Beastie Boys ~ The Mix-Up

Instrumental albums are rare and few in between. Aside from the Jazz Odysseys and string quartet tributes, a good instrumental album is quite enjoyable. That’s why Beastie Boys’ “The Mix-Up” caught most of us off gaurd.

It’s not just some Beastie Boys minus the Vocal track. Without the 90’s style rapping in the background, the emphasis is shifted onto the composition of the pieces. It ranges from calming upbeat to mello-stoner to awkward sweetness.
I think it’s best to describe the essential mix as PBS and Adult Swim’s music composers getting together, having a nice night on the town, eventualy empregating each other, and deciding to keep the child. This album is that Child.

It’s easy to imagine any of these tracks appearing on an indie movie or short of some kind. Essentially because  it’s great background music. If you need that mellow occasion music or just want to relax in the drivers’ seat for a long drive, this is your album.

~Llama With Headphones

Sid and Nancy (AKA The Whiny Nancy Story)

Sid and Nancy. A romantic story between two lovebirds and their connection made through Heroin.
Real blockbuster material there guys. A love story about one of punk rock’s iconic figures with a great actor paired along with the whiniest character ever to be placed on film.

The movie itself isn’t bad. In fact, it’s about on the same par of Oliver Stones’ “The Doors”. Yet I really didn’t like The Doors film either. Gary Oldman was great. He captured Sid’s stage persona with quite a flair. But as soon as they introduce the ill-fated Nancy Splurgeon… the film goes downhill.

Just listening to Nancy’s screeching throughout the movie would make Gandii want to pull out a Chainsaw and hack her into pieces. And she doesn’t stop. Ever. She Just keeps going on with it all.

I don’t care so much for the historical inaccuracies  as it helps the film. Any Sex Pistol’s fanatic and Wikipedia can point it all out. it doesn’t take away from the real story, that is what’s left of it.

My Recommendation: Watch it once, complain, write an inane blog post about it, and watch it again just to make fun of it. It’s not great, or horrible, just mediocre biopic with whining.

~Llama with Headphones

Some hints for the wild songwriter.

Last night I had the chance to listen to some of my friend’s new music. What I heard was pretty nice, but it left a whole lot for improvment. I gave my two cents, and I think I might have helped him a tad.

So as a favor to help somewhat odd songwriters with various musical influences, here’s a few hints and tips to help those compositions out.

Have a sense of some Unity: You can have as many wild solos, massive breakdowns, and screaming that you want. But if it doesn’t flow, it’s all just some noise. Sure, you may enjoy the composition, but it’s going to be the public that ends up buying the record. Give the audience a subtle hint when a transition occurs, then thrash away.

Repetition: If you have a simple riff, don’t be afraid to repeat it once, or twice, or for the most of the song. When something is repeated, whether it be drum beat or vocal line, it engraves itself into the audience’s mind. Result? Remeberance.

Don’t overuse Repetition: Remember “Seven Nation Army”? Although I love the White Stripes for their uniqueness, but once that tune is lodged into your ear, there is no escape. In the same way, you don’t want to give your audience earworms.

Experiment with Different scales: Contrary to popular belief, there are far more scales than the minor pentatonic. Give a little mystery with some whole tone or different modes.

In fact, music theory never hurt anyone: If you have the chance, take a course in some basic music theory. Who knows? Someday your professor might whip out a chord progression you’d haven’t thought of.

And above all, don’t stop Writing: If the ideas never come down to the paper, then it never sees the light of day. Write, record, scribble on a napkin if you have to.

That’s all for now. Any Questions? Then feel free and ask.

~Llama with headphones

Flight of the Conchords ~ Self Titled

From winning their own Grammy for “The Distant Future” to landing an HBO series to finally releasing their full length album, Flight of the Conchords have established themselves as the leading new-zeland-folk-parody-rap-bongo-duet. Although the tracks are more lavished than their live and HBO series counterparts, the charm that is the Conchord’s… charm.

Perhaps the story of the Conchords, Bret and Jermane, sounds o so familiar to another acoustic duo of the Tenacious kind, but what they bring is that suttle humor with the most bizarre lyrics ever. Covering everything from Robots taking over, Love at first site, Love making, Faking French, Rap Battles, Issues in the City, Life in the city, and David Bowie… the list goes on. But for some reason, it’s not too much to take in.

The only letdown in the album is the exclusion of some other Conchord songs that have made it into our hearts like “Albi the Rasist Dragon” and “Jenny” are nowere to be found. Otherwise, the album is pretty nice. If you don’t buy it for the sound, buy it for it’s Groovy CD artwork.

~Llama with Headphones

A short Guide To Weezerology

I will not deny that I have a Weezer fascination at all. Unpredictable, predictable, eccentric, and all around lovable even in compressed video format. Yet, there are some out there who have (A) never listened to Weezer, or (B) don’t know much about Weezer to care. This Is why I am creating this guide to weezerology (Copyright Llama with Headphones 2008) to aid others in a quest of Weezer fandom. Think of it like a twelve step program, only a quarter of the steps.

This is an recommended listening list covering all the Weezer albums to date. It shouldn’t be the end all guide to Weezer, but it’ll help.

Step one: Baby Steps with Make Believe and Green
You’ll eventually want to get this one out of the way ASAPish. Sure, you have some more than catchy tunes, but the fact is that these Albums are in the lower end of Weezerology. Very little depth, and even less edge. The only exception is the ever-so-lovable song “Hash Pipe” which sidetracks the from the love song theme of Green. Use these albums to soak your feet into Weezer’s melodies and musical ways. And if you can’t manage to listen all the way through Make Believe, don’t feel bad. At this day, I cannot listen all the way through Make Believe.

