Cover Me: “Sweet Jane”.

Posted on April 30, 2011 by giovanealex

“Sweet Jane”, one of The Velvet Underground bigger classics, is that kind of song which becomes even more famous when another artist covers it. That is exactly what happened when Canadian band Cowboy Junkies recorded it on their live album The Trinity Sessions – the song remains the band’s biggest hit ever and Lou Reed has even said that it is a favourite of his own.

The Velvet Underground

Yeah, it is quite a simple and almost stupid band photo but, actually, the stupid bands are the ones people are used to listen to these days.

The song composed by Lou Reed while he was still part of his band The Velvet Underground has two different versions the one released first was the studio version from the album Loaded, which has a distinctive rocky feel on chorus and has massive drums and proeminent guitar chords throughout the melody. In 1974 the band released a down-tempo live version which was in fact recorded during the 1969 tour – this version has a more stripped down feature – even though the instruments used by the band are the same – where Lou Reed sang in a lower register and drums and guitars have been a bit more subdued.

The Velvet Underground – “Sweet Jane” (from Loaded album)

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The Velvet Underground – “Sweet Jane” (from 1969: The Velvet Underground Live album)

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Cowboy Junkies

Cowboy Junkies band photo is quite bland too but, hey, their songs definitely aren't.

Based on 1969’s live version, Cowboy Junkies cover of the song hugely resembles Velvet’s live rendition with it’s characteristic bass line, swinged guitar chords and calm drumbeat but it sounds much more polished than Reed’s earlier live recordings thanks to Margo Timmins splendid soft voice and to the bands classy and elegant take on the melody – despite the fact that it is a cover, Cowboy Junkies’ “Sweet Jane” can be easily considered a summary of the band’s moody, subtle and sensual style.

Cowboy Junkies – “Sweet Jane” (from The Trinity Session album)

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Cover Me: “Nobody Home”.

Posted on March 31, 2011 by giovanealex

The Wall, a conceptual album by British band Pink Floyd which revolves around isolation and alienation is among the most famous rock albums of history. “Another Brick In The Wall” is certainly the favourite track of the album to many, many people for its powerful melody and anthemic lyrics and chorus, but it’s the last song composed by Roger Waters for The Wall that remains as a favourite of another of the band members, David Gilmour. It seems that that is also the opinion of at least one of the band members of Canadian pop/rock group Metric, since the song was picked as one of the covers recorded to be released as a bonus track with their last album, Fantasies.

Pink Floyd

Judging only by this picture, Pink Floyd would certainly be a country band. Or at least a folk-indie-whatever band hyped by hipsters. Wait...did hipsters already exist in the 60's?

Depicting the album’s main character, Pink, when he reflects about his state of loneliness, the song’s melody has a prominent piano harmony backed by a bass drum pulse and some sound extracts from a TV show. After a whole minute, it receives the support of strings and horns arrangements which improves its melancholic tones and matches the increasingly sad and resigned vocal register of Roger Waters as the song approaches its end.

Pink Floyd – “Nobody Home” (from The Wall album)

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Metric

I will make no joke about the band because I love Emily and her boys but I can assure you that Emily is not that ugly as this photo makes her seem. The men, on the other hand, surely are.

Metric’s version of the song retains the original mood in its very essence, but the band’s rendition lays only on piano and voice to reconstruct the melancholy of Pink Floyd’s original version, and they succeed entirely on the attempt. Sung by guitarrist James Shaw, whose voice closely resembles Water’s, the song feels almost the same is the other version but is also in communion with the more acoustic side of the Canadian band – indeed, the band has released an EP featuring acoustic versions of many of the tracks from their latest album.

Metric – “Nobody Home” (from Fantasies album)

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Blast the Past with Allen Walker.

Posted on February 27, 2011 by giovanealex

Allen Walker

I have a feeling that this is not the right way to wear a pair of jeans but I would not complain if I was there with him!

