28 November 2007

Whatcha Doin' Tonight?

So what are your plans tonight? How about making some music or ranting into a microphone? Here are some audio projects you are invited to join in on:
Wakka Chikka Wakka Chikka vol. 2
Sexy grooves, naughty music
Shreds
Happy Puppy Records is working on a comp of pretentious wanky guitar solos noodling, played competently, or really, really awfully (even on purpose).
Chenard Walcker Tribute
Ongoing series of tributes to Chenard Walcker
The Art of the Rant
Rants, going off in the microphone, having your say or playing out your frustrations
Dark Winter Dec 2007 Comp
This December they hope to release a compilation of dark ambient holiday tracks.

25 November 2007

Shirley and Spinoza Update


"It's confirmed! The s&S radio stream has at last found a new digital home (no, that's single space, rack mounted penthouse in the tallest skyscraper in the UK) from which to dispense these sounds to the world once again. Our preliminary tests went without a hitch, but now begins the next phase of moving the sonic merchandise across the Atlantic and getting everything in place before hitting the big sSwitch.

"Thanks to everyone who has pitched in for the cause! The donations will continue to go toward upkeep, site fees, a bowl of noodles every now and then, etc. The biggest thank you unequivocally goes to The Wolf, who has ultimately made this possible." -- Shirley and Spinoza

Meanwhile, the site, the vast program archive and the Royal Oculus and Gramophone Company subsite are also getting a rebuild. Yes, listeners, things are coming along swimmingly! Our most humble thanks to The Wolf and to those who donated.

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20 November 2007

Tuesday's Dozen

Tuesday is a real good news day. Here you have a new set of 12 free and legal collections and CDs! Eat up and be sure to spread the love by supporting these artists! [This is the last Tuesday Dozen of 2007.]

ColidaTullycraftDark Winter
Colida - Eyes Shut and Ears Wide Open release
"full of melodic aggression... a brilliant piece of alternative" says analog und ehrlich, official band site
[rock]
Tullycraft
nice discography spread for you from Seattle indie pop trio who debuted in 1995 on Harriet Records
[pop, indie, twee]
Dark Winter
excellent netlabel releasing music with a focus on dark ambient music, remarkable sound works
[ambient]
Vulcan Freedom FightersSparrowx23 - Archetype
Vulcan Freedom Fighters
Trekkies rockin' it out á la Man or Astroman instrumental rock with Trek samples
[rock]
Sparrow
Vancouver's Zumpano and Destroyer folks making pop as Sparrow [myspace]
[indie, pop]
x23 - Archetype
old school techno and drums-n-bass release from the Asimetrix catalog
[electro, techno, dnb]
Bomb the Music IndustryUghNine Inch Nails remixes
Bomb the Music Industry
sharing complete records, more a ska/punk collective than actual band
[ska, power pop, punk]
Ugh
"noise rock in the tradition of the 90s Alternative Tentacles with the influence of bands from Jesus Lizard to Zen Guerilla"
[hard rock]
Nine Inch Nails Remixes
the winning 21 tracks from the nearly 200 fan submitted remixes
[rock, hard rock, industrial]
Company SlaveA World of PossibilitiesTunng
Company Slave
sounding like Cream, Zeppelin, Sabbath and Jimi Hendrix, this is a great CD for fans of classic rock!
[classic rock, psych]
A World of Possibilities
full archive of award-winning program that penetrates the headlines to uncover deeper meanings
[spoken, radio]
Tunng
"finger-picking acoustic guitars against gentle synthesised beats,... often been labelled 'folktronica'"
[electro, folk]

15 November 2007

Organ Hemorrhaging Sonar and James Taylor?

UPDATE, January 2008: Letter from NRDC President 8 January 2008

James Taylor is asking concerned Americans to urge the U.S. Navy to abandon its proposal to put a training range for lethal mid-frequency sonar right next to a key migratory route for endangered right whales. Scientists have linked the use of mid-frequency sonar to hundreds of whale strandings and deaths around the world.

Navy warships use underwater speakers during routine sonar testing and training that blast the ocean with noise up to 245 decibels -- a sonic barrage roughly comparable to a Saturn V rocket at blast-off. That onslaught is so intense it can drive whales to panic and cause their organs to hemorrhage. Act now

(The National Resources Defense Council Action Fund will never keep, use or share the email addresses. This is the 2nd Blogio post on this concern this year. You can find the previous post here with more info and recordings.)

Me, I'm not a big James Taylor fan, but here are some "oceanic" sounds I do enjoy. After you visit the NRDC for a few secs to add your vote to Secretary Winter, please come back here to check out these releases:

Nelson Eddy with music by Ken Darby - The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met

a classic children's 78rpm set from the good people of KiddieRecords.com
dotTAPEdot - Sea-Scaping Monthly in 4 or 5 Movements

".Tape. is 26 year old Daniel Romero from Asturias, Spain. He wears glasses, likes playing with toy instruments such as the casio pt88, toy accordion, and a toy spanish guitar. He uses a very simple sequencer and records his toy instruments with a simple pc microphone. Bringing together his love for lo-fi indie pop with his love for melodic electro-pop, .tape. creates a unique story-book landscape..."
Vreemde Geluiden Radio Program - Splogman's offshore radio show

a show dedicated to water; also enjoy VA - Water, Wind and Sails by artists gathered together at the amazing Splogman's 52 Weeks to create a cool compilation celebrating water that was then released on WM Recordings</td>
- Herzog - Ocean! Be Our Blanket

Keywords: herzog; Bill Bawden; 12rec; 12rec.net; electronic; electroacoustic; ambient
D.soul - Ocean

Keywords: Electronic; House; Minimal House; Techno; Minimal Techno; Bumpfoot.net netlabel
Woody Woodpecker Presents... - Whopper Whale story [1957]

a short little tale about a proud whale with nothing to do whatsoever with Woody

13 November 2007

Childhood Treasures

In lieu of this week's 12 free albums, let's talk about some of the earliest recordings we enjoyed, shall we? There are several sites and blogs on the web sharing the childhood treasures we would like to share with newer generations, but that have never been reissued. Here are a few of our favorite sources.

