popwreckoning

Top 3 albums of 2011

• Sleeper Agent – Celabrasion. Yes, that’s the way it’s spelled, which makes it all the more interesting. Tony Smith said in a Livestream chat with fans, that the name means a celebration among all of the abrasions they faced trying to get where they are. As a young band, they certainly are making their way to the mainstream fast. This album is youthful, catchy, grungy, and full of in your face angst that portrays the serious playfulness that the band delivers. Seriously, listen to this album. You won’t regret it. Plus, you’ll gain like 10 hipster cred points, easily.
  

• The Kooks – Junk of the Heart. What can I say about The Kooks, other than I have loved them for a really long time and I am
  ecstatic they finally released their third album. Every song is so catchy and so pop-y and
  the whole album is a feel good album. “Junk of the Heart (Happy)” can put a smile on your face no matter what mood you’re in. “Rosie” makes you want to dance. “Eskimo Kiss” warms your heart. And every other song will touch you in some way
  .
• Foo Fighters – Wasting Light. After watching the Kanrocksas live stream and Foo Fighters performed Wasting Light pretty much in its entirety and put on one hell of a show, I was sold on the album. Plus, White Limo has one of the sexiest bass lines ever. The Foo Fighters are just a bunch of badass guys who live up to their reputation and make amazing music, nothing else about it.

Best show of 2011

This one has to be a tie, because I can’t choose. And the amount of shows I went to this year, compared to past years is what I’m using for my excuse.

• The first show is Does It Offend You, Yeah? at The Space in Hamden, CT. This place is rightly named, since it is the tiniest venue I have ever been inside, and one of my really tall friends (who was in the opening band) had to duck to avoid hitting the ceiling. I didn’t know what to expect from DiOYY, since I knew they were opening for Linkin Park on the “A Thousand Suns Tour” and I knew they have energy packed albums. All I can say is, wow, I literally could not breathe after the show was over. It was the beginning of February and I went outside and grabbed snow to put on my face. There wasn’t a minute when the whole crowd stopped dancing and jumping. In the tiniest space ever, the energy of the crowd could have busted the roof off of the room. Lead singer, James Rushent even declared that we were more energetic than the crowd at Madison Square Garden, which is saying something.
• The next show is one that was so long awaited; The Kooks at the House of Blues in Boston. First off, the show was sold out. Second off, it was THE KOOKS! I knew that I would be nothing short of the barrier, and yea, it was a tight squeeze but I pushed myself up there. Even though they were smashed, the Brighton boys put on one hell of a show.

The energy, the emotion, the screaming fan girls (ok, maybe I was a little bit of one, but I wasn’t screaming “Oh my god Luke Pritchard you are so sexy.” There were a few “I love yous” but that’s it). They started off with new song “Is It Me” and jumped right into “Always Where I Need to Be.” Usually bands promote their newest album on tours, but The Kooks alternated between all three of their albums, giving something for us older fans.

Luke’s solo acoustic performance of “Seaside” created a massive sing a long unlike any other I’ve ever seen. Continuing the slow feel, “Tick of Time” and an alternate version of “See the Sun” followed. Of course they ended with “Junk of the Heart (Happy)” and “Naïve” to which there wasn’t a person who wasn’t singing and jumping up and down.

It was just intense. And I can understand how the show and many others on the US Tour sold out. I even got to meet them after, and asked about a rumor I heard earlier, which is that they’re playing Providence in February. To my excitement, it was confirmed that they are planning another US Tour. If I haven’t convinced you to see them, go to Youtube now and type in “The Kooks Live.”

Most overrated of 2011

Can I just say, Courtney Love? NO ONE talks about Dave Grohl like that. Go back in the looney bin.

Most anticipated for 2012

From what I heard, Muse is going to have a new album completed for October of 2012. If it’s one thing my readers should know, it’s that I am a HUGE Muse fan. As soon as I find out a real release date, I will have a countdown. You should all probably be worried for me, my less cool, un-music savvy friends have already shown concern in the past.

