Monday, January 3, 2011

30 Years of Roadrunner: Matt Heafy

2010 marks the 30th anniversary of Roadrunner Records, and as we close out the year in celebration, we're looking back on the last three decades with a little help from our friends.


Founded in 1980 in Holland to export albums from the US to Europe, it wasn't until 1986 that Roadrunner opened a New York office and began to release burgeoning bands stateside (see: King Diamond, Carnivore and Whiplash as some of the first signings). Following on from Soulfly/Cavalera Conspiracy's Max Cavalera, Machine Head's Phil Demmel, Slipknot/ Murderdolls' Joey Jordison, Killswitch Engage's Mike D'Antonio, Opeth's Mikael Akerfeldt, and former Coal Chamber/ current DevilDriver frontman Dez Fafara, we're now turning it over to Trivium frontman Matt Heafy to help us recount the past by answering some quick questions survey-style.


See what he had to say below, and stay tuned for the next Roadrunner artist checking in tomorrow.

In 30 years you will be…

Hmmmmm... 30 years from now... I know I'll still be involved in music; hell, in 30 years I won't even be too old so I definitely have no excuse.  Music, I feel is the only thing in life I really know how to do right; granted I don't know theory or the history of music, but I know that I love it.  Whether it's creating, listening, analyzing, performing, and all that- music is always around me and always will be. 

 

Best music moments of the last 30 years...

Countless fantastic moments in music have happened in the last 30 years: good, bad and ugly. But if this is a dedicated interview specifically geared towards the answers I would respond with, for me, the greatest thing that's happened in at least my life-time is having music go from something I saw as a hobby to a full-blown lifestyle. Music has given me everything I have: a band, a job, a family; and I will always deeply respect it for all of that.  So for me, it's being in the band that I am in today. 

 

Highlight of your career thus far

All past events aside, I feel the highlight that stands out the most to me is where we are as a band in creating our new record.  Right now, we have 15.5 songs written already; with vocals, solos, album title, art direction, art directors (who happen to be good friends), video ideas, merch ideas, staging ideas... we have a whole new world in the works for our band.  It feels simultaneously like a new beginning, just as much as it feels like the first real time our band is actually coming into fruition of our own.  

 

Crappiest moment in music in the last 30 years

The "crappiest" is a tricky thing.  There are copious amounts of deaths, mistakes, bad music movements, bad people... the list would be too big if encompassing multiple moments.  Honestly, the principle that music can even have crappy moments is the crappiest moment to me.  Music is the escape from everything else; it shouldn't be another bad thing about the world. 

 

Album from your generation that will be legendary in 30 years

Our next album.  Ha ha.

 

Roadrunner classic album.

Slipknot – Slipknot.  What makes it a classic?  I've talked this CD up for ages, but this is another band that not only inspired me to start up playing music as a kid, but it's a band that still drives me today by doing exactly what they want to do.  

 

Trivium are getting ready to head into the studio to work on their next album due 2011. Stay tuned to trivium.org for updates on their time in the studio.

Source: http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/news/story.aspx?newsitemID=22592

Fountains of Wayne Go Sailor The Weepies Mirah

Sufjan Steven Touring This Fall / Playing Massey Hall on October 13

  photo credit Denny Renshaw
Many hearts are a flutter with the news that the one Sufjan Stevens is touring this fall and taking his show to historic theatres and venues across North America, and yes including a few Canadian dates. He will be in Toronto for a show at the grand old lady of Shuter Street, Massey Hall on October 13. A special presale for fans will take place today(August 10) with a limited number of tickets going onsale and expected to sell out quickly, but otherwise tickets will go onsale through the venues later with some theatres selling tickets on Friday August 13 and others later. To avoid scalping, there is a 4 person ticket limit, and the first 20 rows of seats are WILL CALL ONLY. The first and only time I'd see Sufjan live was back on September 10, 2005 at Trinity St. Paul's in Toronto and having missed out on tickets when he played an intimate, extremely sold-out show at Lee's Palace on October 1 of last year, let's say I'm highly anticipating on getting tickets to his show at Massey Hall this coming October.

