iTunes iMpulse v3.0

I recently went on another shopping spree for digital music. Searching the bowels of iTunes and the new Amazon mp3 store for the best deal, I acquired many new tunes and melodies to consume on my iPod. Looking back, I went a bit more excessive than usual. In fact after the song-purchasing rush was over, I thought, “Why did I just spend that much?” In any case, here is what I purchased:

01. Alicia Keys – Songs in A Minor (album)
02. Noisettes – What’s the Time, Mr Wolf? (album, on recommendation from Aiko)
03. Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds – Grace is Gone (Starbucks SOTD)
04. Michael Andrews & Gary Jules – Mad World (on recommentation from Romulo)
05. Foghat – Slow Ride
06. Pearl Jam – Even Flow
07. Pearl Jam – Jeremy
08. Pearl Jam – Daughter
09. Pearl Jam – Yellow Ledbetter
10. Heart – Barracuda
11. Rage Against the Machine – Bulls on Parade
12. Carlos Santana – Black Magic Woman
13. Franz Ferdinand – Take Me Out
14. Kansas – Carry On Wayward Son
15. The Allman Brothers Band – Jessica
16. Scorpions – No One Like You
17. Queens of the Stone Age – 3’s & 7’s
18. Slipknot – Duality
19. The Police – Message in a Bottle
20. The Police – Roxanne
21. The Police – Synchronicity II

As you can probably tell, many purchases were inspired by Guitar Hero III since we also just got that game and I’ve become somewhat hooked. I gotta stop spending so much money on music.

Remedy is here

David Crowder Band‘s latest CD, Remedy came out yesterday. I bought it DRM-free via iTunes as I was getting dressed for work and synced it to my iPod all within a matter of seconds (I love technology). I am listening to it now and will post about it later.

technorati tags:dcb, crowder, remedy

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Addendum to Happy Birthday, CD

After I typed out the most recent blog on the CD’s birthday, I went to iTunes as my remembering of that Beethoven CD made me wonder if I could it online since I no longer have the actual disc  To my horror, I found something quite different.

Go to the iTunes Store and search for “Beethoven” and then listen to the preview of “Beethoven’s 5th Symphony – Single (Merengue)” by La Charanga Cubana and cower in terror at the complete bastardization of this classic glory that once was music.

technorati tags:beethoven, bastardization, 5th symphony, la charanga cubana, itunes, sample

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DCB noDRM new!

David Crowder Band released a new single, Everything Glorious, off their new yet-to-be-released album, Remedy, on iTunes and it is simply amazing.

And even better, it is available in iTunes Plus. That’s right boys and girls, you can hear some new music from the good ol’ DCB in glorious 256kpbs DRM-free AAC.

Click here to listen to just how glorious it is.

technorati tags:david crowder band, crowder, remedy, everything glorious, single, itunes, plus, dcb

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Why So Serious?

WhySoSerious.com

Thanks to Natasha Wescoat for sending this link via Twitter.

I must say that I’m getting fairly excited.

technorati tags:batman, joker, the dark knight, dark, knight, movie, natasha wescoat

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iTunes iMpulse v2.0

So me and Romulo went to Van Gogh’s Ear last night. It was open mic night in addition to them hosting some indie artists from the area. We figured we might find some new talent to bring into Connexion and/or Fusion. Plus we were bored. So it worked. The music was alright. Well, most of it. There was one guy who did a song about Viagra. Still not sure what to make of that. But while there we started talking about music and I ended up going on another iTunes shopping spree. And here is what I added to my collection:

1. Fionn Regan – Put a Penny in the Slot (free iTunes download)
2. Captain Melao – Estelar (free iTunes download)
3. Colbie Caillat – Bubbly (free iTunes download)
4. Pastilla – A Marte (free iTunes download)
5. Five for Fighting – 100 Years
6. Five for Fighting – Superman (It’s not Easy)
7. The Strokes – Someday
8. The Postal Service – Such Great Heights
9. The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus – Facedown
10. K-OS – Fly Paper
11. Sara Bareilles – The entire Little Voice album
12. Mute Math – Typical

I also bought two new audiobooks from audible.com:

1. The Problem of Pain by CS Lewis
2. The Assault on Reason by Al Gore

Now I just have to find time to listen to it all.

