Awesome Music

(SPOILERS, PG-13) “In the fields the bodies burning, as the war machine keeps turning.” YouTuber Zurik 23M presents some of the most violent moments in Game of Thrones over Black Sabbath’s classic anti-war anthem.

(PG-13 Language) Dave Grohl regales us with a hilarious anecdote about meeting Sir Paul McCartney and Taylor Swift, then turns in a heartfelt solo acoustic performance of the Foo Fighters’ classic Best of You during the Cannes Lions 2016 festival of creativity.

British alternative band Portishead applies their trademark haunting sounds to Abba’s 1975 pop classic SOS in a cover version dedicated to slain British parliament member Jo Cox. We always thought the original’s upbeat sounds belied the song’s dark lyrics.

On 6/20/16 – the longest day of the year – Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós went on a 24-hour, 827mi road trip around their country via its coastal ring road. The entire trip was livestreamed on YouTube, set to elements of the band’s new song Óveður.

Pianist and composer Nikolai Kapustin is known for his unique virtuoso pieces, which fuse the playful chaos of jazz with the perfectionist stamp of classical music. Pianist Dimitry Masleev demonstrates Kapustin’s music in this first-person performance of Toccatina Op. 40.

Kaptain Kristian takes a look at one of our favorite bands. Created by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett, Gorillaz is a modern-day supergroup, with a constantly changing lineup, a free-flowing, enigmatic style, and fronted by a stable of four archetypal animated characters.

Portland’s premiere punk rockers The Thermals dropped by KEXP to perform Into The Code, My Heart Went Cold, Hey You and Thinking of You from their latest album We Disappear, which ruminates on death while blasting catchy riffs.

(PG-13: Language) Young beatmaker Daniel Asadi has a little fun with The Office‘s memorable opening theme by using it as the backgrount beat in this live remix of Kendrick Lamar’s Poetic Justice.

This single about battling one’s demons from the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ new album The Getaway is sure to be a massive hit with its sharp lyrics, punchy rhythms, an infectious chorus, and a compelling music video directed by none other than Olivia Wilde.

Vuk Spasojević aka oOtoke’s video starts out slow for the first 30 seconds, but quickly turns into something amazing. We won’t spoil the fun for you, but it took him over 3 years of effort to get it right. The track is Halo, Džozefina (Hello Josephine) by Đorđe Marjanović.

Fender now has an online customizing shop. Start with a Telecaster, Stratocaster, Precision Bass or Jazz Bass body then mix and match pickups, fingerboards, body colors, pickguards and more to suit your needs and taste.

This new track from Peter Gabriel features the sort of richly layered production, piercing rhythms, and global influences we’ve come to expect, at times reminiscent of the sound of his hit album Up. We can only hope it’s indicative of a full album down the road.

The always spectacular Haley Reinhart turns in another fantastic cover along with Postmodern Jukebox, with this orchestral arrangement of Soundgarden’s 1994 grunge hit that starts out as a sultry jazz ballad, and ends with as much fire and energy as the original.

YouTuber Tronicbox turns Justin Bieber’s pop house hit into a very convincing ’80s power ballad, using most of the decade’s trademark sounds without devolving into a cheap joke. Seriously, the only thing that gives it away is that it’s too clean. Thanks Karlo!

Anthony Vincent of Ten Second Songs presents another meta cover – this time performing Gorillaz’ 2005 hit in the style of artists ranging from The Prodigy to Sir-Mix-a-Lot to Queen and even Darude. Keep an eye out for guitar cameos from some of our favorite YouTube rockers.

Remix master Eclectic Method combines a number of his already awesome science fiction mixes into a single meta-mix that runs a nearly 27 minutes long, and is worth every single minute of your time. Hit play and crank it up right now.

(PG-13 Language) For anyone out there who had any doubts that the foul-mouthed, humourous lyricist Lil Dicky was a legitimate rapper, this freestyle clip from Tim Westwood TV should put your mind at ease, as the Dickster lets his prose flow with the best of them.

Forester’s animated music video for City, a song by Taiwanese band Sodagreen. A group of children are abducted and turned into infectious spies, turning their targets into accomplices. It’s like The Matrix if Neo was nature itself.

James Corden fills every seat in his Range Rover with the members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, as they sing a number of their hits, reminisce about their past, wrestle on someone’s lawn, and perform a brief tribute to the musical Oliver!, led enthusiastically by Flea.

(PG-13: Language) Indie rock band Weaves at NPR Music’s NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Concert. The Toronto-based quartet sounds like a suburban teenagers’ first band – pop beats, even rhymes, cute and raw. Except, you know, they’re actually good.

YouTuber Wyomingnot managed to perfectly sync up bits of Star Wars: The Force Awakens with They Might Be Giant’s quirky Fingertips from their 1992 album Apollo 18, an offbeat collection of 21 seemingly random bits of song choruses.

Red Bull TV is once again streaming live performances from the Bonnaroo music and arts festival. Catch LCD Soundsystem, M83, Tyler the Creator and more for free on your browser or from the Red Bull TV app. The show runs now through 6/13/16.

Awesomer readers, enter for a chance to win one of two Blu-ray copies of Imagine Dragons: Smoke + Mirrors Live, the recording of their concert in Toronto, mixed in Dolby Atmos audio – the most immersive way to hear your favorite movies and shows. (Ends 6/15/16)