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Monday, April 07, 2008

myspace music monday: My Reminiscence With A Stranger

I've been kind of spoiled over the last month or so. Whereas I normally spend my Mondays scouring myspace music for a hint of something listenable, I've actually had artists or labels sending me stuff to go to and most of it has been good enough to feature. This week though, the well has gone dry and I was forced once again to brave the harsh myspace music world alone. I think I did pretty well for myself.


My Reminiscence With a Stranger

Genres: Indie/Electronica/Experimental
Location: Larnaca, Cyprus
Band Members: Denis Novojilov

The Short of It: Somewhere between elevator music and Jimmy Tamborello-esque glitch.

Songs
"Raindrop Voices" - The song proper, which is a very mellow composition that is complemented by some very cool glitch drumming, ends at about the 4-minute mark. After that, there's an additional 4 minutes of raindrops and whispery pad synths that is at once compelling and soothing. It's really a very well-done song despite the fact that its length and second half could be deemed unnecessary by some.

"Adult Conversations" - This song can get a bit repetitive, but thankfully it's entrancing enough to where I don't mind it. Denis uses the piano, and later a guitar, in pretty unconventional ways and even manages to squeeze in some vocals here and there. They're not the sharpest, which makes me glad that his stuff is mostly instrumental. Towards the end, there's a very neat snare-heavy drum line that is made all the better by heavily distorted, harmonizing guitars. This is probably the most-solid of his three songs.



"Love in Marlboro Country" - This, I believe, was the first real song that Denis did under this name. It shows all the signs of a first work. You can tell that a lot of labor went into it to get it to sound exactly right. It is the least repetitive of the three songs, and it's constantly evolving into something greater. He does a little bit of singing again, but not too much. Overall, it's a really good song that is very chill, relaxing, and inspiring.

The Long of It: I really enjoy this music in small doses. I can picture listening to it on the drive home from work, or using it as a soundtrack to the winding down of my day. It's not something that I could picture buying a whole album of and listening to for 60 minutes at a time, but I really do enjoy what I've heard to some extent. I totally recommend it for people who need to unwind or relax, especially if you have one of those nifty little water fountains running in the background. Sadly, if you're looking to rock out with your Charlie Browns out, you may need to apply elsewhere.

Links
My Reminiscence With A Stranger's myspace Page

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Sunday, April 06, 2008

"Best New Music" Archive

The following is an archive of albums featured in the "Best New Music" section of Audio Overflow. It will be updated each time an album is added to the list. Selections are listed chronilogically, with the most recent albums listed first. Naturally, they all come highly recommended.

Click on an album title to be taken to its review:

Cansei de Ser Sexy: Donkey
My Brightest Diamond: A Thousand Shark's Teeth
Death Cab for Cutie: Narrow Stairs
Portishead: Third
M83: Saturdays=Youth
Jaymay: Autumn Fallin'
The Wombats: The Wombats EP
Vampire Weekend: Vampire Weekend
Various Artists: Juno, Music from the Motion Picture
Sia: Some People Have Real Problems
Dillinger Escape Plan: Ire Works
The Most Serene Republic: Population
Band of Horses: Cease to Begin
ContraNova: Infinity In All Directions
The New Pornographers: Challengers
Tegan and Sara: The Con
St. Vincent: Marry Me
Metric: Grow Up and Blow Away
Justice: Cross
Bjork: Volta

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Friday, April 04, 2008

Weekend Recommendations

We here at Audio Overflow listen to a lot of music.  Duh.  That kind of explains the name.  But what music are we listening to?  That list is changing and growing every week.  So to keep you updated on what music we listen to, we've decided to start a new feature to showcase the best music that we've listened to each week.  Each writer will choose 3 good albums that they heard during the week, and then they'll list their 5 favorite songs from those albums.  Basically, if we list it below, it means we think you should check it out!

But we also want to know what you're listening to!  In the comment section, let us know what you listened to and enjoyed this week.  We're always on the lookout for new stuff!

Cale's Recommendations:
Sigur Ros: (  )  

My Morning Jacket:  Z

Muse:  Haarp

Erin's Recommendations:

Zero 7:  The Garden

Flyleaf:  Flyleaf

Robbie Seay Band:  Give Yourself Away



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My Top 5 Customized Ringtones

I swear there's nothing worse than hearing a bad ringtone.  And it's not even the polyphonic ones that suck nowadays (remember when monophonic ringtones were around?).  No, the ringtones that really bother me are the ones that are the phone-owner's personal favorite songs.  A few weeks ago I was out with some friends.  This girl's phone started ringing and we were all unwillingly forced to listen to "Don't Stop the Music" by Rihanna through a terrible cell phone speaker.  


Personally, I've never been a fan of listening to bad music through a bad source.  That's why I make sure that every cell phone I buy allows me to import my own custom MP3s to use as ringtones.  That way I'm able to take my favorite songs by my favorite artists, and use short clips that I know will sound decent when someone calls in.  I try to make them pretty unidentifiable and vague.  No lyrics, nothing obnoxious; just good sounds.  Here are my Top 5 Customized Ringtones.  Feel free to add them to your phone as well.

#5:  Beck - "Girl" (0:01 to 0:012) - If you can ever find bloops and bleeps that are not overpowered by heavy drums or vocals, chances are it'd make a good ringtone.  The electronic intro to Beck's song "Girl" from the album, Guero, is pretty much begging to be a ring tone.  It won't sound good looped, but hopefully you'll pick up after 12 seconds.  Otherwise, you're probably not worth calling to begin with.

