The Needle & The Groove » Uncategorized

Power

the groove — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 06:15:56 +0000

So I’ve been gone for a minute – go figure as soon as The Needle’s computer is fixed – mine goes down. I promise a re-dedication to trying to post here more frequently with some new tunes and artists. I’ve relocated to Austin and hope to get a lot more exposure to music while I complete my graduate program. In order to motivate myself for this attempt to post more consistently – here’s the remix of Kanye’s “Power” featuring Jay-Z and Swizz Beatz.

Kanye West – “Power (Remix)” featuring Jay-Z and Swizz Beatz

[See post to listen to audio]

I might actually prefer the original “Power”, though I do thoroughly enjoy Jay’s addition to the track. The reworked production also adds an interesting depth to the song, though again the original track stands well on its own and I believe long term the original will have more shelf life. Kanye, never failing in the creativity department, released a corresponding video that is absolutely amazing, though NSFW. Oddly, the video only runs 90 seconds long, cutting off the song less than half way through.

Kanye West – “Power”

Posted by the Groove

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Dear God

the groove — Fri, 28 May 2010 18:07:48 +0000

In the spirit of the Needle’s latest post on covers, I thought it would be appropriate to post the Roots new single, “Dear God 2.0″, a cover of Monster of Folk’s “Dear God”. I believe this might be the strongest intersection of content between the Needle and the Groove since we started blog. The Roots, not afraid to push boundaries on their 11th album, come out with a wonderful adaptation of “Dear God” for June 22nd’s How I Got Over.

The Roots – “Dear God 2.0″

[See post to listen to audio]

Monsters of Folk – “Dear God”

Posted by the Groove.

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A Merry Mixtape

the_needle — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 13:20:44 +0000

Well, Christmas is right around the corner, and if your family is anything like mine, you have been bombarded with Christmas music non-stop for the last month. Now, there is nothing wrong with a little holiday cheer, but if I have to hear one more minute of Delilah’s sentimental Christmas memories, I might swear off the holiday forever. So, rather than give up what is otherwise a very enjoyable time of year, I’ve decided instead to put together a little mix of holiday music to rescue all of you who are drowning in a sea of Delilah induced Christmas tears. Enjoy, and a very happy holidays to you all.

A Very Merry Mixtape (Download Here)

1. Santa, Bring My Baby Back to Me – Belle & Sebastian
2. Must Be Santa – Bob Dylan
3. Blue Christmas – Bright Eyes
4. Santa Claus is Back in Town – Elvis Presley
5. O Holy Night (Shoes Interruption) – My Morning Jacket
6. Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing – Sufjan Stevens
7. What are You Doing New Year’s Eve – Ella Fitzgerald
8. Christmas in Prison – John Prine
9. Fairytale of New York – The Pogues
10. Father Chrtistmas – The Kinks
11. Chipmonks Song – Birds and Arrows & Butterflies

And I thought I would include this just for good measure. I just saw Fanfarlo in New York, and they did this song…who knew they did Christmas too!

Fanfarlo – “Just Like Christmas”

Posted by the Needle

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An Album with the Antlers

the_needle — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 21:09:40 +0000

There was a time when albums told a story…unified from beginning to end musically, topically, and thematically. To listen to such an album meant that you had to become immersed…had to invest yourself from beginning to end…to listen to a single track alone was to destroy the story, to shatter the artist’s creation. On their own, each song seemed somehow lost or out of place…but together, they formed a masterpiece. In an age of digital media and the marketable single, such albums have become increasingly rare…yet on occasion a band comes together to produce just such a masterpiece. Not just entertainment, but a work of art, a piece of literature, a thing of beauty. With their release of Hospice, the Antlers have created just such an album…a dark and morose record that expounds on love and loss with an eerie and ghostly air.

The Antlers – “Bear”

[See post to listen to audio]

The Antlers is the creation of Peter Silberman, who was later joined by Michael Lerner and Darby Cicci for the album Hospice. There is no way for me to do this album justice…I can provide a song or two, but again, the experience will be incomplete. To listen to these two tracks is like reading random chapters from a book. You can make sense of them, they each tell a tale, but they are mere fragments of the whole…the story is lost. Hospice reads like an epic…full of sorrow and loss, pain and grief. Few albums tell such a story, few albums evoke such emotion…it’s not enough to listen to the parts, you need to go and experience the whole. Become lost in it…become immersed in it…and when you reach the end, start it all over again.

The Antlers – “Two”

[See post to listen to audio]

Posted by the Needle

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