Step Two: Absorb with Red and Malidroit
Once you have the basic Weezer out of the way, you’re ready for some intermediate stuff. The popish melodies stay intact, but the sound becomes more complex. I recommend treating yourself to the Red Album before moving on to Malidroit. Any way you listen to them is a-ok by me. But don’t stop with just one listening. Do a few more and absorb the Weezer sound before heading into the big leagues.

Step 3: Jump into Blue, then Dive into Pinkerton
The final step, after getting a solid backbone from the previous albums, is to dive into the best. Some might be saying, “Why not listen to the Best First?” Sure, you can do that. But without having a backbone from the other Weezer albums, stomaching the first two can be quite a hassle. It’s like developing a fine taste. Once you’re in with Blue and Pinkerton, you really don’t want to leave. You’ll see why many fans yearn for the older sounding Weezer. But be not deceived: although Pinkerton and Blue are excellent album, they are part of an era that may not see the light again. Rather than morn in the loss of their early years, take time to enjoy some of the other albums as well. Except Make Believe. Just one Listen is good enough for that.

I hope this helps the potential Weezer fan or the music loather. Don’t take this guide to extreme heart, for everyone develops their own taste. Yes… some even place Make Believe as their Number one.

~Llama With Headphones

She And Him ~ Volume One

In many a conversations I’ve had, no one seems to know who Zooey Deschanel is off the top of their heads. For instance..

“Hey, I think Zooey Deschanel is pretty cute?”
“Who?”
“Er… Zooey? She’s an actress.”
“What she been in?”
“Almost Famous?”
*Blank Stare*
“Hitchhiker’s Guide?”
*Another Blank Stare*
*Sigh…* “She’s that one girl from elf.”
“Ahhh! Oh yeah, she’s cute.”

So don’t be incredibly surprised that you haven’t heard her album with fellow musician M. Ward. This is the story of She and Him, Volume One. An independent album that you wouldn’t really expect from your usual actor turned musician or vice versa. But where many star albums fail, Volume One brings us to a nice happy place with smooth melodies, delightful duets, and an aura of peace.

Perhaps it’s just clever marketing or something else that gives it a simplistic edge. From the title track, “Why do you let me stay here?” you are instantly settled down and filled with the urge to finish the album all the way through. And who wouldn’t? Zooey’s classy and distinct along with the retro vibes of the album create and amazing atmosphere that is lost in today’s realm of “make everything epic” recording mindset.

In final words, Just listen to this. It’s not epic, but it doesn’t need to be. If you’re interested in learning more about the album, visit the link Below.
She and Him, Volume one At Amazon.com

~Llama With Headphones

Llama Lists: Top 5 Overlooked Guitarists.

David Gilmour, Jimi Hendrix, Kirk Hammett, Dimbag Darell…
The lists go on and on of famed guitarists of past and present. Unfortunately, some guitarists get left out of the those lists. There are plenty of Guitarists out there who need some respect. So I give you a list of the top 5 overlooked guitarists. Why top 5? Less to read, and Straight to the Point.

Overlooked guitarist Number 5:Andres Segovia
Quite possibly the most important figures to the world of guitar players yet overlooked by many modern players. Known for his teaching methods and classical styling, he delivered quite an appetite for classical guitar. But what puts him on this list? Segovia despised the electric guitar with a passion. When the ever so popular Beatles claimed him like a father to their music, he retorted with “They’re my illegitimate children then.” Still, props for being a purist.

Overlooked Guitarist Nuber 4: Chainsaw, Prince of Karate
It’s hard to take any musician that dresses up in spandex superhero outfits seriously. Perhaps that’s why the surf/ska/new wave styling of Aquabat’s guitarist Chainsaw are shoved under the radar. With some although cheeky sounding riffs with excellent playing and the ability to fend off giant Lobsters and the Powdered milk man all at once makes for a great guitarist. Sadly, he left the band in 2005 but left with some awesome work on “Charge”.

Overlooked Guitarist Number 3: Tsuneo Imahori
He may not be a household name in the mainstream, but Tsuneo has made his mark in the world of Japanese animation. As one of the cheif composers for Trigun and the Gungrave series (Both the Anime and video games) his style ranges from Led Zeplin inspired riffs to Western standoff scores and emotional acoustic arrangements. Even if you dislike anime, Tsuneo’s western influence will have you wanting more.

Overlooked Guitarist(s) Number 2: Alex Turner And Jamie Cook
Just because your band is popular, doesn’t quite mean that some of the band members aren’t overlooked. Take the Arctic Monkeys for example. They have gotten quite acclaim from both US and the UK. But ask anyone to name the duo responsible for those uptempo synergistic riffs you’ll get blank stares. Alex and Jamie have put together with their duel guitars some of the most catchy and heart-pounding music of this time. Need Proof? Just listen to “Whatever it is you say I am It’s Not.”

And the Number One Overlooked Guitarist:
Kevin Wasserman AKA Noodles
What can be more overlooked than a guitarist with awesome ability, well known songs, but is passed over for ones like Buckethead? Noodles, aside from being the oldest member of the Offspring, has created a legacy of concrete guitar sounds from “Come out and Play” (That little Egyptian riff) to the awesome melodies of the Americana Album. Yet some consider the Offspring’s sound is more generic punk, Noodles in all of his guitar excellency is highly overlooked. In short, he just Rocks.

There you go. Here’s the list, now go ahead and argue. And have fun>
~Llama With Headphones