Member Mixtape Review: Cosmic Harmony

Cosmic Harmony

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You're far from the only person who underestimated Paul as a singer without Art, Sooty. In Simon and Garfunkel, Paul usually would root the harmonies while Art would add the flair (look at "The Sound of Silence" for a great example of that). While he isn't the kind of singer who can do a variety of things with his voice but he has that delicacy and clarity that really understated.
If you're looking to get into Paul's solo work most people would tell you to go with "Graceland" but I personally would recommend "Still Crazy After All These Years" (which "Silent Eyes" is the closer to) because it's my favorite. It has Paul's only #1 solo single on it in "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover" and you can find the final Simon & Garfunkel song, "My Little Town", on it and I think that familiarity could ease you into it a bit more. :D
 

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Gary Jules-Lucky
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This is a short but sweet number but I love the gospel like quality to it. It also was a smart track to follow up Paul Simon as the guitar work reminds me a lot of S&G. What can I say, I only knew Gary Jules for his Mad World cover prior but this gives me a taste of his style which is a beautiful deep tone and more uplifting version of Elliot Smith.
 

Cosmic Harmony

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That Gary Jules song was mainly used a transitional number to give the tracks around it a smoother flow. That aside though I really think Gary deserves quite a bit more credit than just for his cover of "Mad World". I can't say I'm familiar with his catalog but the "Trading Snakeoil..." album is a very beautiful, soft album.
 

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Indigo Girls-Mystery
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I'm not a huge fan of this group but I've never heard them slow down the structure of their songs like this and getting to hear the pureness in their vocal. I like the better than the hippy, fast strumming songs I tend to hear from them. I mean i never denied they could harmonize but their general singing just seemed to lazy to me and I always found them generic sounding even though technically they were one of the first of their kind being a female duo. It just never came through as anything special but this song is a step up. :)
 

Cosmic Harmony

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Well most of the Indigo Girls' most popular songs are the uptempo, poppy ones but I personally have always had a greater fondness for their slower, more tender songs.
 

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The Velvet Underground-New Age
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This is very Rolling Stones and I never would've expected that honestly. I expected this to be really weird experimental and trippy as I haven't explored this group and I had certain preconceptions about an Andy Warhol associated Lou Reed fronted band. Always though these guys would be style over substance but this is a sweet little melody I'd put as a companion piece to Stones pieces like "Out of Tears" and "Angie". BTW, since it's my least favorite Tori album I only now realized that one of the weird covers she did was of Velvet Underground and it was this track. :tongue:



 

Cosmic Harmony

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Well The Velvet Underground is actually a very experimental, chaotic band on their first couple albums but they got a lot more tame by the time of "Load" and that's what "New Age" came off of. The version I gave you actually came off the "Peel Slowly & See" box set and it's longer than the one that appears on the actual album.
 

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Hide With Spread Beaver-Pink Cloud Assembly
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This has got to be the weirdest artist name on the mix! :heheh: I love it though as it starts off dark, strange and turbulent and then seamlessly turns to a Meatloaf style piano melody. Then it turns into what I can only describe at a remix that tries to sound like Flaming lips and finally a breakdown similar to G N' R! This is all over the place but it's great! It's just evokes so many emotions throughout from beauty to insanity! :D
 

Cosmic Harmony

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Hide is the late lead guitarist of X Japan and the Spread Beaver project was his final solo effort (and I think it's an absolutely terribly name). That song is actually like an overture of that albums because it's made up of the melodies of other songs on the album, most notably the song "Pink Spider", which is Guns N' Roses like part.

(I was wonder thinking the other day if you forgot this or not)
 

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Hide is the late lead guitarist of X Japan and the Spread Beaver project was his final solo effort (and I think it's an absolutely terribly name). That song is actually like an overture of that albums because it's made up of the melodies of other songs on the album, most notably the song "Pink Spider", which is Guns N' Roses like part.

(I was wonder thinking the other day if you forgot this or not)

No, I never forgot Harmony. A lot of things have been backtracking my activity lately but I'm back and continuing all my projects! :D Cosmic, I think you have me convinced to get some X Japan with this and the KISS instrumental! :)
 

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