Klaxons & Rihanna perform at the Brit Awards; 2/20/08
Originally written for the Cavalier Daily:
http://www.cavalierdaily.com/news/2008/feb/21/the-pulse26004/
21 February 2008
Klaxons cover Rihanna for the BRIT awards.
These days, it seems that everybody wants to offer their interpretation of Rihanna's massive single "Umbrella" – Mandy Moore, Chris Brown and now the British indie outfit Klaxons. However, the Klaxons had the special honor of covering the song with Rihanna herself last night at the annual BRIT Awards. Their interpretation was well-received, the Klaxons offering a more electronic, guitar-heavy backing for Rihanna's pop inflections. Both were nominated for awards – Rihanna as best international act, and the Klaxons as best breakthrough act. Despite their awesome performance, neither one of the artists ended up taking home an award.
Klaxons & Rihanna perform at the Brit Awards; 2/20/08
Originally written for the Cavalier Daily:
http://www.cavalierdaily.com/news/2008/feb/21/the-pulse26004/
Klaxons & Rihanna perform at the Brit Awards; 2/20/08
Originally written for the Cavalier Daily:
http://www.cavalierdaily.com/news/2008/feb/21/the-pulse26004/
Murder by Death - Fuego! [EP]
Murder by Death is not a band known to shy away from ambitious concept records. For their sophomore album, Who Will Survive and What Will Be Left of Them?, the group composed an intricate song cycle based on a story involving the devil, Mexico and oil. Equally ambitious follow-up In Bocca al Lupo consisted of songs detailing various characters struggling through each level of Dante's version of hell. These hyper-literate stylings, backed by saloon-rock and cello swells, have earned the band a passionate (if relatively small) number of followers.
Although the band recently signed a new record deal with Vagrant Records, it seems their old habits have remained intact. Their forthcoming album, Red of Tooth and Claw, sounds every bit as elaborate as their past efforts. Frontman Adam Turla described the new record as "Homer's odyssey of revenge, only without the honorable character at the center." Fuego!, a three-song EP, is meant to whet our appetites for the band's forthcoming full-length.
The Fuego! EP starts off strong with its title track. Here, Turla dusts off his best Johnny Cash croon for a song of gin, flames, bones and lust. It's a bit disorienting to hear Turla proclaim licentious phrases such as "I want you!" as he imitates Cash's voice, but ultimately, the song works. Jangly guitars, muscular percussion and a subtly danceable bass line coalesce into a classic Murder by Death piece. Although the energetic cut doesn't quite live up to the band's best moments, such as the hair-raising emotional climax of Who Will Survive's "Killbot 2000", it's a great song in its own right.
Murder by Death perform "Fuego!" in Washington DC; 4/10/08
Following "Fuego!" is a live cover of Cher's 1966 hit single "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)." Here, Turla drops the Cash façade for vocal stylings more in line with Jeff Buckley. Clocking in at 2.5 minutes, Murder by Death offers a bare, uninteresting interpretation of the track. For the most part, the song consists of vocals and a few light strums on Turla's electric guitar. Ultimately, the song is a pleasant-sounding yet forgettable interlude, segueing nicely into the EP's final track.
Fuego!'s three tracks are capped off by "Theme (for Ennio Morricone)," a shout-out to the composer of such legendary spaghetti Western film soundtracks as The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. The track is an attempt to re-capture Morricone's epic musical statements, using full-time cellist Sarah Balliet to the band's fullest advantage. Balliet's gorgeous string balladry is easily the strongest part of the song, passionately played to achieve an acute sense of drama. Unfortunately, producer Trina Shoemaker (Queens of the Stone Age, Iggy Pop) leaves Balliet's strings low in the final mix, crippling a song that should have been cathartic and soaring. You can almost feel the band straining towards an epic climax the strings suggest, but instead of achieving the catharsis it promises, "Theme" meanders aimlessly for its 4-minute run-time.
And then it's over. Even though Fuego! is meant to get fans excited for Murder by Death's upcoming album, it leaves little more than an ambivalent aftertaste. To be fair, all of these songs are very solid. At the end of the day, however, they're more ordinary than outstanding. Hopefully the band is holding a few tricks up its sleeve for Red of Tooth and Claw. If not, there isn't much to get excited about.
