Albums coming out in January

As usual, here's the list of albums coming out January 2012! The new album from Lana Del Rey is probably the most exciting record of the month. Take a look at the list below!

Enjoy the New Year's Eve and Happy New Year!
New Year Fireworks

Archer Black - Forgiveness Is A Weapon
Attack Attack! - This Means War
Beth Jeans Houghton - Yours Truly, Cellophane Nose
Bhi Bhiman - Bhiman
Bill Ryder-Jones - If
Black Bananas - Rad Times Xpress IV
Cat Le Bon - CYRK
Chairlift - Something
Cloud Nothings - Attack On Memory
Craig Finn - Clear Heart Full Eyes
Enter Shikari - A Flash Flood Of Colour
Escort - Escort
Exdetectives - Take My Forever
Eyvind Kang - The Narrow Garden
Fionn Regan - 100 Acres Of Sycamore
Guided By Voices - Let's Go Eat The Factory
Hit The Lights - Invicta
Imperial Teen - Feel The Sound
Ingrid Michaelson - Human Again
Iron Lamb - The Original Sin
John K. Samson - Provincial
Juvenile - Rejuvenation
Lamb Of God - Resolution
Lana Del Rey - Born To Die
Leonard Cohen - Old Ideas
Morbus Chron - Sleepers In The Rift
My Ticket Home - To Create A Cure
Nada Surf - The Stars Are Indifferent To Astronomy
Porcelain Raft - Strange Weekend
Prinzhorn Dance School - Clay Class
Red Wanting Blue - From The Vanishing Point
Rise to Remain - City Of Vultures
Rodrigo y Gabriela - Area 52
Secrets - The Ascent
The 2 Bears - Be Strong
The Asteroids Galaxy Tour - Out Of Frequency
The Big Pink - Future This
The Internet - Purple Naked Ladies
The Jealous Sound - A Gentle Reminder
Walter Rose - Cast Your Stone
Young London - Young London
Yuksek - Living On the Edge Of Time

New music from The xx

The xx

The british band The xx began recording their second album in the beggining of November, but there's still no name or release date for it.
After all this time without giving any details about the new album, they have decided to share a demo of their studio work with us.
Yep, that's right, they have released a new song - Open Eyes! You can download it here or listen to it below.

Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah

I'm not very good with Christmas messages, but I can give you an advice related with family stuff that recently happened to me: don't waste your time being mad at people because they made a decision that you didn't like; if they've ever loved you, you have to love them back, no matter what!

And now I'll just leave a song from Jeff Buckley, which melody reminds me of this holiday season. I wish you all a Merry Christmas!

Two new Radiohead songs

Radiohead have uploaded two new songs to their youtube channel! You can listen to them below:




The tracks, The Daily Mail and Staircase, are part of a live studio performance of The King of Limbs, originally filmed as a television special for BBC.

The band have uploaded the entire show to youtube for a limited time, back in August. If you didn't have the chance to watch it, don't worry... The King of Limbs: From The Basement was released digitally today and the physical version (DVD and BluRay) will be in the shops on January 31!

The King of Limbs cover

The Black Keys on Saturday Night Live

Black Keys live

The Black Keys performed two songs from their forthcoming album on Saturday Night Live! The new record, El Camino, is out tomorrow (December 6) and it has been receiving a lot of positive reviews. Check out what this american rock duo is capable to do in the two videos below!

Lonely Boy


Gold On The Ceiling

Upcoming albums in December

The Christmas season is just around the corner and some of you probably have already started to think about the gifts you will offer to your friends and family. A music album is always a good choice for those people who cannot live without music.

Santa playing guitar

I suggest you to take a look at the albums that were released throughout the year, by consulting the lists below...


...and, as usual, I'm leaving here the list of upcoming albums in December.

Amy Winehouse - Lioness: Hidden Treasures
Boris - New Album
Chevelle - Hats Off To The Bull
Common - The Dream, The Believer
Doris Day - My Heart
Gary Numan - Dead Son Rising
Juvenile - Rejuvenation
Keller Williams - Bass
Korn - The Path Of Totality
Monica - New Life
Rammstein - Made In Germany 1995-2011
T-Pain - rEVOLVEr
The Black Keys - El Camino
The Cure - The Cure: Bestival Live 2011
The Roots - Undun
Young Jeezy - Thug Motivation 103: Hustlerz Ambition

Adele - Live At The Royal Albert Hall

The English singer-songwriter Adele is releasing a live album of her Royal Albert Hall concert, accompanied by a DVD/Blu-ray. It features 90 minutes of concert footage and behind-the-scenes video clips. Obviously, she has performed her biggest hits, such as Someone Like You, Rolling in the Deep and Hometown Glory.

Adele

If you're a fan of Adele's work, this is a must for your collection. You can watch some of the best moments of the concert below, thanks to VEVO.


Adele's Live At The Royal Albert Hall DVD/Blu-ray is out today in the UK and tomorrow in the US.

Watch a new video from Florence + The Machine

Florence + The Machine have just released the music video for No light, No light, the first song they wrote for their newest album.


By the time of its release (October 31), Ceremonials debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, becoming the band's second consecutive number-one album in the UK. The album also debuted at number one in Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.

Florence Welch

It has received positive reviews from most music critics and if you didn't listen to it yet, I seriously recommend you to do so.

