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Spinning Top
All About You

Carl Pemberton recently released his debut album entitled Spiraling Up, and I must say that this is quite an inspired first statement from such a novice songwriter. Although the entire album remains within the acoustic pop genre, the album is quite varied. While there are times when Carl is pouring his heart into a ballad of love, there are also times that the music takes over in quite a fierce way. An example of this would be track 02, entitled All About You, where a rapid chord progression is introduced half way through the song that leads the way for a speedy piano solo, and an even more intense drum solo. Although I will say that during this point the music seemed to loose a bit of its tightness, but I still applaud the creativity and diversity within the music itself (a little looseness within music never hurt anybody!).

Something else I would really like to point out, is the attention to density within the music. The layering has been done in a tasteful way that gives the music a very dense, melody feel to it- typically there are two acoustic guitars that seem to be playing off each other, a rhythmic bass line, tightly written drum lines, and some really strong melodies (there are even times when harmonies of 2 or even 3 layers are present, which is always a pleasure to hear from such a strong voice). As songwriters, it is clear listening to this album that a lot of time had been taken to ensure that each song has an interesting sound to it, not so much a different sound, but an interesting sound. I would most compare this idea to The Red Hot Chili Peppers album Californication. Although this album sounds in no way like the music from Californication, the idea is the same where each song remains conceptually unique both rhythmically and melodically. It is rare to hear an album where song after song contains such unique rhythmic concepts- there is never a point in this album when the guitar is just ’strumming’. There is always a layer, or a harmony, or some sort of syncopated concept where one guitar may be playing off a line that the other guitar had done in the previous measure.

Overall, this is a very strong first artistic and musical statement from Carl Pemberton, whose creativity shows real originality. There is a certain spark that few are ever able to achieve, but for those who do attain it, it can make the music become intoxicating. It gives each song the feeling as if a natural creativity was simply flowing through the writing process- the songs never come off as hard work, yet they never come off as boring or lazy. Carl seems to have that spark.

www.myspace.com/carlpemberton

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rock-band-game

A very exciting announcement was made within the past few days. In the coming months, indie artists will be able to create their own Rock Band note-charts and then sell their songs through the game. This ‘music’ video-game phenomenon may be insulting to some musicians who find it to be dumbed down. While I tend to agree with them that it is turning music into a novelty as opposed to showing children, well people of all ages really, that music is more than just hitting 4 (or 5) color coded buttons, I do think this is a new marketplace opportunity for musicians to expose themselves to a larger audience then they could have typically done before. Think of this as just another type of social media….

Independent artists will be able to use the XNA Creator’s Club to produce the Rock Band note-charts for their music and sell them in game later this year. Bands will use their original song masters and generate a MIDI file that produces the game ‘gems’ to which players can follow along. Tracks must pass a review process with other XNA members, and then a final approval from MTV Games. Songs will be sold for between 50 cents and $3, with the artist getting a 30% cut after MTV and Microsoft take their cut. The best tracks will also make their way to the Wii and PS3 after a 30-day exclusive period.

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What Were We Waiting For?

Leaving Richmond is the product of one man, Jordan Pier, whose original concept for the project was to create electronica based compositions for the use of television and film. This album is a collection of 5 pieces- the first three tracks are solely instrumental, the last two tracks on the album feature guest vocalists. While I found most of these pieces to lack depth and variation from movement to movement, I understand that these are supposed to be complementary to visual art such as film and television, and doesn’t necessarily need too much variation. That being said, the concepts of each piece work very nicely, and while there are things that are characteristic of Leaving Richmond that can be found in each song, each piece seems to be quite different from the previous one. The most obvious characteristic of this music is the fact that the drums tend to be in double time of everything else. The lack of space between drum hits gives the music a very energetic feel- this technique could perfectly set the mood for a tense scene or possibly a getaway!

