SHT Musik

DAD BAND A short film about old guys playin´music. Yes, very funny. "I said that the only way I was going to do this was as a vehicle for my own voice." As a songwriter myself that line really made me laugh. Where there is art, good, bad or ugly, there is always pretentiousness. I wish that this were the pilot for a series. Will I ever not think of this when I´m playing music for the rest of my life? No, this will haunt me. But bands are always funny. A tiny percentage actually make a decent living and the rest sacrifice a lot for music. It´s easy to laugh at. The episodes of Friends where Ross is doing his keyboard music and, "the sound", cracked me up too. Spinal Tap, Electric Apricot, Wayne´s World, are all hilarious. Feel free to add more examples of your own.

I have always loved Daniel Johnston as he was a do-it-yourselfer musician like me for many years before being discovered and the following video is incredible because of the fact that he has seemed to have been able to hold on to his childlike innocence over all these years.     When I heard him start singing in this performance I couldn´t believe my ears.    He still sounds the same!    This is also one of my favorite Daniel Johnston songs.    If you are interested in finding out more about him check out the documentary The Devil And Daniel Johnston and/or the double album of the same name which features the original songs on one disc and covers of his songs by his musician fans on the other. 

When you go to the page of the new album, The Department of Darkness by The Department of Darkness, the first track to come up is I Hate People.  The Department of Darkness by The Department of Darkness The sound of the whole album reminds me a lot of MC Lars who actually is featured on one of the tracks.   The songs all have witty, kinda silly lyrics that don´t take themselves too seriously and a pretty nice "flow".    All the lyrics are right there next to the songs too which I love. One of my favorite tracks is The Bringer which seems to talk about a UPS guy who is "bringin´ it":  The Department of Darkness by The Department of Darkness The final track that I will include here is Settle Down.  The Department of Darkness by The Department of Darkness So if you like the songs here you will probably like the whole album which you can check out here .

Well this girl´s sound reminds me a bit of old Liz Phair  with touches of The Breeders on her earlier songs.   I like music that doesn´t try too hard.  I recommend checking out her previous albums at the bottom of this post if you are like me and appreciate simplicity   The new album is called The Lamb (comes out Sept. 28, 2018) and you can read a Bandcamp article on it and an interview with the artist, Lillie West,   here. Of  the three songs that have been pre-released my favorite is Water Over Sex.    The Lamb by Lala Lala   Here are the other two tracks that are currently available. The Lamb by Lala Lala The Lamb by Lala Lala Lala Lala has two other albums.   Sleepyhead came out in 2016. Sleepyhead by Lala Lala Have A Good Day came out in 2015.   This is probably my favorite of Lala Lala´s three albums.  HAVE A GOOD DAY by Lala Lala

If the kid in you has not completely died you should enjoy these magical musical moments from Sesame Street. My favorite, of course, is the #1 song on the list Nasty Dan performed by Johnny Cash with Oscar the Grouch saying, "Aren't you Johnny Trash?" Check out this great Paste article here.

I have really grown to love the Mountain Goats.     It´s really unique music with a lot of emotion that comes through the music, the vocals and the lyrics.    Give it a listen and let me know which is your favorite track.   For me and for now my favorite is the first track, Song for Ted Sallis. Hex of Infinite Binding EP by The Mountain Goats

Some more seriously interesting music off of Bandcamp.     The autotune puts a cool spin on the ol´  Swamp Dogg´s sound.   My favorite track is Sex With your Ex.   Listen below: Love, Loss, and Auto-Tune by Swamp Dogg Here is the whole album Love, Loss and Auto-Tune Love, Loss, and Auto-Tune by Swamp Dogg You can read the original article where I found this music here: Swamp Dogg Teams With Bon Iver For an Auto-Tuned Take on the Blues

