Music Set

In Praise of K-Tel Albums

admin — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 09:12:53 +0000

p !-- @page { margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } A:link { color: #0000ff } -- /p pThe album covers featured primitive graphics. The titles were often cheesy. The songs lacked great sound quality and sometimes were sloppily edited. Yet K-Tel albums introduced me to a number of great artists and ultimately helped form my musical tastes. /p pK-Tel albums compiled the hits of the day into one album, offering convenience for the consumer who lacked time or money to purchase individual singles. These compilations were organized by thememdash;rock, Ramp;B, new wave, country, or dancemdash;and ranged from well-known artists to one-hit wonders. Today, Now Thatrsquo;s What I Call Music CDs fill this role, but in the 70s and 80s K-Tel dominated the American market. /p pFounded by Canadian entrepreneur Philip Kives, the company sold items such as nonstick fry pans, the Veg-O-Matic, and the Feather-Touch Knife (similar to Ron Propeilrsquo;s Ronco). In early 1966 Kives decided to branch out into the music business, releasing his first compilation album, Twenty-Five Country Hits, that same year. He named his company K-Tel in the late sixties, and went on to sell half a billion albums worldwide by the eighties, according to uK-Telrsquo;s website/u. Like his products, Kives also created splashy TV ads to announce the latest record releases (such as the below example). /p pAs a child, I loved receiving the latest K-Tel collections for Christmas or birthday gifts, and would play the LPs until the grooves wore down. Many years later I realized that my first introductions to rap and various seminal rock artists came from K-Tel. /p pThe first two albums I remember receiving were Wings of Sound (1980) and Dancer (1981). The formerrsquo;s cover featured, appropriately enough, multicolored wings and offered a selection of top 40 hits. Most notably, this album introduced me to Nick Lowe and Bob Dylan, along with the still-catchy one-hit wonder ldquo;Driverrsquo;s Seatrdquo; by Sniff lsquo;n The Tears. Lowersquo;s ldquo;Cruel to be Kindrdquo; remains one of the most clever rock songs of the early 80s, and Dylanrsquo;s ldquo;Gotta Serve Somebodyrdquo; marks his overtly religious phase. As a kid I couldnrsquo;t quite grasp Dylanrsquo;s sound, but of course later learned of his tremendous influence on rock and folk. /p pDancer focused, not surprisingly, on what turned out to be the dying days of disco. While it may have marked discorsquo;s last gasp, it also signaled the gradual rise of hip hop. Frankie Smithrsquo;s ldquo;Double Dutch Busrdquo; and Lakesidersquo;s ldquo;Fantastic Voyagerdquo; have since become old-school (and heavily sampled) classics, but back then I heard nothing like them on the radio. In addition, the album introduced me to the gritty funk of the Gap Band, with ldquo;Burn Rubber (Why You Wanna Hurt Me)rdquo; remaining one of my favorite funk hits. /p br

International News: Coolest dance act logos of all time

admin — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 22:33:46 +0000

img src=http://bnset.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/52878.jpg / pIf you want to establish yourself as a music act to be reckoned with on the worldwide stage you need to brand yourself accordingly, and one thing that all of the biggest names in dance music have in common – regardless of scene or style, and both in Australia and abroad – is a kickass logo./p pWe’ve compiled what we feel are the coolest dance act logos around in a special featured gallery that you can check out online now. For some it really is a case of following the ‘KISS’ principle (keep it simple stupid!), with a basic font and type setting enough to get their point across. However for others the artists have well and truly gone to town with intricate designs./p pWhether you love or hate the musical act in question there’s a good chance you probably know whose behind the logo before you’ve had a chance to read the text. That, of course, is the key to a good design; make it memorable!/p p Coolest Dance Artist Logos/p pFancy yourself a whiz on Photoshop? Be sure to check out our competition running at the moment to design Baby Gee’s new logo; you could win $250, VIP tickets to Trance Energy and a signed CD./p br / br

