PJH Studios

Category: Music

Pop, rock, alternative, classical, indie, folk, lo-fi, any thing with a tempo and a beat and some rhythm

  • AI ruined lo-fi music

    AI tools are making it easier to create generic, meditative music. Kieran Press-Reynolds at Pitchfork explores lofi, music, landscape, and the impact of AI.

    Fast-forward to now, and the scene has putrefied into a wasteland of the percussive undead. The YouTube search results have warped into an apparent AI breeding ground, crammed with hourlong mixes full of soporific dreck. The channels have similar names and cartoonish Kawaii imagery. Even the comments of the videos, which have millions of plays, brim with what look like fake conversations—pseudoymous accounts prattling on about how the music helped them unlock their true potential in life. Multiple channels repeat the same sentence structure like, “I don’t want much! I just want the person reading this to be healthy, happy, and loved!,” suggesting they’re AI-generated.

  • Breakfast in America covered by The Graystones

    Originally performed by Supertramp, The Graystones–comprised of pre-teens–knock it out of the park.

  • The use of Fortunate Son

    Like Born on the Fourth of July, Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Fortunate Son is up there with most misunderstood songs of all time. Why or how Fortunate Son, about a draft dodger, ended up on Trump’s parade playlist is a new height for irony.

  • Dancers in Penn Station

    The lower level of Penn Station is perfect for dancing and serving as a makeshift dance studio.

    Penn Station, the transit hub for hurrying commuters and Amtrak riders, has a side gig. Its wide, lower level corridor — specifically the passageway leading to the Moynihan Train Hall from Track 7 to Track 16 of the Long Island Rail Road — is an unlikely dance studio.

    Officially called the West End Concourse, the corridor has a lot going for it: It’s easily accessible, the floors are spacious and smooth, and there are public restrooms, a rarity in New York City.

    It’s a ready-made stage for all sorts of group and partnered dance, including hip-hop, K-pop and salsa. Reflective glass windows overlooking the tracks double as mirrors. Rows of blue lights overhead make for pleasing visuals when filmed. The biggest draw? It’s free.

  • Olivia Rodrigo and David Byrne – Burning Down the House

    Olivia Rodrigo and David Byrne combine for an energetic, infectious performance of Burning Down the House.

  • I Don’t Have Spotify

    I Don’t Have Spotify is a clever, one trick web app that takes Spotify links and finds music on other services. It works well for songs and albums.

  • Eminem’s Lose Yourself as performed by movie clips

    Genius.

  • Cover roundup: Glycerine by Bush

    Glycerine is a banger from the mid 90s by Bush. Probably the most famous version is the one Gavin Rossdale performed due a rainy 1996 MTV Spring Break.

    Allison Lorenzen and Midwife add shoegazey fuzz

    Easy listening lullaby version

    Acoustic with female vocals

    Piano really changes it

    Or a string quartet

  • Cover roundup: Fields of Athenry

    Fields of Athenry, a traditional Irish folk song from 1979 by Pete St. John, serves as an unofficial national anthem for Ireland.

    Perhaps the most recognized version is by the Dublinners, sticking to the songs folk origins.

    The Drop Kick Murphys channel fury into the lyrics and guitars.

    The Ohio St. marching band gave a good rendition

    The vocal harmony of Sina Theil & Caitríona O’Sullivan brings a resonance to the lyrics.

    With the Ireland national team about to be eliminated from the 2012 Euro soccer tournament, the Irish fans began singing.

  • Cover Roundup: Pink Pony Club by Chappell Roan

    One of the most infectious pop songs in recent memory, Pink Pony Club by Chappell Roan, is already creating a cottage industry of covers.

    Rick Astley takes an earnest and genteel approach.

    Orville Peck’s baritone brings a soothing quality.

    Of course there’s a reliable Kelly Clarkson rendition.

    What about an all women’s chorus, The Virginia Belles, hitting those harmonies?

    Medieval bardcore?

    Tinges of roots rock?