Archive | August, 2011

Idol Albums – Coldplay LP in October – Ticketing Experiment

15 Aug

McCreery to Release Debut Album in October

Alfred E. Newman – Oh – I mean Scotty McCreery, winner of the most recent season of American Idol, will release his first album Clear as Day on Oct. 4. In a message to his fans McCreery wrote, “We focused on making the best music possible. I’m really proud of it and so grateful to have the opportunity to record an album before my 18th birthday.”

When I was 18…well, I wasn’t releasing debut album. Wait, let me qualify that. Debut “Succesful” albums. That is pretty awesome. For the top-24 this year I knew that McCreery would end up winning the entire competition. Why did I think this? American Idol has an incredibly strong country base. Seriously, solid country stars can fly through the show with ease. McCreery not only has a true country croon, but also he is young and respectable. Big, big help. At the end, the final two contestants were country singers and this really came to no surprise to people who have been watching the show for a while.

McCreery is insanely talented. Yes, for some, his act became old quickly. I mean, he could only sing country, right? Yes. But why is this an issue? He has a niche. He is perfectly comfortable in said niche. His first (and all remaining albums) will be country (with a probable pop twist). That is what album number one will be. I’ll make this prediction now. I think that McCreery will have the longest and most succesful career among all idol winners.

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New Coldplay Album


What the heck does that album title mean? Good question. Your guess is as good as mine. Coldplay will release Mylo Xyloto on Oct. 25, their official full-length follow-up to 2008’s Viva La Vida, which both had an understandable name and sold 2.8 million units. Yeah, nbd. Despite the rap that Coldplay gets, they are a hugely popular band and their piano-based rock is enjoyable. The band released the album’s first single “Every Teardrop is a Waterfall,” in June. On Sept. 12 the band will release their second single “September” to the awaiting public. Yeah, September in September.

I’m looking forward to the new release, even moreso now because the title is so enigmatic. Coldplay knows what they are doing and if the album has similar fire power to Viva La Vida it will meet with tremendous success. I’m also curious. Chris Martin has stated that the album does not have a specific genre and while that is pretty consistent with his dislike for pigeon-holing Coldplay’s music, it is still worth mentioning because last time fans were told to expect the unexpected, the band released an album that oozed with fluid sounds and eccentric rhythms.

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Experiments with All-Mobile Ticketing

Alright, this is pretty awesome. Billboard had their Summer Blowout Party featuring bands like LMFAO and Swizz Beatz. That’s not the awesome part. I mean I’m sure the concert was cool, but the way that people got into the concert is even cooler.

ShowClix, a company founded by  Joshua Dziabiak, is attempting to revolutionize the way that people get into shows. Do you lose papers easily and sometimes misplace tickets? Well, with ShowClix, everything is on your phone. That’s right, after you purchase your tickets they are sent to your phone via text message. When you get to the gate, you present the text message with your ticket and an attendant uses a device to scan it. Deal done. You go and enjoy your show and the garbages at the venue are not full with ripped up tickets (an environmentally friendly option). That’s how people who went to Billboard’s Summer Blowout displayed their tickets. It takes electronic ticketing to a new level.

I think this is great. Even if this is applied as another delivery option, it can save a lot of paper and frantic minutes searching for those damn tickets before you leave for the show. I can foresee this emerging as a premier ticketing option in the future. What do you think?

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The Andes are Falling!

11 Aug

Don’t worry. The Andes are not really falling. Go back to bed South America, everything is going to be okay. But if the Andes were in Pittsburgh, PA, well, then residents might need to take caution. Falling Andes, a new Indie/Pop, is hot off the presses and one listen to their dulcet melodies and sticky rhythms will get you hooked on the Andes.

Falling Andes was manufactured by multi-instrumentalists Dan Peluso (vocals, guitar, synthesizer) and Jordan Wood (vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards). The accomplished duo started writing songs together and expanded the band to include drummer Peter-Michel Natishan and guitarist Mike Boyer. Now when I say the band is new, I am not pulling your leg. Their debut EP dropped two days ago on iTunes. Pick it up. You will feel mighty good about yourself when the indie world picks up on the exuberant joy of Falling Andes.

