#also - trying to find random albums from the 70s is too difficult | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

shed0kryptz · 4 days

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hi guyz !! im makin a bit of a different post today. i wanted to share some album/ep covers that ive been thinking about recently cuz album art is so cool + i love all of these artists dearly. enjoy my rambles :D

Sign - Nobukazu Takemura (2000)

my pfp !!!! i discovered the title track sign from the album hoshi no koe, but this is the record it originally debuted in! takemura is a japanese electronic musician who makes a lot of experimental music, and this album is no different. however, it has sort of a.. nintendo vibe to it? it’s difficult to describe, but it’s super fun !! i love the album art as well and the rhythmic motion of the building. the little music note guy has my whole heart too, theyre jus a little goober <3

Paraiso - Haruomi Hosono and The Yellow Magic Band (1978)

i wouldve put this in yellow but there is no option. anywayz this is a interesting album. ive recently started listening to hosono’s music and i enjoy it a lot !!! hosono house is fire, but this one is also good ! the cover art is what initially led me to listening to this, i love the beach atmosphere and the sky as space. and the little bubbles that have random monuments in them. and the palm trees n plants and agh. it’s delightfully surreal and im here for it !!!

S-F-X - Haruomi Hosono (1984)

look hosono you’re awesome and i love your early stuff so far. but i could not get into this ep at all. might try again tho !! but it’s really a shame because the cover is awesome. i love the distortion on the face and the pops of pink and yellow against the teal background. it’s very pleasing to look at and it’s been floating in my mind for awhile. very futuristic lookin !

Sail - Masakatsu Takagi (2003)

I AM THE ULTIMATE TAKAGI FAN #1 anyway. this album is so so lovely and silly. it has a special place in my heart now fr. the best way to describe it is animal crossing/picopop(??) type music. some of it reminds me of kero kero bonito’s music too. idk genres are weird !! point is it’s very upbeat and nostalgic. a few tracks are more somber sounding, especially rama. but i love the album art of this one, it’s like something you’d see in a dream or a childhood memory. i love the watercolor texture and the blend of pastel colors too!! and how it looks as if it was combined from multiple layers, as in each piece of the figure was made separately. overall takagi is a genius and this album SLAPS

Keep It Unreal (10th Anniversary) - Mr. Scruff (2009)

mr. scruff makes very cheeky and silly electronic music, but occasionally he drops an absolute banger. nah fr all of his stuff is good, some of it is just more “serious” than others. but i appreciate his sense of humor and the beats he makes ! this album of his is a great listen, but i especially love the cover. the og album cover is mounted up in the corner while these little bean guys are celebrating. truly a work of art. his other album ninja tuna also shares a similar art style !! very goofy <3

A Wizard, a True Star - Todd Rundgren (1973)

do i gotta say anything even. this is just a masterpiece of a cover. there is so much going on in the best way possible. i love the incorporation of the geometric shapes. the trippy visuals. it screams 70s. not to mention this album is fire. international feel is so good !!!

Desire, I Want to Turn Into You - Caroline Polachek (2023)

PHOTOGRAPHY JUMPSCARE ! i recently go into caroline polachek and OML where have you been all my life. this album is pure pop bliss and her vocals are so so good. sunset and fly to you are especially good oug. the album cover in particular is very simple in concept but it’s executed so well. the lighting, the sand, the bus chairs, her outfit?? absolutely stunning. this woman oozes creativity fr.

Dreams - Gabor Szabo (1968)

i could not find a better quality image of this one but holy molay this is a great jazz fusion record. is it fusion? idk anymore. but this is a great album and the art is just. mwah. i love all of the intricate details and the flowers. it’s just gorgeous !!! what else can i say !

Dead but Dreaming - vivivivivi (2023)

final one !!! vivivivivi is honestly super underrated, though her song credits song for my death has 8 million views on yt. anyway, this was a pretty recent album from her and it’s very cool !!! def gives the vibes of an rpg. i love the album cover tho!! the artist did a tremendous job with it, i love the overgrowth of the flowers and the shading. it also suits the tracks well !!

#okay tumblr got so slow while typing for this post lmao #feel free to send me asks about my music taste or these albums !!#ren music time #nobukazu takemura #haruomi hosono #masakatsu takagi #mr. scruff #todd rundgren #caroline polachek #gabor szabo #vivivivivi #wooo !1!1!

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irwingiggling · 4 years

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friends of friends. | pt. 1

A/N: Sooo guess who’s back with a new fic?! Please let me know what you guys think, and if you want me to continue this - I have lots of ideas for it! If you enjoyed it, please give it a like so I know people are interested in reading more :) The band does exist in this fic, but it’s more of a casual thing and none of the boys are famous. In this fic I tried to really focus on the characterization and in improving my writing, so yeah this is my little passion project rn while I’m in quarantine. [Also a little shoutout to @cakesunflower, I don’t know her at all but her fics (wglylm, quiet hours, etc.) and her writing is honestly incredible and she was one of the many awesome writers on here who inspired me to start this. :)]

Word Count: 2,100+

Rating: PG-13 (mentions of alcohol, swearing)

---

"Who's Calum?" Audrey was perched over a tall wooden stool, hands around a mug of steaming hot coffee. Her short brown hair landed just above her shoulders, cascading perilously towards her coffee as she stared down her friend, a sly smile on her face.

"Just a friend of a friend," Rose replied with a shrug.

Audrey's eyebrows arched in response, unsatisfied with Rose's answer.

"No seriously. I barely know him, I met him the other day at some get together Nina dragged me to."

At mention of the other girl, a smile crept onto Audrey's face. "Damn, Nina. How's she doing?" The three were close friends back in university, sharing a dorm for two years. But after school, they'd all started to go their separate ways. Nina was in public relations. A true socialite, she loved meeting new people, and could keep up conversation for hours. Since landing her new job as an assistant for some small music company, she'd managed to drag Rose along to various parties and social gatherings with increasing frequency. The two lived on opposite sides of town in Boston, but remained decently close despite this. On the other hand, Audrey had moved back home to Michigan after school, and the two didn't see her very often at all.

"She's good. Still a true extrovert." Rose said with a gentle shake of her head.

"Gotta love that girl. She was always a go-getter." Audrey laughed, taking a sip of the creamy drink.

In contrast to Nina, Rose would describe herself as a simple person. She had her little apartment, her work, a well-stocked supply of coffee, and her dog, Olive - who she'd somehow managed to sneak under her apartment's 60lb weight limit. Everything else was extra, but as long as she had those few essentials, she was perfectly content. Though as a recent university grad who was still working part-time at a coffee shop, and taking whatever freelance work she could on the side, she didn't have a lot of room for extravagances anyway. In contrast, Audrey found a job as a radio broadcaster back home right out of school, and could now afford to make the flight down to see her girls.

"Anyways don’t try and change the subject, you haven't had a man in your life in ages!" Audrey exclaimed, teasingly poking a finger against the arm of Rose's blue sweater.

Rose gave her head a faint shake, smiling gently. She had no doubt Nina had already recounted the entire work gathering to Audrey over one of her long-winded FaceTime calls. Nina had a way of getting carried away with the stories she told, which likely meant their distant observation of Calum had morphed into a much closer brush than it actually was.

----

She vaguely remembered him from that last work event. He was easily recognizable by his dark curly hair, tanned skin, and youthful appearance, especially since the vast majority of others mingling looked to be in their late 30s. Rose caught drifts of conversations about sales and pitches and various public relations-related stuff. She had caught him looking over at her during one of the speeches. When she met his gaze he'd turned away.

"Who's that?" she asked, tugging lightly on Nina's arm. Nina was in the middle of rambling about some publication technique to boost online views.

"Oh, him? That's Calum. He's a member of one of the newer bands the company's signed. Seems decent, haven't really had a chance to chat with him yet."

Calum.