Originally written for the Cavalier Daily:
http://www.cavalierdaily.com/news/2008/feb/21/fuego-fizzles-and-fades/
Although the band recently signed a new record deal with Vagrant Records, it seems their old habits have remained intact. Their forthcoming album, Red of Tooth and Claw, sounds every bit as elaborate as their past efforts. Frontman Adam Turla described the new record as "Homer's odyssey of revenge, only without the honorable character at the center." Fuego!, a three-song EP, is meant to whet our appetites for the band's forthcoming full-length.
The Fuego! EP starts off strong with its title track. Here, Turla dusts off his best Johnny Cash croon for a song of gin, flames, bones and lust. It's a bit disorienting to hear Turla proclaim licentious phrases such as "I want you!" as he imitates Cash's voice, but ultimately, the song works. Jangly guitars, muscular percussion and a subtly danceable bass line coalesce into a classic Murder by Death piece. Although the energetic cut doesn't quite live up to the band's best moments, such as the hair-raising emotional climax of Who Will Survive's "Killbot 2000", it's a great song in its own right.
Murder by Death perform "Fuego!" in Washington DC; 4/10/08
Following "Fuego!" is a live cover of Cher's 1966 hit single "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)." Here, Turla drops the Cash façade for vocal stylings more in line with Jeff Buckley. Clocking in at 2.5 minutes, Murder by Death offers a bare, uninteresting interpretation of the track. For the most part, the song consists of vocals and a few light strums on Turla's electric guitar. Ultimately, the song is a pleasant-sounding yet forgettable interlude, segueing nicely into the EP's final track.
Fuego!'s three tracks are capped off by "Theme (for Ennio Morricone)," a shout-out to the composer of such legendary spaghetti Western film soundtracks as The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. The track is an attempt to re-capture Morricone's epic musical statements, using full-time cellist Sarah Balliet to the band's fullest advantage. Balliet's gorgeous string balladry is easily the strongest part of the song, passionately played to achieve an acute sense of drama. Unfortunately, producer Trina Shoemaker (Queens of the Stone Age, Iggy Pop) leaves Balliet's strings low in the final mix, crippling a song that should have been cathartic and soaring. You can almost feel the band straining towards an epic climax the strings suggest, but instead of achieving the catharsis it promises, "Theme" meanders aimlessly for its 4-minute run-time.
And then it's over. Even though Fuego! is meant to get fans excited for Murder by Death's upcoming album, it leaves little more than an ambivalent aftertaste. To be fair, all of these songs are very solid. At the end of the day, however, they're more ordinary than outstanding. Hopefully the band is holding a few tricks up its sleeve for Red of Tooth and Claw. If not, there isn't much to get excited about.
Originally written for the Cavalier Daily:
http://www.cavalierdaily.com/news/2008/feb/21/fuego-fizzles-and-fades/
07 February 2008
White Stripes sued for uncleared sample.
Blues-rock outfit The White Stripes came under fire this week for an uncleared sample on their album De Stijl, which came out a little more than eight years ago. The track in question ("Jumble, Jumble") contains a 10-second excerpt from Quebec radio host Dominique Payette's show. Payette is currently suing for $70,000 and demanding that De Stijl be immediately removed from stores. Her argument? The use of the recording is a violation of her privacy. It remains to be seen how this case will be settled, but hopefully the courts will flesh out how exactly the re-proportioning of a public broadcast compromises one's privacy.
The Whites Stripes - "Jumble, Jumble" (from De Stijl; 2000)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cfu5DdH-I-A
Originally written for the Cavalier Daily:
http://www.cavalierdaily.com/news/2008/feb/07/the-pulse25812/
The Whites Stripes - "Jumble, Jumble" (from De Stijl; 2000)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cfu5DdH-I-A
Originally written for the Cavalier Daily:
http://www.cavalierdaily.com/news/2008/feb/07/the-pulse25812/
DRM & the music industry.
It's no secret that the digital age is redefining the value of music and challenging traditional distribution models. In a world where songs can be purchased either on an $18 CD or downloaded for free from a P2P client, consumers are increasingly turning to illegal file-sharing. Many digital music vendors have tried to combat the convenience of P2P by setting up online music stores, but because of restrictive copyright contracts, these files have generally been crippled by DRM.
DRM, or digital rights management, is a technology that allows vendors to limit access rights to digital music. Not surprisingly, it's an extraordinarily controversial technology. On one hand, music labels say DRM curbs file-sharing and prevents unauthorized distribution. On the other, consumers argue that DRM unfairly restricts their ability to use the product they have purchased – it often prevents users from uploading to portable devices or sharing a new song with a friend.
