Free Music

Ok so ive been looking around for some good music, and i stumbled upon a few sites which have some free music. Ah free,my favourite word. My first Link is this : http://www.hell-is-for-heroes.net/downloads.php 

Ive been floowing hell is for heroes for a couple of years now, although missed a chance to see them live at my student union, which i intially thought was a bad thing. There first album, The Neon Handshake is a very good piece of work, lots of drop-D guitars, almost grunge but very catchy hooks. The lyrics are something of the obscure not really sticking well with the music, but the rythm section makes up for that, something similar to American Hi-fi's self titled album although not a mainstream (Poppy), the production lacks some kick but well worth a listen. Unfortunately i lost my mp3's of the album, so im going to buy it hard copy, a recommended purchase for anyone. Their follow up album Transmit Disrupt comes as somewhat of a dissapointment, i was expecting big things, better prodcution came at the cost of the songs. They lack impact, with only two songs sticking out "They may call us savages" trying to conjure up some of their glory from the first album, and "One of us". This is the free download that im linking. 

It start has a kicking introduction, with a thumping and steady drumline leading into off centre guitars. The chorus is where is really punches it weight, overlayed with uplifting guitars. – So well worth giving it a listen from the link above.

 

http://www.thefaint.com/audio/ 

My Next Link are "The Faint". I first heard of them whilst using the Stumble Upon application for firefox, i grew tired of that, when it kept sending me to the same sites over and over again. There are roughly 6 album tracks available to download from their first 3 albums. All of them showing diversity and progression from techno influences to dance and grunge guitars, culminating in their best work from " Wet from birth" their 3rd album. Their second album Dance Macabre doesnt show a continuity throughout although key tracks such as Call Call and Worked up so sexual stand out from the rest.

They are literally my new favourite band, offering something different to modern rock music, and something in between grunge and techno/dance tunes your hear genericly in clubs.

 

My last track that i found for a free download, came from Drowned in sound.com . This is really something you should pounce on as its a week only download. ending this sunday i think. The track available from this link http://drownedinsound.com/content/view/841569 
is a track called damage, and is a single coming off the new Cooper temple clause album. Ive only heard a few songs from their previous album, although with their last album "Kick up the fire and let the flames break loose" was a more polished, and mainstream release with kick ass single including "promises promises"(offering drop-c guitars – i jest not) and "blind pilots", sporting a fabulous music video.

Black Holes and Revelations

Ok so i thought id write abuot the new muse album which has been quickly spread around and on peoples lips in recent months. There have been some very strange and somewhat in teresting decisions from the muse camp. For a start the album titled has been confirmed as Black Holes and Revelations, which is a somewhat tangent in terms of album names for muse, compared to Showbiz, origin of symmetry and absolution, althouhg any muse fan would know that matt bellamy is really into his strange and paranormal literature.

Next i move onto the new single, Supermassive black hole, which seems to fit in well with the whole black hole element matt bellamy seems to have going on. By the way its released as a download only single over at their official website muse.mu . The amount of uproar from musers over at the official and unofficial sites, some say they were boycotting the album and the single, and that what was floating around the internet was a fame leak to throw people off the scent, or it was a remix. But no, its the real deal, its very different, a groovy guitar dance song, with layered vocals and a pumping bassline in the chorus and a very catchy tune. To be honest when i first heard it, it made me laugh but ive got used to it now and actually like it. Go and download for yourself, its only 79p, not available in america i think though.

The big news so far is the play of three of their new songs at Radio 1's Big weekend festival in dundee this weekend, with please from management to not download any of the live songs, being flaunted. Head your way over to http://invictus.softmeg.com/index.php or muselive as its better known, and have a search round for the songs, i doubt whether they will be there for very long. Some videos of the event are on there, buried deep within the forums. 

Out of the new songs, the new single certainly seems to have redeemed itself with a live performance showing off many good merits to it funk inspirations and vocoders rounding off the chorus triumphantly. What really stood out was the new song Starlight, rumoured to be the second song on the tracklist for the album. It does sound like it has potential for being a second single, with an uplifiing verse and starry rythum. Theres still some of the good old harmonised piano like from bliss and stockholm sydrome. Matt bellamy declaring "hopes and expectations, black holes and revelations" in its chorus. It seems somehwhat to have similarities with falling away with you, with its steady stream of bassline, wailing vocals and catchy rythm similar to the part in time is running out.   