I am a big Hold Steady fan and so I am always happy to see them releasing stuff on Bandcamp.     Here is their latest for your listening pleasure. Confusion in the Marketplace b/w T-Shirt Tux by The Hold Steady CONFUSION IN THE MARKETPLACE  / LYRICS Princess came to breakfast looking puffy from the  Prednisone Someone’s little sister had me marching to the metronome The Maharaji on the mountain with a megaphone Reaching for the secrets in the static on the stereo There’s something funny about the place that all the money goes Coughing up the offering and in between his toes Knew a couple kids from when I still went to shows All the little hornets forming swarms around the honeycomb Searching for a purpose or just something we can celebrate People take advantage of confusion in the marketplace Hard to have much faith when they can’t keep their story straight Came back from the mission and her hair was in her mouth again It’s just another part of her don’t want to take the med

I have gotten lucky the last couple of days.   The Bandcamp recommendations have been really good stuff.   Here is another "song of the day" worth sharing.   It´s a nice combination of cheerful, bouncy music paired with quite dark lyrics.   Listen to the song and read the lyrics below.    Trapping Season from  Nobody's Watching  by  Steady Holiday I set a trap out in the woods I didn’t know what I would catch I set it out just after lunch And before dark I heard a snap The scream it lead me to the trap The thing was struggling on it’s back I saw a face I didn’t recognize Took it to the butcher Proudly brought back dinner I set a trap out in the woods I didn’t know what I would catch I set it out when no one looked They think I fearlessly attack The scream it lead me to the trap The thing was asking for a hand I saw it’s face, it looked a lot like mine Glad I brought my butcher Still came back with dinner I set a trap out in

A few minutes ago I had no idea who Devon Welsh was but after hearing the first line to the first song, By The Daylight, I was hooked. Dream Songs by Devon Welsh So this is one of those Bandcamp discoveries of an artist who has already been around for quite a while.   I have learned that he is from Montreal, Quebec (Canada) and he had a band called Majical Cloudz which of course I will be checking out very soon as well.  Now these songs are a bit slower than what I usually listen to and I am surprised by how well they keep me interested with my highly-limited attention span.   Welsh´s voice really is hypnotic and goes to show just what sincerity in music can do.   There is very little here but powerful lyrics, an incredibly expressive voice and sparce acoustic accompaniment.  Check this one out! Dream Songs by Devon Welsh I will include one more song here and you can find the rest of the album Dream Songs on Bandcamp . Dream Songs by Devon Welsh Check out a B

Some truly beautiful music and wonderful performances.   No autotuning here!!! " For more than 150 years, the Smithsonian Institution has been the United States’ premier museum of research preservation, acting as a permanent home for everything from the flag that inspired “The Star-Spangled Banner” to the Hope Diamond to the P-Funk Mothership."  Read more Pioneering Women of Bluegrass by Hazel Dickens and Alice Gerrard I Sing Because I'm Happy by Mahalia Jackson Folkways: The Original Vision by Woody Guthrie and Lead Belly Deep Polka: Dance Music from the Midwest by Various Artists Sounds of North American Frogs by Various Artists If I Had a Hammer: Songs of Hope and Struggle by Pete Seeger For further info and music check out the original Bandcamp article  here.

Deep SHT Part 1 (EP) by SHT Musik Here is one of my favorite songs by SHT Musik (me) because it is all about creating stuff just for the fun of it.    The internet, YouTube, Bandcamp etc. have given us a great platform to share our creations and even if I never make a cent from my "art" I really don't care.    I remember the first time I got my hands on a tape recorder back  in the ' 70s and recorded myself singing along to a song by the BeeGees.   You can see that 40 years later I'm still going at it!   So as the lyrics say, "this song is not for primetime"  but I hope some people will find it entertaining.     NOT FOR PRIMETIME  This song is not for primetime  This song is not worth a dime  This song is my life of crime  This song is not worth your time  -----------------------------  Art for art´s sake fabrication  Put a face on inspiration  Here you have my speculation  My best guess extrapolation  Open heart to heart Art just for the sake

My Life at 45 (Part 1) by Dr Rubberfunk HOW BEAUTIFUL (Bandcamp Link) How Beautiful is a 7¨ by Dr. Rubberfunk   from My Life at 45 (Part 1) , released July 27, 2018

