Under the Covers with Jeff Lakin

Another paper, another post....

Still three papers to write before Thursday, but I needed a quick breather, and what better way than to share some sweet tunes with you wonderful people?

So I’m kind of test driving a new feature today (and loving the title.... if it was a radio show, my voice would have to drop an octave or so), in which I highlight some terrific cover songs that put a new spin on the familiar. Ordinarily, I’ll feature the original as well as a cover, but right out the gate I’ve got a unique case: two legendary rockers covering a Burt Bacharach tune.

“I Just Don’t Know What to do with Myself” is a classic weepy ballad of love lost, but The White Stripes and Elvis Costello both run with it to make something a bit more.

On the one hand Costello’s sensitive punk persona is a natural fit, so much so that he’d later come to collaborate on a whole album of Bacharach tunes (once again, emo kids take note- this is how to make sad sound good). Jack and Meg White, however, really work this song, infusing it with a surprising amount of forcefulness and soul while still making it a great song to sing along to in concert.

Overall, both are instant classics, and are highly recommended:

Elvis Costello- I Just Don’t Know What to do with Myself
The White Stripes- I Just Don’t Know What to do with Myself

…on an unrelated note, I’m pretty sure that if Lily Allen plays her cards right, she will be the next big thing. I look forward to her induction into Women of Musical Genius.

Mixtape! (Because I am nothing if not a procrastinator)

I just couldn't stay away, could I?

Actually, I just wrapped up a paper (one down, four to go.... somehow that isn't encouraging me much) and decided to take a quick break that turned into a rather long break that culminates in me formulating my very first Never Get Sung Mixtape.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dispatches from Academic Hell:


Basically, this is a collection of late-night study music to keep one's sanity when you're still in the library at 3am working on that ten page paper that try as you might, you can only stretch to eight. I've put a good mix of mellow stuff and stuff with beats, vocal stuff and instrumental stuff, and I think it sets a pretty good, slightly surreal mood to chill you out while keeping the brain alive and engaged.

Due to file space limitations, this baby's going up in one big zip file on MegaUpload. (For those of you unfamilar, the link will take you to a site where you have to wait a few seconds and unclick some banner ads in the corner to access the download button... leave a comment if you can't figure it out and I'll try to help out)

Dispatches from Academic Hell.zip [MegaUpload]

The Rundown, with notes:

Miles Davis- So What: Nine and a half minutes of pure cool, best enjoyed with that first coffee of the evening (stay away from the Red Bull, kids... it tastes like cancer) as you boot up the computer and open Microsoft Word.

Colin Meloy- California One/Youth and Beauty Brigade: A sprawling acoustic medley of acoustic Decembrists songs to set you mind at ease while you struggle with the introduction before writing a placeholder and moving on.

Wilco- Via Chicago: Simple yet utterly surreal and tinged with more than a little darkness, it's a sure sign that you're entering the night owl world.

Thad Jones- A Child is Born: Simple, elegant jazz with a slow mournful trumpet line that will make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside as the caffeine kicks in.

The National- Secret Meeting: Let's get this party started with some mid-tempo rock! (Wilco obsessives will note I'm cribbing Jeff Tweedy's stage banter from Kicking Television, but it fits)

Sufjan Stevens- Chicago (String Remix): Some stripped down Sufjan goodness, because as the clock strikes Midnight, the full-on orchestral attack might just make your head explode.

Dave Brubeck- Take Five: Once again, cool is defined. Time for another coffee?

Ron Sexsmith- Everyday I Write the Book: Let Ron's gentle Kermit the Frog voice and acoustic plucking combined with Elvis Costello's lyrics be guide you as you finally hit your stride.

Elvis Costello- Stranger In The House: When Declan McManus goes all honky-tonk on you, you know its getting late and the janitor must be sweeping up somewhere.

