Archive for July, 2005
jamie on July 27th, 2005
I realize that, discounting yesterday’s posts, I had neglected my little blog here for over ten days- mostly because I was really busy, but also because there’s been so little good stuff for me to blog about. But now, I think things are starting to get better- and I’ve found a few singles/EPs/albums/nuggets to talk about. These are all tracks that have earned the coveted “Driving CD” spot on my list - the songs that get burned to a CD for listening in my car, as I’ve grown tired of trying to hook up the iPod every time I get in the car for a short errand, or commute to work. These CD’s are usually the only thing I listen to in the car, and last me about a month…in other words, my current favorites.
Imogen Heap - Hide and Seek
While her entry in the Music From The O.C. Mix 4 kinda flew under my radar, her second entry in the evening soap-opera soundtrack did not. Who didn’t notice the heavily-harmonized vocal track that backed the funeral procession at the end of last season’s final episode? Okay, so probably a lot of people, especially Americans. But UK native Imogen Heap’s second solo album Speak For Yourself is out in the UK, and the first single is the haunting acapella track from that episode of The O.C.- Hide And Seek. The track starts out with Heap’s single voice, heavily affected by an auto-harmonizer (a digital effect that attempts to add harmonic duplicates of the original sound- in this case sounding like two or three people singing in harmony). At first listen, this effect is distracting, but it doesn’t take long to let the purity of the underlying voice get to you. As the track progresses, additional over-dubs of Heap singing are mixed in, and the harmonizer effect is mixed out- the transitions are nearly transparent. Somewhere in between the purity of the vocal-only song, and the emotion displayed in Heap’s performance(s), I get lost in the song, and have become quite addicted to it really. Now, I’m definitely looking forward to the US release of this album!
James Blunt - You’re Beautiful
Another track that took me a while to warm up to- but now it’s on the Driving CD. Blunt’s voice threw me off at first- it’s high, on the cusp between falsetto and full-voice, which was distracting at first. It’s a simple song, lyrically- another reason I didn’t immediately like it. But within those simple lyrics are the hints of an interesting introspective tale about a connection across a crowded room that will never bloom into anything other than the memory of a beautiful face. I’m hopeless, I know.
The next two, I’ve already hit on before, but they’re worth repeating:
Missy Higgins - Scar
Co-written by Better Than Ezra’s Keving Griffin, and a huge hit for Higgins in her native Australia, this song will definitely go down as one of my absolute favorites of 2005. Higgins has a beautiful, clear, emotive voice that carries her songs perfectly. I’m partial to the original version, but the US mix lifts the tempo a bit, making it more US radio-friendly. The whole album is terrific- a must-hear.
Daniel Powter - Bad Day
For a song called Bad Day, I always seem just a bit happier- a tiny dash more content with my day- whenever I hear it. After being pushed aside for nearly two decades by guitar-slinging, big-haired, cheese-rockers the piano has made it’s comeback in rock, and that’s one of the key ingredients to this song. Again, a song that takes a bit of warming up to- maybe I’m jus tgoing through a phase of “different” music, (but trust me, I’ll NOT be recommending Antony & The Johnsons….EVER) but the rest of Powter’s album is just as likeable, and worth checking out.
Miri Ben-Ari - Sunshine To The Rain
I love the application of “traditional” instruments in Rock/Pop/Hip-hop/etc., and Ben-Ari is one of the best examples of violin in this regard. Yeah, yeah, Boyd’s the godfather of violin in modern pop- but Ben-Ari uses her fiddlin’ fingers in Hip-Hop music, and does it effectively (as opposed to the ineffectual use of violin-i.e. Yellowcard). The benefit f collaborating with the likes of Kanye West and Jay-Z is that the production on her solo album is top-notch, and her violin riffs blend seamlessly with the beats and guests dropping in to spit over the mix. The diversity shown on Ben-Ari’s album is also impressive- from upbeat and lifting to dark and heavy, Ben-Ari reaches both highs and lows with the same adept blending of traditional violin skills and modern hip-hop production techniques.
