Musical Tax Day with Joe Bonamassa

It's the deadline to file tax returns in the United States, and we offer this song from the Beatles (as covered by singer/guitarist Joe Bonamassa and other musicians who are getting a little long in the tooth) to remind you to get it done before it's too late/ (Or, at the very least, file an Extension so you can keep procrastinating until October!)

And here's the original version by the Beatles...

Musical Monday with Matt Wheeler

Matt Wheeler is a Pennsylvania-based musician and singer who amuses himself (and entertains us) by posting videos of him performing aucoustic cover songs. He's here to help get the Christmas Season off to a good start with a medley of Christmas songs which includes one of my favorites, "We Three Kings".

Musical Monday in the Twilight Zone

As Halloween draws nearer, we bring you a nifty cover from that strange dimension, the Twilight Zone!

"Twilight Zone" by Golden Earring is a favorite in these parts (and this isn't the first cover of that fabulous 1980s tune that's been featured here), and while we can quibble with some of vocal presentations here, the video is just about perfect and John Cunningham & Crew give us an EXCELLENT version!

'Garden of Souls' contains both good and bad

Garden of Souls (2022)
Starring: Betty Roehm Widdoss, Karen Lynn Gorney, Eric Bower, and Jackie Capizzi
Director: Christopher Milewski
Rating: Six of Ten Stars

A grieving young widow (Widdoss) is approached by a strange old woman (Gorney) with a promise to  reunite her with her dead love.

"Garden of Souls" is one of many attempts at emulating the style and content of silent movies from the 1910s and 1920s that you can find while prowling through the depths of YouTube. Although the pacing is a bit slow at times and the story logic is a bit murky, the creators here captured the style of early films with great effectiveness.

One thing that would have improved this film would have been a more effective use of the color tinting. I am not a fan of this, but when I've seen it used in actual vintage films, I could easily and quickly grasp what they were trying to convey, either scenery-wise or character-wise. Here, there didn't seem to be an immediate comprehensible reason for some of the color choices -- or maybe I was just particularly dense on the day I watched the film. Take a moment and watch the film (embedded below for your convenience) and tell me what YOU think the viewer should infer from the various tints.

Another thing that would have made this a much stronger film would have been a stronger attention to detail as far as the costumes go. In one scene, Widdoss character while dressed in an immaculate white gown picks up a shovel and starts digging in a grave. When she's done, her gown is still spotless. This REALLY pulled me out of the film, and I think that even filmmakers in the 1910s would have dirtied her up a bit.

Musical Monday with The Police

Well... sort of. It's classic, creepy stalker song from the Police in a honky-tonk style via the fine folks at There--I Ruined It. Enjoy!

'The Vampire'

The Vampire (2021)
Starring: Lucy Rose and Jennifer Forristal
Director: Brian Elliot
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

A woman (Rose) is bitten by a vampire (Forristal), and she transforms from prey to hunter.

"The Vampire" is a short film that was made with the intention of capturing the feel of classic horror films such as "Seven Footprints to Satan" (1929), "Dracula" (1931) and "White Zombie" (1932). With the exception of the acting being a little too subdued at times, writer/director Brian Elliot and his cast did an excellent job at this.

Elliott applied some commonly used digital tricks to "age" the film, but he did not do so to excess (thankfully), so it's not intrusive. More importantly, though, is that he actually manages to capture the essense of those classic horror films he was emulating... and THAT is what makes efforts like this succeed! If this had just been another one of those flat gray films made black-and-white through no other effort but digital color desaturation and the application of the aforementioned "aging" effects, such as artificial scratches. Even better, Elliott includes a couple of sly references to the movies from which he drew his inspiration, such as the vampire doing the same odd hand-twisting gesture that Bela Lugosi did as Murder Legendre in "White Zombie". (This is one of my favorite moments in the film.)

If like the old horror films we focus on around here, you're going to to enjoy "The Vampire" and it's straight-to-the-point, three-chapter tale of a woman who goes from victim to vampire. We're equally certain that you'll find the Halloween Spirit stirring within you as you watch it! Go ahead and click below... then leave your opinions in the comments section to tell us how right or wrong we were!

