Today’s tune Tuesday features the adrenaline pumping prog-rock ballad by the English trio known as Muse.

Formed in 1994 as the “Rocket Baby Dolls”, Muse quickly went on to win a “Battle of the Bands” compeition at their local University. They entered as a protest, and destroyed their instruments during the show - when they won, they thought they might have something - and the rest is history.

I first heard them sometime in the late ’90s - probably ‘98 - ‘99. I was moderator for the MTV UK chat room and, besides learning a lot of weird British slang, picked up on a lot of wonderful music before it went stateside. These guys were one of those jewels that had me downloading on Napster and listening to religiously for several weeks in a row.

This week’s song is “Knights of Cydonia” , track 11 from their 4th and latest album “Black Holes & Revelations”. It’s a typical example of how they blend modern rock, progressive rock and electronica with interweavings of classical and Italian music. It starts slow, almost haunting - and quickly picks up the pace. It’s an excellent song for anything fast paced - running from the cops, realizing you’re a Deity, paying your mortgage, stalking JACC - whatever it might be.

So listen in, check out the lyrics, then buy it.

Muse - Black Holes and Revelations

Buy Muse - Black Holes and Revelations from Amazon.Com

Muse - Knights of Cydonia
From Black Holes & Revelations

Come ride with me through the veils of history,
I’ll show you a God falls asleep on the job,
How can we win when fools can be kings?
Don’t waste your time or time will waste you

No-one’s going to take me alive
The time has come to make things right
You and I must fight for our rights
You and I must fight to survive

No-one’s going to take me alive
The time has come to make things right
You and I must fight for our rights
You and I must fight to survive

No-one’s going to take me alive
The time has come to make things right
You and I must fight for our rights
You and I must fight to survive

And as a treat, here’s the video:

Today’s tune is from Dogs Die in Hot Cars. From their, well, only album. Released in 2004 and titled “Please Describe Yourself”. This Scottish group plays your stereotypical Britpop but they do it wonderfully. I was saddened by their announcement in September of 2007 that they were ending their work on their second album and going their seperate ways. But then in April they announced “The Second Album Project” which includes some downloads - sounds very promising.

The song I’ve chosen is “Paul Newman’s Eyes”. Not one of their popular songs, it’s nonetheless a quite catchy tune with a wonderful chorus that you’ll be humming to yourself all day. So listen to the song, check out the lyrics, and buy the CD.

Dogs Die In Hot Cars - Please Describe Yourself

Paul Newman’s Eyes
Dogs Die in Hot Cars - Please Describe Yourself

I wish I had Paul Newman’s eyes
And every day came with some surprise
I wish I had Paul Newman’s eyes
That would be nice

Look at those houses, big houses over there
Look at those suits spending money without a care
Here comes the stars with perks around their arms
Here comes the sports car that carries so much charm
But I’m just a nothing that doesn’t have a lot
And I asked for your life but look at what I got

So sick of seeing, don’t want to hear no more
And you can amputate my limbs
And starve me to death whilst I beg for freedom
Away from a life which is this

But I wish I had Paul Newman’s eyes
And every day came with some surprise
I wish I had Paul Newman’s eyes
That would be nice

Look at those setters, those setters of the trend
Look at that band, they act so confident
Here comes the movies with dialogue so cool
Why did they never tell me to speak like that in primary school

So sick of seeing, don’t want to hear no more
And you can amputate my limbs
And starve me to death whilst I beg for freedom
Away from a life which is this

But still I wish I had Paul Newman’s eyes
And every day came with some surprise
I wish I had Paul Newman’s eyes
That would be nice

So sick of seeing
Can’t stand to talk
And I’ve no compassion
Or thought

Today’s Tunesday we lately¹, and proudly, present a song from the E’s band, Eels. It’s actually hard to write that. I want to put “The Eels”, but that’s not correct.

Anyway, Bus Stop Boxer, from their 2001 album “Souljacker” is a hauntingly beautiful song about proving yourself. Of all his songs, this has to be one of my favorites. So listen in, read the lyrics, buy the album so I get money, and enjoy!

And forgive the quickness - we’re in the process of moving so 90% of my music is packed or on one of my shut down machines - so I have to pick and choose. And if you’ve ever tried to copy music off your iPod by going through the indivdual folders, you know my pain today!

