Last.fm Group Journal: Addicted to Last.fm

Xbox Soundtracks: Forza 2 trailer

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 13:16:17 +0000

In spring 2007 xbox.com had a little competition where you had to choose between 8 or so different videogame intro sequences and come up with a fitting soundtrack.

My choice fell on Forza Motorsport 2. I've always been a fan of the Ridge Racer videogame series and their great high energy techno/drum 'n' bass soundtracks, so I thought I'd come up with something in similar style.

I'm particularly satisfied with the break in the middle. The cars leave ground in slow motion, music fades away, and then as they touch down... BLAM the music gets back sooo nicely! :-D

Hope you enjoy it, feel free to comment! :-)

[My Gang] The Strangeloves - I Want Candy : Reco of the Week 09 Feb 2010

Tue, 9 Feb 2010 01:43:48 +0000

Track: I Want Candy
Artist: The Strangeloves
Album: I Want Candy (1965)
Tags: 60s, bo diddley beat, garage rock, rock and roll, my gang rotw
Video: Click the pic...

YouTube original footage, Sammy Davis, Jr. at 0.38, Sonny & Cher seated to the left of the stage

So how's the new year diet going?

It's St Valentine's Day this weekend, I imagine we will all take a day off from this particular resolution and either celebrate or commiserate. Candy is dandy, as they say. (They also say liquor is quicker, but that's another matter)*.

I Want Candy was written by Bert Berns and The Strangeloves - Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein and Richard Gottehrer - in 1965, although if we dig a little deeper, we find the original music was by the great master Bo Diddley himself.

Bo Diddley - Bo Diddley 1955

The biography created for The Strangeloves reads like a comedy: (from Wikipedia)

Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein and Richard Gottehrer (FGG Productions) had already scored big hits for other artists, including "My Boyfriend's Back" by The Angels, when they decided to invent The Strangeloves.

According to the press releases, The Strangeloves were three brothers named Giles, Miles and Niles Strange who had grown up on an Australian sheep farm. The brothers' faked backstory involved getting rich with the invention of a new form of sheep crossbreeding (the long-haired "Gottehrer" sheep, allegedly registered with the Feldman-Goldstein Company of Australia), allowing them the time and financial freedom to form a band. The story did not exactly capture the public's imagination, but the music still performed respectably on the charts.

When "I Want Candy" became a hit single in mid-1965, the producers found themselves in the unfamiliar and uncomfortable position of performing as live artists. This short-lived experience was followed by a road group composed of four of the studio musicians who had actually recorded these songs. The musicians in the initial road group were bass player / vocalist John Shine, guitarist Jack Raczka, drummer Tom Kobus and sax player / vocalist Richie Lauro. This group was replaced in early 1966 by a trio of FGG studio musicians that more closely adhered to the founding concept of the Brothers Strange: guitarist Jack Raczka (Giles Strange), drummer / vocalist Joe Piazza (Miles Strange), and keyboardist / vocalist Ken Jones (Niles Strange).

The Strangeloves

There are numerous covers of this song, many of which can be found in Last.fm. The most famous, of course, is by Bow Wow Wow, who swapped the Bo Diddley beat for Burundi beat. I was going to recommend their version this week before I got sidetracked by all this wonderful information.
I Want Candy

I haven't heard all those covers but of the ones I have, my favourite is by Howe Gelb and Scout Niblett - I Want Candy/I Know What Boys Want/Who Do You Love/Not Fade Away (Album). It's slightly alt-country meets very loose and casual punk, complete with discordant notes and the unexpected sweet sound of small children.

It was Brian Poole & The Tremeloes who brought the song to the UK charts in 1965 and the version we in Britain grew up listening to.
I Want Candy

Aside from the unintentionally hilarious ebm cover by Pouppée Fabrikk - I want candy - the next cover worth listening to is the electronic indie version by White Williams - I Want Candy.

I think in one Valentine's Day edition of this series, I was anti the whole thing and miserable. This time, I say: never mind if you don't have candy in a sweater, treat yourself well and do something nice anyway. I have my eye on new perfume.

