  I got a new CD today—from the fine folks at urlLink Fat Wreck Chords . It's a split CD that features Tony Sly (lead singer of urlLink No Use For A Name ) and Joey Cape (lead singer of urlLink Lagwagon and urlLink Bad Astronaut ) performing acoustic versions of their respective bands' songs.
Now, I've always been a sucker for the bands on Fat's label. It's the sort of punk rock I took a shine to when I was in high school, and I still love this stuff. But to see these artists demonstrating that they aren't limited to just one genre—that they have ears for different sorts of musical arrangements—is nice, and amazing to hear. And that isn't to suggest that the music they play is particularly difficult. Although I certainly couldn't play what they play, I doubt power chords are all that difficult. It's the arrangement of guitars, pianos and strings that I'm enjoying about this new album (called Acoustic , by the way). Which leads me to something I'm not particularly proud to admit, but I feel I must: I love remixes, B-sides, acoustic versions, and—most shamefully—cover songs. I know, I know. Shameful. And while I eventually got irritated with the Ataris' version of "Boys of Summer," I will admit to enjoying it at first, if only because it provoked memories of my long-dormant punk rock sensibilities. So yeah, applying a fresh sound to old tunes is something I enjoy hearing (though I'd agree that the Ataris' "Boys of Summer" was hardly fresh).
Which brings us to remixes; from Bonobo's version of Amon Tobin's "Four Ton Mantis" to the "Ghostwriter" remix on RJD2's The Horror single, I can't get enough of interesting new twists artists apply to songs... One more reason why I want to buy urlLink GarageBand : so I can make my own remixes. How do you guys feel about "recycled" music? *** iTunes selection of the day: Exit — Tony Sly 
