The Comedic Benefits of Postmodern Jukebox
As Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox's European tour swings through the UK, we assess how their comedic take can refresh our appreciation of old and new tracks
As a viral phenomenon with an excess of 650 million YouTube views, PMJ need little introduction. Jazz musician Scott Bradlee started the collective in 2011; he could not have foreseen it would become, as he puts it, like a Saturday Night Live 'for singers'. The group now have a back catalogue of over 200 recordings.
A Motown Tribute to Nickelback's How You Remind Me
With about 40 cast members, no two live shows will be alike. Yet, the comedic idea always remains the same. It's in the incongruity of reworking a track into a different musical genre which makes it so funny. This was true of the earliest recordings, such as when Bradlee morphed the commercial rock of Nickelback into 1950s Motown:
Vintage Jazz cover of Radiohead's No Surprises
This incongruity has some unexpected benefits beyond just making PMJ a lighthearted link to share. Their covers can even make you enjoy tracks you thought you hated.
Let's say you don't much like Radiohead. Thanks to PMJ's jazz cover featuring a clarinet solo, and the vocals of Chloe Feoranzo, you no longer have to hear No Surprises through the embittered rage of someone who thinks OK Computer is the most overrated album of the last quarter-century. The singing's in tune and there's none of that emotionally manipulative ping-pong of its textured glockenspiel sound:
Doo-Wop cover of Ariana Grande's Problem
Sometimes, PMJ go further and a cover becomes truly innovative. The 1950s Doo-Wop version of Ariana Grande's pop hit Problem, with the soulful acapella of The Tee Tones supporting vocals, doesn't only reinvigorate the original, it's arguably the definitive version:
Puddles the Clown and PMJ cover Lorde's Royals
Then there's Puddles. Comedy fans will know the 6' 8" clown from his succesful summers at the Edinburgh Fringe. He became much better known to a wider audience a little before then due to his collaboration with PMJ. Whether his is the definitive version of Lorde's Royals is perhaps a moot point – it is now impossible to hear the original without imagining Puddles' honeyed baritone.