MGMT - All We Ever Wanted Was Everything

MGMT


MGMT have released a music video for their cover of All We Ever Wanted Was Everything, by Bauhaus. The song was released back in October, on their compilation album Late Night Tales: MGMT.
They did a fantastic job with the cover and the video is awesome! Check it out below.


Courtney Love got mad during a show in Brazil

Courtney Love

Last saturday, during a Hole's show in Brazil, Courtney Love got angry with a crowd member who was holding a picture of Kurt Cobain.
In other words, she said she was tired to live in Cobain's shadow, and told the crowd member to put the picture down, otherwise she would beat him up.
After the outburst, she left the stage. The band's guitarrist said if the crowd wanted to see Courtney back, they would have to shout "The Foo Fighters are gay". The audience fulfilled the request and then Courtney returned.
During the show she also stripped off on stage. You can see the outrageous moments in the videos bellow!



R.E.M.'s last album

REM live


After thirty years of a very successful career, the american band R.E.M decided to split up and release their last album. It's called Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage: 1982–2011 and it's coming out next week, on November 15, but thanks to NPR we can already listen to it in its entirely. Besides their greatest hits, the album contains three unreleased tracks. Just follow the links bellow and start listening!


It's so good to remember Everybody Hurts or Losing my Religion... it brings back good old memories!

Rare recording of live Nirvana concert

Nirvana black and white


A rare live recording made during a Nirvana concert in Cambridge (United States) in 1989 has been released a few days ago to the Internet. By that time, the band was still promoting their first record - Bleach - and no one could ever imagined the huge sucess that would follow. Accordingly to what I've read, they were only 60 people in the audience, and Dave Grohl wasn't even in the band! Chad Channing was on drums.

They have played mostly songs from Bleach and two songs from Nevermind. If you're a fan of Nirvana, I think you might like this! Give it a listen!



Setlist:
  • School
  • Floyd the Barber
  • Love Buzz
  • Dive
  • Scoff
  • About a Girl
  • Spank Thru
  • Breed
  • In Bloom
  • Big Cheese
  • Molly's Lips
  • Been a Son
  • Stain

List of albums to be released in November

As usual, here is the list of upcoming albums in November, sorted alphabetically to make it easier to find the bands you like! A lot of great albums are coming out in the next month... make sure you listen to some of them! Oh, and enjoy the Halloween! :D


halloween jack o lantern


Atlas Sound - Parallax
Blouse - Blouse
Brian Eno - Panic Of Looking
Carole King - A Holiday Carole
Cass McCombs - Humor Risk
Caveman - Coco Beware
Childish Gambino - Camp
Common - The Dream, The Believer
Daughtry - Break The Spell
David Lynch - Crazy Clown Time
Drake - Take Care
Florence And The Machine - Ceremonials
Girl In A Coma - Exists & All The Rest
Idle Warship - Habits Of The Heart
Il Divo - Wicked Game
Jonathan Coulton - Artificial Heart
Judy Collins - Bohemian
Justin Bieber - Under The Mistletoe
Kate Bush - 50 Words For Snow
Los Campesinos! - Hello Sadness
Lou Reed & Metallica - Lulu
M+A - Things.Yes
Mary J. Blige - My Life II...The Journey Continues (Act 1)
Megadeth - Th1rt3en
Meshell Ndegeocello - Weather
Miranda Lambert - Four The Record
Monica - New Life
Nickelback - Here & Now
Noel Gallagher - High Flying Birds
Pink Martini & Saori Yuki - 1969
R.E.M. - Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage: 1982-2011
Rihanna - Talk That Talk
Sigur Ros - INNI
Steel Panther - Balls Out
Summer Camp - Welcome To Condale
Susan Boyle - Someone To Watch Over Me
Tegan And Sara - Get Along
The Beach Boys - The Smile Sessions
The Bees - Every Step's A Yes
The Dear & Departed - Every Waking Moment
The Decemberists - Long Live The King
The Jigsaw Seen - Winterland
They Might Be Giants - Album Raises New and Troubling Questions
Treefight For Sunlight - A Collection Of Vibrations For Your Skull
Tyrese - Open Invitation
Wale - Ambition
Yael Mayer - Everything Will Be Alright
Yelawolf - Radioactive
Young Statues - Young Statues
Zambri - Glossolalia

It's All Gone Pete Tong

I don't usually post about movies, but this time I'll make an exception because it's a music-related one, and I really liked it.

Paul Kaye as Frankie Wilde

It's All Gone Pete Tong tells us the story of a very successful DJ, who is among the best in the Ibiza club scene. His name is Frankie Wilde and he seems to have everything he ever wanted: he's a superstar DJ, he has a magnificent house and he is married to a beautiful woman. When everything seemed to go well for Frankie, he discovers he has a hearing disorder and that over time he is more likely to go deaf if he doesn't give up of his profession.


With only one good ear, Frankie takes the risk and continues to give live performances, however, he no longer has the ability to hear good enough to be a DJ, and no one likes his music anymore. Unfortunately, it ends up going everything wrong for Frankie, because an accident happens in his studio and he becomes completely deaf. He loses everything he has achieved and he enters in a period of depression. After a long fight against his disability, he finally accepts his condition and seeks help. He meets a girl who changes the way he faces his deafness and discovers that through other senses he may be able to compose again. And that's what he tries out. Will Frankie be able to work as a DJ again? Watch the movie and find out!