However, the tides may be turning in the favor of these consumers – DRM appears to be on its way out. In the first week of January, major online music vendor Napster announced that it had convinced all four major labels (Universal, Sony, Warner and BMI) to allow protection-free MP3 downloads. Previously, the company had offered DRM-protected Windows Media files, which couldn't be played on other computers or uploaded to iPods.
Napster is just one of many companies that have made the leap to the MP3 format. iTunes recently launched a service that allows users to buy higher-quality MP3 files for a little extra cash. Online retail giant Amazon.com also struck a deal with major labels recently allowing for MP3 distribution. Even Wal-Mart has gotten in on the action – the mega-corporation now sells protection-free songs for as low as 80 cents from its Web site.
The idea is hardly a revolutionary one. In fact, these companies are lagging far behind online services such as eMusic, which has offered protection-free MP3 downloads since the late '90s. However, this marks the first time that major labels have willingly allowed royalty-free downloads. Major labels currently control about 80 percent of the American music market and own the rights to virtually all popular music. Thus, these deals mark a serious development in online music.
It is not yet clear how Napster is going to handle a pricing model for these MP3s, or whether its venture will end up turning a profit. It also remains to be seen whether iTunes, Amazon.com or eMusic will be able to make much money as MP3 vendors. Even with the answers to these questions in the air, however, it's refreshing to see these companies at the forefront of another baby step from slow-to-adapt major labels.
In fact, other promising developments are cropping up throughout the Internet. Most recently, social networking site Last.fm has convinced major labels to allow the streaming of an entire song on demand. Previously, Last.fm users could only preview 30-second snippets of any given song. Though CD prices have yet to fall to a reasonable level and major labels have yet to take advantage of P2P's communal muscle, it appears that the record industry is finally lumbering in the right direction.
Originally written for the Cavalier Daily:
http://www.cavalierdaily.com/news/2008/feb/07/time-to-free-the-music/
DRM, or digital rights management, is a technology that allows vendors to limit access rights to digital music. Not surprisingly, it's an extraordinarily controversial technology. On one hand, music labels say DRM curbs file-sharing and prevents unauthorized distribution. On the other, consumers argue that DRM unfairly restricts their ability to use the product they have purchased – it often prevents users from uploading to portable devices or sharing a new song with a friend.
However, the tides may be turning in the favor of these consumers – DRM appears to be on its way out. In the first week of January, major online music vendor Napster announced that it had convinced all four major labels (Universal, Sony, Warner and BMI) to allow protection-free MP3 downloads. Previously, the company had offered DRM-protected Windows Media files, which couldn't be played on other computers or uploaded to iPods.
Napster is just one of many companies that have made the leap to the MP3 format. iTunes recently launched a service that allows users to buy higher-quality MP3 files for a little extra cash. Online retail giant Amazon.com also struck a deal with major labels recently allowing for MP3 distribution. Even Wal-Mart has gotten in on the action – the mega-corporation now sells protection-free songs for as low as 80 cents from its Web site.
The idea is hardly a revolutionary one. In fact, these companies are lagging far behind online services such as eMusic, which has offered protection-free MP3 downloads since the late '90s. However, this marks the first time that major labels have willingly allowed royalty-free downloads. Major labels currently control about 80 percent of the American music market and own the rights to virtually all popular music. Thus, these deals mark a serious development in online music.
It is not yet clear how Napster is going to handle a pricing model for these MP3s, or whether its venture will end up turning a profit. It also remains to be seen whether iTunes, Amazon.com or eMusic will be able to make much money as MP3 vendors. Even with the answers to these questions in the air, however, it's refreshing to see these companies at the forefront of another baby step from slow-to-adapt major labels.
In fact, other promising developments are cropping up throughout the Internet. Most recently, social networking site Last.fm has convinced major labels to allow the streaming of an entire song on demand. Previously, Last.fm users could only preview 30-second snippets of any given song. Though CD prices have yet to fall to a reasonable level and major labels have yet to take advantage of P2P's communal muscle, it appears that the record industry is finally lumbering in the right direction.
Originally written for the Cavalier Daily:
http://www.cavalierdaily.com/news/2008/feb/07/time-to-free-the-music/
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