Songr – Finding New Music To Try In A Social Context

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SongrName: Songr
URL: http://www.songr.com

Songr is a social site for the discovery of new music. The way it operates is by having people submit these songs that they are listening to in real-time. A ranking with these tunes is there and then created. The songs can be voted up and down (like any social service that aggregates content such as Delicious or Digg), and the ones that are met more effusively end up topping the list for each respective genre.

The featured genres, by the way, are quite representative of the tastes of the general public. You have “Rock” and “Pop” along with “Metal” and “Rap”, and a couple more like “Country”, “Jazz” and “World” are thrown in for good measure. These will be enough for the site to get going, but as a fan of Anime and Japanese music I wish there were at least a J-Pop genre available. I hope that is implemented in due time. Continue reading →

Move Over Suzan Boyle, The Next Sensation Is Here. He Is Named Lin Yu Chun, And He Comes From Taiwan.

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The next singing sensation has just been uncovered by “Super Star Avenue”, the Taiwanese equivalent to American Idol. Named Lin Yu Chun, he resembles the Scottish prodigy in the sense that his countenance gives just no indication of his musical prowess. Guess that makes him three times more appealing in the end.

He wowed the audience at the show (and the whole online community today) with his rendition of Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You”, the insanely popular theme tune from “The Bodyguard”.

Here you have the video in its entirety. I must admit that the original song had been so overplayed back in the early ‘90s that I developed a sort of allergy to it. While Lin’s version did not exactly cure it, the faithfulness of his performance is nothing short of astonishing. But I will let you judge that for yourself:

Brutal Youth (Elvis Costello) – Album Review

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Released In 1994, "Brutal Youth" Has Become A Mandatory Listen To Fans Of Costello Both Old And New

Released In 1994, "Brutal Youth" Has Become A Mandatory Listen For Fans Of Costello Both Old And New

“Brutal Youth” was incontestably Elvis Costello’s best album of the ‘90s. It was no coincidence that it was his first full-scale collaboration with The Attractions since “Blood & Chocolate”, his 1986 record that yielded the deliciously turbulent “I Want You”.

Here, Costello is backed by his classic ensemble on five numbers; Nick Lowe sits in for Bruce Thomas in the remaining seven cuts, and Elvis himself plays bass on “Kinder Murder” and “20% Amnesia”.

The disc (issued in 1994) mostly apes his late ‘70s sound, and cuts like “Pony Street”, “13 Steps Lead Down”, “My Science Fiction Twin” and “20% Amnesia” wouldn’t feel out of place on his early trinity of albums. The emphasis is often placed on the melodic twists he was always revered for in his heyday, while songs like “Rocking Horse Road” recall the more polished MO of later albums like “Get Happy!!”.

The most new-wavish song is “Kinder Murder”, whose main riff actually treads grungier turf – it always made me think of The Posies at their most pissed off (“Everybody Is A Fucking Liar”). Continue reading →

Adam Cameron (iMusicTweet) – Interview (Part 2)

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This is the second and final part of the interview I conducted with Adam Cameron. Don’t forget to check out part 1 right here.

PART II

MUSIC & YOU

When did you become interested in music? What was the first album or single you ever purchased?

Having 2 older brothers, I began listening to music at 4-5 years old in the late 90’s. I was interested in Hip Hop but in 2000 I began expanding and listening to every Genre and then I had a new found understanding and definition of music. My first music purchase was a 50 Cent album, maybe his 1st release on Interscope.

Are you in a band yourself, or have you been in a band in the past? Is there a file on YouTube or elsewhere we could watch?

No. I did own a DJ team about a year ago which crumbled and everyone chose different paths in life or continued on their own. Maybe it wasn’t meant to be, this is my path and I will continue to run, not walk, until I am a success.

Musical likes and dislikes? Favorite artists?

I listen to lyrics, I don’t just listen to a song to dance with the vibe. I try to break down and understand the lyrics and some are positive and some are very negative. My favorite artists currently are J. Cole, B.o.B, Jay Z, Kanye West, Kid Cudi. I also listen to all genres, I look for the new up and coming songs/artists of any genre. I am really listening to up-and-coming hip hop artist, G. Cam lately. I just love music.

If you had to name the song that moves you the most, what would it be? Can you pinpoint the reason why?