New music videos from The Black Keys and Arctic Monkeys

The Black Keys have revealed the first single from their new album El Camino, to be released on December 6. Watch the video!



Arctic Monkeys also have presented a new music video during this week. Evil Twin is the b-side of the upcoming single Suck It and See, out October 31.

Listen to Justice's new album now!

Justice band


The new album from Justice is scheduled for release on October 24, next Monday, but thanks to NME we can fully listen to Audio, Video, Disco in first-hand!

It seems to me that the french duo is trying to adapt to a lighter style of music, since this new album is not as agressive as their first one (Cross).

What are you waiting for? Press play and start listening to it!


Massive Attack vs Burial

Four Walls is a collaboration album between Massive Attack and Burial, which features two tracks about 12 minutes long. A limited 12" vynil edition has been released on October 17 but it has already sold out.

Four Walls cover


If you want to acquire one of the 1000 copies, I suggest you to find one of the buyers and fight for it. Or beat me up 'cause I didn't warn you in time. I'm sorry! It's just that I've been really busy lately! Let's hope they release a CD or a digital album.

Anyway, I'll just leave the two songs here. Give them a listen!



The very best Adele covers

Whether we like Adele's music or not, we must recognize that she is a very successful artist. Her songs became instant radio hits, that still play in the radio stations several times a day. Through this commercial exposure, she become loved by some and hated by others. Dispite this, it is a fact that Adele has a great gift - her powerful and magnificent voice.


Adele


Many known artists had surrendered to her music, and made ​​their own interpretations of some of her songs. That's what this post is about: the very best Adele covers.


City and Colour - Hometown Glory

Adele - Hometown Glory


Linkin Park - Rolling in the Deep

Adele - Rolling in the Deep


James Vincent McMorrow - Someone Like You

Adele - Someone Like You





This father and daughter duet performed a fantastic cover of Rolling in the Deep. Watch it!


...and also the U.S. Air Forces did!

James Blake - Enough Thunder EP

James Blake

The british electronic composer has presented a new EP recently, which you can fully listen below!
It features a collaboration with Bon Iver - Fall Creek Boys Choir - and a cover of a Joni Mitchell song - A Case Of You.
You definitely have to check it out! He's a new indie artist whose music is worth listening to.

Listen to Björk's new album Biophilia

Björk's new album is now available for listening! Follow this link to listen to her new record, which release date is set for October 10, next Monday.



Biophilia seems to be very peculiar project, since it will combine music with an iPad application, turning it into a multimedia album, like an interactive musical museum. Yes, that's right, her new album is targeted for the Apple's tablet computer, but of course there will also be CDs.

If you're curious about the Biophilia app, watch this video:

Radiohead - TKOL RMX 1234567



During the past months, Radiohead had been releasing a series of remix singles of songs from their latest album, The King of Limbs. Apparently, they have decided to gather them all in a two-disc compilation, TKOL RMX 1234567, which is scheduled for release on October 11.
You can listen to it below, via The Hype Machine!

The album features remixes by well known electronic acts like Caribou, Four Tet, Modeselektor and Jamie xx.

If the app doesn't work, listen to it here.

List of albums to be released in October

As usual, here's the list of albums to be released in the next month.
I sorted it alphabetically to make it easier for you to find the bands you're interested in. The list format is Band - Album Name.

