Music
January 09, 2010
December 31, 2009
My Top 15 Albums of 2009
2009 is over! It wasn't a bad year, just a little difficult. Glad I had great some music to get me through.
So what was I listening to in 2009? Well, thanks to handy-dandy iTunes, I was able to group all my new music for the year and see how frequently I listened to certain songs and albums. I just love databases! (it's the geek in me.)
Thank you to all my friends and to all the bloggers out there that kept an ear out for the good music.
And now, here are my top 15 album for 2009. Though most of the list is not in any specific order, the first 4 albums listed below definitely topped my list.
- Pet Shop Boys - Yes
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What a great pop-dance album. Xenomania's production was perfect for the Boys. What would make this album even better? Get rid of "All Over The World" and add "We're All Criminals Now" and "This Used To Be The Future", both from the bonus disc.
- The Bird and the Bee - Ray Guns Are Not Just The Future
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Superb pop songs, killer arrangements, thick vocal harmonies... It's like biting into a York Peppermint Pattie! I love Greg Kurstin's work. He's a great songwriter and producer. Inara George, who co-wrote and co-produced the album, has such a sweet voice. Just prefect. The chorus to "Diamond Dave" still sends chills up my spine!
- Robbie Williams - Reality Killed the Video Star
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- This is one of those classic Trevor Horn albums that we'll be talking about for years. I feel like Horn was inspired by his own best productions when he worked on this project. There were elements of Art Of Noise, ABC, Seal, and Pet Shop Boys woven into all over these songs. And the beautiful string arrangements by Anne Dudley just sent me over the top. Williams' lyrics seem to have taken on a new direction. They can still be very tongue in cheek, but I sense that he wants to be taken seriously.
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Skye - Keeping Secrets
I just love the feel of this album. It just flows along. Skye's voice is so soothing. Even on the upbeat songs "The Shape I'm In" and "Almost Killed Me", Skye sounds like she's gliding on water. She is an artist who concentrates on the craft of good songwriting. I wish more people knew about her.
- Dragonette - Fixin To Thrill
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Fun fun fun fun fun! 80s influence all the way!
- Lily Allen - It's Not Me, It's You
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I really didn't expect Allen to deliver an album like this, but it was "The Fear" (lead single) that made me take notice. "F*** You" became the unofficial answer to the Bush administration. How could I not love her?!
- Yeah Yeah Yeas - It's Blitz!
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The Yeahs took a page out of Giorgio Moroder's book on this one. I felt that the songs on this album were more accessible than on previous albums. Karen O's voice and her delivery are so unique. Love her!
- Gossip - Music For Men
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Raw aggression. An unconventional lead singer. Dance-punk feel. Love the album title. I can see this entire album being remixed and re-released: "Music For Queens".
- Leona Lewis - Echo
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The only reason I bought this album is because it was on sale. But Wow! What a solid pop album! I think she is going to be the one who fills the void that Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, and Celine Dion left behind. I'm glad the powers that be went for a pop-R&B feel and not a pure R&B sound. ECHO has one of the best hidden tracks I've ever heard: the dramatic "Stone Hearts".
- Mica Paris - Born Again
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What a nice surprise to hear some good music from Mica! Her last few albums were such disappointments that I had almost written her off. And she still has pipes! A lot of the album has a 60s/ 70s R&B feel (Motown and Philly), which fits perfectly with her voice. Among the gems on this album is a beautiful acoustic version of "My One Temptation", one of my favorite songs from her first album. Welcome back, Mica.
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Eliane Elias - Bossa Nova Stories
Not as good as Dreamer (2004), but still such an enjoyable collection. Her vocals have really matured since she first started singing on her albums.Annie - Don't Stop
Nice to see this finally released. I had an unreleased version a year ago and listened to it all the time. Now that she has an official release (with a few new songs), I wanted to include it in my list. If you want fun dance-pop that you can sing along to, this is the album.
Bat For Lashes - Two Suns
She reminds me of Kate Bush, Sarah McLachlan, Tori Amos and Vanessa Daou... that's why I like her! Very moody.
Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
You know those commercials that have fun music? The ones where you realized that you're bopping your head around to it or that you're singing the song all day long? This is a whole album of that.
Ok, so there weren't 15 albums. Since I didn't know which one to pick for the last one, I decided to lump them all together in this list below.
Honorable Mentions:
- A Fine Frenzy - Bomb In A Birdcage: Catchy songs and a nice voice.
- Basia - It's That Girl Again: Do I like this album? Yea, yea, yea!
- Karine Hannah - Karine: What a powerful voice! Oh, and my song is on it too.
- Morrissey - Years of Refusal: A nice offering.
- Norah Jones - The Fall: Great first single. I just love the feel of her albums (expect for Not Too Late). There was a lot of hype about the change in her sound, but it wasn't that much of a change.
- Passion Pit - Manners: Very creative.
- Shakespear's Sister - Songs From The Red Room: I guess Siobhan didn't do too well releasing material under her name, so it makes sense for her to go back to using Sister. Is this the future of alternate pop?