Favorite musical memory of 2011

That’s a really tough one for me, since 2011 was a huge year for me in the music industry. If a whole season can count as a memory, then I’m going to have to play that card. Over the summer, I interned for a local radio station (to me) WBRU. The whole summer was full of concerts and events, hanging with bands, walking around the city of Providence promoting awesome events, and meeting lots of amazing and wonderful people. For example, I got to staff almost all of the station’s summer concerts (Young the Giant, Sleeper Agent, Viva Brother, VulGarrity), hang with the DJs, and learn what goes on behind the scenes. I also got to do shows with them after the summer, and I got to hang out with Sleeper Agent (mostly the bassist Lee) for a whole night and learn about him and the origins of the band. So I guess what I’m trying to say is, my favorite musical memory of 2011 is a recollection of my entire internship.

Despite a great line-up of bands, Sunday was the most challenging day of the Lollapalooza festival. Mother Nature teased with some early morning rain before bringing on one of the hottest afternoons of the fest. By early evening, the rain returned with a vengeance turning the last bit of the festival into a mudfest. With our expensive camera guitar, we were less than thrilled about the rain, but it didn’t stop the thousands of other festival goers from having a blast.

We avoided the early morning rain by taking an extended breakfast at the Hard Rock Hotel and entered the festival as Noah and the Whale were wrapping their set. We found them a little dull at SXSW, but they seemed a lot livelier during their Lolla performance. The big crowd singalongs during “L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N” and “Five Years Time” made the set a lot more fun, too.

We then went to check out Canada’s City and Colour. With a new album on the way, Dallas Green and company treated us to a few new tracks, but also plenty of classics such as “Sleeping Sickness.” During one moment of the set, Dallas even asked everyone to put down the cameras, hide your phones and just enjoy the music. The vibes were just all around pleasant as the audience obliged and joined with an amazing singalong.

Next on the agenda was a classic: The Cars. These guys still can rock and I think even some of the younger folk that missed out on the Cars in their prime were surprised by how much energy these guys had. We were surprised to find ourselves saying more than once, “I didn’t realize this was a Cars song! I love it!” Looks like we need to revisit this music catalog.

From classic to completely brand new, we then went over to check out Boy & Bear. Hopefully some of the City and Colour fans made their way to this set as well because it also was full of some beautiful harmonies, acoustic guitars and sweet musicians. This charming folk music left us with a smile on our face and this is an act to keep on your radar.

We had to really switch gears for the next act. Cage the Elephant faced the threat of storm clouds opening up over their set, but they seemed to face the weather with a “bring it on, bitches” sort of attitude. The band ripped open with some of the most intense energy of any set and it wasn’t long before the singer was crowdsurfing. When it did start raining, it only seemed to intensify everyone’s desire to rock out. This set was a big improvement from Cage the Elephant’s Lolla performance a few years ago and finally helped us see what the fuss about Cage the Elephant is all about.

Because of the rain, we dashed into cover under the press tent. Arctic Monkeys delayed the start of their set, finally going on 30 minutes after their start time when the rain let up a little. It was still raining enough that we just listened to them from the safety of the press area as they quickly started delivering some of their older radio classics with a few new songs sprinkled in.

The rain stopped and we began our muddy trek to Explosions in the Sky. It was fascinating to watch the division in the crowd as half tried to carefully trod the least muddy path and the other half just embraced it and began mudsliding down hills. As for us, we weren’t thrilled to be muddy on the last day with our heavy gear and the prospect of riding the CTA back covered in dirt, so we were feeling a bit ruffled as we prepared for the next few performances. Fortunately, two things quickly made life better. #1: Lobster Corndogs. OMG. If you are ever in Chicago, you must try a lobster corndog at Grahamwich. As great as the music was, so was the festival food and these things were heaven. The best spent $8 ever. The #2 thing that made life better: Explosions in the Sky. These instrumental rockers politely apologized for beginning late (Arctic Monkeys cut into their set a bit) and began with a beautifully orchestrated dynamic piece that was the most cathartic moment of the festival. The anger at the rain quickly dispersed as their cleverly built songs continued to carry us over a range of emotions.

We were in much better spirits as we made our way through the mud toward the Music Unlimited Stage where the Foo Fighters would soon be taking the stage. The mud must have been going to people’s heads because we saw some stranger and stranger things on this walk: people making mud angels, mud fights and the worst: people using the mud as their personal bathrooms…ew. Fortunately, we had Foo Fighters to distract us from some of the less pleasant members of the audience.