So again, the presale is TODAY[Tuesday August 10th,] starting at 1 pm EST. You can see details, dates, and (as of Tuesday 1pm EST) links to purchase tickets here
.

Video: Sufjan Stevens - "John Wayne Gacy, Jr." (live @ Lee's Palace, Toronto, 1 October 2009)
MySpace: Sufjan Stevens

Source: http://mligon08.blogspot.com/2010/08/sufjan-steven-touring-this-fall-playing.html

Matt and Kim The New Pornographers The Pipettes The Long Winters

An Honest Mistake Debut Album

It's finally here!

An Honest Mistake's debut album
Comprises of all the catchy sing along chorus you've heard from our live gigs, now you can listen to it over and over again.




Full color inserts with lyrics to all your favorite AHM tunes





Get your autographed copy today from any one of our band members or drop me a message on Twitter or Facebook.


Stay tuned for the official album launch event happening in the next few weeks.

You're ALL invited!



Meanwhile, we'll be playing at Baybeats Music Festival this Saturday;

Aug, 21st, 6pm
 at
The Esplanade, Singapore



http://baybeats.com.sg/

Come party with us in the Lion City!

Source: http://baldwinchua.blogspot.com/2010/08/honest-mistake-debut-album.html

James Husband Meg and Dia The Sea Urchins Pony Club

Arctic Temperatures Blowing In Audio Christmas Cheer.

In a kind of sadistic way we`re enjoying the current chaos of England`s sudden freakish and wonderfully extreme weather conditions. Even the seasonal stress associated with this weeks Christmas holidays fails to dent our resolve through this winter chill - For us to post audio merriment is unusual, in fact a December rarity. The Poly Styrene Kahn remix continues to drum up important interest in her eagerly awaited Spring album release, i`m pretty sure the original mix is still freely available from Poly`s site. The Boca Chica festive ditty is lifted from Dublin`s Indiecator Records 2010 Christmas compilation, in fact there`s a huge selection of free downloads kicking around there for your listening pleasure - If there`s something there you really enjoy, move on to their buy links and spread some love in the label`s shop. Merry Christmas.

Poly Styrene : Black Christmas (Kahn Remix)
Learn More

Pallers : Arctic Hymn
Learn More and Buy

I Like Trains : Last Christmas
Learn More and Buy

Boca Chica : Not On Christmas Eve
Learn More And Buy

Eric & Magill : I Hear Trumpets
Learn More And Buy

Source: http://mojophenia.blogspot.com/2010/12/arctic-temperatures-blowing-in-audio.html

Saturday Looks Good to Me Television Personalities The Fiery Furnaces Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin

Lady Antebellum Talk Dating, Drunk Dialing and Dylan



To say 2010 is Lady Antebellum's year would be an understatement. The trio kicked things off in January with the release of their sophomore album, Need You Now, and a Grammy win for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group under their belt. The nominations continued, as the band has five nods at both the CMA Awards and American Music Awards next month -- tying them with the number of nods Eminem received for the latter awards show.

I chatted with Lady A's Hillary Scott, Dave Haywood and Charles Kelley at their recent benefit performance in New York about success, songwriting (they've already begun penning a follow up to Need You Now) and why you should put that phone down at "a quarter after one."

What is your songwriting process like?


Dave: If anything, it's really musical. We start a lot with melodies and instrumentation and trying to figure out good melodies for verses and choruses. We get to lyrics sometimes second, so we'll start humming a melody, finding something, and see where the music takes you as far as lyrics are and what you want to say and go from there. We love great melodies and great songs that have great hooks and melodies, so we start a little bit more on that side as opposed to other people that start more lyric-based. Sometimes we'll do it the other way.

For my complete interview with Lady Antebellum, visit The Boot.

