Tag Archives: Review

MusicVault – Rating Albums Old & New Using Twitter

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MusicVault

Name: MusicVault:
URL: http://www.musicvault.fm

Recent events have shown us that Twitter can make or break any movie. Upon seeing theatrical release, “Bruno” was slammed by twitterers and died an instant death. Conversely, movies like “Inglorious Bastards” and “District 9” were lauded on the micro-blogging universe and became that kind of picture you can’t miss unless you want to stop being invited to top parties.

Now, does Twitter have the same strength when it comes to music? Well, it looks like we are about to find it out. This brand-new service lets people tweet out the name of any album they have just listened to along with a rating. These are then aggregated on the site, and you can quickly learn which albums are universally praised. You do also get to see the most active users at a glance, and you can obviously start following them right there and then.

It is interesting to point out that once you are on the site you can choose to see either the best-rated discs or the worst-rated albums ever. It seems somebody who holds a grudge against Mike Oldfield is around – he gave “Music Of The Spheres” an overall score of 1 %, whereas his rating for “The Millennium Bell” was 2 %. There was also someone who gave Oasis’ “Heathen Chemistry” an overall score of 30 %. And I swear it wasn’t me! Continue reading →

August Rush (Movie Review)

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August Rush Movie Poster 1

"August Rush" Is A True Fairytale Set In Our Days. The Movie Was To Be Nominated For An Oscar For The Song "Raise It Up".

Those who ever pick a guitar, those who ever sit in front of a piano or behind a drum kit, those who stand up mike in hand are doing it not because of fame, becoming immortal or hitting the cover of magazines. Any musician truly worth its salt steps on a stage because there is something he just can not communicate otherwise, in the same way that a writer or a painter expresses a part of him through his art – a part that he could not convey by other means.

Nowhere is this reminded with so much grace and virtuosity than in “August Rush” (2007). In the movie, music creates life. A boy is born to classic performer Lyla (Keri Russel) and rock musician Louis (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) in a night of passion. Fate then separates the two of them. Lyla still decides to have the baby, but her father is against it because it would hinder her career as a cellist. When she has an accident, he gives her newborn away for adoption, naming him Evan and telling Lyla her child has died. The boy (played by Freddie Highmore) is to eventually embark on a journey to find his parents. He is going to make them listen to him, turn his life into a melody they could never pass by.

That is the basic premise of “August Rush”, the closest to a fairytale set in the modern world I have ever seen. Don’t approach it looking for a rationale or feasible plot because you will be cringing within half an hour. However, if you believe that music is more than something to be played at the background during parties or casual events, “August Rush” will be in your wavelength. And if you are a MusicKO regular, I think I know where you stand. Continue reading →

Once (Movie Review)

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"Once" Stars Glen Hansard And Marketa Irglova. The Movie Was Released In 2007, And It Was Written And Directed By John Carney.

"Once" Stars Glen Hansard And Marketa Irglova. The Movie Was Released In 2007, And It Was Written And Directed By John Carney.

Talk about dark horses to the ones who produced “Enchanted”. The same year that Disney’s musical was competing for three Oscars for best original song at the 80th Academy Awards, a down-to-earth number from a low-budget release named “Once” stole the prize in their noses. The song was named “Falling Slowly”, and it was performed by the film’s protagonists, Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova.

I am uncertain if I would have learned about the movie were it not for Glen and Marketa’s performance that night. And I can tell you for sure that missing this title (written and directed by John Carney) would have been a great, great loss. Continue reading →

Moon: The Life And Death Of A Rock Legend (Tony Fletcher) – Book Review

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Moon

Without a doubt, this is one of the best biographies I have ever set my eyes on. This edition was first published in 1999 by Spike. The enthusiasm and integrity of biographer Tony Fletcher drives the book along its 40 chapters, and he takes upon himself to demolish a myriad of myths and legends along the way.

The Beachcombers were not a surf band. Keith’s audition did not take place as we were always told. His 21st birthday party was exaggerated. But Fletcher has a deft way of bringing some much needed light into a life that was to be incredibly aggrandized, explaining how these fabrications are really secondary to Keith Moon as a man and as a musician like no other. Continue reading →