I mention Bandcamp a lot in my posts because most of the new music that I come across is thanks to their ¨Discover¨ page which I sort through on a regular basis.   But today on Bandcamp I got a little help from Mary-Kate Frett  and her collection of songs.     The group is Porches and the songs are mostly, kinda slow and wistful with a certain charm that I find hard to describe.   In some ways it reminds me of Prefab Sprout meets Radiohead.    Anyway, you can decide for yourself.   Here are a couple of recommended tracks to start with: The first song that I heard by Porches, the one that caught my attentions was Rib Cage  (Bandcamp link).  It's off the album Summer of Ten which came out in 2011.      Here is a song with a little more electronic feel to it, Anymore.    It;s off the album The House from 2018. So I hope you enjoy this music.    Please let me know if you find a favorite song.    I need your help because there is so much stuff out there I just don't hav

Gender Armageddon is the first single off of Shawna Virago´s new album Heaven Sent Deliquent.   Check out the song below and the review of the album here.

Here  is a link to a Paste Music article about the top 12 Dawes´ songs.     However, I strongly disagree with their selection of the number 1 song.   For me, far and away, the best Dawes´  song is If I Wanted Someone.   The lyrics are clear and easy to understand.   This song reminds me a bit of Neil Young´s A Man Needs A Maid with the line: "If I wanted someone to clean me up I´d find myself a maid."  However, my favorite line has to be: "But, the only times I am lonely is when others are around / I just never end up knowing what to say"   Been there, felt that.    That being said, the speaker goes on to say:"I want you to make the days move easy." so even though the speaker has problems being with people he still believes that he can find someone who will make his life better.    Another favorite line in this song is "we need words to be put to what we do not understand."  And this is very true for me.   Many times the simple act of putting som

LEWIS TAYLOR - STONED PART 1 Here is some seriously cool music by a guy I just discovered.    Once that infectious groove starts I can´t stop listening.  " Stoned , Part I is the third album by the British neo-soul composer and multi- instrumentalist  Lewis Taylor , released in 2003."  (Wikipedia)    Best line:  "Baby, you made me come... (pause) ...to realize" This artist was recommended by an old friend who has dedicated her life to the music industry.    She describes the music as " Deep Purple + Marvin Gaye + Beach Boys + Hendrix"      Thank you Jenni. 

I discovered the Valencian band Polock a short time ago and everything that I have heard from them has impressed me.   Their songs are all catchy and groovy with great melodies and they seem to be saying something about "life, the world and everything" not just "baby I love you" songs.     They sing in English and do a pretty good job of it.      You can download FOR FREE their 2010 album Getting Down From The Trees on Bandcamp.    You can also listen to it on Bandcamp for free and you have the lyrics  right there if you want to read what they are singing.  They have another album from 2014 titled Rising Up available on Amazon.  (or listen to it on YouTube below) and their most recent album Magnetic Overload, is also available on Amazon .   The albums on Amazon only have a few seconds of music to listen to before you buy but you can get a general idea what the songs sound like. Check out Polock´s official website here. Check out Polock on Facebook

After three years of missing the wonderful musical-comedy TV series Flight of the Conchords I´ve recently discovered a number of little things that they have done.    You can check out their documentary about their experience in Texas at the SXSW musical festival here .     I also recommend that you watch the video of their writing and recording their new song Feel Inside (and stuff like that) which supports Cure Kids   a New Zealand organization that is dedicated to helping kids with serious health problems.    The video is entertaining and the cause couldn´t be better so enjoy and share. FEEL INSIDE (AND STUFF LIKE THAT)

I have been watching these ladies perform for quite a while and there stuff is always amusing.   They seem to be the female counterpart of Flight of the Conchords (who if you don´t know you should Google right nown or check out my blog post ).   If you watch The Big Bang Theory you probably already know them as Raj´s  super-shy girlfriend Lucy from a couple of years ago and the hot, blond professor  Ramona Nowitzki  who has a crush on Sheldon.   They also wrote the song for Bernadette that Howard sings to his wife in the hospital in one episode.    Anyway,   they have a lot of funny songs about life and stuff.    My personal favorites include: SEX WITH DUCKS - GARFUNKEL AND OATES (Adult content) THE LOOPHOLE - GARFUNKEL AND OATES (Lots and lots of adult content) While doing a little research for this post I also found out that there is a Garfunkel and Oates TV show.    Check out the details here.

