Music Blog : modern rock

Coldplay accused of plagiarism...again.

professor.knowsitall@evpl — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 20:42:00 GMT

In a June 2008 interview with MTV UK while promoting his band's upcoming album, Coldplay's singer-songwriter Chris Martin stated: "We look at what other people are doing and try and steal all the good bits. We steal from so many different places that hopefully it becomes untraceable."

Upon the album's release a couple weeks later, indie band Creaky Boards made headlines by accusing that the album's title track borrowed liberally from a song of theirs. They claimed that Coldplay's song Viva La Vida was a rip-off of their track The Songs I Didn't Write (IRONY!). Creaky Boards frontman Andrew Hoepfner claimed that Martin saw them play in an October 2007 concert where they performed the song, writing:

"We were flattered when we thought we saw Chris Martin in the crowd that night. He seemed pretty into it. Maybe too into it."

Coldplay immediately denounced the claims, as they'd recorded a demo of Viva La Vida in March 2007, prior to the alleged concert. In fact, Martin couldn't have been at the October '07 concert, as he was in London recording. Hoepfner retracted his claims, intelligently stating...

"I must have been mistaken about seeing Chris (Martin) at the show because all British people look the same. I lived in London for six weeks and I seriously thought every third person on the corner was Coldplay."

Wow, just wow.

So Coldplay's off the hook, right? Nope.

In court papers filed on December 4, 2008, instrumental guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani claims that Viva La Vida (the same song!) copies "substantial original portions" of his 2004 song If I Could Fly. As the court papers have been filed, his team of lawyers thinks he has a case.

What peeves Satriani is that If I Could Fly isn't just any song. It's a composition, a love song dedicated to his wife, he'd been laboring over for more than 10 years before recording it. According to him:

"Everybody assumes I'm trying to go after these guys in Coldplay, as if I'm doing this with malice. That's the furthest thing from my mind. I'm just doing what I need to do as an artist, to protect what's mine, to protect those feelings I put down in song.

"I did everything I could to avoid a court case with this situation. But Coldplay didn't want to talk about it. They just wanted this whole thing to go away. Maybe they figured this little guitar player guy will leave them alone after a while, I don't know.

"But we're talking about a piece of art that I created, and that's something I feel is important. I think everybody should feel that way."

Listen to the songs in question via the YouTube links below or by checking out the CDs. What do you think? Is Coldplay a fraud? Mere coincidence? Or did all these songs rip-off Cat Stevens' Heaven? Sound off in the comments section!

	YouTube	EVPL Collection
Viva La Vida by Coldplay	Music Video	Check availability of album Viva La Vida
If I Could Fly by Joe Satriani	Listen (Skip to the 50sec mark)	Check availability of album Is There Love in Space?
The Songs I Didn't Write by Creaky Boards	Listen	Not available

More Info

Joe Satriani speaks about Coldplay lawsuit: Hear what Satch says in this December 7th interview.
Did Coldplay copy Joe Satriani? Let's Do the Music Theory - PART 1 & PART 2: Those with an understanding of music theory should check out these two vids.

Me First & the Gimme Gimmes punk-ify the classics

professor.knowsitall@evpl — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 15:58:00 GMT

Musical parody...such a fine art. Back in the day, I was a big "Weird Al" Yankovic fan ("It's all about the Pentiums, baby!"). There are also bands that take well-known music and reinterpret it: some of my favs include Hayseed Dixie (they play AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Van Halen, etc. as bluegrass!), Richard Cheese & Lounge Against the Machine (90s-00s rock as lounge music), and the String Quartet Tribute series (Dylan, Clapton, Evanescence, Eagles, Rolling Stones).

My favorite parody band is, hands down, Me First & the Gimme Gimmes. On their albums, they take a wide variety of popular tunes and turn em into blazing punk rock songs. That probably doesn't sound too appealing...but you'd be pleasantly surprised. They are masters of their craft, creating a catchy, brilliant mix of new and old...nothing beats hearing "Ghost Riders in the Sky" with blaring power chords, a constant bassline, and driving toms with double-kick on the drums!

Below I'll list the albums the EVPL has, the particular theme, as well as highlights from each album.

Are A Drag
1999
Showtunes!

This album features covers of beloved showtunes, including "Over the Rainbow", "Don't Cry for Me Argentina", "Favorite Things", and "Rainbow Connection". I'm not that big of a showtunes fan (surprising, right?), but I love their interpretations of the songs I do know!

Blow in the Wind
2001
60s songs

Covers of songs from the 60s, including "Blowin' in the Wind", "Sloop John B.", "Elenor", "Stand by Your Man", and "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow".

Take a Break
2003
R&B songs

An amazing collection of classic R&B songs, punkified. Highlights include "Where Do Broken Hearts Go", "Hello", "Ain't No Sunshine", "I Believe I Can Fly", and "Nothing Compares 2 U". A couple songs mash-up other songs with brilliant results: their cover of "I'll Be There" incorporates parts of The Cars' "Just What I Needed".

Ruin Jonny's Bar Mitzvah
2004

This album doesn't have a "theme", per se, as it's a compilation of awesome tracks they performed live at...you guessed it, Jonny's Bar Mitzvah. This album features covers of "Stairway to Heaven", "Come Sail Away", "Strawberry Fields Forever", "The Longest Time", "On My Mind", and "Take It on the Run". Between the tracks, there's also lots of hilarious banter.