As for knights of cydonia, the live version is a very weird song at first, with matt bellamy showing off once again his lack of balls, no really i mean it he must still be in puberty as the notes he reaches within the first minute are staggeringly high, much like Microcuts. No sooner has he hit those high notes does the sound rip into a high tempo bass and drumline, and the guitar having wailing qualities and straneg techno almost sci-fi effects mixed in. Which i suspect matt bellamy using his new korg expression pad on his new manson guitar. The verse is difficult to make out, but the pre-chorus keeping strong to muses steadfast layered vocals and harmonies, as we have seen in past albums. The chorus and its lyrics reminds me of butterflies and hurricanes, with the music building a crescendo overlayed with some sci-fi effects, and then ripping into a hook, similar to the newborn opening riff.

All in all i think that the new album is shaping up to be something very different, strange and almost ghostly, with the stregnth of their lyrics showing strong, with influences such as the oil crisis shwoing through in Supermassive black hole (glaciers melting in the dead of night). The new album is out july 3rd, with a hard copy release of their new single coming out mid june.

One more point, months ago NME the magazine we all hate, stated muse as emo, whereas just recently a review of the single calling the prog-rockers, make up you mind NME you narrow minded fucks.

 

That Four Things that doing the rounds

Four Jobs I’ve Had:
1. Receptionist – sports centre
2. Stock replenishment – Waitrose
3. Sales Assistant – NEXT
4. Dodgeball socal secretary – UPSU
Four Movies I Can Watch Over and Over:
1. High Fidelity
2. True Lies
3. Pulp Fiction
4. Young guns 1/2
Four TV Shows I Love To Watch:
1. The IT Crowd
2. Coupling
3. X-Files
4. Band of Brothers
Four Places I’ve Been on Vacation:
1. Sri Lanka
2. Bali
3. Phuket
4. Malaysia

Four Tunes That Play In My Head:
1. Muse – origin of symmetry (whole album)
2. Funeral for a friend – streetcar
3. Thrice – under a killing moon
4. Ash – (whole back catalouge)
Four Favourite Dishes:
1. An assortment of pasta dishes
2. Pizza
3. Wimpy – half pounder
4. KFC – wicked zinger meal
Four Websites I Visit Daily:
1. Atariboy’s Blog
2. Comaboy
3. Rappy
4. crazybarbour

Four Books I Really Love:
1. High Fidelity / Nick Hornby – During Breakup’s its my manual for life
2. Communist Manifesto – karl marx
3. On the road – jack kerouac
4. Boy – roaldh dahl (any dahl books really)

Four Places I’d Rather Be:
1. Back Home
2. In the arms of a certain woman
3. Canada
4. Reading Festival (2003)

Four Bloggers I’m Tagging:
no need for me to do this, ill just recommend the peeps on my websites i visit daily

Myspace age – BBC news article

Here is an interesting article i found on bbc news.com about myspace, theres only half the article here, but click the link and the rest is there.

The MySpace Age
By Jonathan Duffy
BBC News Magazine

In little more than a couple of years MySpace.com has gone from zero to being a top five website which no self-respecting US teenager can ignore. Now, it’s gaining ground in Britain.

As any creative thinker knows the best ideas are always the most obvious. The rise of MySpace.com from nowhere to almost the top of the internet tree in just 36 months does nothing to change that maxim.

MySpace is simplicity itself – a site that enables anyone to build their own homepage for free, listing their likes, dislikes, favourite bands, top books, best movies, general interests, relationship status etc, and then hook-up with other like-minded folk.

As 25-year-old Briana Dougherty, a MySpace devotee, puts it, “it’s a casual way to stay in contact without appearing weird”.

When Briana, who works in the music industry, hits the town, goes to a gig or a party and meets someone interesting, they trade MySpace profiles and stay in contact.

It’s a central meeting point to stay in contact with friends all the time
MySpace user Briana Dougherty
Asking for someone’s e-mail address can be “creepy”, says Briana, who is from California and works in London, because it’s “personal, one-to-one contact”.

She has 224 “friends” on MySpace. Some are good friends from back home in the US, some are just people “you occasionally see around parties” and some are not actually individuals, but bands she likes.

