Happy New Year

Happy MMX! To commemorate the occasion I've posted a video that has absolutely nothing to with New Years, enjoy!

A Free Download for You

http://exileonmoanstreet.blogspot.com/2009/08/you-are-my-symphonic-afternoon-birds-of.html

Scroll a bit down the page and click the "Free download of 'Afternoon Birds of Arima'" link. I discovered this the other day while reading some best of lists on Drowned in Sound (see link in sidebar). "You Are My Symphonic" is the artist behind this free (yes, it is legal) album which was made for a wedding that took place earlier this year in Trinidad and Tobago. The songs are piano based and the album as whole can be considered ambient. Opener "Afternoon Birds Of Arima (Opening Credits)" is without a doubt THE song of the album. Clocking in at 14 minutes and containing a looped piano line throughout, the song superbly showcases the power of simplicity. There is nothing complex about the music but the atmosphere and emotion it creates is what makes it powerful. The album has served both as a sleep aid and as an alarm for me so if you're one who needs music to fall asleep to, this is it.

We Fish You a Hairy Christmas

Christmas is in a few days so if you haven't heard it already here is my remix/mashup of some Xmas classics:



Oh and if you didn't notice there is a new post right before the Christmas Shoes on the blog.

Spreading Some Christmas Cheer...

When you are forced to listen to Christmas music for weeks on end up until the actual event, you become quite familiar with the songs. So familiar that you cannot help but hate a lot of them. Much of the festive trash played on the radio gets on my nerves but one stinker stands out from them all. It's called "Christmas Shoes". Some of you may have already heard it (you have my sympathy) but for those who haven't, allow me to explain: An exhausted Christmas shopper who is "not really in the Christmas mood" is standing impatiently in line at a store on Christmas Eve. The man spots a child who is "dirty from head to toe" ahead of him holding a pair of ladies shoes. As the boy is in the process of buying the shoes with a pile of pennies, he conveniently mentions to the clerk that they are for his mother whose going to "meet Jesus tonight". The clerk informs the boy that he hasn't enough money so the boy turns to the grumpy man behind him and asks for some money. The foolish man gives the boy the money and in the process is reminded of the true meaning of Christmas. Listen to it below and then decide for yourself the true meaning of the song:



I don't know about you but everything about this song rubs me the wrong way. Did you enjoy it?

Decade Look: Part 6 - Pantha Du Prince's This Bliss

First off a few updates. The aforementioned DMAT EP has been delayed and it's release date is up in the air at the moment. I'm working on some Christmas remixes and will hopefully have a couple for you all to hear before the day comes and goes. I have one completed which uses samples from Dean Martin's "Let it Snow" and Raffi's "We Wish You a Merry Christmas". More Decade Look posts are coming in the New Year so keep an eye out.

I only recently discovered Pantha Du Prince and have only listened to "This Bliss" in full two times, yet I have enjoyed it so much that I must declare it one of the best albums of the decade. It's one of those anytime albums, taking whatever mood you're in and putting it on hold for an hour and a bit as you get immersed in it's sound. I particularly enjoy listening to it on my walks to work; I sometimes forget where I'm going and only remember once I arrive. "This Bliss" never lags and the tracks flow smoothly and are pleasing to the ear. Second song "Saturn Strobe" is a highlight, it's strings are some of the best I've ever heard in an electronic song. Another talent of Pantha Du Prince's is his proficiency with percussion; "White Out" uses small touches of tongue clicks to add to it's icy ambiance. Ditto for "Florac", a track whose sound reminds me of the great Dominik Eulberg. Words just don't seem to do any justice to the music, so I think I will just let it speak for itself:



Standout tracks: Saturn Strobe, Moonstruck, White Out, Florac, Steiner im Flug

Rammstein VS The Cookie Monster

Yet Another YouTube Discovery

It's amazing what you can find on YouTube. Whether it's a TV show you remember from childhood or a song using sound effects from the NES game Blades of Steel, you can find it. I've made some pretty good discoveries on the site before but this is the first time I've found out about a new artist. His name is Ronald Jenkees and he's a bit of a peculiar fellow. I came across him while watching Ween's rendition of Zep's "All of My Love"; his video was in the related videos box. He describes almost everything as "fun" and has a strange manner of speaking. Supposedly (I say supposedly because this is according to some of the comments on his videos) he has Williams syndrome, which is characterized by an unusually cheerful demeanor, unusual language skills and a love for music. It doesn't really matter in the end; his music is pretty awesome. I downloaded his album the other day and I can confidently say it's one of my favorites from this year. It's called "Disorganized Fun" and that name pretty much sums up the album. The songs are all over the place (which isn't necessarily a bad thing) and it is really fun to listen to. Every song consists of a backing track with him soloing over it with various synths. Just watch this and you'll see what I mean:

I can't imagine disliking the guy; just look at how much he enjoys himself doing what he's doing, it's infectious. To conclude I've posted a video of the third track from his album, it's called "Guitar Sound" and it's very reminiscent of something Buckethead would do. Enjoy it and once you're done go get his album.