Happy Valentine's Day, everybody!

* "Candy is dandy but liquor is quicker" by Ogden Nash

Disclaimer: mine, all mine

Babs _{My Gang}

Reco of the Week archives

Admin: Stats as of today:

The Strangeloves
Last.fm listeners of this track - 10,701
No. of plays scrobbled in Last.fm - 30,238
Position in Last 7 Days: 1 / 162
Position in Last 6 Months: 1 / 2,473

Howe Gelb & Scout Niblett
Last.fm listeners of this track - 64
No. of plays scrobbled in Last.fm - 232
Position in Last 7 Days: 1 / 1
Position in Last 6 Months: 1 / 24

White Williams
Last.fm listeners of this track - 5,922
No. of plays scrobbled in Last.fm - 16,789
Position in Last 7 Days: 11 / 26
Position in Last 6 Months: 11 / 863

Video - The Strangeloves
Date Added: August 03, 2009
Views: 4,633, Ratings: 15, Comments: 6, Favourited: 54 times

Video - Bo Diddley
Date Added: November 26, 2009
Views: 4,071, Ratings: 23, Comments: 9, Favourited: 45 times

Stats after 7 days:

Unique Visitors
Page Views

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What was number one on my birthday in the USA?

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:37:40 +0000

1992
Jump - Kris Kross

1993
That's The Way Love Goes - Janet Jackson

1994
I Swear - All-4-One

1995
This Is How We Do It - Montell Jordan

1996
Tha Crossroads - Bone thugs-n-harmony

1997
Hypnotize - Notorious B.I.G

1998
Too Close - Next

1999
Livin' La Vida Loca - Ricky Martin

2000
Maria Maria - Santana feat. The Product G&B

2001
All For You - Janet

2002
Foolish - Ashanti

2003
Get Busy - Sean Paul

2004
Yeah! - Usher feat. Ludacris & Lil John

2005
Hollaback Girl - Gwen Stefani

2006
SOS - Rihanna

2007
Makes Me Wonder - Maroon 5

2008
Bleeding Love - Leona Lewis

2009
Boom Boom Pow - The Black Eyed Peas

Song of the Moment - 09/02/10: God is an Astronaut - Post Mortem

Tue, 9 Feb 2010 23:17:46 +0000

God Is an Astronaut – Post Mortem
God Is An Astronaut

I’m really getting into this post-rock stuff now. Since my previous entry praising This Will Destroy You (You can read the journal entry here) I’ve taken to downloading a whole raft of post-rock music and this is just one of the many great songs I’ve stumbled upon.

Cover art for God Is An Astronaut painted by Dave King.

“This is how I felt after letting go of 24 years of grief. If anybody is holding on to baggage from the past, let it go. Forgive and love yourself. Otherwise, it’s hard to love anybody. You will feel the world move while you move those around you.”

- Dave King comments on his cover art

Post Mortem is a greatly uplifting song. So bright and energetic you can almost feel it exude a comforting warm glow. Unusually for a post-rock song, rather than gradually build up to something load and spectacular, this gives you spectacular from the very beginning. It explodes into life with a scream of guitars and a burst of drums and though it later calms, the momentum of that first minute or so really carries through, echoing that brilliant riff. Yes, yes, yes, I love it.

I’ve now set it as my alarm tone and I’ll tell you, it’s a great way to wake up in the morning, no matter what might lie in the day ahead.

Note: My post-rock library has now expanded to also include Godspeed You! Black Emperor, If These Trees Could Talk and Russian Circles upon recommendation. But I’m still on the lookout for more so any other recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

Albums of 2010! - Keeping this updated throughout the year with thoughts and reviews

Tue, 9 Feb 2010 23:16:29 +0000

I will be updating this throughout the year hopefully, so feel free to bookmark it and check back often! Keep in mind, I am rating these albums as a whole, not judging it based on the quality of particular songs. For example, if there are no songs that stand out as good, but the album is a concept album that reveals to me the meaning of life through music, it would probably be #1. And please feel free comment!

