Tag Archives: Music

Geek Music

Deezer is free music

May 21, 2008 – 3:06 pm

In the latest of our string of posts about ways to listen to music online for free, 4080Records proudly presents Deezer.

As far as we can tell, Deezer is a french website that lets you stream popular music from a variety of wicked bands.  For example, click here to check out Portishead’s album Third, which was only released a month or so ago.

So far, it’s on the up-and-up.  Deezer has negotiated with the French version of RIAA and have somehow worked out a deal to stream this content.  Record companies seem pissed, so don’t be surprised if this disappears rather fast.

Source: Lifehacker

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Music

San Francisco’s Outside Lands Festival looks awesome

May 21, 2008 – 2:23 pm

The lineup for this festival looks unreal.  It goes on August 22nd – August 24th.  If you’re ANYWHERE near the area, you better be going.

The Outside Lands Festival is like Rock the Bells for alternative music.  They’ve got some huge names playing, from Radiohead and Beck, to Tom Petty.  For the hip hoppers, they’ve got Lupe, Little Brother, the Cool Kids, and Canada’s own K’Naan.

There are craploads more too.  Broken Social Scene will be there, Stars, even Ben Harper and Jack Johnson.  A one-day ticket will cost you $85, and you can buy them here.

RADIOHEAD
BECK
MANU CHAO
THE BLACK KEYS
COLD WAR KIDS
STEEL PULSE
LYRICS BORN
BLACK MOUNTAIN
THE FELICE BROTHERS

TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS
BEN HARPER & THE INNOCENT CRIMINALS
PRIMUS
STEVE WINWOOD
CAFÉ TACVBA
LUPE FIASCO
REGINA SPEKTOR
GALACTIC’S CRESCENT CITY SOUL KREWE
M. WARD
DEVENDRA BANHART
MATT NATHANSON
TWO GALLANTS
DREDG
SIDESTEPPER
KAKI KING
THE COUP
LIARS
DONAVON FRANKENREITER
NELLIE MCKAY
GOAPELE
SEAN HAYES
RUPA & THE APRIL FISHES

JACK JOHNSON
WILCO
WIDESPREAD PANIC
RODRIGO Y GABRIELA
BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE
ANDREW BIRD
SHARON JONES & THE DAP-KINGS
DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS
STARS
ALO
JACKIE GREENE
THE COOL KIDS
GRACE POTTER & THE NOCTURNALS
LITTLE BROTHER
BON IVER
IVAN NEVILLE’S DUMPSTAPHUNK
THE MOTHER HIPS
NICOLE ATKINS & THE SEA
K’NAAN
BACK DOOR SLAM
CULVER CITY DUB COLLECTIVE

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Music Politics

Songs of Sadr

May 18, 2008 – 7:50 am

From NPR

In Iraq there is a whole genre of music designed to extol the virtues of fighters for Muqtada al-Sadr.  It’s gotten so popular that the Iraqi government has actually banned distributing it or even playing it in public.  NPR Radio has run a report on this little fiasco and it’s a fascinating read.  The man you see pictured above is the creator of a song called “taste the IED” a ridiculous and awful homage to these militamen.

The fear is that this type of music will obviously fuel hatred and encourage more attacks.  One thing is for sure, it’s not helping anyone.  There are music videos and everything for these.  I’m uncomfortable linking directly to the songs, but if you click on the NPR link above you can look and listen to some of the songs, including “taste the IED” and “I am the IED”.

Some would argue that these songs are merely acts of civil disobedience, a way for people to defy the government and show their opposition without actually being violent.  While I kind of support the general principle of non-violent protest, I think that a song that directly glorifies bombings, and a music video that shows tanks and personnel blowing up does not fall under that category.  In my opinion it goestoo far.

The NPR article even has lyrics to some of the songs, and I don’t even really feel comfortable reposting those.  But here’s a small, small snippet of one of the less violent songs.

Here is the favourite song of one of the Sadr artists:

“Delfi steps into his small, sweltering recording studio, which, due to chronic blackouts, relies on power from a small generator. Here, he sings an a capella version of his favorite song, “Hel el Binna” or “The Strength Within.”

In your name Muqtada, Baghdad is calling for your help
The Tigris has prostrated itself before you, begging for help
The Tigris came to ask for your blessing
And she blessed you with henna
We defy anyone who tries to enter Sadr City
Starting from the canal to the dam
Men confront armored vehicles with their bare chests
The Mahdi Army are heroes
They have become like mountains”

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Geek Music

Custom microphones have some history

May 6, 2008 – 3:00 pm

This post by NPR is a pretty in-depth look into the history behind microphones. It’s definitely one of those things you don’t especially think about. but particular brands/styles of microphones have had the fortune of recording some of the worlds greatest music.

Studio mics have some of the most iconic styling imaginable. The mic pictured on the left is a Neumann U47, and NPR says it was used to record almost every song the Beatles recorded between 1962 and 1970. Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald and tons of others all used this mic.