65Daysofstatic - We Were Exploding Anyway
Alesana - A Place Where The Sun Is Silent
Annie Crane - Jump With A Child's Heart
Bella Novela - The Archeress
Ben Lee - Deeper Into Dreams
Bjork - Biophilia
Bonnie - Wolfroy Goes To Town
Casiokids - Aabenbaringen Over Aaskammen
Casting Crowns - Come To The Well
Chris Isaak - Beyond the Sun
Class Actress - Rapprocher
Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto
Crooked Fingers - Breaks In The Armor
Cymbals Eat Guitars - Lenses Alien
Deer Tick - Divine Providence
Drake - Take Care
Dreamers Of The Ghetto - Enemy/Lover
Dub Trio - Dub Trio IV
Electric Six - Heartbeats And Brainwaves
Eliot Lipp - How We Do: Moves Made
Erasure - Tomorrow's World
Evanescence - Evanescence
Everlast - Songs Of The Ungrateful Living
Evile - Five Serpent's Teeth
Feist - Metals
Five Finger Death Punch - American Capitalist
Forest Fire - Staring At The X
Future Islands - On The Water
High Places - Original Colors
I Am The Avalanche - Avalanche United
I Break Horses - Heart
Indigo Girls - Beauty Queen Sister
Is Tropical - Native To
Jack's Mannequin - People & Things
Jane's Addiction - The Great Escape Artist
Joe - The Good The Bad The Sexy
Joe Henry - Reverie
Joe Jonas - Fast Life
John Wesley Harding - The Sound of His Own Voice
Jonti - Twirligig
Judy Collins - Bohemian
Junius - Reports From The Threshold Of Death
Justice - Audio, Video, Disco
Kathryn Calder - Bright And Vivid
Kelly Clarkson - Stronger
Kitty, Daisy & Lewis - Smoking In Heaven
Lauren Alaina - Wildflower
Lights Resolve - Feel You're Different
Loney Dear - Hall Music
Lydia - Paint It Gold
M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming
Marketa Irglova - Anar
Matthew Herbert - One Pig
Mayday Parade - Mayday Parade
Mayer Hawthorne - How Do You Do
Merle Haggard - Working In Tennessee
Michael Buble - Christmas
Misfits - The Devil's Rain
Modeselektor - Monkeytown
Monica - New Life
Mutemath - Odd Soul
My Brightest Diamond - All Things Will Unwind
New Found Glory - Radiosurgery
Nick Swisher - Believe
Noel Gallagher - High Flying Birds
Paley and Francis - Paley & Francis
Patrick Stump - Soul Punk
Prince Rama - Trust Now
Psychic Ills - Hazed Dream
Puscifer - Conditions Of My Parole
Rachel Yamagata - Chesapeake
Randy Travis - Blessd Assurance
Real Estate - Days
Remember Remember - The Quickening
Rich Richardson - Through A Crooked Sun
Rocket From The Crypt - Barfly
Rodney Atkins - Take A Back Road
Ronan Keating and Burt Bacharach - When Ronan Met Burt
Ryan Adams - Ashes & Fire
S.C.U.M - Again Into Eyes
Scott McCreery - Clear As Day
She & Him - A Very She & Him Christmas
Shelby Lynne - Revelation Road
Still Corners - Creatures Of An Hour
Styles P - Master Of Ceremonies
Surfer Blood - Tarot Classics
The Beets - Let The Poison Out
The Field - Looping State Of Mind
The Irrepressibles - Mirror Mirror
The Misfits - The Devil's Rain
The Rifles - Freedom Run
This Is Hell - Black Mass
Tim Hecker - Dropped Pianos
Toby Keith - Clancy's Tavern
Tom Waits - Bad As Me
Transit - Listen & Forgive
Vince Gill - Guitar Slinger
Wayne Static - Pighammer
We Are The In Crowd - Best Intentions
We Were Promised Jetpacks - In The Pit Of The Stomach
Wednesday 13 - Calling All Corpses
William Shatner - Seeking Major Tom
Yelawolf - Radioactive
Zola Jesus - Conatus

Björk - Moon

Björk's new album, Biophilia, was supposed to be released today, but it has been delayed to October 10. Meanwhile, she has released a new single, Moon, which you can watch and listen bellow.



The video was made by Björk!

Opeth's "The Devil's Orchard" video


As some of you may know, the swedish metal band Opeth released their latest LP, Heritage, last week.

Watch their new trippy video for the The Devil's Orchard song!

Mastodon stream new album

The Hunter is the upcoming fifth studio album by the American heavy metal band Mastodon, which is going to be released on September 26.

For those who can't wait any longer to hear one of the most serious candidates to album of the year, the band have provided the record in its entirely on youtube! Enjoy!


Track listing:

00:00 - Black Tongue
03:27 - Curl of the Burl
07:06 - Blasteroid
09:42 - Stargasm
14:23 - Octopus Has No Friends
18:11 - All The Heavy Lifting
22:42 - The Hunter
28:00 - Dry Bone Valley
32:00 - Thickening
36:31 - Creature Lives
41:12 - Spectrelight
44:22 - Bedazzled Fingernails
47:30 - The Sparrow?

Take a look at the official video for Curl of the Burl, the second song from the album.


Learning a musical instrument

As you may have noticed, I've launched a new poll to find out if my readers know how to play any musical instrument. It's just a curiosity of mine, but I would be thankful if you vote!

In a previous post, I've noticed that several people commented that they didn't know how play an instrument, however, they would like to learn.

Let me say that it's never too late to do so! Besides, music education has many benefits that you may not know, such as:

  1. Early musical training helps develop brain areas involved in language and reasoning. Scientists say that children who learn how to play an instrument do better in school than those who don't. Adults can benefit from it too because it helps the mind to be alert and remain active.
  2. Playing an instrument provides people with a means of self-expression and relieves stress.
  3. Music study enhances discipline, since you have to obey to practice routines in order to master your instrument.
  4. Once you've learned a music piece, it will make you very proud of yourself and you'll experience a sense of satisfaction for achieving your goal.

I could continue, but I guess I gave you enough reasons for you to realize how important music is for the personal development of each one of us. Give it a try! Grab an instrument and start playing!

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah return with a new album

It's been four years since the Brooklyn indie band have released their second record, but that doesn't mean they have packed their instruments! They have just released a new album, which is called Hysterical.




Clap Your Hands Say Yeah achieved their initial fame and commercial success via the internet. They kept getting bigger due to the amazing quality of their debut album, which was self-released and whose production was totally indepedent. They are one of the greatest indie-rock bands of nowadays.

You can listen to the new track Same Mistake below.


Florence + The Machine - Shake it Out



Florence and The Machine have revealed a new single for their upcoming album Ceremonials. Press play and enjoy it!



Although other track had been previously released by the english indie pop band, Shake it Out is officially the first single.
Ceremonials is going to be released October 31 and will replace their successful debut album Lungs.

Bush - The Sea of Memories

Do you remember Bush, one of the greatest alternative rock bands from the 90s? Well, they're back with a new album, after eight years of hiatus.




