Milo and Otis - Animal Rights Video Remix

Something I made for my ENG 420 class that I'm very proud of. I hope you enjoy it!

Milo and Otis - Animal Rights Video Remix from Ellis Hamburger on Vimeo.

Sigur Ros - Untitled 4 (Njosnavelin) Acoustic Version

After annoyingly visiting YouTube on occasion to listen to this song, I decided to try and export the audio to my computer--lo and behold, there are a million ways to do this if you only go so far as searching Google. And now, I have an acoustic version of this song that I haven't been able to find anywhere else on the internet. And the quality is surprisingly very decent, considering it's been extracted from a YouTube video.

I like this version of Untitled 4 much better than the original album version, and if you are a fan of Sigur Ros, or even of acoustic music, I dare you to check it out--because it's truly hauntingly terrific.

Click Here (right click and Save Target As...) to download Untitled 4 (Acoustic), from Sigur Ros' album entitled ( )

Fanfarlo:

A band I've been listening to as of late that are definitely worth checking out. Their infectious trumpets sound like Beirut, their orchestral arrangements channel the Arcade Fire, and their handclaps and general attitude remind me of Belle and Sebastian. So what's not to like, right?

Their new album "Reservoir" is one of my favorites of this year, but it is undoubtedly a grower... A few songs on the album such as "The Walls Are Coming Down" and "Harold T. Wilkins" are excellent on their own merit, but it seems like a little too much of Fanfarlo comes directly from these three bands I referenced earlier. "Ghosts" is one of my favorites on the album, but only because "Wake Up" by the Arcade Fire is also one of my favorite songs. The two songs do not sound alike from the get-go, but the transformation to upbeat-ness that occurs towards the end of each song is almost exactly the same. Same beat, same little nuances and progression. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I think Fanfarlo's lack of real originality keeps them from being truly terrific.

One more notable detail is that there really isn't a bad song on the album; each song has its own quirks and catchy melody lines to keep you coming back for more.

Despite the lack of originality, I think there is a ton of potential for them; They are clearly all skillful musicians, and this is clearly their debut album. You can discredit them for imitating the Arcade Fire and Beirut, or you can commend them for doing it so well. Either way, this album is definitely worth a listen. And I'm looking forward to seeing them Dec 14th at the Magic Stick. Should be a great show.

Here is a link to their Myspace - definitely check out "The Walls Are Coming Down"

And for your viewing pleasure, here is a video of them covering "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea" by Neutral Milk Hotel. Enjoy!

"Crickets" by Ellis Hamburger

PLEASE LISTEN ON HEADPHONES.

it makes a huge difference

I made this song the other day with my voice, my ukulele, GarageBand (I still can't figure out how this comes free with Macs), and a drum kit from GarageBand. I also used the music typing to make a piano riff to loop in the background.

I'm going for an Animal Collective feel circa their Sung Tongs album (albeit a little cheerier and more conventional). "Winter's Love" in particular sparked my interest, with its mix of interesting percussion, acoustic guitar strumming, and ooh's and ahh's in the background.

This is my first attempt at creating a song of any sort, so considering that, I'm pretty proud of it. The second half is certainly better than the first, so at least bear with me until the uke picking comes in. Once again, please listen on headphones. My goal was to have a cohesive sound where despite the several layers, it would sound like one sound. A sound that sounds good.