The Altsounds Concentrate | Sunday 30th November 2008
Happy Thanksgiving!
There are a lot of bullshit holidays, but none more bullshit than Thanksgiving. For those not fortunate enough to have a holiday celebrating the near-extinction of a race of people, you're not missing much. Cooking, eating, sleeping, fighting with family and American football. Nothing happens, really, and I'm not totally sure what the point of it is. I guess it's like a practice run for Christmas, but without any gifts. It's stupid.
Speaking of stupid... the absolute best part of this holiday season, so far, comes courtesy of America's new favorite retard- Sarah Palin. After doing the traditional pardoning of a Thanksgiving turkey, she had the brilliant idea of giving a press conference in front of the blood bath where the unlucky turkeys were being slaughtered. While she went on and on about how much fun Thanksgiving is, right over her shoulder one turkey after another went head first into a funnel to be decapitated and drained of blood. It was so graphic, the news networks couldn't air the press conference without censoring the more brutal parts. She can't seem to decide whether or not she meant to do that, but I think the rest of us have unanimously decided that not only was it hilarious, but that woman should probably be wearing a helmet so she doesn't hurt herself.
And now, onto Altsounds uncensored brutal parts...
The Inside Scoop
Want to learn more about your favourite bands and artists? The inside scoop is here to save your ass!
The Rotted Q&A Interview with Ben
"We ain't about haircuts or anti-haircuts, or what t-shirt you want to wear. We just play the fucking music. No gimmicks and no bullshit!"
Born out of the dingy London back streets, THE ROTTED have risen up and established themselves as one of the UK’s leading extreme metal acts.
Though proud to be spawned in the death and extreme metal scene, the boys’ influences aren't just the ones normally associated with the style of music they create. THE ROTTED’s take on the genre comes from a completely different angle; It’s not the genre or style, it’s the attitude and delivery. As fans of classic rock, hardcore, punk, death, thrash and black metal, musical inspiration for ‘Get Dead Or Die Trying’ can be found in pretty much any decent guitar-based band of the last 30 years.
Altsounds had a sit own with Ben about all things The Rotted:
Altsounds: Lyrically what's inspired this album?
The Rotted : Our lives, (mine in particular as I write the lyrics) but it’s basically about how none of us want or feel we have a part to play in what’s considered ‘normal society’. It’s about killing yourself with things that are bad for...
READ MORE
Tim Minchin: Hotels and Higher Things
If you keep an eye out my hair's flatter on the first night...
Tim Minchin is an angry man with an iron. Do men do housework when they’re angry too? It’s more likely he just wants to wear that shirt tonight but I am barely through the door before he’s letting off some steam (bad pun intended):
“If I would survive a fall off the top of a hotel I don’t think it’s good enough!” He’s talking about his latest lodgings on tour. I chuckle along as he continues to rant, “I just don’t like hotels that are low - hotels should be high things! - See I want to know that if I suddenly have an impulse to kill myself I can do it with the requisite amount of drama…Or if you want to be a rock star and throw a telly out the window you want to make sure it f**king smashes and not just lands on the ground and changes channels or something! That’s terrible!”
I can’t say I’ve ever been in a position where I have had to consider these things but I mean, gee the guy has a point.
I offer only what I can - my intellectual empathy - and it seems to make him feel ...
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.
Under One Sky - The Songs EP [EP]
Navigator Records
Gene Shay, co-founder of the Philadelphia Folk Festival, defined folk music by saying, "In the strictest sense, it's music that is rarely written for profit. It's music that has endured and been passed down by oral tradition…it brings a sense of community. It's the people's music."
I love that description. It covers all that is right and good with music, which is often lost these days being clouded by profits and sales, and going back to the roots, back to how it was originally meant to sound.
Shay’s description also illustrates perfectly The Songs EP from Under One Sky.
Under One Sky is a collaboration brought together by Scottish multi-instrumentalist, John McCusker, fusing together 12 highly acclaimed Scottish and English musicians and vocalists. Without even mentioning the outstanding lead vocalists, on any one track from The Songs EP you can hear musicians such as Andy Cutting, Ian Carr and Ewen Vernal combining to form 5 pleasant and thoughtful tracks...