Music, always a lively topic of conversation among the young, is a great common denominator on MySpace, and fertile ground for emerging bands – the Arctic Monkeys’ owe much of their success to the site.

These days the time-honoured teenage conversational gambit “What music are you into?” will likely be met with a response along the lines of “Can I refer you to my MySpace page.”

MySpace is what’s known as a social networking site. It’s by far the biggest, claiming about 57 million registered users, and is currently ranked the fifth most popular English language site on the net by the Alexa ratings service. Others of the same genre include Facebook, Bebo, MSN Spaces, Friendster and Yahoo 360.

All work in a similar way, offering users a host of conventional internet functions – blogging, user forums, instant messaging, personal profiles, online photo albums, visitor comment spaces – in one place.

See someone who’s into the same music as you, similar films, is a compatible star sign, or you just fancy? Send them a message and if they’re interested, bingo, you’ve made a friend. Although MySpace wouldn’t confirm its UK audience, it has been cited at between two and four million. The launch of a UK-specific site is thought to be imminent.

The success of MySpace has not gone unnoticed by commercial operators who have seized on it as a handy way of targeting potential customers. For example, anyone who proclaims their interest in kite-surfing, should steel themselves for a torrent of e-mails from companies trying to sell them the latest kit.

And with millions of users, social networking sites, which make money out of advertising, are potential goldmines. MySpace was bought last year by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation for $580m (£332.85m).

But while Mr Murdoch, 75 this week, is clearly hip to the appeal of MySpace, many people even half his age will never have heard of it.

What Grinds my gears 3

Welcome ladies and gentlemen to What grinds my gears 3, ive decided ill just run it in a series rather than sticking a date on the end, anyway enough chit chat. Do you what grinds my gears, Installer applicaitons. They dont necessarily grind them, just annoy, they all seem a bit tedious to me, so im going to address why they are tedious. You may agree or disagree, but after having much experience messing around with installer applications ive finally snapped.

This is especailly apparent with iTunes just now, it asked me to update, so i thought, yes why not. This only lead me to an Apple page asking me to write in my email address and had allready ticked the “i want to recieve crap emails from 3rd parties” boxes, which i duly unticked. It should be the case where, if something says theres an update, you click download update, it downloads, updates the program and finish. Similar to MSN messenger, which tells you about an update, and you clikc yes, but theres always the rudimentry installer program that follows isnt there, that little thorn in your side.

So these are the things that annoy me about installer programs, as follows:

The way how installer programs have a series of windows that ask you are you sure you want to install this, (umm yes!, yes i do, thats why i donwloaded you in the first place), This window follows on directly from the “welcome to the installer programme” or something along those lines. Well we know its an installer, dont waste my time and lets get on with show…capishe? Anyway then asks you terms and conditions, well heres a clue, nobody reads the terms and conditions, you could write any crap in there and nobody would notice, nobody has got the time to read through all of. Lets face facts, how many times do you download an application, look through the terms and conditions and say to yourself…. ” Oh well i AM actually going to break these terms, maybe i shouldnt install it”. Thats a waste of time after waiting patiently for it to download, only to turn around and think, hmm maybe i wont install it, its just not done.

“I allready know it will install it on my pc, durgh!”

The next window asks where you want to install it, ok this might be necessary if you want it in another folder, or a related folder so ill let that one pass, although it must be said the majority of people just click next, they give a shot where its saved to, as longs as its in the program files were happy. Some applications have registration forms, those are mind-numbing and tedious. Then lastly it may ask you if you want a shortcut, well generally yes people want an application close to hand, and dont want to go digging around their C drive looking for it. Some of you readers may not want a shortcut, it depends. Then last but not least theres the obligitary “Thank you” window, aww well gee thanks, i feel really important because of that pointless window, in some instances should we be thanking them for letting us install the thing in the first place, esp if its pirate, i dont know really i think im just babbling there. What im trying to get at is that installer programs should have one, at most two windows saying:

1)where to install to (just in case you want to install somewhere else)

and

2) Install button

And that should be it, most installers are much and the same, they follow the basic principles stated above, they should just really have a button that says install and then bobs your uncle your away. It should be that simple, shouldnt it?

