I was planning on doing this update a month ago, really....

Okay so a few weeks ago in Febraury I had my "reading week" and I was gonna post some tunes haflway through it, and have an "early update". That never happened, and I ended up getting delayed on this, even though I had the songs uploaded. So instead of ging through descritptions of all the songs I'm just gonna post them and get this over with.

The Polyphonic Spree - Soldier Girl (RJD2 Remix)
The polyphonic are a colourful group consisting of around two dozen memebers, all clothed in fancy robes. They make catchy tunes with a very 1960s feel, using lots of strings and orchestrated instruments and a choir of about ten singers. I've been listening to quite a few of the songs, and they're pretty groovy. This song however, doesn't really capture what most of the Spree's stuff sounds like since its a remix by RJD2, however that doesn't stop it from being a funky track. This track features some funky hip-hoppish breaks, with horns and guitars, and gives it almost a "rocky-esque" feel to it. Though speaking of "rocky-esque" sounding stuff, The Go! Team (another group that I've been really digging lately, who I may post some stuff on hear another time) also have done a remix of this track, but I have yet to find it.

65daysofstatic - retreat! retreat!
(This is just cool)

Satanicpornocultshop - Candy Says
(A bizzare cover of a Velevet UnderGround Tune bya group with a really bizarre name)

Toxic the Machine - Toxic
(A dare that I had to do in a Truth or Dare Game in a chat room. It was dedcated to Kulock, the admin of a message board I go to)

Update Number 3!

That Bald Guy - Raining Again
Last update consisted of three strange songs and then a rather normal one on the end. This time I start off with the fairly normal track and go on to the odder stuff. Anyways, like the last track from the last update, this song is new song from a fairly major artist with a new album which is relased on March 22. Unlike the artist's last few albums, it appears to be bedning more towards the alrternative/pop side than to his electronic stuff, though it doesn't conatin any speed metal like his 1997 disc did. However, I'd have to say I enjoyed this album more than the recent albums of electronic artists such as those French robots, or that other bald guy, or that group with the guy with the lousy haircut who doesn't actually do much in the group anymore. It's got a very new-wavish 80s sound at parts, and at other parts it reminds me of that other big group with a bald guy.

Off The Beat - A Fifth of Beethoven
A few weeks ago Andre Kepple relased his flash movie "Up the Skit Creek", which I provided a few voices for as well as sending Andrew some music tracks tha he was looking for as well as other music tracks that he wasn't look for. The first skit featured this song, which features a university acapella group covering the funky disco rendition of Beethoven's Ffith Symphony from the Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack. The original file name of this said "U Penn Penn Six", while the ID3 tag said "Off The Beat". Which is true? I don't know.

Bugs Bunny - Buggin
A few days ago it was announced that KidsWB are coming out with a new cartoon this Fall, called "Loonatics" in which Bugs Bunny, and other classic Looney Tunes characters, have been "reinvented" into "edgy" crime fighting super heroes in the year 2772. Many are outraged by this recent development, while other such as myself would like to wait for the series to come out before any judgement can be passed. Though, from what I keep seeing and hearing about it, my hope in it turning out good, is dimisnihsing little by little. Anyways, you can search it up on the net for more adiditonal info, if you're interested, since lots of sites have been reporting this. This whole event, about trying to make Bugs Bunny more hip for a new generation of fans reminded me of this song from the "Space Jam" soundtrack. Now, when Space Jam came out, I was actually strangely obsessed with the thing for reasons I still don't comepltely understand. But I ended up buying several action figures including one of Michael Jordan, and I've never really beena sports guy either. Anyways, this track features Bugs Bunny and a few other characters rapping. I also own a copy of Mickey Mouse's rap cd, but that'll be for antoher day.

Mr. T - Treat Your Mother Right
Now besides Bugs Bunny getting a new a cartoon, Mr. T is getting a new comic book! That's right Mr T returns in a new comic book courtesy of UK comic company APComics. For more info on this go here . Back in the 80s, Mr T came out with a few Children's albums like "Mr. t's Commandments" to teach children the importance of staying in school, drinking their milk, and obeying their parents. This track has got Mr T rapping about how to treat your mother, with some very new-wavish synth music reminscent of Human League or Gary Numan. This song is also fitting because it was my mom's 50th birthday on Friday.

And that's the end of that chapter.

Hooray for The Second Update!

Well I decided to go and get my second update before I got really behind. But because I was a bit late I decided to post 5 songs instead of 3. So let's get to them!

Styx - Plexiglass Toilet
I have been addicted to this song a lot lately. Most people only know Styx for their cheesy 80s track, Mr Roboto. Others, will know of some of their more hard rocking tunes from the 70s like Come Sail Away and Renegade. Less know about this track from their 1974 album, "The Serpent is Rising". This song appears as a secret track in the middle of the album after the song "As Bad As This". This song is rather strange number about toilets which is very reminiscent of The BananaboatSong AKA "Day-O". It also reminds me of this song.