I’m not always fond of men with strong facial features – if the face has too many pronounced attributes they often struggle with each other and as a result the looks will always suffer from a lack of subtleness and harmony – in short, a facial mess. However, this is not the case of American model Allen Walker: his strong jawline perfectly fits his penetrating hazel eyes, solid eyebrows and delicate lips which are able to sport a highly seductive smile. I know, of course, that muscled body of his covered with white velvet skin also catches everybody’s attention – look at that chest…it’s a feast for the hands, isn’t? And what about Allen wearing only white undies? It’s EVEN MORE a feast for the hands, isn’t? – but his angular and masculine face with a slightly bored look completely hypnotizes the poor victims and like a vampire – I mean, a REAL, DECENT one, folks – Allen seduces any person with no effort at all. Boy, If Allen was a hunter I am sure that his prey would come from all corners of the forest, lay on his feet fighting with each other to be hunted – well…I would!
But despite being so spectacular, it seems that most photographers are not aware of Allen Walker’s existence. Apart from lots of boring photoshots for underwear catalogues, Allen Walker has posed for very few people who have took just a couple of pictures of the guy. I will never understand why most photographers love taking so many pictures of so many exotic *cough* UGLY *cough* guys when there are lots of despised handsome studs like Allen, with so much to offer!
So, now, take a look on Allen Walkers’ photos and see for yourselves what I’m talking about. But take care guys, because that anglo beauty has posed nude for a couple of shots and, of course, I would not leave these ones out! Have fun on his photo album here.

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Cover Me: “It’s a Sin”.

Posted on January 31, 2011 by giovanealex

One of the most recgonizable songs from the technopop era, “It’s a Sin” is also the most famous song released by British electronic duo Pet Shop Boys – its success was so immense that the pair is almost only remembered by this song and a couple of other singles. Possibly being a fan of the song and their composers, Swiss singer Annakin has recorded a cover of the song on her latest album which was released some days ago.

Pet Shop Boys

They are not as serious as this picture suggests but at least they are less...errr..flamboyant than, let's say, Mika!

Dramatically opened by a thunder sound, the original version of the song makes heavy use of synthesizers to emulate choirs, strings and horns. Neil Tennant‘s voice, though recorded on a very clear and crystalline register has also a kind of a distant feature on some moments, which improve even more its dramatic and sad tone. It’s an icon of the duos sound as well as of the electropop that flourished on the 80′s and the beginning of the 90′s.

Pet Shop Boys – “It’s a Sin” (from Actually album)

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Annakin

Though Annakin is NOT from Iceland (fool! I mean, ME!), I am sure she does not want to seem like Björk.

Annakin’s take on the song gives to the computer a decorative role on the song, allowing only a couple of discrete noises to sparkle throughout the melody. Most of the space on the song was opened to orchestration – strings, brass and a percussion on a martial pulse – which shine with powerful, cinematic features, as well as her own voice which blows beautifully with a soft and delicate register. It’s still sort of a dramatic melody but it’s blooms with a more contemporary, colorful and positive sound that glistens on the senses of the listener.

Annakin – “It’s a Sin” (from Icarus Heart album)

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Blast The Past with Todd Sanfield.

Posted on December 31, 2010 by giovanealex

Todd Sanfield for fantasticmag

Todd Sanfield, stretching on a chair: if you paid attention to the chair's design first, you need some therapy. I suggest electric shocks.

You can try not to give attention to Todd Sanfield but it’s quite difficult to ignore this man. Once you lay your eyes on the guy, who has graced the cover of Australian magazine DNA for three times already, you won’t forget his incredible buffed and ripped body and flawless face with gorgeous, bright hazel eyes and lips that beg to be kissed, licked, bitten. Together, all these features deliver a man with an immense beauty that brings an impressive sex appeal subtly bathed on a layer of charm and innocence – something that makes him even more attractive…and dangerous. Can you imagine this guy on a beach, taking off his clothes to reveal every detail of his perfect body, from his velvet olive skin to his mouth-watering “package” wrapped on his own line of underwear? I’m sure every and each person there would immediately stop doing anything to be able to witness this unmissable spectacle. Better not. It would be a chaos with lots of deaths and missing children as a result, since people would be so enthralled by Todd that they would not care about anything else: kids, huge waves, hungry sharks, harmful solar radiation, food poisoning factors, crowded parking lots, sandstorms…wait. Sandstorms? Nevermind.
Now, I know you boys (and girls) are eager to get to see Todd for yourselves, so I prepared an album with almost 150 pictures to satisfy your voyeuristic needs. Be warned, though, that on his third DNA photospread Todd lost all his inhibition and thanks to photographer Rick Day he felt comfortable enough to show a bit more of his…well, his “hidden attributes”. Have fun!

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