The Funk Brothers- Stingray: A solid funk groove to give you your second wind

Erlend Oye- Sheltered Life: Kicking up the beats to prevent you from dozing off and drooling all over the keyboard

The Flaming Lips- Ego Tripping At the Gates of Hell: Writer's Block? Don't Panic... I'm pretty sure that Wayne Coyne's voice and new-agey lyrics possess magical inspirational properties.

Jon Brion- Monday: Nothing stimulates the mind like memories of how much your head hurt the first time you saw I Heart Huckabees

Final Fantasy- This is the Dream of Win and Regine: By now you're already half-dead, so the inevitable trance that Owen Pallet's violin-rock will put you into can only help at this point

The Beatles- Across The Universe: My roommate used to pull all-nighters with this one on loop... it made me talk in my sleep. Feel free to do the same for the duration of your all-nighter, or just start the CD over again.

Jack White, Defend Your Awesomeness

So I was all set to do a long overdue write-up on Fiona Apple today, but then I saw this: Jack White, previously heralded as the “Coolest Guy in the Universe” in this blog, has done a commercial for Coca-Cola. I’ve known this was coming for some time now, but I was in denial until the YouTube screen was staring me in the face. Clearly, we must now call the awesomeness of Jack White into question.

THE EVIDENCE

Exhibit A: The Commercial



On the one hand, it is The White Stripes shilling for Coke (I'm assuming Meg was in on this too), and the ad is strangely reminiscent of their video for "the hardest button to button", if said video were set in Ronald McDonaldland. On the other hand, it’s a damn catchy jingle, so props to Jack for earning that dirty corporate paycheck.

Exhibit B: The Raconteurs

When Jack isn't rocking with his sister/ex-wife or selling soft drinks, he's been working on a project with fellow Detroit rocker Brendan Benson and The Greenhornes of Cincinnati, Ohio called The Raconteurs. The album, Broken Boy Soldiers, isn't out 'til May, but naturally, it already leaked, and naturally, it’s unbelievable. Plus, Jim Jarmusch, director of the awesome Bill Murray-looks-sad flick Broken Flowers, did their music video for lead single Steady As She Goes.



The Raconteurs- Broken Boy Soldier


THE VERDICT: As long as Jack White keeps rocking in multiple bands like this, he can sell whatever red and white color schemed product he wants.
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On another note, with two weeks left of class and about 5 papers still unwritten, I’m thinking the blog posts may go on the backburner for a bit. I’ll try to send a few dispatches from academic hell to keep y’all entertained, and come back to a regular schedule once summer starts.

Teary-Eyed Tuesdays: C'mon, just look outside!

So spring has arrived in East Lansing, and its so gorgeous outside, I can’t imagine that even the emoest of the emo kids could be feeling down in the dumps. Just in case though, here’s a couple of springtime tracks that will blast the blues right out of them:

ELO- Mr. Blue Sky

Katrina and the Waves- Walking on Sunshine

Men of Musical Genius Monday: Dave Brubeck

Taking the ol' blog on a bit of a different course today, and giving the man I consider to be the greatest jazz legend alive today his due (thanks to my friend Kevin for the suggestion a few weeks back).

Dave Brubeck, even as he’s pushing 90, simply exudes cool. Nothing against the rambling improvisational brilliance of Davis and Coltrane, but when it comes to making tightly constructed, ingenious jazz compositions, Brubeck is king. His most famous album, Time Out, clocks in at just under 40 minutes, yet is still one of the best jazz albums of all time for my money.... and what's more, the entire thing is done in odd meter.

On a more personal note, I had the privilege to see Dave Brubeck in concert here at MSU last fall, dragging along my roommate who laughed at the fact that the event was sponsored by a cardiac center—thanks, Steve. When Brubeck came out on stage to introduce himself at the mic, I was worried Steve’s jokes might have been well grounded: he sounded old, worn out, decrepit. I couldn't imagine how he was going to make it through the evening. Then he sat down at the piano, and the years just seemed to melt away... incredible.

Oh, and did I mention we share a birthday? If you needed any more confirmation of the man's greatness, there it is.