KiddieRecords.com
Ford says: "Kiddie Records Weekly is a three year project celebrating the golden age of children's records. This brief but prolific period spanned from the mid forties through the early fifties, producing a wealth of all-time classics. Many of these recordings were extravagant Hollywood productions on major record labels and featured big time celebrities and composers.

"Over the years, these forgotten treasures have slipped off the radar and now stand on the brink of extinction. Our mission is to give them a new lease on life by sharing them with today's generation of online listeners. Each recording has been carefully transferred from the original 78s and encoded to MP3 format for you to download and enjoy. You'll find a new addition every week, all year long.

"So whether you are hearing these records for the first time or reuniting with a childhood favorite from long ago, we hope you take great pleasure in your trip down memory lane!"


Tale Spinners for Children and Children's Vinyl Record Series
Matt writes: "There were a number of children's vinyl record series sold in the US during the 1950's and 1960's. Among them were Tale Spinners for Children, Golden Records, Mercury Storyteller, Pathways of Sound, Telegeneral Let's Pretend and Riverside Wonderland."

Secret Caverns
Wow! That is really the only review you need. It is just fabulous. Secret Cavern of Read Along Treasures is a great source for childhood (especially British) audio and video. Clean, sparce design and clean, clear rips. Top notch.

Way Out Junk
All my correspondence with Tony has been one way: me thanking him profusely for all his hard work. That is fine, because it gives him more time to work his magic! He seems to have somehow gone up into the family homestead attics and recorded all of our old records. Great fun!

Children's Records and More and Mostly Ghostly
Dave shares mountains of childhood classics, also hosting selections that were once offered by Mondo Daddykins and Scar Stuff. Additionally, he operates Forbidden Crypts. Dave will also put together handsome packages of these recordings on CD for a small fee.

Power Records Plaza
"A place for fans of the classic Power Records to freely trade and exchange audio files of the classic recordings. No buying or selling is permitted. If you need a file, take one, if you have a file, add it to the list."

Maimone Digital
John states: "Our goal is to preserve Tapes, LP Records, Photos and Videos in a digital format that will last in pristine condition for years to come. To this end we have spared no expense to duplicate analog recordings as close as possible to the originals."

Read-Along Adventures
Joey, a collector of these little wonders, offers much of the old see-hear-read catalog in little Flash packets.

06 November 2007

Tuesday's Dozen

Tuesday is a real good news day. Here you have a new set of 12 free and legal collections and CDs! Eat up and be sure to spread the love by supporting these artists!

The ZverstvoThe Folkways CollectionBird Lantern - DuD EP
The Zverstvo
uninhibited vocals, rock and jazz instrumentation and a dose of mental illness
[avant-garde, experi, post-punk, avant-jazz]
The Folkways Collection
24 one-hour explorations of the music, words, and sounds that make up Smithsonian's Folkways Recordings)
[varied]
Bird Lantern - DuD
EP of choice cuts from the Epic Dud LP by these 2 men from Adelaide, Australia who mix sampling and real instrumentation (myspace)
[hip hop, pop, blues]
CattywompusPierre Laniau - Erik Satie Pieces pour Guitare
Mighty Shiny
"recorded eleven furious power-pop anthems... we want you to hear it, so here's a digital version you can download for free" (preview at myspace)
[indie, pop, rock]
Cattywompus
in the US Southern rock tradition, one reviewer writes, "is Black Crowes meets Small Faces meets Waylon Jennings meets Tom Petty meets Gram Parsons"
[classic rock]
Pierre Laniau - Erik Satie Pieces pour Guitare
Laniau performing guitar renditions of selected works by composer Erik Satie (1866-1925), Pierre's official site
Konfort RecordsOlga Scotland - Scotland YardThe Octopus Project
Konfort Records
"exclusive releases from some of our favorite Mexican electronic artists... from deep house to ambient, idm, minimal techno and more"
[electro, Mexico]
Olga Scotland - Scotland Yard
listen quirky instro album from Olga, a Russian musician and member of Zen-Zen-Zen
[lounge, experi, electro, world]
The Octopus Project
Austin rockers melding rock instruments, computer effects, mathematical arrangements
[rock, post-rock, electro]
Re:Up MixJohn ZealeyKiff'On
Re:Up Mix
Brooklyn's The Agriculture teamed up with a mag to offer label sampler
[downtempo, dance, chill out, breaks, dub, hip hop]
John Zealey - Notes From Number 14
Bowie-esque singer- songwriter offers download of entire demo album or preview and download separate tracks at last.fm
[pop, rock, indie]
Kiff'On
these Frenchmen were born funky (né funky) and that is just what they aptly named the free EP they share (myspace)
[funk, disco, brass]
.