C418 – Seven Years of Server Data

Posted on November 14, 2011 by Andrew

Some of you may be aware of a popular game called Minecraft and its immaculate success. C418 is responsible for the soundtrack of that game. The subject of this article, however, is not the game’s sound, but instead a collection of C418′s really old work mixed in with some newer work.

In his words:

After cleaning up the folders on my server I decided to put up a collection of some songs as a free album.

Bear with me though as this is a very varied collection from very old music to very recent remixes. Some might sound terrible and the sound quality is something that could be better (FLAC will not save you most of the time).

Most of this album sounds like a mixture between broken computers, new age, and delightful little charming tracks suited for a video game (no surprise there). Continue reading →

Music Changes

Posted on November 11, 2011 by Andrew

Since the early 1890s we’ve had something physical to listen to music on. Starting with wax cylinders, we’ve progressed to reels, vinyl, cassettes, 8-tracks, compact discs and eventually digital players and the digital format popularized in part by MP3.

I recall the days of Napster and Kazaa striking fear and curiosity into the public mindset. It seemed like everyone thought that digital files were going to change the music industry, and I’d argue that it did. The industry adapted with services like iTunes and Rhapsody.

Physical CD sales have been on the decline, and we’ve been seeing more services that offer digital downloads of our favorite music at competitive prices. Cloud services like iTunes and Amazon let us control and listen to our music almost anywhere we choose. However, physical files may also be going the way of compact discs. Continue reading →

GIRAFFES? GIRAFFES!

Posted on November 7, 2011 by Andrew

So I was scouring the Internet for music that I’d actually like and came across GIRAFFES? GIRAFFES! under the post-rock tab on bandcamp.

I’m usually very picky about my post-rock / math rock bands. I am hesitant to share this, but I find that most of the American bands of this nature oftentimes lull me to sleep. Thankfully, this is one of those that makes me get up and dance as much as the foreign post-rock bands that I’ve encountered. Continue reading →

Sabrepulse – First Crush EP

Posted on November 4, 2011 by Andrew

Sabrepulse’s new EP is a change from what I’m used to hearing from him.

First of all, he brings in guests Knife City and Henry Homesweet (whom I irreverently referred to as Henry Sweetmouth when I met him in person, for shame). The first two tracks are an ingenious collaboration between these two artists.

The rest of the album steers away from typical Sabrepulse. I’ve been a big fan of the throbbing chiptune dance-beats for quite some time; after the first two tracks, this album veers away from that. I’d go so far as to say that City At Speed reminds me of older Daft Punk. Other tracks are more trance styled.

Arcanine even has its own dubstep interlude, which is all the rage these days. Personally, I don’t like dubstep, but a well-placed interlude can add some much-needed flavor to a song. Continue reading →

Interview: The Man Power

Posted on November 2, 2011 by Andrew

I recently had an opportunity to talk with Chris Sexxx from The Man Power. He’s a lovely fellow with quite a bit of insight about his band, life, girls, and other interesting things.

Continue reading →

Just In Time For Halloween: The Quintessentials

Posted on November 1, 2011 by Andrew

With Halloween coming up soon, I thought a band such as The Quintessentials would be appropriate.

This band is what’s considered Horrorpunk. It’s similar in nature to death rock of the early 80s, but focused much more heavily on horror elements. It is also much more punk in nature. These guys are raw, gritty, fast, and hard.

It’s not slow spooky music that you’ll hear on your neighbor’s doorstep that he bought at Big Lots for $3.99. No, this is original style punk infused with elements of old horror movies, serial killer themes, and various other things. If you’ve ever heard of The Misfits, Wednesday 13, or Balzac you should already know what I’m getting on about. Continue reading →

Snowmine – Laminate Pet Animal

Posted on October 31, 2011 by Andrew

Snowmine is an apt title for this band, as they follow that typical indie-pop bands formula that reminds me of a snowy day.

That’s not surprising, considering this was mixed by the same guy that mixed Wilco and My Morning Jacket.

This album did not impress me much. Sometimes I enjoy a snowy-day indie-pop record, but something has to stick out. Otherwise it’s just a blip during my day. Continue reading →

Indie Artist Music Spotlight: Amanda Palmer

Posted on October 20, 2011 by Andrew

Amanda Palmer slays the piano, and maintains an impressive vocal presence in The Dresden Dolls and also in her solo efforts.

For anyone familiar with The Dresden Dolls, you’ll probably already understand the allusions to punk cabaret. Palmer’s solo efforts are still sprinkled heavily with strings and piano, but are much more personal than her band’s.

There are a few playful songs, a few playful ballads, and a few straight-up ballads on the album “Who Killed Amanda Palmer.”

It’s hard rock, but with instrumentation reminiscent of a coffee-shop setup. There’s a certain prosaic Palmer puts out that make her songs fun no matter how downtempo, upbeat, or depressing they may sound. Continue reading →

Indie Spotlight: Bastion Original Soundtrack by Darren Korb

Posted on October 18, 2011 by Andrew

Video game soundtracks these days tend to be not nearly as engaging as they used to be. Bastion OST attempts to change that.

Like with most movies these days, game soundtracks seem to be forgettable background noise. Granted, I suppose one wouldn’t want to get distracted while playing a game. What if you were trying to shoot some enemy dead, but you got a game over because you were listening to the music?

Maybe that’s the case for most games, but RPGs are trying to tell a story. A good soundtrack helps guide the atmosphere along with the progression of the narrative. Classic RPGs of the Super Nintendo and Genesis era couldn’t use real instruments or synthesize properly like Bastion can.

Comparing Bastion to older game soundtracks, I can see the similarities. It’s not just background music, it’s an additional and important factor making Bastion what it is. Continue reading →

Mystic Sounds

A Spotlight on Music