READ MORE
The Walkmen - You & Me [album]
Fierce Panda
The Walkmen are truly a unique group. In a society where the charts are currently cluttered with a lot of bland indie bands, it's always refreshing to check out The Walkmen's innovative twist on the genre, and what they have to bring to the table. Their new album - You & Me is no exception.
Packed full of mesmerising chord combinations, entwined perfectly with atmospheric production, You & Me takes a few listens to really fully appreciate, but once you’re there, the album is a joy to listen to, with each song leaving you complete with a sense of fulfilment in a different way.
Hamilton Leithauser’s passion for the music his New York band creates, as always, comes through with the intensity of his vocals. In songs such as I Lost You and the epic On The Water, it comes across that he shares Thom Yorke’s ability to create a strong impression that he is at one with his music and totally infused in the moment. In some of the more laid back points You & Me has to offer, such as ...
READ MORE
What Laura Says - Thinks and Feels [Album]
Terpsikhore Collective
Having neither seen nor heard this five-piece from Tempe, Arizona, I am an objective listener of their latest album ‘Thinks and Feels’. The band is What Laura Says and hey, I like that, “What Laura Says, Thinks and Feels”; fun. The album says a lot about these five long-haired lads, mainly sporting their originality and cool song-writing and arranging skills. They combine a lot of styles and textures, like stride piano, 60s disco, rag-time, gospel, scratching, electric guitar riffs and plenty of falsetto vocals. All these and more combine to form beautiful contrasts and layers to the band’s sound.
They clearly draw from classic boy bands of old, like The Beatles and Beach Boys. I especially like the humour that ‘What Laura Says’ put into their vocals. It’s not found in the lyrics so much as the interesting sounds that are sometimes even silly, although in a good way. Check out ‘Couldn’t Lose Myself If I Tried’ and the harmonies in ‘Wish I Could Fly’. Also keep an ear out for the ...
READ MORE
The Chemists - Radio Booth [Single]
Distiller Records
Coming out in just over week on the 8th of December is the latest record courtesy of London based Distiller records - The Chemists “Radio Booth” and what a single it is! With fast paced, crunchy rock sounds conjoined with a hint of UNKLE esque dance vibes, “Radio Booth” comes as a great welcome to any record collection and guarantees to make even the most docile crowd drop their pints, raise arms in the air and dance like demented badgers.
Riding the wave of intermixing electro beats with distorted riffs, The Chemists have crafted a fantastic piece of work that appeals dynamically in the same way Aphex Twin got a generation of alternative music lovers racing to the clubs. This is achieved whilst maintaining their rock leanings by demonstrating high technical abilities and a great ear for song craftsmanship. Powerful drum beats crash through a carefully weaved tapestry of soaring guitar licks, gritty power chords and rolling bass lines that could be compared to acts such as Queens...
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.
Shiema - Make Them Swing Till It Hurts (EP)
Self Released
First impression for me came from the artwork that was supplied with the promo CD I instantly thought it was going to be one of those DJ Sharkey, DJ Mumble-Bumble-Whatever, etc. happy-hardcore compilations purely because those animated cartoon characters on the sleeve reminded me on of old nineties tapes my brother owned. However, it turns out that appearances are quite deceptive in this case as Shiema sound absolutely nothing like the glow-stick waving, ecstasy popping, dance-a-thon that I was expecting. Instead this is; whisper it, very emotional rock - yes people Emo.
Now I'll be the first to admit I don't really have any time or patience for the Emo movement, or lack of movement so I instantly know I'm not going to be up to the task of reviewing this release because I don't want to depress my speakers. They'll never forgive me! What to do, what to do? Ah I know! Play it on someone else's stereo and make them suffer the backlash... ta-da!
So what do we have here, well...
READ MORE
James Blunt - Love Love Love [Single]
Warner Bros
After two Brit Awards, two Ivor Novello Awards, and five Grammy nominations, the ex-army officer returns with another song about... well, can you guess? This is yet again a classic cut from the bleeding-edge of the middle-of-the-road. Mr Blunt croons along to a mid-tempo beat (as usual) about how he (yet again) cannot tell a girl about his feelings, obviously a subconscious act on his behalf in order to store up more mid-tempo-ballad-type material in the future. God help us all.
