ok then, I dibs it.

[B]Kashmir - Melpomene[/B]

This took me ages to download, and now I'm tired so this review thing is gonna suck. But I've heard good things about these guys.

Ok... it starts off sounding a bit Radiohead-ish, like the song [i]Kid A[/i], with the xylophone or whatever it is. But in a good way, not an "omg what a ripoff" way. Singer-man starts singing, and hey, he sounds a bit like Thom Yorke. I bet these dudes get a lot Radiohead comparisons.

It's a nice song, slow and subtle. OK it's started on what I think is the chorus... "killing me with her sunshine". It's a bit catchy. Now this new verse is faster. Hey and now they've started rocking out a bit. Wow, this is pretty good.

I really liked that. I'm gonna check out more of these dudes. Recommended to fans of Radiohead. [b]9/10[/b]


[B]Songs to download - the Australian singer/songwriter edition!:[/B]

Carus & the True Believers - [I]Thrown[/I] (live)
[url]http://www.carus.com.au/mp3/CornishArms/Carus_-_Cornish_Arms_-_Sat_17th_Aug_2002_-_11_-_Thrown.mp3[/url]

Ash Grunwald - [I]Whispering Voice[/I]
[url]http://www.ashgrunwald.com/mp3/AshGrunwald_WhisperingVoice.mp3[/url]

Holly Throsby - [I]Country Radio[/I]
[url]http://madmin.joint.net.au/files/Holly_Throsby_2_Country_Radio.mp3[/url]

They're all very good, and if you like them I can hook you up with a few more songs from each artist.

MmmBump

Will take it when I get home if no one else wants it. But bump all the same.

dibs

Yay Kashmir love!!!

Ash Grunwald - Whispering Voice

Let's see what these crazy Aussies have to offer...

Ok, it starts out with some basic percussion and slide guitar. It's a good sound, very rootsy and bluesy. His voice reminds me of a mix between Nick Cave and someone else (some unspecified blues singer probably :o ). I can't make out all the lyrics, something about 'nothing stronger than that whispering voice in my head'.

Now it's going into a slide guitar solo section which is quite nice. It works well to give it that country/southern american acoustic sound (to me at least). The vocals come back in at about the 2.00 mark with the same blues riff. It's actually quite hypnotic and I like the higher vocal range, he's got a good voice.

That was a good song. Quite basic but very rhythmic and it got me tapping my feet and nodding my head to it. This has found a home on my computer. 7.5/10


EDIT: Forgot to add my picks :o

Four Tet - My Angel Rocks Back and Forth (organic electronica...((oxymoronic?)) )
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Loverman (alternative)
Bjork - Verandi (world influenced icelandic pop?)
Fridge - Cutup (post-rock, ambient)
DJ Shadow - Fixed Income (Live from In Tune & On Time) (Hip-hop, sampling)


My msn is [email]sw200184@hotmail.com[/email] if anyone has difficulty.

Hey you gotta request some songs.

By the way Tomahawk, I had been meaning to hear some Carus for a while, and I downloaded that song and only got like a minute, but what I heard was awesome. Thanks, I'm gunna get some more. I'll probably check out the rest of those ones you suggested too.

You can download that whole Carus concert here: [url]http://www.carus.com.au/audio.htm#mp3[/url]
It's a pretty good set too, except for him asking the crowd to buy his CD in between every song.

Hahah, that's weird. I thought he was like some kind of hippyish type of guy...

I will get that when I have more time, thanks.

Dibs

(My computer died half way through the review sorry if this is brief)
[B]Four Tet - My Angel Rocks[/B] 5:15

The first time I start the song I think my musicmatch is skipping like it often does when my computer is slow. I start it again only to realize the bursts of air are just unryhmic and sound like they skip. Soon a big bass sound with alot of reverb joins the mix. As of now this sounds familier to DJ Shadow, it's okay.

Next the harps come in and at first they sound kind of ackward, they settle in after a bit though. This groove continues for another minute and the song appears to start over again, I want it to go on to another part.

I like how the drums at 2:30 just randomly appear, it's makes it feel like the song could fall apart at any second. The harps also sound better, they must have grown on me. I enjoy the last minute, it is very relaxing but it makes me want more which is common for me with trip hop and electronic music. I shall check out more.

[B]8/10[/B] It grew on me the second time I heard it. :)

[B]My Songs:[/B]
Magazine - Motorcade (Post Punk)
Faust - The Sad Skinhead (Noise Rock)
Olivia Tremor Control - Mystery (Neo- Pyschadelic)

You can find these from one of "My Music" folders on soulseek, I'm WRM.

Faust are teh krautrock.

Yeah I know, Sad Skinhead is on the same album.

dibs

Okay, I'm on soulseek.

ya. sorry, undibs. i only have kazaa and i'm too lazy to get soulseek. someone else can do this one

I'll take dibs then, seeing as I've just downloaded [i]Mystery[/i] anyway.