She never got the guts to go over and talk to him that night, even though he looked like one of the only people who was actually having a decent time, chatting animatedly with an equally tall guy around his age, drink in hand. Instead, she stayed by Nina's side, letting her talkative friend fill the silence and introduce her to many people whose names she would inevitably forget.

---

It was two weeks later, and Nina had caught Rose off guard yet again, getting her to agree to another one of her work parties before Rose even really knew what she was saying yes to. The term ‘party’ was an exaggeration, to say the least. Only the watered-down drinks and the 70s hits playing at a whisper in the background gave the faintest suggestion that this was a party. Rather, it was a way for people at Nina’s company to schmooze with those from other nearby labels and PR companies, collaborating on techniques, getting insider information on new signings and album releases. And Nina was so thrilled at the prospect of sharing her knowledge and making new friends, that Rose felt obligated to say yes. However, not knowing a thing about the music industry or public relations made it difficult to relate to any of the conversations, so she often found herself glued to Nina’s side, maintaining an appropriate amount of nods and smiles to the people Nina talked to, waiting for the agonizingly slow clock to tick down. She sharply reminded herself to not give in to Nina’s pleas again, that this would be the last time she would let her Friday nights turn out like this.

Letting her thoughts wander, she remembered catching a vague glimpse of the dark-haired man earlier on in the night, but she hadn't seen him at all in the past half-hour, and figured he'd gone home. She wished she could leave too, but sadly Nina was her ride, which meant she'd be here for a while longer. By this time Rose was frankly sick of Nina's incessant chatter, and with feigning enjoyment in meeting random people she truly had no interest in.

She politely excused herself from the conversation, and made her way towards the kitchen, in the hopes she could scrounge up another drink to get her through the night. Taking a look around the kitchen, she let out a small sigh when she didn't see any alcohol. However, her eyes landed on the same curly-haired man from earlier. So this was where he'd been hiding out. His cheeks flushed a vague tinge of pink at seeing he'd been discovered, but he let out a relieved breath when he saw that it was her. One of the only other people here around his age, who didn't seem like she'd want to chatter endlessly about the management side of music.

"Hey, I remember you." He stood facing her, a gentle smile on his face. "Calum," he introduced, taking a hand out of his pocket and extending it towards her.

"Rose," she replied, lips curving into a smile as she shook his hand, his larger one temporarily enveloping hers.

"Nice to meet you," he nodded. "Do you work here?" He was sure if he'd seen her before that he would have remembered.

"No, I'm actually a struggling arts major," she confessed with a small chuckle. "My friend dragged me here. Nina."

"Oh," Calum nodded, eyes flashing lightly in recognition of a name he couldn't quite place. "The really… social one?" He asked hesitantly towards the end, unsure exactly how to phrase it.

"Yeah, you can’t miss her,” Rose said, giving her head a small shake in amusement. She felt a sense of relief as Calum's light chuckle flooded her ears.

"So I'm kind of hiding out here right now," he began, looking past her for a second to the crowd of people mingling past the doorway, a sigh of relief leaving his lips as he confirmed none of the guests were interested in pulling him into another conversation.

She chuckled lightly, moving to place her empty glass near the sink. "Do you come to these kinds of things often?"

"Not really," he shrugged, taking another sip of his drink. "But the label wanted me to make an appearance. Somehow I keep drawing the short end of the stick this month for that kind of stuff."

She laughed, glad she didn't have to pretend this was an enjoyable party.

"It's kinda.. stuffy?" he added, nose scrunching at the word.

She nodded in complete understanding. "Yeah. A lot of middle-aged record and publication people. Not exactly my crowd either."

"Tell me about it," Calum sighed, taking a long sip of his fruity drink. "And this was all I could find," he added half-heartedly, raising the glass.

She chuckled, trying to muffle her amusement at the strange drink that didn't seem to quite fit with his look. The vividly coloured mini umbrella and bright purple liquid contrasted sharply with the metal rings that adorned his tanned fingers and the tattoos peeking out from his shirt collar.

Noting her amusement with his drink of choice, his eyes began to light up, and he chuckled along with her.

"I figured," she said, fighting to contain her smile. This only served to make him more amused, a full-blown laugh bubbling out from his full, pink lips. His laugh seemed too pure, too alive for this subdued party.

They stood in silence for a couple beats, letting the low buzz from the various people in the room flood their ears again, before Calum drained the rest of his drink in a gulp. "Did you wanna get out of here?" He asked, setting his empty glass down on the counter beside hers, gesturing vaguely to the direction of the front door.

"Oh!" She wasn't able to mask her surprise, eyebrows rising and a faintly amused but apologetic look on her face. "Wow, um… I think you're great, I really do, but that's just not quite something that I'm-"

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion at her response. He tilted his head slightly to one side, lips parted, as he tried to figure her out. Eventually his lips curved into a smile and a gentle laugh erupted from his mouth as he realized where she was going with this. "Shit, I meant food. My bad."

And then she was blushing profusely, wanting to melt into the floor in embarrassment because how could she fuck that up? She sighed, letting out a small whine of contempt, and when she finally got the courage to look back up at him, he was watching her, eyes sparkling. He dragged his bottom lip between his teeth, trying half-heartedly to contain the smile that still graced his face at her expense.

"Yeah, ok." She nodded, letting out a small chuckle. "I can do food."

---

She didn't quite know how she ended up at the fast-food place at 10pm, seated in a tiny booth across from Calum, watching the curly-haired man munching happily away on fries, their knees occasionally knocking against each other.

When he looked at her it was as if he was looking into her. His dark curls cascaded over his forehead, a hint of stubble on his jaw. His eyes were soft and dark brown. They crinkled around the edges when he laughed and they felt like home. It was weird for her, to feel that way with a stranger. But in many ways Calum felt more like an old friend. Like someone she'd known all her life and was just reconnecting with. At this point in the night he was beginning to look tired and sleepy, but just when she thought he was losing interest, his eyes would light up at a funny comment, and it would bring her in closer, creating the most comfortable, at ease feeling deep in her stomach. That night she learned Calum had a wicked dry sense of humour, and that his warm laugh sounded like honey.

They were there for over an hour, long after the remnants of their burgers had gone cold. Only the buzzing of the neon sign in the front window, and the quiet shuffling of the lone staff member were background noise to their conversation.

Eventually they decided to part ways, both tired and content from the night. They put their empty trays in the garbage, and left. Outside they stood only a few steps apart, trying to use each other's bodies to evade the cold wind blowing through the empty parking lot. It was already April in Boston, but some nights still felt like winter.

"Alright," he said, tugging the hood of his jacket over his head so only a few curls poked out. "Get home safe, ok?"

"I will. You too, Calum."

She turned to leave, but his fingertips brushed across the fabric of her jacket. She looked up, the movement garnering her attention. His tongue darted across his bottom lip, brown eyes searching her own.

"We're doing a little show at The Reign next Saturday night. You should come, if you want."

"Yeah I'd love to. I'll be there."

And then he was smiling, hands buried in his pockets. She took a step back and gave him a wave, which he returned, watching her for a few moments before turning in the direction of his own apartment.

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pedalfuzz · 5 years

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2018 Pedal Fuzz Favorites

Contributors from Pedal Fuzz have weighed in on their favorite albums of 2018. there was (thankfully) no shortage of excellent music released this year. We hope you give these artists a listen, a share, and maybe even smash that ‘buy’ button on Bandcamp or at the counter of your local record store.

***note***these are listed in order they were sent to the editor

Dustin K. Britt

Al Riggs, WE'RE SAFE BUT FOR HOW LONG

David Byrne, AMERICAN UTOPIA

Father John Misty, GOD'S FAVORITE CUSTOMER

Florence + The Machine, HIGH AS HOPE

Gorillaz, THE NOW NOW

Janelle Monae, DIRTY COMPUTER

Mary Lattimore, HUNDREDS OF DAYS

Neko Case, HELL-ON

Sarah Shook & The Disarmers, YEARS

Troye Sivan, BLOOM

Jon Foster

The Nels Cline 4 – Currents, Constellations – Nels Cline is one of those figures that’s always been on my peripheral. His name has floated around progressive independent music for decades. His association with Wilco didn’t cause me to go through his discography. This record just popped up this year, a little promotion from a devotee helped a lot. Seeing him play at Big Ears this past year solidified my interest.

