Awesome Music

Daft Punk made music that was decidedly more joyful and danceable than the industrial metal sounds of Rammstein. That didn’t stop Talkbox Gus from mashing up the two groups. His performance of Du Hast sounds like a bonus track from Random Access Memories. His Daft-ified version of KISS’ I Was Made for Love You perfectly suits the disco-rock track.

Before digital synthesizers and drum machines, instruments like the Mellotron used pre-recorded tape loops to play short sound samples. Musician Hainbach got his hands on a Bandmaster Powerhouse, a 1970s analog drum machine that used custom 8-track tapes to play drum loops. Its now well-worn tape cartridges produce some fantastic lo-fi sounds.

Finnish musician and producer Otu of Moonic Productions did a brilliant job turning the Backstreet Boys track Everybody (Backstreet’s Back) into a Queens of the Stone Age song. Not only did he nail Josh Homme’s vocal style and hard-driving guitar, but he also paid homage to the band’s evolution over their nearly 30-year career.

We can always rely on lighting designer Tom BetGeorge for the best Halloween light shows. For his 2023 show, he kicks things off with a brilliantly illuminated performance of System of a Down’s Toxicity, complete with singing pumpkins, light-up spiders, gravestones, and fire cannons. Tom’s got more videos on the way, so subscribe to his YouTube channel.

After collaborating on Wide Open, The Chemical Brothers and Beck have reteamed for Skipping Like a Stone. To accompany the ethereal dance track, they enlisted directorial team Pensacola and master stone-skipper Kurt Steiner for a video that starts out soothing then amps up the energy as a skipped stone takes an incredible journey.

Violinist Dmitry Rotkin lets his fingers do the talking in this brief pizzicato jazz improvisation, inspired by Duke Ellington’s It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing). His finger-plucked performances of Misirlou and his original composition, Mad Fingers Pizzicato, are incredible as well.

(PG-13: Language) Drumeo frequently invites percussionists to improvise rhythms to songs they’ve never heard or played before. In this session, they asked Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith to take on the Thirty Seconds to Mars song The Kill (Bury Me), and he totally nailed it despite his lack of familiarity with the track.

And the court will rise, while the pillars all fall. Peter Gabriel has been creating musical masterpieces since the 1960s. The Court comes from his new album i/o. The track explores society’s need for order and the flaws of judicial systems. The video was created by Junie Lau using various AI tech, including Stable Diffusion, ChatGPT, MidJourney, and DALL·E 2.

It’s time to play the music. It’s time to light the lights. Did you know that The Muppet Show had a German version of its famous theme song? Nope? Neither did we. Until today, that is. RoadRunnerCoyote2015 compiled this collection of intros from the German version, Die Muppet Show, for our enjoyment. (Thanks, Rusty!)

Open your eyes, look up to the skies, and see… Pokémon! Magik Mike put together this cursed mashup of the Pokémon theme song with Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody. Then Elton John shows up to launch the whole thing into space. Prefer your tracks with more drums? You’re welcome.

Bardcore musician Hildegard von Blingin’ is back with another great medieval interpretation of a popular song. This time, we’ve got The Rolling Stones’ 1966 classic Paint It, Black, which works incredibly well with the centuries-old instrumentation and revised Old English lyrics. Just wait for the choir to kick in at the end. You won’t be disappointed.

We hadn’t heard of Lavish Lucy before now, but this band is now officially on our radar screen. Their cover of the Stone Temple Pilots’ track Plush is as good as it gets, with a lead vocal performance that sounds like Scott Weiland has come back to life. Their covers of Nirvana’s On a Plain and Pearl Jam’s Alive are next level too. (Thanks, Craig!)

Musician Jamie Dupuis has demonstrated his mastery of the 20-string harp guitar with his performances of Where Is My Mind and Boulevard of Broken Dreams. In this clip, he takes on the warm and enveloping vibes of Neil Young’s Harvest Moon, a track that has given us chills every single time we’ve heard it played.

Say what you will about Never Gonna Give You Up, but the 1987 pop hit has kept musician Rick Astley in the cultural zeitgeist for decades. And he’s actually really, really good. During the BBC’s Radio 2 in the Park 2023 concert, Rick and his band crushed it with a live performance of his cover of Foo Fighters’ Everlong.

(PG-13: Language) Every band has its fans and detractors. There I Ruined It created this song for people who don’t like the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The track was made using AI tech to emulate Anthony Kiedis’ and John Frusciante’s vocals – but this version of Snow (Hey Oh) has some new (and improved?) lyrics.

We haven’t checked in with musician Smooth McGroove in a little while, but the talented A Cappella vocalist is still getting his groove on. Nintendo fans will love his multi-track cover of Koji Kondo’s main theme from Super Mario 64, otherwise known as Bob-Omb Battlefield.

Musician Mac Glocky likes to record cover versions of songs as if different bands performed them. He recently dropped this gem, which imagines what The Killers’ track Mr. Brightside would sound like if System of a Down played it. We’re setting this as our new alarm sound. If this doesn’t wake us up, nothing will.

Musician and luthier Shane Speal is known for making guitars out of cigar boxes. But his penchant for creating unusual musical instruments goes far beyond that. In this short video, he shows off some of his crazy builds, including guitars made from a boat oar, copper pipes, and a shovel. The exit sign electric guitar is our favorite.

The iPhone has lots of ringtones and alarm sounds to choose from, but the old iOS 7 opening ringtone is still the most memorable. Musician Tony Ann took that familiar tune and ran with it, transforming it into a lovely little ballad to play on the piano. The sheet music is available for purchase on Musicnotes. (Thanks, Rob!)

Chickity China, the Chinese chicken. Postmodern Jukebox and vocalist Emma Smith take on the Barenaked Ladies’ 1998 track One Week, revamping the fast-talking pop hit in the jazzy style of a 1940s lounge act. It’s another brilliant performance from Scott Bradlee’s retro cover band.

Singer, engineer, and Indian Idol contestant Nachiket Lele has incredible vocal skills. While his performances aren’t traditional, to begin with, they’re not exactly metal. Musician Andre Antunes amped things up to 11 by adding a System of a Down-inspired guitar track. For comparison, here’s Nachiket’s original, unedited performance.

Can a ukulele really make heavy metal music? Well, in the hands of Charles Berthoud, this ukulele bass sure can. Bored with the standard instrumentation in metal tracks, the musician decided to create a multi-layered song that uses the uke bass for every one of its sounds, including drums, synth, and even lead guitar with a bit of pitch shifting.

Love the music of the 1980s? Then, put on your headphones, crank up the volume, and hit play on this double feature. Musician Martin Miller and his bandmates performed this stellar two-part medley featuring tracks from Van Halen, A-Ha, Tears for Fears, Europe, Depeche Mode, Bon Jovi, Michael Jackson, U2, and more.