'Love Love Love' rather appropriately resembles typical English cuisine - bland, lifeless and seriously devoid of excitement. And after consumption of the song you will no doubt experience the same feelings as I did - bloatedness, drowsiness and the embarrassment in knowing your country produced this music.
Make no mistake, this is safe music for safe people. In fact that M&S wearing, Daily Mail reading neighbour of yours is listening to this song right now. Don't be one of them. This is not ...
READ MORE
Broken Melody - Face The World [Album]
Copro Records
While barely able to stifle laughter from the cliché that is the band name Broken Melody, including the medieval font their moniker is typed in across the top of the album (what emotion is the medieval-ness supposed to evoke in a listener I am not sure..."hard"? Iron Maiden-like?) Face The World is a typically generic rock album.
Seemingly rising from the ashes of Creed (or even worse...Alter Bridge and Nickelback) everything about this album is generic. From the cheesy power ballad-esque intro entitled "Reflections" which segues into the predictable opening guitar lick of "The Force of the Life". At least the album does seem to be produced fairly well from an unknown indie label, and the instrumentation gets an "A" for effort, with a well-placed lick or drum track here and there, but each of the nine tracks off this album are easily forgettable, and any quality that they do effectively portray, such as those listed above, are done much better by a myriad of other bands.
The News Wire
Have your finger on the musical pulse every week by checking out the Top Ten biggest news of the past week
Altsounds users are concert going freaks. The gigs listed below gave our reviewer the horn this week.
Tim Minchin LIVE - "READY FOR THIS"
Saucy, scandalous and absolutely sensational.
“Ready For This” is the new show, “So Fu**ing Rock” is the new DVD: Tim Minchin has been like so like busy like. The singer-songwriter recorded his fresh release earlier this year in London, before writing and revealing his latest show “Ready For This” to audiences at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Now Minchin has taken his show to the road and tickets have been selling fast. I went along to check it out, so here is (like) a little recount of my evening.
The night kicked off with the title piece, an introductory epic, “Ready For This”. It certainly got everybody in the mood - something Tim Minchin proved he has a knack for - he was the potter and we…were sold immediately on the groovy piano playing and rather naughty song about people with red hair. I related to it profoundly because I am a ‘ginger’. I was also acutely aware at the time that “Prejudice” was only a warm up for what was to follow. So I braced my diplomatic self as we were invited to sing along to a...
READ MORE
Finch Live at Oxford Academy 24/11/08
Main Support from The Hexes
This was make or break for me, as a Finch fan seeing them play live for the 3rd time I had it in my head that this was their final chance to woo me. The reason being that the two previous times they never played 'Letters to you' and that was the main reason I fell for them (so to speak) and I hoped more than anything they wouldn't let me down.
The main support was a band I had never heard of called The Hexes. I had quickly checked their Myspace profile before I left for the gig and wasn't particularly impressed that a band with a bog standard profile and very few friends had gotten the main support slot for Finch, but I thought no, give them a chance. I tried to play some of their tracks but unfortunately Myspace declared that this was unavailable at the time, so I had a surprise in store once I entered the Oxford Academy.
My first observation when I arrived was that if the smoke machine wasn't working over time there would be little in the venue other than smoke...
READ MORE
Paul Weller - Cardiff international Arena - 20th Nov 08 [Live]
I must say, as a fan of much of Mr.Weller's work I was excited to be offered the opportunity to review his headline tour gig at Cardiff International Arena on Thursday 20th November 2008.
On the way to the venue I was asked for directions to the CIA. I obliged the couple with the pertinent information they needed only to be asked "How come you are going to see Paul Weller? He's a bit before your time isn't he?" This question hit me hard and I quickly began to realize why Paul Weller's genre was often referred to as "Dad Rock". It wasn't until this precise moment that I realized that there was going to be a much older crowd attending the show tonight. That was not a problem for me by any means, it is just a testament to how many years Paul Weller has been making and performing his musical signature sound- and very well may I say!
After a quick burger van quarter pounder we are in the venue watching the support act. Although I did not catch their band name, they were quite...
Plug in Baby
Must buys from the technological world
Audio Technica AE2500 Dual-element Cardioid Instrument Microphone
The ultimate kick-drum mic, the Artist Elite AE2500 dual-element instrument microphone features cardioid condenser and dynamic capsules combined.