Currents, Constellations is fascinating, the interplay between Nels and technical wizard Julian Lage keeps pushing the music forward, sometimes noisy and sometimes jazz freak-out. It’s a perfect gateway record, not all the way jazz and not all the way progressive rock. After listening to the record for a few weeks I ordered the last two Lage records and a couple Cline ones. Julian Lage’s Modern Lore is also on my best of 2018 list.

Similar Fashion – Portrait Of – I don’t know anything about this band. I don’t know where they come from. I have no context other than a simple post from the producer, John Dietrich of Deerhoof fame. Just that last bit of information caused me to click on the link, a task any music fan can do dozens of times in a day when the music is in front of you all the time. Another Bandcamp link, nah…I’ll pass.

Thankfully I clicked on the link and heard a record I immediately loved. It was energetic and progressive, a little silly even. How many records reference the TV show, Scandal? One thread going through the record is this quasi-Raymond Scott feel. He’s the guy who wrote a lot of music for Looney Toons, and I love him. Imagine Bugs Bunny chasing Foghorn Leghorn through a forest while a small group of music majors raised on jazz and rock and roll score it. The best songs on the record are full of exuberance and sugared up energy.

Oh Sees – Smote Reverser – Oh Sees have a lot of records. They might have too many records. Because they have so many records it becomes difficult to get excited about a new one. Although I listen to all of their new records I don’t buy them automatically. I feel like I need to sample them. Recently they’ve been going through this tour of the outer fringes of rock and roll subgenres. You know, last year’s record was the folk record with psychedelic touches. They’ve done the garage record with psychedelic touches. Smote Reverser is their early 70’s hard rock record with psychedelic touches.

When trying to describe the record, I feel like I have nothing positive to say about it. At the core there’s the usual really loud Dwyer leads over the top of everything. You know they’re coming, they’re always there, it should be an annoying cliché but they sound so good. His tone is delicious. Mix in dueling drums and an interest in letting songs unfold for no particular reason, and it’s a record to fall into.

Palberta – Roach Goin’ Down – This is a punk record. It’s ragged and personal and it feels like it could fall apart at any moment. Sometimes I think the musicians are superb players, while on other songs I feel like it’s the first day of them playing their instruments. The songs are short blasts of postpunk joy that could have been made in 1980.

While I’m enthralled with this record, and enjoyed them immensely when I saw them live in Raleigh, I worry about them. I worry that this perfect moment will be ruined if they become a little more adept at their instruments. Taking away some of the passion in their playing might neuter their effectiveness. A better scenario might be for them to break up and move onto other things leaving this batch of songs as their only work.

New Optimism – Amazon to LeFrak – New Optimism is basically Miho Hatori, most notably of Cibo Matto fame. It was a record I didn’t know existed until I started down a random google search hole. It was one of those days where think to yourself, “Oh, I wonder what they’re doing” and then six hours have past. Not setting out to find new music by her and then there it is, was like a wonderful present. Unfortunately it’s only an EP. Unfortunately I haven’t heard anyone talk about the record at all. It came out in July and I worry it’s already buried under mounds of other new releases. Googling Hatori again I realize she has produced a full length record I didn’t know anything about. This last surprise was released in October.

The music on Amazon to LeFrak is right in line with her work in Cibo Matto and her painfully underrated Ecdysis from 2005. The music is colorful and dancey, vibrant and a little quirky. I hope this flurry of creative continues into the New Year.

Eddie Garcia

In 2018 I listened to and focused on music from films as much or more than straight-up albums. Here are my favorites, they’re all magnificent and worthy of your time.

Favorite Film Scores & Soundtracks

Hereditary - Colin Stetson

Mandy - Jóhann Jóhannsson

Suspiria - Thom Yorke

Black Panther - Kendrick Lamar

You Were Never Really Here - Johnny Greenwood

A Star Is Born - Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper

Vox Lux - Sia / Scott Walker

Revenge - ROB

Kin - Mogwai

Thoroughbreds - Erik Friedlander

Eighth Grade - Anna Meredith

42 Grams - Takénobu

*Honorable mention* Halloween (2018) - John Carpenter. I mean, it was great to hear The Theme loud & revved up/industrialized in a theatre, but not really doing much new here if I’m being honest. Love to John Carpenter forever though!

Favorite Albums

There was much that I ‘liked’ this year in music but less that I ‘loved’ (gonna blame that partially on a shortage of deep listening time). I also had a few instances where live greatly outweighed the record, no matter how much I tried to listen. So rather than list out 40 albums, here are the ones that really affected me, so much so that I even have physical copies of 90% of these.

Sons of Kemet - Your Queen Is A Reptile

Bill Frisell - Music Is

Ohmme - Parts

The Nels Cline 4 - Currents, Constellations

The Messthetics - s/t

Mary Lattimore - Hundreds of Days - Meg Baird & Mary Lattimore - Ghost Forests

Dark Prophet Tongueless Monk - Insides

Yo La Tengo - There’s A Riot Going On

Shane Parish - Child Asleep In The Rain

Low - Double Negative

Marisa Anderson - Cloud Corner

Mind Over Mirrors - Bellowing Sun

Renata Zeiguer - Old Ghost

The Sea And Cake - Any Day

Oh Sees - Smote Reverser

Yonatan Gat - Universalists

Julian Lage - Modern Lore

***I just picked up The Hex by Richard Swift and Mattson 2 Play ‘A Love Supreme’ but as they haven’t gotten a full spin yet I can’t include but they sound mighty fine so far.

Favorite Pop Song

Kimbra - “Top Of the World”

*I don’t really listen to much modern pop music but this song slays and instantly appealed to me the first time I heard it.

Patrick Wall’s Top Ten

Knee Meets Jerk, or: In Which a Semiretired Music Critic and Journalist Offers Brief, Non-Critical and Non-Sequitur Thoughts on His Favorite Music of 2018. Because, Hey, Music Is Personal and Subjective, Right?

*Results listed in alphabetical order and subject to change.

Bad years look better when they’re gone.

I don’t think I’ve ever felt more unstable — professionally, personally, psychologically — in my life than I did in 2018. In the past eighteen months, I've moved twice — from a new home to an old home to very, very far away from home. I bounced from a solid if unexciting job to no job to high-paying but infrequent freelance jobs to steady and cool but low-paying jobs to a high-paying but stressful and wholly unfulfilling job. Commutes went from long car rides to long bike rides and long walks to long train and subway rides. As summer faded to fall and turned to bitter winter, the world just felt increasingly, incontrovertibly, ineffably doomed. New homes didn’t feel as such. Old ones seemed gone, unable to be returned to — no man, Heraclitus mused, can step twice in the same stream.

If things were roiling internally, they weren’t any better externally. The planet is doomed. The authoritarians won. The world got colder. Some of my friends got cancer. Some of them, their cancers came back. Some of my friends got sad. Some of them came to the brink of death. Some of them got help, got better. Some of them didn’t make it through the year, taken either by illness or by their own hands, their voices now silhouettes, never coming back.

All this is to say: I have done far less critical listening this year than in the past. My time is more limited. My tastes are broader and more tolerant now than when I was a quote-unquote critic, but they’re harder to fathom. The things I connected with this year, I don’t know that I could explain why. I don’t know why Cave’s “San’Yago” spoke to me on the same level as Janelle Monae’s “Make Me Feel,” Jeff Parker’s “Blackman,” They Might Be Giants’ “Last Wave,” The Fearless Flyers’ “Ace of Aces,” Superchunk’s “What a Time to Be Alive,” The Messthetics’ “The Inner Ocean,” Fucked Up’s “Normal People.” I don’t know that I can qualify why none of the records those songs were on made the list below, or why I connected with those records in times of existential crisis. (Though, were I to give it some good, critical though, Monae’s Dirty Computer would probably grade out as the best of the year.)

