demodays

[demodays]

Class of 99 - Another Brick in the Wall

Ok, so - todays review is something strange, it's one of those projects where I just wonder who pressed the green light. Not, of course because it was a bad idea, but what were they trying to make happen and why didn't it go further? Class of 99 is a super group consisting of Layne Staley, Tom Morello, Stephen Perkins Martyn LeNoble and Matt Serletic. They don't have a full record out, to my knowledge. But they do have a cover of Pink Floyd's "The Wall." I think doing a cover of Pink Floyd or The Beatles or any other classic band you are setting yourself up. I think that is a very high bar to try to reach. I sincerely appreciate their unique sound and mix of artists that came together to give us an alternative rock cover. I guess the best way to describe the sound is that alternative late 90s sound that blended into the early 2000s rock sound. I quite like it and live to hear Tom Morello rip some riffs.

I am going to use a device dealing with context used by John Berger in his essay on art titled Ways of Seeing. So please go listen to the track before you finish this review.

According to the magazine Revolver this performance was the last time Staley was in a studio before his drug overdose in 2002.

#alice in chains #layne staley #tom morello #rage against the machine #alternative music #grunge #ninties #90s #90s aesthetic #music recs #music review #music #rarities #cover #pink floyd #alternative #Spotify

[demodays]

From Radiohead’s Cover of Glenn Campbell’s "Rhinestone Cowboy"

“Well, I really don't mind the rain

And the smile can hide all the pain”

Today is about a live performance from Radiohead of a hit song outside their genre, far outside their genre. If you asked me what kind of song I would want Radiohead to cover, I guess I would immediately think something off of InUtero or something else relatively closer to their genre. We are a lucky few, we have a cover of a 70s country song. The original song is cinematic, the vocal performance begs you to sing along with it. Rhinestone Cowboy has all of the best characteristics found in country music. The song has an interesting melody, a great voice, and a steel guitar. I think this cover shows why Thom Yorke has a special and interesting voice. This cover shows the listener the adaptability and skill of Radiohead. The song speaks for itself, it's a recording of a live performance and it isn’t recorded in a perfect way, but I really enjoy it. Both vocalists are at the top of their level. If you want to hear how Radiohead’s personality really comes out in their songs. This track is the way to listen to their unique sound, especially that riff around 1:25, which sounds like it's right off of “The Bends.” There are lots of uploads on YouTube.

Tomorrow I want to talk about the band, "Class of 99" I know they aren't that rare but I still wanna talk about it.

#radiohead #thom yorke #music recs #music related #music review #music #art #demos #live performance #song review #alternative #grunge #rarities #Spotify #alt aesthetic #hidden gems #2000s #per

[demodays]

From Nirvana's Cover of Terry Jack's

Seasons In The Sun

"I don't know all the words...."

I know this isn't the rarest track around, but it is one I really enjoy and I hope you all like it.

If you dive as deep as you can into Nirvana you will come across the strange and unexpected. Browsing the rarities of Nirvana is a rewarding experience for somebody who is looking for music with unpolished edges. Nirvana is one of the best bands for irregular music with an enormous catalog of demos and alternative versions of songs that I personally think are far better than some of their studio recordings. I will probably review every single one.

"Seasons In The Sun" is a classic hit song from the 70s by artist Terry Jacks and probably pioneered some of the later sounds of the 2010 indie scene. I say probably, there is no way for me to verify - no artist has declared this as a point of their inspiration. However, Nirvana gave us a very fun performance of the song. Listening to this track is insightful and also a close look, even, I would argue an intimate look of the space a band creates on their first take. This track really makes me want to grab two others and record something out of the air. The lore surrounding this performance according to YouTube comments is that they all switched instruments and played the song for fun. There are a couple uploads of this song on YouTube and one of the uploads shows a video of Kurt on drums. If it is true that this only exists cause they were goofing, I am glad one of them hit record on the tape deck. Audibly the song is fun, I wouldn't expect a polished performance - you get alot out of it by listening to Kurt sing a song that isn't his and the band creating a kind of indie soundscape. Imagine if Nirvana made 2010s indie - I suppose.

I have included the original song because it's very interesting to hear the original and then go right to Nirvana's performance. You can decide which version you prefer and ask yourself what matters in a song. Does it need to be sonically perfect? I think putting these side by side can show you that tracks with unpolished edges are just more fun to listen to at times.