I've already listened to The Sea of Memories, which was released yesterday, and I was a little bit disappointed.

I wasn't expecting they sounded like their previous records (although I wanted to), but they've really changed a lot. I don't know, maybe they wanted to move on, evolve and to shape their sound differently, but I don't like their new music... to me it's just a mediocre album.

M83 - Midnight City

Hurry Up, We're Dreaming is the new album by M83 which release is scheduled for October 18. The record is already making a lot of noise due to the successful single Midnight City, released in the past July.




M83 is also releasing an EP which features an impressive set of remixes for this single by Trentemøller, Big Black Delta, Man Without Country and Team Ghost. Two of them are already available!




Four new albums available for streaming

Today I bring you the new albums of Ladytron, dEUS, Opeth and Pearl Jam.

All these four bands are going to release their new albums in the next days, and they have decided to put their records available for us to listen!





Ladytron - Gravity the Seducer (availabe September 13)



dEUS - Keep You Close (available September 19)



Opeth - Heritage (available September 14)



[Click here to listen Heritage]

Pearl Jam - 20 (available September 20)



[Click here to listen Twenty]

Kurt Vile reveals new song



Kurt Vile is preparing a successor to his acclaimed Smoke Ring For My Halo, which will come out on November 8 in EP format. The Creature is a very promising track from the new record, titled So Outta Reach.




You can download it here, via Matador Records Website.

New singles from Wilco and Los Campesinos!

Los Campesinos! did not take any time to rest from the album released just last year, and are already preparing the launch of their next album, presenting us with the single By Your Hand. The album is called Hello Sadness and will be launched on November 14.




Wilco also have a new song to show!
While we're waiting for their new album, titled The Whole Love, they did us the huge favor of sharing the video for the single Born Alone. The album will be released on September 27.


Poll results

The poll Which has been the best decade for music? is now closed and the results are the following:

  1. 70's (17)
  2. 90's (16)
  3. 00's (15)
  4. 60's (10)
  5. 80's (9)
  6. 50's (2)

69 people voted and the number of votes for each decade is shown between brackets.

The results are not surprising, because the 70's were indeed amazingly creative years, and which music has heavily influenced many bands and artists since then. I was expecting the 60's to have more votes though.

How to start a band

You know how to play an instrument and have a lot of spare time? Why don't you start a band?



A band is the essential school community that combines a way of learning an instrument, rocking out and being social.
If you're at high school or college you have lots of chances of knowing people that share the same interests and tastes as you, and that eventually may want to form a band with you.
By the other hand, you can look in newspaper ads, on-line forums and communities for people in your area interested in forming a band.

So, how do you start?

1. Get a place to rehearse
A garage or a basement might work pretty well. Make sure you have rugs lying around in the room and egg boxes glued to the walls. This will help reduce the bass vibrations.

2. Have instruments
A drum set, electric guitar and bass are a must.
If you're a starter, don't buy fancy and professional equipment, because it's too expensive and at this level, you don't need really good material.

3. Learn how to play your instruments
You don't necessarily need to take classes, or taking a degree in music.
Nowadays you can learn the basics through theory and practical courses, which can provide you a good musical basis.
Your band colleagues also can teach you a lot of things, and as you keep playing in the band, you gain a lot of experience.

4. Do a lot of practice together
In the beginning, you should play covers to get to know your band mates skills.
As you progress, start doing jam sessions. If the things you play start sounding good, you're ready to compose!

And I believe that's all! I hope this tips were helpful.
One thing you should remember: even big bands started on small stages.

The 00s

R&B and hip-hop continued to dominate popular music as the 2000s began.
Underground musical scenes exploded with the emergence of free, easy music distribution (mainly through the internet). Electro and indie rock began to have more of an impact on the mainstream in the late 2000s.
Portable music devices and online downloads changed the way music was consumed.

List of albums to be released in September

The new college semester is quickly approaching and new albums are coming out!
What are you expecting this month?

Artist | Album

Aqua - Megalomania
Girls - Father, Son, Holy Ghost
Primus - Green Naugahyde
Anthrax - Worship Music
The Kooks - Junk Of The Heart
Das Racist - Relax
Dream Theater - A Dramatic Turn of Events
The Devil Wears Prada - Dead Throne
St. Vincent - Strange Mercy
The Pack A.D. - Unpersons
We Came As Romans - Understanding What We've Grown to Be
Nick Lowe - The Old Magic
Bush - The Sea of Memories
Thrice - Major/Minor
Opeth - Heritage
Demi Lovato - Unbroken
Tori Amos - Night of Hunters
Kalafina - After Eden
Dead by April - Incomparable
Björk - Biophilia
Steve Hackett - Beyond The Shrouded Horizon
Steven Wilson - Grace for Drowning
Mastodon - The Hunter
Blink-182 - Neighborhoods
Machine Head - Unto the Locust
Chickenfoot - Chickenfoot III
J. Cole - Cole World: The Sideline Story
Jim Cuddy - Skyscraper Soul
Switchfoot - Vice Verses
Wilco - The Whole Love

The 90s

The 1990s were one of the most diverse, fractured and explosive musical decades since the 60's.

Things started off strong for hair metal, but it gradually lost audience to a different brand of loud, aggressive, but introspectively emotional music that would be labeled "alternative". The Grunge movement and the Seattle scene dominated both music and fashion at the dawn of the 90's. Partly as a reaction to grunge, British rock enjoyed a bracing revival.

