Filsinger » music http://www.filsinger.org Scraping truth out of the stream noise Mon, 27 Jun 2011 16:59:53 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 Album Review: K-OS – YES! http://www.filsinger.org/2009/04/25/album-review-k-os-yes/ http://www.filsinger.org/2009/04/25/album-review-k-os-yes/#comments Sat, 25 Apr 2009 06:05:38 +0000 filsinger http://www.filsinger.org/?p=236 I have this love/hate relationship with K-OS.  All of my animosity can be traced back to the fact that he walked off stage in the middle of the one chance I had ever had to see him live.  From my perspective he threw a tantrum over the fact that not everyone at the [...]]]> I have this love/hate relationship with K-OS.  All of my animosity can be traced back to the fact that he walked off stage in the middle of the one chance I had ever had to see him live.  From my perspective he threw a tantrum over the fact that not everyone at the show was there to listen to him.  In the middle of one his songs he left the stage, grabbed some popcorn, threw it at the audience, and walked off stage.  All this happened after starting the concert late.  As you can see, that as a fan who really wanted to see perhaps the only Hip Hop act I’ve ever liked live, the whole event had left a bad taste in my mouth.  This was in October 2007, shortly after Atlantis: Hymns for Disco came out.  After the show, I contacted him asking for my money back, he even offered to refund personally, but I did not send my address to him.  Whether or not he would have actually refunded my ticket, I’m not quite sure.

It is now two years later, and I still have that bitter taste in my mouth over my disappointing concert experience, still feeling like he owes me $15 or at least a free concert.  He has released his fourth studio album (after saying publicly he’d only ever put out 1 ;) ), and it is titled YES!.  The first single is titled 4321, which is also the moniker for his disc launch website 4321.fm .  Which, by the way is where you can now listen to his entire album, online for free!  So due to being cheap, lazy, and unsure if I wanted to give this man my money, I listened to the entire thing online, several times tonight to get a feel for it.  So, all that introduction aside, here is what I think of it.  One last thing before I dive into it, I generally do not like hip hop, rap, R&B, etc, it is just one of those genres of music I could never really understand, relate to, or sink my teeth into.  There are a few *very* rare exceptions, one being Gnarls Barkley, and the other most notably, being the man himself, K-OS.  I have liked his stuff pretty much from day one, maybe it’s his rhymes, or his voice, or the crunchy guitar he likes to throw in here and there or a combination of all three.

To put it simply, and out front; this album really is quite good.  It starts off with Zambony which is a great opening song that is a strong example of what I think Kevin does very well.  He presents the listener with digestible hip hop verses, with a singable chorus that are separated with very smooth transitions.  Next up on the list is Astronaut, which has some great verses, a good beat, an interesting world music vibe, but the modified voice overs through out the song, just ruin it for me.

After that is Burning Bridges, which reminds me strongly of “Sunday Morning”, which is a good thing.  That was one of my favourite songs from his last outing and the song structure works well here.  Singing about caring what other people think of him, hopefully he has taken these lyrics to heart and performs for the people that came to hear him, and not for those who didn’t.  He follows that one up with Uptown Girl which is another stand out on the album.

Almost half way through we get treated with what I like to describe as the most stereotypical hip hop song on the entire album.  It has classic female harmony sung by Nelly Fertado, hard over the top rap lyrics, which usually isn’t my thing, but for some reason it works here and I liked it.

As mentioned earlier, 4321 is the first single from the album, and is fine on it’s own, and was probably the most logical choice for a single on the whole album.  Not much to say, other than that.

Right after that is the follow up Eye Know Something, which has some heavy synth, voice overs and K-OS’ alien voice makes a comeback.  It is another song that I normally wouldn’t like, but it brings me in and I hate that I like it.  If that makes any sense.

In Aviator we see a slower tune, with some funk guitar overlaid, and is a good setup to Fun! which is probably my second favourite track on the entire album.  Which is opened up with some heavy guitar, dj scratching, and scathing lyrics.

Sometimes, the best is followed with the worst, and so is the case with Mr. Telephone Man.  If musicians can have “gimmick” songs, than Mr Telephone Man is one.. with the repeating dialing tones playing in the background, stuttering verses, and lyrics surrounding the topic.  Easily the weakest track on the album, seems like he just sat bored one day in a room staring at his phone and out popped track 10.  The last two songs are WhipC.R.E.A.M and The Avenue, which are not really not worthy, and easily forgettable.

K-OS really shines when the music gets out of his way, sets up the back beat and his lyrics just flow from topic to topic.  For the most part, he does this on the album, but it’s marred by some over sampling and trying to do much here and there.  This album is not as musically diverse as his other outings, but that doesn’t detract from the overall experience…  I did really enjoy the album, and I am probably going to buy it.  If you liked any of his earlier work, I recommend you pick it up, you won’t be disappointed.

I give this album 4 concert refunds out of 5.

