Max Bumps - New music from fans for fans

Glenn Case Interview

2009-07-02T12:00:00.003-04:00

Check out the Case No Point Podcast, run by Glenn Case. It's a slick production and on episode 6, Glenn's guest host Brian C. Baer interviews Glenn. It's very entertaining and we love Glenn, who is a music machine. If you're not familiar with his music, have a listen.

Glenn can be found on The Sixty One here.

Each Passing Day free track!

2009-06-30T20:08:00.004-04:00

Check out the newest track from Loren Radis and his band Each Passing Day. It's a free download of an exclusive track.

Download MP3: If You'll be Mine

Here's a video of Loren explaining the free song promotion, in which Microsoft is going to give the band 50¢ per download.

Interview with Flight Crash Companion

2009-06-27T22:04:00.005-04:00

This week I caught up with Evan Cooney, the man behind Flight Crash Companion. He released his fourth album, No New Message, on June 23rd, and it’s currently a free download at his web site.

Max Bumps: So tell us a little about yourself. How did you get started with performing and recording music?

FCC: My dad always had really good taste in music, so I grew up listening to a lot of great records. But it wasn't until probably Nevermind that I got really interested. That record was so raw and different and exciting (at least for my little sanitized world). It was the first time I remember music really making me feel something. After about the 500th spin, I got the idea that maybe I should be making my own and convinced my parents to buy me a guitar. Playing guitar was fun, but it wasn’t until I added other people into the mix that I truly fell in love. I LOVED writing songs and playing. It never got boring, it was never finished, it could always be better. And then, thanks to the home studio revolution, I was able to actually record my ideas and that was it for me. Music was all I wanted to do.

What's behind the name "Flight Crash Companion"?

FCC: It's a little morbid, but the name came to me while sitting on a plane. I thought about the plane going down, and having a minute or two before I die, and this person sitting next to me experiencing the same awful set of emotions and thoughts, and that maybe having someone with me would make it a little less awful. Later it sort of morphed into a metaphor for saying we're all in a slow descent towards death, and there’s a person or thing in your life that could be your companion, and make it a little less awful. So it's hopeful, and morbid.

What other musicians influenced you? I saw that you did a Pink Floyd cover.

FCC: My biggest influences are NIN and Elliott Smith. Between the two of them, you have every range of emotion perfectly covered. I am constantly in awe of Reznor's work. His ability to create these incredibly intense emotional soundscapes within the confines of classically good songwriting is brilliant. So heavy, so dark, so beautiful... And Elliot Smith is so fucking next level, I can't even begin to dissect his body of work. I hate using the term 'genius' to describe artists, but he really is.

What instruments do you play, and what goes into writing/recording a song?

FCC: I play drums, guitar, keys and sing. Each song is approached differently, but they always end up the same -- me obsessing about every stupid detail. "Are the vocals too loud in the chorus, should the snare be 2dB hotter." All the stupid things that no one notices and have nothing to do with good songwriting. All the FCC songs that poeple like were written in about 2 hours, and recorded over two or three weeks. If it's a good song, it comes naturally. It's a big red flag when you start spending 3 weeks working on the second verse lyrics.

Have you found that the more you record, the easier it gets? The response to No New Message seems to be overwhelmingly positive.

FCC: It gets easier and it gets harder. Easier in the sense that you can reuse equipment settings and techniques to achieve similar sounds, but harder in the sense that the more you know about recording, the more you obsess about the sound quality. I've recently decided it's really better to leave all the technical decisions to the pros and focus on the music yourself, but when you're a one man show, you have to be involved in every aspect of the song production. So it's good and bad.

You're incredibly involved on thesixtyone. Has the response from the community changed the way you promote your music?

FCC: My fans on T61 have been incredible. I owe them a lot. Everyone on that site is an avid music fan. I use the feedback from songs to help me determine things like "what should I put in a set," "what should be the single." T61 is the ultimate focus group: informed, brilliant, no bullshit. People on the on the T61 have incredible taste and passion. The guys who created T61 are brilliant, and the people on that site are top fucking notch. I really can't express how much I love it.

What is the song “Mr & Mrs Fader” about?

FCC: That song is actually so all over the place, it's hard to summarize the main message. It covers a lot of FCC topics...pining, decadence, loneliness, drugs, wanting to fit in, the absurdity of human emotion. Out of the 25 or so songs I've released, it's one of the least focused (lyrically) but also one of my favorites. What does it mean to you?

I had this image of a detective investigating a married couple, while at the same time enamored with whatever it is illegal that they're doing.

FCC: Haha, awesome. People’s interpretations are sometimes better than my own ideas.

No way, your ideas are fantastic. Thanks so much for your time.

FCC: This was a lot of fun. Your questions were great!