AND THAT LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, IS WHAT GRINDS MY GEARS, GOODNIGHT

Omnia Vincit Amor Part 2 – Girls must know

So i found this on someone’s myspace bulletin, and thought that it relates to my ongoing series about relationships, sorry if your oh so eager to read the rest of the articles, that fact is, i havent had the motivtion to do them recently, lots of stuff going on in that noggin of mine. But this is the second part, a list of sorts that girls must know about guys, ive got about 2 more of these lists, and theyll be posted soon enough. So get your teeth stuck into these little gems. I must say i agree with the majority of them. What can i say men are from mars, women from somewhere outside our comprehension.
..1-We’re not as perverted as you think we all are.
..2-No matter what YOU say, your ex-boyfriend IS a LOSER.
..3- We like you to give us hugs and kisses sometimes too.
..4-Don’t argue with us when we call you beautiful.
..5-Don’t treat us like crap, what goes around comes around.
..6-We know you’re pretty, that’s one of the reason’s we’re going out with you.
..7- Don’t go into detail about your period. It scares us.
..8- If you have cramps and we ask you what’s wrong, just tell us it’s that time of the month and nothing more.
..9-If you really liked us for us, you would let us think that our mustache, beard, or sideburns looked cool.
..10-We never shave our legs. So get over it.
..11-NEVER ask us if you can put makeup on us. It’s just wrong…………
..12-Don’t make bets about us, because one of your friends will tell us, if you don’t.
..13-When we tell you that you’re not fat, believe us.
..14-We absolutely do not care about the Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, 98 Degrees, or what any other guy looks like for that matter.
..15-We may not be able to pee accurately all of the time, but at least we can stand up and go pee.
..16-Just cause you think you’re always right, doesn’t mean that you don’t have to apologize when you do something “wrong.”
..17-You expect us to say and do sweet things for you, but it would be nice if you did the same every once in a while. We like to know that you love us.
..18-We can’t always be spontaneous, so try to help us make the plans sometimes.
..19-Don’t ask us to beat up another guy for you, cause you might get what you wish for.
..20-Never kick us in the nuts “just to see what we would say”. That’s just mean.
..21-Never pretend like you are going to break up with us and laugh when we believe you.
..22-Pamela Anderson’s boobs aren’t fake anymore, but we like yours better anyway.
..23-Size doesn’t matter, except two idiots who don’t want a relationship.
..24-PMS is not an excuse.
..25-If you want us to put the seat down when we’re done, you should put it up when you’re done.
..26-……….. Don’t tell us how cute your ex-boyfriend was. That doesn’t turn us on.
..27-And always remember: The way to a guys heart is through his stomach….. and maybe….oh nevermind.
..28-NEVER ask us to kiss other guys. You might be that comfy with your friends, but to us it’s just wrong.
..29-We always notice how funny it is after your rip out our heart, stick it down our throat and still want to be friends.
..30-And last but not least: We know you’re not always right, but we’ll pretend like you are anyway.

CryBaby

Woohoo, guess who just got himself a jim dunlop cry baby wah wah pedal (me btw, in case you didnt guess). gets through the post sometime next week. been looking for one of these for about 2 years now, preferably one without a £100 price tag. Ahh the wonder of ebay, got it slightly cheaper, now i can rock out with my cock out!! as stiffler would say.

So has anyone else got one, got any tips? good solo’s to learn etc?

10 THINGS WE DIDN’T KNOW THIS TIME LAST WEEK

Taken From BBC.com news

10 THINGS WE DIDN’T KNOW THIS TIME LAST WEEK

Snippets harvested from the week’s news, chopped, sliced and diced for your weekend convenience.

1. Cats can catch bird flu.

More details

2. There is a road called Psycho Path in Traverse City, Michigan, US.

3. Elspeth Campbell, wife of new Lib Dem leader Sir Menzies, wrote her thesis on Coronation Street.

More details

4. And her father (Major General Roy Urquhart) was portrayed by Sean Connery in the film a Bridge Too Far.

More details

5. Stephen King doesn’t own a mobile phone.

6. US Secret Service sniffer dogs are put up in five-star hotels during overseas presidential visits.

More details

7. Alexei Sayle won an International Emmy for comedy, but no one told him. The first he knew was when he saw Channel 4 News, which showed Benny Hill collecting Alexei’s award on his behalf.