How do we measure out our worst years? What defines them, shapes them? What do we reach for when everything feels bad? What do we reach for when we just need things to get better? The sensitive among us, we to turn art — the gear-minded among us, to music, in particular. But how do we code ourselves to forget, when the music we listened to — the music we connected with the most — brings us back to those places?

If you’re lucky, you get to close that part of yourself off and forget about it. If you’re luckier, you don’t. You recognize those sounds — those emotions — when you hear them again. If you’re lucky, you’ll get to close that part of yourself off and forget about it — but you’ll recognize those sounds when you heard it again. You just need to realize that you were lucky enough to have heard them in the first place.

So here are eleven records released in 2018 that I listened to that I enjoyed more than the other ones I listened to that were released in 2018. These are the records that provided some small comfort, and that will reinforce, in the years to come, that bad years look better when they’re gone. We hope.

Rafiq Bhatia, Breaking English [Anti-]

The Body, I Have Fought Against It, But I Can’t Any Longer [Thrill Jockey]

Khruangbin, Con Todo El Mundo [Dead Oceans]

Julian Lage, Modern Lore [Mack Avenue]

Low, Double Negative [Sub Pop]

Makaya McCraven, Universal Beings [International Anthem]

Mount Eerie, Now Only [P.W. Elverum & Sons]

Ohmme, Parts [Joyful Noise]

Miles Okazaki, Work [self-released]

Tangents, New Bodies [Temporary Residence Limited]

Ryley Walker, Deafman Glance [Dead Oceans]

Patrick Wall is an infrequent contributor to Pedal Fuzz. Sometimes, people pay him to write things. He used to live in North Carolina; he currently lives in Massachusetts. The record he actually listened to the most this year? Psychic Temple’s Plays Music for Airports.

Tom Sowders

This year I listened to a lot of music that did not come out recently. BUT. I did have some favorites in 2018.

Eric Bachman - No Recover

The National - Cherry Tree Vol. 1

The National - Boxer Live in Brussels

Big Red Machine - S/T

Cat Power - Wanderer

The Love Language - Baby Grand

Shopping - The Official Body

Waxahatchee - Great Thunder

Speedy Ortiz - Twerp Verse

Surfbort - Friendship Music

Lee Wallace

To make this as absolutely accurate as possible and to allow for any sudden last minute submissions, I am writing this at 8pm on New Year's Eve.

My best of 2018:

Guided By Voices - Space Gun (Rockathon Records). This has already become one of my touch stone GBV albums, in roughly the same status as Mag Earwhig! or Class Clown Spots a UFO or even Vampire on Titus. Fifteen concise psych pop rockers, not a micro second wasted.

Adrian Legg - Live (self release). Adrian is surely one of the two or three best finger style guitarists on this planet, and for nearly forty years he has been traveling and performing solo gigs at house concerts, coffee bars, pubs and anywhere ears will listen. As wonderful as his playing and composing can be, his arduous fans know that his eloquent, story like song introductions are half of the appeal of seeing him in person. This is perhaps the first time that Legg has released a live album with these stories intact. His ruminations lately have concerned greed, materialism, racism, and the destruction of the environment, all from the perspective of a sagely septaugenarian that has traveled the world many times over, but they are as beautiful as his delicate, astounding guitar playing.

Julia Holter - Aviary (Domino Recording Co.). Holter's third album takes an extraordinary leap from the intelligent chamber pop of her previous work to spooky, other worldly avantgarde. Since so many music reviewers tend to make lazy comparisons to Kate Bush when writing about Holter, imagine if “Lionheart” had jumped straight ahead to “The Dreaming” with 21st century technology. Batshit arrangements and sonic freakouts, lysergic orchestral pile ups that come from outer space, on first listen it all sounds like a mess in places, but hang in there, your brain will thank you.

Janelle Monae - Dirty Computer (Atlantic). Composer/singer/dancer/actress/ time travel enthusiast Monae can be high on concept sometimes but she is even higher on melody, groove and astoundingly great vocal performances. I haven't yet taken the time to dissect what all of this “means” in terms of her commentary about contemporary society and what not, but it sure sounds superb. I suspect that she isn't even close to her peak yet, either.

Lilac Shadows - Brutalism (Diggup Tapes). This Durham, NC quartet has apparently done cassettes and digi downloads before but this is on a bona fide high quality vinyl LP in beautiful packaging. Flavors of “Movement”-era New Order and classic 4AD make this music nerd proud to share some geographical proximity with them. Excellent live band too.

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thechordcoffeeshop-blog · 6 years

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All the reasons you need to get out and see some live local music!

In this age of pop culture which constantly revolves around technology and the streaming of media (specifically music), in many ways it has become a “hipster” practice to avidly support live and local music. Many people enjoy live music on a regular basis, but do not know what is happening in their local music scene, which is their loss. And while it seems that people all commonly agree that supporting local arts and music is a good thing (even if they do not know why they think it’s a good thing), I am here to tell you how it directly can benefit you. So here are 6 reasons why you should support and attend live local music.

1. Find new artists

Radio stations anymore play the same songs every day, and you may find that your peers are all listening to the same generic music too. Local music is great way to discover new artists and therefor music. Local artists have different influences, tastes, and interpretations on music than main stream artists. Because of this the music they produce will often be unlike anything you have ever heard before. These artists also write most if not all their own music, a rare skill and lost art (I implore you to see how many chart-topping artists are writing and arranging their own music!!). Along with original pieces, you may also hear a cover version of a song that is so good you will be wondering why it was not originally performed that way. A personal example of this: I was lucky enough to see a very talented bluegrass band, Green sky Bluegrass, perform a cover of Pink Floyd’s “Time”. Hear it for yourself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrUUb6EqfCE

2. The opportunity to follow a musician’s career

Building off reason #1, if you find an artist who you really enjoy, and they are a talented act, you may be in for a real treat. My mom still talks about seeing Stevie Ray Vaughan (if you don’t know who SRV is, educate yo-self) back in 1981. Stevie and his band were on their first small tour (before they had even released a record) and he played at a small venue in Madison, WI. He didn’t even sell out and the show didn’t get much coverage, because of this my mom was lucky enough to stand in the front row. During the show Stevie winked at her and later gave her a guitar pick. SRV and Double Trouble went on to win multiple Grammys and have huge touring success. On August 27th, 1990 they saw his show at Alpine Valley Amphitheatre in East Troy, Wi. The show included guest appearances by Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Robert Cray and Stevie’s big brother, Jimmie, a truly star-studded show. This show was Stevie’s last as he would die later that night in a plane crash. SRV is regarded as one of the best blues guitarists to ever live, and my mom was lucky enough to have followed his career from beginning to end. While this is a rare example, you never know what could happen to that unknown artist performing on a random Friday or Saturday night, so buy the ticket, see the show! In 1982 he was booked to play on a night that was traditionally reserved for acoustic acts, he was booed almost to the point of leaving the stage. In 1985 he returned as the sold out headlining act, check out part of it out hear: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gp8suBGPHQc

3. Watch someone perform their craft

Along with listening to live original music, watching someone create and perform their music right in front of you is often worth the price of admission. I personally believe to watch someone practice a difficult skill or craft is something of rare beauty. The moment when the bass and drums fall back and the lead guitar player drops into a soul touching solo, or the lead singer hits a song’s defining note, are moments that can literally put you in awe. Their talent can pull your attention so closely that you almost fall into a trance because you are so fixed on what they are doing. This intimacy cannot be found in a sold-out arena show, and is another reason why you should experience your local live music scene.

