"Muppet Show Theme Song"

So I've begun to work on a couple of projects, none of which are really ready to come out of the box yet, but one of which involves reviewing music. It's in a very specific vein though, so when I decided to talk about this new album I decided to do it here.

A new collection of covers called "Muppets: The Green Album" is due out Aug 23rd and NPR is streaming it right now. I've listened to the whole thing, and just wanted to get some ideas out there.

Muppet Show Theme Song by OK Go. This is an amazing track. I never would have guessed it was OK Go (not that I'm the world's biggest fan) it's so very original and unlike any band I know. It's electronic without being obnoxious, had a GREAT beat, and some almost haunting opening vocals. Do not miss the great guitar solo that leads into a ?electric piano? doing a "tunetastic" run up into the huge ending.

Rainbow Connection by Weezer (featuring Hayley Williams) Fairly straightforward cover, with River doing his earnest best to sound emotionally vulnerable (he's so good at that). Then Hayley Williams comes in. Not that I hate Paramore, but she is not utilizing her voice on anything of theirs I have heard. Her voice is so warm and rich. They harmonize so well. Underneath the harmony is a really odd collection of sounds, I'd love to read producers notes. I think I'm hearing low electric brass, low electric stings, lots of crunchy reverb and muted feedback, a sighing angelic chorus, a sound I equate with an aboriginal "bullroarer", high electric piano, and a trumpet.

Mahna Mahna by The Fray Great production, the piano sounds great, the drums are tight and never quit. The "Doot Doot" part is great. The Mahna guy is not really up to snuff. He just doesn't sound free enough.

Movin' Right Along by Alkaline Trio Nothing wrong with this cover. But really, if you wanted a safe punk light version of a song, couldn't you have called Me First and the Gimme Gimmes? It's kind of their thing.

Our World by My Morning Jacket This one is from Emmit Otter's Jug Band Christmas. I like it. It's got some odd stereo choices. There was one line where every other word went back and forth in my headphones. I like the banjo, I like the lead singers voice, I like all the big harmonies. Near the end, the starkness of the drums and the lyrics kind of made me think of an 80s style relief song.

Mr. Bassman by Sondre Lerche More banjo. I don't really see the point in such a straight ahead cover. The singer sounds nice enough, and the Bass vocals are again, nice but not really special. I like the intro, it makes it sound like they are going a different direction. There's some discordant guitar halfway though that seems really tacked on, until you hear the space effects that follow it and you realize, oh no, that's really tacked on. Then a full on hoedown banjo with space effects outro. By the end, I guess I liked it well enough for a straight ahead cover.

Halfway Down the Stairs by Amy Lee This is electronic near it's annoying peak. Computer blips? Really? A poem written by A.A Milne and known to Muppet lovers as a Robin song and you felt the need to give it a hard hitting beat and electric buzzing? This is the worst song on the album bar none. Her voice is nice, I just think the producer did her no favors.

Wishing Song by The Airborne Toxic Event A downright poignant song that is almost ruined by over electronic drums and sound effects. The main singers voice and the chorus and the strings at the end are nice. This is kind of a heavy song, sort of a song for the depressed kid, and I think the singer gets it.

Night Life by Brandon Saller Yes, this is what I am talking about. Great cover that takes the original idea (70s funk inspired Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem) and goes in a different direction (80s hair band/metal) and doesn't cover up the idea of the song just in an attempt to do a "modern" take. Great guitar licks, amazing drum solo, and just in case you are wondering, no, I don't like Atreyu or 80s hair metal bands, I just think the song is really well done.

Bein' Green by Andrew Bird I love this song. This guy does a nice job with it. Very nice vocals. You don't often hear the song sung, more sing talked like Kermit did, but this guy does a nice job. From what I read about him, he's most likely the whistling, the violin, guitars, and possibly even the drums. The multi-instrumental bridge therefore is a little showing off, but it really adds something, making the song's happy underpinning more obvious.

I Hope That Something Better Comes Along by Matt Nathanson Good choice keeping it simple with just the piano and a little church organ. The harmony vocals are really nice as well. The singer has a good read on the song, it's a little melancholy but not too much, I mean the lyrics are intentionally punny. I would have liked a duet, but then it would have been an even more standard cover, and I've already knocked on that.

I'm Going to Go Back There Someday by Rachel Yamagata "There's not a word yet, for old friends that just met" Great lyric. The singer is my age, (and from close enough to my hometown to warrant a shout out) but her voice is so full of experience. The song has a really interesting intro featuring an acapella group. You know, the Muppets have more than a few poignant songs. The backing instrumentation is perfect through the whole song, uplifting where it needs to be, sorrowful in other places. There is a great flute solo after the bridge. The producer clearly remembers it from Muppets From Space rather than The Muppet Movie, as there is no hint of the campfire harmonica vibe, and there is a humming whistle thing that sounds like a 50s flying saucer. I think it's a beautiful version of the song.

So what have we learned? Davey doesn't really like the new music. I'm kinda sentimental for the Muppets. And ultimately, I love music and want to listen to more.