I guess I’m getting rusty… I was cruising around the Hype Machine looking for some tunes when I found an excellent cover of The Killers’ “Somebody Told Me” by everyones favorite drunken band Modest Mouse. The only blog that the Hype Machine has record of ever posting this cover is Berkeley’s Place — a blog I’ve been known to download some fantastic covers from. So I guess you can say this is a pretty rare cover.

It was first posted in April of 2007, with absolutely no information on the cover at all. Oh well.

Modest Mouse – Somebody Told Me (The Killers cover)

UPDATE: Yeah, ok… tactless, I just thought it was pretty fantastic.

Whoa, hold on! While I’ve been sleeping, Diplo and Santogold made themselves a 75 minute mixtape, Top Ranking. From the three sample tracks I’ve heard — courtesy of The Fader and Mad Decent — this dub is going to be ridiculous! Completely banoodles. If Wiki’s got it right, which I’m betting they do, you NEED to go out and buy this ish right now. Yes. Now.

Santogold – Starstruck (Diplo Remix)
Santogold – L.E.S. Artistes (Grahm Zilla Remix)
Santogold x Diplo- Guns of Brooklyn (Doc and Jon Hill Dub)

Here is the amazazing tracklist:

1. “Dub Selection Intro”
2. Three 6 Mafia – “Late Night” (Unstoppable Mix)
3. Santogold – “Shuv It” (Disco D Blend)
4. Santogold – “I’m A Lady” (Diplo Mix feat. Amanda Blank)
5. Sir Mix-a-Lot – “Posse on Broadway”
6. Santogold – “Lights Out” (Diplo’s Panda Bear Mix)
7. Aretha Franklin – “Save Me”
8. Devo – “Be Stiff”
9. The B-52′s – “Mesopotamia”
10. Gerri and the Holograms – “Gerri and the Holograms”
11. Santogold – “Anne” (Switch Mix)
12. Santogold – “L.E.S. Artistes” (XXXchange Mix feat. Movado)
13. Cutty Ranks – “Dutty Six Pack”
14. Santogold – “You’ll Find a Way” (Grame & Switch Mix feat. Kid Cudi and Lunar Camel)
15. Richie Spice & Ratatat – “Marijuana”
16. Desmond Dekker – “Shanty Town”
17. Santogold – “Guns of Brooklyn”
18. The Dixie Cups – “Iko Iko”
19. Tony Matterhorn – “Big Belly Guns”
20. Santogold – “Get It Up” (Radioclit Mix feat. M.I.A. and Gorilla Zoe)
21. Mark Ronson In Studio
22. Trouble Andrew – “Run – Hide”
23. Sister Nancy – “Pigeon Rock”
24. Nora Dean – “Barbwire”
25. Shinehead – “Know How Fe Chat”
26. The Clash – “Ghetto Defendant”
27. Warrior Queen – “Check It”
28. Santogold & Benga – “Unstoppable” / “Night Dub”
29. Shawty Lo & Skream – “Dey Know” / “Stagger”
30. Santogold – “Creator” (Mumdance Mix feat. Jammer, Badness, Chronik Rage, Slikman and Tempz)
31. Santogold – “Starstruck” (Diplo Xray / Turbulence Debate)
32. Barrington Levy – “Send a Moses”
33. Prince Jazzbo – “Ital Corner”
34. Santogold – “Icarus”
35. Santogold & Diplo – “Right Brigade”

Feist is scheduled to appear on Sesame Street’s 39th Season Premier on August 11th and perform a re-worked version of her Grammy Nominated iTunes hit “1234″. The video (below) is pretty hilarious, it’s probably the best video I’ve seen on YouTube in a very long time.

Feist – 1234 (Sesame Street Version)

You know what they say, you’re not somebody until you sing with puppet covered hands on Sesame Street…

Coldplay have once again struck gold with their fourth album, Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends, it has displayed great lasting power in the global chart, topping the chart four weeks in a row with sales exceeding 3,400,000 — easily making it the No. 1 album of 2008, so far. No doubt, Chris Martin is feeling pretty high and mighty right now and being the generous guy that he is, as a thank you, the band offered a new song “Death Will Never Conquer” to their millions of fans, that wasn’t included in Viva La Vida…

Coldplay – Death Will Never Conquer (SaveFile)

This song reminds me a lot of the “Interlude” and “Exitlude” of The Killers’ criminally underrated Sam’s Town. This piano-driven, little song definitely feels like an album closer.