Eels - Souljacker - Bus Stop Boxer

Eels - Bus Stop Boxer

I don’t miss where I came from
But each night I dream about being back home
When I wake up in the morning
I’m too tired, tired of being alone

So I get up and go downtown
And pick me out a little piece of ground
Where I can prove something to the world
I can prove something to the world

Don’t look at me
I’m the bus stop boxer X2

Daddy put us in the truck and
Dropped us off and said good luck, then
One lucky kid waiting for the bus
Made a winner out of one of us

Don’t look at me
I’m the bus stop boxer X2

Going down by the railroad tracks, where
People know that they better not relax
I’m the man, baby, I am the man
This is where I can make you understand

I’m the bus stop boxer
Don’t look at me X2

1. You help a friend install her air conditioned in an attic apartment in 90 degree heat with 80% humidity in the rain after a 2 hour work out. [↩]

Today’s Tunesday is of someone I hit upon recently - Imani Coppola. Ah, yes, it was found via some random file share, and apparently it was featured on the Grey’s Anatomy soundtrack. And I happened to fall in love with it! The song is “Raindrops from the Sun (Hey Hey Hey)” off of her “The Black & White Album”. It’s only vaguely topical of the 4th of July due to the first line - but hey, it’s that or nothin. So have a listen, read up about her, check out the lyrics, and have a great week! I’ll probably have more of an editorial next Tunesday. Or not.

Buy Imani Coppola - The Black & White Album from Amazon.

Imani Coppola - Raindrops from the Sun (Hey Hey Hey)

Yesterday was kind of like the fourth of July
The way your face lit up the entire sky
I had to look away because it hurt my eyes
The way you hit me was a big surprise

Yesterday I really didn’t know what to say
I wasn’t making any sense but it felt ok
I asked you if it was my birthday
This kind of thing don’t happen everyday

Hey hey hey hey hey hey

Didn’t think an angel would get in my way

Yesterday I felt just like a child
A little curious a little wild
Live in the moment and never go out of style
You know it’s really been a while

Hey hey hey hey hey hey

I didn’t think an angel would get in my way

Excuse me wont you step aside
I ain’t got no room for you in my life
I don’t got the patience to love again
I don’t got the guts to keep you as a friend

Be an angel and fly away
I hope you reach some heavenly place
If you come back when you’re all done
Bring me some raindrops from the sun

Today I feel like i’m doing time
Didn’t know it could be just like a crime
Been a while since I let you go
But time don’t let regrets go

Hey hey hey hey hey hey

I didn’t think an angel would get in my way

So I gotta welcome angels

This Tunesday, we’ll explore that wild wacky world of our ex-girlfriends. Crazy, unstable, insane - and so many more words describe them, but only one song can.

That song? Track 2 from the Self-Titled debut album from The Dresden Dolls. That songs name? “Girl Anachronism”. Take a listen, read the lyrics, watch the video, then tell me this doesn’t describe at least one of your exes, if not all of them!

The Dresden Dolls - The Dresden Dolls

Lyrics:

girl anachronism

you can tell
from the scars on my arms
and cracks in my hips
and the dents in my car
and the blisters on my lips
that i’m not the carefullest of girls

you can tell
from the glass on the floor
and the strings that’re breaking
and i keep on breaking more
and it looks like i am shaking
but it’s just the temperature
and then again
if it were any colder i could disengage
if i were any older i could act my age
but i dont think that youd believe me
it’s
not
the
way
i’m
meant
to
be
it’s just the way the operation made me

and you can tell
from the state of my room
that they let me out too soon
and the pills that i ate
came a couple years too late
and ive got some issues to work through
there i go again
pretending to be you
make-believing
that i have a soul beneath the surface
trying to convince you
it was accidentally on purpose

i am not so serious
this passion is a plagiarism
i might join your century
but only on a rare occasion
i was taken out
before the labor pains set in and now
behold the world’s worst accident
i am the girl anachronism

and you can tell
by the red in my eyes
and the bruises on my thighs
and the knots in my hair
and the bathtub full of flies
that i’m not right now at all
there i go again
pretending that i’ll fall
don’t call the doctors
cause they’ve seen it all before
they’ll say just
let
her
crash
and
burn
she’ll learn
the attention just encourages her

and you can tell
from the full-body cast
that i’m sorry that i asked
though you did everything you could
(like any decent person would)
but i might be catching so don’t touch
you’ll start believeing youre immune to gravity and stuff
don’t get me wet
because the bandages will all come off

and you can tell
from the smoke at the stake
that the current state is critical
well it is the little things, for instance:
in the time it takes to break it she can make up ten excuses:
please excuse her for the day, its just the way the medication makes her…

i dont necessarily believe there is a cure for this
so i might join your century but only as a doubtful guest
i was too precarious removed as a caesarian
behold the worlds worst accident
I AM THE GIRL ANACHRONISM

And the video, from YouTube:

Tune Tuesday (Tunesday) is a new feature at the Pavleck.Com blog, every Tuesday I remember to do it, I’ll upload a song and give you the lyrics. The song will either be something stuck in my head, something I can’t get enough of, something local, or something I want you all to hear.

And for the inauguration, what better then the sexy vocals of the tigress Patricia Day of the HorrorPops¹. Billed as a psychobilly band (Though one that states it is not pyschobilly) they are, at least in my opinion, one of the jewels of the Danish music scene.