My Favorite Albums of 2010:
1. Royal Hunt - X
Mark Boals surprises me yet again. Towards the beginning of the album he uses growling low vocals rather than the constant high screaming we're used to, and it sounds great.
2. Rage - Strings To A Web
How can a nearly 30 year old band sound so full and epic?
3. Alesana - The Emptiness
I am a sucker for concept albums, and this seems to take their already good post-hardcore/screamo sound and take it even further.
4. Crematory - Infinity
Never listened to them before but they have a decidedly epic sound. They call themselves Gothic Rock/Metal on their myspace, but this sounds more like Melodic Death/Doom, which I love.

Honorable Mentions (Great):
Dark Tranquillity - We Are The Void
I like it, but it doesn't feel fresh and original like their previous album.
HIM - Screamworks: Love in Theory and Practice
I like it, but the songs tend to bleed together as they all sound similar.

Good:
Freedom Call - Legend of the Shadowking
Love them, but I have to be honest, this is their worst album to date, with only 2 or 3 standout tracks.
Sigh - Scenes From Hell
I like that they are trying to expand the genre of black metal, but most of the time it comes off cheesy, like trumpets... why?
True - Still Life
I could tell from the intro this album was going to be different. It's death metal, but there was a melodic acoustic intro more like you'd hear in power metal. Then the first track started up, and it went into a real heavy death part almost like grindcore. Just when I was about to give up and go to the next track, this acoustic flamenco-sounding guitar came in and brought a smile to my face. This genre definitely needs originality and I've found some here. Also, neat album cover...

Decent:
Alkaline Trio - This Addiction
After hearing the great punk title track/single, I was really excited for this album. It turned out to be a boring letdown, with the exception of the title track and "Eating Me Alive".
Blaze Bayley - Promise And Terror
Music is pretty good but very generic, and I just don't understand how people think he is anything better than a decent vocalist.
Greeley Estates - No Rain, No Rainbow
Nice heavy sound, nice title, but where's the originality here? (Hint - It isn't here, lol)
Orden Ogan - Easton Hope
Nothing new here, but it's a very solid power metal album and worth checking out for fans of the genre. Nice riffs and the choruses have er... choruses (many vocalists), which is pretty cool. Favorite is probably "All These Dark Years".
Troll - Neo-Satanic Supremacy
I found this album was really hard to get into... at my first skim through I hated every song. It is just so evil-sounding, foreboding, and intimidating. But I did listen to all of track 9, and it creeped into my soul a bit, and now I find I am liking the other tracks as well. I feel the best albums, in fact, are hard to get into and really "feel" at first listen. A grower album, so to speak. I can only hope this is one of them and will move up my list through the year.

Um, No...:
Dead Channel - Destroyer
They are a completely unknown band (703 plays on here), and for once I'd say for good reason. They just sound like they are trying sooo hard to combine hardcore, electronic sounds, and nu-metal... and it just doesn't work. I think this combination had a lot of potential, but it just wasn't pulled off well. But if the combination sounds appealing to you, definitely check them out.
The Decaying - Binary Assault
I got this because I was wondering what "Experimental Industrial Metal" was. Now I know, and I don't like it. If you might be interested, definitely check them out because no legitimate band deserves as few listeners as 18!
Unholy Archangel - Obsessed By War
With a band name so awesome, I expected something amazing... I could not have been more wrong. After a fake sounding MIDI flute intro, you are treated to a guitar riff so raw it's hard to distinguish that it is a riff and not just someone sharpening a pencil or something. Then the drums come in, and they are so sloppy, changing tempos constantly, followed by what sounds like a cross between grindcore vocals and a bear attacking a moose. I'd only say check this out if you are on some kind of shrooms and desire a really bad trip.
Wolfsmond - III
Very generic Black Metal. Quickly going through, really don't hear anything worthwhile here. They do have a Burzum cover from 2005 which sounds pretty good, however.

New Entry "AM I NOT THE ONLY ONE"?