Love Their Country
2006
Country

I am not a fan of country music (I was subjected to it by my dad & sis when I was young), so I find this particular album hilarious! Check out "Ghost Riders in the Sky", "Desperado", "Jolene", "On the Road Again", and "East Bound & Down" to hear these songs rock like you've never heard them before!

The Gimmes are brilliantly hilarious, as well as being excellent musicians, so I highly recommend checking them out!

More Information

EVPL Catalog: Check availability of albums by Me First & the Gimme Gimmes at EVPL libraries.
DailyMotion: Watch the Gimmes perform "Take it on the Run" live on Last Call with Carson Daly.
Amazon.com: Use this link to purchase their albums at Amazon, and the Public Library Friends will receive a portion of your purchase!

Proof that new GnR album will be released this decade?

professor.knowsitall@evpl — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 21:58:00 GMT

Guns N' Roses' sixth studio album, Chinese Democracy, has become a joke of the music industry. Having been in production for the past 15 years (at an estimated cost of more than $13 million), and with many members of the band leaving (including iconic guitarist Slash), some think the album will never see the light of day. This past March, Dr. Pepper bet against it by announcing that they'll give a free can of Dr. Pepper to everyone in the US if the album is released this year!

Up until about a week and a half ago, I honestly couldn't have cared less. Don't get me wrong, I loved GnR back in the day! But as most modern-day takes on the classics go (Indy 4, anyone?), I figured Chinese Democracy would be nothing more than an unremarkable cash-grab.

Rock Band 2, a 4-player Guitar Hero-esque videogame, released on September 14. Being a fan of these kinds of games, I had it that day and invited my bandmates over for some rocking. It just so happens that "Shackler's Revenge", the first official release from Chinese Democracy, is in the game. As the song loaded, we weren't expecting much...

But the song is awesome, with a much different sound than the GnR of old! Definitely has piqued my interest in Chinese Democracy. Check out the video below of the song being played in Rock Band 2. What do you think of it???

(Please visit the site to view this media)

So we know one song has actually been fully recorded and mixed down! That means the album will be released...my guess is not anytime soon. For Dr. Pepper-loving Americans everywhere, hopefully this guess proves to be incorrect.

In the meantime, check out all the classic Guns N' Roses albums available at EVPL libraries.

More Information

EVPL Catalog: Check out the classic Guns N' Roses albums available at EVPL libraries.
Billboard.com: Nine purportedly "finished" tracks leaked last June, prompting legal action against the poster.
Spin.com: They somehow got a copy of the finished album over two years ago, posting this review on April 1, 2006.

New Metallica album, "Death Magnetic", releases Friday

professor.knowsitall@evpl — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 14:00:00 GMT

For Metallica fans, a new studio album is a big deal.

Their last album, 2003's St. Anger, drew less-than-stellar reviews from critics & fans alike. While I enjoyed a few tracks (namely the title track, Frantic, and Some Kind of Monster), the lack of guitar solos and the most-annoying-sounding snare drum ever (the term "st. anger" has become internet lingo synonymous for a "snare drum that sounds like a pile of trash cans") really hurt the album.

With Death Magnetic, Metallica promises a return to their roots. According to those able to "procure" leaked copies, as well as critics' reviews, they've succeeded.

Death Magnetic releases worldwide this Friday, September 12. Anyone else looking forward to this release? Still upset about the whole Napster fiasco???

More Information

Death Magnetic Catalog Link: Once the album is added to our catalog (should be soon!), use this catalog link to place a hold on it.
Buy Death Magnetic at Amazon: Use this special referral link to purchase the album at Amazon; the Public Library Friends will get a cut of your purchase.
Metallica CDs at EVPL: All albums by and featuring Metallica, available for checkout. Be sure to check out Fade to Bluegrass: The Bluegrass Tribute to Metallica!
Metallica DVDs at EVPL: I recommend The Videos, 1989-2004 and the 2005 documentary Some Kind of Monster.
Metallica Books at EVPL: Biographies & album transcriptions with guitar tabs!

Theory of a Deadman returns with "Scars & Souvenirs"

professor.knowsitall@evpl — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:36:00 GMT

I've been following Theory of a Deadman since their self-titled 2002 debut. Their latest album, Scars & Souvenirs, shows the band continues to improve with age.

There are essentially two types of songs on the new album:

Slower, melodic power ballads
Driving, aggressive testosterone-fueled rock!!!

Seems like it could get a bit monotonous, doesn't it? Not at all! The album is a blast from start to finish, with plenty of catchy riffs and "interesting" lyrics.

If you're a fan of the genre, I highly recommend this album!

Also, Theory of a Deadman will be performing an all-ages concert at Woody's on Thursday, September 11; all Evansville Police, Firefighters, and EMTs get free admission. For more info, check out 103GBF's website.

Additional Resources:

EVPL Online Catalog: Place a hold on Scars & Souvenirs
Concert Information: Info about the concert on Thursday, September 11
TheoryOfADeadman.com: Official band website
Buy at Amazon.com: Purchase using this link to support the Public Library Friends