- Tegan & Sara - Sainthood: Going more mainstream, and I like it.
- Agnes - "Release Me": Great song. Even moms would like it.
- Amanda Lepore - "Cotton Candy": Silly fun. Yay!
- Annie Lennox - "Shining Light": Perfect for Annie. I always feel good when I hear this song.
- Beyoncé - "Halo": All about the remix for me.
- Ciara - "Love Sex Magic": I didn't want to like this song (because of Timberlake), but it was infectious.
- David Guetta feat. Kelly Rowland - "When Love Takes Over": The song of the summer in Provincetown. I like my friend's version of the lyrics, "Constipated, always is..."
- Freemasons Feat. Sophie Ellis-Bextor - "Heartbreak (Make Me A Dancer)": Great combo.
- Röyksopp - "Happy Up Here": I love the sounds they use. Great video.
- Saint Etienne - "Method Of Modern Love": Feel-good song of the year.
- Tina Arena - "Night Fever": Great remake. Tina is an incredible singer.
2009 Disappointments and Reality Checks
- Prince: Whatever. I have no interested in your music anymore. Go away.
- U2 - No Line On The Horizon: I hate when bands go on about "this is the best work we've ever done" and then the album sucks so bad. How many songs did they record and they ended up with this?
- Diana Krall - Quiet Nights: I like Diana Krall, but her voice didn't fit the Brazilian style from this album. It was just wrong. She should have listened to the title of this album.
- Vanessa Williams - The Real Thing: No emotion in her delivery at all. Flat performance. Boring.
- Whitney Houston: No matter how much hype there was for her new album, there was no hiding the fact that her voice is gone. "Million Dollar Bill" was a fun song, but it wasn't enough. Her live performances were painful to watch, just hearing her scream to get a reaction from the audience. That's not singing.
- Mariah Carey: Here's a neat trick! Go to a Google and start typing either "Mariah Carey voice" or "Mariah Carey what happened" and see the suggestions that come up. Quite fitting. Never been one of my favorites, but I though she could sing. Live performances were uncomfortable at best, be it for her attire, the worried look on her face, or the fact that she couldn't find the right notes to sing.
October 27, 2009
Spectrasonics Trilian
I'm sure most serious computer-based music producers out there already had the original "Trilogy" virtual instrument by Spectrasonics. The company finally updated this bass softsynth to make it compatible with Intel-Mac, adding a ton of new sounds along the way (34 GB core library!).
Spectrasonics Trilian is now shipping ! - MacMusic
Ok, I think it took too long for the company to get this out (they were concentrating on their Omnisphere synth), but I'm just happy to have it.Trilian's massive 34GB core library featuring highly-detailed new Acoustic, Electric and Synth basses - as well as enhanced versions of the classic Trilogy sounds. With a brand new user interface and numerous software innovations, Trilian is the first 64-bit native software based on Spectrasonics next generation STEAM Engine, and is the first virtual instrument to feature full library integration with the flagship Omnisphere synthesizer.
Trilian is now shipping, and the MSRP is $299/€229. All Trilogy customers can upgrade to Trilian for $99. There is also a special FREE upgrade offer for Trilogy customers on the Intel-Mac platform and for customers who purchase Trilogy in 2009.
September 15, 2009
New - Digital Performer 7
My favorite audio workstation software goes to version 7!
MOTU.com - New in DP 7.0
New Features (from Mac Music):
- Custom '59 - A meticulously detailed guitar amp emulator modeled after all-time classics from Fender® and Marshall®.
- Live Room | G - A superb physical modeling speaker cabinet emulator with four mixable mics (close, near and far) and 3-band EQ per mic.
- Guitar pedals - A new suite of stunningly accurate classic guitar pedals modeled after all-time favorites from Boss®, Ibanez® & others.
- Inline EQ & dynamics - Control DP's multi-band graphic EQ and vintage dynamics processing directly in each Mixing Board channel.
- Channel Strip - Gain instant access to all mixer channel settings for the track you are working on in any Editor window.
- Lead sheets - Create and print lead sheets, complete with lyrics and transposable chord symbols.
- Freely resizable Counter - Resize the Counter window to any size you wish, even the entire width of your screen.
- Marker Counter - Display markers in large type in the resizable Counter window. Use markers as a teleprompter for lyrics during live performance or recording sessions.
- Consolidated V-Racks - Display V-Rack virtual instruments and effects side by side with disk tracks in the Mixing Board.
- Lyrics - Type in lyrics directly below notes on the QuickScribe page. Or paste them into the Lyric window from your word processor and flow them into a track with one click.
- Transposable chord symbols - Add complex chord symbols directly on the page and transpose them at any time, together with or independently from notes.
- QuickScribe notation enhancements - Numerous enhancements give you even more control over the look of your score and help speed your notation workflow.
- Support for Pro Tools 8 - Industry-leading support for operation as a complete software front-end for Pro Tools | HD systems.
- Info Bar mixer controls - Get instant access to mixer channel settings in any editor window that follow the track you're working on.