The energy was electric as anticipation grew for Dave Grohl and company to take the stage. When the band finally came out, they looked almost as giddy as the audience–it is always heart-warming to see musicians that really love what they do and don’t look like they’re just here for a check. From the first guitar strum, the band dived right into non-stop hits from their record – we can’t believe how prolific they are! Crowdsurfers were going wild, the audience singing along was almost as loud as Grohl’s amplified voice. Grohl knows how to play to a crowd and quickly ran across the stage to the left, dropped a true rock star pose and played some killer riffs before running back to the right. Forget Willow Smith, Grohl knows how to whip his hair back and forth. He was as dynamic to watch as he was to listen…the whole band was that way. These guys were everything that headliners should be. The rain decided to challenge the band during their third song, but this is the Foo Fighters; rain can’t stop them. Grohl shouted some encouragement at the audience before the fourth song and cheers reverberated through Grant Park bigger than any thunder clap.

This was an epic way to close out Lollapalooza and I would have been content ending there, but there were two other performances going on: Kid Cudi and Deadmau5. We’ve seen Deadmau5 and had no doubt that people were dancing and swimming through the mud to his electronica beats, but Kid Cudi was in a tent and we’ve never seen the up-and-comer, so we made our way to Perry’s (the appeal of it being covered also factored into our decision.) This was the first time we braved the tent at this year’s festival. It had been expanded to being the size of football field and it looked like people were having a blast every time we had walked past, but it also looked a lot more intense than any other stage. I don’t know where some of these fans were getting their energy from to keep up with Perry’s non-stop dance party. In the end, we’re glad we made our way into Perry’s, not only to check out the new digs, but because Kid Cudi generally surprised us with how enjoyable his set was. Kid Cudi brought great rhythms, witty lyrics and a spectacular light show. We can see why he was selected to round out the last night of Perry’s 3-day party. He sent us off into the night, amped up for the return of Lollapalooza in 2012.

Check back to PopWreckoning.com for more Lollapalooza recaps, interviews and photo. See coverage from Friday here and Saturday here.

You know those family reunions you hate going to? With the weird cousin that doesn’t talk and the uncle that gets way too drunk and that lady who you’re not even sure how you’re related – just that she married someone in your family at some point in time? The Sasquatch Music Festival is like a family reunion, only in this year’s case, there were 100,000 people that filled the Gorge for the tenth annual festival.

It was for good reason, too. The Foo Fighters headlined the newly-added Friday lineup this last weekend. Sadly enough, being a student, I couldn’t leave the west side of the mountains until about 4:30, putting myself in the worst traffic imaginable. However, the only band I really wanted to see that night was the Foo Fighters anyway, and I got my wish.

But, as I was making my way into the festival, I overheard Death from Above 1979 playing the main stage – quite loudly – and they rocked. I just had to put that out there, because Sasquatch marked the triumphant return from Death from Above.

Friday had by far the most diverse crowd of all the four days. Not only were there kids younger than me, there were people older than my parents on the floor of the main stage. When Dave Grohl introduced a song off their first album “Big Me,” he asked the audience if anyone had seen them tour for the self-titled debut in 1995. One guy up front raised his hand and shouted, and Grohl responded – “I’m with you dude. We’re some old motherfuckers.”

My mother was so jealous of me being there that she made me call her during “My Hero.”

Yeah, so the Foo Fighters are a band for many generations, and even though they have been rocking the stage for over 15 years, I can clearly say that they’re one of the best live bands in the world. They were definitely the best at this year’s festival.

“We decided to have an all-flannel line up front here,” Grohl began as he introduced his band members, mostly clad in plaid flannel shirts. It is the Pacific Northwest, after all. “But one person didn’t wear any flannel, and it’s that fucker back there,” Grohl glared at drummer Taylor Hawkins as his familiar grin lit up the jumbo screen.