The Audio Technica AE2500 Dual-element Cardioid Instrument Microphone can simply be describe as "the ultimate kick drum mic". The Audio Technica AE2500 consists of two microphones that can be combined or used independently that sit comfortably within one microphone housing. There is a dynamic capsule and a cardoid condenser, one being designed to perfectly capture the attack of the beater (dynamic) whilst the other picks up all of the wonderful tonalities that exist post beater within the kick drum shell (condenser). It has been a well known production trick for a while to use both a dynamic and condenser microphone to get amazing kick drum tone however, until now, nobody was clever enough to think about housing both in one microphone. All hail the Audio Technica R&D Department and their ground-breaking transducer achievement! They have managed to minimize drum micing set-up times by putting two microphones (and two cables) into one sexy and very versatile package. From a scientific perspective a lot of thought has gone into the design of the Audio Technica AE2500 Dual-element Cardioid Instrument Microphone with two layers of resistive, multiple density mesh over the dynamic element that exercises precise timing at which the off-axis signals arrive at the diaphragm helping to create a perfect phase relationship, something practically unachievable with two separate microphones!
READ MORE
Last Orders!
We're approaching the end of the year, which means there ain't gonna be shit on television for at least a month and the general public will be in such a frenzy of consumerism, leaving the house isn't worth it. This gives you plenty of time to fully immerse yourself in Altsounds. Space out on Altsounds TV, get your game on in the arcade, explore the deepest depths of deepness that is Altsounds artist coverage, rate the billions of songs, read all of the articles or start writing some of your own!
There's no such thing as holiday boredom when you're an Altsounds user!
There are a lot of bullshit holidays, but none more bullshit than Thanksgiving. For those not fortunate enough to have a holiday celebrating the near-extinction of a race of people, you're not missing much. Cooking, eating, sleeping, fighting with family and American football. Nothing happens, really, and I'm not totally sure what the point of it is. I guess it's like a practice run for Christmas, but without any gifts. It's stupid.
Speaking of stupid... the absolute best part of this holiday season, so far, comes courtesy of America's new favorite retard- Sarah Palin. After doing the traditional pardoning of a Thanksgiving turkey, she had the brilliant idea of giving a press conference in front of the blood bath where the unlucky turkeys were being slaughtered. While she went on and on about how much fun Thanksgiving is, right over her shoulder one turkey after another went head first into a funnel to be decapitated and drained of blood. It was so graphic, the news networks couldn't air the press conference without censoring the more brutal parts. She can't seem to decide whether or not she meant to do that, but I think the rest of us have unanimously decided that not only was it hilarious, but that woman should probably be wearing a helmet so she doesn't hurt herself.
And now, onto Altsounds uncensored brutal parts...
The Inside Scoop
Want to learn more about your favourite bands and artists? The inside scoop is here to save your ass!
The Rotted Q&A Interview with Ben
"We ain't about haircuts or anti-haircuts, or what t-shirt you want to wear. We just play the fucking music. No gimmicks and no bullshit!"
Born out of the dingy London back streets, THE ROTTED have risen up and established themselves as one of the UK’s leading extreme metal acts.
Though proud to be spawned in the death and extreme metal scene, the boys’ influences aren't just the ones normally associated with the style of music they create. THE ROTTED’s take on the genre comes from a completely different angle; It’s not the genre or style, it’s the attitude and delivery. As fans of classic rock, hardcore, punk, death, thrash and black metal, musical inspiration for ‘Get Dead Or Die Trying’ can be found in pretty much any decent guitar-based band of the last 30 years.
Altsounds had a sit own with Ben about all things The Rotted:
Altsounds: Lyrically what's inspired this album?
The Rotted : Our lives, (mine in particular as I write the lyrics) but it’s basically about how none of us want or feel we have a part to play in what’s considered ‘normal society’. It’s about killing yourself with things that are bad for...
READ MORE
Tim Minchin: Hotels and Higher Things
If you keep an eye out my hair's flatter on the first night...
