Anime Blitz

All right, today I thought it was time to play some anime related videos, so I figured I’d start out with an annoying (but catchy) anime AMV.

Take the song Butterfly, which already fits the category of annoying and catchy. Mix sounds from Pokemon into it. Then add video clips of Pokemon to it, and you get this Pokemon Butterfly Remix video. It works well.

For comparison, here’s the really bizarre video to the original song Butterfly (which is by SMiLE.dk). This is very much a WTF type music video. I swear someone involved in it was on drugs.

And here we have more IOSYS. The song seems to have several translations of the title, but I’ll go with Erin’s Clinic (That People Queue Up For). It’s a very catchy song, and I was able to find a version with good video and sound that was untranslated, and a translated version that the audio and video wasn’t as good for. Here are both, untranslated first.

Cats, Birds, and Ghymes

Sorry about the delay on a post. I just haven’t really been inspired to write anything here. Here are a few things I’ve been listening to in the last few days:

Found this on last.fm’s Irish Coffee radio station. This is Regölés by Ghymes, and don’t even ask me to pronounce that. Really cool music, though. I don’t really get a chance to hear Hungarian music that often.

This is for everyone who was having trouble pronouncing the last song name. It’s listed as “Колыбельные мира. Идиш.”. I was able to find a translation of the lyrics, and they were listed as “Oyfn Veg Shteyt A Boym”. Nice Yiddish folksong, in any case, and the video seems to correspond pretty well to the song. Wish I could tell you who created the video or who the musician is.

This one is for anyone who is curious what the Cat Stevens song Wild World would sound like with lyrics in Zulu. And this is sung by Cat Stevens Steven Demetre Georgiou Yusuf Islam Yusuf.

It might be easiest to just call him the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens. He’s back to creating cds as Yusuf as of 2006, after his whole thing of changing his name to Yusuf Islam in 1977, converting to Islam, and abandoning music.

Peacebone

I was going to post another IOSYS song, but I found another song that intrigued me. I happened to stumble upon a song by the odd title of Peacebone being covered by JacobRuefer. The music video he posted set to scenes from Pokemon seems oddly appropriate, somehow. Very catchy cover.

Having heard that, I had to hear the original, by a band called Animal Collective. So I did. It’s a strange, oddly discordant song, set to a music video involving a girl dating a monster that looks like it’s off the set of Alien. I have to approve.

That said, I actually think Jacobs cover is cleaner, and catchier, and I actually found I enjoyed it more then the original. Still, here’s Animal Collective’s version, so you can judge for yourself.

Note: It’s growing on me on the second listen, but I still feel like I’m on the verge of a headache listening to the original because of what they did to the music in the background. I might just be somewhat sensitive to it…

Little Sir Hugh

I’m getting tired of these depressing songs about death. So I picked out a nice happy cheerful song today. About murder.

Well, you know how I like murder ballads. This one is by the band Steeleye Span (yes, I play them a lot), called Little Sir Hugh. You can see the lyrics here, but it’s basically about a little kid who accidentally kicks his ball in a castle everyones afraid of.

The lady of the castle leads him in the castle, stabs him, drains his blood, and throws his body in a well. (Which is probably a good reason to be afraid of the castle, really) Reminds me of Mr. Fox’s Garden, in a way. Which is another murder ballad I really like. Unfortunately, the only video on youtube I’ve seen of it wasn’t good quality…

Edit: Just as a side note, this is based on a historical murder, the death of Little St. Hugh of London.

Robbing The Elf Hills

Well, after that depressing post, back to folk music, I suppose. In this case, thought I’d revisit Steeleye Span.

Check this song. It is called Robbery With Violins, and is one of these fabulous juxtapositions of a traditional tune with modern instruments I occasionally find.

Since that was less then 2 minutes, lets throw in an utterly traditional tune, Si Bheag Si Mohr. You’ve heard it before. Everyone has. It’s played at every remotely Irish festival that ever exists. It’s a good tune, though.

Staying Together On the Wall

Well, I’m keeping the mashups coming for the moment, though I’m starting to get tired of the theme.

Today, I thought I’d play one that was billed as a “Super Rare” video of a concert that clearly didn’t exist. It appears to be a mashup of the Bee Gees Stayin’ Alive, the Beatles Come Together, and Pink Floyd’s Another Brick In the Wall.

I thought it was amusing, anyways. And I like all the listed songs, so…

Backwards / Forwards

This appears to actually be an official mashup, as it’s on Annie Lennox’s web site as well.

It is by DJ Earworm, including the songs Little Bird, SING, Why, No More I Love You’s, Shining Light, and Walking on Broken Glass, among others. This is a pretty cool mashup. Besides, I like Annie Lennox. She’s freaky. In a good way.

Rolls and Mash (and Mosh)

I’m a bit torn on this post. I’m ready to change themes, but deciding on a new theme can be difficult.

I might go with a mashup theme.

OTOH, it might be fun to post things that annoy Sean until he does another post here. I’d prefer not to hold down the blog entirely by myself.

For the moment, I’ll compromise, and post something that’s a bit of both. This is a mashup by DJ Morgoth, Never Gonna Give Your Teen Spirit Up. ^_^

And, yes, that’s exactly what it sounds like: Rick Astley’s Never Gonna Give You Up, mashed with Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit.

DJ Morgoth

Japanese Shakespeare

I’m not really sure whether to classify this as a full post or a What the F*** for today, as it shares a little of both.

All I really know of this is that it is the opening to some sort of Japanese Shakespearean Musical. The ending has the same tune, only all the actors were ghosts.

Now here is “To be or not to be” turned into a song and dance number, the ‘Mondai’ song. Think this is the same musical. This has Tatsuya Fujiwara as Hamlet. I so wish I understood Japanese.

And here is Hamlet seeing the ghost of his father when trying to have sex with a fat Valkyrie. The kid has issues. ^_^

Barbary & Bedlam

Since I’m posting this, depending on your perspective, either really late or really early, thought I’d include two songs.

I’m continuing on the Heather Alexander theme. First, thought I’d play the song High Barbary. This is probably one of my favorite piratey songs, and Heather does a great job on it.

And lets go with yet another rendition of Bedlam Boys. To be fair, this is one of my favorite renditions of Bedlam Boys, as well.