Awesome Music

(Flashing lights) German composer Hans Zimmer, an orchestra, and a battalion of guest artists performed some of his best film scores at this year’s Coachella, including tracks from Inception, Pirates of the Caribbean and the Dark Knight trilogy.

Los Angeles-based Chicano Batman play “low-rider oldies” music – laid-back funk rock that’s rooted in ’70s LA and Mexican culture. Watch them play songs from their new album Freedom is Free in this NPR Tiny Desk Concert.

Impressionist Mikey Bolts takes on the 1999 Blackalicious classic Alphabet Aerobics, matching each letter of the alphabet to a cartoon character, and raps each part in their voice. We swear, the more we look at Mikey, the more we think he’s actually Peter Brady.

It’s been floating around the YouTube ether for an eternity, but Alejandro Sayago’s 2011 performance of DragonForce’s speedmetal hit Through the Fire and Flames is too good to pass up. We can’t decide if his fingers, lips, or lungs were most likely to fall off by the end.

EatMyUke is currently on a quest to learn how to play his 50 favorite albums of all time on the ukulele. Given how well he performed The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Californication, we think he’ll have no problem achieving his goal. That’s Matt Deakin chipping in on the drums.

Get hit by lightning and bitten by a cobra as Eclectic Method takes us on another journey back to the ’80s. The awesomely synthwaved-out remix of sounds from Laser Unicorns‘ 2015 breakout hit Kung Fury makes us want to watch the whole movie again right now.

The ever inventive Ithaca Audio modified a 1920’s Remington Portable typewriter into a touch-sensitive MIDI controller. Then they used the space where the paper would go as a projection screen to create a unique audiovisual experience. So yes, the video is in real-time.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 director James Gunn recently revealed the full list of songs that are in the cassette tape that Star-Lord’s mom left him. Eric Buckleitner compiled them into a YouTube playlist, while Redditor ilikegamesandstuff made a Spotify playlist.

While putting the finishing touches on his album Swimmin’ Pools, Movie Stars… last year, Dwight Yoakam learned the news of Prince’s death. He decided then and there to add another track in tribute to the artist, a twangy, bluegrass version of one of his most beloved tracks.

Electronic music phenom Ronald Jenkees’ music video is a tour de force of colorful retro-style pixel art, created by animator Ben Luce of Soul Proprietor, who will use funds raised by fans of the video to support cancer research. From the new album Rhodes Deep. (Thanks Scott!)

While most of our collection of POP! vinyl figures is focused on sci-fi comic book characters, there are some pretty awesome figures in their musician’s line too. The Joey Ramone, Lemmy, and Johnny Rotten figures are almost enough to forgive the Justin Bieber one.

NPR Music recently hosted Ahmed Galleb aka Sinkane. Ahmed and his band draw from free jazz, psych rock and Sudanese pop to create chill and uplifting hippie music. Watch them perform tracks from his recently released album, Life & Livin’ It.

(PG-13: Language) Many musicians create alter egos that are hyperbolic versions of themselves. But Channel Criswell argues that Kendrick Lamar’s characters are not necessarily based on himself. Instead, they’re artful investigations of the things that define us.

Every time Leo Moracchioli screams another song at the top of his lungs, we wonder how he still has a voice, but his gravely pipes are still rockin’, as he turns the ABBA 1976 disco hit Dancing Queen into a hard rock tune that still retains just a dash of its pop goodness.

(PG-13: Language) Killer Mike and El-P have been murdering ears their whole careers, but they became something more when they teamed up as Run The Jewels. Scott Green looked at the hip hop duo’s interviews and lyrics to see why they’ve become so relevant.

(PG-13) “Bitch that phrase don’t make no sense why can’t fruit be compared?!” With the help of Giant Propeller, Lil Dicky finally released a music video for one of the best tracks on 2015’s Professional Rapper. It’s about LD and his brain being dumbfounded by his date’s beliefs.

(PG-13: Language) “I got power, poison, pain and joy inside my DNA. I got hustle though, ambition, flow, inside my DNA” Kendrick Lamar is about to f your s up. He dropped jazz and funk for more conventional beats, but his tongue is as sharp as ever.

Inspired by Ennio Morricone’s classic score from The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, musician Iacovos gave the theme song from HBO’s science fiction hit Westworld a proper wild West feel, adding twangy guitar, tambourine, along with an assertive chant.

Drummer David Dockery is back with another rhythmic reinterpretation of a classic scene. This time, he transposed the dialogue from the famous fizzy lifting drink argument from Willy Wonka into a drumbeat. Listen to the beat without the voices here. “I said GOOD DAY!”

The Grissini Project presents an appropriately grand and epic performance of Ramin Djawadi’s main theme from Game of Thrones, playing it partially on a giant pipe organ, grand piano, and cello. Their cover of Light of the Seven, is even more impressive.

Toys instrument band The Wackids cover Rage Against the Machine’s Killing in the Name Of the only way they know. We get that they’re just having fun, but they should try using Rick Syers’ tiny drum set for more range.

(PG-13) Cassius, Cat Power, and Pharell Williams collaborated on this awesome dance track which we missed when the album Ibifornia dropped last Summer. Director Alex Courtès‘ literally cheeky music video works wonders with the best use of split-screen ever.

(PG-13: Language) “Ice cream on my front porch in my new FUBU and my A1’s too, watching my happy block my whole neighborhood hit the diddy bop.” Fatimah Warner brings rap on the rocks to NPR Music with tracks from her album Telefone. What a talent.