Tim Minchin is an angry man with an iron. Do men do housework when they’re angry too? It’s more likely he just wants to wear that shirt tonight but I am barely through the door before he’s letting off some steam (bad pun intended):
“If I would survive a fall off the top of a hotel I don’t think it’s good enough!” He’s talking about his latest lodgings on tour. I chuckle along as he continues to rant, “I just don’t like hotels that are low - hotels should be high things! - See I want to know that if I suddenly have an impulse to kill myself I can do it with the requisite amount of drama…Or if you want to be a rock star and throw a telly out the window you want to make sure it f**king smashes and not just lands on the ground and changes channels or something! That’s terrible!”
I can’t say I’ve ever been in a position where I have had to consider these things but I mean, gee the guy has a point.
I offer only what I can - my intellectual empathy - and it seems to make him feel ...
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.
Under One Sky - The Songs EP [EP]
Navigator Records
Gene Shay, co-founder of the Philadelphia Folk Festival, defined folk music by saying, "In the strictest sense, it's music that is rarely written for profit. It's music that has endured and been passed down by oral tradition…it brings a sense of community. It's the people's music."
I love that description. It covers all that is right and good with music, which is often lost these days being clouded by profits and sales, and going back to the roots, back to how it was originally meant to sound.
Shay’s description also illustrates perfectly The Songs EP from Under One Sky.
Under One Sky is a collaboration brought together by Scottish multi-instrumentalist, John McCusker, fusing together 12 highly acclaimed Scottish and English musicians and vocalists. Without even mentioning the outstanding lead vocalists, on any one track from The Songs EP you can hear musicians such as Andy Cutting, Ian Carr and Ewen Vernal combining to form 5 pleasant and thoughtful tracks...
READ MORE
The Walkmen - You & Me [album]
Fierce Panda
The Walkmen are truly a unique group. In a society where the charts are currently cluttered with a lot of bland indie bands, it's always refreshing to check out The Walkmen's innovative twist on the genre, and what they have to bring to the table. Their new album - You & Me is no exception.
Packed full of mesmerising chord combinations, entwined perfectly with atmospheric production, You & Me takes a few listens to really fully appreciate, but once you’re there, the album is a joy to listen to, with each song leaving you complete with a sense of fulfilment in a different way.
Hamilton Leithauser’s passion for the music his New York band creates, as always, comes through with the intensity of his vocals. In songs such as I Lost You and the epic On The Water, it comes across that he shares Thom Yorke’s ability to create a strong impression that he is at one with his music and totally infused in the moment. In some of the more laid back points You & Me has to offer, such as ...
READ MORE
What Laura Says - Thinks and Feels [Album]
Terpsikhore Collective
Having neither seen nor heard this five-piece from Tempe, Arizona, I am an objective listener of their latest album ‘Thinks and Feels’. The band is What Laura Says and hey, I like that, “What Laura Says, Thinks and Feels”; fun. The album says a lot about these five long-haired lads, mainly sporting their originality and cool song-writing and arranging skills. They combine a lot of styles and textures, like stride piano, 60s disco, rag-time, gospel, scratching, electric guitar riffs and plenty of falsetto vocals. All these and more combine to form beautiful contrasts and layers to the band’s sound.
They clearly draw from classic boy bands of old, like The Beatles and Beach Boys. I especially like the humour that ‘What Laura Says’ put into their vocals. It’s not found in the lyrics so much as the interesting sounds that are sometimes even silly, although in a good way. Check out ‘Couldn’t Lose Myself If I Tried’ and the harmonies in ‘Wish I Could Fly’. Also keep an ear out for the ...
READ MORE
The Chemists - Radio Booth [Single]
Distiller Records
Coming out in just over week on the 8th of December is the latest record courtesy of London based Distiller records - The Chemists “Radio Booth” and what a single it is! With fast paced, crunchy rock sounds conjoined with a hint of UNKLE esque dance vibes, “Radio Booth” comes as a great welcome to any record collection and guarantees to make even the most docile crowd drop their pints, raise arms in the air and dance like demented badgers.
Riding the wave of intermixing electro beats with distorted riffs, The Chemists have crafted a fantastic piece of work that appeals dynamically in the same way Aphex Twin got a generation of alternative music lovers racing to the clubs. This is achieved whilst maintaining their rock leanings by demonstrating high technical abilities and a great ear for song craftsmanship. Powerful drum beats crash through a carefully weaved tapestry of soaring guitar licks, gritty power chords and rolling bass lines that could be compared to acts such as Queens...