- Laura Bradford

Video: Fleet Foxes - Mykonos

2009-06-23T12:08:00.001-04:00

Alicia who works with me at Toolfarm posted this new video from Fleet Foxes today. Stop motion paper animation by director and animator Sean Pecknold along with artist/illustrator Jesse Brown for Fleet Foxes. After Effects was used to finish the final sequences.

Making of video:

"Our last 4 weeks stitched together. Mainly timelapse of setting up each shot."

A Conversation with Sum: The Lone Wolf

2009-06-22T11:46:00.001-04:00

All of you from The Sixty One are certainly familiar with SumKid. I spoke with him about his incredible new album with Belief, The Lone Wolf. It is available at iTunes, The Orchard and all over the web and I highly recommend it. It's one of those albums that gets under your skin and you just want to listen to it over and over.

A Conversation with Sum: The Lone Wolf from Michele Yamazaki on Vimeo.

My First Earthquake: new album and video

2009-06-21T20:06:00.004-04:00

You only wish you were as cool as My First Earthquake. The San Francisco indie-rock band, generally known for being awesome, just released their music video for "Cool in the Cool Way."

Their songs are delightfully quirky, and worth a listen for their hilarious lyrics, groovy beats, and fantastic vocals and delivery. Their first full-length album, Downstairs, is out now.

Video: N.A.S.A. - A Volta

2009-06-10T20:53:00.004-04:00

Note: Not Safe For Work (NSFW): Language, nudity, violence (of course, it's all animated and in Spanish!) This is some seriously cool animation. Pretty freakin' amazing work.

Video by Logan, who are most well-known for its work on the Apple iPod Silhouettes campaign. Art by The Date Farmers, aka Armando Lerma and Carlos Ramirez.

I love this quote: "Ingenious beats + more guest stars than 'Love Boat' + Martian booty dancers = the party album of the year" - SPIN Magazine

Here's the "Mocumentary Making of" video:

Extra bonus: MP3 download: Download Treasure Fingers Epicwave remix mp3 of N.A.S.A.'s "Gifted"

MGMT - Kids Video

2009-06-10T00:50:00.001-04:00

I've been waiting for this video, and man, the poor kid in this video is probably scarred for life. Lots of cool scary monsters. Such a great song. Make sure you watch the animation at the end of the video. Lots of fun, trippy cell animation.

Ernesto Remix Competition

2009-06-08T11:12:00.003-04:00

Exceptional Records are excited to announce that, in celebration of the forthcoming Ernesto single 'Bassline', we are giving all of you talented producers out there the chance to remix and rework the song.

Have a listen here: http://soundcloud.com/exceptionalrecords/ernesto-bassline-out-june-29th

Ernesto himself will pick our glorious winner who will be sent an exceptional goody pack which will include a signed copy of the new Ernesto single 'Bass Line', a goody bag of CDs from the Exceptional back catalogue, plus of courseglowing respect from your peers. In addition your mix will be put up as a streamable track on the exceptional web pages with link back to your own website. What better way to show people what you can do?

So...

Just download the zip file from here... http://www.mediafire.com/?4jyyy1jonzy
Get your creative juices flowing
Email your finished work to info@exceptionalrecords.co.uk as a low res MP3 by 6 July, with the subject line 'Ernesto Remix comp'. Include your name, contact number and website address (if any)

Best of luck and enjoy!
From: The good guys at exceptional

Got a spare minute, why not check out Exceptional Records on...

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/exceptionalrecords
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Exceptional-Records/57949048800?ref=ts
Website: http://www.exceptionalrecords.co.uk

Ernesto "Bassline" EP is released on digital download on iTunes from June 29th.

Jonatan Bäckelie aka Ernesto is a 27-year old swedish soul singer from Gothenburg Sweden. He was last seen in action on exceptional records with the mind-bending, jaw-dropping album "A New Blues". When his last album ”Find The Form” was released in Sweden it was hailed by the leading music magazine as ”everything that is good with modern Swedish soul” and ”in his biggest moments, Ernesto makes the listeners pinch their arms”.

Since 2002 he’s been frequently played and supported by Gilles Peterson, Jazzanova, Mr Scruff and girls all over the world. Jonatan has lent his disarmingly soulful vocals and collaborated with numerous producers including Seiji (Bugz In The Attic), Swell Session, Jori Hulkkonen, Beanfield, Plej, Atjazz, Drumagick, Blu Mar Ten, Nu:Tone, Logistics, Kyoto Jazz Massive, Motorcitysoul and Stateless.

The single preceeds his new album ‘Ernesto Sings’, which is due for release on exceptional later this year.