Damn, I hate computers….The next set of tracks aren’t favorites - yet - they are just some little nuggets of newness that I’ve come across this week, an dso far have taken a shining to. Forgive me if I’m brief, but this will be the second time I’ve written all this…computers suck.
David Gray - The One I Love
New stuff from David Gray is always good- this trakc is more organic than White Ladder but more produced than , a solid song- more solid than the crap-ass programming of Microsoft developers…this is becoming a rant.
Tristan Prettyman - Love, Love, Love
A friend gave me a heads-up on this singer/songwriter last night, and form my first listen, I immediately dug it (the same friend is probably my only reader, so the purpose of my writing this is more just to say “thanks for pointing that one out, Melissa” than anything). Checked out her website, and she’s got msuic, pics (she’s cute), and all kinds of goodies, with minimal Flash-y crap (the way a great artist site should be)- go there, check out the “Trizzy P. Connection”.
Beduoin Soundclash - When The Night Feels My Song
Zane Lowe comes through again with great new music- this time an acoustic track from a UK trio that blend rock, reggae, and punk sounds seamlessly. He’s been playing the track all week, and I’ve only now had the opportunity to go to their site (another well-done affair), and download the track - FREE. Beduoin Soundclash Do it now, you’ll thank me later.
I’m totally torn about this next one:
Big Dume - Inside My Head
I listened to the first single from their debut ablum Mexico a few weeks ago. Then, I made the mistake of watching an episode of Fox’s The Princes Of Malibu. Then, I read that one of the “princes” is the core of Big Dume. Now, my impression of the guy on the show (which I’ve not watchted since that pilot episode) and the music are blurring together, and thus, getting much, much lower. It doens’t help that the ‘Dume can’t seem to settle on a single style- from jazzy latin to moody metal ala Creed- this album flip-flops all over the place. While there are definite higlights on the album (Meixco for sure), there are also very low points (the title track sounds like a bad Creed copy). Anyone can put together and album, given plenty of free time (the show would have us believe that Jenner has LOTS of that), and a professional studio in your own home, er compound- whether that qualifies someone to actually release that album is another matter altogether…I’m still torn on this album.
crap, I need to get some work done…guess I’m done for now.
jamie on July 25th, 2005
My niece: Emily Elizabeth. Born July 25th, 2005.
jamie on July 25th, 2005
I just finished listening to Mr. A-Z for the second time, and while it’s not the follow-up to Waiting For My Rocket To Come, it’s no less an album. Perhaps not as radio-ready or mass-populous friendly as WFMRTC, Mr. A-Z is a brilliant showcase of Mraz’s songwriting sensibility, and incredible grasp of lyricism. But here’s where talent and intelligence get in the way of “cool”- too many times on Mr. A-Z Mraz lets his intelligence interfere with the listening experience. Trying to blend the rhymes and the wordplay sometimes leaves him fumbling the words altogether. If you take the time to carefully reconstruct the points he’s tryin to get at, it’s (sometimes) funny, but doesn’t make listening to him try and do it any better.
Often on this album, when things start to falter, it’s the amazing talent of producer Steve Lillywhite that swoops in to rescue it, and revive the listening experience. What I wouldn’t give just to get inside that guy’s head for a while- he’s gotta have ideas just flowing through his skull like a great flood that seems to have no end. The production of this album is just incredible. Complex layering of sounds is absolutely transparent, every part filling in just enough of the spectrum to give support to the songwriting and Mraz’s voice. In this digital era of mastering an album for maixmum volume, Lillywhite’s albums always seem to accomplish more with a full sound than any amount of volume can represent.
