Aurally Speaking

-Kickass Cover of the Day: Blue Sky Archives-“Killing in the Name”-

-Kickass Cover of the Day: Jack White-“Love Is Blindness”-

(Source: Spotify)

-Kickass Cover Album of the Day: Sam Abbott-“Leviathan”-

“Kickass Cover of the Day” doesn’t even begin to describe how awesome this is. It is, to put it mildly, a fucking understatement.

If you have the next 40 minutes to spare, please, check out Sam Abbott’s vicious piano cover of Mastodon’s concept album, Leviathan. 40 minutes on board with this video is as exhilarating and breathtaking as tackling the white whale that it was inspired after. If you are anything like me, watching this monstrous cover will leave you shipwrecked and dazed somewhere 30 minutes from your apartment.

I hope you’ll accept this cover as an apology for the countless Metal Mondays that I’ve bailed from posting on. Once this semester is up, I’ll afford myself some breathing room and return you guys to your regularly scheduled postings. But until then, enjoy this in all of its insanity.

-Kickass Cover of the Day: Maxence Cyrin-“Where Is My Mind?”-

-Kickass Cover of the Day: My Brightest Diamond-“Feeling Good”-

-Kickass Cover of the Day: Bayside-“Be My Baby”-

Bayside are true beasts when it comes to handling covers. There are few bands that nail them as often as they do and with the same amount of gusto. It’s fortunate for us that we now have the delight of hearing their compounded efforts on their new covers’ EP. Self-released yesterday, Covers-Volume 1 is tightly packed with five covers from artists that have inspired the band on any number of levels. And the fact that this is just their first volume means we can expect a slew of exceedingly awesome covers down the road.

The EP tears open with one of their tightest tributes yet, a pumped up alt-punk version of Ronettes’ “Be My Baby”. The song has every hallmark of a killer Bayside original: spot-on vocal and instrumental harmonies, grinding guitar riffs that blister straight to the bone, and yes, even the obligatory last-ditch Bayside key shift in the final minute. Anthony Raneri and the guys have outdone themselves yet again, delivering treats from the best in a way that can hopefully make them relevant to newer listeners and help them garner an appreciation for otherwise dated songs.

You can listen to the EP’s opener above and if it’s got you hooked, you can pick up the entire thing on iTunes for only $4.99. Greatness so cheap, they’re practically giving it away.

-Kickass Cover of the Day (3/3): Hannah Trigwell-“Only Exception”-

-Kickass Cover of the Day (2/3): Hannah Trigwell-“Teenage Dream”-

-Kickass Cover of the Day (1/3): Hannah Trigwell-“Look After You”-

Youtube has always had this way of pushing hard-working DIY artists to the forefront. With the way the site spins user-generated content, it’s hard for these artists to remain obscure for very long. Due to the type of web community it is, based on feedback (however humbling or harsh) it only takes one share on a bigger site or the rapid current carry of word of mouth to push some hopeful into the limelight.

We’ve seen it before with Boyce Avenue. We’ve seen it with Kina Grannis. We’ve seen it with Josie Charlwood. And we’re seeing it today with rising youtube sensation, Hannah Trigwell.

Now, Boyce Avenue is known for their second to none covers of radio hits and pop songs from present and past. They have firmly stamped their name on the map with how great their efforts are. But it wasn’t too long ago that they were just another band hitting the grindstone and putting out track after track to make a name for themselves. Due to the success they’ve experienced from the ever-gratuitous palms of youtube, they’ve decided to pay it forward. While signed with Universal Republic, they founded their own sub-label called 3 Peace Records. Boyce Avenue scoured the web over the past couple of years for a new artist and they came up with the aforementioned Hannah Trigwell. After forming a close working relationship, they finally signed her this past Thursday. 

It only takes one video to see why they chose her. Trigwell, like Boyce Avenue, has a captivating knack for weaving impressive covers and really giving the originals a run for their money. With Trigwell one might see her as just another girl on youtube with an acoustic guitar and recording equipment, but she’s more than just that. There exists a saccharine tenderness in the way she does not only her covers, but her originals. That type of subtlety goes a long way, especially when your cover is one of a million.

To celebrate her first record deal, I’ve decided to highlight three of her covers that I clung to the most; three covers where her sweetness is only surpassed by how talented she is. Give them a listen and let us know what you think.

-Kickass Cover of the Day: Rise Against w/ Tom Morello, Brian Fallon, and Wayne Kramer-“The Ghost of Tom Joad”-

Bruce Springsteen’s “The Ghost of Tom Joad” has been covered a painstaking amount of times. Some versions good, some bad; some relatively similar in composition, some completely off the mark. That is part of the fatiguing life span of a great song: it is bound to be subjected to its fair share of respective beatings and enhancements.

Thankfully, Rise Against can now add themselves to the latter column. With the help of Tom Morello (who helped herald one of its more known covers with Rage Against the Machine), Brian Fallon (Gaslight Anthem), and Wayne Kramer (MC5), they deliver a cover that boasts all of the song’s many strengths. The only problem with this cover is that it deserves a studio version from these blue colored musicians whose knuckles are dirty and worn from fighting political systems with their music. If they sat down with it and gave it a fair studio treatment, it would be perfect; perhaps the political song for our generation.

The performance is taken from Rise Against’s September 29th show at the Honda Center in Anaheim and was recorded by a fan in the nose bleed section. If you can get past how horribly inconsistent the audio quality is, then it might just be well worth your watch. Enjoy.

-Kickass Cover of the Day: Best Coast-“About A Girl”-

-Kickass Cover of the Day: BassCausality-“Can’t Stop”-

-Kickass Cover of the Day: Bright Little Field-“We’re Coming Out”-

-Kickass Cover of the Day: Esperanza Spalding-“What A Wonderful World”-

I’m about to have my first lessons on bass today with a full hour on stand-up followed up by 30 minutes on electric. I’m seething with excitement, since in all of the years that I’ve been playing, I’ve never had a single formal lesson.

Believe it or not, today also marks my first day to ever step foot behind a stand-up bass. I’m well aware that it’s an entirely different beast, but that won’t stop me from attacking it with the same level of tenacity that I do when I sit down with my electric. Here’s to hoping that my lessons go well and that I can start taking the steps towards being at least a quarter as good as bass prodigy Esperanza Spalding. 

-Kickass Cover of the Day: Lara, Taylor Davis, and Kyle Landry-Mortal Kombat Theme”-

As if Mortal Kombat wasn’t intense enough, musicians (and youtube alumni) Lara, Taylor Davis, and Kyle Landry brought their beastly rendition of the Mortal Kombat theme to E3 this summer. It goes without saying that they abolished the entirety of the crowd with their flawless victory of a performance. Just when we thought we only had Shao Kahn to worry about, now we have to conquer these three before completing our challenge ladder.

If your novice ears were able to handle the sheer talent and beauty of it, then you can also check out an extended improv-heavy performance of it here.

Enjoy.