Awesome Music

While Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon is said to be the perfect companion track to The Wizard of Oz, Craig J. Clark’s rescore of the classic film using over sixty tracks from They Might Be Giants works equally well.

Australian vocalist Jarryd James turns in an awesome cover of Weezer’s 1994 classic track Say it Ain’t So, with his soulful reimagining of Rivers Cuomo’s garage rock ballad. Jarryd’s original tracks deserve a listen too.

(PG-13 Language) Wu-Tang vet Ghostface Killah assumes his mob alter ego Tony Starks with the help of soul maestro Adrian Younge once again in the sequel to their head-spinning 2013 album.

Street performer Dario Rossi demonstrates his impressive rhythm and improv skills as he uses a variety of found objects as surrogate drums on the streets of Rome, Italy. Just one question: is he rushing or dragging?

Tapes slowed down Vacationer’s Go Anywhere and blessed it with the right amount of spice – synths, pitch-shifted interjections, beach sounds – to transform the peppy pop track into a chill but confident tune.

(PG-13 Language) This clip from Amy shows the late pop star recording Back to Black with producer Mark Ronson, who says he didn’t see Amy as the “procrastinating, troubled artist” that some were portraying her to be.

The best use of the selfie stick goes to Stephen and Sammy. The couple’s edit of their 31-day round-the-world trip is so wonderful, the pop duo Great Good Fine OK used it as the official video for their song Not Going Home.

Who knew Bad Blood would be a good Def Leppard song? Ten Second Songs covers Taylor Swift’s single in the style of Joe Elliott, Janis Joplin and more, including a couple of hilarious “singers.” His Eddie Vedder impression is spot on.

The first single from Beach House’s upcoming album Depression Cherry is more dream than pop, though it still bears their comforting rhythmic style. We just hope we hear more of Victoria in the rest of the album.

(PG-13 Language) Holy crap, somehow Pete Doherty is still alive. The Libertines are back after 11 years, with a resigned tune about having difficulty overcoming one’s demons. From their upcoming album Anthems for Doomed Youth.

St. Louis beatboxer Nicole Paris takes on her dad to see who can spit sounds better. Dad’s pretty good, but it’s quickly apparent that young Nicole has outpaced the skills of her sensei. We always want our kids to do better than us, right?

(PG-13 Language) MCs Beardyman, LeeN, and Dizraeli and crew tear up the stage with a fun, freestyle performance based entirely on a random title provided by an audience member. From the all-improv One Album Per Hour tour.

The very talented choreographer and tap dancer Sarah Reich dances to a medley of diverse and rhythmic tracks, accompanied by the guys from Postmodern Jukebox. We’re surprised her platform doesn’t catch on fire by the end.

(Very briefly NSFW) A perfect mix of live action and animation from directors Tim McCourt and Max Taylor as two pint-sized protagonists go for a crazy day out in an RC Jeep. Music by Hugo ‘Beats’ Chegwin and Fred Berry.

Like most who find themselves homeless, there’s clearly more to the story of Donald Gould as he demonstrates his amazing musical talent on the streets of Sarasota, Florida. Show your support for Donald over on GoFundMe.

Mighty Mike created this mix of M83’s Midnight City and Men at Work’s Down Under, seamlessly melding the ethereal electronica with Colin Hay’s inviting vocals and the late Greg Ham’s catchy flute solo. Video by DJ Morbid. Download here.

We’ve got chills. They’re multiplyin’. The seldom boring Andy Rehfeldt recorded this revamp of You’re the One That I Want from the musical Grease with a sound that’s sure to make ears bleed, and ’50s and ’70s sentimentalists weep.

Following up on The Wikidrummer, singer Joachim Müllner performs the same song in 15 different locales, each with dramatically different acoustic properties, including an anechoic chamber. Best experienced with headphones on.

Like the Yoshida Brothers, instrumental duet 輝&輝 (Ki&Ki/KiKi) use the Tsugaru-shamisen to create modern music, in a style that we can only call virtuoso country rock. See more of them on NakTKY’s YouTube channel.

An unlikely cover version of Guns ‘N Roses Sweet Child O’ Mine performed in four violin parts by musician Cathie King. The video is two years old, but is just making the rounds now that G’NR shared it. Arrangement by Ben Hippen.

While we were watching that TMBG x Destiny’s Child cover, we stumbled onto another great performance from A.V. Club’s Undercover – neo bluegrass band Punch Brothers doing an insanely great version of The Strokes’s Reptilia.

(PG-13 language) A talented composer is hounded by a phantom marching band after his beloved wife’s death. Matthew Goldenberg and Michael Slavens’ short is a vivid expression of inner turmoil and the loss of a loved one.

Montreal native Thomas Arsenault aka Mas Ysa proves that EDM doesn’t have to be rote and soulless, and does it without straying from the genre’s buildup-drop format. Arrows starts as an ’80s ballad before the relentless synths kick in.