Source: http://yousingiwrite.blogspot.com/2010/10/lady-antebellum-talk-dating-drunk.html

Tegan and Sara Monkey Swallows the Universe Heavenly Komeda

Love 'Em, Keep 'Em!

Guess what... I have discovered the music of KISS! And geez, what a great rocking pop band they are. Inspired by my friend, the author of One Chord to Another, I decided to check out KISS a few months ago. So, I got myself some early KISS albums and started listening. I noticed very quickly that the huge fame was well-earned. The albums were packed with gorgeous hard rock sounds with good melodies, even some really nice vocal harmonies...

According to some rumors, Gene Simmons has stated that there hasn't been much magic in making music with KISS. The band is a product and it sells well. Sounds familiar to me... A lot of music from the past decades was targeted to an audience that knew what it wanted ? and the music was made by people who knew what the audience wanted. A good thing is that the product may still sound very good more than 30 years later.

Pictures of KISS still surprise me. That is because I haven't seen visual KISS material all that much.. I guess I have been kept in the dark (or something like that). The band looks goofy! And very goth-glam, I have to admit. KISS has also been known for spectacular live performances. The band's latest gig in Finland was last summer. I didn't go to see the show but the next time I just might do that...

So, I have been listening to KISS, Rock and Roll Over, Destroyer, and a bit of Love Gun. My favorite is Rock and Roll Over. This album also introduced me to the band's other lead singer, Paul Stanley... Well, he sounds really good. Nicer than Gene Simmons, at least. Paul Stanley is an important person also because he is the only other original member who is still in the band. He has also been credited to numerous big KISS hit songs.

To me, listening to KISS is a nice hard rock project. I often have use for groovy, hard-rocking, energetic music like KISS. That's why taking KISS to, say, the gym is simply awesome. You can never get enough of those hard rock riffs, catchy playing, and good songwriting!

KISS website

Source: http://thoughtsonmelody.blogspot.com/2010/11/love-em-keep-em.html

The Wedding Present Hello Operator McCarthy Gentleman Reg

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Gig Updates


Here's some updates of what's has been happening.....


Been touring since March with An Honest Mistake for the series of ELEVATE gigs across 5 cities around the peninsular.






On stage with An Honest Mistake



It's also where my new synth made its first stage appearance






Just a few weeks back, we also played at Youth 10;
Dubbed to be Malaysia's Largest Youth Festival



















The ever supportive crowd rocks!







Hope to see you at these upcoming shows:


17 June - Laundry (10pm)


20 June - Fete de la Musique,The Curve (Piazza) (5:30pm set with Lina Soong &  8pm with An Honest Mistake)


26 June - Urbanscape, KL Pac














Source: http://baldwinchua.blogspot.com/2010/06/gig-updates.html

Feist Sing Sing Great Lake Swimmers Razorcuts

Sundaze 1011 Space Inside Out

Hello, that was fun that space week..but a bit of a non sense...there is no space ! No Earth either, planets , the sun ? All great illusions, it's all a virtual realty, admittedly of a superb quality and i am sure most of you think what's he on about. Yet on a scientific fysics level everything can be reduced to quantumstates and solidity is a joke, it doesnt exist, vibrating energy packets thats about how far we can go, and that in itself is one of the highlights of the relentless scientific drive towards reductionism, but now they have come to a treshold and the next step is one that is bitterly opposed, the idea that our observing consciousness belongs to another realm. Most neurologists today still are busy trying to prove it is a by-product of brain activity, an idea that is deeply embedded in the materialistic/scientific world. This of cause is total nonsense as numerous near death cases have proven, consciousness doesn't need a living body to be aware. You might ask then why would consciousness want a body then..the simple answer is our virtual world offers a wonderfull range of experiences thru our bodies senses and we are able to interact, entertain eachother and express oneself thru many ways, and all on a basicly beautiful planet equipped with a full set of supporting life (plants, animals). The more thoughtful answer why we'd want a body is in order to grow in consciousness as the previously mentioned points enable us to enrich ourselves with experiences, knowledge and understanding.
Alas it aint easy and with governments jailing those that would like to experiment with another brain chemistry, it shows some of the limitations posed by the fearful materialistic classes, many of whom have been deluded by religions.. What is needed is a paradigm shift that establishes consciousness as the driving force of nature, and it's eternal nature. It follows that respect is due to all life as all is an expression of consciousness.. so we should stop raping this planet f.i. , feed not kill eachother, create to enjoy, not to destroy. Some simple examples which, if we'd implement these, would greatly enhance our chances of growing our consciousnesses.........