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Under the indigo sky, just breathe

i’m tired of running for the train
tired of these streets and days
tired of the go go go
money on my brain
i see myself piece by piece…
slipping away .
tired of the have-to-have parade
daunting is the task of getting ahead
look out for number one, then back to your shell
separation is our expense

there’s an urgency to breathe
there’s an urgency to be …

under an indigo sky
met by a beautiful rain
over the simplest of terms
we will converse
with a new frame of mind
our heads are clear now
and our hands are untied
we’re free to roam …
in the indigo .

accumulate more or want less
the question i pose is heavy on my mind
simplicity is my necessity at hand
so take me to where i can be
where i can be

under an indigo sky
met by a beautiful rain
over the simplest of terms
we will converse
with a new frame of mind
our heads are clear now and our hands are untied
we’re free to roam …
in the indigo .

words & music by amy seeley

There has been much weighing heavy on my mind and soul as of late. So many things trying to push in one direction or another. So many choices and opportunities and risks. So many frustrations and questions. Life can be hard. In fact, life will always be hard. The world is functioning and flowing at a pace that can drive anyone mad. Society holds unrealistic expectations of all within its grasp to perform and perform and perform. This, coupled with internal turmoil, whether it be your own or in the shared pain of a friend, can seem altogether unbearable and destroy one’s self from the inside out.

I have found solice in this song in recent times as I face the natural, and some unnatural, pressures of this world. The way it speaks of the pain and frustration and pressure on all of us and the losing of one’s self to the madness of the chaos that surrounds is all too real. And the solution… to simplify. To escape the deafening noise and to embrace the simplest of terms. To enjoy the seemingly mundane things all around us that speak to us and reconnect us with the reality of who we are and what it means to be human. To embrace the truth all around us. To be free… clear heads and untied hands. It is the plight of us all, isn’t it? The words of the bridge are so profound. There is an urgency to BREATHE. Ruah. Nooma. To reconnect our souls with the source of peace. To find shalom. Healing. Restoration. We need it. I need it. And so I seek solice in the simplicities of my existence and my own humanity and the reality of who God is and how it all relates, and I breathe and rest under the indigo sky.

——————–

PostScript Area begin:If you happen to find yourself interested in the breathe link listed above and click on it you will be magically transported via the wonder of hypertext to a YouTube video that contains a preview of a larger video aptly entitled, “Breathe.” Now, you may watch the 2 minute preview video if you are so inclined, but may I suggest, if you trust me that is, to foregos the watching of the YouTube preview and make your way over to Nooma.com and purchase Nooma #014 “Breathe.” Don’t ask questions. Don’t hesitate. Don’t even watch the preview if you can resist. Just buy it. It’s that good. It is a 15 minute video that has changed my life and my perspective on a great many things. You shan’t be disappointed. In fact, if you truly understand and listen to the video, you will be blown away by the reality of it all and you will never look at your life, or breath for that matter, in the same way.

PostScript Area the second begin:And as for this song, Indigo Sky by Amy Seeley… I want you to find the peace your soul craves as well. And so I offer this incentive. Comment this blog post and let me know why your soul is in disrepair and in need of shalom. For the first 10 people who do so, I will gift you this song via iTunes. This is not the album version but the EP one, which is my personal favorite between the two. The words are powerful. The music transcending. And Amy’s voice is soothing. This, especially coupled with the Breathe video if you choose to go that route, I think, may help you find what you are looking for. Just make sure you put your name and email address in the fields where they are requested so I will know where to send it.Thank you, and may peace be with you.

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I love new music

Some time ago I wrote about an album, an EP I picked up from iTunes, by Amy Seeley.

Well I had the pleasure of actually speaking with Amy for a somewhat extended period of time a week or so ago via MySpace, of all things. I must say that she is great. A human being of significantly high caliber, if I do say so myself, and very real and down-to earth, which is awesome.

