Awesome Music

A hurdy-gurdy makes music by rubbing a wheel against its strings. Musician Keizo Ishibashi demos the Cantareel, an invention that works similarly, spinning its wheel against the strings of an acoustic guitar, and producing a unique sound that’s somewhere between a violin and bagpipes. This original composition really shows off what it can do.

A few years back, singer Anthony Vincent performed Radiohead’s Creep in a bunch of different styles. One of the brief snippets was a spot-on impression of Muse. Fans dug it so much that Anthony has graced us with the full track, perfectly nailing the operatic intensity of Matt Bellamy and massive wall of sound the band is known for.

Musician Fatboy Slim is a master at finding obscure samples and using razor-sharp edits. Small Plates Music attempted to recreate the hit track Praise You by dusting off the original sounds and loading them into the $5 smartphone app Koala Sampler. The end result is imperfect, but learning about the song’s composition is the real reason to watch this video.

NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert has featured some of the best and most intimate music performances. Architectural Digest dropped by for a BTS tour from Tiny Desk Host and Producer Bobby Carter. After checking out mementos left behind by artists like Adele, Bad Bunny, and Chappell Roan, we learn how the show comes together with series Senior Producer Robin Hilton.

Dreaming is free. Puddles Pity Party took the 1979 Blondie classic Dreaming and turned in a melodramatic and operatic performance clearly inspired by Roy Orbison. The sad clown is bringing his golden voice to cities across the U.S. this summer on tour with the unstoppable “Weird Al” Yankovic.

The White Stripes’ 2007 track Icky Thump is a brilliant example of raw, unpolished rock. Brass Against amplifies its ferocity with a massive wall of brass – baritone sax, trumpet, tuba, trombone, and powerful vocals by Liza Colby, creating an electrifying reinterpretation that hits just as hard as the original.

In honor of Black Music Month, Living Colour rocked NPR’s Tiny Desk, celebrating 35 years of their groundbreaking album Time’s Up. The band delivered powerful renditions of classics like Cult of Personality and Pride, paying homage to influences like Jimi Hendrix and Bad Brains. Despite the intimate setting, Vernon Reid’s guitar wizardry and Corey Glover’s soaring vocals proved Living Colour’s message transcends time.

The Unusual Suspect diced and sliced tidbits from nearly 200 movies to perform Feel Good Inc. As with his other edits, each word or phrase was spoken by a different character, breathing new life into the 2005 Gorillaz hit. Bonus points for all the evil laughs and Beaker’s meeps.

What happens when you put the music of Stryper, AC/DC, Kiss, Mötley Crüe, Pantera, Dokken, Def Leppard, Vixen, Blue Öyster Cult, Twisted Sister, Judas Priest, and Van Halen into a blender and press the “Shred” button? Master music mashup maker Bill McClintock has the answer with this epic metal remix that demands you crank your volume up to 11.

Puddles Pity Party has proven time and again that he’s got one of the most awesomely expressive voices on the planet. His cover of the My Chemical Romance hit Helena is as heartbreaking as they come. While emo music is supposed to evoke feelings, Puddles proves there’s nothing better than a pure, soulful voice to send chills down your spine.

If any movie was going to bring on a case of ornithophobia, it was Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds. Now, Big Bird has joined the cast of this classic film, courtesy of Bell Brothers, who edited the 8-foot-tall yellow bird into scenes from the 1963 horror-thriller, and synced it up to Outkast’s 2000 track B.O.B.

The members of trio Klangphonics are known for performing techno music that incorporates analog instruments. For Ich Brauch Mehr Bass (I Need More Bass), they created a Rammstein-esque sound from an acoustic guitar, a drum kit, and an alphorn. For more of their unconventional electronic music, check out their vacuum cleaner and bathroom techno.

Paul Junkin has lived with a piano in his house since he was a little kid, but he doesn’t know how to play it. Rather than taking piano lessons, he used his engineering skills to rig up 88 solenoids and circuitry, enabling it to play any tune fed to it via MIDI, including keypress velocity. After seeing how he did it, watch it attempt the ultimate challenge track, Rush E.

Two great ’90s bands have joined forces and are touring this summer (along with Spin Doctors). Along the way, they stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live! and turned in this perfect performance of Run Around and Hey Jealousy that makes us long for the music of our youth. It’s great to see John Popper and Robin Wilson killing it on stage.

Jerry Goldsmith’s main title music to Star Trek: The Next Generation is one of the most memorable TV themes of all time. As both a Trekkie and Bluegrass fan, musician Gordon Lustig and his pals performed the theme on banjo, fiddle, bass, and mandolin, and created a new opening title sequence with the Enterprise D replaced by a flying banjo.

Walter White reveals his true identity as Heisenberg, only this time, it’s a musical extravaganza. There I Ruined It took a pivotal scene from Breaking Bad transformed it into a jangly western song. This just makes us want an entire musical version of the series – and Better Call Saul, too. We can already hear Tuco Salamanca singing Tight, Tight, Tight, Yeah!