Shuffler.fm – The Pandora.fm Of Music Blogs

Posted on September 23, 2010 by Emilio Pérez Miguel

Name: Shuffler.fm
URL: http://www.shuffler.fm

Shuffler.fm is a site that redefines the way in which Internet radio has always been approached. In a nutshell, it’s like Pandora for music blogs. The site aggregates all the music-related content that surfaces on the blogosphere, and has it arranged by genre on its homepage for you to listen.

Each genre has got its very own channel, and you can jump from one to the other at will. You can also skip songs that start as energetically as Stephen Bishop on downers and find something that can at least make you tap the table and hum along.

It’s important to make it clear that the music featured here is not aggregated from just any old blog. In fact, the music is culled from a curated list of blogs in order to ensure a minimum of quality. And an effort is also made not to present users with duplicate songs. Continue reading →

Where Does The Name “Joy Division” Come From? Was It Chosen By The Band Because Of Nazi Sympathies?

Posted on September 22, 2010 by Emilio Pérez Miguel

Some People Think That The Names “Joy Division” And “New Order” Were Picked Because The Band Had Some Kind Of Nazi Sympathies. That Is A Misconception.

During the Second World War, Nazi officers stationed at concentration camps used the expression “Joy Division” in reference to the younger women imprisoned there – women that they frequently raped.

Ian Curtis, Stephen Morris, Peter Hook and Bernard Sumner settled for that name because all their fathers had fought in World War II. They just wanted a name that had some kind of connection to that armed conflict, as a way of referencing its true weight and how it had touched the lives of their parents.

The fact that the band rechristened itself “New Order” after Curtis died sometimes makes people think that the band had some kind of Nazi affinity – the concept of “New Order” was actively featured in Hitler’s “Mein Kampf”. But that is a mistake. There were no Nazy sympathies of any kind at play. As a matter of fact, the band didn’t even pick the name “New Order” themselves. It was chosen by Rob Gretton, the band’s manager at the time after reading an article on a newspaper about Kampuchea and “the new order” of people living there.

Un Accidente Feliz (Lucas Meyer) – Uruguayan Independent Artist

Posted on September 19, 2010 by Emilio Pérez Miguel

“Un Accidente Feliz” [A Happy Accident] Was Released By Esquizodelia Records In 2009.

“Un Accidente Feliz” By Lucas Meyer (2009)

It is often said (and accepted either willingly or tacitly, but accepted for good) that these works we love the most are the ones we feel we could have created ourselves. Any work of art strikes a true chord when the story that is narrated is one we feel we could have expressed ourselves, using the very same codes and nuances. It applies to books. It applies to movies. It applies to paintings. And it applies to music, the most direct art of them all. The saddest and the most uplifting conveyances are shaped there.

Still, some say that happiness doesn’t really lead to great works. And there is more than an inkling of truth to that. If anything, it explains the sheer number of albums available where the performer pours his despondency in every word and note. The fact remains that ever since singer-songwriters like Joni Mitchell began articulating personal turmoil in a context that vanished all barriers separating a performer from its public, recording albums that bristled and crackled with disillusionment has become a truly common practice.

More than a few listeners might complain there is a superabundance of such albums. But that is tantamount to saying that there is a set limit of possible answers to the questions posed by sentimental relationships. That is why these albums keep on being produced and released. Some will speak more directly to specific listeners than others. Some answers will hold truer poignancy than others.

And I have just found one that says all I’d have liked to say just a couple of years ago, when I wrote my first book, “Once”. It is by Uruguayan musician Lucas Meyer, and it has been issued by independent label Esquizodelia Records. The name of the album is “Un Accidente Feliz” [A Happy Accident], and like every other record released by the label you can download it for free.

Simply put, it is an album that deals with a romantic rupture. Yet, the corresponding rapture is never far away from the singer’s cinematic focus. It’s as if at the edge of the screen something were happening just outside of the camera’s reach. We never get to see it. But we manage to intuit it, and fill in the major gaps ourselves.