The Foo Fighters started at 9:30 on the dot, and ended at almost 11:30 exactly. And not one ounce of energy was lost in those two hours on that glorious Friday night. So many of my favorite songs were brought to life with extra oomph and drawn-out verses that I almost didn’t want to listen to them on the record again. “Times Like These” was beautiful. “The Pretender” was epic. “Breakout” was hilarious, because I’m pretty sure that I was the only person around me singing along to it. It made me feel cool, that I knew the words to every song they played that night. Even though they aren’t my absolute favorite band, I haven’t liked a band longer than I have liked the Foo Fighters. I received One by One as a birthday present when I was in the fourth grade. I’m 22 now. Do the math.

As the Foos played through old classics like “Learn to Fly,” “Monkey Wrench,” big hits like “Best of You” and plenty of new songs off Wasting Light, the Sasquatch adrenaline kicked in and I was ready for the rest of the weekend. But it all came to a fantastic high point when Grohl started strumming the chords to “Everlong.” Several people had been shouting it from behind me that night, and I’d been waiting for it as well.

You see, about a year ago I made a list of bands that I wanted to shoot, a “photo bucket” list of sorts. In this short year, three of those bands have been checked off that list, and the Foo Fighters was definitely near the top of it. And as I stood in the cold wind with sporadic clouds of pot smoke floating above my head and Grohl’s ferocious growl coming through the loud speakers, I felt my eyes well up a bit. Not kidding.

The Foo Fighters skipped the encore all together, as to “maximize set time,” as Grohl said, and stilled filled up two full hours. It was completely surreal, and everyone around me shared the same sentiment. Making our way to the exit, I overheard a couple behind me reflecting on the show.

“That was the best show I’ve ever seen, and I haven’t been to a show since Tool two years ago. That was awesome.”

“But where would Gwar be in that?”

“They’re on a completely different level of awesome.”

“Yeah, you’ve either got blood spit on you, or Dave Grohl. I think this wins.”

I think so too.

Keep on the lookout for recaps from Saturday, Sunday, and Monday coming soon!



Lollapalooza is celebrating its 20th anniversary and as promised, the recently announced delivers some pretty hefty acts. 

Eminem, Foo Fighters, Coldplay, Muse, My Morning Jacket, Deadmau5 and A Perfect Circle will headline the annual event in Grant Park from August 5-7, 2011.

If you missed Death From Above 1979‘s Coachella reunion, Lolla gives fans another chance. There’s also many other classic acts such as The Cars to up and comers The Naked and Famous. You can see the rest of the announced lineup below:

Eminem, Foo Fighters, Coldplay, Muse, My Morning Jacket, Deadmau5, A Perfect Circle, Cee Lo Green, Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley & Nas, the Cars, Ween, Bright Eyes, Arctic Monkeys, Big Audio Dynamite, Deftones, Beirut, Explosions in the Sky, Death From Above 1979, Ratatat, Crystal Castles, Flogging Molly, Atmosphere, Cold War Kids, Lykke Li, Cage the Elephant, OK GO, Local Natives, The Kills, White Lies, Portugal. The Man, Two Door Cinema Club, Ellie Goulding, Delta Spirit, Beats Antique, Mountain Goats, Sleigh Bells, Manchester Orchestra, Smith Westerns, Best Coast, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, The Drums, Black Lips, Fitz & the Tantrums, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, City and Colour, Ryan Bingham and the Dead Horses, Cults, Noah and the Whale, Sam Adams, J. Roddy Walston and the Business, Tinie Tempah, Lissie, Dom, The Vaccines, Foster the People, Titus Andronicus, Mayer Hawthorne and the County, Chico Trujillo, The Naked and Famous, Phantogram, Rival Schools, Friendly Fires, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., Reptar, Maps & Atlases, Fences, Tennis, An Horse, Young the Giant, Los Bunkers, Imelda May, Grouplove, Wye Oak, The Joy Formidable, Lord Huron, Disappears, Walk the Moon, Gold Motel, Iration, Ryan Leslie, Tab the Band, Skylar Grey, Christina Perri, Black Cards, The Pretty Reckless, Boy and Bear, Patrick Stump, Kids These Days, Young Man, The Kingston Springs, Lia Ices, The Chain Gang of 1974, Ximena Sarinana, Typhoon, Electric Touch, Kerli, Ruby Jane, Julia Easterlin, and DJ Mel.