International News: Deadmau5 unveils an iPhone app

admin — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 09:14:57 +0000

img src=http://bnset.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/52876.jpg / pIf you’re a proud iPhone owner we know it’s highly likely you’re always on the lookout for the latest hot app to impress your friends, not to mention people who stare at you using the phone while on public transport. If you’re also a fan of Canadian dance star Deadmau5, you can now combine your two loves in one spiffy iPhone application./p pTouching down for the Good Vibrations Festival tour this month, Deadmau5’s visit is timed perfectly with the launch of the new app Touch Mix, which he’s put his name/face/music/mau5head to. The app is described as ‘revolutionary’, with Beatportal even going so far as to say “Touch Mix could also be a forerunner to how DJing software on the platform should work.”/p pThe program features two ‘virtual decks’, as well as a crossfader and volume controls, sound effects #8211; like filter, flange, loop and delay #8211; and adjustable BPM. There’s catch however; the app’s appeal is going to depending on what side of the love/hate Deadmau5 fence you stand#8230; At this stage you can only mix his music with the download coming pre-loaded with 10 of his tracks./p br / br

The Friday Morning Listen: Fleet Foxes

admin — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 20:22:45 +0000

pWhen a lot of stuff has been going on and I#39;m tired, really tired, I have to go to bed early. Usually, that#39;s around 11:30, the normal shuteye time being closer to somewhere around 1:30 in the morning. What happens on these nights is that I have a ton of dreams. It#39;s almost like somebody is holding down the fast-forward button on my dream remote. I almost never remember any of the dreams, though I perceive that they all lasted about 30 seconds. It#39;s like my brain is trying to clear stuff out. In the morning, after the bewilderment fog clears, there#39;s a great sense of refreshment and clarity./p pRecently, I#39;ve been having those hyper-speed dreamscapes during the day. Thoughts flash through unabated. In the span of ten seconds, I can go through days, weeks, and years of remembrances and ideas (the ideas come not only from past reflections but from creative fragments that haven#39;t matured). Buddhists have a term for this: Monkey Mind./p pFor a musical simulation of this, just imagine The Carpenters. I was never a huge fan but have to admit that Karen#39;s voice was a pure gem. So think of all of those love songs and other singles. Now, think of them being played simultaneously. Not quite so soothing, eh?/p pWhen this isn#39;t going on, life can be temporarily suspended if I run into a creative notion. I#39;ll hear a piece of music or read a passage and become so enthralled that everything else drops away. It#39;s a pretty exhilarating experience. I know it#39;ll come back, but I sure do miss it. /p pAs 2008 passed into #39;09, I read a pile of those best-of articles. Lots of them mentioned Fleet Foxes. I gave them a try (MySpace, etc.) and just couldn#39;t see what the fuss was all about. It seemed like a rehash of late 1960s psychedelic folk. Album of the year? Wait, Pitchfork loves it...riiight./p pSo I#39;m up late one night, staring a hole through the TV (tuned to Current) and a show comes on called La Blogotheque. They have the Fleet Foxes singing in an abandoned gym. When they launched into quot;White Winter Hymnalquot; everything around me became suspended. Ah, what a glorious feeling, I really missed it./p pcenterobject width=400 height=342br/ param name=movie value=http://current.com/e/89517863/en_US/paramparam name=wmode value=transparent/paramparam name=allowfullscreen value=true/paramparam name=allowscriptaccess value=always/paramembed src=http://current.com/e/89517863/en_US type=application/x-shockwave-flash width=400 height=342 allowscriptaccess=always wmode=transparent/embed/object/center/p br

Music Review: Asobi Seksu - iCitrus/i

admin — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 05:16:32 +0000

pMore so than movies or books, music can sometimes be seasonal. That#39;s not to suggest that a given album can#39;t be enjoyed off-season, but rather that there#39;s a certain added pleasure to listening to it when the time is right. As suggested by the pumpkin-orange artwork that adorns the cover of shoegaze alt-rockers Asobi Seksu#39;s sophomore full-length, 2006#39;s Citrus, this is an album for the fall. Both the lyrical content of the set (that which can be made out, and is in English), as well as the dense and layered arrangements, exude a palpable haziness and melancholia. Yet, there#39;s a warmth too mdash; found in the bouncy, chiming textures of these monolithic rockers mdash; which keeps things from seeming too cold and distant. Citrus is an album that#39;s perfect for the autumnal months, when hot summer days awkwardly (and often abruptly) transition into frigid winter nights. /p pBlustery hurricanes of low-end and distortion dominate the atmosphere, but not without a fight from lead singer Yuki Chikudate#39;s quivering and ethereal voice, which occasionally breaks through the din, only to be swallowed whole by a colossal wall of sound once more. Take lead single quot;New Years,quot; for example, which finds Yuki#39;s fragile whisper riding atop a mountain of titanic distortion and trebling bass, eventually dispelling the noise long enough to croon the track#39;s gorgeous bridge, only to be drown out moments later by an even greater sonic assault; it#39;s an auditory struggle akin to the push-and-pull of the seasonal weather. But that#39;s as hectic as it gets, which is important to point out, lest I undersell the tunefulness of this album. Cuts like quot;Lions And Tigers,quot; which skimps on none of the band#39;s requisite amounts of low-end, but tempers the intensity with Yuki#39;s lullaby-sung verses and playful jingling during the subdued (at least by this band#39;s standards) chorus. Of course, even this song eventually builds to a symphonic, eardrum-shattering climax, but that#39;s more a testament to the restless nature of these sprawling compositions./p br