I've heard OTC before, from you, in a Pit Forced Listening. I think the song was [i]A Sunshine Fix[/i], and I remember liking it quite a bit.
[b]Olivia Tremor Control - Mystery[/b] - 3:25

starts off very briefly with what sounds like old ('40s-era music) being played through a gramophone. At least, that's what it reminded me of. That hardly takes precedent though, it's just for half a second or so, before some very trippy sounding sounds begin. Almost echoing vocals, some piano, and simple acoustic guitar, all with a lo-fi feel, and with a multitude of odd/creepy tones in the background.

It's a bit of a strange track actually; it's veering between the almost eerie style it started on, and jaunty, poppy, happy bits.

Around 2:40, the song as we know it stops, and there's a lot of messing around with scratching and rewinding. I wasn't expecting this little touch of electronica, I'll admit.

And that's it. It's only a short, three minute song, and it finishes on what I guess could be called background noise - no one's playing, but there occasional sounds, electronic or otherwise. Like the other song I've heard by them, I got a very lo-fi Beatles feel from them. Which can only be good.

8/10

Songs;
Bjork - [i]Pleasure is All Mine[/i] (from Medulla)
The Beta Band - [i]The House Song[/i] (a big, British, Beck-like mix of genres)
Frank Klepacki - [i]Just Do It Up[/i] or [i]C&C Thang[/i] (insanely good computer game music)
The Levellers - [i]Dog Train[/i] (folky pop-rock)
Saetia - [i]The Sweetness and the Light[/i] (emo)

All available from me;
Soulseek: Soultender
AIM: Aimtender
MSN: [email]eruantien@gmail.com[/email]

dibs

I reccomend the Beta Band song. :thumb:

It has a terribly long line in slsk:(

If I can't find one, I'll do Saetia.

I feel like doing a

DOUBLE REVIEW


[B]The Beta Band - The House Song[/B]

Some quiet hum-like singing to start the song. I can't understand what he's saying, but I don't really mind that much. At about :30, backup vox enter along with some synths(?). Shortly after, soft scratching sounds and a stomping bass drum jumps in. Some tribal percs are added in too. It's progressing very nicely.

Nearing 3 minutes the flow changes to a more hiphop oriented beat. The vocals starts rapping Latino-sounding lyrics with clapping sounds in the background. The drums join in the melee as well. Very cool indeed.

So that continues with some weird sounds and complementary turntable scratches until about 5 minutes. Hollow effects go hand in hand with a drum solo. It ends as the beat slowly dies down and some spacey noises floating around.

This song is very fun.

[B]8.5/10[/B]


[B]Saetia - The Sweetness and the Light[/B]

It's the first tune I'll be hearing from them.

Clean strumming for the intro with the singer wailing some words that again, I can't understand. This, I guess, is the premise of emo bands. Anyways, the chorus is heavily melodic and well, emotional due to the melancholy guitars.

A mellow break cuts in before the expected chaotic part. It somehow reminds me of 90's alt rock and Thursday's earlier work. Weird. Now the vocalist's screaming his throat out. That's more like it.

At the second half the quiet parts and screaming ones alternate, which makes for good headbanging action. It goes all out frantic in the final seconds, bringing some catharsis and a feeling of resolution to the listener. A very good song. I must check out a lot more stuff from them.

[B]8/10[/B]

Songs:

Apostle of Hustle - Sleepwalking Ballad(indie w/Jeff Buckley-ish vocals)

Arab Strap - Who Named the Days?("slo-core")

Denali - Gunner(indie with sexy female vocals)

iDIB

[b]Denali - Gunner[/b]

Raw sounding guitar minor chord strummings, female vocals straight away... nothing really sexy sounding, here anyway. Everything is hazy/reverby, and the drums come in soon after. The reverb goes after a little bit and things are much clearer.

One guitar is strumming, and it's way back in the mix, the bass is probably louder than this. There's also some higher guitar notes, which are louder. Simple sounding drums, pretty straight forward. This may be comparable to Coldplay, with a bit more speed and a female singer. She has a soft voice in the verse bits, and it's very powerful when she tries.

It goes through a verse-chorus x2, then the bridge is fairly quiet, no drums, some guitar picks, then it builds up again. Some lead guitar and some low guitar too, it has a bit more power than the parts with singing, which has now stopped. It goes on for a little bit and then finishes on a final chord and that fades out.


Well.. nothing too special about the song for me. I chose it for the sexy vocals (that and I already knew the Arab Strap song), they were nice, but I didn't really think they were all that sexy.

The music didn't catch my interest too much, nothing bad about it, it seems kind of stripped back... maybe that's just how indie is... it fits together well and has good flow though.
7/10 - yeah, it was alright.

