K RocK BiZZ

Great acoustic Cover Songs.

2009-12-13T08:18:00.001-08:00

These Artists have created an entire new feeling and emotional response to each of these songs.

Tears For Fears: Head Over Heels

2009-11-16T12:02:00.000-08:00

This scene from Donnie Darko probably gained a whole new heard of fans to this song as well. Its a great movie and this is a fine homage to a great song.

It was a toss up between this song and The Working Hour, both of which are on Songs from the Big Chair, one of my favorite albums also. I went with Head Over Heels, but i like them equally.

To listen to Songs from the Big Chair in its entirety is something i would highly recommend to you if you have not done so in a while. In fact, i will say its worth listening to all Tears For Fears albums in order simply because each album is a journey piece. They tend to tie song into each other, as with Broken & Head over Heels. They will even tie songs together from different albums, which is something I have heard Sting do also. I think of it as a way an artist might connect with a listener over time. As if to say, "Are you still there?"

Crowded House : When You Come

2009-11-16T11:41:00.000-08:00

This is an Epic Jam! My childhood favorites rarely make it into my adult list, as with a lot of music we first connect to when we are teenagers. However Crowded House is an exception. They are the one Band that i have liked since i first heard them in 1987 when i was 13.

When you Come is the first song on what was side 2 of their second album i had on tape called Temple of the Low Men. My fondest memory of this song was listening to the cassette on my Walkman when i was 15 and in the Swiss Alps on the french Boarder.

I went on a school trip, but i had no business being in Europe. None of my friends went with me and I was very lonely since the French Language was unknown to me. But yet there i was, in the snow covered mountains on a large Bus sitting by myself and This song came through my headphones like a message from universe. The Backdrop of blue and white mountains that peaked through the cold shadows of the small winding roads we were on and the awesome power of this classic song was a perfect marriage of sound and vision.

It was my favorite time that i was in France and it is no surprise to me that it involves Music.

Olive's Miracle

2009-11-16T11:13:00.001-08:00

A good sign that a song is one of your favorites is that no matter how often it comes up in the shuffle of your library, you never skip it. Olive came to me in 1996 when i was working at Blockbuster Music right after i graduated college. We played this Cd in the store where I worked and it became one of my favorites.

Ruth Ann's voice reminds me of a quite tempered Lady Miss Kier from Deee Lite. Miracle is the first track off their debut album and has a nice Dub quality to it. I also like its length on the Cd at 7.5 minutes. Olive broke up after only 2 albums, but Ruth Ann has gone onto work with Enigma on a number of tracks- the stand Out number of which I find to be Gravity Of Love. Also, she released a solo Album last year that will satisfy any avid Olive fans just to hear her voice again.

Big Sir's Le Baron (Old School Brian Remix)

2009-11-16T08:22:00.000-08:00

Le Baron (Old School Brian Rem...

This is the only remix of a song on my list. I have had the good fortune of exchanging emails with Big Sir's Vocalist, Lisa Papineau. She has an amazing voice and even in this remix, of which i am sure the vocals are tweaked higher than the original song, it comes through as a pop dance spunky number that gets my toes a tappin. I am not sure why, but i cross link the beat and sounds in this song with Take You Home, by Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam.

Lisa Papineau has 2 solo albums that i also enjoy. The latest is Red Trees which was released in spring 09. I was driving home from the grocery at twilight this last May listening to it when I had to stop and wait for the train to pass by. I made this video and sent it to her. She posted it on her Blog as well. Here is my Moment in time:

Kurt Elling's Time to Say Goodbye

2009-11-16T08:17:00.000-08:00

Time To Say Goodbye - Kurt Ell...

This makes the list for its fantastic subject matter and Kurt's special style of telling a story through his voice. I first heard this song on a Sampler from Blue Note Records and immediately fell in love with it. This is probably one of the best Break-up songs of all time.

Confessor Over Chemicals

2009-11-16T07:38:00.001-08:00

I have remained confident in a majority of what would go on this list for many years, but there were always holes and uncertainty. Still some songs come up in my life that I think should take the place of others.

The latest change has been the removal of Chemical Brothers, Star Guitar in exchange for Annuals, Confessor. I realized it was not the song Star Guitar that I loved, but rather the video for the song directed my Michel Gondry. A simple train ride through factory yards and small cottage lined streets that is in perfect syncopation with the beat of the song. The few lyrics of the song have each word represented by a single individual passing by the train. This is one of the most beautiful video illustrations of all time and would easily make anyone fall for the song as well.
Star Guitar

However, the video for Confessor by the group Annuals it a masterpiece as well: A medieval setting of someone who possesses such a strong vision that it is the undoing of his would be torturer who in turn sets him free and joins him in his escape. The difference here is that the song can stand on it's own without the visual aid and this is what lead to the change in my list.

Confessor: