David Archuleta, who was thought to be a sure look to
Thursday 4 September 2008
Friday 15 August 2008
New 'Magic Flute' has shadows and light
VIENNA, Austria �
Good voices, virtuoso music from the orchestra pit, fanciful costumes and comic touches that had the hearing laughing out loud were the highlights of Sunday's new
Thursday 7 August 2008
N.E.R.D., Seeing Sounds Album Review
N.E.R.D. - Seeing Sounds Album Review
According to Pharrell, the old N.E.R.D. track record 'Fly or Die' was intended to be a "kaleidoscope of sounds" merely in reality failed to depart from the realm of the kitsch; directional a passing glance toward their colorful influences only never imparting more than gentle pastiche. Thankfully, 'Seeing Sounds' is such a bold and all-encompassing statement of the N.E.R.D aesthetic that a telescopic lens might not be enough to view this other worldly, interplanetary sonic wonderment.
The step to the fore in category is partly explained by the fact that the bubblegum, playground-skit personas that Pharrell and Chad reserve for N.E.R.D. are for the number one time merged with elements of their Neptunes production day job - something that the pair had fought hard against in the early part of their career, opting to re-record debut record 'In Search of.', replacement their touch production with the live instruments of power-pop band Spymob. Although the casimir Funk guitar riffs and frat boy sensibilities remain, 'Seeing Sounds' augments the live band ethical motive by providing some much needed Neptunes magic on the drums, bass and guitar.
The full Neptunes mould is smartly withheld and just enough is unleashed to tease out the range of instrumentation without swallowing the hyper-active party atmosphere. 'Spaz' is held together by a plucked acoustic guitar loop and restless d 'n' b beat normal, the impression of which is effortlessly and brilliantly remodelled by shifting synths and some well placed cuts. Pharrell's boyish individual delivery on 'Yeah You' is underpinned to capital effect by some delicate double bass and a hypnotizing flamenco-esque hi-hat/shaker regular recurrence.
Add this to the fact that the songs are just of a better standard than on previous records and you have a piece of work that finally reconciles the divergent strands that were disjointed on late efforts. The full-on double bass and thunderous membranophone assault of lead single 'Everybody Nose' seems to have been on the whole fired by a rather serious-minded blogosphere, but Neptunes connoisseurs will apprise the spanking bass brake drum in the verse and the delicately handled lip shots portion along the piano in the crack-up. Those of us wHO would simply like to dance to it will be ineffectual to stop. The unappeasable funk of 'Killjoy' rekindles the spirit of Off The Wall-era Quincy Jones and once more underlays the playful exterior with some tricky cymbal and cowbell production.
The album is not devoid of filler - the guitar drone of 'Happy' is Janes Addiction-by-numbers and the swirling psychedelia of 'Sooner or Later' works until the point you make its startling affinity with 'Sowing the Seeds of Love' by Tears for Fears. However these are understandable blips on a record that attempts and by-and-large succeeds in invocation a self-contained and seductive sonic universe on each separate call. The crowning glory of 'Seeing Sounds' is the achievement of a uncommon thing: An album that is both impossible to take gravely and impossible to traverse serious praise.
More info
Friday 27 June 2008
Sergio Mendes, Encanto
Sergio Mendes is one of popular music's most remarkable figures. The Brazilian master of both jazz piano and Fender Rhodes organ has spent his lifetime popularizing Brazilian samba for the West while interpreting pop hits (specifically by The Beatles but he's covered many, many others) as jazzy, bossa nova numbers. For a period in the late-1960s and early-1970s he sold huge numbers of records internationally: there was a lush, exotic quality to Mendes best music that made it popular in bars, clubs and holiday resorts. The 1990s found both a growing interest in Brazilian music and in the easy listening music of the 1960s: Sergio, of course, being a member of both camps. Suddenly advertisements and movies were licensing old Mendes tracks and he sounded very hip indeed.