Fast forward a few days and I come home and her latest album, The Trees Want You Back, is in my mailbox. Included in the package is a hand-written note from Amy to me. Now, I’m not one to actively go out and try to get autographs or memoribilia from those in the pubic eye. It’s just not that big a deal to me. But it’s little things like the included note that really stand out… the fact that someone would take the extra few minutes to scribble some words on paper to make it more personal. It made me smile.

And so I took the CD and imported it into iTunes in resplendid 192kbps AAC and ported the tracks to my iPod. I’ve been listening the past few days to it, and I must say that I like this album as well. It’s slightly different than the Call It Life EP, whereas the EP was mainly Amy and a piano, making for a peaceful and relaxing listening experience. The album employs a full band with a variety of instruments, including several different wind pieces, and I do think I even heard a banjo at one point. Very cool. From a sound tech’s point of view, I will also say that I like the way it was all mixed together.

It’s a fun album. It’s loaded with great tracks, most which are new. There are a few songs from the EP, though in a different form, such as a new variation of Indigo Sky that I think is just great. The tracks have a lot of personality to them. Some are just fun upbeat tunes, such as Tellings. Others, like Cornwall, have a nice bit of funk added to ’em, which I really enjoyed. Of course there’s a few mellow tracks as well, like Carriere, that just help to bring you to a calm place of peace and relazation. In fact, the entire album, with all of it’s range, is a great end-of-the-day album to settle you down after whatever stresses and activities you faced in the previous 24 hours. It’s 1:30am now and I’m listening and really digging it.

Anyway, I definitely like this collection of tunes. You should head on over to CD Baby or iTunes and pick up a copy for yourself. Pick up two. You’ll enjoy it.

That is all for now. Peace be with you.

Name that song

Ok, I’m trying to find out the name of a song that’s set as the background music of a website.  I can’t find the name of the song anywhere on the site, and I have unsuccessfully tried to guess the name of it in the iTunes store.  Google has been no help either.

So, whoever feels so inclined, visit Serena Yang‘s website and if you know what song that is, kindly comment me and let me know.

Much appreciated.  Peace be with you.

Mo’ new music, or (the seeking of Shalom)

Honestly, I’m turning into such a music junkie. I mean even moreso that I was before. I was doing my daily reading of digg.com and came across a story that led me to the website of Jesh de Rox. He’s a Canadian photographer who, I must say, takes some pretty impressive photos. And the web layout is pretty nice as well.

Anyway, he has a few songs that play in the background of the site while you look at his photos so as to set the mood. One of these songs is Gravel Lines by Amy Seeley. And there is where I found myself only a few short minutes ago. And I knew as soon as I heard the song playing that I was going to have to buy it. So I went to iTunes and found the Call it Life EP by Amy Seeley, which is where the Gravel Lines song is located. Of course I saw the EP was only about $4, and so I bought it. Honestly, if I don’t stop buying all this music whenever I hear it I’m going to have to get another job or something.

The CD is pretty amazing. It’s so relaxing and peaceful and her voice is astounding. It’s as if the very tone and pitch of it connects with your soul and speaks volumes. I actually found myself sitting here and audibly said, “Wow” while listening.

This is the kind of album that you can put on at the end of a long, stressful day, where you’re all tense and frustrated, and as you listen you’ll forget all the mental and physical angst you were just experiencing. This is what my recent days have been like. There is so much going on, and I have so many things up in the air that I am juggling, and there are so many deadlines and stressful situations as well as the fact that my mind is consistently busy and active dealing with current issues. I haven’t experienced stress of this level since I was in school in November 2002, but that is another story for another time.

And, you know what? This CD somehow has helped pull me out of that, if only for a short time. It’s been a great way to leave the stress behind, and I feel so relaxed and at peace right now. I need some more peace, some more Shalom (in the fullness of its meaning), in my life. Definitely, go buy it. And buy the full length album, also available on iTunes.

And so I take my leave for the night. May peace be with you all.