PS: New look. You Like?

“Who’d Of Known” is Lily Allen’s latest, and greatest demo she has posted on her Myspace profile. Lily Allen has this to say about this sweetly simple song:

“I have put up a song that wont make it on the album. I ripped off the chorus from take that and I can’t be bothered with the paperwork, so here ya go.”

Lily Allen – Who’d Of Known
Previous Demos:
Lily Allen – Guess Who Batman
Lily Allen – I Don’t Know
Lily Allen – I Could Say

Fuckin’ Genius.

Remember MR GASPAR? Of course you do. He has a knack for remixing chart-topping singles (see: “I Kissed A Girl”, “Damaged”) and turning them ravetastic and fucking eatable for anyone. His latest endeavor (no, really… we were IMing as he finished this one up) is the third biggest single of 2008, Lollipop.

Lil Wayne – Lollipop (MR GASPAR remix)

I can listen to this guy loop the chorus and throw it into that mess of beats for hours.

If you haven’t noticed, though I think you have, I like remixes. In the past I have posted 26 remix mixtapes (hence the term “(re)mixtape”) on this blog and I think it’s about time we make it official. Because Friday seems to be the ubiquitous “remix post” day in the blogosphere, I decided to make Monday Has The Beat, our 27th (Re)mixtape: Enjoy.

Justice vs Wu Tang Clan – Cream Your Friends (Starters Remix)
M.I.A. – Bucky Done Gun (Billion Dollar DJs For Kicks Remix)
Modeselektor feat. Thom Yorke – The White Flash (Trentemøller Remix)
Justice – Let There Be Light (EPsilon Remix)
Justice – Stress (EPsilon Remix)
Nelly Furtado – Maneater (Crookers Remix)
Daft Punk vs Bangers & Cash – Digital Pu$$y (Kid Color Mash-up)
Coldplay vs Nas – If I Viva La Vida (Starters Remix)
Daft Punk – Prime Time Of Your Life (Night Facilities Remix)
Bloc Party – Murcery (Telemitry Remix)

I’m always happy when people email me new (at least to me) Justice tracks from the pre-Cross era. But I was definitely taken aback when I listened to “Sure You Will”. The first thing that came to mind when I heard it was that Arctic Monkeys and Coldplay “Justice remixes” that made brief rounds. And who can forget that somewhat brilliant fake “Hope”?

But before I render this atrocity fake, I performed a couple of Google surgeries and stumbled across this.

Justice initially formed for a French concept album.They
were asked by a friend at Poplane Records to contribute a song
to a compilation called Musclorvision: Hits Up ToYou! The
concept? The bands had to pretend they were taking part in the
Eurovision song contest.

Flashback? Definitely.

Justice – Sure You Will

But I’d really like to believe this is a big ass fake.

Big ass Justice fakes in the past:
Justice – Hope
Arctic Monkeys – When The Sun Goes Down (Justice Remix)
Coldplay – Violet Hill (Justice’s Death and His Friends Remix)

Song I was listening to at time of post: Oasis – Falling Down (Chemical Brothers Remix)

With all the hype surrounding this song, the inevitable has happened: plagiarism accusations. Hypeful has pointed out that This Just Happened pointed out (gotta love trackbacks) that “Mercury” bared “a striking resemblance” to “Shock The Monkey”, by Peter Gabriel. Was Bloc Party inspired by a Monkey?

Bloc Party – Mercury
Peter Gabriel – Shock The Monkey

About a month or so ago Pharrell Williams, Santogold, and Julian Casablancas (of Strokes fame) recorded “My Drive Thru” for Converse’ 100 Year Chuck Taylor celebration. Now the music video dropped, and its friggin fantastic. Watch. ’nuff said.

N.E.R.D. – My Drive Thru ft. Santogold & Julian Casablancas

I am thoroughly enjoying Beck’s Danger Mouse produced Modern Guilt, I have failed to post anything about it because of specific server issues, but I have already shared my love for “Orphans”, and now first single “Gamma Ray” has a video for all to watch. The video itself is stellar and fits the song like a glove.