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Spirit Space - A Journey Into Your Consciousness


Allow yourself to travel even further down the quantum rabbit hole in a quest for answers to age old questions. Discover remarkable possibilities as to what and how our consciousness works with the world around us. Listen to possibilities of what happens to our consciousness before and after death. Challenging Quantum physics theories and how they affect how we perceive the world anciently and today, both spiritually and scientifically. This film acts as a progressive travel log for human life attempting to answer questions that mankind has been seeking since the dawn of thought. What were we before we came here? Why do we need to be here? And what in the world happens to us after we die? Spirit Space also opens cases from individuals who have been hypnotically regressed to a point between lives,after death, and even before birth. Not only does the film grapple with reincarnation, the spirit world, and the nature of the human soul it also tackles equally sticky questions such as Is there a Heaven and Hell? What is a spirit? Viewers with a penchant for skepticism will balk at the lack of physical evidence to back up the claims in Spirit Space, but the film remains a reassuring voice, affirming that our existence is not limited to the boundaries of our mortal flesh.

Who's in it ?
Fred Alan Wolf ( who was featured in the recent hit movie What the Bleep Do We Know?, and The Secret) earned his Ph.D. in theoretical physics. He continues to write, lecture throughout the world and con duct research on the relationship of quantum physics to consciousness. He is the author of 11 books including Taking a Quantum Leap which received the National Book Award. Don Miguel Ruiz Born into a family of healers, don Miguel Ruiz has embraced the centuries old legacy of healing and teaching the nagual and carries forward the esoteric Toltec knowledge. Don Miguel shares the wisdom that resulted in the creation of The Four Agreements. His views of a universal peace are shared in the film, Spirit Space. They provide a spiritual but practical sense to the topics discussed and students of his will appreciate the wisdom and comfort that he shares. Edgar Mitchell Among authors trying to bridge the gap between cience and spirit, former astronaut Mitchell brings unique credentials. Originally scheduled for the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission, Mitchell, as told in this smooth blend of autobiography and exegesis, journeyed to the Moon in 1971 (and generated great controversy over ESP experiments he conducted on the flight).

Spirit Space - A Journey Into Your Consciousness rar 1-3 (306mb)

Spirit Space - A Journey Into Your Consciousness rar 4-7 (334mb)

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Steve Roach a onetime professional motorbike racer born in California in 1955, -- inspired by the music of Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, and Vangelis -- taught himself to play synthesizer at the age of 20, 7 years later he debuted with the album Now, his early work was quite reminiscent of his inspirations, but with 1984's Structures from Silence his music began taking enormous strides, the album's expansive and mysterious atmosphere inspired directly by the the beauty and power of the earth's landscapes to create lush, meditative soundscapes influential on the emergence of ambient and trance. Subsequent works including 1986's three-volume Quiet Music series honed Roach's approach, his dense, swirling textures and hypnotic rhythms akin to environmental sound sculptures. In 1988, inspired by the Peter Weir film The Last Wave, Roach journeyed to the Australian outback, with field recordings of aboriginal life inspiring his acknowledged masterpiece, the double-album Dreamtime Return I. II