Kurt Cobain playing guitar
Rave and electronic beats would nudge their way into the mainstream. 90's pop music would see a radical transformation of its own, due to the emergence of teen idols and boys/girls bands.

By the end of the decade, rap music and hip hop culture would achieve an almost total dominance over the record industry.



This list was REALLY difficult to make... I'm considering editing this post later and making a top 20. :P

The 80s

Music in the 1980s was characterized by unheard of electronic sounds accomplished through the use of synthesizers and keyboards, along with drum machines. This made a dramatic change in music.

In the United States, MTV was launched and music videos began to have a huge effect on the record industry.


Robert Smith from The Cure

My top 10 songs

1. A Forest - The Cure



2. Bigmouth Strikes Again - The Smiths



3. Love Will Tear Us Apart - Joy Division



4. Where is My Mind? - Pixies
5. Enjoy The Silence - Depeche Mode
6. Fade to Black - Metallica
7. Back In Black - AC/DC
8. Beat It - Michael Jackson
9. Sunday Bloody Sunday - U2
10. Forever Young - Alphaville

The 70s

The 70s were a time when a new generation of young people were exposed to new media and hence newer ideas in almost every field. TV and motion picture brought to varied audiences images, lifestyles and music from diverse regions and peoples. This led to the emergence of a new vocabulary and experimentation in music.


Led Zeppelin live


The 60s

The music of the 1960s was characteristic of the revolution that was going on during the decade. It was a time of rebellion and counter-culture in which the younger people were questioning everything, including authority, corporations, the government, and other aspects of everyday life.

Jimi Hendrix performing at Woodstock 69

The mid-60s are also known for "The British Invasion". It was a movement in which several bands in the United Kingdom were creating a buzz in the United States.



Music may harm your studying

Don't you usually listen to music while you're studying? Well, if not, I'm pretty sure that a lot of people do that, and guess what? Putting background music while you study is not a good idea, since it may be working against you!

I was surfing around the web, searching for possible reasons for my not so good marks at college, and found an article which was very helpful to me. I'm going to select the essential ideas, but you can read the whole article here.

Researchers at the University of Wales Institute in Cardiff, United Kingdom, looked at the ability to recall information in the presence of different sounds.

The study found that participants performed worst while listening to music. They did the best in the quiet!

Music may impair cognitive abilities because if you're trying to memorize things, you may get thrown off by the changing words and notes in your chosen song.

When you hear something you like, it heightens your arousal and mood, which improves performance.

This research suggests that it might be better to study for an exam in quiet, or listen to music beforehand.



In conclusion: if you want to have a good study performance, you should listen to something you really like before you start studying, and not while you're doing it!
I should've known this in the last semester.. damn, lol.

List of albums to be released in August

The list appears to be little in August... well, let me know if you know about more albums coming out in the next month!

Dust - Peatbog Faeries
In Waves - Trivium
Next To Parallel - Allele
Any Man in America - Blue October
Until Fear No Longer Defines Us - Ghost Brigade
Age of the Joker - Edguy
Tha Carter IV - Lil' Wayne
Nothing But the Beat - David Guetta
I'm with You - Red Hot Chili Peppers
The Rip Tide - Beirut

Music and mathematics

Did you know that music theorists often use mathematics to understand music?

Mathematics is "the basis of sound" and sound itself "in its musical aspects... exhibits a remarkable array of number properties", simply because nature itself "is amazingly mathematical".

The attempt to structure and communicate new ways of composing and hearing music has led to musical applications of set theory, abstract algebra and number theory. Some composers have incorporated the Golden ratio and Fibonacci numbers into their work.

"Lateralus" by Tool is known for its distinct time signatures and corresponding lyrical patterns.



References:
  • Reginald Smith Brindle, The New Music, Oxford University Press, 1987

List of albums to be released in July

As usual, here is the list!

  • Neutralize the Threat - Earth Crisis
  • Darkness in the Light - Unearth
  • Watch The Throne - Kanye West & Jay-Z
  • Bigga Than Life - Birdman
  • Arrows and Anchors - Fair to Midland
  • The Truth Is... - Theory of a Deadman
  • Fly From Here - Yes
  • Hell Is What You Make It - Breathe Carolina
  • If Not Now, When? - Incubus
  • The Black Crown - Suicide Silence
  • Yours Truly - Sublime with Rome
  • Time of My Life - 3 Doors Down
  • Universal Pulse - 311
  • Jasta - Jasta
  • Legendary Weapons - Wu-Tang Clan
  • Rabbits on the Run - Vanessa Carlton
  • Success Is Certain - Royce da 5'9"
  • The Drug In Me Is You - Falling In Reverse

Fortunetly there's nothing I'm really interested in... this way I'll dedicate my time studying for this semester's exams (I have to pass them all!), instead of listening to music all the time xD Otherwise my academic life will be over in the next year, 'cause my parents said that they will take me out of university if I don't finish my degree in time... :/ oh well... wish me luck!

Bon Iver stream self-titled new album


Bon Iver are streaming their new self-titled album online, and you can listen to it right here, by pressing play in the application bellow!



The album (their second) isn't officialy out until June 20, but fortunately they gave us the opportunity to listen to it in first-hand.