Patrick Wolf - Who Will (Buffetlibre Remix) : Free Download 320 Kbps

2009-06-08T11:09:00.002-04:00

DOWNLOAD: Patrick Wolf - Who Will (Buffetlibre Remix): http://www.buffetlibredjs.net/patrickwolfbuffetlibre.mp3

ALTERNATIVE LINK: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=FDUYOS5O

Format: MP3 (320 Kbps)
Release Date: June 2, 2009

Produced by: Buffetlibre
Mastered by: Sidechains
Artwork: Roboto
Acknowledgements: Radiocontrol

Coming soon: Patrick Wolf - Who Will (Buffetlibre Radio Edit) , Patrick Wolf - Who Will (Buffetlibre Dub Version)

Review: Margot & the Nuclear So and So's, Not Animal

2009-06-05T09:12:00.004-04:00

While you were raking leaves last September, Margot & the Nuclear So and So's released two companion albums: Animal! and Not Animal. The unusually-named, eight-piece band from Indianapolis plays a blend of alternative and chamber pop, and has been compared to The Shins and Arcade Fire.

So why isn't the band more popular? Who knows? The lyrics of Not Animal positively drip with melancholy, and they're so catchy that it doesn't matter. The band blends vocals, guitar, and piano with synth, hand claps, percussion, harmonica, bells, a trumpet and violin. And despite the large number of instruments, the band layers the songs neatly.

Not Animal starts with the soft, dreamlike "Children's Crusade on Acid," followed by the interesting, mellow "German Motor Car" and winding, ballad-like "Broadripple is Burning."

"Holy Cow!" and "Cold, Kind and Lemon Eyes" have some great instrumentation with violin and keys, and the vocals don't disappoint, either. But when "As Tall as Cliffs" finally arrives, you'll wonder why the band held out for so long. It's one of the best tracks on the album, and especially shows off their talent at percussion.

"Pages Written on a Wall," another good track, lures you in with a slow tune and then rises dramatically, favoring the brass and drums and creating an eerie mood. "Shivers (I've Got 'Em)" is also great, if a bit dark--which also stands true for the whole album.

The band is currently on tour in the US.

Flashback Friday: Midnight Juggernauts - Shadows (2006)F

2009-06-04T12:19:00.001-04:00

I am posting this Flashback Friday a bit early, but I heard this song at the DJ booth at Lollapalooza a couple of years ago, before the iPhone and Shazam, and I couldn't figure out the musician for the life of me! I loved the psychedelic-electronic sound. Since then, it has been my quest in life to find out the band. A lot of my friends think Pearl Jam is the greatest band ever, so they're no help on music questions like this. I couldn't even google it because I didn't know the title. I was just playing a Pharrell Mix (Sunny Fall Mix) and it was there, on my iPod all along. Shazam to the rescue! (I know, you probably knew the song all along!) I'm so excited about my newfound knowledge that it's getting posted a day early. Awww yeah.

The band is Midnight Juggernauts, a Melbourne, Australia-based band, and now that I have that information, I can finally sleep at night. I need to check out their full catalog.

I checked out the video, directed by Krozm, and it has some crazy futuristic Tron thing going on in a small piece, making it worthy of a post. I love the prismatic shapes coming from the instrument. Krozm has also done vids for some of my other favorites: Cut Copy, Architecture in Helsinki, Van She.

Total Eclipse of the Heart - The Literal Translation

2009-06-04T01:30:00.002-04:00

A few posts ago I was ranting about how current videos are not all that interesting and videos from the 80s were bizarre and awesome. Here's the PERFECT example of surreal and strange from the 80s, retold in a completely hilarious manner. Seriously I thought I was going to pee my pants it's so funny.

TheSixtyOne Guide for Musicians

2009-06-01T21:22:00.002-04:00

Bryan Hazard of Color Theory has written a great article to help musicians get started and have a presence on TheSixtyOne.com. It's his favorite music site (and mine), and he has great advice.

Read the article: What artists should know about thesixtyone .

A Conversation with Garcia Freundt

2009-06-01T17:34:00.003-04:00

I was contacted about the band Modernage about reviewing their album Sirhan Sirhan. The music is fantastic, with sort of a Joy Division feel, but with much more warmth and melody. What really struck me, though, was the cool video. I had recently been complaining about how videos nowadays just seem like a way to market a band and there's a lack of art in a lot of music videos. The music video for the song Creatures uses stop motion with wired up stuffed toys. What is also great about Creatures is that the video was created by a band member. I talk with the multi-talented Garcia Freundt of Modernage, musician and visual effects artist.

MY: You did an amazing stop motion video for your band Modernage for the song Creatures. Do you have a background in photography and video?

GF: I've been working on tv and film for about 12 years. I've never been into photography, just took a couple of classes in college, but I'm thinking of buying a still camera but mainly to work more on stop motion.

MY: Have you done much stop motion work? This looks like a huge undertaking.