The music is also quite layered. While most of the instruments involved seem to be either electronic or affected to seem so, I found the inclusion of an acoustic guitar added an extra layer of dimension that this music could have lacked without it. A lot of electronic music can feel flat due to the incessant layering of electronic rhythms, melodies and sound effects, but by including the warmth and rhythm of a real instrument, the music instantly feels more alive. As I said before, most of the album is instrumental, but the last two tracks do feature guest vocalists. The vocal melodies, also written by Jordan Pier, are surprisingly well developed. I was surprised to hear the melodies actually resembled more of a pop sound then the typical electronica vocals, where the vocals are typically just a loop of a single melody over and over again. Here, the melodies seem to evolve and change from section to section, helping to build the piece as opposed to just remaining ‘just another layer’ of the music. Although one thing I do have to comment on that I found quite annoying was the very obvious use of an auto tuner for the vocals of Track 04, Shortcircuit Nicely. For the most part, the auto tuning wasn’t that noticeable, but there was a line that was repeated again and again where the vocalist would sing ‘ahhh’ as her voice would shift through 3 separate notes- all clearly affected by an auto tuner.

While this music is not the most interesting I have ever heard, I do understand that it has been created with a purpose- to be used for television and film. Although I don’t see myself putting this album on my ipod, I do feel that the strong compositions, consisting of interesting layers, strong vocal melodies, and high production values, are quite suitable for complimenting visual media.

www.myspace.com/leavingrichmond

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cudlino

Cudlino’s newest track “Chill Witcha” seems to resemble your typical “shawty, I wanna get with you tonight” track (see: Hey Ma by Cam’ron). This being said it’s hard to judge Cudlino on raw talent because typically these songs are made for radio play and don’t showcase extraordinary flow, rhymes, or content. This song doesn’t really do much for me. It seems like the song is trying too hard to hit the radio and it somewhat misses the mark. The song does however have a fun beat and it seems like Cudlino has potential to display talent on other tracks if the theme of the song was different and he focuses more so on showing off his lyrical ability, flow, or even just content of his music. I’m interested in hearing some future tracks from Cudlino and see how it compares to “Chill Witcha.”

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Daily Freestyle

I had a really rough sleep last night and have been kind of groggy all morning but when this video started I was jumping out of my seat. The first guy from the Underground Unit is incredible. He’s got a great flow and a great energy about him. Not that he’s the only talented one of the group, but he really stands out in this one. Check out more music on their MySpace.

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This album is a rare occurrence in modern jazz. In preservation of a more traditional jazz vocal style, Elli Fordyce is strong, bold, and smooth as her voice dances around the classic sounds of an acoustic jazz band- the bass is walking, the drums are swinging, the piano is backing up the vocal melody with strong chords. At 72, Elli Fordyce sounds youthful and maintains full energy throughout the album, always hitting notes that create beautiful tension and resolution with the piano chords being struck beneath. Each song on the album has a playful energy that is maintained only through Elli’s expertise. There is a comfort level on this album that allows Elli to sound fresh and alive- she sounds as if this is an example of pure enjoyment, as opposed to an exercise in pushing the limits. Not that Elli isn’t pushing her voice, because she really does do some beautiful work, but the album as a whole feels more organic and fluid than it does a stretch- a hard feat to accomplish in the jazz world. Its always a pleasure to hear someone who has spent a lifetime perfecting a craft, continuing to enjoy doing what she does best.

www.myspace.com/theellifordycejazzgroup

Elli Fordyce - Elli’s site - HOME

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drum1

BIRMINGHAM - They are the hellraisers of the music world.

But the 582 drummers who drummed together yesterday shunned the example of the likes of The Who’s Keith Moon and Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham to work together in perfect harmony.

They beat out the same rhythm for five minutes to set a new world record.

The efforts at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, sanctioned by Guinness World Records, beat the previous record of 533 set by a group of U.S. drummers in 2006.

The record attempt was organized to increase awareness of multiple sclerosis and succeeded in raising £20,000 for charity.

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