I absolutely recommend it! (and if you like this one, you HAVE to listen their previous album - For Emma, Forever Ago -, which is, in my opinion, a lot better)

You may like to know where the band is touring in the next months, so I'm leaving the link to their myspace.

Google lets you play guitar

I'm pretty sure you've already noticed google today, but for those who didn't, I'll just leave this here. :P





In case you're wondering why google did this today.. well, it's in honor of the legendary guitar maker Les Paul (June 9, 1915 – August 12, 2009). You can play the guitar strings with your mouse or keyboard. Try it! :D

Jeff Buckley - Grace

Jeff Buckley was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. After a decade as a guitarist-for-hire in Los Angeles in the early 90s, Buckley signed with Columbia, recruited a band, and recorded what would be his only studio album - Grace (1994).


Over the following two years, the band toured widely to promote the album. In 1997, Buckley moved to Memphis, Tennessee, to resume work on his second album - My Sweetheart the Drunk. While awaiting the arrival of his band from New York, he drowned during a spontaneous evening swim in the Wolf River, when he was caught in the wake of a passing boat.


He is considered as one of the most remarkable musical artists of his generation, acclaimed by audiences, critics, and fellow musicians alike.

List of albums to be released in June

  • Mirrorball - Def Leppard
  • Back Through Time - Alestorm
  • England Keep My Bones - Frank Turner
  • Suck It and See - Arctic Monkeys
  • All 6's and 7's - Tech N9ne
  • Electroman - Benny Benassi
  • Gloss Drop - Battles
  • Home School Valedictorian - Adelitas Way
  • Little Hell - City and Colour
  • Set the World On Fire - Black Veil Brides
  • There Is A Way - Dananananaykroyd
  • All Things Bright and Beautiful - Owl City
  • Hell: The Sequel - Bad Meets Evil
  • Sounds of a Playground Fading - In Flames
  • From Chaos to Eternity - Rhapsody of Fire
  • Ritual - The Black Dahlia Murder
  • Lupercalia - Patrick Wolf
  • Deconstruction - Devin Townsend
  • Ghost - Devin Townsend
  • Get Your Heart On - Simple Plan
  • We All Bleed - Crossfade
  • Tha Carter IV - Lil' Wayne
  • Next to Parallel - Allele
  • Bon Iver - Bon Iver
  • The Light of the Sun - Jill Scott
  • A Rose for the Apocalypse - Draconian
  • The Verge - There For Tomorrow
  • Gold Cobra - Limp Bizkit
  • 4 - Beyoncé

List of albums to be released in May

I'm sorry about the delayed post! I've been going through a lot and been really busy. In the past weeks I didn't have time to mantain this blog, but I promise that I'll be back (really) soon. :]




Day 3:

Love? - Jennifer Lopez
This Is Gonna Hurt - Sixx:A.M.
Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 2 - Beastie Boys
In Your Dreams - Stevie Nicks
Helplessness Blues - Fleet Foxes
Now That's What I Call Music! 38 (U.S. series) - Various artists
Now That's What I Call the 80s Hits - Various artists

Day 10:

Goblin - Tyler The Creator
Turtleneck & Chain - The Lonely Island
I Am Very Far - Okkervil River
Simple Math - Manchester Orchestra
Move Like This - The Cars
Waves - Moving Mountains

Day 16:

Destroyed - Moby

Day 23:

Born This Way - Lady Gaga
Hold On to Strings Better Left to Fray - Seether

Day 24:

Speed of Darkness - Flogging Molly
Eclipse - Journey

Day 27:

United In Isolation - Papa VS Pretty

Day 30:

Khaos Legions - Arch Enemy
Total - SebastiAn

Day 31:

Codes and Keys - Death Cab for Cutie
Lights of Endangered Species - Matthew Good
Ukulele Songs - Eddie Vedder


Foo Fighters stream 'Wasting Light' online



I just noticed Foo Fighters are streaming their entirely new album online, in their website! The album was originally set for release on 11th April, but I guess they wanted to do their fans a surprise before it was officially released.

I personally think this is a great to way to promote the album... I've already gave it a listen, and the first impression was pretty good. I'm not a big fan of Foo Fighters... they do cool music, but they're not a band that I listen regularly. To be honest this album really surprised me, since they sound different from the previous records... maybe a little more heavier. Have a listen!

List of albums to be released in April

As usual, here is the post with the list of albums that are going to be released in the next month.
I'm curious about the following ones:
If you, in a certain way, trust in my music taste (lol), listen to the latest singles from the albums this bands are going to release:
  • Up, Guards And At' Em! - The Pigeon Detectives [single]
  • Nine Types of Light - TV on the Radio [single]




Day 4:

Hope - The Blackout
Up, Guards And At' Em! - The Pigeon Detectives

Day 5:

Reckless and Relentless - Asking Alexandria
American Tragedy - Hollywood Undead

Day 12:

The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues - Between The Buried And Me
We All Bleed - Crossfade
Tomboy - Panda Bear
Wasting Light - Foo Fighters
So Beautiful or So What - Paul Simon
Paper Airplane - Alison Krauss
Share the Joy - Vivian Girls
Time of My Life - 3 Doors Down
Nine Types of Light - TV on the Radio
Drama Y Luz - Maná

Day 15:

Into the Wild - Uriah Heep

Day 18:

Punk and Poetry - The King Blues
The Fall - Gorillaz

Day 19:

The Taking - Loaded

Day 20:

Detox - Dr. Dre

Day 22:

Meredead - Leaves' Eyes

Day 25:

Union Black - Skindred

Day 26:

Attention Please - Boris
Heavy Rocks - Boris


Depeche Mode - Enjoy the Silence

To be honest, I never listened to Depeche Mode's entire discography (12 studio albums!!). I basically know their greatest hits and songs that were covered by other artists.