The album starts out a little awkward in the beginning of Life Is Wonderful, which builds into a soaring, classic Mraz ending only a little bit too late for it to be considered radio-ready. Wordplay takes up position in the #2 spot (ever wonder if there’s science in track-ordering on albums?), followed by Geek In Pink, where Mraz splits his time between defaiming himself as a geek, and playing at being the mac-daddy he knows he is. Rachel Yamagata steps in for a duet in Did You Get My Message?, playing a bit of message tag with lyrical retorts back-and-forth. The album is at it’s best on Please Don’t Tell Her, a steady rock-laden toungue-bending track that admits that maybe he’s missed a step somewhere, with typical Mraz bravado.
I hear Worldplay is already on the radio, and I’d guess that Geek In Pink will soon be heard on AAA, but I don’t really hear much else in the way of singles from this album- but who knows, with enough pay-outs, anything is possible….oh, did I actually say that?
jamie on July 25th, 2005
Finally! A Tuesday with something worth waiting for- Jason Mraz’s second full-length is due out today, and while I’m waiting for it to come on-line, I thought I’d comment on yesterday’s news about Sony/BMG…
New York State Attorney General Elliot Spitzer announced yesterday a settlement with Sony BMG Music over payola violations. The news comes after an investigation uncovered numerous incidents where Sony BMG would arrange for prizes, “gifts”, and other forms of illicit payments to be revcieved by radio station programmers for adding Sony BMG artists to station playlists.
This payola is just a fancy way of saying that Sony paid to get their music played on-air. Pay-for-play. Simple concept- if you have the cash to throw behind an artist and get them played on-air, more people will hear it. And if the song isn’t complete crap (or even if it is), people will buy it. That’s how you build a platinum-selling artist. But what if you don’t have the cash to throw at radio stations? Well, then your artists don’t get as much exosure, and your label makes less profit, and therefore has less money to support new acts. This means less money to support quality acts.
To me, it’s just another case of money-grubbing mega-corporations who will do anything to make a buck. Who cares if it’s illegal? They’ve got the cash to break the laws, and the cash to pay up settlements when they get caught. And you know what else? They made ten times the settlement amounts in the mean time. And we got saddled with crappy-ass albums by Jessica Simpson and Jennifer Lopez (to be fair, we also got Franz Ferdinand).
So the big music conglomerates claim that illegal file-trading and downloading is costing them millions? Good, they deserve it. Of course, illegal file trading also hurts the small labels- the labels that are started and run by music lovers for music lovers. These small labels that sign quality artists, but get swept aside by conglomerates like Sony with all their cash-power. Maybe the solution to the problem is to download, trade, and record as much mega-conglomerate label music as you can, and save your hard-earned money to support artists that deserve it.
jamie on July 14th, 2005
Not wasting any time, Embrace is on the verge of releasing another album- frontman Danny McNamara told Vernon Kay today that they were about 75one, and had already setled on a (tenative) title fo rth enew album: Exploding Machines. Danny was in studio finishing vocals for the album- I hope this isn’t to do with why they didn’t go through with a recent ATL show, but I’m looking forward to new stuff from them soon (Out Of Nothing was only just released stateside on June 14).
jamie on July 13th, 2005
Saturday, August 13:
Everton v Man United
Aston Villa v Bolton
Fulham v Birmingham
Man City v W. Brom
Portsmith v Totenham
Sunderland v Charlton
West Ham v Blackburn
Middlesbrough v Liverpool
Sunday, August 14:
Arsenal v Newcastle
Wigan v Chelsea
jamie on July 12th, 2005
Lack of sleep and a lack of anything truly interesting on the radio this morning prompted me to see what new stuff might be available on my Rhapsody player- and within a few seconds I noticed a small pattern in today’s additions: New releases from "old" artists. "Old" is in quotes like that because these are artists that have been around a while- NOT becuase they are in any way too old to rock, worn out, past their time, or expired- well, at least not the first two.
First up:
Dire Straits - Millionaire Blues
Mark Knopfler has been busy since Dire Straits last album- three solo albums, and numerous film scores. But this is the first new music from the band in whole in over ten years- and it doesn’t sound like a day has passed since they released Brothers In Arms 20 years ago! This isn’t a bad thing at all- the style is nearly timeless. Dire Straits songs will stand the test of time- Romeo and Juliet, Money For Nothing, and Sultans Of Swing are true classics. Millionaire Blues evokes the same classic sound, the same smart and socio-pollitical lyricism, and the same fine musicianship that has been Dire Straits all along.