The track du jour is Blue Rondo A La Turk... incidentally, if a film is ever made about my life, I want this to be the music in whatever scene has me teetering on the brink of insanity.

Dave Brubeck- Blue Rondo A La Turk

Travelogue Thursday: Sweden

So way later than usual on the blogging today… it’s been a busy 24 hours. Still, I guarantee this post was worth the wait

Yes folks, from the country that brought you ABBA and Ace of Base.... Jens Lekman.

Not only is Jens Lekman a terrific international find, he’s almost instantly found a place for himself in the hallowed halls of Men of Musical Genius. Since I obtained what’s essentially his entire catalog (an album, a few odd EPs, and a b-sides/remixes compilation), I’ve listened to it front to back almost three times.

Overall, Lekman writes mellowed out, sentimental indie pop, backed by a variety of instrumentation, from sparse guitar to full horn and string sections. The real attraction here, however, is the voice. Real, honest to God good male vocalists are few in far between in an era of shouting, mumbling, and screeching, and it’s incredibly refreshing to hear someone not only put his heart out in his words, but have the vocal chops to really drive it home.

In the end, the tracks speak for themselves. It was ridiculously difficult to make picks here, and I did my best, but be forewarned—it will no doubt leave you wanting more.

Jens Lekman- The Opposite of Hallelujah
Jens Lekman- Maple Leaves [EP Version]

VIDEO: Jens Lekman- You Are The Light (By Which I Travel Into This and That)

Women of Musical Genius Wednesday: The Pipettes

Whatever happened to the art of the girl group? The golden age of Motown saw countless ensembles, from Martha Reeves and the Vandellas to Diana Ross and the Supremes. In fact, I blame Diana Ross for this one, for ditching the ensemble and going solo, ushering in the ago do the diva, where ego mattered more than music. Today, the only sorry attempts at girl group-dom are novelty acts, ready made for mass-marketing and bad movies (the music industry may never recover from the plague of the Spice Girls).
But wait! On the horizon there is hope, albeit a faint glimmer. The Pipettes, though without a major release under their belts as of yet, are reviving the golden age of women in matching outfits standing before a row of microphones and belting out sweet bubblegum pop. Granted, they’ve added some bite to it in their lyrics( with songs like “Dirty Mind” and “Your Kisses Are Wasted On Me”) but the basic formula remains, and it’s a hell of a lot of fun

The Pipettes- Dirty Mind

VIDEO: The Pipettes- Your Kisses Are Wasted On Me:

Teary-Eyed Tuesdays: Rockin' The Motown

Excuse me kids, but enough about love. Today, I'd like to focus on heartbreak of a different sort, perhaps one that will put things in perspective a bit.



For a few glorious decades, Detroit was cranking out some of the best pop music this world will ever hear. The unmistakable Motown sound was often imitated, by acts as legendary as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, but never duplicated.

At the heart and soul of the sound was a loose ensemble of musicians known as The Funk Brothers, headed in many respects by James Jamerson, one of the greatest bass players of all time. If you've ever heard a Motown song, you've heard these guys, and you know they were no ordinary studio band. The stuff they did was nothing short of pure magic.

Sadly, these guys, apart from the local jazz scene, went largely unnoticed, and when Motown moved out to LA, they were left out in the cold, never seeing a cut of the phenomenal success they helped create. Jamerson in particular saw his life rapidly unravel- haunted by alcoholism, he moved out to Los Angeles in hopes of regaining some small part of his former glory, only to die of pneumonia in 1983.

The good news is some of the Funk Brothers lived to see the day when a group of documentary filmmakers set out to capture their story. The project, which took over a decade to complete, became Standing in the Shadows of Motown, one of the best documentary films ever made, featuring a live "reunion concert" with contemporary artists lending their vocals to the resurrected Motown groove.