Beck – Gamma Ray

Death Cab For Cutie – Cath…

Top 10 Elbo.ws Tracks
1. Mogwai – The Sun Smells Too Loud
2. Bloc Party – Mercury
3. Fleet Foxes – White Winter Hymnal
4. Takka Takka – Everybody Say
5. The Great Northwest – chief john
6. Albert Hammond, Jr. – GfC
7. The Presets – Talk Like That (Miami Horror Remix)
8. The DUTCHESS AND THE DUKE – Reservoir Park
9. Earlimart – Song For
10. The Verve – Mover

Top 10 Hype Machine Artists
1. Beck mp3 | Walls
2. Bloc Party mp3 | Flux (JFK Remix)
3. Black Kids mp3 | Hurricane Jane
4. The Kooks mp3 | Violet Hill (Coldplay Cover)
5. Pnau mp3 | Embrace (Fred Falke & Miami Horror Remix)
6. Bruce Springsteen
7. Late of the Pier
8. Midnight Juggernauts
9. My Morning Jacket
10. Ratatat mp3 |Bird-Priest

Top 10 Last.fm Rising Tracks
1. Dirty Pretty Things – Tired of England
2. Equilibrium – Blut Im Auge
3. Sky Eats Airplane – Long Walks on Short Bridges
4. The Subways – Alright
5. YUI – Summer Song
6. CSS – Rat Is Dead (Rage)
7. Air France – Maundy Thursday
8. Sky Eats Airplane – The Artificial
9. The Subways – Girls & Boys
10. Air France – No Excuses

Out of all the phenomenal Midnight Juggernauts songs out there (i.e. “Shadows,” “Into the Galaxy,” and “Tombstone”), it is hard to pay much attention to the downtempo-mellow musings of “Dystopia.” The song is pretty great alone, but it doesn’t measure up, in my opinion, to the rest of the album (which is also called Dystopia).

Midnight Juggernauts – Dystopia

Of course, once Cut Copy got their hands on it, throwing in their trademark break beats and hipster club atmosphere, “Dystopia” now takes you through a completely new and different experience.

Midnight Juggernauts – Dystopia (Cut Copy Remix)

Oh and some Random Track I was listening to when I blogged this: Dizzee Rascal – That’s Not My Name (Ting Tings cover)

So I just forced to got around to trying out this Hershey’s and Starbucks love child at work this morning… and they’re DAMN GOOD. It’s like dramatic good, almost over-dramatically good. You know that kind of good that’s sort of pretentious-bitchy, but you love it anyway? Yeah that kind. My personal favorite is the Mocha Dark Chocolate bar, but the Milk Chocolate Chai Truffle is also delicious. They also have chocolate covered coffee beans, stay away… they’re kinda weird. Just weird. It may be that I’m sort of a chocolate snob and I harp on milk chocolate a lot (unless its blended with chai, of course).

I strongly suggest you grab yourself a box of these goodies… oh and they’re also a great gift!

The reason I brought them up in the first place was that I love listening to music while devouring (yes, devouring) goodies. I kind of hand-picked the next few tracks (with help of the Hype Machine) to help savor my chocolate, and I was bored.

Beck – Orphans
Bloc Party – Mercury (hey, it’s a grower)
Black Kids – Partie Traumatic
CSS – Move
The Kooks – One Last Time

Unless you have been hiding under a rock somewhere for the last handful of months or so, you have been subjected to Katy Perry’s teen anti-pop songs with song titles influenced by various forms of homosexuality, menstruation, sex and other things a Pastor’s daughter shouldn’t really be singing about. Katy Perry really hit gold when ‘I Kissed A Girl,’ the ‘UR So Gay’ follow-up single, hit iTunes and Top 40 radio. Since then, with ‘I Kissed a Girl’, Perry has topped the US Singles charts, debuted in the Top 10 of the US Albums chart, and scored the 1,000th No. 1 single of the Rock Era — and yes, I like it.

I think the song is pure genius, a rather dumb side of genius, sure, but genius nonetheless. Just like any other stupidly genius songs, our favorite DJs remix and rip the song to shreds. I was wondering when a good ‘I Kissed A Girl’ remix would come across my inbox. Mr Gaspar‘s brand spankin’ new Kissed A Girl remix is surely the first great remix of this essential Summer of ’08 tune.