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.
Shiema - Make Them Swing Till It Hurts (EP)
Self Released
First impression for me came from the artwork that was supplied with the promo CD I instantly thought it was going to be one of those DJ Sharkey, DJ Mumble-Bumble-Whatever, etc. happy-hardcore compilations purely because those animated cartoon characters on the sleeve reminded me on of old nineties tapes my brother owned. However, it turns out that appearances are quite deceptive in this case as Shiema sound absolutely nothing like the glow-stick waving, ecstasy popping, dance-a-thon that I was expecting. Instead this is; whisper it, very emotional rock - yes people Emo.
Now I'll be the first to admit I don't really have any time or patience for the Emo movement, or lack of movement so I instantly know I'm not going to be up to the task of reviewing this release because I don't want to depress my speakers. They'll never forgive me! What to do, what to do? Ah I know! Play it on someone else's stereo and make them suffer the backlash... ta-da!
So what do we have here, well...
READ MORE
James Blunt - Love Love Love [Single]
Warner Bros
After two Brit Awards, two Ivor Novello Awards, and five Grammy nominations, the ex-army officer returns with another song about... well, can you guess? This is yet again a classic cut from the bleeding-edge of the middle-of-the-road. Mr Blunt croons along to a mid-tempo beat (as usual) about how he (yet again) cannot tell a girl about his feelings, obviously a subconscious act on his behalf in order to store up more mid-tempo-ballad-type material in the future. God help us all.
'Love Love Love' rather appropriately resembles typical English cuisine - bland, lifeless and seriously devoid of excitement. And after consumption of the song you will no doubt experience the same feelings as I did - bloatedness, drowsiness and the embarrassment in knowing your country produced this music.
Make no mistake, this is safe music for safe people. In fact that M&S wearing, Daily Mail reading neighbour of yours is listening to this song right now. Don't be one of them. This is not ...
READ MORE
Broken Melody - Face The World [Album]
Copro Records
While barely able to stifle laughter from the cliché that is the band name Broken Melody, including the medieval font their moniker is typed in across the top of the album (what emotion is the medieval-ness supposed to evoke in a listener I am not sure..."hard"? Iron Maiden-like?) Face The World is a typically generic rock album.
Seemingly rising from the ashes of Creed (or even worse...Alter Bridge and Nickelback) everything about this album is generic. From the cheesy power ballad-esque intro entitled "Reflections" which segues into the predictable opening guitar lick of "The Force of the Life". At least the album does seem to be produced fairly well from an unknown indie label, and the instrumentation gets an "A" for effort, with a well-placed lick or drum track here and there, but each of the nine tracks off this album are easily forgettable, and any quality that they do effectively portray, such as those listed above, are done much better by a myriad of other bands.
The News Wire
Have your finger on the musical pulse every week by checking out the Top Ten biggest news of the past week
- PLACEBO TO PERFORM HISTORIC GIG IN CAMBODIA
- Surprise! GNR lawyers making headlines
- The Prodigy return with the release of their fifth studio album and a free download
- Dodgy Tour Kicks Off This Week - Free Download
- Paul McCartney: The Fireman – Electric Arguments in stores NOW
- Idlewild unveil new album plans...
- STONE GODS & SEVENDUST hit the road with BLACK STONE CHERRY next week
- MEXICAN ACOUSTIC ROCK DUO RODRIGO Y GABRIELA RELEASE NEW LIVE ALBUM
- Poison The Well Begin Recording New Album for Ferret Today!
- Noah and the Whale cancel U.S. tour
Altsounds users are concert going freaks. The gigs listed below gave our reviewer the horn this week.
Tim Minchin LIVE - "READY FOR THIS"
Saucy, scandalous and absolutely sensational.
“Ready For This” is the new show, “So Fu**ing Rock” is the new DVD: Tim Minchin has been like so like busy like. The singer-songwriter recorded his fresh release earlier this year in London, before writing and revealing his latest show “Ready For This” to audiences at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Now Minchin has taken his show to the road and tickets have been selling fast. I went along to check it out, so here is (like) a little recount of my evening.