As a final note he is touring the country for free in a “pay what you want” type of concert.  Maybe he’s trying to make up for his walk out in PEI, or maybe that is just my imposing my wants onto his publicity stunt.  And the cherry on top, is that I won VIP passes to any of the shows in Canada, but I can’t attend any of them.

K-OS, if you ever read this, or it comes across your desk, come back to PEI, I’ll buy the ticket again, just give me the full show, and we’ll call it even.

1. “Zambony” – 3:46
2. “Astronaut” – 3:14
3. “Burning Bridges” – 3:32
4. “Uptown Girl” (featuring Emily Haines from Metric & Murray Lightburn) – 3:38
5. “I Wish I Knew Natalie Portman” (featuring Saukrates & Nelly Furtado) – 3:10
6. “4, 3, 2, 1″ – 3:54
7. “Eye Know Something” – 3:36
8. “The Aviator” – 3:27
9. “FUN!” – 5:27
10. “Mr. Telephone Man” – 6:06
11. “WhipC.R.E.A.M.” – 2:56
12. “The Avenue” – 9:23

]]> http://www.filsinger.org/2009/04/25/album-review-k-os-yes/feed/ 2 Album Review: The Tragically Hip – We are the Same http://www.filsinger.org/2009/04/09/album-review-the-tragically-hip-we-are-the-same/ http://www.filsinger.org/2009/04/09/album-review-the-tragically-hip-we-are-the-same/#comments Thu, 09 Apr 2009 18:01:42 +0000 filsinger http://www.filsinger.org/?p=227

The Tragically Hip are Canadian rock legends.  They have been making albums for 22 years, and have released a total of 12 separate discs, plus a host of live and best of.  I own almost all of their music and have been a fan for as long as I can remember.  I have [...]]]>

The Tragically Hip are Canadian rock legends.  They have been making albums for 22 years, and have released a total of 12 separate discs, plus a host of live and best of.  I own almost all of their music and have been a fan for as long as I can remember.  I have even had the opportunity to see them live three times, and each time I appreciated them more than the last time I saw them.  I would pay money to watch them live every opportunity I can, that can’t be said by me for many other bands.  Their record releases and singles have also spanned across most of my life, and I identify almost each of their big singles with various parts of my life.  To give you an example, Ahead by a Century came out when I was in junior high and I was an awkward kid trying to find what I liked in music.  Poets was released while I was in high school and it helped define late 90s rock for me.  I used to watch the music video all the time on MuchMusic, and it was a place of escape from all the Boy bands and ridiculous bubble gum pop streaming through the airwaves.  Or even In Violet Light which is probably one of the most critically hated albums, was one of the first CDs in my very first car I ever owned and I have fond memories of driving around Calgary with that blaring.  So introduction aside, The Hip have put out another album, and what do I feel about it?

Well, I have now listened to this album about 3 times through, and feel overall it does what I think they are trying to accomplish.  They have stated that they are trying to write some music that touches people during this economic turmoil and touches everyone (Hence the name).  This album has some songs that are a departure from your typical Hip Rock style, and that hurts the overall album a bit.  The musical styles are varied, Morning Moon is very country, The Depression Suite is orchestral and Queen of The Furrows is very catchy pop rock.

There are two easily identifiable sections to to this album, the first half being slow country rock, and the second being a bit more traditional Hip Rock.  I’m not a big fan of country, and I was initially turned off the album due to it’s opening.  But somewhere half way through we run into The Depression Suite, which clocks in at over 9 minutes with melodic strings and was where I began to really enjoy myself.  Quickly after this we are treated with What I think will be Hip concert staples in Speed River, and previously mentioned Queen of the Furrows.  Since I purchased this album on iTunes I was also given “Hush”, which seems unavailable elsewhere and is a weird dark blues tune with some odd lyrics, but yet is quite enjoyable.

The Hip have been making music for a long time, and it’s understandable that they are here to try new things in their music.  This album is different, it has country, melodic strings, blues, pop, and rock.  It’s an eclectic mix that works.  If you aren’t a huge Hip fan, this might not be your cup of tea, but there are definitely tracks here which are worth the 0.99 on iTunes.  The first single Love is a First, is one of those, and shouldn’t be missed.

Overall I give this album, 3.5 sold out arenas out of 5.  I’m just sad they are not coming to the Maritimes this year to promote the album.  Oh well, maybe next year.

