Thursday, November 26, 2009

This entry has no title

Does anyone read this? Have you been wondering why there hasn't been a blog post for a while now? Most likely no one has wondered about this.

Composing under the name 0x1 this is what has been taking up any of my free time and there's not much of that. Yes, it's the shameless self-glorifying plug.

Work In Progress by 0x1

Friday, June 19, 2009

Alternative To RIAA Members' Released Music

If you would like to find an alternative to music released by members of the RIAA(that draconian gang of thugs that demand $80,000 a song from anyone who might have distributed such for what they sell for $1 on iTunes and the Record Label members that cheat 50 to 70% out of their own artists anyway) then here's your chance to check it out while you use your iPhone or iPod-- Jamendo iPhone application. And it's free with no fear of being chased by the RIAA for millions of dollars. Oh, you don't have an iPhone because that is made by Apple that makes monopolistic deals with other convicted monopolists such as AT&T...well how about one for the Andriod-- The first Jamendo mobile application.

If you would like to know if you are about to buy something new from an RIAA label and are wanting to know if you should just find it used on eBay then check out the RIAA Radar. Oh, yes, and Boycott RIAA!

You can read my other blog posts for suggestions on what to try out on Jamendo and if you are curious what the 100 highest-selling albums on Amazon.com are that are RIAA-safe check out the RIAA Radar Indie 100 (updated every day).

Monday, April 27, 2009

To This Day I Can Not Reconcile The Cover of This Album

I have been enjoying Triplexity now for sometime that I can't really recall how I decided to actually give them a try while scanning Jamendo for something new and good. Nope, I didn't have a trusted friend to wade through the endless duds that people are trying to give away for free(you can download mp3s and through torrent you can get Ogg, Flac and Wav formats of the albums and songs on Jamendo) to pull out the choice gems for me. But, luckily, I did try out Triplexity because they really shine a positive light on this free distribution of music, at least for the listener.

Triplexity is/was a virtual band that has never met in person made up of three members-- Nikila, SaReGaMa and Hamelin Bérengnier. I have been listening to them for well over a year and wonder if they haven't met each other yet. NuJazz is the genre they have been put into, but each individual's background encompasses so much more than Jazz and that comes through in Triplexity. I had posted an IDM video of their's on my facebook months ago and hoped I wasn't giving too much away before I wrote up a blog entry that weekend. If I gave it away, everyone's forgotten by now. It just so happened that I had started playing them on my non-iPod media player last rainy Friday while walking out of my office to meet up to have dinner in Shibuya and remembered what a great band they are and how they have sort of become a sound track to Tokyo for me. Hmm, do you really need me to write up some contrived witisisms to entice you more to try them out? All you have to do is click on the little button below. It's all laid out for you. You don't have to even get out of your seat. Trust me...already...and give them a listen. :-)



After you hear them the cover stops looking like some crazed-70's-hippy's-whacked-out-barter-fair picture. Well, maybe not, but you won't care.

Monday, January 19, 2009

If you are trying to wreck my life, why don't you at least smile and have a good time about it?

OKay! I am a little late on this one myself. I can just hear so many people saying, now, that it sounds like so and so. It may just sound like those guys, but I can think of five others he sounds like too. Shall we give up now? I'm not going to do that because this guy simply rocks.

Brad Sucks started somewhere about 2002. I could be wrong. If you care that much check out the Wikipedia article on him. Brad claims he totally promoted himself by making his music public and giving it away on-line. Is that why I like him. I'm not sure, but I think he has been onto something and I have been missing out. Since there is so much on him already I won't blab on (i want to get back to rockin' out!) other than that this is his most recent second release; you'll want to check out the first one too, i am sure. Yeah, he sounds like Stevie Miller too. So? Starlite Mints' wit and so much more. Being Canadian might be the most disturbing thing though.

  

Saturday, January 17, 2009

On my birthday I caught a train to Thessaloniki

Kostas Vomvolos was the first cool artist I found on Jamendo or the first one I felt was worth downloading for offline enjoyment and to have on my computer. His web site says he composed music for over 80 theater plays working with state,municipal and fringe theater groups in Greece,UK and Ireland, including many Greek tragedies,musicals and new opera pieces, so it is no wonder you could quite easily imagine yourself viewing a Wim Wenders film while listening to Vomvolos. It may just be that he is an accordion and qanoun player, although I have know idea why I say that. His music is more like one of Wender's earlier afairs--kind of long and drawn out and maybe you will never get there, but that's ok; you have nowhere you are really going anyway. This stuff is great for those inside days you can't go outside to play, so you find a book, study or just make a cup of tea or coffee and want to watch the rain fall outside your window.

He has since put up new compositions that are just as fantastic, but I like offering the one I first found. So, here's your boarding pass....have a swell trip...

Monday, December 15, 2008

ミルクティー (Milk Tea)

UA is my Japan. Thriving past a lot of what most would call J-Pop she had often been described as eccentric(the only word the Japanese seem to know for someone who is just a little different to everyone else here). UA isn't actually what most Japanese listen to, but everyone of many age groups know her name and some can recall a song title. For me she is the temperament and hue of rose colored sunglasses I like to view Japan in....(to be continued).

ミルクティー (Milk Tea) 1998
水色 (Color of Water) UA mentions that she first sang this song in Osaka--her roots



ランドリーより愛をこめて (From the Laundry Come Feelings of Love)
数え足りない夜の足音(Counting Isn't Enough Sound of Footsteps
of the Night)



UA -- Long Play ~45 mins. of various UA