The Hunt Is On

There’s an excitement in hunting for music. A primeval evolutionary leftover from our species’ humble hunter/gather stage is activated as I open the door to my town’s dinky used record store. Immediately the scent of delicious bands and scrumptious music hiding in the shelves and among the brush cater to my overwhelmed nose. With predatory speed and instinct I rip through the rows of albums, delighting when my fingers finally reach the plastic foil of my desired music, salivating on the cashier as he rings up my total. An exaggerated account it may be, and entirely a false one. Why? There are no dinky used-record stores in my town.

Like Tower Records’ 89 store closings and the other 1,200 retailers who have gone the way of the dodo across the nation, my music shops are dying. This void of musical discovery needs filling. And by what? I cringe at the thought of relenting myself to MTV and XM Radio, letting their choices of music be force-fed down my stagnantly passive ear-drums. Where can I feel the same exhilaration of a record store hunt? The digital revolution provides the answer: the Internet.

In what has become the most massive record store the world has ever seen, the Internet attracts billions of users to thousands of music sites which feature millions of artists—an overwhelming scope of musical discovery and listener interaction. Over 155 million users have registered with the online community behemoth MySpace, over 3 million of which are unsigned artists. PureVolume claims over 360,000 artists, posting 315,000 songs for the 750,000 registered users to enjoy. Last.fm offers social networking for their 15 million users blended with music from 7 million bands, Bandwagon has attracted nearly 6,000 bands, and Sputnik Music lets its 455,000 users review and discuss any sort of music. But more than that, anyone with an opinion can open their own Web site to the world, creating a vast intricate network of music recommendations and artist samples. From the bloated networks all the way down to the unknown bloggers, all patiently await the arrival of your ears. Its a music hunter’s dream come true.

Imagine a record store filled with millions of customers – all gossiping, discussing, and recommending music to one another – while paroling by music being actively shown off by the bands themselves like a vast sonic bazaar. Listeners stalk and devour a hundred times the number of bands previously available to them in the record stores. This is the Internet, and its no surprise to see so many music hounds glued to their computer screens. Two such bands lured me over to their respective online booths, and shared with me their thoughts of this new field of musical play.

Dickie Haydon – leadman of young Kentucky indie-outfit Petticoat, Petticoat – voiced his opinion of sites like MySpace after his band’s 2006 debut Every Mother’s Child. "40 years ago I’m sure there were tons of bands that could have made it big, but nobody had any idea who they were because the only way you could find them out would be if they had some record deal." Surely he has his band in mind when saying this. Petticoat, Petticoat have MySpace to thank for the majority of their fan-base, and the realization of their 2006 tour. "We booked all through MySpace," he admits, revealing just how heavily Petticoat, Petticoat relies on the community Web site.

"I definitely think there's a change coming in the industry," agrees Sleeping At Last bassist Dan Perdue. After a brief stint on Interscope Records, the Chicago rock group opted to release its latest album Keep No Score independently. "We're going to start hearing a lot more stories of bands…selling like 100,000 [albums] without any label," predicts Perdue. Sleeping At Last chose to go independent because of the freedom provided to them online. With their established fan base behind them, the band felt sure promoting their album online would yield just as much success as through a restrictive label. "The big labels are going to have to change the way they do things. They don't hold all the cards anymore." They certainly don’t: Sleeping At Last’s independently-promoted new tracks were recently featured on popular TV show "Grey’s Anatomy."

Indeed, record labels should take heed. The Internet is the new battleground for the attentions of listeners and consumers like myself, and those who don’t adapt to the new environment will not survive. With traditional offline music businesses sinking in deep water, it is becoming clearer that bands can survive happily without big labels—supported by online fans. Labels now have a choice: attempt to refocus on the Internet and try to recover, or to pass away like so many record stores. Either way, we’ll go on hunting…one Web site at a time.

(Property of Crawdaddy!)

C-Jay--Scheurbrie

The newest release on Babylon Records comes from the Dutch artist C-Jay. The multi-talented DJ has been involved in music since age 11, taking influences from the likes of Jean Michel Jarre, Vangelis and Tangerine Dream. He owns his own record store, owns his own record label, DJs, produces, and runs his own underground dance nights (called The Sessions). His first release came in 2004 with Dutch engineer BlueSparkle, and since then has signed multiple record deals and traveled all across Europe. Schreurbrie is his latest release.

The original track is extremely busy. A quicker-than-normal bass-pace plows the ear along through effects raining down like a snowstorm on the dancefloor. The 8 minute track rolls up and down, containing its overwhelmingly powerful moments and subtlety touching slices. A good track for any club, Schreurbrie contains just enough rave and pop to keep things interesting without derailing.

The Roger Martinez Dirty Dub Mix dices up the driving bass beat found in C-Jay’s original, adding a slew of fuzz and sliced up tidbits. A touch longer than the original as well, the remix sounds very similar to its namesake—with the difference of busier effects. Gone are a few quiet moments, as many sonic sidesteps and alleyways rush by the listener without pause.