If I had to pick one song to introduce the band it would have to be “San Francisco.”

The synth beginning is promising, but when the airy guitar chords kick in and lay comfortably over the synth the listener is transported to Fisherman’s Wharf, his/her eyes staring at the San Francisco Bay. The voice of the lead vocalist is distinct. I’m not entirely sure how to describe it. His “oh, no” shouts remind me of the always theatric Arthur Brown’s shout of the same words in his song “Fire.” It fits perfectly, though. The song is fresh and catchy and I smell the sea when I listen to it. Which, of course, is interesting because the band is from Pittsburgh. Definitely check this band out.

Visit the band’s website

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The First Day – Well, It Feels Like the First Time

9 Aug

I have had a lot of internships. If internships were dollars, well, I’d have six whole George Washington’s. Okay. That doesn’t seem like a lot of money. Well, all of the internships were unpaid so I guess that analogy was somewhat fitting. Anyway, the point I am trying to make is that I have “worked” at many companies, but never truly worked at a paying job. Today, I was among the sea of suited individuals commuting to work in New York City on the 7:29 peak train to Penn Station. Today, I started my job with Wolters Kluwer health. No quotation marks around that one. My actual job.

I guess you could say I was a bit of a foreigner. Was there any doubt that I would not be able to turn this into some music reference? At Wolters Kluwer Health, I will be working as an Editorial Assistant for three health publications. Not very musical, I know, but that is what this blog is for. The reason I mention 70’s hard-rock band Foreigner is, well, I bet you could guess. I’ll give you a hint.

That was quite a hint! I felt like this song – title at least – was suitable for my first day. Now, I’m not a big Foreigner fan. No, late 70’s hard-rock treads the very thin line of corniness. Out of a list of these bands, Foreigner, mainly because of a couple of songs, stands out. Also, the band featured Ian McDonald for four years, and that is pretty cool.

With Foreigner, McDonald played guitar, keyboards and woodwinds. Trivia time. What band was McDonald in prior to Foreigner. The answer is…

King Crimson

McDonald played an active role in creating one of the greatest albums of all time – In The Court of the Crimson King (1969). So, do enjoy McDonald’s work with Foreigner and, oh, what the heck, here is one of my favorite songs of all time.

I think I am going to need to analyze this song at some point. I may have already done this one the blog, but, if not, be prepared for some epic Crimson talk!

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The Rhythmic Folk of JF Robitaille

8 Aug

I am a little late on this profile of JF Robitaille. He released the EP that I just acquired in 2006. Robitaille released his first full-length LP around a month ago, so I am comforted in the fact that I have not missed material in between, but I do still have to pick up the new album. I am a firm believer, though, that it is never too late to get into any musician (most of my favorite artists stopped recording music prior to my birth) and I follow my mantra today with the Canadian singer-songwriter JF Robitaille.

The Blood in my Body (EP) was Robitaille’s first release as a solo artist and its rich six-song bounty provided listeners five years ago with the same folk joy that it provides listeners with today. I am living proof. Robitaille is an up-and-coming singer-songwriter, already achieving comparisons to genre masters Nick Drake and Leonard Cohen. His smooth voice, creative lyric and acoustic verses certainly plant him in the cabbage patch of singer-songwriters. But in order to sprout higher than others the music needs a sticking factor, a charm that makes listeners want to listen to songs on repeat. Many cannot get over this hump. Robitaille has the talent to do just that.

(Song starts at 30 second mark)

“Morning After Morning” is a simple piece. Basic chords picked by Robitaille while the rhythm section keeps linear heartbeat-like percussion. Yet, and I’ve said this a good amount of times on The Music Court, simplicity is not a bad thing when the song’s tight structure is intriguing. “Morning After Morning” keeps your attention.

“New York” is not even two minutes long. It is also a much more frantic piece. The choral harmony is quick, but enjoyable. It is also fly-trap catchy. It is a good sticky though. The verses are carried by shortly stroked chords and fast-paced drums. The lyric is also noticeable.