Musical Monday with Zeinapur

Zeinapur is a musical duo that delivers pop music with an alternative edge and an almost operatic quality at times. And then there's the excellent guitar work. In this video for their 2021 single "Miracle", they also demonstrate this blog's unifying theme.

Musical Monday with Polyphia

We're starting the work-week with some amazing guitar playing, a great tune, and an engaging video in which we need YOU to tell us what's going on.

"Chimera" is one of many great bits of genre-bending music from Texas-based band Polyphia. Most of their stuff is instrumental music growing from a hard rock base, but they stray in and out of all sorts of genres during their tracks. This song features a guest appearance by rapper Lil West, so it's got some vocals to it... but, oh my GOD--the guitar playing!

Chimera (2022)
Starring: Tim Henson, Scott LePage, Clay Gober, and Clay Aeschliman

Director: Jake Woodbridge

Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

Musical Monday with Depeche Mode

About a month ago, Depeche Mode released a new album. We're fans here at Shades of Gray, but we had no idea that they were still together and still making music! But we're extra-happy to have discovered that they are because "Wagging Tongue" is an excellent song with a cinematic video that's even more excellent.

The lyrics of "Wagging Tongue " seems to be a message from the singer to whoever's listening that the truth will always come to be spoken, no matter how many lies or how much intimidation is used to silence righteous people. Meanwhile, the video, while the action on screen syncs up with the lyrics several times, gives us a look at a strange society where no one speaks unless they submerge their heads in water. It's a dark and strange society, and it contrasts with the upbeat nature of the song. (Heck, the lyrics contrast with the nature of the song... except in the sense that it all ends up carrying something of a hopeful feeling.)

Check out "Wagging Tongue". We're sure you'll agree that Depeche Mode is as great in 2023 as they were in 1983.

Wagging Tongue (2023)

Starring: Tatanya Yolinska, Jacob James Beswick, and Depeche Mode

Directors: Anton Korbijin

Rating: Nine of Ten Stars

 

(Here's a fun idea: The classic Depeche Mode song "Enjoy the Silence" describes the dawn on the dystopian society in "Wagging Tongue". Click here to watch that video and see if you agree or disagree with that notion.)

Musical Monday with Bond Street

Bond Street is U.K.-based that performs "vintage" arrangements of popular music from the past 30-40 years. Here they are in 2017, performing an excellent swing version of Coolio's hit "Gangsta's Paradise"!

 

In as similar vein, here's the ghost of Frank Sinatra also performing an arrangement of "Gangsta's Paradise"! We hope you enjoy this special bonus tune (on this bonus fifth July Musical Monday!)

Musical Monday with Leo Moracchioli

The Shades of Gray Dancers are setting the mood for today's cover song by Leo Moracchioli--by being dust in the wind.

 
 
 

Musical Monday with the Yorkshire Kitchen Recordings

 Puppets. Shaggy puppets. Singing puppets. It's a something quirky to get the final work-week of June 2023 off to a great start! (It's actually a great cover of Tom Wait's "How's It Gonna End"... you might even find yourself thinking it's better than the original!)

Musical Monday with Albie Day

 
Albie Day is a singer, songwriter, and marathon runner who has posted a host of great cover tunes (and some originals) to his YouTube channel. Here's a hilarious sample of his work -- a cover of Reel Big Fish's "Everyone's an Asshole". Like all good cover tunes, Day has made the song his own, turning it from ska to folk rock.

 
This is the first of five great cover tunes that we'll be bringing out on Musical Mondays throughout July.

About that banana...

This is a fun student film by Madison Barlow that's well-worth a couple minutes of your time. (BTW, I think there IS a good way to eat a banana, but the point of this film is still dead-on.

 

There's No Right Way to Eat a Banana (2023)
Starring: Grace Moloy, Peyton Biddle, Morgan Landry, Aniyah Faisal, and Arin Hincer
Director: Madison Barlow

Rating: Six of Ten Stars

 

Musical Monday with Tardigrade Inferno

Here's a little hard-rockin' weirdness to get your work-week off to a proper start! Ladies and gentlemen, we invite you to take a ride with Tardigrade Inferno, a Russian avant-garde metal band that we wish we had discovered sooner!