Next:
Eric Clapton - Revolution
Another artist who’s music stands the test of time, Clapton has moved through four decades making music with an amazing feel for different styles. Best known for blues-rock, Clapton was greatly influenced in the mid-70’s by reggae great Bob Marley, and this influence has shown through on tracks like High, Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, in the classic versoin of Dylan’s I Shot The Sherrif, and even in Willie and the Hand Jive. On Revelution, Clapton returns to this love of reggae, and pulls it off with a smooth, silky tone.
Now two classic artists with new releases in one day is cool- THREE might be spectacular. And there was a third "classic" artist with a new release today… unfortunately, it’s:
Rick Springfield - The Day After Yesterday
The actor-turned-one-hit-wonder (Jessie’s Girl) put together an album of 80’s covers that plays like wonderful elevator music. Actually, Springfield’s take on 80’s hits sich as Dream Academy’s Life In A Northern Town, Mr. Mister’s Broken Wings, and For No One aren’t bad- they just aren’t terribly orignal. Yes, they’re covers, I get that, but if you’re going to do an album of cover songs, you shoul do something with those songs to really make them your own- not just sing them like it’s Tuesday night karaoke at the Blue Oyster.
jamie on July 8th, 2005
The recent lack of major album releases has sent me scouring the internet for new singles…this is what I’ve got today:
Switchfoot - Stars
I like Switchfoot- they’ve just got a really tight, poppy sound, and seems to be able to write catchy emo hooks that induce massive sing-along-in-your-car outbursts at will. Stars is no different in this regard. It’s got a crunchy, catchy guitar riff, a soaring vocal chorus, and a positive outlook that will help it find its way to movie soundtracks (a common occurance for Switchfoot songs).
Missy Higgins - Scar
My favorite song so far this year is being re-released as a single in the US. The mix is a lot busier, with various parts weaving in an out of focus, and tempo seems a bit quicker than originally recorded. I’ll keep the original on my iPod, but I sincerely hope that I wind of sick to death of hearing this song everywhere. Missy Higgins is amazing!
Brie Larson - Life After You
For a pop-princess-wannabe, I really liked Larson’s earlier single She Said, so I thought I’d give the new track a try. Not surprisingly, it’s a likeable blend of pop sounds. The formula is simple: 60% teen-beat, 20% pop-punk (ala Lavigne), and 20% guitar-pop. This formula makes a good first impression, but will get boring really fast, I’m sure.
Bloc Party - Tulips
With an intor seemingly made to be remixed, Tulips is a pretty straight-forward love song sung over a tight beat and crisp guitars. The remix is a bit to drone-like for my liking, but I can see it fitting in perfectly at a trance club. In that light, the vocals take on a more strung-out-by-love feel, and Okereke’s voice more desparate, even if it’s the same vocal track. The beauty of remixes.
Antigone Rising - Don’t Look Back
All-female alt-country-slash-folk-rock (I’m really into hyphenated descriptors today) outfit Antigone Rising puts a amiable breaking-up song up for their AAA entry. It’s a solid song, in the mold of Indigo Girls or Melissa Etheridge, but I feel it’s lacks a driving rhythm that might make it stand out.
Big Dume - Mexico
I had never heard of Big Dume, but from the opening licks of jazzy vocal blues, I was hooked. It’s like Los Lonely Boys with Jason Mraz’s pop sensibility, and a whole heaping dose of jazz influence. Unfortunately, other than the audio streams on the nice-looking flash website for Big Dume, every info section replied “Section Coming Soon”, so I know nothing else of this guy/band. I would recommend going over to bigdume.com, just take a listen though.