Katy Perry – I Kissed A Girl (MR GASPAR)
BONUS: Midfield General – Disco Sirens (MR GASPAR Remix)
Estelle ft. Kanye West – American Boy (MR GASPAR Remix)
Justice – D.A.N.C.E. (MR GASPAR’s The Lights Ignite Remix)
M.I.A. – Bucky Done Gun (MR GASPAR Remix)

I think (keyword: think) Pretty Much Amazing is ready to open for business. I have the theme figured out and everything in place. There are a few details that kind of suck (big time). For example, due to technical difficulties — really stupid ones — all posts from April to late June are lost. This is extremely depressing, but it hasn’t brought us down yet.

I do want to make it clear, just in case I already haven’t, that this blog has been temporary shut down, twice now, due to the massive server load we carry out every day. At one point in May and June, the server couldn’t take it anymore and my host had to give me the boot. All these fancy words like server and hosts confuse me just as much as it does you, so it took me quite a while to figure out what my b-plan was. Hopefully I have chosen a stable host that won’t implode with PMA’s traffic load.

But enough of the unpleasantnesses, lets move on to the music. I won’t even attempt to catch everyone up on what has been happening in the music world over the last few weeks. I trust that you guys have been scattering around the internet educating yourself… at least a little?

I’ll compromise, I’ll cover what’s been going on over the last few days.

Nothing has been more excited or buzztastic as that new Michael Jackson / Akon collaboration, unsettlingly called “Hold My Hand.”

I really don’t know if this is a Michael Jackson song or an Akon song… I’ve seen it both ways. Clarification? The song isn’t that great, but it’s good enough to deserve the attention it has been getting.

I hope I don’t get into too much trouble:

Michael Jackson & Akon – Hold My Hand

This is probably equally as “shocking” and way more bad ass than MJ and Akon: Jay-Z covering Oasis’ supermegaultra-famous “Wonderwall” live at Glastonbury.

What a great way to wrap up the semi (ridic) beef.

He also covered Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab”, catch the mp3s down there.

Jay-Z – Wonderwall (Oasis Cover)/99 Problems – Live @ Glatsonbury
Jay-Z – Rehab (Amy Winehouse cover) – Live @ Glatsonbury

And more recently, Bloc Party unleashes new single and video, “Mercury” to disgruntled fans, or at least one.

After a little pre-release hype, Bloc Party let another electro-inspired single on Zane Lowe’s radio show. “Mercury,” much like “Flux” hints to a massive electronic shift in the band’s upcoming, third album. I think Mr. Frank is spot on when he wrote:

Techno has made quite a resurgence in popularity over the last couple years with the likes of Justice and SMD gaining considerable notoriety from the press and fans alike. It’s kind of a turn off though when a talented British rock band like Bloc Party begins to eschew the natural direction of their music in order to cater to the everchanging trends of the music industry. A move which is usually followed by departure of their core audience, the ones that loved them for their first couple albums, which I thought were both excellent (Silent Alarm more so than Weekend In The City).

Maybe this song leaves more than one fan feeling a bit “disgruntled.” Download the song below, along with some key info about ‘Mercury”s Aug. 11 release.

Heavyweight Mercury 12”:
A. Mercury (12” Version)
B. Mercury (12” Intrumental)

Mercury CD Maxi:
1. Mercury
2. Mercury (Hervé is in disarray Remix)
3. Mercury (CSS Remix)
4. Mercury (Flosstrodamus Remix)

Mercury Heavyweight 7”:
A. Mercury
B. Idea For A Story

Bloc Party – Mercury

And a couple of cool covers thanks to British radio.
The Last Shadow Puppets – S.O.S (Rihanna Cover)
The Kooks – Violet Hill (Coldplay Cover)

Sorry I took so long to bring the blog back guys!

It seems Pretty Much Amazing as once again outgrown its server. You guys are making this blog too big for its own good! Its a bittersweet feeling, really…

Aside from server issues (which cause extreme headaches and brain explosions), I have been extremely busy with a new job and life developments..

Anyway, this blog should be up at 100% sometime this weekend or Monday morning-ish!

PS: I accidentally uploaded my friend’s blog (who is also server switching) posts onto PMA. They’re probably just gonna sit here…. I’m sure you’re WTFing over “Pop Rags” and such… a little LOL for the long weeeeekend

Happy Fireworks Day

-Luis

Akon is about to release an album later this year and he collaborated with Michael Jackson to create a song called “Hold My Hand“. I’m sure this song will get pretty popular because Michael Jackson is in it, but it’s a pretty good track overall. I’m glad MJ is back

LISTEN TO THIS TUNE!
Link 1 Link 2
What did you think of this song? Post your opinions in the comments!