After relocating to the desert outskirts of Tuscon, Arizona, Roach established his own recording studio, Timeroom, and in the years to follow grew increasingly prolific, creating both as a solo artist and in tandem with acts including Robert Rich, Michael Stearns, Jorge Reyes and Kevin Braheny -- in all, close to two dozen major works in the 1990s alone, all of them located at different points on the space-time continuum separating modern technology and primitive music. His album roster from that decade includes: Strata (1991), Artifact (1994), Well of Souls (1995), Amplexus (1997), and Dust to Dust (1998). Early Man was released on Projekt in early 2001, followed by one of his many collaborations with Vidna Obmana. His ability to create organic time-altering soundscapes reached a high point on the 2003 four-CD opus Mystic Chords & Sacred Spaces, and has continued since 2006 in his prodigious Immersion series. Recent releases Possible Planet and New Life Dreaming show a return to a more open, breathing sound.

Vidna Obmana is a pseudonym used by Belgian composer and ambient musician Dirk Serries. The name Vidna Obmana literally translates to "optical illusion" and was chosen by Serries because he felt it accurately described the music. He retired the Vidna Obmana moniker in 2007, most of his current work is released under the Fear Falls Burning pseudonym.
Born and raised in Antwerp, Serries began recording experimental noise musics in the late '80s, working solo and in combination with artists such as PBK, exploring the more abrasive side of electronic composition.Beginning with the release in 1990 of Shadowing in Sorrow, however, (the first part of what would come to be known as Vidna's ambient Trilogy) Serries began moving toward an almost isolationist ambient aesthetic, exploring themes of calm, solitude, grief, and introspection in long, moving pieces which tended to chart similar ground as American space music artists such as Robert Rich, Michael Stearns, and Steve Roach

InnerZone

The circle, ripe with cosmic associations, is a most mysterious object. Often representing infinity, the line of a circle does not begin nor does it really ever end - a seemingly endless sequence of events. It is this perplexing concept that Steve Roach + Vidna Obmana are consumed with in their musical collaborations. Throughout the album, the duo conjure up drifting soundworlds that absorb the listener into the flow. But the cyclical nature of this conceptualization is most easily noticed when the musical current picks up and the beats emerge. The ring of rhythms repeat their rapid circuits, surfacing out of the aural fog, breathe, then back down below. Along with the prevailing synthesized sounds, InnerZone features an array of unconventional acoustic sources; distorted, shifted, delayed and otherwise processed - almost beyond recognition. The fusion of Roach's arid ambience and Obmana's echoing caverneque sound creates an interface that merges these contrasting evocations into a realm of unprecedented properties: a subterranean region that possesses an infinite sky, a union of earth and heaven.



Steve Roach & Vidna Obmana - Inner Zone (02 170mb)

1 At The Edge Of Everything (6:08)
2 Strands (8:39)
3 Cloud Space (6:18)
4 Encounter Passage (2:13)
5 Isolation (14:04)
6 Spires (10:39)
7 InnerZone (25:23)

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In 1989, Dr. Jeffrey D. Thompson was approached by representatives working with NASA and JPL to explore a series of powerful recordings which the Voyager I & II Spacecraft had sent back from Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. These recordings seemed to be having a profound effect on the scientists and researchers who were exposed to them. Dr. Thompson was approached as an expert in the field of sound and healing, and especially in his work with "Primordial Sounds.? Primordial sounds are human body sounds and nature sounds formatted in special ways to cause a deep response in the subconscious mind. These are extremely useful in all levels of healing. Could the space sounds actually be Primordial Sounds, also ? from outer space but strangely familiar to us?

Each "instrument" sound you hear in this Dr. Jeffrey Thompson, DC, B.F.A, Audio Program is actually various NASA Voyager I & II, Injun 1, Hawkeye, IMP1 and ISEE 1 space probe planet recordings. They are compressed electronically down to the fundamental harmonic frequency. At this range, the space recordings sound like unique musical instruments.