#4:  The Flaming Lips - "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Pt. 1" (0:01 to 0:24) - This is another intro to another great song, and if you're at all familiar with this song you know the part I'm talking apart.  There's a really cool acoustic guitar rhythm with some great effects added to it.  About halfway through this section, some slight drums kick in and there's even some Japanese being spoken.  I had this one as my ringtone for a while and people totally thought I was the bomb at the waiting room in the Doctor's Office.  Just sayin'...

#3:  The Postal Service - "The District Sleeps Alone Tonight" (2:43 to 3:07) - During the instrumental bridge to this classic opener from The Postal Service's album, Give Up, there's a very catchy little "ditty" that begins playing.  That's what this is.  This one has been on every phone I've had since 2004 and I don't anticipate taking it off anytime soon.  The trick is to add a short, half-second fade-in at the very beginning.  That way, everything sounds flawless.

#2:  Field Music - "Working to Work" (0:01 to 0:16) - In March of 2007, I purchased a Samsung BlackJack and immediately went about looking for a new ringtone.  I landed on this one, which I've kept ever since.  This happy little acoustic guitar jingle is perfect for a ringtone because it's very clean-sounding and there's a slight pause at the end of the 16 seconds so you won't have to do any strenuous editing.  The only downside is that you don't get to hear the rest of the song...which is awesome.

#1:  The Postal Service - "Brand New Colony" (0:02 to 0:07) - If you know The Postal Service, you know this song.  If you know this song, then you know the little synth line that begins at the beginning of this song by heart.  This short, sub 5-second clip is not ideal for a standard ringtone, but I've used it for text message and voice mail alerts for years now.  I don't know what I'd do without it!  It's short, sweet, and totally awesome.  Plus, if you happen to be within earshot of an attractive Postal Service fan, this one's pretty much the best ice breaker ever.  Too bad that never happens.  *sigh*

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Thursday, April 03, 2008

Moods - Depressed

There's a difference between being sad and being depressed, and that mostly has to do with the state of mind of the individual. You see, when you're sad, you typically want to be happy. However, when you're depressed it often means that you're more than willing to stay in that state of depression. Of course, I'm speaking specifically of the "teenage angst" form of depression and not the more serious medical condition.

So for all those teens out there who are willfully depressed for the attention they receive, here is a playlist to feed that depression. Just what Dr. Cale ordered! There are some songs to make you numb, some that make you angry, but all of them should do the trick!



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Wednesday, April 02, 2008

Video of the Week - Week 65

Yesterday I posted my review of the new Muse Live DVD, Haarp.  Today, I've decided to post one of my favorite songs from that show.  Here it is for your enjoyment.  Go buy the DVD!




Muse - "Blackout" from the Live CD/DVD Set, Haarp.

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Tuesday, April 01, 2008

Muse: "Haarp" (CD/DVD)

The last time Muse toured the United States, they were the opening act for My Chemical Romance. Such a thing doesn't seem fair for a band that can sell out Wembley Stadium, one of the world's largest sports facilities, twice in two days. This CD/DVD set is from those two famous shows and contain almost every great song Muse has ever written.

Unfortunately, I've never been a fan of live CDs. Why pay money to hear a band perform something live when you can just pay the same amount and get a better, studio-quality recording? The same holds true for the CD in this set. Though the songs are performed greatly and it has one song that the DVD doesn't (boo), "Microcuts," it's just not the same experience as watching the DVD. A live show, especially one on this scale, is equally about visual stimulus as it is audio. That's why I'm focusing this review mainly on the DVD, because it's amazing, awe-inspiring, and it make me wish that I actually went to the Muse show the last time they came through my town.

In a word, this performance is massive. The band enters the stage from the middle of the stadium, rising up onto a platform, before making the long walk down to the absolutely gigantic stage. Once there, they embark on a nearly 2-hour long concert that is one of the most mind-blowing spectacles I have ever witnessed on a DVD. The set goes through different phases, opening with huge numbers like "Knights of Cydonia" and "Hysteria" and really pumping the crowd up. Matt eventually moves over to a grand piano where he plays "Apocalypse Please," "Hoodoo," and "Feeling Good." Things pick back up soon after and the band plays a couple of their more heavy tunes before leaving the stage for a brief intermission.

They reenter shortly after, Matt carrying an acoustic guitar on which he plays "Soldier's Poem" and "Unintended." This is really the most flawed portion of the act, as "Soldier's Poem" isn't really a crowd pleaser by any means. Fortunately, this section is followed by the performance of "Blackout" which is truly breathtaking. During this amazing number, there are actually trapeze artists suspended from gigantic orbs overing hundreds of feet over the crowd. It is worth buying this DVD to witness, as it"s probably the most beautiful thing I've ever seen at a concert.

Overall, I've found Haarp to be an awesome piece of media to add to my collection. Though the experience given on the CD is nowhere near as impressive as that found on the DVD, for the price, you really can't go wrong. Though I'm a little upset that "Citizen Erased" is nowhere to be found on this set, I'm more than happy with it. After seeing The Flaming Lips live, I was pretty much sure that I would never see a show quite as entertaining. After viewing this DVD, however, I can safely say that they have some stiff competition. If you call yourself a Muse fan, you owe it to yourself to pick up this set. Disappointment is not an option.

Key Tracks:
1. "Knights of Cydonia"
2. "Butterflies and Hurricanes"
3. "Invincible"
4. "Microcuts"
5. "Take a Bow"

CD: 7 out of 10 Stars
DVD: 9 out of 10 Stars

Buy from Amazon | Buy from Insound

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