Zune: Because you hate Leslie Fiest
Microsoft introduced the new Zune 2, or its version of an iPod. It’s cheaper ($199, as opposed to apple’s $299-$399 pricetag), and I think the Brazilian singer C?u is to Zune as Fiest is to iPod. Unfortunately, I have been spending all of my money on DVD late fines at IC’s library, so I can’t provide a review. But Gizmodo can ? 6 of ‘em.
This is all you need to see to make an educated purchase. Gates vs. Jobs in a battle royale. Whose side are you on?
Heady tunes
A very intellectual European friend of mine just emailed me about a book she’s excited to read, and I’m quite excited about it, too. Musicophilia is Oliver Sacks’s latest look into how our brain works, focused on where and how music affects our brain. London Times reviewer Bryan Appleyard caught my attention right about here:
We all know people who ?live in? music. These are not necessarily music lovers or professional musicians. Most people can be deeply moved by music. But there are some people for whom anything that is not music is a distraction from the real business of their lives. They may not say it, they may not even know it, but you can recognise them by their expressions when music starts to play or the subject of music comes up. That?s what matters, they?re thinking, that?s all that matters.
I know loads of people like this. Heaps of ‘em. Not just casual listeners, but people who literally hear music differently than I do. To understand them would be reason enough to pick up the book, but just wait! Sacks was on NPR last week, and you can read an excerpt of the book there and here. So read on, Brinksters, read on.
Oink.me (.cd) no more
Way back in the day, a friend of Brink invited her into the Oink phenomenon, a torrent site where users could find pretty much any CD ever created, and even some yet to be created, released, and sold. Well, I was kicked off the site long ago for inactivity while I studied abroad, but it seems now everyone’s been kicked off. FOR GOOD. Because the site got busted and it’s all over. We we we we all the way? to British jail ? where I hear you get tea in place of the standard gruel of the American prison system.
Rasslin’ with ringles.
Ringle. That’s a legit marketing solution. “Ringle.”
Apparently, Sony BMG’s brilliant idea is to sell CD singles with a ring tone attached. Woo-hoo! What’s terrible about this technological solution to a really bad music market is that it’s simply going to proliferate the production of really dumb music. And I say this because pop music does NOT have to be dumb, it can be funny and clever and dance-able (*Justin Timberlake and Timbaland prove this*).
But, there you have it, we’re already in the ring tone era of pop music. It’s everywhere. Songs are produced with ringtone-ality in mind, which usually means they sound eerily like a midi file, are hypnotic and repetitive. Mims, this is why you’re hot.
48 years old!
In light of the VMAs yesterday ? which were painfully awkward and deliciously horrible ? Brink wanted to throw this fun fact out there:
JOHN NORRIS is 48 years old. Brink would also like to add that we’d pay good money for a photo of his aura last night. Is that kind of thing even detectable with a camera? The man was sporting a bleached and mussed coif, guyliner c/o Pete Wentz, and a black scarf with glittery fringe. In the words of Brink roommate Kate Gia-snarky, “Is he immortal? He’s my immortal.”
Though this may have been too pop culture for Brink, and may belong in the Big Spoon, it seemed only just and right to point out all the ways John Norris remains on the Brink of fashion, goth and beauty.
Also, moritorium on iPhone talk. I’ve had enough of that in the last week. More on it next time something REALLY cool happens. Like Steve Jobs decides to merge with a car …
They can’t just GIVE them away.
Seems that today the iPhone has gone down in price by $200 bucks! Which is sweet, cause we need to save our monies for the new iPod touch. Thanks, Steve Jobs!
**breaking! the NYT tells iPhone owners that Apple is sincerely sorry for ripping them off. Turns out the gadget was only worth $499 to begin with, so everyone gets that $100 difference back. (and Brink thanks Nic for the heads up on that one!)
Work with Bj?rk, make your friends jealous
Nowadays it’s all about you. Which is a good thing, because Bj?rk is hosting a contest to find someone to create a music video for her new track “Innocence,” off her latest album, Volta, due out next month. Listen to the (great) song here.
The rules of the contest are simple: Submit the video by August and Bj?rk will choose the winner, and then the two will tweak it together. So, you, yes you ? boot up that FinalCut and get to it.
And if you’re in New York City this week, check out her shows through Sunday at Radio City, the United Palace Theater and the Apollo.
(Via Cool Hunter)
Jazz hands!
So the weather is really crappy outside, it’s Monday, and did I mention the weather is really crappy outside? There’s snow on the ground and it’s freaking April!
All the more reason for you to watch this music video and create a little joy in your life. Yesterday, New York Times pop critic and Death-Cab-For-Cutie stalker Jon Pareles wrote about Leslie Feist, the 31-year-old indie darling, and her latest video for “1234,” a little pick-me-up of a song off her latest album, The Reminder, set to be released May 1.
Even beyond the simple, catchy rhythm and chorus, what really lull you into a smile are the dancing (Fame-esque) and the bright costuming (American Apparel-esque). There’s also lots of clapping and cheering throughout the piece.
After watching it again, the snow doesn’t seem so bad anymore.
Don’t stop the beat
Ah, the mix tape (er, mp3).
Here’s a site worth checking out: The folks at The Players Association, a site run by DJs for DJs, stream amateur mixes for free. Those of us who couldn’t spin a kickin mix to save their life benefit from having instant access to music from around the world.
You can also search within mixes for specific artists, titles and genres, making it that much easier to search through hours of this stuff. Sure, it might not beat going to an actual record store or holding a physical mix tape, but just think of the range of music sites like these can provide.
Try Thundertone’s “The Music You Forgot” and Nick Recordkicks‘ “Groove Kicks #15.” And check out The Players Association’s MySpace here.
(via Urban Junkies London)
Wink, nudge
Brooklyn-based Akron/Family and Montreal’s The Winks will be performing at 9.m. tonight at Cornell’s Appel Commons (North Campus), hosted by the Fanclub Collective. Both bands have interesting sounds ? Akron/Family plays psychedelic bluegrass and The Winks are sort of twee-folk ? so it should be a good show.
Besides, the Fanclub is always serving up something interesting. Past shows have included performances by Broken Social Scene, Weird War, Arcade Fire, The Decemberists, Interpol (way back in the day), the infamous Rev. Billy, Ted Leo ? you get the idea.
Tickets cost $8 for students, $10 for nonstudents. You can buy them at www.ithacaevents.com, or just get them at the door.
The Fanclub also has a radio show, ?Nude Beach,? on Slope Radio from 6 to 8 p.m. Mondays.
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