Using these specially created musical instrument sounds from the planets, Dr. Thompson has created a special series of musical compositions that have the original space recordings. Each is a personal journey into and through our Solar System, into a place strangely alien to us and yet strangely familiar.



Thompson - Space Sounds Music (89 74mb)

01 - Space Sounds Music (33:00)

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Music was in my blood?the mystery, the magic, the emotions fused with the intellect.


Kit Watkins was born to a couple of classical piano teachers in 1953 in Virginia, not surprisingly he studied piano at home from ages 5 through 13. During his teen years, Kit was drawn to rock music and click for larger became a driving force behind a series of local bands, playing organ, synthesizer, and flute, as well as singing lead. By age 18, he was discovering his own writing abilities. He soon joined up with the band Happy The Man (HTM) which was forming at the local university. It was with HTM that Kit honed his skills in composing, performing, arranging, and producing. During its six years, the band recorded five albums, including two produced by Ken Scott and released on Arista Records. In 1979, with HTM unable to get a new record controct Kit got an invitation to join the British band Camel , dissatisfied with his opportunities in the band he left 1 year later, though he did join them on several tours of the UK, Europe, and Japan from 1980 through 1982.

In the early '80s, Watkins began building his own home studio and produced consistently inviting music that draws on his first-rate keyboard skills and his keen ear for sonic detail. Kit?s solo career began in 1980 with the self-produced album Labyrinth, released on his own Azimuth Records label. The album won him 5th place in Keyboard magazine?s Annual Readers? Poll Awards for keyboard album. He recorded and performed with drummer/percussionist Coco Roussel during this period. During the 80s, Kit continued to produce solo and collaborative albums, some click for largerreleased on his own label, while others were picked up by larger independent labels. In the early 90s, Kit formed a new label, Linden Music, which released a number of his new ambient recordings, as well as CDs by Robert Rich, Jeff Greinke, David Borden, and others. When in 96 distribution fell away the label fell too. Unsurprisingly Kit has been a great fan of the internet as artists like him get a chance being heard with all the distribution models available now.

In 2001, Kit performed a milestone concert in Philadelphia for The Gatherings series, hosted by Chuck van Zyl of Star?s End Ambient click for largerRadio. It was Kit?s first performance in 20 years, and his first ever as a solo artist in a new genre. In preparation for this concert, Kit began learning and using an electronic wind instrument as the focal point of his stage performance. He finds this instrument far more expressive and liberating than electronic keyboards, especially for melody and solo work. Coupling his abilities on flute with his many click for largerinfluences by horn and reed players, the migration to the electronic wind instrument has been a natural. The Gathering CDs/DVD are available at the Kit Watkins shop.

Kit Watkins is continuing to record and release new works from his private studio in Brattleboro, Vermont.The music of Kit Watkins can be heard on-line at KitWatkins.com, as well as on such broadcast radio shows as Hearts of Space, Star?s End, and Echoes. Kit Watkins.Com lots of streamed music and even many quality downloads from his discography....excellent website well worth a visit.

This Time And Space

Possessing the probing nature of Spacemusic, the drifting quality of Ambient and the embracing comfort of New Age, This Time and Space is the culmination of an enlightened musical intelligence; one that gives shape to ethereal musical lines, structure to amorphous harmonic forms and, to the listener, a sense of the unique interconnectivity between sound, spirit and the vastness of the universe. This Time and Space is memorable in its ineffable atmosphere, its capacity to cast a spell on the listener while bringing him more intensely into contact with himself. The sounds flow continuously, dissolving any contrasts and unbinding primordial emotions. 7 pieces create a soundworld of perennial beauty and profound tenderness that captures our yearning for deep peace and contentment. You offer here lovely music for meditation and a landmark recording in the [field of] Ambient Healing Music.



