Making Christmas - Rise Against




Merry Christmas everyone! I hope all of you have a yearly tradition of watching Nightmare Before Christmas! If you haven't watched the movie yet, here is a fun track to get you in the mood!

RISE AGAINST started out as an independent punk rock band TRANSISTOR REVOLT on the Fat Wreck Chords record label in 1999, but they quickly grew in their popularity and soon changed their name, and later was signed to the major label Geffin Records.

They have released five albums as Rise Against in the past ten years and have been a part of many little projects, including NIGHTMARE REVISITED, an album that brought together many different hard rock acts to cover not only the songs from Nightmare, but the score as well! The result is mixed, but many of the tracks, including Making Christmas are treated quite well.

Labels: making christmas, nightmare before christmas, nightmare revisited, rise against

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  Oogie Boogie's Song - Tiger Army
It has been 13 years that TIGER ARMY has making music, but after four studio albums and many roster changes, the band is still touring the world with their psychobilly punk rock style.

Last year, Tiger Army, contributed their version of Oogie Boogie's Song for the Nightmare Before Christmas tribute album NIGHTMARE REVISITED. Although the song wasn't selected to be part of the track list, it was included as a bonus track on iTunes.

Oogie Boogie's Song Tiger Army 2008

Labels: nightmare before christmas, nightmare revisited, oogie boogies song, punk, rock, tiger army

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  What's This? - Flip Kowlier, featuring Gabriel Ríos and Michael Franti
I know that there have only been once-a-week posts here at Covering the Mouse lately. It has bee a busy time and I hope to get back to five days a week after New Year's Day.

But in the meantime, here is a special Christmas cover or you!

FLIP KOWLIER is a Belgian singer-songwriter who arranged this cover of What's This for the Music For Life fundraiser to help raise funds for the Red Cross Anti-Mine campaign by the popular Belgian radio station Studio Brussels in 2006.

The vocals are provided by GABRIEL RIOS, a Puerto Rican musician who lives in Belgium, and MICHAEL FRANTI, frontman of the band Spearhead and a political activist.

There are not many covers of What's This out there but this one is one of the best.

Merry Christmas!

What's This? Flip Kowlier, featuring Gabriel Ríos and Michael Franti 2006

Labels: flip kowlier, gabriel rios, michael franti, nightmare before christmas, pop, what's this

  ¶ 11:21 AM 2 Comments Links to this post

  This is Halloween - Panic! at the Disco
Have a safe and happy Halloween, everyone! Please be extra safe in your activities tonight whether you're a child or an adult!

To get you in the mood, here is This is Halloween covered by Las Vegas rockers Panic at the Disco as heard on the re-release of the Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack from two years ago.

There are two versions of this song on the re-released soundtrack, the other being Marilyn Manson's version. In my opinion, this cover is not that special as it is mainly just a sound alike version of the original and not a very good representation of the band.

This is Halloween Panic at the Disco 2006

Labels: nightmare before christmas, nightmare before christmas soundtrack, panic at the disco, rock, this is halloween

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  Jack's Obsession - Sparklehorse
Not all of the tracks on NIGHTMARE REVISITED are good. And since today is Terrible Track Friday, I am going to share with you this terrible cover of Jack's Obsession by SPARKLEHORSE.

You can correct me if I'm wrong, but this cover is so unfaithful to the original that it should just be another song all together. Some people may find the new melody and bad falsetto voice pleasant to listen to but I find it to be boring and monotonous.

Jack's Obsession Sparklehorse 2008

Labels: jack's obsession, nightmare before christmas, nightmare revisited, rock, sparklehorse

  ¶ 10:12 AM 7 Comments Links to this post

  Nabbed - Yoshida Brothers
Some of the more unique tracks on NIGHTMARE REVISITED are the instrumental tracks that introduce us to a wide variety of artist that we wouldn't normally listen to. Such is the case with the YOSHIDA BROTHERS whose specialty is the shamisen.

The shamisen is an ancient Japanese three-stringed instrument similar to a guitar. It is a sound I'm sure you have heard. If you listen to the track it will be the first sound you will hear.

The Yoshida Brothers have become pseudo-celebrities due to their modern approach to playing the instrument which is much more rapid and percussive and set to modern instruments like drums and synths. On Nabbed, the Yoshida Brothers add electronic elements which melds the vintage qualities of the shamisen with the elements of modern music perfectly.

Nabbed Yoshida Brothers 2008

Labels: electronic, nabbed, nightmare before christmas, nightmare revisited, yoshida brothers

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  Jack's Lament - The All-American Rejects
A bit more on the artistic side than their usual fare, THE ALL-AMERICAN REJECTS have contributed their rendition of Jack's Lament for NIGHTMARE REVISITED, a compilation album of Nightmare Before Christmas cover songs.

This is a really good cover. It keeps the feel of the original but also gives it a really different sound. And I really like how Tyson Ritter actually sings the lyrics rather than speaks them as Danny Elfman, the singing voice of Jack Skellington, does in the film.

This song comes just in time to remind us that these boys are still active. Their new single, Give You Hell, is currently getting radio play and their third studio album is out in two months.

