Altsounds is bigger than Jesus
LOOK AWAY NOW NAN! The Sacrilegious Edition.
Thanketh the Lordeth for gracing us all with Saint Christopher, master of web design. I'm telling you, Chris will not be satisfied until every beloved child under the firmament is chillin' on Altsounds. Here are some of the new blessings-
First of all, the search function hath been moved to the top. USE IT. Altsounds has some serious depth. It would take you years to see everything on the site. Do a quick search for your favorite band and find all of the related content Altsounds has to offer.
Login icons!!!! I didn't even have to pray. Chris just KNEW we all wanted it. Now you can log in to your Artist profile, Listener profile or your Press profile just by clicking one of the three red icons. Pretty simple stuff!
Chris crucified the 4 songs that were at the bottom of every page and replaced them with the
ALTRANDOMIZER. This is by far the coolest thing in the new batch of updates because you're just a click away from music AT ALL TIMES. The default is a random song. Listen to it if you'd like and rate it to load up a new song. Or click 'song' again and get a brand new track to check out. BUT GET THIS!!!! You can also set the randomizer on 'band' or 'radio'...meaning you can hear every single song from a random artist or check out random user-made radio stations and full album streams!!!! You can click through this thing for HOURS without stumbling on the same thing twice, breathing new life and sounds into every visit to Altsounds!
The Inside Scoop
Want to learn more about your favourite bands and artists? The inside scoop is here to save your ass!
Sixx:AM Q&A Interview with James Michael "If a listener is hungry for a real connection to good music, it's definitely out there" 
Altsounds: Rumour has been going round and I believe you've confirmed that a second album will be under production sometime in the future. Coming from your initial concept album, do you already have ideas about the content of the second?
Sixx:AM : Yes. After we finished recording the Heroin Diaries Soundtrack, the three of us knew that we would eventually find some excuse to get into a studio together and create some more music. However, none of us anticipated that the excuse would be the amazing response that we've gotten from our first record or the incredible success that "Life Is Beautiful" has achieved. As far as concept for another record, we've been exploring a lot of new ground musically and we're getting very excited about where this record is heading.
Altsounds: What with Nikki coming from over twenty five years in one of the biggest bands in the world, it's not unfair to say that even though Sixx:AM has been successful standing on their own as a new band with...
READ MORE Music That's Hot With a plethora of music to sieve through below is the cream of this weeks ever abundant musical crop.
Eskimo Joe - Black Fingernails Red Wine [album] Mushroom Records 
Eskimo Joe’s third album Black Fingernails Red Wine is on my list of favourite albums of all time - granted, it’s a pretty big list, this album is still nonetheless on there. Released in Eskimo Joe’s native Australia in June 2006, Black Fingernails Red Wine is a solid, mature, and sublimely dark release from a sterling trio.
Black Fingernails Red Wine begins leisurely with “Comfort You”, a mainly instrumental song forming a perfect opening track for what is to come. It’s easy to get into the mood for the album with “Comfort You”, and will make a lot more sense once you’ve listened to the album full way through.
Next up, “New York” weaves in with a seamless piano transition and lead singer, Kav Temperley’s voice sneaks in on top with a perfect ruggedness that dominates. These first two tracks are perfectly composed, comfortable and together (quite like a third album should be). Once Eskimo Joe get going in this track, it becomes obvious that these boys mean business with...
READ MORE Dragonette - Galore [Album] I Surrender Records 
Fresh, original and very cool. Dragonette's tracks make you dance, it may even force the grumpiest bastards to have a bit more fun and let loose for once. Their songs are more addictive than crack and coming from a person that would never describe themselves as a dancer, I found myself bopping along and moving my hips almost on demand to what I was hearing. "Galore" has so many infectious songs and choruses that within one listen you feel as if you have been diagnosed with Dragonette fever, honestly.
As long as you're open minded musically, you will love this band for their fun alone, regardless of their ability to write a chorus that is more catchy than a severe case of "the clap". Sometimes music is taken too seriously and Dragonette are here to bring the fun back into everyone's lives and, for a moment will make you lose all your "serious music" inhibitions.
By their sound I imagined Dragonette to be a New York band, but in fact they are a Canadian born band that...
READ MORE Frightened Rabbit - It's Christmas So We'll Stop (7" single) FatCat Records - Released 15th December 
The best Christmas songs are often those with a dark, bleak undercurrent that generally gets masked by the tug-at-the-heartstrings of sleigh bells, dry stuffed turkey and a drunken aunt dancing to Agadoo of the family Christmas... this is absolutely no exception and Frightened Rabbit seem to bask in the glory of increasing the swelling of our hearts whilst simultaneously stabbing at them with some form of vitriolic word-smithery of the finest order.
For full-on maniacal fans of Frightened Rabbit (and I know a few) this is probably already apart of their collection due it's release in another guise last Christmas - damn it if Band Aid can release the same song at Christmas three times then who can't?!?! - but here we get a reworked version that has layers of grandiose applied by David Karsten Daniels in the shape of angelic choir work, floating flutes, brass section, twinkling piano, and the sort of sweeping, swooning string section cut from the finest movie score...
READ MORE Jurassic 5 - J5 Deluxe Re-issue [album, box-set] Decon 
I have to admit, I was pretty damn excited to get my hands on the highly anticipated Jurassic 5 deluxe re-issue. This exclusive bonus set contains their original release of the Jurassic 5 EP, plus a rare 15 track bonus disc, and a DVD that includes the London date of their first world tour.