Village People - Food Fight
While we're on the topic of strange songs you wouldn't expect from certain groups, I've deicded to share this little jem from the Village People's last official album "Renaissance" from 1981 and is often creditted as "The album that shouldn't have been made". After the death of disco, the Village People felt the need to change their sound. And so on this album, they go for a fairly "new-wavey" sound since that's what seemed like the new trend. The strangest thing about this album though, is that last three tracks, known as "The Food Trilogy" which consist of "Big Mac", "Diet", and "Food Fight". "Food Fight" is proabably the strangest of these, since it comes off sounding more like a combination of Devo and the Ramones, than anything that the Village People would have put out. Now download it, and let us never speak of this again.

Lemon Jelly - The Fruity Track
Now I seem to be enterring a food theme here. For those who don't know, Lemon Jelly are a British duo known for making fairly downtempo happy chillout music, using some obscure samples. Their latest album "64-95", however takes a bit of a break from this, by introducing more rockier and dancier types of tracks, all of which are based on a sample from a song from a specific year between 1964 and 1995. This song is not from that album, rather a B-Side from their single "Stay With You" which came out late last year. But like the album "64-95" this song is based on samples from a classic tune from my childhood from the mid 90s. But I won't say what it is, since I think a bunch of people can figure it out when they hear it.

Rip Slyme - Funkastic (Orchestra-Plus Version)
Okay so this one is not about food (from what I know of), but it is somethign fairly obscure. Rip Slyme are a Japanese group, and Funkastic was a big hit for them in the summer of 2002. Many people, though, know it from the Animutation "Earth vs Funk" . But unlike most American rap groups, Rip Slyme did something different. They also relased a 2 disc CD called "Orchestra-Plus" which featured some of their major hits done as orchestrated classical numbers featuring spoken word lyrics, (though the other disc consists of the songs without the vocals).

And now the last track. However, due to the fear of getting a Cease and Desist from the record company, I'm gonna be really careful and just say that you can fetch it here. I'm not gonna give out anymore details except that I really like this tune and the artist who does it, and that I am exicted for his new album coming out on April 26, which this track is from.

Hi Everybody!

Well it's my first official post on this blog, so I'm gonna take the first little bit to introduce it. My name is Toxic the Machine AKA Bob Barker AKA Marko the Odd AKA a few other things. I make weird flash videos and have my weekly Friday night internet radio show KRUD (That Site needs some eventual updating). Though most of you proabably allready knew that since you proabably got the link here form me. But if you didn't, I congradulate you.

Now on to this Blog's purpose! Because I already have a LiveJournal, which I use for my occasional ramblings, I've decided to make this Blog an MP3 blog. On it I will be showcasing all sort of interesting tunes that I find all over the place ranign from the strange, the rare, or stuff that just sounds cool. I was slightly inspired by Nathew to do this since he also has a MP3 Blog, Lurch Poiuyt who gave me some web space, as well as other MP3 blogs that I've discoverred recently. I'll try to update the blog at least once a week, with around three mp3 per update. Each set of mp3s will be available for around 3-4 weeks, and then I'll take them down. However, if you would like a track that I had featured here ealirer, you can contact me at marko42@gmail.com.

So, on to this weeks set of mp3s:

During the past few months I have discoverred the wonders of Japanese Tribute Albums to Western bands. I've found ones fo Weezer, Disney, Pixies, Nirvana (though I haven't heard anything from that one). The latest tribute album that I discoverred was a tribute to Green Day entitled "Japanese Supergals", since all the tracks are done by groups with female vocals. There is apparently a tribute that precedes it entitled "Japanese Superkids" with male groups. But the the things that I like about these albums is that they often have a fair amount of tracks that take a rather unique approach to the songs, as opposed to some American tribute albums. True, the Japanese vocals and mispronunciations can get a bit annoying at times, but overall they seem to produce interesting results. So here are three tracks from "Japanese Supergals".

Spoony - Basketcase
I'm first gonna pick one that stays fairly close to the original. Except that it seems to have a "rougher" sound to it, with piercing high pitched voices of attitude singign the chorus. Not to mention the slightly out of place sounding guitar solo. I've heard some of Spoony's other stuff from the Weezer and Disney tributes, and was a bit dispointed by this version, but it's still pretty coo. Besides, I'd have to say it's deinfinitely better than Avril Lavigne's rendition of it.

meg - Warning
Now this one is definetly different. This version gives Green Day's Warning a slightly more laidback and jazzy sound, complete with some television noises and a slightly "disco-like" ending. One of my definite favorites.

Yoppy - When I Come Around
And this proabably wins the award for strangest rendition on the disc (though there is the disco-funk rendition of "Redundant" that I didn't post here). Though it does keep the same melody of the orginal, this version is still really weird, and defiently not as radio-friendly as the orginal. It features more high pitched female vocals screaming the lyrics like crazy, and what appears to possibly a xylophone or glochenspiel, as well as a crazy 2 minute finale that just as it sounds like its ending picks up again, and then ends again.

Well that's it for this week. Come back soon.