- Next-generation sample rate conversion - A new ultra-fast, CPU-efficient sample rate conversion algorithm delivers increased precision, efficiency, and transparency, with an astonishing 138 dB signal-to-noise ratio.
- Real-time crossfades - All crossfades are now computed in real time for lightning fast edits.
- Wave64 support - Support for the industry standard Wave64 extension to the Broadcast WAVE file format lets you record and import audio files larger than 4GB.
- Range automation modes - Raise, lower or write automation moves within any selected range, preserving everything before and after.
- Audio Units instrument side chains - Route side chain inputs to all your favorite third-party Audio Units plug-ins.
August 21, 2009
August 19, 2009
Can't Even Carry A Tune With A Bucket?
Then you have bad brain.
KTVB.COM | News | Idaho News on Demand
One of my friends is tone-deaf. It's so funny hearing her sing or whistle a song. She just stays on the same note while varying the rhythm. Sorta sounds like Morse code.If you're one of the unlucky people who is tone-deaf, it turns out your brain may have a wiring problem. That's what new research published Wednesday suggests.
People who are tone-deaf can't detect differences in musical pitch but usually have normal hearing and speech. Tone-deafness runs in families, and estimates of how many people have the problem range from 4 percent to 17 percent.
In the small study done in Boston, brain scans showed there was a difference in a particular brain circuit between those who were tone-deaf and those who weren't. Among the tone-deaf, researchers discovered there were fewer connections between two areas of the brain that perceive and produce sounds.
She enjoys music, so I'm wondering what exactly she hears. Can she hear that there are different notes or is she always hearing the same tone in every song? I've asked her before but it's not something that she can explain. Still, I wonder.
I don't confuse this with not being able to sing. Some people know how a song is supposed to go, but their voice isn't trained to reproduce the melody. They actually do better when they "convey" the melody with shorter syllables like "la, la, la" or "do, do, do". That's probably why songs that have these sing-along parts ("Loving You", "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da", "Gypsy Woman", ) do do do so well: Everyone can sing them!
August 05, 2009
Forever Your Girl?
Is Paul Abdul leaving American Idol?
AP News | Culpeper Star-Exponent
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- If Paula Abdul's abrupt Twitter announcement that she's quittingWe already know that Kara DioGuardi has signed on for her second season. Will she be enough? Can American Idol survive without their candy striper? I've always though Paula's comments were based in another reality, but does the show need someone like her?"American Idol" is a contract negotiating ploy, it's a spectacular one.
If not, she's potentially blown a hole in TV's top-rated show - and rejected an eight-figure deal that represented a 30 percent raise, according to a person familiar with the talks. The person, lacking authority to speak publicly, asked not to be identified.
Abdul dropped her online bombshell Tuesday evening, right before season-nine auditions begin Friday in Denver. That has the whiff of a pressure tactic on Abdul's part, although boycotting the early auditions that skip from city to city might have been a less dramatic way to negotiate.
Her tweets, however, seemed to have an air of finality.
"With sadness in my heart, I've decided not to return" to Fox's singing contest, Abdul said on her Twitter account. "I'll miss nurturing all the new talent, but most of all being a part of a show that I helped from day 1 become an international phenomenon."
I do believe the dynamic of the show will change without her. She was always there for the comfort of the contestants; the show's Special Olympics hugger. Perhaps Paula can be replaced by a Muppet? At least the voice would sound the same.
July 27, 2009
New Bananarama - Love Comes
New album "Viva" out on September 14th.
(update: new video has been posted. Thank you xolondon!)
July 23, 2009
New Apple Final Cut Studio
New software for my holiday video! Of course, I could use a new camera too.
Apple releases new Final Cut Studio | Apple - CNET News
Apple introduced on Thursday a new version of Final Cut Studio, the company's high-end video production suite.I love this suite. I just used 3 of these programs last night for a project. Apple really knows how to make powerful programs with simple interfaces. The only program of the suite that doesn't look "simple" is Color (I believe Apple purchased this from another developer) . I was hoping this version would have made Color a little more "Apple" but it doesn't look that way.
The suite comes with six applications in all, including Final Cut Pro 7, Motion 4, Soundtrack Pro 3, Color 1.5, Compressor 3.5 and DVD Studio Pro 4. Most of the work in this release was spent on the flagship app of the suite, Final Cut Pro.
In Final Cut Pro 7, editors have the ability to edit faster with the help of three new ProRes versions. Users can now choose ProRes 422 (Proxy) for offline editing; ProRes 422 (LT) for projects that require reduced file sizes at broadcast quality; and ProRes 4444 for compositing and digital workflows that require the highest-possible quality.
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A redesigned Change Speed window lets you make speed changes without rippling the sequence and a new Share window gives you more control over exporting your content for Apple devices, the Web, a Blu-ray disc, or a DVD.
Apple's 3D application, Motion 4 allows you to add reflections and shadows that respond to lights and objects as they pass through the 3D space, according to Apple. Motion also includes new text and titling tools, including an Adjust Glyph tool that lets you distort a single character.
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Final Cut Studio is available for $999 and requires an Intel Mac. Current Final Cut Studio owners can purchase an upgrade for $299.
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