The relationship is revised in retrospect through a voice that is equally capable of expressing “La próxima vez/Voy a involucrarme un poco más/Para tener/Algo para recordar” [Next time/I’ll try to get a little more involved/So that I’ll have/Something to remember] and “Con vos/Va a ser mejor/No hablar/De amor/Va a ser mejor/Demostrártelo” [With you/It’ll be preferable/Not to talk/About love/It’ll be better/Just to show it].

And songs like “Estrella Muerta” [Dead Star] and “Palabras De Desprecio” [Words Of Contempt] deal with the incendiary feelings of dismissal that go with any separation. There’s just no way to “Encontrar La Explicación” [Find The Explanation]. But that’s never a deterrent when the damage has already been done.

On a personal note, I really appreciate the album’s economy. It is obvious that Lucas had enough songs to fill 4 discs if he wanted. He decided to keep everything concise. More than a couple of songs clock at little more than one minute. When reviewing Mateo Moreno’s debut a couple of months ago I found myself remarking that less is often more. “Un Accidente Feliz” is a good example of that. Continue reading →

Preview & Preorder Trent Reznor’s “The Social Network” OST

Posted on September 18, 2010 by Emilio Pérez Miguel

You Can Now Preview Trent Reznor’s “The Social Network” OST For Free, And Preorder The Full Album For $ 2.99.

“The Social Network” (an unofficial account of Facebook’s early days) has got everybody interested on the strength of the industry names involved (both David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin are involved). The movie’s soundtrack has been composed by Trent Reznor (best known as the founder of industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails) and producer Atticus Ross (a close associate of Reznor).

The OST (which goes on sale digitally on Tuesday, September 28th) can now be sampled for free. Five tracks can be downloaded here, and you can also preorder the album. Continue reading →

Mark Williamson (Flashbck) – Interview

Posted on September 16, 2010 by Emilio Pérez Miguel

I bet you remember Flashbck, the service for piecing together all the clips and photos taken by you and your friends at any gig that you have attended. It was reviewed last Sunday on MusicKO, and now I am pleased to introduce you to its co-founder, Mark Williamson. Read on to learn how he describes the service, the impact it has had so far and what the future holds in store.

Mark Williamson

Full Name: Mark Williamson
Age: 27
Startup: Flashbck
Position: Co-Founder

PART I

THE STARTUP

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

Flashbck is a new site designed to help you re-live, share & explore live music experiences. Basically, you go to a gig take some photos/videos & then upload them to flashbck which is specifically designed for live music photo/video sharing – so it does some cool stuff like pulls in the bands that were at a festival, the people you went with & where the gig was.

I had flashbck in my mind for a while, I just didn’t know exactly what it was. I go to a lot of gigs & festivals & wanted a way to keep track of them online. When I was a teenager I had a pin-board where I stuck up all of my ticket stubs/setlists and so on. Flashbck is the modern version of that.

The most distinctive feature is that we’re music focused. From our really cool slideshow to the Memory Bank – which is like a pin-board. It looks cool and it’s a great way to track your gig-history!

What was the original launch date?

Sometime in August! It’s a bit of a blur.

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

We’re currently testing the site in a soft launch – anyone can check it out – but we’re planning wider promotional activity later in the year. As we’re in London the focus has mainly been here so far. Spreading the word is key for us, so anyone who feels like shouting about us, great! (you can find us @flashbcktweets & on facebook).

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

We’re adding a lot of new stuff on a regular basis. We wanted to get flashbck out into the wild so our users could help us to understand whether we were heading in the right direction.

On the horizon? Video, integration with other sites & some unique features.

There is a certain tendency to demonize the Internet in the music industry. I think it is all a matter of perspective – it all depends on the uses it is put to. What is your opinion? In which areas has the Internet left an unquestionably positive mark?

My music taste. The web and especially legal apps like Spotify are essentials for me now. I may not be buying albums, I never did spend a lot on CDs, but I’m spending a small fortune on going to see the bands I find on Spotify & on blogs. Continue reading →

Blue (Joni Mitchell) – Album Review

Posted on September 12, 2010 by Emilio Pérez Miguel

The Album That Spearheaded The Whole Singer-Songwriter Craze Of The ‘70s, “Blue” Remains Joni Mitchell’s Most Popular Record To This Very Day.