#nirvana #kurt cobain #krist novoselic #dave grohl #grunge #grungy aesthetic #90s #ninties #demos #records #album #albums #songs #song #song of the day #song recs #song review #art #music recs #music review #sad music #cover #cover song #Spotify #rarities #bootleg #alternative rock #rock music #terry jacks

[demodays]

From Duster

I Am The King

"I made a movie about you

And other things I cannot see"

Duster is a unique shape in music, you can find yourself confined in sincere contemplation when you turn through their records. They bring fields of tall grass swinging from the coastal wind to a stop. They don't take anything away - their tracks redirect your attention; to the hole in the tree, the silence of the birds, the trash on the ground and the thin air of your place and time. This record has a live performance and what I think is a home demo recording. Both are great. I think the best quality demo is an upload from a live performance on KSCU. You can really study the sound of the room. Close your eyes, look beyond the tape hiss and try to imagine the room and space this was recorded in. For me it's a hazy office room, it's dark and cold.

The equipment brings the guitar tone down to a low treble groan. The instrumental is muffled like it's choking up on thoughts and the tape hiss soothes like the outside rainfall from the other side of a garage door.

This track really is a hidden gem and I absolutely love this true slowcore performance from Duster. It deserves a dark rainy night-walk. This song brings me to a mist covered coast, a cold blue sunset in the pines; it shows me the quiet life that is ignored in the lowest crawls of the space filled alleys in my little town.

Luckily someone uploaded the, what-I-think-is-the-studio-performance. Remember there is lots of speculation that comes with this dept of unreleased tracks.

#duster #demos #music review #indie music #alternative #alt aesthetic #music #music related #music recs #slowcore #sad music #hidden gems #nostalgia #nostalgic #nostaligiacore #album #albums #song #songs #surprise songs

[demodays]

From Bright Eyes,

Lovers Turn To Monsters

"and I want a place to hang out,

Where record players - play out

and there's a thousand movies rented

For a thousand hours with her"

From Modest Mouse,

A Manic Depressive Named Laughing Boy

"So you let your hair down

And you let the name's fly

Stupid"

These tracks have sharp edges that create a sincere agony, a true-to-the-sound-of-anxiety. There is nothing feint about these feelings, they are the desperate crawl out and away from the bitter break of loneliness. The vocals are loud and in your face. These songs force confrontations between the self, your limits to scream and how well you remember the stories you tell yourself. You have lived these moments, these songs have seen you cry.

Lovers Turn To Monsters is a track I found on YouTube while looking around for some Neutral Milk Hotel rarities. This track is the 12th release of a project called, "Insound Tour Support." I have not found the entire project catalog. I found that, "Insound Tour Support 2.0" was produced by KEXP in Seattle. I have thoughts on KEXP, I will share those soon. I supposed that this project was like, "Live From Nowhere Near You." I will review songs off that project - it contains some of the best and unreleased songs from some of my favorite artists. I am not sure what or when this tour support was released or where the whole project can be found. There are some tracks uploaded on YouTube, along with this one. The music is out there and I will review the other uploads. The intensity of this track is important to me, the vocal performance is unmatched to any other artist and this song breaks through barriers that I hadn't known from Conor Oberst. A genuine moment of vulnerability was captured in this piece of art, you can hear the exact part the vocal performance confesses a profound sadness and agony to you.

"A Manic Depressive Named Laughing Boy" is a unique track from Modest Mouse. It is another angle for us to experience, "Edit The Sad Parts." There are two version of, " A Manic Depressive Named Laughing Boy" and of, "Edit the Sad Parts." For both songs there is a live and studio version, I listen to both interchangeably some days I crave the treble of the guitar that comes from the live performance of either song. There is a sinister sound to the intro of, "A Manic Depressive Named Laughing Boy" an intro that brings to my mind a painful sensation of something sharp rubbed against the surface of your body, of your shape, your person, your identity. There is a feeling of something hurt by that guitar. The verse and the instrumental sound like a prototype for "Edit The Sad Parts."

Spoilers ahead, I recommend listening to these tracks in their entirety before reading my closing statement.

Okay. The reason I paired these tracks together was the structures of the songs are similar. They emit this sincere feeling of anxiety, and the depression that comes from a self-actualization of self-imposed fear. The worst and most vicious at times. The songs have vulnerable verses and ask the listener to forgive them in the form of a struggling instrumental that evolves into a pressing and strong feeling of hope.

There weren't any versions of "Lovers Turned To Monsters" uploaded to be included in this post. There are uploads on YouTube. This is the live version of, "A Manic Depressive Named Laughing Boy."

#modest mouse #bright eyes #demos #rarities #bootleg #music #music review #SoundCloud #conor oberst #isaac brock #2000s #2000s emo #indie music #90s #bandcamp #bands