"You can take my body, put it in a boat, light it on fire, use the gasoline"
Willow Tree - Chad VanGaalen

Sunday 31 August 2008

Back to the States

So I just returned home from my year abroad in Germany and have been hanging out at home in Charlestown, RI for the past week. Funny how things just keep moving even when you're gone.

Anyway, Ireland pictures and blog post are up. Read on!

Tuesday 19 August 2008

Recs of the Moment - August 19, 2008

So here are some more sah-weet sounding musics to be heard. Just click on the links to head to their last.fm or myspace pages.

edIT - Electronic sounds without the ugly drum and bass. The song "Ashtray" gets a huge recommendation from me.

Avishai Cohen Trio - Fusion jazz from some very talented guys. "Young Maestro" is a solid listen, as well as "Meditation on Two Chords".

Firekites - An indie folk quartet from Newcastle about to release an album called Bowery. "Same Suburb, Different Park" shows what they're made of.

PS. Just got back from Ireland. Pictures are here and here, blog post soon to come.

Saturday 9 August 2008

Beat it to Ireland

So I'm headed to Ireland for a week.

Until then, here's Fall Out Boy's cover of Beat It. It's actually not bad, and even Buster (from Arrested Development) makes an appearance.

Ciao ciao.

Thursday 7 August 2008

Why Last.fm Rocks

Last.fm, dubbed a social music website by some, has wriggled it's way into being a pivotal part of my daily internet routine.
The "revolution" began back in the 20th century, when a few music nerds put some relatively simple logic into fruition. Why not connect listeners to their favorite music while introducing them to new artists without the hassle of that wiley Mr. Middle Man? Brilliant! They then continued to drink their Guinesses and appreciate their animated, 2 dimensional selves.

Calling the site social however, seems a bit overkill to me. Sure, you could possibly meet your potential lifemate while posting about how Ricky Martin's brand new single expands his musical limits beyond that of a music god, but that isn't what the network is about. In short, it's about the musicians. It's about getting word out, putting them in the spotlight without strings attached.

"No strings attached!?", one might oh so vehemently dissent. "What about the program that sits conspicuously on my computer deviously tracking my every music listening move!?" I know, I know it seems like the year 1984 is here already... can you believe it? My, how time has flown.

Although I don't think that anyone can assume anything to be certified 100% BS free, I'm positive that the only thing that the client records are the songs (in name only) from which artists you've been listening to. The incriminating information (i.e. the file type and where it came from) are safe at home on your machine.

When that fact can safely be realized, there is only one thing left to do. Break open that pink highlighter and start drinkin' down that sweet nectar... uhh, I mean... start scrobbling tracks.

*Digression Warning* Could they have come up with a better name for uploading tracks? It's almost as eloquent as the words "blog" and "blogging" and maybe even introducing yourself as a "blogger". Hi my name is Mark and I'm a blogger. Barf. *End Digression*

Anyhoo, after the scrobbling has begun, Last.fm is always hard at work. The only thing that the network needs is time. All that needs to be done on your side is the listening. Your profile will soon be rife with artists that you know and love, while by their side will be listed others in similar categories. Because of these categories is Last.fm truly able to shine.

The network of musicians is intricately connected through a series of descriptors. When one (or a variation of one) is found attributed to two artists at the same time, a connection is made. The results of the connections made to other artists are usually organized by popularity and the amount of scrobbles they've recieved. I'm sure that there are many more methods to the madness, but that is the most obvious one.

These categories make Last.fm unique. They can be made up by anyone who stumbles upon the artist and feels like putting their opinion into what they sound like. This action will possibly connect the musicians to another set, further broadening the chances for someone else to hear it. Although this can also cause problems similar to those posed at Wikipedia, the amount of good that can come of it overshadows the bad.

There are countless other interesting things that stem from using Last.fm: things like a flowing river of recommended tracks that match your listening habits, music videos, a live music calendar for artists, high quality tracks to be downloaded and streamed, artist biographies and the never ending possibility of finding the next band that you'll fall in love with.

Some may find it interesting as a social utility as well; given the ability to share tracks that you love with people, join groups and find out what your friends are listening to. I just like it for the music.

I promise that I'm not from Last.fm trying to push it, I simply appreciate it.

Join here if you will.

Sunday 3 August 2008

Apreciating Home

I head back to the USA in three weeks. It has been a year like none other. I left on September 17th, 2007 and threw myself into the most frightening notion to pervade anyone's heart: the unknown.