By far, the most powerful scene in the film occurs when the band members are discussing the classic "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted?" with Joan Osborne (abetter known as the chick that sang "What If God Was One of Us?"... I can forgive her for that after this movie). As they talk about how the timelessness of the song lies in the raw emotion and power of heartbreak, you start to realize that these guys aren't talking about lost love for a woman, but the pain of pouring your heart and soul into what became music history and never getting anything back.

The scene segues into the live performance of the song with Ms. Osborne, and as the band plays, sounding stronger than ever, you realize the answer to the titular question is right there in front of you, that they've found the peace of mind they've been searching for all these years, and that somewhere out there, the tormented soul of James Jamerson has too.

The Funk Brothers (featuring Joan Osborne) - What Becomes of the Brokenhearted?

BONUS: The wonderful world of YouTube has delivered again, this time with a 7+ minute press kit preview of Standing in the Shadows of Motown featuring, among other things, the very moment of the film that I depict in the post. Seriously, I can’t recommend this movie enough (link):

Men of Musical Genius Monday: Sufjan Stevens

So I’ve been delaying the inevitable in spotlighting this guy as a MoMG (woo, acronyms!), as you can’t find a blogger out there today who won’t sing his praises. However, at the end of the day, you just can’t deny it… Sufjan Stevens is an indie god.

I was pretty early to jump on the Sufjan bandwagon, listening to his album Greetings from Michigan: The Great Lake State via a friend back in high school. This of course was the first in his 50 States Project, where he plans to make a concept album for each of the 50 states. The fact that three years later he’s only up to two doesn’t bode well for it finishing within his lifetime. On the other hand, he definitely delivered the goods on Sufjan Stevens Invites You To Come on feel the Illinoise, which the indie snobs are currently deriding as overhyped, but at the same time admitting their undying love for (said love, by the way, can only be rekindled by the announcement of a b-sides and outtakes collection for Illinoise due out this summer).

So, on with the tracks: the first, Vito’s Ordination Song, is a haunting and gorgeous end to Michigan, and only improves with the b-side acoustic demo. The second, Casimir Pulaski Day, is hands down one of the most emotionally stirring songs I’ve heard in my lifetime—when I heard it in concert this past September, and the trumpet solo kicked in five feet in front of me, I almost cried. I even went so far as to write an analytic essay on it for my Religion in American Lit class… you can check it out here if you’re really interested ;)

Sufjan Stevens- Vito’s Ordination Song (acoustic)
Sufjan Stevens- Casimir Pulaski Day

Oooh! Topical Humor!

Before I get started today, a thanks to The DIY Rockstar for the plug yesterday in return for my tracking down a Decemberists track for him. Also, if by chance you’ve clicked onto here via there, welcome.

So making waves in the media this week was the announcement that Katie Couric of NBC's Today show was moving to CBS to anchor the evening news. While I could note that she's making history for being the first solo female anchor on a major evening newscast, I'd rather point out she's the first person Barenaked Ladies wrote a song about to accomplish this feat.

Let me explain.

On their most recent album (yes, the one with the damn monkey song), Barenaked Ladies had a catchy little song called "Maybe Katie". On the surface, its a cute back-and-forth between Ed Robertson and Steve Page over whether or not to pursue the titular female, and for a while I accepted it as that. Then, the boys had a gig on the Today Show, and told Ms. Couric the song was in fact about her, and it got me thinking. It is, after all, about an older woman ("just because her youth is fading/doesn't mean she's not worth dating") with kids ("forevers not so long, stop moping/she's got a daughter and you're just not coping"... have I mentioned how much I adore this bands lyrics?). Plus, the guys have made jokes about Katie Couric before in interviews (expressing concern for her ever-growing forehead, if I recall).

Therefore, the song can't be about anyone else BUT Katie Couric. And since Brian Wilson hasn't hosted the news ever insofar as I know, it would appear that Katie Couric is in fact the first person featured in a song by Barenaked Ladies to host a major network newscast.

Congrats, Katie!

