless.  With five hungry people at the table, this was no easy task!

In related news, we’re all too tired to record the Halloween WCJM show we had planned on doing, but I have the song list that I would have recommended to the boys (in reverse order):

6)  “Long Black Veil” – the Band’s version; not a halloween song per say, but a creepy one;

5)  “Heroes and Villains” – Brian Wilson’s SMiLE track; good for Halloween costumes;

4)  “Reflective Smile” – a Moody Blues poem set to music that begins “Your painted smile hides you…”;

3)  “Ninjas” – the Barenaked Ladies song from their new album that ends “If you take off their masks, they’ll be smiling”;

2)  “Brilliant Disguise” – classic Bruce Springsteen; again, not a Halloween song, but speaks for itself;

and…

1)  “Werewolves of London” – the quintessential Warren Zevon Halloween-worthy tune!!

For some reason, I’m filled with things I want to keep writing about, but we’re about to kick back and watch a flick — possibly North by Northwest.  Not exactly a scary movie, but a classic nonetheless.

I’ll leave you with a challenge to Jeff that Jim initiated last night — come on, Jeff, joing us in lady land.  And I’m not making a Jimi Hendrix reference.  No, I’m referring to the fact that this is my third cover song in a row that was originally sung by a female singer, and Jim shared an incredible Diana Ross interpretation.  Jump on the bandwagon!

Regardless of the gender of the sessions, more amaze-za-zing videos by Jeff and Jim are in the archive.

See you next session!

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“It All Comes Around” (Chris Moore) – Original Wednesday

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By Chris Moore:

At long last, here it is…

…an acoustic performance of the debut single from The 2010 Project!

The title of the album is a bit misleading, as it was only just released in July 2011, but the concept of the album is that of rebuilding and reassessing, venting anger and achieving forward motion.  For me, the year 2010 was a 365-day-long process of accepting that which I couldn’t change and grabbing hold of all that truly mattered.  This extended to all realms: personal, professional, music, reading, and more.

The 2010 Project represents the culmination of a year’s worth of ideas and conflicts and hopes, all wrapped up inside twelve songs (and a hidden track…), produced by someone who has believed in me and my music since my very first album, One Step Behind the Finish Line.  In fact, there’s an interesting cyclic feeling about the fact that Mike Fusco was the producer/mixer on One Step and has now produced my most recent album — the first for Em Eff Records — The 2010 Project.

“It All Comes Around,” like my previous video a couple weeks ago (“You Will Thank Me”), was written near the end of the sessions for the album.  In fact, I believe “It All Comes Around” was the final song I wrote, and I know it bumped not one but two songs off from the original track listing.  It was originally slotted lower, but got bumped up to track four and has taken lead role as the first single from the album.  Of course, I say “single,” but I’m not sure what that exactly means anymore.  I suppose what I mean is that this is the first song I would play someone from the album, and it is the one that works to my strengths — acoustic guitar and harmonica.

What I will say, also, is that this is perhaps the most difficult song on the album to perform live.  I think this is true because of the specific harmonica part and the rapid-fire lyrics.  In fact, listening back to this video now as I’m posting it, I realize that I can definitely play it better live now than even a few weeks ago.  By the time I perform it live, I’ll have it down even better.

That’s the plan, at least.  🙂

So, without further ado, I give you “It All Comes Around,” and I remind you that, if you like it, you should visit www.ChrisMooreMusic.com and go to the Store link.  The album is currently streaming online for anyone to listen to, and of course, to buy if they like it enough…

See you next session!

More from the Laptop Sessions

Mumford & Sons’ “Sigh No More” – The Weekend Review

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By Chris Moore:

RATING:  3.5 / 5 stars

Critics and fans alike have been talking about Mumford & Sons an awful lot this year, more than any other new artist with the obvious exception of Justin Bieber.  But…

Do I even need to explain why these two cannot and should not be compared?

While I haven’t contributed my voice to the Sigh No More fanfare, there is no question that, out of those nominated, they deserve the “New Artist” Grammy.  On their debut album, the band has established a characteristic sound that is both unique and rooted in traditional music.  At times, as on “Little Lion Man,” it is clear that this is a contemporary band, their music unlike what you’ve heard before.  At others, as on “Timshel,” it’s as though you’re listening to a weathered pub band run through a traditional ballad they’ve played a hundred times before.

What is perhaps most remarkable about Mumford & Sons is how much attention they have gained for a band that relies on such strongly acoustic arrangements.  Unlike others this year, like Phil Selway who went acoustic in a stripped-down, melancholy manner, Mumford & Sons have managed to add verve to what might otherwise be a gritty, folky aura.

One listen to a track like “Dust Bowl Dance” will reveal a blurring of the lines between what is acoustic and what is rock music.  Certainly, the term “acoustic rock” and its connotative effects do not properly express “Dust Bowl Dance.”

Sigh No More (Mumford & Sons, 2010)

Sigh No More (Mumford & Sons, 2010)

Elsewhere, as on “After the Storm,” the band reveals a softer side, more in tune with the expectations of an acoustic song.  That tenderness is present throughout the album: in the raw vulnerability of the title track, the harmonies on “White Blank Page,” and the blunt confessional chorus of “Little Lion Man.”

The overall tone of Sigh No More is decidedly weathered, tortured, and this is upheld across the majority of tracks.  The intro to “Winter Winds” — its fast-paced banjo picking and triumphant horns — is perhaps the closest Mumford & Sons get to upbeat songwriting, yet even on this track there is a feeling of having overcome great strife.

For such a young band, they pull off “weathered” and “tortured” remarkably well.  For such a young man, Marcus Mumford’s vocals project the texture of years and hard-earned experience.

As strong and as original a sound as they have created, it is a bit too well established, verging on the predictable after a couple of tracks.  Of course, there are deviations and standout songs — those mentioned above in particular, with the possible exception of “Timshel” — but this feeling of formulaic-ness is difficult to shake on an album-level.

This is the main reason I haven’t fallen in line with those praising Sigh No More, yet I would vote for Mumford & Sons in a heartbeat if I were given a “Best New Artist” Grammy ballot.  As a debut, this is a remarkable effort.  The electric guitars on the penultimate track “Dust Bowl Dance” hint strongly at what the future may hold for the band: great potential and development of their characteristic sound.

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The BEST DEBUTS of 2011 (The Year-End Review Awards)

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By Chris Moore:

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.

1) Yuck – Yuck

 

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