On Perry’s Stage:

Girl Talk, Pretty Lights, Kid Cudi, the Bloody Beetroots Death Crew 77, AfroJack, Modeselektor, Skrillex, Perryetty vs. Chris Cox, Chuckie, The Glitch MOb, Busy P, Joachim Garraud, Super Mash Bros., Jay Electronica, 12th Planet, Daedulus, Feed Me, JackMaster, Collie Buddz, Savoy, Kyle Lucas and Captain Midnite, Ana Tijouxana, Midnight Conspiracy, L1ght, and Lady D.

Early Bird tickets have already sold out, but you can now buy regular priced tickets for $215 while supplies last. VIP Passes and Travel Packages are also available. A limited number of
Single Day tickets will go on sale June 7. Go here to buy tickets.

Organizers are expecting over 240,000 people.

Lollapalooza 2011 is due to announce its 20th anniversary lineup in just a few days on April 26, but before they do, they’re having a little fun.

Some of the headliners – Eminem, Foo Fighters and Muse – have been previously announced, but now Lollapalooza is giving fans a chance to guess more of the lineup through a trivia game.

The game asks new trivia questions daily and some of the questions unlock clues. For example, one of the clues given reads: “Name aside, her skies are looking very blue these days.” Lolla fan sleuths have decoded this to mean Skylar Grey would be performing this year.

The game also gives you a chance to win a flyaway, hotel and tickets for two. There will also be ticket giveaways daily until the lineup is revealed.

To play the game, go here.

The 2011 festival is August 5-7 in Grant Park, Chicago, Illinois.

“These are my famous last words!”

That’s how the new Foo Fighters’ record Wasting Light begins.  It’s a rather stark and haunting coincidence, since the record comes out April 12, just a week after the 17^th anniversary of Kurt Cobain’s death.  Plus, Dave Grohl’s other former Nirvana bandmate Krist Novoselic was a guest musician on Wasting Light. Whether or not that was planned is beyond my knowledge, but it certainly added another layer to an already great album.

This being the Foo’s seventh studio album, a question of longevity rather than innovation is what’s at the forefront of Wasting Light. The innovation came in the marketing strategy, which played out like a game of Clue, with Easter eggs hidden all over the Internet, and short clips of songs leaked to their own website, giving the fans just a taste of what was to come on Wasting Light.

In true Foo fashion, the album begins with a swift kick to the stomach with “Bridge Burning.” And it doesn’t slow down much from there. “Rope” has more attitude than a lot of the rock newcomers with their precisely quaffed hair. I guess the attitude comes with age, at least in Grohl’s case. A slick intro partnered with a driving rhythm makes it a perfect second track (and I can only imagine how awesome it will be live).  “Dear Rosemary” is a lighter track, with a heavy pop hook, but is still signature Foo.

Honestly, the greatness of the Foo Fighters comes from their performance. I’ve only ever seen recordings of their live shows, but their albums are meant to be performed, not over-mixed in the studio to make certain instruments sound better than they naturally would. Whether it’s a softer song like “I Should Have Known” or a frantic metal-tinged hit like “White Limo,” the Foo Fighters sound like they do live – energetic, passionate, and like they’re having fun. Grohl may be one of the best drummers of our time, but he’s also one of the greatest front men.

“Arlandria” and “Back and Forth” are two of the catchiest tracks on the album, easy to sing along to, and “A Matter of Time” hints at older tracks like, “Times Like These” off One by One and “Monkey Wrench” off Colour and the Shape. By the far the darkest track on the album, “Miss the Misery” brings in some of the influences Grohl gained from his time with Them Crooked Vultures and mixes them with the Foo Fighters’ undeniable energy.

Sure, the album doesn’t necessarily break any new ground for the Foos, but it’s a perfect example of what they do best. The Foo Fighters need no prefixes to their brand of rock music; they just rock.

