Quickie: Dark Winter

Looking for something dark, ominous, and free to download and distribute freely under a Creative Commons license? Checkout Dark Winter, a record label that freely distributes all their artist's music under the CC license. Great stuff so far, but I've only just skimmed the surface...

Music Lustables Merge

I've decided to merge an older blog with this one, since it's too hard to juggle multiple blogs, when I'm inactive on all of them (sorry...). So here's the two posts I had on "Music Lustables". I'll start posting regularly a few bands a post and scratch the surface of each and providing a few Mp3's if they're available. This of course will make "Music Lustables" a recurring feature here on M3.

Issue One -

"For you listening pleasure, I have compiled a list of bands that I have either found recently or, have discovered that they have more than one good song. (All links, except noted, go to purevolume's artist page.)


Tokyo Rose
"I fed you all the right lines with all the right lies..."

I found them to be on the same label (Sidecho Records) as MC Lars, and Peachcake, which, if you really know me, you know that Lars and Peachcake are a staple of my digital music collection. Although more rock oriented than the previous stated, they still have some subtle, comfortable pop influnces. Think Blink-182, but better.

For suggested listening, "We Can Be Best Friends Tonight, But Tomorrow I'll Be...", since it's simply one of thier better songs, and it's downloadable once you're hooked.


Millencolin
"Well tell you who you are
Well tell you that you're close but no cigar
But I don't wana hear it"

This one's a bit sentimental. I use to have their "Pennybridge Pioneers" album, but then, one fateful day, it vanished. I extremely regret losing that album. I always enjoyed blasting "Highway Donkey", windows down, while actually driving down the highway.

Millencollin is straight up Swedish punk rock. If you like them Sweds, or if you like your Punk on the harder side, you'll like them. Well, hopefully... I would suggest listening to "No Cigar", but (meh) sorry, no download.


Blip Blip Bleep
"Keeping me honest, driving my crazy, making me nervous"

Something for all of the el'tronic-o-philes (yes, I just made that up), Blip Blip Bleep is not necessarily as electronic sounding as you might think by the name. I would consider them...Blip Rock? A good starting place if you're looking to dive into the Electronica scene. Remember one step at a time...

As far as suggested listening, check out:
"Alarm Clock, Snooze Bar, Get Up" or "Anime Eyes". Either one is great.



Hello Tokyo
Okay, had to separate this one, because they are not related to Tokyo Rose. The name is pure coincidence, I assure you. Now, I found Hello Tokyo searching for a local show I could go to (I've never been to a concert). They seem to have somewhat of a strange sound. I want to say that they kinda sound like Rush. (sorry, just in the song "Steady the Gun"), or someone else. Not entirely sure. If you got an idea, post it. Anyway, another good sound.

My suggested listening for this would have to be "Radio", and "Rain or Shine (Newell Street Remix)" Yes, I am entirely aware that the latter is remix, but it's just a damn good song. I can say "damn" on the internet, right?


Scapegoat Wax
"He's bumpin' to the beat without a single friend
Solo on the floor and it just don't stop until he sees the stars"


I'll start off by saying that SGW is hard to finds on the internet. I'm sure then, that it would be even harder to find on CD. If you find them, buy it. Chances are, you will enjoy them (and if you don't, I'll buy the CD from you). Imagine, if you will, a world where Smashmouth employs Hip-Hop influences to their pop rhythms and vocals. Yeah, it's better than what it sounds. Suggested listenings, if you can find them, would be "Lost Cause", and "Aisle 10 (Hello Allison)"

Issue Two - The Hip-Hop Issue

All Links, unless otherwise noted, lead to artists Wikipedia page. All Song Links lead to an mp3 file provided by the Artist/Label.

Okay, I know that Hip-Hop is an extremely popular genre now-a-days, but it's not something that I've been particularly fond of. Now, I know I'm obviously not as hip as the rest of these cats that listen to it non-stop, but I do occasionally indulge in the genre, which happens to have quite a few excellent groups. These are some that I've found noteworthy.


Doug DiFranco ("Double Dee") and Steve Stein ("Steinski")

Now to start things off with a little lesson on the history of Hip-Hop. Double Dee, and Steinski are the creators of "Lesson 1 - The Payoff Mix", which was created when Tommy Boy Records held a promotional contest, in which entrants were asked to remix the single "Play That Beat, Mr. D.J." by G.L.O.B.E. and Whiz Kid (members of Afrika Bambaataa's Soulsonic Force). Upon listening, anyone who have spent any time listening to Old School Hip-Hop will recognize the style of using spoken word samples, and recycling beats/melodies from older songs. The song went on to influence some of the artists that are mentioned below, such as Cut Chemists, Girl Talk, and De La Soul, and has formulated the genre of Mash-Up.

They have since created more lessons using the same formula. Since they did use the samples without the rights of the copyright holders, you'll have to find the songs yourself, but it shouldn't be that hard.


