A little over a year ago, the folks at RadioLab contacted me about an episode they were working on about “colors”. Now, if you are not familiar with RadioLab, it is an astounding radio show/podcast about the marvelous of area where science, art, and magic all mix. Understandably, it is one of my favorite things ever, and when they asked to be apart of this episode, I was over the moon! The episode was going to be focusing on colors, what color is, how we relate to color, etc, and they wanted to get various musicians they liked to cover songs about color to soundtrack the entire episode. 

I wanted to do something that would stand out, not only in song choice, but in style, and all of the things that came to mind, like “Paint It Black”, “Yellow Submarine”, “Blue”…they all just seemed too easy, too obvious. So I set out to cover “Black & Yellow” by Wiz Khalifa…and make it the prettiest damn version of a Wiz Khalifa song ever. Of all time. 

So I enlisted the help of my dear friend Rickolus to shape the backbone of the song with pianos and synths, then I brought in the talented Erica Burton to add layers and layers of strings to really doll up this ditty. The whole thing was recorded for free, in bedrooms, in a day or two, and mixed by yours truly all in a pinch. RadioLab never used the song, and I am too damn proud of the way this turned out to let it sit on the shelf any longer!
 So here you go, have this for free, since it is summer, and the sun is shining! 

Happy Monday Y’all!

ALSO, DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT MY UPCOMING TOUR DATES! AND THE SWEET STUFF IN OUR WEBSTORE!

Black & Yellow (Wiz Khalifa Cover)

made this for a 7" split i did with Chuck Ragan (hot water music) for Asbestos records.  limited copies available at the buy link above.

I'm on Fire (springsteen cover)

This City Ain't Just Skyline

Contrails (Jel Remix)

Song written by Astronautalis & Picnic Tyme
Piano: Chad Stockslager
Guitar & Bass: John Congleton
Strings: Daniel Hart
Backing Vocals: Rookie Sensation Mike Wiebe
Additional Drums by: McKenzie Smith
Additional Synths by: Sean Kirkppatrik

Produced By John Congleton

The River, The Woods

Song written by Astronautalis & Radical Face
Piano & Backing Vocals: Chad Stockslager
Additional Guitar: John Congleton
Strings: Daniel Hart
Additional Drums by: McKenzie Smith

Produced By John Congleton

Secrets On Our Lips

Excerpt from original liner notes from April 2010: 

"I give you my ode to this strange little epoch: “DANCHEHALLHORNSOUND!”. A mixed tape (in the contemporary sense of the word) of me reshaping my own strange historical fiction indie rap songs over some of my favorite pop rap beats, coupled with a few songs you may not have heard, an op-ed piece, and some freestyles thrown in for kicks , and all mixed up by my homie Dj Fishr Pryce.  This isn’t irony, this is appreciation, and experimentation, I am working well out of my comfort zone here, but I am proud of the result.  This may disappoint some people, may anger some others, and hopefully raise a few eyebrows…enjoy it folks, this is the time in which we live, and this is exactly who I am."

All Raps by: Astronautalis (Unless otherwise noted)
Mixed by: DJ Fishr Pryce
Beats by: a bunch of other people

Mr. Blessington's Imperialist Plot

The Case Of William Smith

Trouble Hunters

The Secrets Of The Undersea Bell

Do You Believe In Life After Thugs

Lakefront Property

Uncle Danny

The Waterfall

The Story of My Life

from "The Mighty Ocean & Nine Dark Theaters"

Meet Me Here Later

Do You Believe In A Life After Thugs?

from "This Is Our Science" - available September 13, 2011 from Fake Four Inc.
Single with instrumental version also available - https://www.circleintosquare.com/item/dimitri-mendeleev-single

Dimitri Mendeleev

SIKE
Produced by: Adam Pickrell
Sequenced & Arranged by: John Congleton
Additional Drum Programming: Bird Peterson 
Horns: Reggie Pace