GF: This is my second project with stop motion. I've always liked stop motion because it is a unique medium. I fell in love with the textures of the environment and the not-so-perfect movements. My opportunity to explore this medium for the first time was last year, when I was asked to develop some Halloween IDs for a TV cable network. I instantly knew that it would be a great opportunity to create a bizarre world... the short length of the pieces - 10 to 12 seconds - was perfect for a first timer using this technique.

Another reason I like stop motion is the fact that you don't have to work with a lot of people. It's kinda like sculpting and painting, it's very different that normal filmmaking. Roberto Vasconcelos, a great DP I love to work with, worked with me on all the shots with the yellow background, but that's the only person I had to work with.

MY: One shot in the beginning that grabbed me was the change of focus from the rocker to the marble. There's a lot narrow depth of field shifts thought the video, actually. Was that type of effect something you pulled off in camera or in post?

GF: That change of focus was done just with the camera. I was using an HVX200. For the stop motion, I just used the feature in which the camera takes only 2 frames each time you press the record button. In that rack focus I was rolling at 24fpsand with one hand out of the frame I was moving the rocking chair and with the other one I was turning the focus wheel. In general, I've always loved a narrow depth of field and using mainly close-ups to tell stories, and it's easier to get a narrow depth of field when using tight close ups.. so it just works for me.

MY:I'm guessing you took large images and did your pans and zooms in a program like After Effects. Can you talk a bit about your post production process?

GF: Almost all the pans and zooms were done with the camera rolling at 24fps. I tried to stay away from moving the puppets while doing camera moves... maybe for the next project.

MY: What type of plug-ins do you like to use? For the film effect for example, did you use a plugin on that or use some other method to achieve the old film look?

GF: For the film look I just put a vignette (to give it a more fairy tale look) and just added some grain to reduce the sharpness of the video.

MY: Nice particles too!It looks like you shot a portion of it over greenscreen too. You really have a lot of different techniques in a single video!

GF: The only 3 sequences with post effects where done with Motion; the first one is the ball going up and turning into a "planet". The second was the pink puppet going up to the planet (the puppet was on a green screen). The last one was a composite the grey puppet looking at the pink one who is in the planet. The star field is a Motion particle.

MY: I love Motion particles. They're so easy to use and so fast. I'll admit, I've only done stop motion work once and it was in college. It didn't turn out too well. I know stop motion can be tedious work... everything must be so precise. Do you have any methods that you use to time things out?

GF: It really didn't take me a lot of time to do the filming, maybe 20 to 25 hours. The post didn't take me that much either, just working on the three composites I described earlier. With stop motion you don't do much editing, because you don't do any coverage - its very time consuming; you just plan every scene and know in you head how it's going to cut. However, the pre-production part was the longest one but to me the most fun - it took me 5 months, working whenever I had a chance; this involved designing and sewing the puppets and building and painting the set. I guess I didn't want it to end because I love doing stuff with my hands.

MY: So, the dolls... did you put wires inside to get them to pose or did you have another technique?

Yes, I used wires. Now I'm actually learning how to make proper dolls with armatures. The dolls I made were very rudimentary, and I had a lot of problems making them stand right or to have controlled movements...it was a bit of a nightmare, but a learning experience.

MY: How long did it take to make the video? Did you learn any good tricks?

GF: Over a period of seven months, working on it whenever I felt like it. If I had worked on it not taking breaks, maybe 20 days for pre-pro, 6 days for filming and 5 days for post. I started working on it long before the song was recorded. For me, like everything I do, it is just a stepping stone: don't make the same mistakes and build on the good things. I learn by doing.

MY: The opening scene reminds me of something by The Brothers Quay? Do you have any influences in your work? That moving potato is very creepy! The "eyes" look like tentacles.

GF: Yes, among my favorites are the Quay Brothers, Henry Selick and the works of czech animators like Jirí Trnka and Jan Svankmajer. I included the potato cause I always like the "eyes" that grow on them. It gives the potato character...

MY: What do you do in the band?

GF: Keyboards, guitars...and the videos.

MY: When you do a video like this for your band, does everyone have input or do you just do what you envision?

GF: I enjoy doing videos for Modernage mainly because I love the music. I love Mario's lyrics because he has a great sense of storytelling. When I heard the track I felt that it would be good for stop motion. I do most of my creative thinking in bed, right before going to sleep, when my mind is in that weird half-sleep state. I developed the main story line in my head and on the next band rehearsal I showed Mario, the singer, the IDs I had done using this technique, to see his reaction and propose to do a stop motion video for "Creatures", since he was the one who wrote the song. After I showed him the IDs, before I proposed anything, he said: "that's exactly what we should do with Creatures!".. and with that I started working on it.

MY: Have you done other videos as well?