Track listing:

1. Bridge Burning”
2. “Rope”
3. “Dear Rosemary”
4. “White Limo”
5. “Arlandria”
6. “These Days”
7. “Back & Forth”
8. “A Matter of Time”
9. “Miss the Misery”
10. “I Should Have Known”
11. “Walk”

Go to http://wastinglight.foofighters.com/

Popwreckoning favorite and one man band extraordinaire David Ford will release his third album, Let the Hard Times Roll, on April 20, 2010 through label Original Signal Recordings. Let The Hard Times Roll contains some of the most upbeat, rocking songs Ford has ever written, like the genuinely boisterous “She’s Not The One.”

The album represents the era in which it was created, so there’s an underlying tension that runs throughout, as on opener “Panic,” all strained nerves in its urgent bass groove, blistering electric guitar, and piano that keeps time like a wound clock; the pensive lament “Waiting For The Storm;” and dissatisfied barroom choral “Nothing At All.” Already known for his searing political anthems (“State Of The Union” off 2006′s I Sincerely Apologise For Any Trouble I’ve Caused; “Requiem” off 2008′s Songs For The Road), the sultry, swaying backroom stomp “Surfin’ Guantanamo Bay” and the solemn accordion and banjo-based elegy “Stephen” are among his most scathing and pointed indictments.

In keeping with his reputation as a remarkable one-man band, Ford plays nearly every instrument on, produced, and engineered (with the help of James Brown, who’s worked with Foo Fighters, Brendan Benson, Placebo) Let The Hard Times Roll, in addition to writing all the string arrangements and designing the artwork. The album was recorded throughout all of 2009 in a variety of settings, and not one of them a studio. All but one track were laid to tape in an industrial estate empty unit in Eastbourne, England; the concise, homesick “Missouri” was recorded in a room at the Rodeway Inn motel in Warrensburg, MO, while on a solo tour in 2008. Bits and pieces of piano parts and chorus vocals were also captured in a former convalescent hospital’s family quarters in southern England.

Ford will head out on a three and a half week headlining tour beginning March 3rd at the World Café Live in Philadelphia and wrapping up March 26th at Union Hall in Brooklyn.

“I will be flying solo with as many machines and boxes of noise as the United States will allow me to bring within her borders. I enjoy the challenge of putting on the most elaborate musical performance possible within the limitations of two hands, two feet, the standard international airline baggage allowance and the available trunk-space of a reasonably priced rental car.”  – David Ford

Ford truly puts on an incredible show, the likes of which has blown my mind on several occasions. If you see one show this Spring, make sure it involves David Ford. And lucky us, Philadelphia — we get him twice, both times at World Cafe Live. Whee!

Head to Ford’s MySpace page to hear snippets from Let The Hard Times Roll.

Tour Dates:
Mar 03 – World Cafe Live / Philadelphia
Mar 04 - Le Poisson Rouge / New York City
Mar 05 – The Saint / Asbury Park, NJ
Mar 06 – Turning Point / Piermont, NY
Mar 09 – The Drake Hotel / Toronto
Mar 10 – The London Music Club / London, ONT
Mar 12 – Schuba’s / Chicago
Mar 13 – The Patio @ UWI / Madison, Wi.
Mar 15 – Zanzabar / Louisville
Mar 16 – Eddie’s Attic / Atlanta
Mar 18 – Six String Cafe / Raleigh, NC
Mar 19 – Attucks Theater / Norfold, Va.
Mar 20 - The Southern / Charlottesville, Va.
Mar 21 – The Iota / Arlington, Va.
Mar 23 – The Iron Horse / Northampton, Ma.
Mar 24 – Passim’s / Boston
Mar 25 – World Cafe Live / Philadelphia
Mar 26 – Union Hall / Brooklyn

David Ford: website | myspace | @ tla | interview with

Photo: Jessica McGinley

Them Crooked Vultures – the superheroes of rock trio of Dave Grohl (ex-Nirvana, Foo Fighters), Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age, Eagles of Death Metal), and John Paul Jones (ex-Led Zeppelin) – have released details of their forthcoming self-titled debut album, due out in mid-November, on their official website. The band plans to tour in support of the new album, with December dates in the UK and Europe and a trip out to Australia and New Zealand in January 2010 trip planned.

You can pre-order the album at their official website.