The video for "Arrival of a Train" is a fun mix of visual elements that span most of the main time periods covered by this blog. The song it supports is the title track from the band's new EP, which releases on May 17, 2023. Click here for more information, or to pre-order a copy from the band's official website. (But not until you watch the great video embedded below. Just don't be scared by the bits of color that are featured in it!)

End of the Road for Elmo?

We checked in on the Moon Girls yesterday, so it seems like a good time to present the conclusion to the Elmo Aardvark adventure that began in this post. He is, after all, their biggest fan! (The art is, once again, by the great Milton Knight. This is reportedly the final story written by Elmo's creator, Will Ryan, before he passed away in 2021.)

 

 You can more artwork and comics by Milton Knight here. (And you should consider becoming one of his patrons via Patreon!)

Musical Monday with Leo Moracchioli

If you'll been around these parts for a while (particularly on Musical Mondays), you've heard me say that I'm not a fan of music videos that are nothing more than jump-cuts and pan-shots of the band or solo artist performing. An exception is Norwegian rocker Leo Moracchioli. There's always enough antics or camera mugging to make even the most straight-forward performance video as fun as his energetic cover tunes.

Take this cover of Billy Idol's "Rebel Yell" and music video for example...

Well-crafted film noir homage with a twist!

Long Cold Walk (2022)
Starring: Nat Wise, Rocco La Motta, Stephen Scott, Jessica Rudolph, and Gene Winer
Director: Gene Winer
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

A homicide detective on the nightshift (Wise, voiced by Winer), is called to the scene of what turns out to be a greater mystery than he could have possibly imagined.

 

"Long Cold Walk" is a well-crafted film noir homage with an unexpected twist. Visually, there are a few jarring elements--such as some extreme close-ups that don't seem to serve any purpose and an extra that seems out place with the historical setting of the film--but overall Gene Winer and his crew do a fine job, on pretty much every technical level you'd care to consider.

As this film reached its final moments, I was certain that I would be giving it a solid Six of Ten Stars... but then the twist occured. I was expecting there to be some sort of twist due to a comment made by the narrator at the very beginning of the film, but when it happened, it was not at all what I expected it to be. That twist, and how it was executed, got a star added to the rating all by itself! I've watched and reviewed so many films over the past 30 years that "WOW!" moments don't happen all that often anymore, but Winer delivered one with "Long Cold Walk".

If you like old-school detective movies and TV shows, you're going to enjoy this short. Click below to check it out!

A short film that made me say, 'That's all?!'

The Detective (2021)
Starring: Alex Perri
Director: Alex Perri
Rating: Nine of Ten Stars

Late at night, a hardboiled detective (Perri) sits down to write a report. But something is amiss...

I have only two negative things to say about this excellent homage to the hardboiled film noir detectives and their cinematic vehicles of the 1940s and 1950s--because Alex Perri pretty much gets everything right in the minute-and-a-half run-time of "The Detective".

First, the narration provided by the title character is a too much. I understand that Perri was trying to fit all the standard elements of a film noir mystery into a very brief space, but it was so intense that it was bordering on parody. It wasn't bad, just a little over the top.

Second, despite my complaint above, I was drawn into the situation that is set up here... and when the end title card appeared, my reaction was: "That's all?! What happens next?! What about--argh!"

So, my second complaint about "The Detective" is that wanted more than what's here. What Perri delivered was so good and so engaging that I was taken aback when it ended. My complaint, therefore, is that this is vignette is so good that I want MORE! I want to know the story that's unfolding around this tiny glimpse into the shadowy world in which this nameless detective lives. 

Basically, my complaint is actually the highest praise I can give to any bit of creative story-telling that I come across: I enjoyed it so much that I didn't want it to end.

How about you? Check out "The Detective" by clicking below and let me know if you like it as much as I do!

Musical Monday with New German Cinema

Singer/songwriter Jessica Weiss, who has been the face and voice of UK-based band Fear of Men since 2011, recently unveiled a solo project. Check out the first video released in support of it below... and enjoy the ethereal spookiness! (I don't think I've enjoyed a song of this genre as much as this one since C'est la Mort in the early 1990s.)