 I've been on some burn it down, leave this town, never look back shit 
Passing out on your couch, sneaking out the back tip
 Ripping credit cards out your mailbox snatch it
 Charge it to the game playboy, it's practice
  They been on some got this, squat this, reroute the power grid
 Cops can't stop this, over our dead body bitch
 Eat this, drop this, turn it up louder kid 
Put it down in our path? Million ways around that shit  
We backstage sterilizing tattoos with beer 
You cats stay paralyzed by bad news and fear 
You underage and they ain't fucking let you in here 
Fake ID G, and buy us all beer  
I’m sick of kids who sit and bitch about how they can't get into shit 
Ya "woe is me" steez, just getting bit ridiculous
 Fucking A, you're underage, that means they just slap your wrist
 If not, you're young and fit, “Yeah Bitch! Out run the pigs!”  
Ha! And give em all trophies
And some orange slices 
Yeah, y'all already know me 
One of the only that's really grindin’
  Lazy motherfuckers wanna call it luck 
Be real motherfuckers know there ain't no such
 Thing cause i mean there ain't no free lunch
 You better fix your own plate or serve one to us
  Go on pray to your God, or complain on facebook 
Stay waiting for your Dad, to come save the day dork
 Voted for Obama, and expecting changes It’s just one big party all giving the same gifts  "SIKE!"  Like a P.O.S T-shirt! 
YIKES!  It’s only gonna get worse! 
RIGHT?  This beat Is kinda bzerk 
Turn it up louder till my fucking teeth hurt!
  Yeah girl, I own some gold teeth
I’m southern, I was taught to hold heat
Ain’t no gangster, I’ll tell that true
Rick Ross just a cop with some bad tattoos

Florida baby, yeah my neck stay real red
While you make believe pushing that white shit
You dress up gangsters can play pretend
I stay slangin that white girl round my bed

Young Steve McQueen spit that dick game
You tweet real bossy for a bitch with a tin chain
I don’t need no Maybach just to sharpen my pimp girl
Pull girls on my bike they ride my handlebars home, man!

Ooh!  Put my word on that chief
Rihanna gonna haller, the way I murdered that beat
A condom like an umbrella, King Kong in the bed sheets
Just haller at a fella when you’re done with that dead beat!

CHORUS

 See, I can write your dumb raps 
Pay me, and go buy some hubcaps
 Fake G’s talkin bout gun claps
 Ain't gonna happen, like A-Rod's come back
  Talent is cheap, money's all made up
 Gallons of beam, and the speakers based up
Fuck it!  I got nothing left to say son 
Y'all get Cryphy!  Thank you Based God! 

CHORUS 

"The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion."
-Albert Camus


Side One Dummy Records: Worldwide
Cargo Records: Europe

Sike!

DO NOT SHARE WITH ANYONE, WITHOUT ASKING ME (ANDY) DIRECTLY!  ALL OF THESE PEOPLE LISTED BELOW WORKED VERY HARD, FOR A LOT OF HOURS TO MAKE THIS COME TOGETHER, LEAKING THIS WOULD RUIN ALL THAT EFFORT.
THANKS!

1. SIKE!
Music by: Adam Pickrell
Sequenced and Arranged by: John Congleton
Additional Drum Programming: Bird Peterson
Horns: Reggie Pace

2. Papillion
Music by: Lazerbeak
Additional Synths & Organs: Adam Pickrell
Live Drums: Mo McNichols

3. Interbellum*
Music by: Amati & ICETEP
Additional Synths & Organs: Adam Pickrell
Live Drums: Mo McNichols

4. You Know What It Is!
Music by: Astronautalis & B.J. Burton
Additional Synths: B.J. Burton
Additional Drum Programming: Bird Peterson
Horns: Reggie Pace

5. SIKE! (Subp Yao Remix):
https://soundcloud.com/subpyao

6. SIKE! (GodDamnChan Remix)
https://soundcloud.com/goddamnchan

7. SIKE! (Bird Peterson Remix)
https://soundcloud.com/bird-peterson

All words and vocals by: Astronautalis.  Produced & Recorded by: John Congleton at the magical fucking April Base in Fall Creek, Wisconsin.  Mixed by: John Congleton at the Elwood Funeral Home in Dallas, Texas.  Except “You Know What It Is”.  B.J. Burton laid down his synths AND mixed that shit like a gad-damned wizard, in his bedroom at Lucia’s Trap Mansion.  

Mastered by: Heba Kadry  at Timeless Mastering in Brooklyn, NY.  All things are possible through Justin Vernon.  Thanks Bud!  Special thanks to Bird Peterson, Subp Yao, and GodDamnedChan for  their remixes.  Do yourself a favor and check out all their work...they GOOD AS HELL!