The tracklisting will be as follows:
01. No One Loves Me & Neither Do I
02. Mind Eraser, No Chaser
03. New Fang
04. Dead End Friends
05. Elephants
06. Scumbag Blues
07. Bandoliers
08. Reptiles
09. Interlude With Ludes
10. Warsaw or The First Breath You Take After You Give Up
11. Caligulove
12. Gunman
13. Spinning In Daffodils

Them Crooked Vultures drops in the U.S. on November 17.

Them Crooked Vultures: website | myspace | Them Crooked Vultures @ Austin City Limits 2009 | Austin City Limits – Day 1 in Review

Supergroup Them Crooked Vultures stormed Austin City Limits this year and delighted the crowd with their brand of power rock. While an amazing front man, you can’t be mad at a band that puts Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters) back on drums. Especially when the wild beats he produces support the sick licks of vocalist and guitarist Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age, Eagles of Death Metal) and bassist and keyboardist John Paul Jones, formerly of a little band called Led Zeppelin.

The video below doesn’t nearly do these über-talented musicians justice, but until you get to see them live, it’ll have to do.

Them Crooked Vultures: website | myspace

Welcome back, readers!  Looks like the toxicology and autopsy reports on Michael Jackson are taking forever and I, for one, need to take a break from the lovefest that was my month-long MJ tribute (read: here, here, here and here!).  With MJ on the mind, it’s been hard to think of other musicians, so hopefully this Pop Punk Miscellany piece will serve as an adequate segue back to the mixed-bag madness that usually is Under Cover.

To mix things up, this week I’m featuring a genre I haven’t always focused on.  Pop Punk is always a good time and usually infuses a vivacious energy that’s perfect after a hard day at work or for the drive home following a kickass evening.  Here are some classic covers by some very pop-friendly bands.  Enjoy!
–

. Alien Ant Farm – “Smooth Criminal” (original: Michael Jackson)
What?  I told you.  Getting Michael Jackson off the mind has been difficult, so Alien Ant Farm‘s infamous cover of “Smooth Criminal” may help this week’s switch to pop punk.  I’m not even the biggest AAF fan or anything, but I do recall giving them points for creativity with this rousing rendition when it came out nearly a decade earlier.  This cover is a sped-up rock version, yet manages to share more than a few similarities to the original.  There’s the anti-gravity leaning, studded gloves, homage paid to Bubbles the Chimpanzee, and let’s not forget an equally strange lead singer Dryden Mitchell on the verge of an epileptic seizure in the music video.  Be sure to check out the video to see if you can count all the MJ references!  I myself counted at least 10…

.Paramore – “My Hero” (original: Foo Fighters)
My Foo Fighters/Dave Grohl-obsessed ass is aware of the sacrilege of posting an acoustic Paramore cover that doesn’t even have the same killer bass line or energetic drumming that jumpstarts the original, but I’m such a sucker for cute little pop punk outfits featuring impressive female vocalists like Hayley Williams.  In a word full of the Katy Perrys, Rihannas, Britney Spears-es, and assorted pop wrecks out there, I’d choose Paramore over them any day by mere fact that this 20-year-old can actually sing.  Her voice is so clear, resonant and melodic, and it flows so nicely with the gentle strumming on the acoustic that I bet even Mr. Grohl himself would dig this one.  And hey, if Mr. Grohl is reading this… call me.  You can be my hero for a day, if I can watch you as you go.  Oh snap!

. Yellowcard – “Everywhere” (original: Michelle Branch)
Personally, I’ve always felt Yellowcard knows how to perfectly put out precious pop punk gems each and every time.  And hey look, they’re off from their hiatus? Lead singer Ryan Key has such a sweet, genuine vocal delivery, the guitars are punchy and power-poppy, and mad props to any group aside from Dave Matthews Band who can incorporate a lead violinist so effortlessly into their songs.  These boys from Florida take a pop classic like Michelle Branch‘s “Everywhere” that was already awesome in its own right and add a refreshing little upbeat twist with the help of some very pretty electric guitar riffs and surprisingly gorgeous slicks of violin that lace the song and add a dash of dramatic intensity to the breakdown.  This song makes me regret quitting the violin in high school because it irritated my chin, much to the dismay of my high school music teacher.  Sorry, Mr. Santin!