4. Local live music is a personal experience

As I just pointed in reason #3, local live music can be a very intimate and personal experience between the artist and the audience. The venues are often small, including the stage, which allows you to be right up in front of the band. You get to hear and see them as close to the source as possible, and depending on the band this may allow you to interact with the band. They may ask what song you want them to play, hand you a bottle to pass around the crowd, pull you up to sing and dance with them, who knows what! Either way, the experience of being in the front row of a live show is almost always better when it’s a small act. They’ve been practicing, and dreaming about making it big for years, so when you stand in the front row and cheer like they’re a rock star, they might just act like one, and you don’t want to miss that.

When bands play small venues, they don’t run off the back of the stage to an awaiting limo full of groupies. This is for many reasons. They don’t have a limo (they usually have a crappy old cargo van), they don’t have groupies, and they don’t have road crew so they can’t run off and leave all their gear! Because of lack of a limo and groupies, they usually hang out after their set, have a drink, try to sell some merchandise, and talk to the crowd. Now they may not superstar, but if you loved the show and their music, this is a great time to meet them and tell them. It’s always cool to talk to an artist and hear their story, and they like to know the crowd enjoyed the show.

If you play it cool, and the artist or band enjoyed talking with you after the show, you might just be lucky enough to hang with them for the rest of the night. Working at The Chord has afforded me that chance multiple times, and it’s an awesome experience. To get to know them, hear their story, where they’ve been and where the next stop on their tour, is something you don’t forget. Plus, musicians are usually cool and know how to party, if people see you with them they will think you are cool and know how to party!

5. It’s a cheap social outing

Live music is something that people often forget is a great, and cheap social outing. Instead of just going out drinking for the night, to a movie, or whatever the cool kids are doing, think about going to some live music near you. Many towns and cities have free summer concert series that are open for the public to enjoy. Bars and small music venues regularly book great acts with cover/ ticket prices $5 to 20$, depending on the act. And if you really want to immerse yourself, there are music festivals happening weekly, all you have to do is find them and attend! Live music is a great way to change up your normal going out routine. So get out on the dance floor, play air guitar, and sing with the band like no one is watching!

6. Live music is dying!

Finally, with the increase of music streaming- through Spotify and YouTube, the way in which people are discovered and share their music is rapidly changing. The advent of technology is already hurting the live music scene. My father often recalls the concerts he saw back in the late 70’s and early 80’s, Aerosmith, AC/DC, Pink Floyd, The Grateful Dead, and many others where he paid only a couple dollars for a general admission ticket to a national headlining bands concert. Bands and musicians used to tour to support an album, now they release albums to support tours. Now headlining musicians and local acts alike have a very difficult time making a living touring the country like they used to.

My final words on the subject

I hope these reasons have at least sparked some interest or opened your mind to the idea of going to see live music acts near you. Local live music gives you the opportunity to find new artists and original music, and if you are lucky the artist may just make it big someday. Local music is a personal experience that allows you to watch someone perform their craft, interact and often meet the band, all at a very reasonable, if not free price. Lastly, live music is something that helps to fill our lives with creativity and joy, and is not something that we want to see come to an end, so we need to support it.

#MKT400UWL

#TheChord

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songbay · 3 years

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Featured Songbay Artist- Sheena Hope

Feautured Songbay Artist: Sheena Hope

This week we take a look at the work of Songbay lyricist – Sheena Hope. For the second year in a row, Sheena has been a prize winner in the Songbay Lyric Writing Competition.

Sheena Hope

“How did you get in to songwriting?”

I love singing and have been involved in choirs since I was eight years old. I started in a Gaelic choir and one of my first jobs was as a singing waitress at a Jacobean banquet!

I wrote lyrics when I was younger, but never really had the courage to share them. After the death of my mother a few years ago, I become focussed on my writing. I entered lyric competitions and tried to upload my work whereever I could. I was delighted to discover Songbay who finally gave me a reliable outlet for my work. I am currently busy working on new pieces and collaborating with other artists. Although I have no formal training, I am always seeking to improve. I have used Songbay’s Lyric Improvement Service on several occasions. I’ve found their feedback useful in helping me to consider and develop my own unique writing style. For me, writing lyrics is a learning curve, so I just keep writing!

Each day, I discover the importance of the interdependence- ‘wavelength’ between lyricist and songwriter and love the challenge of writing something to a specific brief or about a particular idea. In the case of the recent lyric competition, having to write something based on just a few random words, was a real challenge.

” What are your musical influences?”

I have a very eclectic taste in music and grew up listening to everything from Simple Minds to traditional Scottish music. My husband enjoys 70’s rock so I listen to that sometimes. Sunday mornings, it’s James Taylor or sometimes Ludovico Einaudi. My favourite album at Christmas was Wintersong by Sarah McLachlan-I love her voice. As a chorister, it has to be something by John Rutter. I am also a bit of a musical theatre fan, I saw ‘Hamilton’ two years ago which I absolutely loved. My favourite soundtrack is from a 2019 Canadian musical- ‘Come from Away’.

” What would you say are your achievements as a songwriter?”

Achieving a highly commended award in the Songbay lyric writing competition in 2019 with my lyric “The Walk of Defiance” and then 3’rd prize in 2020 with “The Fire” was a thrill. I know the standard was high and it was wonderful to have my work finally recognised after the many lyrics I had written to get there!

The more I write, the more I want my lyrics to be heard, so a platform like Songbay is a great tool. Through their service, I licensed some of my lyrics to Dutch musician Klass Versteeg. He used three in his last EP, two of these from my Songbay listings and one which I wrote for him based on a photograph he sent to me. He will also be using three more of my lyrics in his next album, including the title piece. One of those lyrics “We” was inspired by the past year’s events and I think is as relevant now as ever.

” Thoughts on the music industry?”

The music industry is crowded and extremely difficult to get into. As a lyricist I think that you just have to be yourself and not worry too much about being ‘commercial’-you just never really know what will spark someone’s interest.

The past year has been difficult for everyone, especially performers, but I think that adversity never really halts creativity.

Thank you to Songbay for their belief in my Lyrics. Let’s all keep positive and keep making music!

‘The Fire’ is the title of Sheena’s lyric that was awarded third place in the Songbay Lyric Writing Competition 2020.

THE FIRE

BY HOPE

The Fire

Verse 1 Do you still hope to meet “The One”? That romcom staple for the young or not so old, or not so single we swipe, we post, we drink, we mingle

Chorus That fierce flamboyant fabulous fire This love we’re sold, we seek, inspire all consuming, blazing bright Our shield against the fading light

Verse 2 Maybe you’re waiting, scared of the spark More afraid to burn than of the dark Don’t be shy, just walk your own track until you discover love reflects back

Chorus That fierce flamboyant fabulous fire This love we’re sold, we seek, inspire all consuming, blazing bright Our shield against the fading light

Verse 3 We’re all searching, in our own way Just trying to cast life’s original play I hope you’re lucky, I hope you’ve found That connection, your silence in sound

Bridge time, experience and maturity lessen the chase, the hunt, the great obsession finding peace via true loves ramble There’s the warmth that’s worth the gamble

Chorus That fierce flamboyant fabulous fire This love we’re sold, we seek, inspire all consuming, blazing bright Our shield against the fading light

Verse 4 You may choose and be happy solo or where you walk, someone will follow As darkness falls, lay down your armour Our lives revealed by the fading embers

Last Chorus That fierce flamboyant fabulous fire This love we’re sold, we seek, inspire but finding peace via true loves ramble There’s the warmth that’s worth the gamble

Lyric Sheena Hope

If you would like to learn more about Sheena’s work or wish to contact her regarding songwriting collaboration or lyric writing work, please use the link below:

Sheena Hope’s Artist Page at Songbay >>

Featured Songbay Artist- Sheena Hope was originally published on Songbay Music and Lyric Sales

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ulyssessklein · 5 years

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“How I thrive after 15 years as a DIY musician”

Yael Meyer’s 6 keys to independent music success.

The impossible dream.