Creatures" is the fourth video I've done for Modernage. I've also done one for a band called "Santos Renuentes" and another one for "Union Cell".

The other 3 Modernage videos are here if you wanna take a look:

7/9/12 video for Modernage's 7/9/12 from the EP Sirhan Sirhan.
Bella - The second video-single off of Modernage's debut EP Receiver.
Four Eleven - The first hit video off of Modernage's 'Receiver' EP.

MY: Thanks so much for the interview. Best of luck with your music and music video careers! I really love your video work. You have a lot of variety in your style and you're so talented in both fields.

GF: Thanks again!

Video: The Crystal Method - Drown In The Now

2009-05-29T13:34:00.002-04:00

Directed by Alexandre Moors and Jessica Brillhart. Here are some excerpts of an interview the directors did for Flavorwire.

Flavorwire: Tell us about the concept behind the video. It has some echoes of Sin City/The Spirit - was that intentional?

Alexandre Moors: Kind of. The label definitely referred to it at the beginning. They liked the black-and-white urban animated style that would fit within the Crystal Method album aesthetic. But, from the beginning, we aimed at taking it somewhere fresh and unique.

Flavorwire: What was the process involved in creating the animated world?

AM: The video came out of the UVPHACTORY studio, and that's kind of what we do there, mixing live-action, 2D animation, and 3D elements - merging all these different components into one world. The trick is to make it seamless. In that way, I particularly appreciate how the live-action (Matisyahu) works within the graphics. He really blends it together and creates this iconic presence.

Jessica Brillhart: Yeah, it was a definitely collaborative effort. Alex and I came up with the groundwork, and then our team of 2D/3D animators and designers took it from there, with us pointing annoyingly at their screens, spewing whatever we thought worked or didn't. I suppose that's an obvious part of the process.

The Crystal Method - Drown In The Now from IgnitionVM on Vimeo.

The Crystal Method's new video, Drown In The Now (featuring Matisyahu) from the May 2009 release, Divided By Night.

Album Review: Quiet Company

2009-05-28T22:34:00.012-04:00

If you're into the indie music scene, you've probably heard of Quiet Company. Their sophomore effort, Everyone You Love Will Be Happy Soon, came out in March. And yes, all of their songs are as blissful as the title.

But the band combines their cheery attitude with witty, well-delivered lyrics and cascading piano melodies. They'll please most pop and rock listeners, and have a unique sound that shines through the catchy music. The album kicks off with an expedition in search of love in "A Nation of Two," then winds its way through the playful "It's Better to Spend Money Like There’s No Tomorrow Than Spend Tonight Like There’s No Money."

And yes, Quiet Company does like long titles. But while the names of the tracks might be hard to read on your MP3 player's tiny screen, the songs are certainly easy on the ears.

The album primarily celebrates romantic love, but the band takes a few interesting twists and turns along the way. One of them is "My New Year's Resolution Is to Cope With My Mortality," a humorous take on fears of the afterlife.

They get back on track with a series of sunny songs, including "Well, the Truth Is…," one of the best songs on the album, and "On Husbands & Wives," a sweet exploration of a relationship.

"How to Fake Like You Are Nice & Caring," another great track, buzzes with synth melodies and strong vocal harmonies, then fades into the quiet, windswept instrumental "When I Am Empty, Dispose of Me Properly."

At 15 tracks, this outstanding album is jam-packed with sound, and when it finally winds out, it will leave listeners wishing for more. But there's certainly plenty to hear, and the album gets better on a second (and third, and fourth...) listen.

Everyone You Love Will Be Happy Soon is available for streaming and purchase on the band’s web site, and almost all of their songs are up on thesixtyone.

Video: Placebo - For What It's Worth

2009-05-26T01:07:00.001-04:00

A bit reminiscent of the IKEA scene in Trainspotting, this video has some great tracking and just looks really slick. Directed by Howard Greenhalgh. I saw them in 1998 or so in Chicago and they opened for some band. I really can't remember the headliner. We left about 3 songs in, as I came to see Placebo. I remember that the power went out during Placebo's set, which is something that I've never experienced at a concert before. They were awesome.

Placebo - For What It's Worth from Placebo on Vimeo.

Bat Bites: Music Videos... Art or Marketing?

2009-05-24T23:04:00.004-04:00

My husband and I have the laptop hooked up to the plasma screen and we're watching music videos. It's very interesting how music videos have evolved from the height of MTV to the current day when you have to seek them out on YouTube or other places online, unless you're into hip hop videos and watch VH-1 at 8am (we're too cheap to have the extended cable with video channels ;-)

Today's videos just don't seem to have the same heart. The editing is much faster, the graphics are slicker but I sort of miss all the weird imagery (and bad synth) of the 80s... like She Bop from Cyndi Lauper and Safety Dance from Men Without Hats and Take on Me from A-Ha. Rock of Ages and Photograph from Def Leppard are 2 favorites. Other honorable mentions are Ratt's Round & Round and Guns & Roses Welcome to the Jungle. Hot for Teacher by Van Halen... now that was a great video! Okay, you've caught me... hair bands are a guilty pleasure.