Kit Watkins - This Time And Space (03 124mb)

1.Tranquility (4:06)
2.Sacred Honour (6:27)
3.Reflectivity (11:30)
4.This Bliss (5:05)
5.This Time And Space (4:25)
6.Circumference Of One (14:40)
7.Finally Touched (12:42)

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Source: http://rho-xs.blogspot.com/2010/12/sundaze-1011-space-inside-out.html

Language of Flowers Starflyer 59 The Lovely Feathers Tender Trap

Life Listens - Concluding Thoughts

And that concludes the blog series! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. It was fun to go back and really think about what albums have left permanent impressions on me. I'm excited to see what other albums will make their way onto this list. For now, here's the complete list as it stands:

1996 and earlier - Steve Green Discography
1997- Jars of Clay - Much Afraid (1997)
1997- Caedmon's Call - Caedmon's Call (1997)
1998- The Beatles - The Blue Album Compilation (1967-1970)
1998- Burlap to Cashmere - Anybody Out There? (1998)
1999- Dave Matthews Band - Before These Crowded Streets (1998)
2000- Waterdeep - Live at the New Earth (1998) 
2000- 100 Portraits/Waterdeep - Enter the Worship Circle (1999)
2001- Don Chaffer - You Were At the Time For Love (1994) 
2001- Coldplay - Parachutes (2000)
2002- Nick Drake - Pink Moon (1972)
2002- Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2001)
2003- Death Cab for Cutie - Transatlanticism (2003) 
2003- Sigur R�s - ( ) (2002)
2004- Sufjan Stevens - Michigan (2003)
2004- Monarch - The Grandeur that was Rome (2004)
2005- Arcade Fire - Funeral (2004)
2005- Sufjan Stevens - Illinois (2005)
2006- Sigur Ros - Takk (2005)
2007- Soundtrack to the film "Once" (2007)
2007- Radiohead - In Rainbows (2007)
2008- Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago (2008)

Source: http://iguitaround.blogspot.com/2010/07/life-listens-concluding-thoughts.html

The Pooh Sticks NeverShoutNever! Thriving Ivory The Pillbugs

Ministry Of Sound - Disco Anthems Competition... 3 x CD Sets to Giveaway.

Phase two of our Ministry Of Sound CD giveaways. I have another three fabulous CD sets to mail out this week, each crammed full of sixty classic party tunes. Nice early Christmas Present? White suited medallion man or soulful love walrus, there`s gotta be a few tunes here to incite a bout of compromising dad dancing. As usual, send me your name and postal address by midnight 14th November. I`ll randomly pick three lucky winners and start the next Ministry Of Sound Competition. Simples!

"Ministry of Sound continue to raise bars with their definitive Anthems series, with a glittering array of funky dance floor grooves this is seminal collection of some of the most influential and iconic artists of the Disco era. Full of classic compositions with beautiful orchestration and production, this will be another essential purchase over the festive period and beyond. Disco royalty delivered with the unbeatable Ministry of Sound finesse".

Learn More And Buy

Courtesy Of PPR Publicity

Source: http://mojophenia.blogspot.com/2010/11/ministry-of-sound-disco-anthems.html

Reverie Sound Revue Mae Vampire Weekend[1] Young and Sexy

An Honest Mistake Debut Album

It's finally here!

An Honest Mistake's debut album
Comprises of all the catchy sing along chorus you've heard from our live gigs, now you can listen to it over and over again.




Full color inserts with lyrics to all your favorite AHM tunes





Get your autographed copy today from any one of our band members or drop me a message on Twitter or Facebook.


Stay tuned for the official album launch event happening in the next few weeks.

You're ALL invited!



Meanwhile, we'll be playing at Baybeats Music Festival this Saturday;

Aug, 21st, 6pm
 at
The Esplanade, Singapore



http://baybeats.com.sg/

Come party with us in the Lion City!

