life ends at 27
Alex Skolnick? Who is that? You may remember him as the guitar prodigy who joined thrash metal legends Testament at age 16.
So, what has he been up to? How about being involved in a jazz guitar trio interpreting metal and rock “standards”. Crazy idea? Maybe, but I know I like it.
Here’s the Alex Skolnick Trio delivering a jazzed up War Pigs.
One day I feel I’m on top of the world
And the next its falling in on me
I can get back on
I can get back home
One day I feel I’m ahead of the wheel
And the next its rolling over me
I can get back on
I can get back home
The lead off single from the upcoming album Snakes & Arrows. Some very tasty riffs in there. Can’t wait for the release of the album proper on the 1st of May.
Hopefully it is better mastered than the last studio album Vapor Trails which was horribly over-compressed. There are rumours of a remastered version but for now it remains just that, rumours, not hard news. Come on record label guys, do the right thing.
This is the song that made me want to master the guitar. The video quality is atrocious, so just close your eyes, listen to the music and fly away.
Surely Jimi must have been channeling the music from somewhere not of this earth. That bit about me mastering the guitar? Still working on it.
There is really only one thing I can quote:
I looked out this morning and the sun was gone
Turned on some music to start my day
I lost myself in a familiar song
I closed my eyes and I slipped away
R.I.P. Brad, and thanks.
Update: It was a suicide. Damned shame.
“Grain” is dark, atmospheric, chilling, surreal. It reaches for the sacred while wallowing in the profane. It is like nothing else I have heard. It is perfection.
It is also the opening theme for Monster, one of the best fictional work I have ever experienced, in any medium. Highly recommend, even for, to use a cliché, people who hate cartoons.
On one sunny day
She, who is endlessly wishing for
The fun beyond magic, is a problem
Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu (涼宮ãƒãƒ«ãƒ’ã®æ†‚鬱) or The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi was one of the better anime of 2006. Not the best, mind you, but definitely one of my top 5. The ending theme Hare Hare Yukai (Sunny Sunny Fun) is generic J-pop fluff (i.e. not my idea of art or a good time), but the ending animation is strangely addictive, a guilty pleasure.
Just found out recently that the voice actors each recorded a version of Hare Hare Yukai in character. Thanks to YouTube, I managed to listen to a few. Mostly rather mediocre (as I expected) but there is one gem, the Kyon version.
It has a bluesy, “unplugged” feel, and Kyon (Tomokazu Sugita) has a fine singing voice. Plus, the lyrics are hilarious for anybody who’s seen the show, or read the manga or novels.
There! I did it! I defiled a timeless work of art!
Sir George Martin’s “In My Life”, meant to be his farewell album, gathered some unlikely personalities covering Beatles songs, with Sir George producing, of course. Having Jim Carrey do a cover may seem like a joke, much less something iconic like I Am The Walrus, but… well listen for yourself.
I guess Jim proves on this track his performance of the Might Mouse theme in the Man On The Moon was no fluke. A great set of pipes, and the progression from just plain crazy to totally deranged is perfect for the song.
She lived like a murder
How she’d fly so sweetly
She lived like a murder
But she dies
Just like suicide
This is a song I have loved since the first time I heard it in 1994. I got to listen to the acoustic version on a friend’s copy of Songs From The Superunknown but was not overly impressed by it at the time (ah, youth!). I have since changed my mind and now consider it superior to the released electric version; it could very well be one of Chris Cornell’s finest moments. Beautifully poignant like a Japanese death poem, the increased emphasis on the voice lends the elegant lyrics greater weight.
![Soundgarden - Like Suicide [Acoustic]](https://thatstupidclub.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-youtube-lyte/lyteCache.php?origThumbUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FNcOXrYXj69I%2F0.jpg)
From Wikipedia: Frontman Chris Cornell was inspired to write the song when a bird flew into the window at his house. He heard the sound, and expecting a burglar, instead found the small creature suffering. He subsequently put the bird out of its misery. Cornell has been quoted saying the bird inspired him to “write a song about the harshness of love.”
My baby fits me like a flesh tuxedo
I’d like to sink her with my pink torpedo
I have heard about this long ago, but never thought to track it down. David Gilmour, bestest guitarist ever, performing with Spinal Tap, bestest (and loudest) band ever! A legendary performance! David (Gilmour, not St. Hubbins) plays bass, and even does a little solo. Genius!
Thanks to Laurie/Evolution from AMPJ who posted this photo. Brilliant cover, and, of course as I have mentioned, the performance is just killer.
That will be awesome as a poster (hint).
A-side: Love Reign O’er Me
B-side: Rockin’ In The Free World (with Bono and the Edge!)