It seems like it's tough to get a good video seen these days. With desktop editing systems so inexpensive any band can create a slick music video. Back in the day, an Avid would cost $50k, now you can get a full Final Cut Studio suite for $1300. Adobe's stuff is around the same cost. Render times are shorter, effects are more powerful. In my opinion, this has a lot to do with the glut of uninteresting music videos. All you need is to make your band look cool... who needs a good concept just a quick video at the release of the song... something to upload to MySpace.

I know, I sound like the crotchety old man yelling at those damn kids to get off my lawn, but there are a lot of good videos out there, you just have to know where to look. Here's one new video that I really dig: Ida Maria's I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked. Besides being a fantastically catchy tune with a great title, this has some fun 80's style motion graphics (and that speak to me... haha). I love the color scheme and the newsprint type dots are great over the green screen footage.

I thought I'd share a few places I get my music video fix online.

IF:MV - probably my favorite site for new music videos
Feed Here - Great resource for vfx and motion graphics, and often have some great music videos.
MTV Music Video Picks
Antville - A huge list of the lastest music videos that are user submitted.
Video Static - News about what's in production and links to videos that are just out.
Dazed Digital - Music, fashion and more. Nice site as well.
Daily Motion - New videos and older ones, and lots of French people on the site... nothing wrong with that of course, it just makes it tough to understand the comments if you don't parle vous.
QOOB - Italian site with lots of good stuff.

If you have favorite sites you visit, please post the link in the comments. Also, if you're looking for any video editing or visual effects software or plug-ins, come talk to me. I am the czarina of video plug-ins. I am not kidding. That's an official title.

American Idol... um... yeah....

2009-05-20T20:55:00.005-04:00

I'll admit, this is the first time I've watched American Idol all season and I'm tuning in an hour into the finale.

I've realized that "frilly" singing bugs me. I don't know what the technical term would be, but it's when singers are all over the scales, you know, like Mariah Carey. I also can't stand it when singers sing over every note of the music with this frilliness. Maybe that's why I listened to The Cure and New Order for so many years. No frilliness. Like what's up with the red head and Cyndi Lauper destroying Time After Time? I do like Cyndi's pants though, and she does looks fantastic.

What did you think of this season of American? Who did you want to win? Would you still watch if Simon left the show? Leave a comment with your thoughts on the show.

Bat Bites: New Bands, Lollapalooza, MOG Network

2009-05-18T07:55:00.011-04:00

New Bands

Jack White of White Stripes and Raconteurs has a new band called The Dead Weather, basically another indie rock super group, featuring Dean Fertita of Queen of the Stone Ages, Alison Mosshart of The Kill's on vocals, and Jack Lawrence of The Raconteur's... and Jack White. I am praying they'll sign on for Lollapalooza this summer. The Raconteurs have played the last couple of Lolla's and I have heard rumors that they could be added to the lineup. They have a big gap around their scheduled show dates too that coincide with Lollapalooza. Hmmm. If anyone finds out if they confirm Lolla, let me know!

Want to hear The Dead Weather? Go to The Dead Weather website and click on the image on the main page. Rockin'. Videos that were uploaded to YouTube have been pulled, but I expect something to be out in a few days and all over the blog-o-sphere. They're preselling the album as of last Saturday, too.

Tinted Windows is another supergroup I've been reading about over the past few months and contains musicians from three of my favorite bands: James Iha of Smashing Pumpkins, bassist Adam Schlesinger of Ivy, Fountains of Wayne and drummer Bun E. Carlos from Cheap Trick and Taylor Hanson of Hanson. Tinted Windows are also a good contender for a late entry to Lollapalooza, dontcha think!

Lollapalooza

It looks like a killer line-up (featuring The Killers at that!) Oh, how I love Brandon Flowers (and I hope he shaves before the show ;-)

Also playing, Depeche Mode, Beastie Boys, Tool, Kings of Leon, Vampire Weekend. You can download an MP3 of a mashup of Lolla 09 Artists here.