A decent entrance into Babylon Records, C-Jay proves himself to be a favorable artist making some darn good music. Not anything to blow your mind over, but definitely a worthy soundtrack for your evening.

(Published at 365Mag.com)

Gui Boratto--Chromophobia

With hordes of fans and Kompakt Distribution kissing his feet, Sao Paulo releases his first full-length: Chromophobia. The Brazilian – under the guise Gui Boratto – has been producing for over 10 years, working with such acts as Pato Banton, Steel Pulse, Mano Choa, and Desiree. His long stream of singles has built up quite an expectation for this full-length, and he effectively lives up to them. Chromophobia is a healthy blend of many electronic influences, including dance, house, and pop—providing a fascinatingly diverse range of sounds often lacking in full-length techno albums.

Boratto includes the tracks you would come to expect to blast out of your speakers. Tracks like "Terminal," "The Blessing," and "Shebang" contain well-mixed dancefloor beats and the standard blips and beeps dancing around the foundation of bass. However, Paulo throws in some different sorts of tricks you may not have been expecting.

"Acrostico" is much more on the pop-side of the spectrum, with less-emphasis on the driving bass-beat and more on wonderful melodies in a slew of sounds that could easily make its way into an indie-rock playlist. Further capitalizing on this style is "Beautiful Life," which adds more pop-effects and even ambient vocals to a pulled-back pulse. In addition, "Mala Strana" is a complete departure from the ever-driving dancefloor tunes found in "The Blessing." Here is ethereal worlds, where the listener is invited to drift amongst the ambient landscapes like some distant dream.

"Hera" moves back towards the dancefloor, incorporating more of a bass-beat but still staying very much pop (think VNV Nation). These tracks, the ones that incorporate the bass of the dancefloor with the ambient sounds of another world, are the ones where Gui Boratto truly shines. The more traditional dancefloor tunes are frankly nothing out of the ordinary, and while the ambient tracks are beautiful they tend to have little dynamic and are less engaging.

"Beautiful Life" and its like are the happy medium, throwing a monkey wrench into the old techno-beat game without completely disrupting the machine. All in the all though, the machine Gui Boratto has created is dynamic, with changing styles and diverse influences. From one spectrum to the other, Boratto masters the art and creates an album that refuses to let your attention go.

(Published at 365MAG.com)

The Arcade Fire--Neon Bible

I will readily admit that a few weeks ago, I was not an Arcade Fire fan. Funeral never did much for me, and – although I by no means disliked it – I never understood why it was such a celebrated and treasured release. And so I felt about Neon Bible...until "No Cars Go." Embraced by the caress of orchestral soundscapes that rocket throughout the song, I was immediately won over. I rushed to start the album over from the start, and every song pulled me deeper and deeper into alcoves of Arcade Fire.

"Intervention" is the clear single-worthy track off the song, pushing Arcade Fire’s organ instrumentals straight into the spotlight with a scathing commentary on religion, and those within it. The dramatic lyrics feel right at home amongst the majestic instrumentals, as Win Butler sings, "Working for the church as your family dies / Take what they give you and keep it inside / Every spark of friendship and love will die without a home." Building and growing in volume and scope, "Intervention" explodes into a climactic spine-chilling climax, showing off everything that makes The Arcade Fire a spectacular outfit.

Other tracks like the steady drudgery of "Black Mirror," the organ-infused-blues of "My Body Is A Cage," and the shout-out against society and America in "Windowstill" show off the range of instrumental expression available to Arcade Fire—and the dynamic range in lyrical content. "Black Wave _ Bad Vibrations" puts the contrast between Butler and Regine Chassagne’s vocals on display, bounding along with a instrumental beat the hints at growing unrest—hinting at the feeling that all is not quite right. As Butler takes over the lyrics, the song becomes stronger with a pounding drum-beat, driving home the "Nothing lasts forever" theme relentlessly. Chassagne’s backing vocals add an ethereal and haunting quality to a breath-taking work. Crank your speakers on this one, and feel the chills run up and down your very being.

"No Cars Go" is my clear favorite, and revealed the entire album in a new light. A snappy drum beat supports a pop-friendly instrumental line as the song builds into the duo-vocals, singing of a place where society is left behind…where "No cars go." The lyrics and instrumentals crescendo in desire and desperation before finally unveiling a majestic composure of orchestral landscapes and imposing vocals, demanding everyone to come along: "We don’t know where we’re going / But let’s go!" This is what its all about.

I feel no doubt saying Neon Bible blows Funeral clear out of the water. I found a connection here that was missing in Arcade Fire’s first release, and its made a raving fan out of me. The incredible diversity of instrumentals and lyrical content, as well as the masterful use of non-traditional and emotion is wonderful. The Arcade Fire took my breath away and sent chills down my spine more than once, and they will for you too. The first release that will make it on everyone’s "Best of ‘07" lists, Neon Bible is simply a must-have.

(Published at ComfortComes.com)