Awesome Music

Jeff Lynne has continued to produce and create music since the heyday of Electric Light Orchestra, and he’s still got it. His latest single is a reflection on his own childhood dreams, and Warren Fu’s video is a love letter to Lynne himself. From the album Alone in the Universe.

Mark Goffeney is a talented guitarist, especially when you consider that he plays using his feet. Born without arms, Mark’s disability made him an outcast in the ’80s rock scene. But that setback made him believe in sincerity and the power of music even more.

YouTube hitmaker Mystery Guitar Man collaborated with Parrot to record sounds from a couple of their mini-drones and turn them into a fun little tune. The Jumping Sumo appears to be the most versatile band member.

The ACPAD gives guitar players the ability to control MIDI or DAW-based devices without taking their hands off their instrument. The slimline controller sticks onto guitars, adding pressure-sensitive pads and sliders which let you trigger sounds, record loops, and more.

On his latest EP, red hot beatmaker C. Crisci aka Clap! Clap! continues on his crusade to infuse footwork with indigenous music from all over the world. Trust us, this collection is a damn steal at five bucks.

Beat Breakdown shows us how producer Nineteen85 turned Timmy Thomas’ Why Can’t We Live Together? into the beat for Drake’s Hotline Bling. You may not get all the jargon, but the video is a good reminder of hip hop’s underappreciated depth.

(PG-13) FrinterGarden’s latest effort is the result of meticulously scouring through the darkest corners of the Twitterverse to (sort of) phonetically replicate the lyrics (and musical notes) of a song using only the names of Twitter users. More puntastic fun here.

The trailer for Junun, a documentary by Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood) about the making of the eponymous album by Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood, poet Shye Ben Tzur and The Rajasthan Express. Watch it on Mubi. The album is also on iTunes. More here.

After a tragic accident, Jason Barnes had his hand and wrist amputated. As if that weren’t challenging enough, Jason plays the drums. But thanks to Gil Weinberg, and the Georgia Tech Center for Music Technology, he can play entirely new styles with his new robotic hand.

Pop hitmaker Mark Ronson (of Uptown Funk fame) teamed up with Andrew Wyatt (Miike Snow) on vocals, Kevin Parker (Tame Impala) and Kirin J Callinan to orchestrate this absolutely killer cover version of the Queens of the Stone Age track I Sat by the Ocean.

Musician Chris Thile performs a wonderful rendition of J.S. Bach’s Sonata No. 1 in G Minor, BWV 1001 on his mandolin. The entire 15 minute piece is impressive, but the bit starting at 11:42 is simply spellbinding.

Mogees uses a powerful microphone and an iOS app to turn any rigid solid object into an instrument. Trigger notes or sounds with taps, scratches and other gestures, or turn objects into MIDI controllers via the Mogees VST or AU plugin for Mac and Windows.

The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses orchestra dropped by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to perform songs from the upcoming 3DS game Tri Force Heroes as well as past Zelda games. Note the conductor’s Master Sword baton.

Back to the Future’s all too important date is almost upon us, so the whole world seems to be jumping on the bandwagon. In this case, our old pal Eclectic Method turned some of the series’ classic sound bites into a catchy little song. 1.21 Giga-giga-watts!

Musician Chase Holfelder takes another upbeat song and turns it into a dark and foreboding track. This time, he’s completely transformed The Temptations’ 1966 hit Get Ready into something that Trent Reznor might have produced. Download the song here.

(PG-13: Language) Even if De Staat’s intense track isn’t your musical cup of tea, Studio Smack’s mindblowing music video will pull you in and won’t let go. The low-budget video was made with mo-cap and CGI trickery. We haven’t felt this way since seeing Mad Max: Fury Road.

Electronic tinkerer bd594 is back with another cover version of a classic track, as played by his merry band of old school computer and electronic equipment, this time playing The Doors’ Break on Through to the Other Side. Jump to 2:23 for some vocals.

(PG-13: Language) Neo-Soul queen Erykah Badu has the best take on Drake’s hit single by a large margin. Drizzy was definitely salty when he wrote Hotline Bling, but Erykah channels a cool, calm and collected lady waiting for a lover to come to his senses.

Musician Lorenz Rhode turns in a spot-on cover version of the talkbox modulated vocals from Daft Punk’s 2001 classic Harder Better Faster Stronger. It would be cool to see him recording the other parts of the track too.

Bring out the sticks, pots and pans, it’s time to do Battles. If you buy only one album this year let it be this one. We all miss Tyondai Braxton but holy crap, La Di Da Di is one math rock bomb after another.

The SuperSystem streams Internet radio stations and podcasts, plus the music in your PC. It also plays via Bluetooth, USB and 3.5mm input and is compatible with the UNDOK multi-system control app. It has two 40W 3.5″ drivers and a 40W subwoofer.

Multitalented musician Kawehi turns in a fantastic and uplifting solo performance of The Beach Boys’ classic track Don’t Worry Baby, accompanied by her electronic recording rig to help with the harmonies.

Gang of Youths covers LCD Soundsystem’s 2007 track All My Friends with incredible finesse, with a brilliantly gradual escalation from a quiet and mellow start to an explosive wall of sound by the end. We’re not sure they beat the original, but they came damned close.