tunequest

aka "rhythm by arithmetic" The Breeders disappeared for a very long time, taking nine years to release a follow up to their 1993 breakthrough Last Splash. But when they returned, they did with gusto, submitting a stellar album that proved that Kim Deal could still write some compelling music. The following is a mellow groove, its steady rhythm demands your attention. It's unlike anything the band had attempted ...

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A superb cover of Charlie Daniels' and his band Devil Went Down to Georgia. I'm not sure if the song itself was ever released, but a claymation Quicktime movie of it can be found on the data portion of Primus' 1999 Rhinoplasty, a collection of cover tunes in the band's trademark style. Fortunately for you, the fine denizens of YouTube have thoughtfully provided this video. Enjoy.

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Here's the main title for M. Night Shyamalan's 2002 film Signs. Composed by James Newton Howard Shyamalan's personal composer it seems, the titles are appropriately cacophonous and dissonant, but also unified and cohesive. Tense. [audio:061205Signs.mp3] Oddly enough, a number of remixes were created by luminaries of the trip-hop scene and released as a single around the time as the film. Most of them weren't that special, but the version ...

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Over the years, I've come to understand Pearl Jam's 1998 album Yield as perhaps the group's finest recording. There's not a single bad note on its entire length and it is one of but a handful of records in my library with nothing but 4- or 5-star ratings. At the time of its release, rock music was steadily being displaced in my mind with college-era explorations of ...

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Tis the season and all. Yep, Xmas is around the corner and its related tunes can be heard, sometimes whispering sometimes shouting, from computers and stereos and iPods and speakers in the ceiling at the mall. Old chestnuts, classical interpretations and indie versions all will make their appearances during the next couple weeks, probably to the point of nausea. They are songs that celebrate the season, reminding ...

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Back in 1998-1999, when the mp3 file trading scene really was like the wild wild west, no one really had much idea how to treat the phenomenon. Sure, labels and artists weren't keen on copies of the music being sent around, but there was also a free wheeling sense, even among established acts. Take Soul Coughing. For several months during that time, the band was in the ...

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Songs that sound too similar to be coincidence. This one is quite surprising because I never ever would have guessed the source. A couple years ago, while sifting through the Italian Cinema dump, I stumbled upon a track by composer Mario Molino that sounded just a wee bit familiar, like a demented, psychedelic version of a song I knew all too well. It was the title track to ...

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This 1995 Radiohead b-side to Fake Plastic Trees helped move me from merely 'liking' the band's music to falling in love with it. I'm sure it's on few 'top song' lists, but it's near the top of mine. The song is called How Can You Be Sure? and it's a musical wonder. [audio:061121HowCanYouBeSure.mp3]

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...here's the Ratatat remix of Shout Out Louds' The Comeback. I actually listened to it last weekend, but didn't hear anything half as interesting today, so consider it a retroactive song of the day. This mix illustrates perfectly what I love about Ratatat's remixing style. They're not content to just throw a house beat behind the song, or chop it up until it's unrecognizable. No, Mike and ...

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