The thought of ever taking on such a goal was as huge as it was scary. To straight up leave the sphere of comfort I've enjoyed my whole life for something I had (at the time) no real grasp of. No point of reference, nothing to call my starting point. Nothing except for my older brother's stories of his past experience. When I stepped off that plane in Hanover, Germany everything was truly foreign to me.

When I decided to embark on my adventure, I went into it thinking that it would be a much needed vacation from the norm. The endless overlapping trade off at home between classes at the local university and the part-time-during-school- and full-time-during-summer job was wearing on my nerves. I was waiting for it to end, looking forward to the point where I would reach the next level of my life.

Everything had seemed so prefabricated. It was as though I was supposed to be doing the things I was doing. My life was already planned for me, I was just following the path. Taking these classes, then those. They'll prepare you for what's out there, I told myself. This is just what you have to do, you'll be doing this stuff all the time when you're out there. Better be prepared, I said.

As I continued to loathe the idea of such monotony, I slowly began to grasp that I would be on the other side of it sooner than I actually wanted to be. My safe cycle of school and work would crumble away from me, and while it did I'd be clawing at the floor that was giving way beneath, pleading it to return to it's normal state under my feet. What better to do than to delay the inevitable by a year? I leaped at the opportunity.

What I didn't see coming was the appreciation I'd realize for my situation back home. Much to my chagrin, the existence of the cultural division between nations that everybody talks about is actually out there. In short, it has caused me to take a good look at what makes me love where I live and the way I've grown up.

My classes, though seemingly boring, are at least in my mother tongue. Although the weather's hot in the summer, we at least have a clean beach five minutes from my home in which to cool off. Putting gas in my car, though painful to watch as the prices go over four dollars a gallon, allows me the autonomy that I've missed so much since leaving.

One thing that has frequented my mind lately is my true appreciation for the last job I had while in the States. I realized one very important thing. That job, that I had held for the past three years, proved to me the reason why I'm earning a degree. Like any part time job, I had never liked it much, and had always eagerly counted down the hours, minutes and seconds until I'd be able to go home.

That, however, never stopped me from being the best at what I did. I will bet on the fact that my employers have never had a harder working part timer. The amount of effort that I put into that job taught me countless things about the many facets of work. Every year I was trusted with increasing responsibilities, taught about the basic politics involved in work, how to treat customers face-to-face, and learned a plethora about myself and my boundaries.

I was given the ability to truly test what I was capable of as a person. I was taught things that allowed me push myself to my mental and physical limits. I was allowed to experiment, listen, speak and interact.

In a microscopic, day-to-day point of view, the job was a grueling experience. Every waking hour spent there was mentally equivalent to two hours not at work. I treated each day off as if it were a lavish holiday designated just for me. But, as any hard working individual does, I kept going. It gave me the freedom to do what I wanted and provided me with that freedom well after the season had ended.

When looking back on it, the sheer wealth of knowledge that I pulled from it has sculpted my persona as it is now. It humbled me and showed me that there is way more going on in the world than I initially thought. The job wasn't my first summer or part time job, however. I had had five or six others throughout the years before those three, but I'm proud to say that it was my first "real" job.

Now here I am in Stuttgart, Germany, writing about the fact that my year away from it all has given it a brand new worth.

Friday 1 August 2008

Paper Rival - Dialog

So the jig is up. I downloaded the new album Dialog from Paper Rival.

Springing up from the deep, dark depths of Tennessee, this band has refused to leave my rotation for reasons beyond my control. I've kindly asked them to leave time and time again, but my attempts of rousting them have proven to be futile. They have to be heard, and simply won't take no for an answer.

Dialog is the first full length from the group released by the virtually unheard of Photo Finish Records. First listens of the album won't surprise a frequent listener of indie alt-rock, as it sounds a bit like everything else out there. Even further listens don't manage to break the band too far away from the norm, but do prove that the band knows what they're doing.

Production is spot-on, molding crispy guitars and crystal clear drumming together while the singer leads the way. Gang vocals and vibraphone even stop in to make a few quick appearances.

The pace of Dialog is well constructed. It stays consistent throughout, managing to spread on a few slower songs over the entire 43 minutes and 13 seconds.

The lyrics are worthy of some words as well. In "An Easy Belief" the singer moans, "I've got the good book open too, but I'm reading different words than you." They drive the point home a bit further on when repeating , "Put your faith in something special."

I am convinced that this album is what I've been looking for. It has the ability to please a great many people, and I wouldn't be surprised to see it gain more momentum over time. For this band's sake, I hope it will.

Paper Rival on Myspace

Interview with singer Jacob Rolleston @ You Sing, I Write

"A Fox in the Garden"