So much so that Will.i.am, leader of pop rap outfit The Black Eyed Peas, co-produced Sergio's 2006 comeback album Timeless. By positioning the Peas, and especially frontwoman Fergie on certain tracks and their accompanying videos, Timeless got much greater airplay than anything Mendes had done for decades, or indeed in possibly his entire career. Why break a good formula? With Encanto (Enchanted) Mendes is back with Fergie on the opening track, and Will.i.am also pops up a couple of times. Fergie's contribution is a reworking of the Bacharach-David classic The Look Of Love, which has long been in Sergio's repertoire. Unfortunately, but perhaps unsurprisingly, her attempt at rapping Hal David's sublime lyrics brings nothing new to the song.
Yet don't let you put this off the album: the Americans are here to attract the attention of the iPod generation, but most of Encanto finds Sergio with Brazilian accompanists (Carlinhos Brown, Vanessa Da Mata) and such old friends as Herb Alpert and Natalie Cole. The result is a very pleasant album of bossa and samba with some contemporary pop touches. Sergio remains a master of the Rhodes and as the UK hits summer he'll once again provide a soundtrack to cocktails and tapas.
See Also
Saturday 14 June 2008
The Game's L.A.X. Gets Pushed Back
The release of The Game's third solo album, L.A.X., has reportedly been pushed back two weeks.
L.A.X. was originally slated for release on July 8th but acccording to Rap-Up, the album will now be hitting shelves on July 22nd.
L.A.X. will feature appearances from Ice Cube, Busta Rhymes and Ne-Yo, among others.
L.A.X. was originally slated for release on July 8th but acccording to Rap-Up, the album will now be hitting shelves on July 22nd.
L.A.X. will feature appearances from Ice Cube, Busta Rhymes and Ne-Yo, among others.
Sunday 1 June 2008
Tarantula A.D.
Artist: Tarantula A.D.
Genre(s):
Indie
Discography:
Book of Sand
Year: 2005
Tracks: 10
Weekend Ticketing: Tina Turner, Stevie Wonder, Def Leppard, Celine Dion, Carrie Underwood
Saturday 24 May 2008
Frank Zappa
Artist: Frank Zappa
Genre(s):
Rock
Jazz
Rock: Jazz
Rock: Fusion
Chorus
ROck: Alternative
Experimental
Electronic
Vocal
Instrumental
Other
Blues
Avantgarde
Rock: Electronic
Discography:
Ensemble Ambrosius- The Zappa Album
Year: 2000
Tracks: 15
Muffin Men Plays Zappa
Year: 1999
Tracks: 21
Cucamonga
Year: 1998
Tracks: 14
Cheap Thrills
Year: 1998
Tracks: 13
Have I Offended Someone?
Year: 1997
Tracks: 15
Lost Episodes
Year: 1996
Tracks: 30
Frank Zappa Plays the Music of Frank Zappa: A Memorial Tribute
Year: 1996
Tracks: 7
Strictly Commercial
Year: 1995
Tracks: 19
Hot Rats
Year: 1995
Tracks: 6
Burnt Weeny Sandwich