“I died while I was dreaming,
For a second I stopped breathing and I woke up on the quiet side of town.
Didn’t sleep that year at all.
A haze of cigarettes and alcohol, this dust had settled in my eyes.”

The diction certainly hits hard even in this short piece.

Check out some more of Mr. Robitaille’s music by following this link to his website

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The Music of The Legend of Zelda

7 Aug

Welcome all of you spectacular bundles of 1-dimensional vibrating strings! In this game of life there are games, some of them even containing games of their own! Meaning that we can at will play a game within a game within a game! And who knows if it even ends there? /inception

Today we will be talking about a particular game, one that employs video at that. Unless you have been living under a rock, or are downright ignorant, you probably have heard of video games… in particular the series entitled, The Legend of Zelda.

The Legend of Zelda is an action adventure series where you play as a boy named Link who is usually tasked with rescuing the princess Zelda and ridding the world of evils by combating monsters and solving puzzles. One could compare it to any other video game of the same genre, but then that person would have clearly never played this game.

The thing that differentiates this series from other action-adventure series the most, in my opinion, is the art style. Created by Nintendo, more specifically Shigeru Miyamoto, the series is essentially a Japanese take on traditional Western Fairytale. The result is a bizarre marriage of cultures and a breath of fresh air in the entire fantasy genre. And to top it off, the series also boasts some of the best music in the entire video game industry.

Music in video games serves multiple purposes. Aside from adding a bit of aesthetically pleasing noise, it can serve to set the tone of different parts of a game or to signify the type of area you’re in. For example, if you hear battle music, prepare for battle, and if you’re in a forest, you’re probably listening to the forest theme. In the case of the Zelda series, music is even entwined into the actual story, requiring you to play certain songs in certain situations to proceed. If only real life were like that.

Let me now show you a few of my personal favorite Zelda songs, all of which were composed by a man named Koji Kondo, who does much of Nintendo’s music.

Hyrule field is the large central field connecting all of the locations in the game The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. This is the song which plays whenever you are in Hyrule field during the day. The song is peaceful yet adventurous, perfectly befitting as you ride calmly on horseback to the next destination of your epic quest.

This version is played by an orchestra and I find it to be a particularly soothing version. The strings do a very good job of conveying the warmth of the song. In my opinion it is the perfect song to play while simply lounging in the sun.

This song is from my favorite Zelda game, Majora’s Mask. Probably the darkest game of the series, it features a world which is doomed to end in three days. It is impossible for you to save the world in these three days, so you are forced to replay them over and over until you do. As you do so, the routines of every single character are set to repeat exactly unless you interfere. And even if you do interfere, your efforts will be forgotten as soon as you reset the cycle. The Japanese sure know trippy.

The song of healing is played to cure the sick and wounded in this hopeless world. It conveys that perfect feeling of hope despite the unattainable odds. It is quiet and soft, yet strong and dignified. A perfect piano hymn for a world where certain doom is inevitable.

The Ancient Hero is actually a remix of sorts. The game The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker opens with a brief video explaining the central legend in the game. The video is set to a song named The Legendary Hero and is the main inspiration behind this remix.

It is pretty much a definition of epic. It open with soft harp which lays down this legendary tune. It is slowly joined by other instruments and before you know it is playing at full roar. The build is so gracefully executed that you almost don’t even need to play the game to understand the magnitude of the adventure you are about to undertake.

Music from video games is a strange thing. Standalone it is like any other piece of music, with a lot of it being compared to classical music for obvious reasons. But in the context of the game it comes from it becomes something new entirely. It becomes the feeling that holds the story together and the beat which paces the action.

As a kid, playing a Zelda game was basically a life changing experience. The way I see it, men growing up these days will be put into either one two categories – those that played a Zelda game as a kid and those who didn’t. A game itself can be a series of experiences, and that is what qualifies you in life. Who knows, maybe one day the experiences you put down on a resume won’t necessarily have to be real life. Besides, if life is a game, then are not games like lives?

&)

-oko

P.S.

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