Kate Earl - When You’re Older
Kate Earl’s voice is beautifully thin on this track, adding a sense of fragility this track. The 22 year old Alaska native grew up listening to old records and, apparently, Bjork. While the influence is clear, Earl has a voice of her own, and it really works for her. Telling largley autibiographical stories in her songs gives a listener a small window into this girl’s world. I especially like it in another track Office, when she sings: “I’m not drunk, I just want to go home, officer”. I think I’m going to be a fan of Kate Earl…
Marjorie Fair - Empty Room
As it turns out, Marjorie Fair is NOT the solo-female-singer-songwriter I had expected from their name. Nope, this all-male 4-piece is more a blend of Flaming Lips and The Thrills. Empty Room is less noise-pop than the Lips, and less baroque than the Thrill, and do I hear a little Richard Ashcroft in the vocals, or am I still thinking of Chris Martin wishing he sang like that…
Day of Fire - Fade Away
Christian rock crossovers are everywhere today. Not that it hasn’t always happened- Amy Grant and What’s-his-name-w-smith-or-something did it over a decade ago, and Switchfoot (see above) is an awesome crossover band. Even P.O.D. are all for the jesus-rock. But jsut because you’re a crossover act and have an “alternative” sound, doesn’t mean you’re good. This track just blends into the masses of “alt” acts with deep-voiced singers and low-strung guitars. They even add a string track at the end..sheesh. Skip the Day of Fire, and go see Switchfoot.
Program the Dead - Point The Finger
Hmm, I’m torn on Point The Finger. At the start, the driving drums crunchy-whaw guitar is cool. Then the vocals enter, and I cringe a little- but only a little, because it all seems to fit together somehow. It even has a catchy and singable hook.
Aslyn - Gotta Get Over You
Atlanta native Aslyn hooked me with her lead-off single Be The Girl, and follows with the second single Gotta Get Over You, which strays from the girl-pop-rock that Be The Girl was, and gets a little swing in her beat (actually, this is more the style of the album in general, with Be The Girl as the exception). It’s a good track, but too much like something L-Lo might sing for her next flick.
Marques Houston - Naked
There’s nothing in slow jams for me. I mean, the best use for a track like Naked would be at your flat, late night, after the clubs close, as a backdrop for sex- so I’ve got no use for slow jams. If I did, this would be THE one though. Former television guest-star (Sister, sister) Houston breaks it down slow and sweet, like Boyz II Men could. There’s just enough beat-n-bass to keep things moving steadily forward as you strip off your clothes, heading for the bedroom. The lyrics paint a perfect picture of what’s to come, so just go with it, right?
Yummy Bingham - Come Get It
Yummy, indeed. The opening loop bulds into a wicked scratch-beat, to which Bingham adds her unique voice and lyrical style. Think big-label influence on a London garage beat track with a young, sailing R&B voice on it. Jadakiss steps in to spit for a verse, rounding out the sound of American big-label hip-hop.
Singles I wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole: Jessica Simpson - These Boots Were Made For Walking
Bo Bice - Vehicle
Jae Millz - I Like That / Stop
jamie on July 5th, 2005
Recently, AOL announced that it would be making it’s portal content (previously only accessable by AOL members) available to the Internet community at large. Apparently, as part of this move, AOL has made video selections from the recent Live 8 concerts available online. They’ve even broken the selections up by city and artist. Very cool move AOL! Live 8 Videos
jamie on July 5th, 2005
The holiday weekend was pretty good- Friends, music, some beer and scotch, ran a 10K, watched some fireworks, and oh- fried my primary hard disc!!! It appears that the thing is toast, unable to even mount it on a linux box to recover ANY of the files. My music is all stored on a separate drive, but my dumbass had loaded all my webserver files and remix projects on the primary drive, so those may be lost- including my ringtone server, a couple really good remixes that were almost done, a lot of proposal/work files, and probaly a lot of other important stuff on my desktop! I’ve ordered a new HD, and will hopefully have the machine restored to usable status by the end of the week, but this sucks! I even (finally) replaced the burned out CD-R drive- now I can’t even use it.
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