I Made It. It’s a song about where he came from (the bottom) all they way to where he is at now (top of the world). It inspires me, I currently live in Harlem and It makes me want to work to make it to where he is at or even better. I am the only one from everyone I grew up with who is doing what Im doing. I can relate to every word in his song.   Continue reading →

Adam Cameron (iMusicTweet) – Interview (Part 1)

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I have had the pleasure of interviewing Adam Cameron from iMusicTweet, the service for sharing music socially that I recently reviewed.
This is the first part of the interview, the second section is accessible here. Enjoy!

iMusicTweet

Full Name: Adam Cameron

Age: 17

Startup: iMusicTweet

Position: CEO

PART I

THE STARTUP

Tell us a little about your startup. How was it conceived? What are its most distinctive features in your opinion?

In late 2008, I thought how great it would be if we could share music on twitter. Facebook streaming came about because a lot of artists and my regular Facebook friends were praying to find a way to stream music on Facebook. Being a graphic designer, I sat down for a month or so drafting up everything. I created every page, hardly sleeping, constant headaches. Then I connected with my programmer and we produced iMusicTweet.com, the final product.

What was the original launch date?

The original launch date was early 2009 but I thought it could be better, so I went back to the drawing boards, took advice, incorporated my own ideas and re-launched in 2010.

What has been the response so far? In which countries has it been more successful?

Ever since we re-launched in 2010 the responses have been great. Many websites offered to review us, a few major artists in the U.S have used it and continue to use it. I attempted to submit it to Chris Pirillo and he responded with “Ah…”. I didn’t know if I should take it as negative or positive but I will keep that email forever. It’s being most successful in the U.S as of now, since we are based here but I have seen iMusicTweet be reviewed by websites in a few more countries.

What features can we expect to see implemented in future revisions?

I am a person that loves to think far beyond the “norm” or beyond “realistic” ideas. So, with that said, anything could happen. I would love to connect with Universal Music Group, thats a dream of mine. Connect with China because they have the largest internet market. I would like to offer artists a way to sell their music as well as streaming and thats all for now, I have a lot of thoughts, too many to list.  Continue reading →

iMusicTweet – Sharing Your Songs Through Twitter & Facebook Simultaneously

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iMusicTweet

Name: iMusicTweet
URL: http://www.imusictweet.com

I think we all will agree that sharing music using services like Facebook and Twitter is the most natural step in the evolution of the Social Web. After all, what good is connecting with everybody and telling them about what you do if you can’t show it to them at the same time?

The startup I am reviewing right now enables you do exactly that: spread both individual songs and full albums around, and the best thing might as well be that Twitter and Facebook alike are supported. The way it works is by letting you upload the song or playlist and having it played in your Twitter’s profile page, or streamed from your Facebook wall.

Best of all, you can make your songs both downloadable and embeddable. If you are looking for maximum exposure that is always useful, although I can’t help but wonder (and worry) a little about the copyright of what you are sharing when it is your own work what you are putting about. Continue reading →

Pack Up The Plantation: Live! (Tom Petty) – Album Review

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“Pack Up The Plantation” Was The First Live Album By Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. It Came Out In 1986.

“Pack Up The Plantation” Was The First Live Album Ever By Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. It Came Out In 1986.

“Southern Accents” proved so contentious that less than one year after its release Petty and The Heartbreakers issued their first live album, as if they were to exorcise the previous offering from their systems and prove to fans and critics alike that they could still rock like they meant it.

The album was to be named “Pack Up The Plantation”, and many different configurations exist. To begin with, we have the original LP/Cassette release that was accompanied by a live VHS in which some songs were added, all of them good (specially “Don’t Do Me Like That” from “Damn The Torpedoes” and “Don’t Come Around Here No More” from the previous record). The original album (which was a double LP) was repackaged as a single CD that had a different running order and which dropped two tracks: “You Got Lucky” (a great loss) and “I Need To Know”.

Still, the album in any incarnation is a lot of fun. The “Southern Accents” contingent feels more endemic to the band thanks to the rawness that any live setting provides, and “Rebels” in particular is a showstopper.

As it is the case with live albums, some songs have different arrangements – the most noticeable is “The Waiting”, rendered solitarily by Tom until the band thunders in during the middle eight. Elsewhere, “Breakdown” is stretched quite a bit, and the part where Petty starts an adlib that degenerates into an almost babble is amusing, even when it doesn’t precisely make the song any better. Continue reading →

Month In Review – March 2010

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One of the most read (and sought-after) posts of the whole blog was published in March. I am talking about Merton, the impromptu piano player from ChatRoulette. I also covered the impact the parka-clad pianist had, including Ben Folds impersonating him. And speaking of viral videos, don’t forget to check the hysterical “My Mom’s On Facebook”.