Year: 1995
Tracks: 9
Apostrophe
Year: 1995
Tracks: 9
Sonora - An Italian Progressive Music Magazine
Year: 1994
Tracks: 6
Civilization Phase III
Year: 1994
Tracks: 41
Yellow Shark
Year: 1993
Tracks: 19
Easy Rider Generation '71
Year: 1993
Tracks: 14
You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore. Vol. 6
Year: 1992
Tracks: 37
The Yellow Shark
Year: 1992
Tracks: 19
Erdbeben In Munchen '80
Year: 1992
Tracks: 13
Donna You Wanna '77
Year: 1992
Tracks: 10
You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore. Vol. 4
Year: 1991
Tracks: 34
Anyway The Wind Blows '79
Year: 1991
Tracks: 20
Weasels Ripped My Flesh
Year: 1990
Tracks: 11
The Eyes Of Osaka '76
Year: 1990
Tracks: 19
Electric Aunt Jemima '69
Year: 1989
Tracks: 7
Guitar
Year: 1988
Tracks: 32
Uncle Meat
Year: 1987
Tracks: 28
Jazz From Hell
Year: 1986
Tracks: 8
Fz Meets The Mothers Of Preven
Year: 1985
Tracks: 10
You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore. Vol. 3
Year: 1984
Tracks: 25
Thing-Fish
Year: 1984
Tracks: 22
Them Or Us
Year: 1984
Tracks: 14
The Perfect Stranger
Year: 1984
Tracks: 7
Francesco Zappa
Year: 1984
Tracks: 17
Does Humor Belong In Music
Year: 1984
Tracks: 10
The Man From Utopia
Year: 1983
Tracks: 11
Lso
Year: 1983
Tracks: 11
The Best Band You Never Heard
Year: 1982
Tracks: 28
Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch
Year: 1982
Tracks: 2
Ship Arriving Too Late To Save
Year: 1982
Tracks: 6
Make A Jazz Noise Here
Year: 1982
Tracks: 25
Broadway The Hard Way
Year: 1982
Tracks: 17
Baby Snakes
Year: 1982
Tracks: 8
You Are What You Is
Year: 1981
Tracks: 20
Tinsel Town Rebellion
Year: 1981
Tracks: 15
Shut Up And Play Yer Guitar
Year: 1981
Tracks: 20
Sleep Dirt
Year: 1979
Tracks: 7
Sheik Yerbouti
Year: 1979
Tracks: 18
Saarbrucken 1979
Year: 1979
Tracks: 17
Orchestral Favorites
Year: 1979
Tracks: 5
L.Shankar - Touch Me There
Year: 1979
Tracks: 8
Joe's Garage Acts 1-3
Year: 1979
Tracks: 19
Joe's Garage Act II III
Year: 1979
Tracks: 7
Joe's Garage
Year: 1979
Tracks: 19
Zappa in New York
Year: 1978
Tracks: 15
Studio Tan
Year: 1978
Tracks: 4
Lather (Fragments)
Year: 1978
Tracks: 7
Fz In New York
Year: 1977
Tracks: 15
Zoot Allures
Year: 1976
Tracks: 9
One Size Fits All
Year: 1975
Tracks: 9
Bongo Fury (Live)
Year: 1975
Tracks: 9
Bongo Fury
Year: 1975
Tracks: 9
You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore. Vol. 2
Year: 1974
Tracks: 20
Roxy and Elsewhere
Year: 1974
Tracks: 10
Overnite Sensation
Year: 1973
Tracks: 7
Apostrophe - Overnite Sensation
Year: 1973
Tracks: 1
Waka - Jawaka
Year: 1972
Tracks: 4
The Grand Wazoo
Year: 1972
Tracks: 5
Just Another Band From La
Year: 1972
Tracks: 5
Just Another Band From L.A.