The night kicked off with the title piece, an introductory epic, “Ready For This”. It certainly got everybody in the mood - something Tim Minchin proved he has a knack for - he was the potter and we…were sold immediately on the groovy piano playing and rather naughty song about people with red hair. I related to it profoundly because I am a ‘ginger’. I was also acutely aware at the time that “Prejudice” was only a warm up for what was to follow. So I braced my diplomatic self as we were invited to sing along to a...
READ MORE
Finch Live at Oxford Academy 24/11/08
Main Support from The Hexes
This was make or break for me, as a Finch fan seeing them play live for the 3rd time I had it in my head that this was their final chance to woo me. The reason being that the two previous times they never played 'Letters to you' and that was the main reason I fell for them (so to speak) and I hoped more than anything they wouldn't let me down.
The main support was a band I had never heard of called The Hexes. I had quickly checked their Myspace profile before I left for the gig and wasn't particularly impressed that a band with a bog standard profile and very few friends had gotten the main support slot for Finch, but I thought no, give them a chance. I tried to play some of their tracks but unfortunately Myspace declared that this was unavailable at the time, so I had a surprise in store once I entered the Oxford Academy.
My first observation when I arrived was that if the smoke machine wasn't working over time there would be little in the venue other than smoke...
READ MORE
Paul Weller - Cardiff international Arena - 20th Nov 08 [Live]
I must say, as a fan of much of Mr.Weller's work I was excited to be offered the opportunity to review his headline tour gig at Cardiff International Arena on Thursday 20th November 2008.
On the way to the venue I was asked for directions to the CIA. I obliged the couple with the pertinent information they needed only to be asked "How come you are going to see Paul Weller? He's a bit before your time isn't he?" This question hit me hard and I quickly began to realize why Paul Weller's genre was often referred to as "Dad Rock". It wasn't until this precise moment that I realized that there was going to be a much older crowd attending the show tonight. That was not a problem for me by any means, it is just a testament to how many years Paul Weller has been making and performing his musical signature sound- and very well may I say!
After a quick burger van quarter pounder we are in the venue watching the support act. Although I did not catch their band name, they were quite...
Plug in Baby
Must buys from the technological world
Audio Technica AE2500 Dual-element Cardioid Instrument Microphone
The ultimate kick-drum mic, the Artist Elite AE2500 dual-element instrument microphone features cardioid condenser and dynamic capsules combined.
The Audio Technica AE2500 Dual-element Cardioid Instrument Microphone can simply be describe as "the ultimate kick drum mic". The Audio Technica AE2500 consists of two microphones that can be combined or used independently that sit comfortably within one microphone housing. There is a dynamic capsule and a cardoid condenser, one being designed to perfectly capture the attack of the beater (dynamic) whilst the other picks up all of the wonderful tonalities that exist post beater within the kick drum shell (condenser). It has been a well known production trick for a while to use both a dynamic and condenser microphone to get amazing kick drum tone however, until now, nobody was clever enough to think about housing both in one microphone. All hail the Audio Technica R&D Department and their ground-breaking transducer achievement! They have managed to minimize drum micing set-up times by putting two microphones (and two cables) into one sexy and very versatile package. From a scientific perspective a lot of thought has gone into the design of the Audio Technica AE2500 Dual-element Cardioid Instrument Microphone with two layers of resistive, multiple density mesh over the dynamic element that exercises precise timing at which the off-axis signals arrive at the diaphragm helping to create a perfect phase relationship, something practically unachievable with two separate microphones!
READ MORE
Last Orders!
We're approaching the end of the year, which means there ain't gonna be shit on television for at least a month and the general public will be in such a frenzy of consumerism, leaving the house isn't worth it. This gives you plenty of time to fully immerse yourself in Altsounds. Space out on Altsounds TV, get your game on in the arcade, explore the deepest depths of deepness that is Altsounds artist coverage, rate the billions of songs, read all of the articles or start writing some of your own!
There's no such thing as holiday boredom when you're an Altsounds user!
![AltSounds Exclusive Video: Man Overboard - Something's Weird [Live]](http://hangout.altsounds.com/altthumb.php?src=http%3A%2F%2Fhangout.altsounds.com%2Fgeek%2Fgars%2Fimages%2F3%2F9%2F8%2F5%2F2mob_large.jpg&h=100&w=300&zc=1&q=70)