Beyonce recorded a demo for a rumored latest single “Beautiful Nightmare” quite a while ago, but here is the full track to it, including more sounds and beats to it. I like this version way better.

LISTEN TO THIS TUNE!
Link 1 Link 2
What did you think of this song? Post your opinions in the comments!

Solange is about to release her album, and here is a new song by her called “I Told You So”. I don’t really like this track, it gets really tiring after a while but it shows her unique voice, which I like.

LISTEN TO THIS TUNE!
Link 1 Link 2
What did you think of this song? Post your opinions in the comments!

Here’s a new (leftover?) song by Beyonce, that will be featured on the Destiny’s Child’s Greatest Hits CD being released in Japan, titled “Honestly“. It’s a cover of a Billy Joel song, and it sounds really plain to me.

LISTEN TO THIS TUNE!
Link 1 Link 2
What did you think of this song? Post your opinions in the comments!

Justin Timberlake looking classy for a photoshoot for Givenchy’s new fragrance, Play Just Jared
First pictures of Tori Spelling’s baby Stella McDermott! OK!
Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck might divorce E!
Don’t screw with Kanye West. He is MAD! Dlisted
Eva Longoria is NOT pregnant ICYDK
Nicole Richie is going to guest star on Chuck People

Here are the final two bonus tracks by Vanessa Hudgens that will be included in the Japanese edition of Identified, “Set It Off” and “Vulnerable”. Set It Off is a really fun dance track, something I wouldn’t really expect from her. This song should’ve been on the original CD! Vulnerable is a slower track with more meaning, which shows off her voice. Overall, I like both these songs but I’d prefer “Set It Off”.

LISTEN TO THESE TUNES!
Set If Off ZS|MF
Vulnerable ZS|MF
What did you think of these songs? Post your opinions in the comments!

Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen and Nicole Richie party TOO hard ONTD
Rod Stewart sucks some nipples (NSFW) IDLYITW
Will Smith and David Letterman give each other a kiss Celebitchy
David Beckham was supposed to meet this boy for his birthday, and his mom paid $7000, but then he cancels it NY Post
Mary Kate Olsen is going to star in Samantha Who Us

Here is a bonus track for Vanessa Hudgen’s new album, Identified, called “Committed”. It’s an okay track, and I haven’t downloaded the album leak yet (I don’t download web-rips), but I’m sure the album won’t disappointed me. Remember, YOU SAW IT HERE FIRST.

LISTEN TO THIS TUNE!
Link 1 Link 2
What did you think of this song? Post your opinions in the comments!

Here’s a new song that will be included in Michelle William’s new album “Unexpected”, called “Hello Heartbreak“. It’s a really fun track, and it will be really good for clubs. I’m sure she will do really good with this album.

LISTEN TO THIS TUNE!
Link 1 Link 2
What did you think of this song? Post your opinions in the comments!

Here is the new music video for Jennifer Hudson’s newest single , “Spotlight“. I love the song, it’s a really powerful one and she sings it really good. She looks beautiful as always.

LISTEN TO THIS TUNE!
Link 1 Link 2
What did you think of this music video? Post your opinions in the comments!

Here is a new song that Eve collaborated with Robin Thicke with for her new album, titled “Fantasy”. It’s an okay track, I don’t really find it that exciting or special to listen to, although I think Robin is really good in it.

LISTEN TO THIS TUNE!
Link 1 Link 2
What did you think of this song? Post your opinions in the comments!

Here’s a new song by Lily Allen, called “GWB (Fuck You Very Much)”. It is rumored to be on her upcoming album. The song is very nice, it sounds like an adult version of a children’s song, however, I don’t get where “GWB” comes from in the song.

LISTEN TO THIS TUNE!
Link 1 Link 2
What did you think of this song? Post your opinions in the comments!

Here’s the alternate part to Missy Elliott’s “Best Best” produced by Mikey Bo. It’s okay, but I’m definitely not feeling this one at all. I think the original is better, this part sounds too remixed.

LISTEN TO THIS TUNE!
Link 1 Link 2
What did you think of this song? Post your opinions in the comments!