machines for nothing » review

Passion Pit – Chunk Of Change

Leela — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 13:10:42 +0000

Dude, have you heard Passion Pit? Until recently, neither had I- but if you like somewhat happy and melodic electronica with a catchy vocal, then this one is for you (and me).

Chunk Of Change was originally created as a Valentine’s Day gift for songwriter Michael Angelakos’ girlfriend while attending Emerson College in Boston. The sound can easily be compared to that of The Postal Service.

For me, standout tracks include I’ve Got Your Number, Smile Upon Me, and Sleepyhead.

Not-new CD Review #1: Saul Williams, Self-Titled

RGCB — Sat, 24 May 2008 02:20:07 +0000

This ( hopefully ) recurring segment will be about music that:
a) somehow escaped our attention when it came out [hence the not-new part]
b) is not super-well-known
and
c) something we liked [negative reviews are no fun to write, and nobody likes a hater].

Anyway, first up is Saul Williams’ 2004 self-titled album:

If you’re like me, you first heard about this guy via his most recent album, The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust!, a well publicized pay-what-you-want collaboration with Trent Reznor. Also if you’re like me, your interest was piqued, and you immediately had a look at his discogs page in search of more.

Like on Tardust, Williams combines spoken-word poet, hip-hop emcee and rockstar personas alongside distorted-guitar-meets-drum-machine instrumentals – after hearing this, it’s easier to see his recent NIN-ification as a logical progress of his regular gig, as opposed to the weirdo experiment that some might have seen it as. That’s not in any way meant to say the two albums are homogeneous, however; the whole thing just makes more sense to me now.

In other news, Slam just found its way onto my Netflix queue.

Noteworthy tracks:
Surrender (A Second to Think)
Telegram
Act III Scene 2 (Shakespeare) (featuring Zack de la Rocha!? How have I not heard this before?)
and (despite the weirdness of it being licensed for a recent Nike ad)
List of Demands (Reparations)

also check out his 2003 EP, Not In My Name.

Amplive – Rainydayz Remixes

Leela — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 17:21:50 +0000

If you haven’t familiarized yourself with Radiohead’s “In Rainbows” yet, do yourself a favor and give it a good listen. It’s no longer available as the original “pay what you want” mp3 download, but you can still grab it over at Amazon. Or, if you’re really cheap, you can just watch the Scotch Mist webcast (which is worth a watch anyway!)

When I first heard “In Rainbows” back in October, I instantly fell in love. Well, scratch that. It took me something like two proper listens before I really understood the album. But believe me, now I get it. Regardless, moving on.

About two months after “In Rainbows” hit the, um… internet, Amplive put together some amazing remixes. The first two tracks that surfaced (or at least, the first two that I found) were his take on Weird Fishes and Nude (cleverly titled Weird Fishez and Nudez).

Shortly thereafter Amplive received a cease and desist letter, and the remix operation was brought to a halt. Boo.

After many pleas from Amplive and the online community, the cease and desist was revoked and these quality remixes could once again see the light of day. Yay.

The full album, Amplive’s “Rainydayz Remixes,” is available as a free download. (Be sure to check out “15 Stepz,” as it’s my new favorite.)