Here's the full lineup. It's funny how they always have good picks for the headliners, but it's always the lesser known bands who I'm always most excited to see. Ra Ra Riot! Passion Pit! Glasvegas! Yes! No real big surprises (Madonna isn't on the schedule), but a solid line-up none the less:

Depeche Mode
Tool
The Killers
Jane's Addiction
Beastie Boys
Kings of Leon
Lou Reed
Ben Harper and Relentless7
Thievery Corporation
Snoop Dogg
Rise Against
Andrew Bird
TV on the Radio
Vampire Weekend
The Decemberists
Neko Case
STS9 (Sound Tribe Sector 9)
Animal Collective
Band of Horses
Of Montreal
Arctic Monkeys
Coheed and Cambria

Ben Folds
Fleet Foxes
Silversun Pickups
Kaiser Chiefs
Crystal Castles
Bon Iver
Santigold
Atmosphere
Dan Auerbach
Cold War Kids
Deerhunter
Lykke Li
Robert Earl Keen
Peter Bjorn and John
Heartless Bastards
Gomez
Glasvegas
Federico Aubele
Dan Deacon
Passion Pit
Zap Mama
The Raveonettes
The Gaslight Anthem

The Airborne Toxic Event
White Lies
Ra Ra Riot
No Age
Asher Roth
Los Campesinos!
Bat For Lashes
Chairlift
Gang Gang Dance
The Virgins
Amazing Baby
Portugal. The Man
The Knux
Ida Maria
Delta Spirit
Friendly Fires
Manchester Orchestra
Constantines
Ezra Furman & The Harpoons
Hockey

Miike Snow
Alberta Cross
Hey Champ
Sam Roberts Band
The Henry Clay People
Davy Knowles and Back Door Slam
Cage the Elephant
Living Things
Low Anthem
Blind Pilot
Langhorne Slim
Other Lives
The Builders and The Butchers
Eric Church
Joe Pug
Kevin Devine
The Greencards
Carney
Thenewno2

MOG Network

Max Bumps has been accepted into the MOG Network, a community of the best music blogs from around the internet. Horray! I will be putting the MOG info into the site today and tomorrow. I did mean to do this over the weekend but I was gone most of the weekend, not at any hot concerts, but I did present at a film festival :-)

More on the MOG network in the near future.

Coldplay releases free live album

2009-05-15T15:44:00.003-04:00

No, you're not dreaming. Coldplay is giving away their new album, LeftRightLeftRightLeft, for free.

The album contains nine tracks (including "Clocks" and "Viva La Vida") from their live shows, and is available for download starting today. A CD is also available for fans at most of their shows this year.

According to the band's site, "[T]he give-away is meant as a recession-busting mark of gratitude to everyone who's supported them."

How cool is that? It's not a totally new album, but it's a nice gesture for fans. The music industry seems to be realizing that word of mouth is a better tool than frivolous lawsuits. Rock on, Coldplay.

For more info or to download the album, check out the band's web site, www.coldplay.com.

-Laura Bradford

Additional Quest Guide

2009-05-14T11:40:00.013-04:00

I've compiled a handy list of all the new quests available on thesixtyone from the 5/13/09 update.

Main Quests

The Follower> - Subscribe to three or more listeners whose musical tastes you like. Discover other listeners by visiting the suggested users page. (10 reputation, 2 hearts)
Tag, You're it! - Tag five songs -- songs can be tagged after they've been saved. You can access your tagged songs by visiting your profile. (10 reputation, 1 heart)
Super Saver - Click the 'save' link for five songs you'd like to play later in your library. You can view your saved songs by visiting your profile. (5 reputation, 1 heart)
Unlock Browse - Play 50 songs to unlock the browse menu. (10 reputation, 2 hearts)
A Reputable Listener - Earn at least 10 reputation points from hearting music. You can track your progress by visiting your stats page. (5 reputation, 1 heart)
If I Only Had A Heart - Listen to a song for a minute, and, if you like it, click the heart button. (5 reputation, 1 heart)
It's Just For You - Heart three or more songs in your just for you stream. (10 reputation, 1 heart)
In The Mood - Listen to five different moods on the home page. (At least five minutes for each mood.) (10 reputation, 3 hearts)
Featurerama - Feature three songs on your profile. (5 reputation, 5 hearts)
No Longer Sojourners - Join a group which matches your musical tastes or create one yourself. (10 reputation, 1 heart)
Community Playlist - Listen to the five songs in the front page of your group in one sitting. (15 reputation, 2 hearts)
The Evangelist - Invite five or more friends to join in the musical adventure. (50 reputation, 5 hearts)
Pour Your Hearts Out - Max out your hearts on five or more of your favorite songs. (Level 5 required) (15 reputation, 3 hearts)
Make Your Voice Heard - Leave comments on five or more songs that you have max hearted explaining why you like the songs. (20 reputation, 2 hearts)
Creative Commons - Listen to seven or more songs with the creative commons license. (15 reputation, 3 hearts)
This Just In - Listen to seven songs on the first pages of the recently posted section of the home page. (10 reputation, 2 hearts)
>Dead Or Alive - Listen to five songs that have been revived or are eligible for reviving. (10 reputation, 2 hearts)
Radio Surfing - Listen to the personal radios of five listeners for at least five minutes each. (10 reputation, 2 hearts)
Refined Taste - Maintain a play count to songs hearted ratio of at least 20:1 today over a minimum of 100 plays and five hearts. (30 reputation, 3 hearts)
The Auctioneer - Put in a bid to revive a song by visiting the revive bids page (only recent bids are counted). (30 reputation, 3 hearts)