Barenaked Ladies- Maybe Katie

PS- A Word of Caution: if you're ever dating a girl named Katie or some variation on that (and let's face it folks, that’s just about every other girl you’ve met in college, so the odds are good), and you know for a fact that your family knows this song, make sure the CD is not in the car before taking her on an extended car ride with them.

Because they will play it. And they will sing along. And you will be mortified.

...what?

No, of course that never happened to me...just a hypothetical thing I thought of once...

Travelogue Thursday: International Relations Majors, I Salute You

Here at the illustrious James Madison College, I find myself in a strange minority. Although I have taken on two of the school’s three possible majors, I still find myself not sharing a major with almost half my class, due to the fact that I decided to shun the field of International Relations, far and away Jimmy Mad’s most popular field of study.

Mind you, I have nothing against my IR peers. They work hard, have some great profs, and are very clever people in their own right. For me, however, the politics of who’s blowing up who and why just isn’t my forte, and international political economy gives me a headache no matter how intrigued I am by it. Yes sir, I’ll just stick to my social policy and political theory, thanks very much.

Tonight, however, I wish to pay tribute to my IR brethren in the only way I know how… with the Decemberists. The song “Sixteen Military Wives” is by far the catchiest thing they ever did (though I’m slowly growing fond of the rest of their catalog too), as well as one of the more original political anthems out there. More importantly, it’s backed by a phenomenal music video which, aside from being a tribute to the great Wes Anderson, centers around Model UN, the official pastime of all IR dorks (they’ve roped me into these things a few times… whoo boy, do I have Model UN stories).

Anyhow, enjoy the video, and remember—when I’m president, there will be an ambassadorship waiting with your name on it ;)

The Decemberists- Sixteen Military Wives

The Video (link):

Women of Musical Genius Wednesday: Neko Case

So I think my passion for Women of Musical Genius was reignited on Saturday night at the Temple Club here in Lansing with a performance by Neko Case.



When she isn't performing with Canadian indie collective The New Pornographers, Case has a terrific alt-country act that's really more country than alt, with a backup band that features upright bass, banjo, and pedal steel guitar (truly a beautiful lineup of instruments to behold on stage). The real feature here though is her voice. I mean, this woman can SING, belting out mournful ballads and toe-tappers alike from the depths of her soul, or at least her vocal chords. There were moments where the instrumentation dropped out and she belted out a verse, and I just compulsively let out a "woooo!" not out of group mentality, but out of genuine awe. Plus, she has a terrific stage presence to boot- very friendly, telling stories and cracking jokes with the audience between almost every song. Neko Case, welcome to the hallowed halls of genius (better known as my iPod).

Neko Case- John Saw That Number

Even Though It's Tuesday.... Billy Bragg is a Man of Musical Genius

Yeah, I took a break. Something about real life and grades and stuff... blah.

Anyhow, today's Man of Musical Genius has made an appearance on the blog before, kicking off Teary-eyed Tuesdays (which is taking a break this week), but I feel he deserves the spotlight.

Billy Bragg is seriously one of the coolest musicians I can think of. Often performing with just a guitar, an amp, and a heavy British accent, he still manages to overpower you with the force of his folk-punk sound (and he's not when he gets a band behind him either). The secret, I think, is the way he puts his heart and soul into every one of his songs. His far left-wing politics and unabashed if slightly embittered romanticism are always front and center, with just enough of an artful touch to keep the songs memorable without distracting from their raw nature.

On top of it all, the guy has an appreciation for great music, from classic Motown and soul music to the American folk tradition (see Mermaid Avenue), leading many to call him the UK's modern-day answer to Woody Guthrie. Oh, and did I mention when his voice started to sound deeper and worn out on his recent tour (which i missed ::sigh::) he took on the stage name of "Johnny Clash"?

Ok, on to the tunes.... because I could just keep going about this guy all day:

Billy Bragg- The Saturday Boy (dig that trumpet solo)
Billy Bragg- Tracks of my Tears (a Motown cover?!? oh hell yes...)