Year: 1972
Tracks: 5
Grand Wazoo
Year: 1972
Tracks: 5
Jean-Luc Ponty - King Kong
Year: 1971
Tracks: 6
Fillmore East June 1971
Year: 1971
Tracks: 11
Fillmore East June '71
Year: 1971
Tracks: 11
200 Motels
Year: 1971
Tracks: 34
Playground Psychotics
Year: 1970
Tracks: 57
Chunga's Revenge
Year: 1970
Tracks: 10
Cruising With Ruben and Jets
Year: 1968
Tracks: 13
Ahead Of Their Time
Year: 1968
Tracks: 20
We're Only In It For The Money
Year: 1967
Tracks: 19
Lumpy Gravy
Year: 1967
Tracks: 2
Absolutely Free
Year: 1967
Tracks: 15
Freak Out
Year: 1966
Tracks: 15
20 Years Of Frank Zappa CD9
Year:
Tracks: 7
20 Years Of Frank Zappa CD8
Year:
Tracks: 8
20 Years Of Frank Zappa CD7
Year:
Tracks: 10
20 Years Of Frank Zappa CD6
Year:
Tracks: 5
20 Years Of Frank Zappa CD5
Year:
Tracks: 11
20 Years Of Frank Zappa CD4
Year:
Tracks: 7
20 Years Of Frank Zappa CD3
Year:
Tracks: 19
20 Years Of Frank Zappa CD2
Year:
Tracks: 8
20 Years Of Frank Zappa CD12
Year:
Tracks: 12
20 Years Of Frank Zappa CD11
Year:
Tracks: 9
20 Years Of Frank Zappa CD10
Year:
Tracks: 8
20 Years Of Frank Zappa CD1
Year:
Tracks: 10
Frank Zappa was one of the most completed composers of the rock era; his music combines an understanding of and appreciation for such modern-day classical figures as Stravinsky, Stockhausen, and Varèse with an heart for late-'50s doo guinea stone & roll and a facility for the guitar-heavy rock that henpecked pop in the '70s. But Zappa was besides a ironist whose reserves of contempt seemed bottomless and whose sinful sense of humour and absurdity possess captivated his numerous fans, regular when his lyrics crossed over the broadest bounds of taste. Finally, Zappa was possibly the most fertile record-maker of his time, turning extinct massive amounts of music on his possess Barking Pumpkin label and through distribution deals with Rykodisc and Rhino after long, unhappy associations with industry giants like Warner Brothers and the now-defunct MGM.
Zappa became concerned in music early and pursued his studies in school day, up through a six-month stint at Chaffey College in Alta Loma, CA. He scored a couplet of low-budget films and used the money to buy a low-budget recording studio. In 1964, he coupled a local band called the Soul Giants, which, over the line of the adjacent deuce years, evolved into the Mothers, world Health Organization played songs written by Zappa. The band was sign-language to the Verve division of MGM by manufacturer Tom Wilson in 1966 and recorded its number one album, a two-LP set called Junkie Out!, which introduced Zappa's interests in both serious music and crop up as well as his vituperative wit. (Verve insisted on adding "of Invention" to the band's list.)
Subsequent albums extended the melodious and lyric themes of the debut, and they came oft. Three albums, for case, hit the charts in 1968: We're Only in It for the Money, a Mothers album that made play of flower people and Sgt. Pepper; Chunky Gravy, a Zappa solo album recorded with an orchestra; and Cruising With Ruben & the Jets, on which the Mothers played neo-doo greaseball. Toward the end of the '60s, Zappa expanded the Mothers batting order, turn more toward implemental jazz-rock, much of which displayed his technically completed guitar playing. But by the end of the decennium, he had humiliated up the band.
In 1970, however, Zappa reassembled a new edition of the Mothers, featuring former Turtles lead singers Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan as frontmen. The batting order stirred the group more in the focussing of X-rated comedy, notably on the album Fillmore East: June 1971, just it was short-lived: during a performance at the Rainbow Theatre in London, Zappa was pushed from the stage by a demented fan and severely injured.
Piece he recovered, Zappa released respective albums, and so he re-formed the Mothers with himself as lead vocalizer and made pop/rock albums such as Over-nite Sensation that were among his best-selling records ever. By the end of the '70s, Zappa was recording on his possess labels, distributed in some cases by the majors, and he had attracted a consistent religious cult following for both his sense of humour and his complex music. (Zappa's band, in fact, became a breeding ground for high quality rock musicians, a lot as Miles Davis' was for jazz players.)
In the '80s, Zappa gained the rights to his old albums and began to reprint them, at low gear on his own and then through the pioneering Rykodisc CD label. He wrote his autobiography and embarked on a world duty tour in 1988. That was the end of his live playacting, leave off for such obscure appearances as one in Czechoslovakia at the invitation of its post-communist president, Zappa fan Vaclav Havel. In late 1991, it was confirmed that Zappa was seriously ill with cancer the Crab. Nevertheless, his agenda of album releases continued to be speedy. Zappa died in December of 1993, with a phone number of posthumous releases to follow.
Lee Ryan - Lee Ryan In Court Over Road Rage Incident
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