March saw two new additions to the main roll of artists: Jeff Buckley and The Style Council. And I finally got around reviewing The Dukes of Startosphear’s anthology “Chips From The Chocolate Fireball”. I likewise began reviewing original soundtrack albums, with “Once” becoming the first OST to be scrutinized on the blog.

The startups that I reviewed last month included Tubeoke, Spreaker, Feeder, MusicVault, Music Matters and Relisir.

On April I am determined to start covering unsigned Uruguayan artists once and for all – the category has already been added, and that is something I have always wanted to do.

Chips From The Chocolate Fireball (The Dukes Of Stratosphear) (Part 2)

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Don’t forget to read part 1 of this review where the “25 O’Clock” songs are analyzed.

"Psonic Psunspot" (The Dukes Of Stratosphear's Second Disc) Was Issued Right Between "Skylarking" And "Oranges & Lemons."

"Psonic Psunspot" (The Dukes Of Stratosphear's Second Disc) Was Issued In 1987, Right Between "Skylarking" And "Oranges & Lemons".

Things were different the second time the Dukes grabbed their instruments and donned their Paisley shirts. The record company was really interested in what could come out of it, and the budget had been doubled. And the sound was not to be the pastiche that characterized “25 O’Clock” – this time around it was an homage to most 60s bands, regardless of the fact that they had anything to do with pyschedelia or not. The leadoff single exemplified that perfectly, as “You’re A Good Man Albert Brown” was a buoyant sing-along in the vein of the Small Faces. While it didn’t hit as hard as “The Mole From The Ministry”, it was successful enough to warrant this new excursion in the eyes of the record company.

If anything, the second time around the line that separated XTC from the Dukes became indivisible, with songs like the impeccable “Vanishing Girl” and “Pale And Precious” being (needlessly?) sacrificed on the Dukes’ altar. “Vanishing Girl” (a song that trails the sound of The Hollies) was also used to promote the album, and I must admit it is my favorite song penned by Colin ever.

And “Pale And Precious” is one of the most honorable homages to the Beach Boys I have ever listened to along with R.E.M.’s “At My Most Beautiful”. The vocal harmonies are absolutely exhilarating all along, and the coda could go on for 10 minutes and not make you lose your interest for a single second. Continue reading →

Chips From The Chocolate Fireball (The Dukes Of Stratosphear) (Part 1)

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The Dukes Of Stratosphear: Chips From The Chocolate Fireball

The Dukes Of Stratosphear: Chips From The Chocolate Fireball

This CD-only anthology captures the original bouts of musical forgery that XTC undertook as The Dukes of Stratosphear. Both the EP “25 O’Clock” and the album “Psonic Psunspot” are included here in their entirety. And the anthology warrants all the laurels it is usually the recipient of.

The band (with Dave Gregory’s younger brother Ian on drums) showcases its coruscating pedigree, and the merits of its music become easier to apprehend in such a context. These recordings as their psychedelic alter egos were to lead to a phenomenal creative run and even a hit single at a time in which XTC had the rockiest relationship with the buying public. The song “The Mole From The Ministry” (a transparent nod to “I Am The Walrus”) outsold the singles from “The Big Express” so effortlessly that it was embarrassing.

It was also the most palpitating reminder for the Swindon rockers that having good fun on the studio fully translates into a finished piece of vinyl. Both “Mummer” and “The Big Express” suffered from a stiffness that was to vanish for “Skylarking” and “Oranges & Lemons”. “The Big Express” in particular had been labored at for a long time, leaving everybody but Andy jaded.

“25 O’Clock”, conversely, was assembled in little more than two weeks with Andy and John Leckie at the helm. Out of the six songs, only “The Mole From The Ministry” was new (Andy wrote it at the piano one morning). The remaining songs had been around for a long time, and the strongest the plagiarism the most effective the EP turned out to be. “Bike Ride To Te Moon” recalled the days of Pink Floyd under Barrett’ aegis so close to the mark that it was staggering. The title track was also intoxicatingly fun, a true testament to an age in which daftness was a virtue and a torch to bear. The same can be said about “Your Gold Dress”, with an unmatchable druggy guitar. And Colin’ songs on both Dukes’ albums were the truest revelation of all. He had never kept such an even keel of excellence to my ears. For the first and only time he and Andy were absolutely equalized. Continue reading →