  1. “Morning Moon” – 4:01
  2. “Honey, Please” – 4:01
  3. “The Last Recluse” – 3:49
  4. “Coffee Girl” – 3:46
  5. “Now the Struggle Has a Name” – 6:05
  6. “The Depression Suite” – 9:28
  7. “The Exact Feeling” – 3:56
  8. “Queen of the Furrows” – 4:12
  9. “Speed River” – 4:28
  10. “Frozen in My Tracks” – 4:04
  11. “Love Is a First” – 3:44
  12. “Country Day” – 5:19
  13. “Hush” – 2:30 (iTunes only)
]]> http://www.filsinger.org/2009/04/09/album-review-the-tragically-hip-we-are-the-same/feed/ 2 People need to listen to Trent Reznor http://www.filsinger.org/2009/04/07/people-need-to-listen-to-trent-reznor/ http://www.filsinger.org/2009/04/07/people-need-to-listen-to-trent-reznor/#comments Tue, 07 Apr 2009 14:32:50 +0000 filsinger http://www.filsinger.org/?p=225 I have never been a big fan of Nine Inch Nails.  Their music style is close to what I might listen to, but just never struck a chord with my ear, so to speak.  What they do right though is leaps and bounds ahead of everyone else.  I have blogged about how media is changing, [...]]]> I have never been a big fan of Nine Inch Nails.  Their music style is close to what I might listen to, but just never struck a chord with my ear, so to speak.  What they do right though is leaps and bounds ahead of everyone else.  I have blogged about how media is changing, new distribution methods need to be found, and if you don’t change how you do business, and adapt to this new force you will die.  Reznor was recently interviewed about his coming iPhone app that lets people have access to a social network of NIN fans, and direct access to Reznor himself.   He was interviewed for a Wired article and this is what he had to say.. and he’s exactly right.

Since then, Reznor has pioneered a new, fan-centered business model that radically breaks with the practices of the struggling music industry. His embrace of “freemium” pricing, torrent distribution, fan remixes and social media seem to be paying off financially even as they have helped him forge deeper connections with the Nine Inch Nails faithful.

It’s something he never could have done before, even on an indie label. “Anyone who’s an executive at a record label does not understand what the internet is, how it works, how people use it, how fans and consumers interact — no idea,” he declares. “I’m surprised they know how to use e-mail. They have built a business around selling plastic discs, and nobody wants plastic discs any more.”

Meanwhile, the entire system that for a lucky few turned those discs into hits — rock radio, MTV, music mags, CD megastores — has crumbled, and label execs have no idea where to turn. “They’re in such a state of denial it’s impossible for them to understand what’s happening,” Reznor says. “As an artist, you are now the market.”(emphasis mine)

I believe you should have to pay for music, but nobody wants plastic discs anymore.  The last plastic disc I bought for myself was 3 years ago, but now I buy more music than I ever have.  I listen to all my music through my iPod or on my laptop at work.  Why would I want a disc that I have to rip and then just put away?  I want music digitally, cheap and fast.  Even today I bought the new Hip album on iTunes and didn’t have to go hunting for it.  Just clicked two things and now I’m listening to it.

I’ll scream on this soap box for a while I think.  Media is shifting, don’t get left behind.  This applies to all apsects of our lives, religion, tv, print, music, video, tourism.  The 21st century culture shift isn’t coming, it’s already here.  What are you going to do about it?

]]> http://www.filsinger.org/2009/04/07/people-need-to-listen-to-trent-reznor/feed/ 1 Presidents of the United States of America: Fresh idea almost done right http://www.filsinger.org/2009/02/19/presidents-of-the-united-states-of-america-fresh-idea-almost-done-right/ http://www.filsinger.org/2009/02/19/presidents-of-the-united-states-of-america-fresh-idea-almost-done-right/#comments Thu, 19 Feb 2009 14:20:44 +0000 filsinger http://www.filsinger.org/?p=198 I love it when bands push musical distribution boundaries with new ways of delivering free or cheap content to me.  We are in a recession and entertainment dollars are the first to be cut.  We saw some cutting edge deliveries of free music from Radio Head and NIN last year.  Pay what you want schemes, [...]]]> I love it when bands push musical distribution boundaries with new ways of delivering free or cheap content to me.  We are in a recession and entertainment dollars are the first to be cut.  We saw some cutting edge deliveries of free music from Radio Head and NIN last year.  Pay what you want schemes, that I think worked out well for the bands.  I went and paid for the Radio Head album, and got my $5 worth.  I really hope more bands cut out the middle man and deliver me cheap good music continuously.  I don’t mind paying for content when it’s quality.

Well today on my twitter stream I saw an article about being able to buy the entire PUSA discography for $3.  I was intrigued, so I checked it out.  Most of my day is spent in the iTunes store and iPhone applications due to my job, so I am always checking out new stuff and this peaked my interest.  PUSA released their entire discography through an application that you download.  So I plunked down my $2.99 and downloaded the app.  I figured there would be at least one catch, that you had to use the app to listen to the songs, instead of your music app on your iPhone or iTouch.  But there are two more catches, that keep from completely loving this idea.  First is that you MUST have an internet connection of some kind.  Me having an iPod Touch only means I have to have wifi connected, and that means on my flight today I will not be able to listen to the music.  Second is that you cannot select specific songs, only albums and it will randomly shuffle through the songs.  These two issues keep me from completely falling in love with this idea.  But kudos to you PUSA for trying something different to get me to listen to your music.  Maybe i’ll go and pay that $0.99 for “Peaches”, so I can have that flashback feeling to 1995 where I was awkward and nerdy.   (maybe i still am… lol ).

If you don’t mind the two restrictions I mentioned, then go and spend your $3. The music quality is fantastic and now I get a full preview of their new album for the price of two coffees.

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