Although I don't know the band very well, I really like the song 'Enjoy the Silence', which is my favorite by them. So today I'm posting this one because I'm out of ideas and this one was the first to come to my mind. :P



Depeche Mode are an electronic music band from England, which was formed in the 80's. Originally they were five, but since 1995, they're a trio: Dave Gahan, Martin Gore and Andrew Fletcher.

Depeche Mode have had 48 songs in the UK Singles Chart and #1 albums in UK, US and throughout Europe!

Probably they're the most popular electronic band the world has ever known, and they had been a major influence to a lot of new musicians and bands.

Junip - Black Refuge



Who in this world doesn't know José González? Ok, you may not remember his name and who he is, but you certainly know a song named Heartbeats, that became very popular because it was used in a Sony Bravia comercial a few years ago (the one featuring a lot of colored rubber balls bouncing down a street).



It happens José González is a very talented artist, and although a lot of people only know him because of that song, I absolutely recommend his albums. But I'm not posting a song from his solo works today...

I'm posting a song from a band he founded in the late 90's - Junip. The trio, which consists of González on guitar and vocals, drummer Elias Araya, and keyboard player Tobias Winterkorn, crafts dark, moody, indie folk in the vein of their founder. They have a lot of good songs, but this one is my favorite:



I hope you like their sound! :)
If you want to know more about the band, visit their website: http://www.junip.net/.

Jimi Hendrix - All Along The Watchtower



Jimi Hendrix is probably one of the most greatest and famous guitarists of all time, so today I'm posting 'All Along The Watchtower', which isn't actually a song of his own (it's from Bob Dylan), but his version is by far better, at least in my opinion.



I hope that today's song pleases more people than it usually does, because I seriously doubt that there is someone who doesn't know Jimi Hendrix. :P

Kings of Convenience - 24-25



24-25 is definitely one of my favorite songs by Kings of Convenience. I bet that some (most?) of my followers don't know this very talented duo from Norway. I hope you give this song a listen, because they deserve to be heard! :)



Their sound is well known for their delicate tunes, calming voices, and subtle guitar melodies. Erlend and Eirik compose and sing the songs. They have three studio albums, and if you like this song, I recommend you to listen the entire discography, but if you asked me for an album, I would say Declaration of Dependence (their last).

This song is really calm and I posted this one because it's still morning here, and I like to hear this kind of stuff at this time of the day. But they have plenty of other good and cheerful songs!

List of albums to be released in March

Followers, first of all, I'm sorry for the delayed update! My last post was a week ago... :/ I will try to do more regular updates from now on.

As I did in February, here is the list of albums to be release this month.
My recommendations are underlined! :)

I'm particularly curious about The Strokes' new album, because they don't release a new album since 2006! I think everyone who listens to them are expecting something really great... I seriously hope it doesn't turn out to be a big disappointment.

Are you expecting any album that is going to be released this month?




Day 1:

Going Out in Style - Dropkick Murphys
The Valley - Eisley
Lucky Street - Go Radio
The Emerald City - Melanie Doane
Departing - The Rural Alberta Advantage

Day 7:

Build a Rocket Boys! - Elbow
Collapse into Now - R.E.M.
Last Night on Earth - Noah and the Whale
Nightingale - Erland and the Carnival

Day 8:

Goodbye Lullaby - Avril Lavigne
Lasers - Lupe Fiasco
Relentless Reckless Forever - Children of Bodom
Downtown Battle Mountain II - Dance Gavin Dance
My Devil In Your Eyes - The Color Morale
Planet Pit - Pitbull
Doggumentary - Snoop Dogg

Day 11:

Edge of the Earth - Sylosis

Day 14:

Welcome Home Armageddon - Funeral for a Friend

Day 15:

Blunt Force Trauma - Cavalera Conspiracy
Instinct - As Blood Runs Black
Endgame - Rise Against
No Color - The Dodos
Awesome as Fuck - Green Day
Give the Drummer Some - Travis Barker

Day 21:

The Impossible Song & Other Songs - Roddy Woomble

Day 22:

My Life My Way - Agnostic Front
Vices & Virtues - Panic! at the Disco
All You Need Is Now - Duran Duran
When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes - Yellowcard
We Do What We Want - Emery
Angles - The Strokes
Scurrilous - Protest The Hero
Live on I5 - Soundgarden
Under Your Skin - Saliva

Day 28:

Welcome to my DNA - Blackfield

Day 29:

Femme Fatale - Britney Spears
Forevermore - Whitesnake
Disguises - Aiden
Something to Die For - The Sounds
The Unforgiving - Within Temptation
Screaming Bloody Murder - Sum 41
Rolling Papers - Wiz Khalifa

Day 31:

What Did You Expect From The Vaccines? - The Vaccines