*“Interbellum” contains an element of “Daily Routine” by Animal Collective (Domino Records ©2009)

But this here EP is ©2016 SideOneDummy Records under exclusive license from Astronautalis

FOR A GOOD TIME, VISIT: SIDEONEDUMMY.COM AND ASTRONAUTALIS.COM


Papillion

BOILED PEANUTS (feat. Lizzo)
Produced by: Astronautalis
Piano, Synths, and Organs: Adam Pickrell
Horns: Reggie Pace
Lizzo’s vocals were recorded & engineered by B.J. Burton in Studio B at April Base.
Fall Creek, WI

  Lift your legs boy
Lift them please
Before you cross them tracks
And end up just like me

Don’t be headstrong
Don’t ever be mean
Before you cross them tracks
You better lift them god damned feet

Cause you ain’t never gone, never gone, never gone, never find love
For you’ll end up, end up, just like me
You ain’t never gone, never gone, never gone, never find love
Before you cross them track, you better lift them god-damned feet

I was getting dragged out the back of the club cause gets waving
 Back then Hendricks Ave was down right dangerous
 Naiveté made me downright brainless
 So i'd battle some old gangsters and embarrass them in front of they neighbors  
And so he get pissed, cause I dissed too damn hard 
Served by this white dork, yeah that’s too damn cold
 So he straight flipped, dipped out to his car
 To pump the trunk on this young punk like "Coup D'tat"
  Shout out to Willie Ev, Mark Lynn, and Tim Hall
 Everyone in Jack Rabbits that had street smarts
 Cause I was so dumb I couldn't tell what's wrong 
Oh you mad bro, cause just can’t rap this strong?  
Duval gave me all the fuckin slang i need Ian Ranne played me 8Ball & MJG 
Nathan Antolik straight repped for me 
When all them other rap dorks stayed clowin’ on a G 

CHORUS
 
Dj Blue mixed tapes and Lord Finesse 
Raised on bass and an a worn slick deck
 Learned my slang right down the block 
From where Rick Ross claimed he pitched them rocks
  He went to Silver Fox for strippers, I’m at Sheik for lunch
 Fuckin bumpin King Tee's, “Dippin” in my old pick up 
Man, I never wrote a written for 3 years plus
 But was freestyling the very second that they stopped the bus  
All my homies in the hallways of Douglas Anderson 
Battling each other all day any chance we get
 Is was there i learned my sharp slang and my razor wit
 With fuckin Willis Billips on that beat box kid!
  Shout out to fuckin Adam, the Mayor of Jacksonville
 Getting money since he whipped his first Caddy wheel
 The Prince of Mayport got that flip-flop tan that's so damn real
 Rest in peace to Pablo 9 and our fucking Village Inn

CHORUS

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Justin Vernon
PRODUCED, ENGINEERED, & RECORDED BY: John Congleton at April Base Studios. Fall Creek, WI
MIXED BY: John Congleton at The Elm Street Funeral Home. Dallas, TX
MASTERED BY: Heba Kadry at Timeless Mastering. Brooklyn, NY

Executive Produced by: Justin Vernon
Produced, Engineered, & Recorded by: John Congleton at April Base Studios. Fall Creek, WI
Mixed by: John Congleton at The Elm Street Funeral Home. Dallas, TX
Mastered by: Heba Kadry at Timeless Mastering. Brooklyn, NY

Cover Photo: Cameron Wittig
HMUA: Romney Chan
“Florida Flag Robe” Designed and Made by: Lina Tillmann
“Handmade Helvetica” Font by: Andy McAlpine

Under Exclusive LIcense from Astronautalis to Cargo Records in the EU and SideOneDummy in all other territories.

CUT THE BODY LOOSE


Boiled Peanuts (feat. Lizzo)

Produced by: Cecil Otter
Additional Synths & Bass: Adam Pickrell
Additional Drum Progamming: John Congleton
Horns: Reggie Pace

Even after 6 months, NOLA was still a wreck
The 9th ward still had water up to your chest
Under I-10, they piled the dead cars
Ever seen an ambulance with high water marks?