I had first bought the Jurassic 5 EP some ten years ago; it was part of a whole new alternative hip hop scene that was starting to break through. Alongside these soon to be stalwarts were other revolutionists Kool Keith and Black Star, and hip hop was reborn.
The Jurassic 5 EP literally lived in my CD player from the moment I bought it, and I have memories of it fitting exactly three times fully when recorded on a 60 minute cassette tape (back in the day when tapes weren’t completely obsolete). It was a short album, but I loved it.
Listening to it now, after so many years of not having even looked at it, bought back a lot of good memories but mostly it just sounded great...
READ MORE Music That Is NOT!
If you like shit and you like toast then you will LOVE the utterly shit covered toast that is demonstrated below. 
K Anderson - 'Foxes EP' [EP] Self Released
This has to be one of the worst CD's I've been handed all year, and there has been some pretty terrible stuff released this year. 'K' has little to no song-writing skill and his lyrical delivery is so annoying I could hardly make it through the whole CD (and there's only 5 tracks).
God forbid having to sit through a full length release by this guy. Ropey guitar playing and an occasional xylophone fail to impress and add nothing to lifeless songs. Lyrically awful, musically uninspiring, rubbish production and generally no saving grace.
Try your hardest to never hear this guy.
READ MORE The News Wire Have your finger on the musical pulse every week by checking out the Top Ten biggest news of the past week- Mastodon - Bill Kelliher Hospitalized
- Mötley Crüe Announce 2009 Saints Of Los Angeles Tour Dates
- Twilight Official Soundtrack to be released on 24th November
- Heroin Diaries Deluxe Edition + Bonus Live EP
- Dimebag Darrell Lance Abbott - Brand new Book / DVD
- Dustin Kensrue Holiday Release Announced
- Gallows and Atticus Clothing invade London
- 2K SPORTS BOUNCE TOUR: Q-Tip and The Cool Kids Coming to New York
- Tickle Me Pink Get NSFW
- Thrice – Live at The House Of Blues coming soon through Vagrant Records
We Will Rock You Altsounds users are concert going freaks. The gigs listed below gave our reviewer the horn this week.
Fleet Foxes - Manchester Academy 2, 9th November 2008 [Live] Manchester Academy 2, 9th November 2008 
Fleet Foxes are a band for all seasons. I first fell in love with their debut album whilst lounging on my balcony in the fleeting summer sun, and I thought it the perfect summer album, but tonight in Manchester it seemed to have taken on autumnal qualities. The songs seem to have a closeness with nature that goes beyond song titles such as ‘Ragged Wood’, White Winter Hymnal’, ‘Sun It Rises’ and ‘Blue Ridge Mountains’, and I could almost hear the leaves blowing in the wind.
The audience here seems to span as many generations as the Fleet Fox’s influences, which I guess is no surprise. Songwriting this good, performed so expertly, spans generations and unites son, with father, and yes, even grandfather. Fleet Foxes are one of those rare bands that anyone of any age with taste can agree on. Sadly too much alcohol and a lack of respect for others also spans generations, so it’s also no surprise that some 40-odd year old idiot keeps heckling the band from the back of the room...
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Bushwalla [LIVE] in London 4/11/08 - upstairs at the Roebuck, The Great Indoors Show 
He wears ear-muffs, with a hand knitted scarf, and very soon he will balance a guitar on his face. The well-mannered Bushwalla thanks me kindly as he returns his empty tea cup to the bar and politely ascends to the stage.
I knew a little of Bushwalla before our interview this evening, and although now I know a lot more I don’t think anything could have prepared me for what lay ahead – as I said, this guy is about to perch a guitar on his face and free style rampantly, yes, t’was a night to remember. First came the music…
A song called 'Brown'' kicks us off – I say ‘us’ because I learn quickly that this set is going to be something we all partake in. “This song was written.” The man says and starts to sing. He orchestrates it gently, effortlessly and somehow, 30 seconds into the set, a room packed full of people are singing– “I (I I I I), I look forward to brown eyes (eye eye eye eye).” A few ambiguous spots, a few laughs, this is fun.
We hear some beat boxing on the...
READ MORE Plug in Baby Must buys from the technological world
Vocal Foundry Urban Dance & Pop Vocal sample library From Zero-G the makers of Vocal Forge 
In the modern world of music every day sees the rise of a new bedroom producer or DJ, crafting tunes they want to hear and some garnering massive success from it. The single most sought after thing by these guys would have to be good quality vocals and this is where Vocal Foundry from Time & Space comes in.
I often conduct remixes for competitions and for fun and when remixing, I am always on the look out for new exciting vocal snippets I can steal and sample for my own music. Finding top royalty free vocals samples is an absolute nightmare, unless you have some very good contacts or you can actually sing. Personally I sound like a mole being run over by a lawn mower, so other peoples vocal samples will do me perfectly!
The Product
The new Vocal Foundry sample library DVD has everything to offer the budding music maker. The samples cover dance, pop, r’n’b and urban genres. The DVD has over 2.5gb of brand new, royalty free vocal samples for you to play...
READ MORE Last Orders!
As we approach the end of 2008, it's time to start thinking about that oh so important list. No, not Santa's naughty or nice list. YOUR BEST OF 2008 LIST. Best albums, best videos, best movies, best television programs... get that hamster wheel turning and put your list together. You can post it up in our Open Discussion forums, and keep your eyes peeled for the official Altsounds BEST of 2008, coming in December!
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