These mics have done more than just record pop songs. One of the original Neumann mics was a breakthrough in technology. Apparently it was the first mic to really record the full range of the human voice. And it got its first major use broadcasting Adolph Hitler’s speech to open the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games. Not exactly what anyone wants to be remembered for.

It’s definitely one of those things I’ve honestly never given much thought to. In the past, before much of these re-sampling could be done in-studio to make even awful people sound good, these mics were a vital part of recording a track. They needed to capture the intricacies of an artists performance and needed to be really sensitive to do so. That’s why they cost such an assload of money.

Which I guess is why this whole boutique movement has sprung up. The NPR article focuses on Mary and John Peluso who, in their spare time, make replications of these classic mics. Ones that are supposed to come close to matching them in quality but can be sold for a lot, lot less. So now you backroom musicians can use a Neumann to record your new song and imagine you’re Sinatra crooning away.

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Music

Nine Inch Nails release FREE album

May 5, 2008 – 12:53 pm

Taking a page out of the Radiohead playbook and improving on it, Nine Inch Nails superstar Trent Reznor has decided to release the newest album for free on the web. Not backwards, not low quality, not snippets.

The. Full. Album. There are multiple versions to choose from. The audiophiles among you may actually choose to download a 1.2 GB monstrosity of the album in wav form. It’s not compressed so the sound should be nice and crisp.

You can download the album here.

My favourite part about this whole enterprise is Reznor’s message to his fans.

“(thank you for your continued and loyal support over the years – this one’s on me)”

It’s succinct and appropriate. NIN is releasing a physical copy of this album in July on CD and vinyl. I have a feeling that this album will sell really well. Fans tend to appreciate goodwill gestures like this, and I think the NIN fans will really rally to support the band.

Not to suggest that this is going to be a huge model for changing the industry or anything, but I’m pretty happy about it.

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Music Politics

Comparing Presidential Music

April 12, 2008 – 9:17 am

According to his Facebook fan page, Barack Obama is a fan of legendary ’90s super-group The Fugees! If you were wavering before (and are a 4080reader), this alone should clinch it for you. Even ten years ago it would have been political suicide for a presidential candidate to publically reveal he or she listened to hip-hop, let alone consider a rap group among his/her favourite musicians (can you imagine Bill Clinton revealing he was a fan of, say, Public Enemey in 1991?). Also on Obama’s list are Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder and Johan Sebastian Bach. Our boy has an impressive, if not eclectic, taste in music.

On Hillary Clinton’s list? Carly Simon, Aretha Franklin, the Rolling Stones and U2. Not bad, although I’d give the edge to Obama so far.

How about McCain? Nothing! He lists his favourite movies (“Viva Zapata,” “Letters From Iwo Jima” and “Some Like It Hot” (seriously?)), books (“For Whom The Bell Tolls”) and tv shows (“24″ and “Seinfeld”), but a list of favourite music is strangely missing. Does the Republican nominee not listen to music? Or perhaps his taste is so strange his handlers are afraid to reveal it to Facebookers? Interesting.

Finally, how about Dennis Kucinich, that plucky underdog who, for the longest time, refused to quit the race? Dude is a fan of Michael Franti and Spearhead! Sold!

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Cool Music

Major music label exec supports file sharing

April 8, 2008 – 6:58 am

The news seems to be getting better and better for music lovers who prefer the digital atmosphere for this sort of thing. CNET News.com reports that a former Google Executive has become the President of the digital music division of EMI, one of the major labels.

This is potentially huge news for music fans of all kinds. EMI represents artists like Daft Punk, Queen, Gorillaz and many others. Having this kind of variety means they appeal to a huge portion of the music listening public.

Douglas Merrill, the ex-Googlite and new EMI Digital honcho has expressed some views that are actually rather contrary to the common stereotype of the major labels and the RIAA in general. This is what he has to say on File Sharing:

“For example, there’s a set of data that shows that file sharing is actually good for artists. Not bad for artists. So maybe we shouldn’t be stopping it all the time. I don’t know…I am generally speaking (against suing fans). Obviously, there is piracy that is quite destructive but again I think the data shows that in some cases file sharing might be okay. What we need to do is understand when is it good, when it is not good…Suing fans doesn’t feel like a winning strategy.” -CNET

I think that’s completely an underreported statement. In an age where way too many fans are getting sued by the RIAA, having someone in a position of authority with one of the big 4 record labels come out and say that he doesn’t believe in the tactic is a big paradigm shift. Not to say that this will have any effect on the tactics being used, but I’d like to think it may at least turn some heads.

More importantly for the label itself is the fact that bringing in someone with a reputation for innovation is a step in the right direction. For a stuffy old label, it is vital that they understand the nature of the
internet and the growth of digital music sales. Exploring new models for music distribution (e.g. free, but ad-supported; subscription models; DRM-free) is the most important thing Merrill can do.