They don’t dance no more, all we do is flinch
And brace for that old taste that chase a strong fist
With blood on our lips, and flooded bricks
Taste that whiskey kiss, born sweaty and free
Fuck a club, motherfucker, take that shit to the streets

We were born running away from God!
We were born running away!

10 euros is cheap for sure
He said it all in broken words, 
but these people ain’t got nothing
they’d rather drink what they have then buy your merch 

Čadca isn’t pretty, but Tatranský works
Thick liquor dark brown, made of secret herbs
Slovakia gets busy, they don’t need no words
And anything is club if the speakers work

Turn it up till it shakes the plaster
No kings, no gods, no masters
The beat builds while the euro collapsing
Little kids tagging “all cops are bastards”

AntiFa is passin, in they old jean jackets
They don’t need no magic just to make it happen
Make out, make do, make the best of what you got
And turn the volume up till it shakes the rafters 

Till it shakes the rafters
Till it shakes the rafters
Till it shakes the rafters
We make our own disasters

CHORUS

We ain’t no gangsters
We ain’t no thugs
We’re all just flesh and blood
And we don’t need you to mess this up
We independent son, dig our own graves
Salt our own lands, make our own plagues just for fun
You can test us come
We’ll be waiting by the front gate with the Beam in our cup

And I’m dumbfound how in my home town, when the cops come they all just run
And when the land lord wants us out, we pack our bags and shut the whole thing up
So I was like, “aiiight, what you do when the police come through to shake you down?”
She laughed out loud and said, “we lock them motherfuckers out!”

That’s a true story.

ALBUM CREDITS:
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Justin Vernon
PRODUCED, ENGINEERED, & RECORDED BY: John Congleton at April Base Studios. Fall Creek, WI
MIXED BY: John Congleton at The Elm Street Funeral Home. Dallas, TX
MASTERED BY: Heba Kadry at Timeless Mastering. Brooklyn, NY

Cover Photo: Cameron Wittig
HMUA: Romney Chan
“Florida Flag Robe” Designed and Made by: Lina Tillmann
“Handmade Helvetica” Font by: Andy McAlpine

Under Exclusive LIcense from Astronautalis to Cargo Records in the EU and SideOneDummy in all other territories.


Running Away From God

KURT COBAIN
Produced by: ICETEP
Additional Drum Programming: Bird Peterson
Additional Synths: Adam Pickrell
Horns: Reggie Pace

 All the cool kids in the North wish they were Southern So they wear boots and drink whiskey just like Waylon While all the cool kids in the heart of Dixie try to shake their accent Before they move to Portland  All the thugs dress like punks, 
With studded leather belts, denim vests, and they start skateboarding And all the punks dress like thugs with New Era fitted caps,
Snapbacks, white One’s, and some clean Air Jordans 
Kurt Cobain could smash all the guitars he like cause he was rich as fuck Just like John Lennon And these days, no one ever drowns in quicksand or dies from the plague Yup! The golden age is boring 
And I swore I heard Andre 3K say one day That rap was a young man’s game I never thought pushing on 33  Still making a living off of the things that I say  
But hey, Rap is dead, Punk is dead, we all seen that T-shirt When drugs kick in and it thumps like this, we’ll be dancing till our feet hurt And some old man is swearing, “Vote for me, it ain’t gone be worse!”  But I hate to burst your bubble baby…but it’s gonna be worse!
 It’s me first, me first, when Katrina broke the damn dykes What would do, for some freedom and a Klondike?! How screwed are you when our bosses all decide life Would better for them if they lay you off and say goodnight?  I had gun pulled on me by a cop one time And four guns pulled on me in Atlanta last night And what struck me as funny is that both damn times The conversation started with the exact same line!  “PUT UP YOUR HANDS!”   I’m from the state of the $20G rim 
Sittin’ up under a $500 lemon Pushin’ this whip, best be bringin your friends Cause you’ll be pushing this whip when it breaks down again  I’m from the nation of that war on drugs 40 billion a year, you can’t ball like us They bring in the coca, and we bring in the guns We kill a few soldiers and push the coke price up  Lucrative business, lipstick on a pig shit Yeah, the coupe is horrendous but the rims are stupendous Go ahead and pretend you know how to defend this Middle of the mall ball till you fall with a fake ass pendant  While you were waitin in line, to get an iPhone 5 So you blog some pictures of places that you ain’t been in your life Go ahead, and bump this on your Beats By Dre at work, staring at the sky My homies said, “fuck a business loan!”.  They stole copper pipe 
Rap is dead, Punk is dead, we all seen that T-shirt Drugs kick in and it thumps like this, we’ll be dancing till our feet hurt And some old man is swearing, “Vote for me, it ain’t gone be worse!”  But I hate to burst your bubble baby…It’s gonna be worse!
 So fuck them, and fuck this!  I’m going off to live my own life! What would do, for some freedom and a Klondike?! I’m fucking through, so from now on I’m on my All news is bad news!  Everything is ALRIGHT! 
PUT UP YOUR HANDS!


