Grizzly Bear - "Two Weeks"

I'm a big fan of animation, particularly when linked to music. For that matter, I also love feature films recut to music, animation or not. A video making the blog rounds is one set to Grizzly Bear's "Two Weeks". The song is a beautiful ballad of art-rock, with some great drums near the end.

The video is actually made by a fan, Gabe Askew, clearly an exceptionally talented artist/animator, who does this sort of thing for a living. I'm sure this video will have the added effect of getting him noticed by some important people. It's really quite amazing, full of creativity and life, as every new frame brings a different fascinating vision. I hope the trend in indie rock to turn to such artistic visual outlets continues for a long time to come.

Imogen Heap - "Just For Now"

When I was in my early teens, whenever I heard that someone played all of the instruments on a CD, I'd always envision them in one of those ridiculous contraptions with strings all around, sitting at a drumset with a guitar in hand. It was impossible to play all of those instruments at once, I thought, and except for the occasional street performer, it is.

Obviously, I was a little confused as to the recording process.

Through the invention of looping, however, an artist can lay down a track, have it repeat, and then build upon it, and so on. Freddy Mercury did this in "the Prophet Song", for one. I can think of a number of live performances that have used this technique but none better than Imogen Heap's "Just For Now".

In this video, Imogen, who has a reasonably distinct voice, shows that her true talent lies in using that voice to create a symphony. I've never been the biggest fan of her recordings, save for "Let Go" (Garden State soundtrack, recorded as Frou Frou) and a few others. But this performance changed it all for me and demonstrates incredible talent that will hopefully lead to bigger platforms down the road.

Note: "Can you get me out of here?" at 3:20 onwards. Awesome.

Ryan Adams - "Come Pick Me Up"

Not everyone realizes that Paul Shaffer is the 'musical director' of the Late Show with David Lettermen. What that entails is more than just being the goofy sidekick; he also books the acts. So Shaffer deserves all of the credit for being the most relevant musical performance outlet on American television. I'm always amazed by how well Shaffer's finger is on the pulse, how he consistently books the best up-and-coming acts. You'll notice in time that I favour performances on this show, as I intend to post a number of them.

I also enjoy watching Letterman's reactions to the acts. You can tell when he likes a group. One of Letterman's favourites has to be Ryan Adams who he's had on repeatedly. Adams is best known for his song that opened the movie Old School ("To Be Young"), his chilling cover of "Wonderwall", his "New York, New York" video which was filmed only days before 9/11 with numerous shots of Adams playing in front of the Towers, or throwing tantrums and leaving the stage when people shout "play 'Summer of '69'!". Or now, being married to Mandy Moore.

Adams is certainly one of the most prolific songwriters of the twenty-first century. He's churned out 11 albums so far, including three (3!) in 2005 alone. He's also underrated as a live act.

Here's Ryan Adams singing a classic, "Come Pick Me Up".

Inaugural Post: a Tribute to Freddy Mercury

I thought I'd start things off with two truly remarkable performances from the Queen tribute to Freddy Mercury. This event took place at a packed Wembley Stadium only weeks after the singer had died, and a who's-who list of artists joined the band to honour one of the great singers of rock music history. These two songs feature 3 artists and a crowd that couldn't be more into it.

First up is George Michael singing Somebody to Love. While many know of George Michael as a great singer, many also think of him as that 80's singer or 'that guy in the public bathroom', but this performance is a testatment to his incredible talent and confidence. In particular, his control during the song's climax is remarkable. And the shots of the crowd clapping in unison are killer.



Second up is a duet between David Bowie and Annie Lennox singing Under Pressure, with its rallying cry of "why can't we give love one more chance?" Their chemistry is undeniable and the manner in which they come together - physically and lyrically - at the end of the song has a drama to it that probably couldn't have been pulled off by anyone other than these two legends. Plus, Bowie's wearing a bright lime green suit.