A Conversation With Up and Coming Los Angeles Producer and Musician Beto Hale

admin — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 13:27:00 +0000

Born in Mexico City, this multi-talented artist currently makes his home in Los Angeles, California. Creative and always cutting edge, Beto Hale is an artist but he is more than that. He's a writer, producer, and father trying to make a living in a field we creative types dream about. His songwriting is excellent and the guy is a monster on the drums. Here is what Beto had to say:

We've played in several bands together a few years back in Colorado, how did you get started playing music?

Yes! I had a lot of fun playing with you!

In terms of my beginnings: I listened to the Beatles when I was eight and that was it! I started learning all their songs on the drums and then on guitar and piano. I took classical guitar lessons at 10; then was self taught for quite few years... then went into serious musical study around 18!

You've played/collaborated with some pretty big names. Can you give us a few examples and what you did?

Tony Levin (bassist for Peter Gabriel) played on my first CD, Sube. I met him after a show he did in Boulder, and just asked him straight out if he would do it! He was so cool about it and recorded some amazing tracks.

Here in LA I've written songs with some great Latin American songwriters, among them Alejandro Lerner, who is a huge star in Argentina and other countries.

What projects are you currently involved in?

I am writing the Spanish lyrics for Santino's album; he is a very well known indie artist in the L.A. scene; he is originally from Peru.

I am also co-writing and playing drums with Devlin Murphy, an amazingly talented young artist from L.A..

I am writing new songs all the time for a future album of my own. Not sure when it will come out yet!

What are your plans for the future musically?

To write, produce and play for other people's projects, collaborate with diverse writers, write musci for film and TV, and release many new albums (or whatever they will be called) of my own!

Is there a particular adjective or two you would use to describe the LA music scene?

Competitive. Inspiring.

What is the highlight for you so far, in your music career?

Honestly, I have had many. I was very fortunate to attend and graduate from Berklee Collego of Music; there, I was able to meet and collaborate with some amazing people. I also did a Masters in Composition at Denver University where I heard two of my pieces played by a full Symphony Orchestra!

Music Review: Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts - Watts

admin — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 22:04:39 +0000

Jeff 'Tain' Watts doesn't hail from New Orleans (he's a native of Pittsburgh), but it seems he enjoys hanging out with guys from there. The Marsalis family — Wynton, Branford, and Ellis — have enlisted his services, as well other Big Easy luminaries as Terence Blanchard and Harry Connick, Jr. Watts first made his name as a member of Wynton's first band after Wynton left Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and later played alongside Branford in Sting's touring band before joining Branford's Tonight Show ensemble. Watts has also been in demand by the likes of George Benson, Kenny Garrett, Geri Allen and McCoy Tyner. Tain is the rare type of drummer who excels at effectively applying both power and subtlety.

Last week Watts introduced his fifth album, the second one under his own Dark Key Music imprint, titled simply Watts. That title is meant to have multiple implications; not just the leader's last name, but also the Los Angeles Watts riots of the sixties. Like the Watts District's famous son Charles Mingus, Tain sought to make a socially conscious jazz record, which few outside of Mingus have ever successfully attempted with instrumental jazz.

As Mingus did with Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus, Watts employed a piano-less foursome, with him on drums, Branford on tenor, Blanchard on trumpet, and the ever-reliable Christian McBride on acoustic bass.

Instead of this being an angry record, it's actually very loose and wide open. Twenty years earlier Marsalis, along with Watts and the late Milt Hinton, made such a record with Trio Jeepy, which free-wheeling spirit made this my favorite Branford record. Watts is enjoyable for essentially the same reason.