If you don´t know New Zealand´s best kept secret, Flight of the Conchords, I recommend you check them out asap.    They produced two seasons of a hilarious TV show for HBO based on their struggles  and misadventures as they tried to become a successful band in the US.    If you are a music geek and/or like absurd comedy this is the stuff for you.     I was really sad when I found out there would not be any more seasons of the TV show but recently I stumbled across a documentary film they did about their trip to the Texas music festival SXSW.   Check it out below. FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS - TEXAN ODYSSEY

My introduction to Ben Lee was his incredible debut album Grandpaw Would  which was released in 1995.     He was only 17 when the album came out and you can hear in the songs how young he sounds.   I actually heard that he was only 11-13 while recording these songs but I think that is probably an urban legend and maybe he wrote these songs at that age.    Anyway, almost all the songs on the album are gems but here are a few of  my very favorites. SONG FOR YOU - BEN LEE MY GUITAR (LIVE) - BEN LEE DUCTILE - BEN LEE Now here are some of my favorite songs off Ben Lee´s later albums. CIGARETTES WILL KILL YOU - BEN LEE SOMETHING BORROWED SOMETHING BLUE - BEN LEE One more song from Ben Lee which is about Evan Dando  (The Lemonheads) who I have covered in another post . WISH I WAS HIM - BEN LEE

Even if you aren´t into obscure indie music you probably still have heard of The Lemonheads  and/or their most famous song, their cover of Mrs. Robinson.  They have a number of catchy pop songs that brought them fame in the ´80s and ´90s.    However, Evan Dando , the frontman and main member of The Lemonheads. put out a solo album in 2005 after a long period of inactivity that some of you may have missed.   This album, Baby, I´m Bored ,  seems more serious than The Lemonheads´  songs and the story I read was that he had been hitting the drugs pretty hard for quite a while and this solo album was him coming back to the world of music.     Here I give you my favorite songs off of Evan Dando´s first solo album that I really think are worth giving a listen. This first song, All My Life, has come to mind so many times in my life when I have questioned my priorities and motivations for doing things.     The main line of the chorus is "All my life I thought I needed all the things I

If you like Seinfeld then you will probably get a kick out of this music video.   It is based on the pilot episode of this popular sitcom and named after the love interest in the story (Laura from Lansing), who comes to visit Jerry and asks to stay at his house.    The video is what really makes this song, copying the set of Seinfeld pretty closely.  LAURA - REBECCA SCHIFFMAN More info about this video and Rebecca Schiffman here.

Well God bless Bandcamp.   I just discovered another cool band called Parks, Squares & Alleys .  They are from Moscow, Russia and I am amazed that music that sounds so familiar can come from so far away.    With this group it has been a little difficult to pick songs to recommend as an introduction since they all have this warm, relaxing feel that really grows on you.   To start with I have decided on Soft Clouds. SOFT CLOUDS  - PARKS, SQUARES & ALLEYS Soft Clouds is from the album Against Illusions and Reality    The album´s title track is another song to check out. AGAINST ILLUSIONS AND REALITY OK, one more song I´m going to recommend is called Forest.    FOREST https://parkssquaresandalleys.bandcamp.com

At the Old Time Radio Researchers Group Library   you can find all kinds of old radio shows that are in the public domain and free to download.   A great source of samples for all you musicians out there. 

