Category: 5/31

TOTD: Mutant Daisies “Good People (Acoustic)”

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It’s been two years since Conor Oberst released anything. Supposedly he has an album coming out soon (thankfully), but in the meantime, I’ve found a suitable replacement. Mutant Daises have created this 7 minute epic that mixes folk music, philosophy, and haunting vocals to create a beautiful track that keeps me wanting more, despite the long run time.

Image may contain: 2 people, people smiling, people standing and outdoor

“And they say that all good people suffer sorrow,
And they say that all good people turn their heads,
All the liars hide and weep,
In the secrets that they keep,
And they say that all good people suffer sorrow”

This actually fits in pretty well with some discussion we had on our more recent podcast (listen here) about why bad things happen to good people. I tend to think there isn’t some cosmic reason or anything, though I understand why some people think there needs to be. But I think Mutant Daisies definitely bring up that painful question in an important way throughout this song.

Let’s end with this: The term Mutant Daisies comes from this picture:

Image result for mutant daisies

Now after checking Snopes, it seems a little iffy on if these mutant daisies were actually caused by nuclear radiation after Fukishima, but it is possible. And honestly, sometimes I’m not sure they need to be true for the image to matter. Now obviously, fake news is fake news, and it’s negative in it’s own way. But if this causes people to consider the environmental impact humans have on nature, I think that’s positive.

 

They say that only good mother nature suffers sorrow.

 

-Caleb

 

Video of the Day: Woolbright – “Symbiotic Harmony”

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It’s full blown summer here, and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate than this super fun video from Woolbright! The song itself is so good, but the video just makes me feel nostalgic and want to go play with nerf guns right now. During that round, don’t miss the major twist, it’s almost like Game of Thrones or something.

That’s before we even get to them settling loose on an arcade. Any bands out there trying to shoot a music video on a budget? Take notes from this one. It’s cheap, it’s fun, it looks good, and it doesn’t take itself too seriously. What a great video on this sunny Thursday afternoon.

Want to support them further? Go check them out on bandcamp. 

 

-Caleb

 

Mid-day Music Blast: Erik Mutzke “Friends Again”

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Stressful day at work so far? Let the smooth voice of Erik Mutzke carry you to the end of the workday. Erik has a voice that is truly all his own, but sounds like an old friend, warm and inviting.

Dropping in new pieces like the harmonies and the piano keep the song from growing stagnant, and keeps the listener engaged for the whole song.

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Every season has it’s choices
and we all make our decisions,
and life flies by with unimportant moments

You were beautiful and honest
I’ll remember you that way
I’d like to try and be your friend again someday. 

These lyrics are from different parts of the song. They’re just the ones that really got me, so I figured I’d share them. This song rings true for almost 100% of the people on this planet. We’ve all had that relationship where decision after decision has been made to get you to a point where things have ended, but looking back you realize just how unimportant the decisions truly were that you let define that relationship. Then you remember that person as only their best qualities, and think about what it would be like to be friends again with them. I’ll tell you this, not as a cynic, but as a friend: The quickest way to remember why things went wrong is to open that door up again. Some things should live in your mind as what you thought they were. Like Space Jam. Seriously. Don’t watch it again. You will be disappointed.

Mid-day Music Blast: Daniel Dorman “A Better Man”

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As the B-Side Guys’ resident believer in a higher power, I thought it only right that I take this one. Also, the fact that an overtly Christian song is on the blog (and the podcast later, but that’s a secret between us) is a testament to how good this song really is.

I’ll be honest here; it took me a little while to realize that this was in fact a Christian song. There are a couple of reasons behind that: a bunch of artists use religious connotations and undertones to their music because it’s something they struggle with or they think people can relate to it, we don’t get very many Christian song submissions, and it’s really good. I mean REALLY good. Shots fired at Christian music? Nah… I feel like they have to know that most of it isn’t good.

danny d

C.S. Lewis said, “The world doesn’t need more Christian literature. What it needs is more Christians writing good literature.” Daniel Dorman has mixed both with this song about the struggles and fallacy of man. He opens the song and immediately engages the listener with a question that every man, or person for that matter, really struggles with; what would life be like if I was a better person? Then when he goes on to talk about his Christian faith, you are still engaged because he’s coming from a place of understanding and humility instead of shoving 3 and a half minutes of why you’re wrong and he’s right down your throat, which seems to be a common theme in Christian music. I digress.

I don’t want to get into a full analysis here since it will be on the show soon, but just know that I, as someone who continuously struggles with faith, a higher power, etc., absolutely love this song, but you don’t have to prescribe to any religion to appreciate the concept behind the art.

Morning Commute: PENPALS “Up to the Sky”

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Flow. That’s what you need for your morning commute, and these guys have it in spades. With a distorted minimal beat to back them up, Cynic the Apache and Rapswell dig into just how much the prescribe to the idea of life outside of this planet. They believe.

With their “third eye wide open,” these guys want people (or other forms of life) to know that it really doesn’t take much to believe in life outside of this planet, and logically, all signs point to yes.

penpals

With unique flow, witty lyrics, deep meanings, and a beat that tells part of the story, PENPALS have a song here that flows in the same vein as one of my favorite MCs of all time: Eyedea.

During the MC (morning commute), we talked about MCs. The illuminati exists.

Don’t sleep on these guys. No, seriously. Get to work.