Daily Quests

The Early Bird - Listen to a song that's less than an hour old. (15 reputation, 2 hearts)
Earworm - Listen to your favorite song at least 5 times in a row. (5 reputation, 2 hearts
No Song Left Behind - Listen to seven songs with less than fifty hearts that are more than a day old. (15 reputation, 3 hearts)
This Just In - Listen to seven songs on the first pages of the recently posted section of the home page. (10 reputation, 2 hearts)
>Caution - Very Hot - Listen to seven songs on the first pages of the hot tab of the home page. (5 reputation, 2 hearts)
Look To The Genius - Listen to song recommendations provided by genius for five songs for at least five minutes each. (15 reputation, 2 hearts)
Try The Rack - Listen to music on The Rack (under the browse menu) until you earn 5 reputation. (5 reputation, 2 hearts)
Audio Explorer - Listen to seven songs in under-explored genres (15 reputation, 2 hearts)

Recent Changes to Thesixtyone

2009-05-13T16:11:00.003-04:00

On May 11, the ability to save songs on thesixtyone without "hearting" them was briefly removed. Also, every song a user hearted was automatically saved. When users complained, it was fixed, with an update on James's blog explaining that the change wasn't quite "fully baked" yet. Fair enough. He posted an adorable picture of a hedgehog, so I’ll forgive him.

Also introduced this week are quests, similar to accomplishments. They offer hearts and reputation points for doing a certain activity, like listening to a certain number of songs, trying part of the site, etc. When quests are completed, they disappear, replaced by new ones.

List of Routine Quests I've found so far:

If I Only Had a Heart - heart a song
A Reputable Listener - earn 10 reputation points
Unlock Browse - play 50 songs
Super Saver - save 5 songs
Tag, You're It! - tag 5 songs into playlists
The Follower - subscribe to 3 listeners

Once you finish those, the following pop up:

Look to the Genius
Try The Rack
Just For You

There’s also a Daily Quest for today:

Early Bird - heart a song that's less than 1 hour old

The guides for the quests are sometimes confusing, and could be a lot clearer. For example, what does "Listen to song recommendations provided by genius for five songs for up to five minutes each" mean? (I just clicked on some genius playlists and hoped for the best.) Also, when I logged out, all my progress on the unfinished "Look to the Genius" quest was erased, but I’m not sure if this is the case for all quests. The feature will probably be smoothed out and tweaked in the next few days.

Another change I've noticed: if users have added a song to their favorites, they can "edit tags" on it from anywhere in the site (on an artist’s profile, for instance) and therefore change what playlist(s) they want the song to be in.

All in all, thesixtyone's been through some hefty changes these past few days. Thoughts?

CD Review: Sean Fournier, Oh My

2009-05-09T16:35:00.001-04:00

Hey. I'm Laura Bradford, better known as kilexia on thesixtyone.

I've always been amazed by musicians who create albums on their own, and yet still manage to pack in as much sound as an entire band--heck, sometimes an entire orchestra.

Sean Fournier is such an artist. He's rather new on thesixtyone, but his songs routinely pass 1,000 hearts. And, in an effort to spread the word about his music, he's offering his fourth album, Oh My, for free.

The six tracks are mostly re-recordings of previously released songs, with the exception of the new song "Holding the Hand of the Hurricane." Here's the track listing:

1. Broken Stereo (Accoustic Version)
2. Put The World on Stop (Piano Version)
3. Another Like You (Piano Version)
4. Goodbye (Piano Version)
5. Falling For You (Piano Version)
6. Holding the Hand of the Hurricane

His sound is hard to pin down. I want to say he's a little like The Fray or Quiet Company, but really, the music defies comparison.

The album starts off with "Broken Stereo," a sweet, bouncy, tender love song. The next song, "Put the World on Stop" sparkles with piano melodies; it's a great track for spring, and it's going to see a lot of play on my Mp3 player.

"Another Like You" hums and vibrates with strings, and "Goodbye" shows off his skill at keys.

"Falling For You" feels like a finale for the album, and "Holding the Hand of the Hurricane," an encore. "Hurricane" is bold and percussive, putting on a show of sound that mimics a summer storm.

Overall, Sean Fournier has great vocals, lyrics, and instrumentation. I hope his efforts at promotion work out, because he deserves to be a big success.

You can stream or download the album from Sean Fournier's web site or listen to it on his profile at thesixtyone.