__________________________________________
[url=http://members.ozemail.com.au/~caracarol/Curse%20Ov%20Dialect%20-%20Lost%20In%20The%20Real%20Sky%20-%2016%20-%20Uzbeki%20Westerns.mp3]Curse Ov Dialect - Uzbeki Westerns[/url]

[b]Portishead - Numb[/b] - Trip hop, with my idea sexy female vocals

dibs

Portishead - Numb
 

I've been meaning to check out Portishead for a while but I already heard a few songs before so I kinda knew what to expect...the whole song is typical trip hop, very mellow and groovy but also more accessible than stuff like Tricky...there's a repetitive drum beat and some interesting textures like DJ scratching and what sounds like either a keyboard or a guitar with lots of processed effects...the singing matches the music perfectly, its delicate but at the same time retains a playful, almost seductive sound...the entire song is dark but not in an overbearing way...while as far as trip hop goes, I found this not to be as interesting as the songs on Tricky's Maxinquaye, this was still a pretty cool listen

6.5/10
------------------

Ride - Seagull
Catherine Wheel - The Nude
the Verve - History

nvm, i cant find any of the songs on Ares. someone else can have it

bump

bump

I'll keep bumping this until someone replies

*replies*

[QUOTE=El Duderino]I've been meaning to check out Portishead for a while but I already heard a few songs before so I kinda knew what to expect...the whole song is typical trip hop, very mellow and groovy but also more accessible than stuff like Tricky...there's a repetitive drum beat and some interesting textures like DJ scratching and what sounds like either a keyboard or a guitar with lots of processed effects...the singing matches the music perfectly, its delicate but at the same time retains a playful, almost seductive sound...the entire song is dark but not in an overbearing way...while as far as trip hop goes, I found this not to be as interesting as the songs on Tricky's Maxinquaye, this was still a pretty cool listen

6.5/10
------------------

Ride - Seagull
Catherine Wheel - The Nude
the Verve - History[/QUOTE]

I'll take this, give me ten minutes.

Well, none of the files on kazaa work for The Verve - History, and I'm not interested in the other songs, sorry.

Ride - Seagull

I really like the intro and it flows nicly into the verse. Overall the song is kind of boring but still pretty good none the less
5/10

The Nude - Catherine Wheel

Just plain old bad
2/10
----------------------------------------
The Mars Volta - Concertina
Saves the Day - Cars and Calories
Nirvana - Oh, the Guilt

dibs

Sorry, the soulseek is down for me somehow, I'll bid on another one, later.

Ride - Seagull (because the previous reviewer did like a 5 word review)

The song opens with cymbals and a distorted guitar. Soon after a nice funky bass riff comes in and the distorted guitars get louder and build up. The bass riff repeats as the guitar goes into different variations, but it is so distorted you can't really make out particular notes, rather just a wave of sound.

British vocals come in and are chanted rather low. They fit rather nicely with the jingly distortorted guitar. The first couple verses have come and gone, and the highlight of the song is definately the music, not the vocals.

The third verse (maybe a chorus) comes in and it is a bit better. At the end of it the drums really get into it and the distorted guitar goes crazy for a long solo. This is the highlight of the song so far. The bass riff has been repeating the same thing the entire time and it begins to grate after a while.

Another verse comes in very similar to the first verse, again the vocals are chanted. At the end of the verse there is some actual "singing". Then there is another pretty nice, rather long, guitar solo. The guitar solo's are the best part of the song.

There are no more vocals, just the drums get faster and faster and faster and faster, and finally there is a sustained distorted guitar lick to take the song out.

[b]Rating: 8/10[/b]

[b]New Songs[/b]
Communique - "Perfect Weapon"
The Avalanches - "Since I Left You"
Phoenix - "Everything Is Everything"
Elvis Costello - "Watching the Detectives"

[b]Elvis Costello - Watching The Detectives[/b]


Ohh yes, I like reggae, this reggae is raw sounding and the production isn't great, and it doesn't matter one bit.

A quick James Bond guitar bit, then the singer starts, his voice is a little bit whiny, but it does sound good for this music.

The chorus is more major key style and with more echo. Organ and some loud (too loud) cymbals close the chorus. It goes back to the verse with a high note on the keyboard and a dropping of a beat.

The 2nd verse has some additional keyboard sounds to spice up the music, sounds good. Voice still sounds whiny, a bit like The Gathering singer from On A Wave. I'm not really listening to his vocals because the music is making me feel relaxed. Back to the chorus, same loud bits and keyboard stuff.

Another verse and chorus the same as that. After a bit he gets into repeating "Watching the detectives" over the verse chords, then the James Bond guitar returns for a short while but it fades out pretty soon after that.

Nice, that song just suited my mood right now, it was good. One criticism - while trying to relax, those loud cymbals in the chorus were not wanted. Song was fairly simple, including the structure, but who wants to be teched around by laid back music, it suited it. I would have liked some more of that James Bond guitar throughout the song

8.6/10


________________________________

[b][url=http://members.ozemail.com.au/~caracarol/Curse%20Ov%20Dialect%20-%20Lost%20In%20The%20Real%20Sky%20-%2016%20-%20Uzbeki%20Westerns.mp3]Curse Ov Dialect - Uzbeki Westerns[/url][/b] - dark experimental trip-hop

snatched from the waiting jaws of page 3