Today’s song is from their second album “Bring it On“. The song “Walk Like A Zombie” is one of the goofiest efforts in a decidedly campy affair - but that’s not to say there isn’t a lot to love about it. The HorrorPops are definitely one of those bands you listen to more for the fun and camp value, then for hard hitting lyrics with plenty of social commentary. Never the less, this song is very addictive, with Patricia Day sounding both sultry and smoky as well as rockabilly and doo-wop, and Kim Nekroman’s² parts perfectly balancing it, bringing the sound back down to ‘campy’ and keeping it out of the realm of ludicrous.

All and all, I absolutely love these guys - and having a hot raven-haired upright bass swinging tigress as the lead doesn’t hurt them, either. I hope you will too. Let me hear your thoughts, as well as anything you’d like to turn me on to.

HorrorPops - Walk Like A Zombie.mp3

Lyrics courtesy PLyrics.com

HorrorPops - Walk Like A Zombie

you walk like a zombie
you talk like a zombie
it’s not in your head
you’re a living dead
whatever you’re gonna do
you’re gonna make me cry

you walk like a zombie
(you make me wanna cry)
you talk like a zombie
it’s not in your head
you’re a living dead
whatever you’re gonna do
you’re gonna make me cry

[Chorus:]
and you wanna hold hands
in the cemetery
and you wanna be lost
for all eternity
and everything is dark
and kind of scary
and you crave the full moon
but I don’t care
and you want a mountaintop
with a little castle
and you wanna name our kids
Morticia and Fester
and all the flowers you bring
are always dead
and you howl at the moon
but I don’t care

six feet under
you make me wonder
you wanna be undead
so you can be hunted
whatever you’re gonna do
I’m gonna follow you

six feet under
(you make me wanna follow you)
you make me wonder
you wanna be undead
so you can be hunted
whatever you’re gonna do
I’m gonna follow you

[Chorus x2]

1. Official site, which goes to their MySpace right now [↩]
2. Kim Nekroman is also the front man for his band Nekromantix [↩]

The vocal stylings of the extremely hot Danish singer Patricia Day of the Horror Pops singing one of my favorites, “Heading for the Disco”

Be still, my heart.

And a test media file:

HorrorPops - Thelma and Louise

Well, the Bent Festival is over. It was an amazing event, I met a lot of awesome talented people, and took a metric ton of pictures - over 1700 in all. Here are some of my favorites, starting with my absolute fave!

Albino Ghost Monkey from Rice Lake, WI

Tim Kaiser from Duluth, MN plays his homemade instruments

The custom hacked and bent keyboard played by Albino Ghost Monkey

Closeup of one of the hacked synthesizers connected to a stationary bicycle

Hacked Nintendo, used to display odd visuals of classic games

DJ Tendraw from England gives us his hardcore renditions

Memory Selector from Chicago/Minneapolis plays a chill set

Creme De Menthia of Illinois waxes his bending skills

Mike Rosenthal of “The Tank” cooks for the group at the Bent BBQ

Datura 1.0 and Tim Kaiser discuss their art over Bratwurst

Ronald Schleper teaches a drum machine bending workshop

Beatrix*JAR pumps up the audience at the end of day 1

There really are to many good pictures - it’s hard to choose. If you’re feeling brave, feel free to look at the over 750 shots at my Flickr set.

Really looking forward to next year! And thanks to Wired’s GeekDad for asking me to shoot it!

Just a quick remind, the 5th annual (2nd annual in MN) Ben Festival starts tonight, 7pm @ Intermedia Arts. If you’d like more information, check out my post earlier this week about it. It’s sure to be a blast, and I will see you there!

The 2008 Bent Festival will be making it’s final stop here in Minneapolis from May 1st - 3rd at Intermedia Arts¹. This is it’s 5th year, and it’s 2nd in Minneapolis - let’s show ‘em some love!

What is it? The Bent Festival is an annual art and music festival celebrating DIY electronics, hardware hacking, and circuit bending. Each year they invite artists from across the country and around the globe to perform music with their home-made or circuit bent instruments, teach workshops to adults and children alike, create beautiful art installations and to generally come together, face to face, and showcase the state of the art in DIY electronics and circuit bending culture.

If you’re the type that took your toys apart growing up, then this event is definitely for you! Like to learn more? Check out the Bent Festival on Flickr or YouTube, add them to your MySpace or Facebook, look at the workshops or check out the complete schedule. The 3 concerts are $10 each, and some of the workshops have a small charge for parts. Buy individual tickets, or a 3 day pass for only $25.

Local artists performing this year are: Datura 1.0, Caly McMorrow, Beatrix*JAR and Memory Selector.

1. Google Map to Intermedia Arts [↩]