Ever listened to a new band or a new pop song and thought, hmmm, it does have a familiar sound, doesn’t it? Well there’a trio from down under, called The Axis of Awesome, who have the answer.

And you’ll be surprised to hear how simple it is – just four chords. That’s right, according to “Chicken Little” aka Benny you can pretty much hear/use the same four chords in just about any pop song and to prove their point they demonstrate by playing 36 different pop songs using the same four chords. These guys definitely live up to their name. Definitely worth following this new up and coming trio from Australia. You can see what they’re up to by following them on Twitter or having a look at their website.

But first, don’t just take my word for it, have a listen for yourself  - check out the video below. [via Onelargeprawn]

Update – 18 May 2010: Jon from the RCB has put together a much better break down and analysis of why the four chords work so well in his blog post here.

With a little over 93 days to go before the 2010 Soccer World Cup begins in South Africa more and more people are getting excited about the event and talking about world-cup related activities.

Our local radio station, 94.5 KFM, played a song on the radio last week that no one had heard of before as a potential 2010 World Cup theme song. Take a listen below and let me know what you think?

The imagery in the video isn’t important but listen to the tune and the lyrics.

What do you think? Did you find yourself tapping your foot, or your fingers on the table rhythmically? I sure did. As much as I hate the sound of the Vuvuzela I still like the song’s lyrics.

The song is called Stand As One and is sung by Martin PK and co-written by Martin PK and David Campos. You can find out more about them and the song on their Facebook Page.

I’ve been doing a little digging and as far as I can tell the adapted version of K’naan‘s song Wavin’ Flag will serve as the official FIFA 2010 Soccer World Cup theme song. Very catchy and international sounding.

Sources Witness This, CTV News.

Some of you should/might remember the band OK Go music video Here It Goes Again where they performed their dance routine on a bunch of treadmills on a shoe-string budget.

Well, they’re back with another great video entitled This Too Shall Pass. If you’ve been playing on computers as long as I have you’ll probably remember TIM, or The Incredible Machine which was a game available on computers in the early 90′s.

… objective of the games is to create a series of Rube Goldberg devices: arrange a given collection of objects in a needlessly complex fashion so as to perform some simple task (for example, “put the ball into a box” or “light a candle”). Available objects ranged from simple ropes and pulleys to electrical generators, bowling balls, and even cats and mice, most of which had specific interactions with or reactions to other objects (for example, mice will run towards nearby cheese). – source Wikipedia

Well, the guys from OK Go decided this was going to be the theme of their latest music video. It looks like, after meticulous preparation and testing, they shot the whole video in a single take.

Directed by James Frost, OK Go and Syyn Labs. Produced by Shirley Moyers. The official video for the recorded version of “This Too Shall Pass” off of the album “Of the Blue Colour of the Sky”. The video was filmed in a two story warehouse, in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, CA. The “machine” was designed and built by the band, along with members of Synn Labs over the course of several months. – source YouTube

You can read up more about this group, see other videos and follow them on twitter via their official website.

[via Cherryflava]

I got sent this by a friend and I’m sure a lot of people share the same sentiment. It’s a parody video by Tobuscus of OneRepublic’s “Apologize” [via Koukla]

You’ve heard of and seen guys shredding various tunes on a guitar. Now, get ready to be blow away by a kid, called Aleksandr Hrustevich, who completely blows me away with his performance of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons movements, on an accordion, that’s right, an accordion! [via DCP]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUCfSiMB_2E&feature=player_embedded

Now, tell me you weren’t impressed by that? You can see some more of his talent via his YouTube channel.

You know some people look at a piece of art and say it “speaks” to them – could it be the case with music too? Apparently so since Austrian composer Peter Ablinger has made a talking mechanical piano. Take a look at the video below (it’s in German but if you leave annotations on they’ll act as subtitles). [via Crave]

You might not have heard of them before. They’re a Slovenian Choir group called Perpetuum Jazzile and they do some amazing a capella work. Just take a look for yourself at the video below where they emulate the sound of a thunderstorm followed by their a capella version of Toto’s famous track, Africa. You can find out more about them on their website (in Slovenian or in English) or follow them on Facebook or on Twitter. [via Koukla]

More videos here, on Youtube.

It seems there are a lot of cool things we miss out on not being in the US. One of which is the World Science Festival that takes place each year.

This year Bobby McFerrin demonstrated the power of the pentatonic scale, using audience participation, at the “Notes & Neurons: In Search of the Common Chorus” event, on June 12, 2009. Just take a look at the video clip below to see how he uses the audience and how quickly they learn to acompany him. [via BoingBoing]

Last month I told you about an up and coming group of seven guys who sing a’capella called D7 Live. You’ve probably heard some of their clips on their site and seen the video I posted.

You know when you go to a live music concert and many times the live performance doesn’t come close to the recorded versions. Well this is the opposite with this group. You have to see and hear D7 Live in person to appreciate the talent that these seven guys posess. They entertained us for about two hours with their musical talents, introducing the band members and sharing a little about themselves with us in between their numbers. And with every passing song these guys got better and better.

Do yourself a favour, go and see these guys in concert. You will not be dissapointed. Check out the gig guide on their website for more details.

Their next gig will be on the 8th August 2009 at Conference, Kronenburg in Paarl.

Pat, thanks for the discounted tickets mate (you guys are definitely worth it, and then some!). You guys rocked and you’re all definitely a talent to be reckoned with. I can see D7 Live going places – just watch this space!

I’ve just heard of a local, Cape Town based group called D7. They’re seven young guys that perform a mix of a’capella and beatboxing. I wish I had heard about them sooner as I would have loved to attend one of their live gigs. I’ve just listened to a few of their sample tracks on their website and I’m seriously impressed.

Think beatbox, think up beat, think fresh harmonies delivered to you by seven of Cape Town’s sexiest musicians and you have D7, the a’capella group that is harmonising their way on to stages everywhere. They will have your feet tapping, your lips moving and your hips grooving to the familiar sounds of Billy Joel, Michael Jackson, The Chiffons and The Temptations. Their take on contemporary tunes from Coldplay and Goldfish is fresh and exciting and definitely worth the standing ovations they have been receiving from audiences all over Cape Town.

South Africa has recently started auditioning for people to attend the new show South Africa’s Got Talent. Listening to these guys and seeing them perform I have no doubt that South Africa really *does* have talent. Well done guys, keep it up.

I’m really impressed by a’capalla music and beatboxing and this great combination of both makes for really enjoyable listening. And for the ladies, well, just take a look at their bio pics for yourself, you decide.

You can also follow them on Twitter.

Below is a short mashup clip of some of their performances showing off their talent. Oh, if you didn’t know, you can hire them for your own private party too.