Tuesday, October 21, 2008

eMusic

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I've recently discovered an online music store called eMusic. eMusic has 4,500,000 tracks available for download. Most of eMusic's contracts are with independent labels, giving the service a reputation for primarily offering indie rock, indie pop, punk rock, jazz and classical music (this suits my music taste but may not suit yours). And the files are in mp3 format, so you can download the songs to your ipod or burn them to a cd. The plans vary, but all require a monthly payment. I chose the 30 song per month plan, which runs for $11.99 a month (40 cents per song). This beats paying 99 cents per song on itunes. So I recommend eMusic to anyone who enjoys a steady flow of new music but can't always foot the bill. Of course, none of this applies if you steal all your music.

Monday, October 13, 2008

Dead Confederate on Conan O'Brian

Athens, GA rockers Dead Confederate released their debut LP-Wrecking Ball this past September. I think NPR said it best: “Dead Confederate’s wall of sound feels cinematic and atmospheric, loud and beautiful."
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For fans of: Nirvana, Pink Floyd, My Morning Jacket, Sonic Youth

DC played an abridged version of "The Rat" on Conan:



Dead Confederate's website
Dead Confederate's blahg

Thursday, October 9, 2008

3 albums

Here are three new releases that may be worth a listen:

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Blitzen Trapper-"Furr"
-This is by far the best of the three albums in this post. It's much more consistent than their previous album "Wild Mountain Nation." "Furr"  has a timeless quality to it, very Dylan-esque.

Here is an irrelevant video with the title track "Furr" playing in the background:



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Sleepy Sun- "White Dove"
-Reminiscent of the psychedelic rock band Black Mountain, this album contains long, dramatic songs that are sure to induce head swaying. The album's main problem: predictability. Actually, I'm already getting bored with it.

Here is a grainy clip of the song "White Dove":



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Kings of Leon- "Only By the Night"
-In the same vein as their previous album "Because of the Times," this album leans towards stadium pop rock. Their old stuff is better. But ask a 17 yr old girl what she thinks and you will likely get a different opinion.


Here is the song "Manhattan":

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Enter the dragon

Actually, its just me. This is my new blog.  Not sure how this will evolve or how much I'll post, but it should be interesting. I hope. 

Stock in Law goes up

So everyone knows Bob Dylan is a lyrical sage.  Of course, no human on God's green earth can understand everything his says.  But we shouldn't feel incompetent.  According to Dylan, "you can't expect to know the meaning to every word in every song. Because you can't know what was going through the artists' head at the time."  Thanks for the bone Bob.  

While some of Bob Dylan's words will forever float meaninglessly above our heads, a few of his more discernible lyrics have caught the attention of an unlikely audience: Judges.  As a law student, this excites me.  Even stiff, dull Judges can dig Dylan.  Yes.  And according to Alex Long, a law professor at the University of Tennessee, Dylan is the most cited popular artist in legal opinions, having been cited over 100 times.  Apparently, Judges are substituting meaningful, relevant lyrics for binding legal precedent.  Long has written an entire law review article tracing the use of quotes from the likes of Bob Dylan to, yes, the Wu Tang Clan.  Word.  And you know the judiciary's head honcho had to get in on the action:  John G. Roberts, Jr., Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, has cited Bob Dylan, too. 

My chosen field suddenly seems a little bit cooler.