"Blue" (1971) Remains Joni Mitchell’s Most Popular Record To This Very Day. The Album Brought A Whole New Degree Of Openness Into The Making Of Music.

The album which started Joni Mitchell’s commercially-successful days, “Blue” was also the one album heralding a whole new kind of sensibility. Starting with “Blue”, artists were no longer afraid to expose their failings and vulnerabilities. Music took on a completely confessional nature, and an openness that could be potentially healing but also imminently dangerous for its participants was established.

This could hardly be termed coincidental, of course. The idealism of the late ’60s had not just been challenged – it had been turned on its head. Everything was to become starker as the decade advanced. And musicians began expressing both their inner turmoil and the state the whole industry was in through their art. The results would rank from the too-close-for-comfort “The Who By Numbers” to albums like Dylan’s “Blood On The Tracks”, true artifacts of despondency that would have been out of place in the previous decade – a decade in which it was assumed that music would do nothing but change the world.

As I said when reviewing the “Hits” package, the sparser the instrumentation then the more effective the songs on “Blue” are. “River”, “Little Green”, “This Flight Tonight”… these songs wouldn’t have worked like they did otherwise. The directness of the sound simply highlights the true profundity of the message – the desire to break from the desolation of the whole music business expressed in “River”, the remorse of having given up a daughter for adoption and never hearing from her again as Joni did when she was young conveyed in “Little Green”, the self-flaying doubts upon leaving a loved one behind (as in “This Flight Tonight”)… Joni also looks resentfully on her marriage on the song “The Last Time I Saw Richard”, whereas “California” echoes the unsettling feeling of being in the wrong place at the wrong time expressed by “River”.

And even the songs which could be deemed as upbeat are weighed down by a sensation that brings to mind the old saying, “Happiness is nothing but sadness wearing a mask”. “A Case Of You” is dog-eared by destitution, the lyrics describing a love that is too strong and over-arching for its own good. And “All I Want” is a forceful reminder of how proximate loving is to hatred. In both cases, it seems as if the singer were the kind of person who gives just too much away. People like that always assume that his/her significant other will do the same. And when that doesn’t happen (because it just doesn’t happen – taking emotions for granted is as devastating as it is commonplace), a true circle of recriminations and self-loathing is patterned. Continue reading →

The Worst Cover Band In The World (Video)

Posted on September 8, 2010 by Emilio Pérez Miguel

Boy, to think that I gave up playing the guitar because I thought I just didn’t cut it…

Watching these fellows “playing” a cover of “Sweet Child O’ Mine” just makes me think I made a hasty decision back then…

The Biggest Candidate For The Turkish Rickroll Ever Is Here: “Cilgin” By Ismail YK

Posted on September 7, 2010 by Emilio Pérez Miguel

Ismail YK

Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to the video that has been the talk of the Internet for the last couple of days notwithstanding the fact that it is in Turkish, and the only words that those among us who don’t speak the language will get are “Facebook” and “Internet” . Well, that is more than we could understand from “Hibi no Neiro”, and we all loved it regardless of that.

This particular clip is named “Cilgin” (“Crazy”), and it is performed by Ismail YK. And if it doesn’t become the Turkish Rick Roll, then I am afraid nothing will.

Enjoy!

UPDATE:

This is an English translation of the lyrics to the song.

I went to internet cafe
Logged in to my Facebook page
I called my self “Crazy” (Cilgin)
I’m a member as of now
I met with a sweetheart
We’ve been writing each other everyday
It’s like a medicine to my heart
I become a loving person

She deserves to be be loved
And has beautiful eyes
It’s hard to find someone like her
Everyone is asking how I found

Facebook Facebook I’ve been seeking everyday
Facebook Facebook where I found her
Facebook Facebook It’s a love at first sight
Facebook Facebook I think I’m falling for her

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