Girl Talk

Girl Talk, not to be confused with the 1980's all female preteen synth-pop group of the same name, is actually Pittsburgh native Gregg Gillis. Gillis, while studying at Case Western, right here in Ohio, began making his unique style of Mash-up, consisting of almost entirely Top 40's. If you've ever wanted to hear Daft Punk's melodies and DJ Unk's lyrics, then you seriously need to get your head checked, and then you might want to check out Girl Talk. Glitch-Pop/Hip-Slop, you decide. Either way, I think it's finely tuned mayhem.

Songs worth hearing are "Bounce That", which includes lyrics from Purple Ribbon All-Star's "Kryptonite (I'm on It)", and also includes LCD Soundsystem, Ciara, DJ Funk, Stevie Wonder, and even Britney Spears. Eclectic, yes. Trust me, give it a listen, and enjoy.


Cut Chemist

Really, I brought up Cut Chemist as a way to bring up Jurassic 5, and Ozomatli. How may you ask? Well Cut Chemist, otherwise know as Lucas MacFadden, is a LA native turntablist and producer of Jurassic 5 and Ozomatli fame. I highly suggest listening to either of his previous affiliated groups, as he has done excellent work with either group. As for his solo work, is par for course with the rest of his career, a high note being the release of his album, "The Audience's Listening". Certain songs on the album feature samples from Parliament, Curtis Knight, and The Beastie Boys.

Feature listening would be The Garden. Sitar Scratching, anyone?


Boy Eats Drum Machine Link Provided By: 3Hive.

"Hip-Pop" is not a genre that you see everyday. Enter Boy Eats Drum Machine. While they don't seem to fully fit the genre that is the focus of this discussion, they do present a subtle hint of that certain something. You'll know when you hear it. Or you won't. Either way, they are really a good listen.

Recommended listening would include Planets + Stars, which contains an airy drum track, a hollow horn section that perfectly complement the segmented vocal harmony, and slight sense of impending doom, while still staying upbeat.

Quick Listens 2

This is another quick glimpse into what I've been listening to this week.


Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd

This album is epic, not only did it solidify Pink Floyd in the Rock Legends department hall of fame, its composition and overall charm are second to none. Wish You Were Here is the 1975 follow up of Pink Floyd's mega-hit Dark Side of the Moon. The record itself is only 44 minutes long, but its lyrical power and the mellow song styling entices you to listen to the entire recording at once.

Wish You were here combines top notch soulful melodies with such well written lyrics to create a tremendous album. Wish You Were Here is a personal favorite of mine, and always will be. The lyrics to the title song are so well written, it really helps you understand their anguish (having lost their band mate Syd Barrett--if you dont know the story behind it look it up). Just look at some of the lyrics:

So, so you think you can tell Heaven from Hell,
blue skies from pain.
Can you tell a green field from a cold steel rail?
A smile from a veil?
Do you think you can tell?
And did they get you to trade your heroes for ghosts?
Hot ashes for trees?
Hot air for a cool breeze?
Cold comfort for change?
And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage?
How I wish, how I wish you were here.
We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, year after year,
Running over the same old ground.
What have you found? The same old fears.
Wish you were here.

The best songs seem to always be the ones you can listen to over and over and over again and not loose interest. Every time a Wish You Were Here song pops up on my Zune's shuffle I just cannot skip it. And its not just the title song, its the whole album (Shine on You Crazy Diamond (part 1) being another one of my all-time favorites). Pink Floyd is one of those bands that you have to get into at just the right time in your life, otherwise you wont appreciate it. Its the kind of music you associate memories to. If you haven't listened to Wish You Were Here, please do check it out. You'll thank yourself later.

The Departed Review

I finally got a chance to sit down and watch this movie. This movie is pretty well rounded. I'm not sure you could assemble a more all-star cast. Matt Damon playing a bad guy is interesting. And if you still have any doubts about Leonardo DiCaprio then I'm not sure which movie you watched. Leo has more than redeemed himself for Titanic. Mark Wahlberg was a nice touch, so was Martin Sheen and Alec Baldwin. Jack Nicholson performs amazingly, just as expected. Maybe too many stars...

The beginning starts out a bit shaky, definitely could use improvement. The first couple scenes are a bit hard to follow, but make sense once you know the characters. The plot is a bit long, Scorsese could have cut out a little bit and still pulled in under the 2hr mark. I noticed a couple interesting camera scenes, but overall nothing that was outstanding or impressive.

There are a TON of mistakes, noticed a boom mic, mistaken factual information, geography problems, tons and tons of revealing mistakes (papers in different spots, props in different places, gun shot wounds, etc) A lot of it is very noticeable and its detrimental to the value of the movie. Some of it only people from around Boston would notice, still i expect more from a pro like Scorsese.

A couple plot problems i had: Theres no way Sullivan would have gotten away with the events at the end of the movie. He wiped the gun, but the investigation would have found the various flaws in Sullivan's description of what happened. But it doesnt really affect the plot, as Wahlberg's character still would have been able to shoot Sullivan. It makes no sense why Frank would have the other insider in the police. Also the "everybody dies/just deserts" ending is a definite COP OUT....

I also didnt like the ton of profanity, and it takes a lot of "fuck"s to get me to say that. When a movie says fuck just to say fuck as many times as it can, gets to be just vulgar. Some instances dont need profanity. It normally doesnt bug me unless theres just a ton of it in the movie...