Kurt Cobain

Cut the Body Loose

The Dirt Bike

The Dirt Bike (feat. Factor Chandelier)

I love the band Pup.
Pup is from Canada.
This is a cover i did with Bird Peterson (american) of the song, "DVP" by the band Pup.
I am going on tour in Canada next month!

go here to check out my Canadian tour dates: 
http://www.astronautalis.com

go here to listen to the band Pup, whom i think are fantastic:
http://www.puptheband.com/

©SideOneDummy Records...probably?

Astronautalis - DVP (cover)

These Songs

These Songs (feat. Factor Chandelier & Fadeaway Jumpers)

Sick

Sick (feat. Ceschi & P.O.S)

Produced by: Subp Yao
Lyrics and Lead Vocals: Astronautalis
Music: Subp Yao
Horns:
Bass:
Backing vocals: Bartees Strange

Mixed by: Subp Yao
Mastered by: Bob Macc

Artwork: Andrew McAlpine

LYRICS:

Up there in the stage lights baby 
workin on a cell phone tan.
Running till my legs were shaking,
Who could love me the way i am?

I’m drunk on whiskey maybe? 
Passed in the back of the van
You seen it all now, ain’t i crazy?
Can you still love me the way i am?

Pretty little empire I made,
full of castles.
But, it always goes the same way,
Rome collapses.

i was fiddling, babe
while it burnt down though.
But, you came and saved me
out the ashes.

Up there in the stage lights baby 
workin on a cell phone tan.
Running till my legs were shaking,
Who could love me the way i am?

I’m drunk on whiskey maybe? 
Passed in the back of the van
You seen it all now, ain’t i crazy?
Can you still love me the way i am?

“Sunday morning sidewalk”, baby
yeah i memorized that sound.
Kristofferson was right on baby
about coming down, yeah.

You cleaned my damn clock out baby,
Then you polished up my crown.
Never thought it end this way,
but look at me now!

Up there in the stage lights baby 
workin on a cell phone tan.
Running till my legs were shaking,
Who could love me the way i am?

I’m drunk on whiskey maybe? 
Southern with my god damned vowels
You seen it all now, ain’t you baby?
Yeah, you still love me the way I am.

The Way I Am

"Bella Ciao" is an Italian protest folk song that originally documented the struggles of the "Mondina Women", the field workers in the late 19th century who sang it to protest against harsh conditions in the paddy fields of North Italy. The song was modified and adopted as an anthem of the anti-fascist resistance by the Italian partisans between 1943 and 1945 during the Italian Resistance, the resistance of Italian partisans against the Nazi German forces occupying Italy, and, during the Italian Civil War, the Italian partisan struggle against the fascist Italian Social Republic and its Nazi German allies. Since then, it has been adapted, into countless languages, modified to fit specific struggles, and evolved into a worldwide anti-fascist hymn of freedom and resistance.

I was asked to make my own version of this song as the theme for the Robert Evans podcast "Women's War", which tells the story of YPJ, the all female Kurdish fighting force from Rojava on the frontlines against ISIS. Because thousands of miles away from the farms of Northern Italy, a hundred years after this song was first sung, they are singing "Bella Ciao" on the battlegrounds of Northern Syria.

I am astoundingly proud to be able to make this song for this project. Robert's reporting is really valuable, and shows a part of the story of Syria, that is never documented in the media today. Do yourself a favor, and search for "Women's War" wherever you get podcasts from.
credits

Vocals: Astronautalis
Guitars/Bass: Rickolus
Drums/Programming/Mixing: Subp Yao

Astronautalis

Pinned to spotlight

Popular tracks