Every one of the ten selections, all written by Watts, vary in tempo while sounding focused, cohesive and full of attitude. Did I earlier say that this was not an angry record? Actually, the wrath of Tain does come out a lot in his drumming.

"Return Of The Jitney Man" is the right way to start such a record. Tain is a one-man wrecking crew on his kit, propelling acrobatic solos by both Marsalis and Blanchard. Watts himself doesn't take a solo because he is all but doing so behind the horns throughout the entire song.

"Brekky With Drecky," a eulogy to the late Michael Brecker based on Ornette Coleman's "Turnaround," pares down the quartet to a trio, with Branford supplying the only horn in this raucous blues that Watts peppers with explosive fills. "Katrina James" is a funky James Brown tribute that has Marsalis and Blanchard pushing each other to greater heights. On this track, Watts alternates seamlessly between two beats. "Owed..." is the oddball track as it's the only true ballad, and also that it includes a keyboard in the form of up-and-comer Lawrence Fields' piano.

Music Review: Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion

admin — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 12:50:06 +0000

The irony of Merriweather Post Pavilion, Animal Collective's eighth full-length, named after the ubiquitous outdoor stage in Columbia, Maryland, is that it's the band's least live-sounding album they've made thus far. It's this stylistically different approach to recording — there are more filters on the vocals here, the soundscapes much thicker and layered — that makes this collection of songs, most likely the best batch that the greatest contemporary band on the planet has yet put together, fall just short of classic status. Truthfully, though, only time will tell.

Big words, I know. But any modern rock critic worth his salt will cop to being in awe of this band, even if not everything they've done thrills them. Pretty much everything does it for me though, excepting some very early, particularly indulgent live recordings, and a few tracks off odd LPs over the years. Also, both critics and hardcore fans alike (and there are many) have probably heard most of the cuts on Merriweather (all but the bouncy pop of "Blueish," which debuts on this album) either performed live at concerts, or at concerts on Youtube. That, coupled with interviews with the band stating that this is their "best album yet," and a particularly enthusiastic review from one of the music world's most reputable publications (Uncut), created an almost unbearable strain of hype preceding its release, that which almost any album would buckle under, and couldn't possibly live up to. It's to the great credit of this extraordinary band that they come damn close.

The first sign of greatness reveals itself in the impeccable construction of Merriweather: The album kicks off with "In The Flowers," the most atmospheric track of the set and (next to later cut "No More Runnin'") the most subdued. At least until it suddenly erupts with buzzing synth stabs, before quieting down again for the lead-out, establishing a loud-quiet-loud aesthetic which will remain prevalent throughout. 'Flowers' finds one of the band's two principal vocalists, Avey Tare (real name Dave Portner), waxing euphorically in the name of love about "leaving [his] body for a night." It's a peculiar ballad, for sure, but one that displays a maturity (welcome or not) which contrasts Tare's gorgeously animalistic love song "Purple Bottle," off 2005s Feels.

This sense of gravity and responsibility, a theme that subtly weaves itself into every song on the album, seems appropriate, as a lot has changed since 2005. For instance, one member, Panda Bear (real name Noah Lennox), has become a father, which adds a certain credibility to the powerful lead single (though the band would never call it that) "My Girls." Here, Tare and Panda Bear simply and earnestly proclaim, in unison, "I don't mean / to seem like I care about material things / like a social status / I just want / four walls and adobe slabs / for my girls." The sentiments are felt not only on a human level, but relatable in this time of economic instability, where one can find the most gratifying aspects of life in the love and nurturing of others.

Not all the content here is heavy though; in fact much of it is abstract at best. Lazy, spell-binding Panda Bear cut "Daily Routine" drifts along on skittering break-beats and a vaguely hand-clap-sounding percussive rhythm. Then, halfway through, it slams on the breaks and endlessly repeats its dreamlike refrain, "just one sec more / in my bed," as if to savor that moment in the morning before starting the day. Or maybe coercing someone to stay with him for a while? The ambiguity only empowers the track, and even here we find traces of that nurturing paternal maturity in lyrics like "make sure my kid's got a jacket." Elsewhere, the most catchy track Tare has ever written, "Summertime Clothes," finds the band in a state of freewheeling bliss. "I want to walk around with you," Tare sings, later repeatedly chanting the track's makeshift bridge, "when the sun comes up we'll go out again." The act of being caught up in a moment, or a musical/lyrical stanza, is one of many binding thematic concerns here.