8. Flushing a toilet costs, on average, 1.5p.

More details

9. The name Swarfega, the hand-cleaning product, is derived from “swarf” which is the name for greasy grit in a wheel axle and “ega”, which suggested it would work quickly.

10. Anna Nicole Smith’s real name is Vickie Lynn Marshall.

Attributes: 2 – Daily Telegraph, 28 Feb; 9 – the Independent, 28 Feb; 5 – Guardian, 25 Feb; 7 – Chain Reaction, Radio 4, 1 March; 10 – Slate.com, Feb 28

What Grinds my gears (1st March)

Ok so i havent erally had any beef with anything lately, so ive been biding my time as to what i can grind my gears with, and alas ive only come up with a few, so let not delay!

1) Ya know who grinds my gears?…. Pete Doherty. The guy is an idiot. For a start everyone hails him as a great song writer, which i disagree with, i mean he’s always smacked up to write any songs. Magazines like NME (who i also hate) put him on a pedastel and pronounce him as man of the year in their awards, and he is declared a role model. Im sorry but a role model isnt someone who takes drugs and breaks the law, hes setting a bad example for teenagers all over the UK. he recently got off a jail term, and declared that he is going to stay off drugs, not more than two weeks later , he’s arrested for stealing a car, and possesion, no fucking surprise there. Gee pete doing a bang up job of going straight there!

He gets arrested all the time, twice in one night in one incident. He’s fucked up two bands (libertines and babyshambles), hes fucked up kate moss her credibility has gone downhill. I know shes a model and they snort shit all the time, but its a well known fact, no-one goes into it, its just done and everyones nonoe the wiser, but pete had to drop her int he shit. As bill hicks once said, only two things will survive a nuclear holocaust, insects and keith richards. This is because keith richards has been doing it for ages, nobody glamourises him as a role model, he is pure rock and roll. Whereas pete is wannabe, gone are the days of smashing hotel rooms and drunk and disorderely, pete doherty is steering rock and roll straight into an iceberg.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4690288.stm a link to display the lifeline of pete doherty’s trainwreck of a life
2) another thing that grinds my gears. This is something only guys will understand. Now why is it no matter how much you shake, some always drips out afterwards…..You know what im taking about!!

3)This is something atariboy will understand, The postal service, bless them they do try, royal mail arent as bad, its just parcel companies are the worst. Its like teyve never delivered to a certain area before…durgh i dont know where this is?… Well heres a clue, the post code fuckhead. Post codes are there so the deliverer can narrow down where the address is, and its as easy as that. Althought another thing is that when they do find your address, why is it that they only ring once, cant be arsd, leave those crappy notes and bugger off. Leaving you to trek 5 miles across town to the depot to pick up something they should have properly delivered in the first place. Of course this doenst really hellp matters when you dont have a doorbell. Som in considerate fucker has taken away the doorbell, i know it gets annoying (wireless ones have a tendency to pick up other frequencies) but a doorbell is important for answering the door. Even if our right next to the front door, and taken away the doorbell, why dont you try and answering the fucking door!! but no, its always me who has to answer the door becuase x and y are too lazy to move that extra 3 metres to the door,and too lazy to have a doorbell

And that ladies and gentlemen, is what grinds my gears. I thank you

Movies to see

so ive just wotched an in depth interview about the film syriana, with the director stephen gaghan(traffic) and george clooney, and they have very interesting ideas about the poltically charged films that they have made linky . Similarly there has been alot of fuss about Munich, which i also want to see, about the idea of an eye for an eye basically and how the terrorist events of the munich olympics were met with equally terrorist acts. The change from entertainment films into more political films is an important one, where the medium of film is ideal for asking questions. One other film ive heard alot about is Valley of the wolves, a turkish film (in English) which portrays America in a bad light, very similar to syriana which casts doubt over policy and practice. So just to round it all off, ill recommend some films which i think all people hould consider seeing. althought bear in mind i havent seen all of them, there on my to see lists:

Munich

Syriana

Good night and Good Luck
Valley of the wolves

Lucky number seven

The matador
V for Vendetta

The Constant Gardener

Ok got to admit, not all of those are politcal, or ask questions, some of them just look cool, Also recommend Aeon Flux, a few questions raised in that, and also looks cool. Charlize theron looks hot!:P