When I first decided to make music for a living it was as much an act of passion as it was an act of defiance. I grew up in Chile, a very small and conservative country at the bottom of the world, listening as much to Michael Jackson and Madonna as to James Taylor and all the folk greats from the 60’s and 70’s. I was born in the 80’s and grew up during the 90’s, and before the MP3 in a country far away, stardom felt like an impossibly distant dream, and my knowledge of music artists consisted of only what was readily available on the radio or on MTV.

In my world, it was almost unheard of for someone to become an artist or to make a living making music. The industry in Chile was, and still is to this day, very small. In terms of opportunities, all eyes were set on what was happening outside the country rather than inside the country. As such, my greatest aspiration was to leave and pursue an elusive dream, knowing full well that there would be absolutely no certainty, no sureness of success, and on the contrary, more chances of failure than achievement.

So I decided, in an act of trust, a bit of lunacy and a lot of defiance, that I would prove everyone who ever told me that this was a dead end, a bad idea, impossible to do or that I should go to law school instead and study something much more socially acceptable, that they were wrong. At 17 I applied for a scholarship to the only place where I wanted to study: Berklee College of Music.

For a South American girl like me, the mere idea of leaving my home country to pursue music was disruptive and ambitious, so when I received news that I was invited to audition for a scholarship in Argentina, I told my parents matter-of-factly that I would be traveling in a few weeks. I hadn’t sorted out how I would get there, but somehow and for a reason I am still not sure of to this day, I knew I had to go, whatever it took, and was determined to make it happen. That scholarship had my name on it, it’s just that others didn’t know it yet.

To my parents’ credit, out of all the adults around me who believed I was insane, including my teachers and everyone else within my parents’ circle, they supported me and didn’t doubt my choice or my path. They traveled with me to the audition and celebrated with me a few months later when I received the news that I got it.

When you make a choice that goes against the norm there will be those who are inspired by it, and those who feel threatened or challenged by it. This is something I have encountered over and over again at several points in my life and have come to realize that this is usually the case for most artists, and something that we all at some point need to become comfortable with.

Berklee was an incredible experience. I met people from all over the world and my music taste and knowledge grew exponentially. I had a chance to play with musicians from different backgrounds who were a lot better than me, form several bands, and write and record two records.

Music school and music business

Music school certainly made me a better musician, but it did not teach me how to make a living making music. I realized years later that this happens in most professions. School educates you in your chosen career, but learning how to earn a living from it kind of happens on the job. The issue with a career in music is that it has no defined path or form to follow. Everyone pretty much makes up their own way.

When you graduate from a traditional school, say law school, you know that if you find a job at a law firm and you are good at your job, in a few years you will make partner. If you are really good several years down the road you may even become name partner or possibly be recruited by a larger firm. There is a corporate ladder to climb.

In the music industry there’s just a lot of mumbo jumbo, not a whole lot of direction, several different stories (everyone has their own) and usually within those incredible success stories there is always something missing from the official account which leaves out an essential component of how it all happened.

How the heck does Jane Doe from small-town-Louisiana all of a sudden become such a huge superstar? There’s a part of the story that we are never privy to, that happens undercover and behind a silk curtain, and young aspiring artists and musicians are left to the wolves to fend for ourselves, figuring it all out without much direction.

Coming up in an industry that was going down

At the time that I decided to make music for a living, the industry was pretty much falling on its head. The MP3 had just come out. Napster had been shut down. Apple was coming out with its first iPod. Record labels were frightened. Nobody knew where this was heading and big companies were reluctant to invest in new acts, because you know, the industry was crashing.

I had several friends signed to major labels at the time, and I would often hear all these horror stories of how they got signed and then the label never released their record. They were stuck in a deal unable to get out. They had no support from the record label and couldn’t release their albums, because the masters didn’t belong to them anymore. I didn’t want this to happen to me. So I made a decision then and there to stay independent for as long as possible, to own my masters, my publishing and my career and see how far I could take this thing on my own. And I did.

Owning your own career in the middle-class music economy.

There’s this idea of the struggling artist and then there’s the idea of becoming a huge star, but in reality there is a whole world in-between, a world where artists are making a living making music, on their own terms, at their own pace, creating their own market, without anyone breathing down their throats.

Is it hard? Absolutely. Impossible? Not really. It takes an incredible amount of dedication, strength and certainly a high tolerance for risk. It is not for the faint of heart, especially today.

The digital revolution has brought with it many great things. It is more affordable and more accessible than ever to make music. You don’t need huge budgets to make a record. It has also made getting your music out there a lot easier. Anybody can release music online and reach a global audience through social media and online-specialized media, blogs, Internet radio, etc.

However, the digital age has also made it a lot more challenging to get heard. There is more music out there than ever before, which creates a lot of noise. How do you cut through the noise so that your voice is the one that’s heard?

Successes and setbacks.

In my 15 years in the music industry as an independent artist I have had many successes and also many setbacks. It is difficult sometimes when you devote so much time and effort to pursuing your goals, to savor the fruits of your labor, precisely because it has taken so much work to see any fruits at all, but looking back I have a lot to be proud of.

I have toured and traveled to many places in the world as a solo artist, with my band and with my kids as a family (I am a mother of two) and I’ve played some of the largest music festivals out there (Lollapalooza, SXSW, Sziget). Music has taken me to places such as Cuba, Argentina, Australia and Germany, and I’ve had the chance to write with amazing songwriters from several countries, getting songs cut in Australia and China (even translated to Mandarin!).

My songs appear on TV shows, movies and adverts in the US, UK, Korea, Chile, and Macedonia, having been licensed to TV shows like Teen Mom, Private Practice, Parenthood, Reign and The Rain and adverts for brands such as Blackberry, Massimo Dutti, and Ralph Lauren. They also play at retail stores I don’t even know, in places I have never been to. Friends often send me videos of them in random situations with my music playing in the background while on hold with Jet Blue, while shopping at a chain store in Panama or while sitting at a Starbucks in London.

I’ve won awards both as an artist as well as an entrepreneur (somewhere along the road I ended up building and heading my own independent record label, sync company and publishing house), and I’ve been featured in some of the most influential magazines and music outlets out there (Spin Magazine, KCRW, PASTE Magazine, Relix, the LA Times etc), while securing several government grants to fund both my businesses and my career.

However, for every success there have certainly been many more defeats. For every one door that has opened before me, there have been another 99 that closed before that very one opened, sometimes opening just enough for me sneak in before it closed again. I’ve had many setbacks and frustrations, and encountered more than my fair share of rejection.

Learning from the lows.

Yet setbacks, as painful and frustrating as they are, are never in vain; they form a big part of what it means to be an entrepreneur, no matter your chosen profession.

As clichéd as it sounds, every failed experience gives you knowledge you didn’t have before, enabling you to get further ahead the next time around. Still, many times along the way I have wanted to quit.

I read once a line attributed to Banksy that said: “If you get tired, learn to rest, not to quit.” I also heard someone say once, “The ones who make it are not the most talented ones, they are simply the ones who didn’t give up.”

I try to remind myself and other artists of this, so when the grind gets too much to bear, I remember to take a step back in order to continue moving forward. No matter how many accomplishments or how much experience you have, you will always need dedication, strength and a high tolerance for risk to open new doors and reach new heights.

Tapping into that same fire that fueled me to pursue a music career almost 20 years ago is key to continuing to pursue the many dreams I have yet to accomplish and the many things I have yet to achieve. After 15 years of doing this on my own, on my own terms and through a lot of trial and error, I’ve gained a wealth of information that now allows me to begin each project from a better standpoint every time around.

So if I can give anybody any advice, it would be the following:

1. Educate yourself on the music industry as much as possible.

Today we have the Internet and there is no better tool out there to become educated. Nowadays there’s no excuse not to learn something if you are truly interested. So take courses, reach out to musicians you admire and take them out for coffee, ask them questions, learn from their experience.