Source: http://baldwinchua.blogspot.com/2010/08/honest-mistake-debut-album.html

The Rosebuds A.C. Newman Half Man Half Biscuit Velocity Girl

Polvo, Versus @ Lee's Palace, Toronto (August 13, 2010)


  Richard Baluyut of Versus: photo by Michael Ligon

It was a 90's Merge Records comeback as Chapel Hill's Polvo and Brooklyn's Versus took over Lee's Palace last Friday night. The 1990's was my coming of age period in terms of indie rock, and Versus(along with Seam, Aminiature, and Toronto's own Venus Cures All) was one of the the first real indie bands I saw live when they played the El Mocambo in 1995. During that period I started to discover indie record labels such as Merge Records who offered a roster of acts that were extremely exciting, if not musically but also for their D.I.Y. ethic towards touring and recording, and the associated culture of zines that helped to build the indie rock scene one fan at a time. It was a really special period. While Polvo also sprung from that same period, it's not too surprising that I never latched onto them given their tendencies towards math rock(a term I've read they don't like) a genre I was never particular towards, but having seen them live for the first time last week, their musical quality was more than evident.

Lately, I've had a bad habit of missing opening acts, and this time it was Toronto's Soft Copy. One of these days I will catch them. Fortunately I made it in time for Versus who were up next. Taking the stage were core members Fontaine Toups and Richard Baluyut with touring member Margaret White on violin and keyboards. It was was that setup, with Richard and Fontaine on guitar and bass respectively and both on vocals, along with Margaret that performed the first few songs drumless, the songs obviously leaning towards a sparer version of the band than I'm used to hearing.

Richard let it be known to the crowd (which at this point was no where near full as it should have been) that his brother and the band's drummer Edward Baluyut could not make it because he had to go back home as his wife was giving birth to their baby. Fortunately, the opening band Soft Copy's drummer Paul Boddum took over on the spot, having not even rehearsed with the band, and did an admirable job filling in, occassionally at the beginning of a few songs having a quiet discussion with Richard as to what sort of rhythms to play. The band's newest album entitled On the Ones and Threes released this year on Merge is their first record in ten years since their last LP Hurrah, the new LP providing the impetus for touring again and providing much of the setlist. Having not heard the new songs until that show, it sounded like classic Versus - alternating lead vocals between Richard and Fontaine, nice melodies, a little muscle balanced with some finesse in the guitar arrangements, and a good sense of dynamics showing the band are just as adept at subtlety as they are at turning it up. It was the old favourites that I was most excited to hear such as "River", "Blades of Grass" and "Fallow" off of their debut 1993 debut full-length The Stars Are Insane. Obviously there were some people in the crowd that were excited to see the band live again(some who I'd imagine might have been at that same Versus show I was at at the El Mo in 1995) but it was a generally disappointing turnout. Of course they were never the biggest band around even back then and taking a ten year gap between albums doesn't necessarily help either.

There was obviously a reason why Polvo was headlining the night as after Versus' set, the venue quickly filled up comfortably. Having broken up in 1998 and then quietly reuniting in 2008, I presume there were some in the audience who didn't think Polvo would come to Toronto, so for them this show was a special treat. For me, having not really listened to the band at length, it was a history lesson. Not nearly as harsh or dissonant as I expected, while there was not a vocal melody within earshot at least from what I recall, the guitar, bass and drums were presented with mathematic precision that gave the songs somewhat of an accessibility. At times, the instrumentation was less angular, giving the impression of the band on the brink of playing a more conventional rock tune, although for the most part staying the course, and perhaps all the better for it. Whereas crowd reaction during Versus' set seemed sporadic due to the lighter crowd, Polvo induced a generally more enthusiastic response, prompting the band to come back for an encore. The band released their newest album In Prism through Merge Records in September 2009, and like Versus with their newly released album, it looks like they're both here to stay. Polvo and Versus fans are rejoicing everywhere.

Photos: Polvo, Versus @ Lee's Palace, Toronto (August 13, 2010)
MySpace: Versus
MySpace: Polvo

Source: http://mligon08.blogspot.com/2010/08/polvo-versus-lees-palace-toronto-august.html

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