I'll admit, I was apprehensive about seeing this movie because of its sweep at the Academy Awards...but it was a great movie. Though I DEFINITELY dont believe this movie should have won 4 Oscars...a lot of great movies got snubbed at that Academy Awards....but then again the Oscars isnt the benchmark for great movies.

The more and more I analyze this movie the less and less I think of it, so We'll just leave it at that. (probably my longest review as of yet...)

Watchmen review

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. That being said, I'm not exactly familiar with the graphic novel (or any to be honest), and seeing the recent peak in films based on Graphic novels and comics makes me really wish I'd taken up the hobby years ago.

The movie was well done from a film perspective. I'm not an expert and have not read the novel so I'm not qualified to say whether or not its accurate. Not quite as stylistic as 300 (with the nifty, creative camera work), but equally as stylistic in regards to tones, shadow, and cinematography. Characters seemed well developed, though certain aspects seemed lacking, a fact I can only attribute to not reading the graphic novel. Tremendous soundtrack, nice call with the Philip Glass/Dr. Manhattan sequence. Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix are a plus. There seems to be a correlation between movies with great soundtracks, and great movies.

The only criticisms I have are that it doesn't carry that stylisitc edge that movies like 300, Sin City, and League of Extraordinary Gentlemen had. And the plot and visuals can be a bit overwhelming at times, I left the theater with a headache, unable to reflect on the movie because of how overwhelming it was.

This is one of the better movies that I have seen in the last 6 months or so, and thats saying alot. Go see it if you haven't--You'll like it regardless of whether your a comic fan.

Two Bands Too Long Forgotten

All good things must come to an end as they say. Sadly, this is a list of bands that have all been, well, disbanded. Despite this fact, they are still incredible and well worth a listen... If you can find them.

Cool For August -

Said to have taken notable influence from American Music Club (though I can't comment, as I've yet to listen to AMC), the band is well worth listening to for their vocal talent alone. Gordan Vaughn's sweeping vocal range (most notable in "Don't Want to Be Here") is an instrument in it's own right, and he does what few vocalists do: actually add the lyrics to song in such a way as to not interfere with the other instruments playing. It actually lends to the music, instead of just being a vocal track.

Unfortunately, this band is also on my list of favorite bands of all time, and it's sad to see that they aren't performing together anymore.


Schleprock -

Ninety's Punk purists, might have actually heard of Schleprock. They embody all the exciting, fast past, anti-authority-in-an-immature-manner fun of the early to mid 90's punk bands of the era; sccasionally switching it up for a cross genre thrill ride. Schleprock is a fun getaway from the more matured punk rock of today.

I don't honestly know if this band is around anymore, though the Internet shows no activity, or even trace of them. If I didn't physically own one of their CDs, I'd say they might have been a figment of my imagination.

Quick Listens 1

This is just a quick glimpse into some of what I have been listening to this week.












[[Congregation -- Afghan Whigs]]
Cincinnati locals may remember this pulse pulsing favorite from old 97X broadcasts, The Afghan Whigs spent most of their career tiptoeing on the brink of popularity. And this album, Congregation, shows their indie influences. Screaming guitar placed against crashing drums, and grungy vocals create a very garage-band like alternative rock sound. Congregation is a very well crafted album for a lesser known cult band like The Afghan Whigs.

Recomended tracks:
I'm Her Slave -- Perfect opening song, introduces the Afghan Whigs sound.
Conjure Me -- Rolling drum beats, streaming bass line, and soft(ish) vocals create a circular hum throughout this song.
Congregation -- The title track has a thumping bass line that ties the song together with an intense vigor.












[[The Moon and Antarctica -- Modest Mouse]]
This experimental, atmospheric, and vigorous album is Modest Mouse's first on the Epic label and really showcases their brilliant and unique musicality. This album takes you on an ethereal journey through the cold and dark places in the world, almost as if your on a spaceship exploring the moon above us. The Moon & Antarctica combines dirge-like melodies with that "happily deranged" sound that MM fans have grown to love. This album is one of MM's best work and details their view of the world:
A Different City -- "I want to remember to remember to forget you forgot me"
The Stars are Projectors-- MM leads you into an elaborately expressive breakdown of how the stars are both simple and complex, and compares it to the way people are and act. Teeters between insane pulse-pounding mechanics and simple vocal-driven melodies.
Life Like Weeds --A melodic soundscape showcasing the beautifully written lyrics and chorusing guitar work.

Welcome!!!

Welcome to our sanctuary, dedicated to the undying greats of music, movies, and any other kind of media you can get your hands on. I am your host, Vormov. An Ohio native, along with my good pal Jackson Breen, our goal is to enlighten you and expose you to all that great media out there--be it that amazing song I heard yesterday, or that tremendous hollywood blockbuster...

M3 stands for Mixed Media Magazine. Our central focus is on Music, Movies, and Mixed Media. Occationally we'll delve into topics like Gaming, Electronics, and perhaps broader topics that spark our interest.

We hope you enjoy your stay and hope you find that perfect song you've been looking for all week.