Tue, 9 Feb 2010 21:51:13 +0000

read here : http://dewinthevalleyofdeath.blogspot.com/2010/02/am-i-not-only-one.html

Nine Inch Nails De/Vision A Perfect Circle John Lennon Tool Marilyn Manson

Indie Arto interview with Stuart Newman

Tue, 9 Feb 2010 21:15:38 +0000

Artist: Stuart Newman

Read the music blog "Indie Arto" interview with Stuart Newman, discussing his 'first album' Single But Defective (on free download).

Read the interview here: Click here to read the interview

More artist info:

Artist: Stuart Newman
Genre: mellow / acoustic / indie
MySpace: MySpace Page
Facebook: Facebook Group
Twitter: @stuartnewman
Bandcamp: Bandcamp (free downloads)
Lastfm: Stuart Newman on Last.fm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDI4ubi-pqI

Click here to download "Head Hurts" free

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Cookin' Soul - Big Dilla Mixtape (Tribute To Big Pun & J Dilla)

Tue, 9 Feb 2010 08:05:24 +0000

Click The Pic

Click The Pic

Big Pun/Big Punisher, J Dilla/Jay Dee & Cookin' Soul

Fat Joe

A Call for Songs from Pravda Music

Tue, 9 Feb 2010 01:10:19 +0000

A Call for Songs from Pravda Music
http://www.musicxray.com/x/2010/1/27/a-call-for-songs-from-pravda-music.html

Pravda Record is an independently owned and operated record label since 1984. We are also a full-service music licensing company with two in-house publishing companies.

Pravda Music is currently looking to license music for television projects during Winter 2010 and beyond. They're specifically looking for songs by artists that sound like: Grizzly Bear, Death Cab For Cutie, Phoenix, The Gossip, The Veronicas, Silversun Pickups & Green Day. Some of their ongoing projects include MTV/VH1 programs, CW programs, network, and cable programs, as well as major and independent films, film trailers, and advertisements.

This listing is for a "Library Placement." If you are selected, Pravda Music will add you to their library of music to shop to clients who need music, however this does not guarantee placement.

To see a list of recent placements please click the button below and read the opportunity thoroughly.

Join us on:Twitter, Myspace Facebook, Our Blog

music,music promotion,music opportunities,music submit,musicxray,song submission,indie,indie bands,indie band gigs unsigned bands,unsigned,gigs,indie band gigs,music gigs,song critique,music careers,career in music

Song and Lyric Critique from Martin H. Samuel

Tue, 9 Feb 2010 01:08:37 +0000

Song and Lyric Critique from Martin H. Samuel
http://www.musicxray.com/x/2010/2/2/song-and-lyric-critique-from-martin-h-samuel.html

Submit your song to Martin H.Samuel for a critique on your song structure and lyric.

Martin H. Samuel is a published and recorded lyricist, with years logged as a touring and studio musician.

Born, in Kenya with perfect metre, Martin H. Samuel was a recording studio session drummer in London (with many hours logged at the BBC), Cologne, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Honolulu. When not recording (for the Penny-Farthing label), touring with, among others and going as far back as, Ben E. King and the Drifters.

The Count, in "Pirate Radio" the movie, was inspired by real-life Emperor Rosko (of Radio Caroline) and the Rosko International Roadshow (the largest traveling disco in the world) that included a 6-piece band called Crew with Martin on drums.
As a published and recorded lyricist (ASCAP), Martin co-wrote the "Eclipse" CD songs featuring vocalist Rick Livingstone of The Best.

Martin collaborated with Lisa Nemzo on songs for her albums on Metronome Records, LCM Records and, co-wrote "Turn To Me" on "Unlock My Heart" by Dream Wild Records.

A song by Martin was included by Audrey Landers on a Polydor Records album and, Martin also worked with Robert Allen on the Sha-La Records album by DownTown Mystic.

Join us on:Twitter, Myspace Facebook, Our Blog

music,music promotion,music opportunities,music submit,musicxray,song submission,indie,indie bands,indie band gigs unsigned bands,unsigned,gigs,indie band gigs,music gigs,song critique,music careers,career in music