Every Day Is Like Sunday is one of the few Morrisey songs which I continue to listen to.      However,   I like Robyn Hitchcock´s version.   Check  that out below.   There is also an interesting article    from American Songwriter that analyzes the song and gives some background information about it.   Check that out here:  American Songwriter: Lyric of the Week - Every Day Is Like Sunday   Here is another cover version of the song by Natalie Merchant.   You can tell that this song is a favorite of a lot of musicians.   For me this song really captures the gloominess and despair of a typical Sunday afternoon not looking forward to another week of work, school , or whatever. Last but not least, here is the original song with the official video.

This song is one of my favorite new discoveries.    Being an amateur musician I just can´t help but love the lyrics.    Usually I don´t get down and dirty into the meaning of the song but there seems to be some confusion and so I would like to offer my interpretation.    In the end your own personal conception of a song is a very subjective thing and personally I identify songs with my emotions, points of time in my life, people, etc.     So here is the link to listen to the song on Bandcamp and following are my thoughts on what the song is all about (to me).  Marc with a C - Unicorns Get More Bacon First off, here are the lyrics: UNICORNS GET MORE BACON Hello, it´s nice to be here I´ve been pacing backstage It´s actually a line there is no backstage But I made up these songs And I chose to play them here I can only hope you like them How am I doing so far? You see my songs are like my kids I have a fuck-ton of them And some are kind of good, oth

I think that a lot of people write Edie Brickell & New Bohemians off as just another one-hit-wonder band   which I don´t agree with at all.     Yes, they only had one really big hit but their first and second albums both contain a number of thoughtful and interesting songs.     After she went solo I kinda lost interest in Edie Brickell but that takes nothing away from what the band did with these first two albums.     I have read a number of interesting stories about how Edie joined the group and if you are interested these stories are easy to find online.    I was pleased to see that American Songwriter is giving Edie Brickell and also New Bohemians a bit of recognition as well.     Check out the link below to the article in American Songwriter about "What I Am". Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, “What I Am” I also encourage you to go back and give a listen to the whole first album, Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars, (personal favorites: Little Ms. S an

Here it is:  8 new songs  from Reverb Nation for March 2018. New Finds: March Edition     

Just released on March 5, 2018, two new songs from The Hold Steady.    Enjoy.   Here are a couple of other songs that were released on Bandcamp in November of 2017.    Good stuff.

Announcing the Paste Music & Daytrotter Mobile App The world's largest collection of live recorded music is now right in your pocket, streaming for free wherever you go. Paste Music/Daytrotter - Free Live Music App

Well the name of this guy´s YouTube channel, Everything Music, just about says it all.   Rick Beato is a music teacher, musician, producer, songwriter and overall music lover.    He has a lot of videos about music theory, how to practice, discussion about what is happening in the music world like Gibson going bankrupt, etc. but for me his most interesting videos are from his series "What makes this song great."  In these videos he dissects famous hit songs and analyzes what it is exactly that makes the song so good.    Below is the link to one of my favorites, On A Plain by Nirvana.   He plays certain tracks in isolation and you can really hear what is going on in the song.   I always knew that this song was cool but Rick breaks it all down for you.   What I found most interesting was when he explains  the interaction between the guitar and vocals in the song.  WHAT MAKES THIS SONG GREAT  NIRVANA - ON A PLAIN If you are interested in ear training at all you should

I recently discovered Wildchild on Bandcamp.   They have a sweet little sound and nice interplay of male and female vocals (reminding me of the collaboration between Scarlett Johannson and Pete Yorn ).  They just released (Feb 9, 2018) a new album called Expectations which I have been enjoying quite a lot.      I suggest you check out the first track on the album, Alex , as well as the whole album. As always,  if you know of similar music that you would like to suggest please leave me a comment or send me a message.    

They Might Be Giants´ old Dial-A-Song is back in business! This week’s Dial-A-Song: Push Back the Hands Call 844-387-6962 or see the video at www.dialasong.com or download the free Dial-A-Song app! Apple objects http://bit.ly/tmbgiApp or Droid objects http://bit.ly/tmbgApp