Jack's Lament The All-American Rejects 2008

Labels: all-american rejects, jack's lament, nightmare before christmas, nightmare revisited, rock

  ¶ 8:48 AM 1 Comments Links to this post

  Overture - DeVotchKa
I hope all you Canadians had a great Thanksgiving! I know I did and I sure enjoyed the day off of work! But now I'm back and it's time to dish out some more covers!

What I missed telling you yesterday due to the holiday is that October 13 is The Nightmare Before Christmas' 15th anniversary. A few week ago Disney released NIGHTMARE REVISITED, a compilation album of hard rock and indie rock bands covering all the songs, including the score, of the movie's soundtrack. The result is a wonderful surprise and this week I'll be sharing with you four of the track off that album.

The opening song is the Overture which actually doesn't appear in the film, but is included as the first track on the official soundtrack. It is a really well-written piece by Danny Elfman which encompasses all the major themes of the movie and strings them all together in a beautiful medley.

Covering the Overture is the Denver indie rock band DEVOTCHKA. This quartet formed in 1997 and their musical style is comprised of Romani, Greek, Slavic, Bolero, Mariachi music with American punk and folk roots. This, coupled with their unique instrumental make up, which includes accordion, sousaphone, bouzouki and theramin, make them a delight to listen to.

If you have never heard of DeVotchKa before, I would suggest checking them out. You may have already heard some of their work as they wrote and recorded the score to the indie film Little Miss Sunshine.

Overture DeVotchKa 2008

Labels: devotchka, nightmare before christmas, nightmare revisited, overture, rock

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  Sally's Song - Fiona Apple
My friend Jamie let me know about a new Disney cover album coming out September 30!

The project is called Nightmare Revisited and features new recordings of every track from the Nightmare Before Christmas, including the score!

Manson's version of This is Halloween returns on this disc but all the other tracks feature rock/hard rock/emo artists that appeal to the goth and emo crowd who have given Nightmare Before Christmas cult status.

Track list (songs only):

Jack's Lament – All American Rejects
What's This? - Flyleaf
Town Meeting Song – Polyphonic Spree
Jack's Obsession - Sparklehorse
Kidnap The Sandy Claws - Korn
Making Christmas – Rise Against
Sally's Song – Amy Lee
Poor Jack – Plain White Ts
To The Rescue – Datarock
Oogie Boogie’s Song – Rodrigo y Gabriela

I don't know about you but this sounds awesome! Check out this link for the complete track list.

To celebrate this news, I have posted a version of Sally's Song by FIONA APPLE from the Nightmare Before Christmas Soundtrack re-release from a few years ago.

I love this version. It's so melancholy.

Sally's Song Fiona Apple 2006

Labels: fiona apple, nightmare before christmas, nightmare before christmas soundtrack, pop, sally's song

  ¶ 2:44 PM 5 Comments Links to this post

  What's This? - Fall Out Boy
Christmas is just around the corner so I have declared this Christmas Week at Covering the Mouse! Each day this week will feature a special Disney Christmas cover song for your enjoyment! We begin this week with What's This from Disney's stop-motion Halloween/Christmas movie Nightmare Before Christmas.

What's This is the song Jack Skellington sings when he discovers Christmas Town. He has the wonder and excitement of a littel child as he sees the magic of Christmas, something he's never experienced in Halloween Town. The song was originally written and performed by Danny Elfman and this cover version was rearranged by pop/punk group FALL OUT BOY.

Fall Out Boy's arrangement is great! I was so against it when I first heard that they covered this song. I know that this quartet from Chicago has had a few hit songs and a double platinum album but I'm not really a fan of the group so I was not looking forward to hearing their take on one of my favourite Disney songs. But once I heard it I quickly changed my tune! It's probably one of the best Disney covers I've heard! I especially like the character that Patrick Stump puts into his vocals. He has great range and makes the song super fun.

What's This? Fall Out Boy 2006

Labels: fall out boy, nightmare before christmas, nightmare before christmas soundtrack, rock, what's this

  ¶ 7:14 PM 1 Comments Links to this post

  This is Halloween - Marilyn Manson
When I heard that Disney was re-releasing the Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack I couldn't believe it when I read who was going to be doing cover songs on the album. Marilyn Manson? Fall Out Boy? Panic! at the Disco? Could these bands really pull off Disney cover tunes? The answer is yes! Well, for the most part, anyway.

These days, Nightmare Before Christmas has gained a huge cult following of wannabe goth and emo teens and Disney has seen this and released a whole ton of merch to cater to this crowd. Knowing this, it makes it easier to realize why Disney picked the artists they did for this album.

Now, about this track. MARILYN MANSON is a perfect match for this Danny Elfman classic! Both styles work together in complete unison! The song works with Manson's goth-industrial sound and lyrically, it is as if Elfman was writing this song about Manson himself! And hearing Manson sing lines like I am the clown with the tear-away face and I am the monster under your bed! doesn't sound unusual at all! Absolutely perfect! This is one of my favourite Disney covers.

Happy Halloween everyone! I hope it is a spooky night!

This is Halloween Marilyn Manson 2006

Labels: marilyn manson, nightmare before christmas, nightmare before christmas soundtrack, rock, this is halloween

  ¶ 6:50 AM 5 Comments Links to this post