Music Review: Frost* - Experiments In Mass Appeal

admin — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 21:49:42 +0000

I have always been a little suspicious of the term supergroup but sometimes you just can’t avoid it. It means a band who individually have already achieved their own fame or success with previous projects prior to coming together to form the "supergroup".

Using that terminology Crosby, Stills, and Nash are a good early example, as are Emerson, Lake, and Palmer. I am old enough to also remember others like Blind Faith; Ginger Baker’s Airforce; Bad Company; Asia; Beck, Bogert, & Appice; etc.

On the negative side, the very definition can become tantamount to creative conflict before it even starts to take off. However good an idea it sounds, gather a collection of creative minds in one room and they probably can’t agree on the time let alone a direction for their music.

Only the exceptional make this work over any length of time. Frost*'s second album, Experiments In Mass Appeal, however, seems to challenge this theory. There are a couple of bands called Frost. This one, with the additional asterik, is the UK neo-prog supergroup.

Formed in 2004 by keyboardist Jem Godfrey, a man responsible for writing number one hits for the likes of Atomic Kitten, Frost* consist of John Mitchell (Arena, Kino), John Jowitt (Arena, IQ), Andy Edwards (Robert Plant's Priory Of Brion, IQ, and the Ian Parker Band).

Their first album arrived in 2006. Milliontown took Jem Godfrey back to where he really wanted to musically be, deep into progressive rock territory. So much so that Milliontown included the massive twenty-six minute epic title track. The following year it went a bit frosty for the band when due to other commitments it was put on hold.

In early 2008 they were back supporting Spock’s Beard and getting back into the studio to record album number two. Adding vocalist Declan Burke (Darwin’s Radio) to the Frost* line-up, the album, Experiments In Mass Appeal, was released on the Inside Out label in November 2008.

The result is an album that shoots down all those doubts about creative meltdown. Jem Godfrey’s Planet Frost* - Frost* Reports section on the band’s website reveal the background to the making of an album that is a successful collaboration between the band's members.

There are two versions (single and double CD) the second providing a whole host of extras including the Frost* Reports, Christmas Sessions, Tour Reports, and much more.

Justin Nozuka & Missy Higgins Co-Headline Tour Of 2009

admin — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 09:15:26 +0000

Canadian singer/songwriter Justin Nozuka and Australian singer/songwriter Missy Higgins are co-headlining a hectic tour across the US. They start the tour on Feb 19 at Houston TX and hit 24 cities including Ft. Lauderdale, FL; Philadelphia, PA; New York, NY; Kansas City, KS; Los Angeles, CA and San Francisco, CA before ending the tour on March 25 at Solana Beach, CA. Both artists are extremely excited to be touring the US amidst immense popularity.

Nozuka released his debut album ‘Holly’ last spring which was instantly popular and reached No. 6 on Billboard’s Top Heatseekers chart. He named his debut album after his mother Holly Sedgwick, sister of actress Kyra Sedgwick.

On the other hand, Higgins is promoting the second album ‘On a clear night’ which was released early 2007. The album features three hit singles including the latest ‘Peachy’ which was released last November.

Justin Nozuka & Missy Higgins 2009 Tour Dates
02/19/2009 - Houston, TX - House Of Blues
02/20/2009 - Austin, TX - Antone’s
02/21/2009 - Dallas, TX - House Of Blues
02/24/2009 - Tampa, FL - State Theater
02/25/2009 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Culture Room
02/26/2009 - Orlando, FL - House Of Blues
02/27/2009 - Atlanta, GA - The Loft
02/28/2009 - Greenville, SC - Handlebar
03/02/2009 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
03/03/2009 - Annapolis, MD - Ram’s Head On Stage
03/05/2009 - Philadelphia, PA - Theatre of Living Arts
03/06/2009 - New York, NY - Terminal 5
03/07/2009 - Boston, MA - House Of Blues
03/08/2009 - Troy, NY - Revolution Hall
03/10/2009 - Cleveland, OH - House Of Blues
03/11/2009 - Detroit, MI - Royal Oak
03/13/2009 - Chicago, IL - The Vic Theater
03/14/2009 - Milwaukee, WI - Pabst Theatre