Pick 1-2 artists you admire and learn as much from their journey as you can, read books, interviews and watch documentaries. Go to music markets and conventions, meet people in the industry, talk to everyone, take their cards and follow up. Don’t be a nag, but be polite and perseverant.

Stay curious, be voracious and soak up as much knowledge and experience as you can.

2. Become a better entrepreneur, not just a better musician.

If you want to make a living making music you must really treat this as an enterprise, not just a job or a career. This is your own start-up and you must think of yourself as the CEO. As such, educate yourself on entrepreneurship, marketing, business and leadership.

Building solid teams and finding people to work with that complement your strengths and weaknesses will be key to developing a successful business. None of us are good at everything, but we are all good at something, so know your strengths and make sure to find people to work with who are great at those things you are not.

Write a solid business plan and break it into small achievable steps so that every day you are working towards the goals you want to accomplish. Do at least one thing every day that brings you closer to where you want to go.

3. Be proactive.

Every now and then you will get a lucky break, but for the most part not a lot will be handed to you on a silver platter. So be proactive and seek out opportunities.

Like I said before, reach out to people you admire. Most may not get back to you, but some will. Ask questions. Always ask questions. If possible, find a mentor, someone who has gone down this path before and can trickle down some wisdom.

Remember to be resilient. Many doors will close before you. It will be hard not to be deterred by this, but if you remember that every door that closes leads you one step closer to the one that will open, you will be able to move on from disappointment much quicker and continue moving ahead, looking for the next opportunity.

4. Fuel your fire.

Remember why you decided to do this in the first place. Continue to fuel the inspiration, motivation and joy de vivre that sparked the fire within you that pushed you to pursue this dream.

There will be times when your energy will wane and inevitably you will want to give up, so it is important to find things that keep inspiring you and motivating you when you don’t feel you have it in you. Whether it is listening to interviews by artists you enjoy, going to live concerts, rehearsing with your band, playing live shows or maybe taking time off to take a step back and become re-inspired by life, do what you need to do to fuel your fire.

5. Stay defiant.

There will always be naysayers and people who will try to deter you from your path or convince you that it is too hard, or impossible. What you think is much more important than what anyone else thinks. So as long as you are not hurting anybody, keep walking your path, which is yours and only yours to follow.

6. Fail a lot.

There’s simply no way around this one. You must fail a lot in order to succeed. Failure ain’t fun, it’s annoying and it’s frustrating. But remember, when you were a toddler you fell on your bum many, many times before you learned to walk and you did it with a smile on your face. Now you don’t even remember the many times you fell and walking eventually becomes second nature.

The best learning experiences come to us by trying and failing. Most successful entrepreneurs had several failed business before they hit the nail on the head. Failure is simply part of the journey to success. So embrace the setbacks, regroup and continue moving forward.

..and lastly, above all, don’t give up.

Yael Meyer is an American-Chilean independent artist, producer and entrepreneur, owner and co-founder of KLI RECORDS.

She has developed an online music business course, based on her experience and knowledge as an independent artist and entrepreneur in the music biz. The course is tailored specifically for DIY artists, songwriters, musicians, producers, DJs, managers and anyone in the industry interested in learning more about how to develop a successful career in the music industry.

For more information or to sign up, you can reach her at [email protected] or visit the following link HERE.

The post “How I thrive after 15 years as a DIY musician” appeared first on DIY Musician Blog.

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maryseward666 · 7 years

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GOJIRA Frontman Hopes METALLICA Fans 'Will Take Away Something Cool And Original And Refreshing' From Seeing His Band

RARE BLACK METAL COLLECTIBLES

Guitarist/vocalist Joseph Duplantier of French progressive metallers GOJIRA was interviewed on the June 9-11 edition of Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show. You can now listen to the chat using the Podbean widget below. A couple of excerpts follow. Full Metal Jackie: You built Silver Cord studio [in Brooklyn, New York] and recorded [the new GOJIRA album] "Magma" there. And now it's available for other bands to use, yes? Joseph: "That's correct, yes. It's a great place. It's a place that we built around that album, the 'Magma' album. We knew the kind of vibe we wanted, the kind of room for drums, 'cause, like all musicians in metal know, that's the key, really, to a good album is to have the proper room to record drums. So we kind of built the whole studio around that, so it's definitely a rock/metal studio. But it has, like, this '70s vibe and stuff. I knew from the start if I was gonna do this, I would have to have to work with other bands sometimes and try to find clients for the studio to be able to pay the rent and stuff. So I'm doing it. It's a bit of a pain. It's difficult, because between tours, I have to take care of the studio a lot, but I'm getting to a point where it's really, really cool now and we have a lounge area and we have two different control rooms, a live room. I have a few people helping me, and it's really cool." Full Metal Jackie: "Magma" opened the door for GOJIRA to incorporate different musical ideas and try different techniques. Why was this album the time for you to change the definition of what your band does? Joseph: "It's something that's a bit hard to define or to explain. It's like when you need to go to the bathroom. It's just time. It's just time. You're just going. [Laughs] We never sat down around a table and decided, 'Okay, it's time to do new stuff or to change or to calm down on the music.' It was just like a completely natural, organic thing. And we still argue a lot in the band; we bring up ideas and sometimes the rest of the band doesn't like them. So there's always this common ground that we have to find between all of us, and 'Magma' is the common ground between the four of us at that particular time. So that's what it is — it's like being spontaneous and being natural and trying to find the common ground in the band. And we're lucky enough to have that same desire — to be more mellow, I guess, and more melodic too, and more emotional. We've always been very emotional, you know, but this time more than ever." Full Metal Jackie: Joe, you took chances with "Magma", which paid off, of course; the album was very well received. How has that reaction made playing so much of it on tour even more rewarding? Joseph: "It's so incredible what's happening right now. The two last tours we did, the two last headline tours — the one in the States we did in October, I guess, and the one we just did in Europe — were both incredible. We played venues that we played before opening for bigger bands, and all of a sudden we were headlining these venues and more people are into the band. And that's probably thanks to a few of the songs on 'Magma', like 'Stranded' and 'Silvera' and 'Low Lands', even 'The Shooting Star'. They're kind of challenging, but way easier to understand than the intense death metal we were playing before that, and I'm really glad it worked out. At first, a part of me was a bit concerned, like, 'Our fans are gonna be so disappointed, because they want that crazy, technical energy, in-your-face kind of thing.' But at the same time, I was, like, 'If they're disappointed, it doesn't matter. The only thing we have to do is stay true to ourselves.' So we were a little tense when it came out, and few comments were, like, 'Ugh, oh my God.' But then, now something is really taking shape — we're feeling more and more comfortable with the new songs, and I'm not scared to sing anymore onstage, I go for it. And it's great. It's really great. It's a journey." Full Metal Jackie: GOJIRA lyrics have always reflected spirituality, which isn't the typical message of most metal bands. What makes metal a good vehicle for transcendent ideas? Joseph: "Hmm, I don't know. For me, it just makes sense. There's something super free about metal. You know, the whole gore, satanic imagery that you see in metal a lot of times is, in a way, like science fiction. There is science-fiction aspects to metal. The music is really like 'Back To The Future'. Metalheads like to try things that are a bit alien to more traditional genres, and I think, for me, it means also imagination, spirituality, trying to invent worlds through music, and I like all of that. I like the freedom that I feel when I listen to metal. You can say anything you want, you can swear, you can talk about the most horrible thing. There's no limits when you listen to metal, and to me that is what it does — it makes me wanna talk about whatever I want to talk [about], and spirituality is… I guess you could do that with any kind of vehicle, you know? It could be through cinema, it could be through different genres of music, but for me it's metal. And there's no rules, really. I love metal, I love talking about spiritual stuff, so, for us, it's how it is." Full Metal Jackie: GOJIRA is going to be touring with METALLICA this summer and that tour is going to introduce GOJIRA to lots of people who don't know the band. What's the biggest thing you hope people take away from seeing you for the first time? Joseph: "I hope they will see an original band. I hope they will see something they've never seen before; it could be subtle. And the energy and our sound, I hope they will take away something cool and original and refreshing, 'cause I know METALLICA draws a huge crowd. They have the old-school metalheads, they have the new fans, and then there's almost like random people that don't know anything about metal but they know METALLICA, they know a few hit songs. And I hope that these people will be, like, 'Oh, wow! What is this?' Maybe they never went to a death metal show and they're just here for the big hits. I hope these people will experience something original. We're not able to bring the full production and all that, so we're a bit limited, so it really comes down to the songs. So we're just gonna try to play really well." To see a full list of stations carrying Full Metal Jackie's program and when it airs, go to FullMetalJackieRadio.com. Full Metal Jackie also hosts "Whiplash", which airs every Sunday night from 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. on the Los Angeles radio station 95.5 KLOS. The show can be heard on the KLOS web site at 955klos.com or you can listen in on the KLOS channel on iHeartRadio.