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Album Reviews Music

The Chicharones – When Pigs Fly (2005)

March 31, 2008 – 2:38 pm

The Chicharones - When Pigs Fly

The Chicharones – When Pigs Fly (2005)

Mixing astute, introspective rhymes with irony and self-deprecating humour, the Chicharones (aka Vancouver’s Josh Martinez and the Oldominion crew’s Sleep) are a talented, yet underrated duo. On When Pigs Fly, their first full-length album, the Chicharones combine dope beats and dope rhymes (what more do y’all want?) into “a tuneful and catchy piece of mature hip-hop.” Martinez and Sleep’s verbal back-and-forth on tracks like “Surf Rock” will remind you of Golden Age mc duos like Tribe and EPMD, while more serious fare such as “Can’t Find The Time” while have you nodding your head and listening closely to their melodic rhymes.

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Album Reviews Music

Gnarls Barkley releases New Album!

March 31, 2008 – 11:03 am

In exciting news, Pitchfork Media is reporting that the long-awaited new Gnarls Barkley album is out already!

Obviously this follow-up to St. Elsewhere has some big shoes to fill, because I’m pretty sure “Crazy” was played somewhere in the world at least once a minute for an entire year.

Apparently they rushed to get the album out, partially in an attempt to defeat music pirates. The album was out for download at least a couple of weeks before the release date, so Gnarls did their best to get the album out ASAP. Not a bad idea, really.

Check out the video for their first single, Run (I’m a Natural Disaster), below.

So far the album is available through ITunes and Amazon.com (Not Amazon.ca for some reason). You should also be able to pick it up in stores. For now, click here: The Odd Couple

As far as the album itself goes, you get a little bit of everything. For those ‘Crazy’ fans, you get upbeat party anthems like Run (I’m a Natural Diasaster). Those of you who dig the softer tones, check out ‘Who’s gonna save my soul?’.

The beats are tight as per always, with Dangermouse really shining through. For someone who really was unheard of for many years, he has really blown up. And once more, you see his growth. Dangermouse provides relaxed beats on tracks like ‘Would be killer’. He goes a little more electronic (almost drum and bassy) on ‘Open Book’, and even goes a slight little bit towards an island vibe with ‘Surprise’. It’s a remarkable collection of diverse beats.

Cee-Lo does his regular thing, crooning on a lot of tracks and gruffly rapping on some others. For a nice little sign of his vocal range, check out ‘No Time Soon.’ For the first time, you get a sense of his actual singing ability. All in all, you’ll love this album. While it seems to lack the blockbuster hits of St. Elsewhere, if you take the album as a whole, I think you’ll find that it’s a solid sophomore effort.

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Awareness Music

We care a lot: 14 overblown charity/advocacy songs besides “We Are The World” | The A.V. Club

March 24, 2008 – 10:18 am

We care a lot: 14 overblown charity/advocacy songs besides “We Are The World” | The A.V. Club

This is a pretty interesting look at the nature of those musical charity songs we always hear about. The most famous one is probably “Do they know it’s Christmas?” from the BandAid concert many years ago raising money for African famine relief. Or more recently “What’s going on?“, a benefit song to raise money for AIDS research.

Here’s a little sample of the Onion’s commentary on some of these songs. Below is the video to the West Coast Rap All-Stars‘ “We’re All in the Same Gang”.

WPvideo 1.10

Thanks to producer Dr. Dre, “We’re All In The Same Gang” is at least better musically than most heavy-handed cause songs. Ignore the words, and you can almost imagine it’s another prime-era N.W.A. track about blasting motherfuckers in the face with a sawed-off while bitches lick your enormous balls. The problem with “We’re All In The Same Gang” is context. Sure, rapping about ending gang violence is noble, but can one song outweigh the blood-soaked and bullet-riddled gangsta mythology that West Coast rap was built on, especially when the video looks about as cool as an episode of Family Matters? While Straight Outta Compton didn’t necessarily influence youngsters to grab guns and start shooting people, “We’re All In The Same Gang” definitely never convinced them to stop.

I do take some issue with it, but seeing as it is the Onion you can’t really take it too seriously. I think that having these guys preach a better kind of message really may have made a difference. Maybe not doing it in this fashion, but it’s been proven that hip hop can help take away from gang violence. Just look at Afrika Bambaata and all that he accomplished. And obviously as we all know hip hop is way more complex than just a blood-soaked and bullet-riddled mythology!

But hell, any song that gets NWA together with Eazy-E, MC Hammer, and Digital Underground has to be awesome.

Still, the Onion has a point. There’s no disputing there is room for some of these fundraising concerts/songs, and they do manage to raise the profile of some of these issues. We just can’t let artists and celebrities get away with letting this be their only contribution to the cause.

[Update:] Oh, and before you readers think it’s just the silly Americans and some of the Brits leading these waves, witness Canada’s contribution below. “Northern Lights.” from 1985. “Let’s show the world that Canada still cares.” Genius.

WPvideo 1.10

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