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creativesip-blog · 7 years

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The 101 Most Useful Websites On The Internet

According to the survey conducted in September 2014, it was estimated the existence of over one billion websites on the internet. And, the survey further revealed that the number increases every second. With a lot of sites out there, at times it gets difficult for each one of us to locate a resource site that canfulfillour needs. Therefore, we have brought to you, list of 50 websites that you can use for any intellectual research, creative project, or simply for fun.

1. screenr.com –Enables you to record movies of your desktop and send them straight to YouTube 2. ctrlq.org/screenshots - capture screenshot of web pages on mobile and desktops. 3. goo.g1 - shorten long URL and convert URLs into OR codes. 4. unfurlr.come - find the original URL that's hiding behind a short URL. 5. OClock- find the local time of a city using a 6000. 6. copypastecharactercom - copy special characters that aren't on your keyboard. 7. postpost.com - a better search engine for twitter. 8. lovelycharts.com - create flowcharts, network diagrams, sitemans, etc. 9. iconfinder.com - the best place to find icons of all sizes.

10. office.com - download templates, clipart and images for your Office documents. 11. lowupthen.com - the easiest way to setup email reminders. 12. jotti.org - scan any Suspicious file or email attachment for virus. 13. wolframalpha.com - gets answers directly without searching. 14. printwhatyoulike.com - print pages out the clutter. 15. joliprint.com –Enables you to reformat news articles and building content as a newspaper. 16. ctrql.org/rss - a search engine for RSS feeds. 17. e.ggtimer.com - a simple online timer for your daily needs. 18. coralcdn.org - if a site is down due to hem, traffic, try accessing it through coral CON 19. random.org - pick random numbers, flip coins, and more. 20. pdfescape.com - lets you can quickly edit PDFs in the browser itself. 21. viewer. ztho.com Preview PDFs and Presentations directly in the browser. 22. tubemogul.com -simultaneously upload videos to YouTube and other video site. 23. ctrlq.org/dictation mine vote recognition in the browser itself. 24. scrim - share you email address online without worrying about span. 25. spypig.com - now get read receipts for your email. 26. sizeasy.com - visualize and compare the size of any product. 27. mytonts.com/WhatTheFont - quickly determine the font name from an image. 28. google.com/webfonts - a good collection of open source font. 29. regex.info - find data hidden in your photographs - see more RIF tools. 30. liv.tream.com - broadcast events live over the web, including your desktop screen. 31. 'want myname.com - helps you search domains across all TLDs. 32. hom.tyler.com - design from scratch or re-model your home in 3d. 33. join. me - share you screen with anyone over the distance. 34. onlineocr.net - recognize text from scanned POFs – see other OCR toots. 35. fligh.tats.com - Track flight status at airports worldwide. 36. wetransfer.com - for sharing big files online. 37. hundredzeros.com - the site lets you download free Kindle book 38. polish mywriting.com - check your writing for spelling or grammatical errors. 39. marker.to easily highlight the important parts of a web page for sharing. 40. typewith.me - work on the same document with multiple people. 41. whichdatework.com - planning an event? find a date that works for all. 42. everytimezone.com - a less =fusing view of the world time zones. 43. gtrnetrix.com -the perfect tool for measuring your site performance online. 44. note, ight.com - print music sheets, write your own music online (review). 45. mo.im - chat with your buddies on Skype, Facebook, Google Talk, etc. from one place. 46. translate.google.com - .slate pages, PDFs and Office documents. 47. kleki.com - create paintings and sketches with a wide variety of brushes. 48. similarsite.com - discover new sites that are similar to what you like already. 49. wordle.net - quick summarize brig pieces of text with tag clouds. 50. bubbl.us - create mind-maps, brainstorm ideas in the browser. 51. kuler.adobe.com - get color ideas, also extract colors from photographs. 52. liv.hare.com - share your photos in an album instantly. 53. Imgtfy.com - when your friends are too lazy to use Google on their own. 54. midomi.com - when you need to find the name of a song. 55. bing.corNimages - automatically find perfectly-sized wallpapers for mobiles. 56. faxzero.com - send an online fax for free - see more fax services. 57. feed myinbox.com - get RSS feeds as an email newsletter. 58. ge.tt - quickly send a file to someone, they can even preview it before downloading. 59. pipebytes.com - transfer files of any size without uploading to a third-party server. 60. tinychat.com - setup a private chat room in micro-seconds. 61. privnote.com - create text notes that will self-destruct after being read. 62. boxth.com -- track the status of any shipment on Google Maps 63. attemative. chipin.com - when you need to raise funds online for an event or a cause. 64. downforeveryoneorjustme.com - find if year favorite website is offline or not? 65. ewhors.com trod the other websites of a person with reverse Analytics lookup. 66. whoishostingthis.com - find the web host of any website. 67. google.corNhistory - found something on Google but can't remember it now? 68. aviary.corn/myna - an online audio editor that lets record, and remix audio clips online. 69. disp.ablewebpage.com - create a temporary page that self-destruct. 70. urbandictionary.com - find definitions of slangs and informal words. 71. searguru.com - coast this site before choosing a seat for your next flight. 72. sxc.hu - download stock images absolutely free. 73. zoom.it - view high-resolution images in your browser without scrolling. 74. scribblernaps.com - create custom Google Maps easily. 75. alertful.com - quickly setup email reminders for important event 76. picrnonkey.com - Picnik is offline but PicMonkey is an even better image editor. 77. formspring.me -you can ask or answer personal questions here. 78. sumopaint.com - an excellent layer-based online image editor. 79. snopes.com -find if that email offer you received is. or just another scam. 80. typingweb.com - master touch-typing with these practice sessions. 81. mailvu.com - send video entails to anyone using your web cam. 82. timer' me.com - create timelines with audio, video and images. 83. stupefl ix.com - make a movie out of your images, audio and video dips. 84. safeweb.nortc,n.com - check the trust .1 of any website. 85. teuxdeux.com - a beautiful to-do app that looks like your paper dairy. 86. deadurl.com - you'll need this when your bookmarked pages are deleted. 87. minutes.io - quickly capture effective notes during meetings. 88. youtube.corWleanback Watch YouTube channels in IV mode. 89. youtube.com/disco - quickly create a video playlist of your favorite artist. 90. talltweets.com - Send twee. longer than 140 characters. 91. pancake.io - create a free and simple website using your Dropbox account. 92. builtwith.com - find the technology stack of any website. 93. woorank.com - res.ch a website from the SE0 perspective. 94. mix1r.com - broadcast live audio 95. radbox.me - bookmark online videos and watch them later (review). 96. tagmydoc.com - add OR codes to your documents and presentations (review). 97. notes.io - the easiest way to write shat text notes in the browser. 98. ctrlq.org/html-mail - send rich-text mails to anyone, anonymously. 99. fiverr.com - hire people to do little things for $5. 100. otixo.com - easily manage your Wine files on Dranbox, Google Dorn, etc. 101. ifttt.com - create a connection between all your online accounts.

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