Archive for August, 2010
{ August 29, 2010 @ 7:24 pm }
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{ competition, free download, game music, Guess the VGM Song Contest, music, VGM }
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IT IS HERE!
100 songs, 300 points available – will you take the winning honours and gain the almighty prize that has yet to be announced? {ED: It will be some VGM CD’s}. Here’s how the contest works:
1) Download the VGM Contest 2010 MP3
2) Open notepad or word or anything to jot down the answers
3) Play the MP3 and pause when needed. You need to find out the song’s name, composer and the game it was in.
4) E-Mail your answers to supersi77@hotmail.com before 1st October 2010!
5) Sit back and enjoy!
That’s it! Closing date for entries for the prizes is Midnight BST 30th September.
Best of luck to everyone!
{ August 29, 2010 @ 7:10 pm }
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{ alternative, behind the music, behind the scenes, interview, making of, music, music video, pop, singer songwriter, video vault }
{ Tags: Jesca Hoop } · { }
Jesca Hoop has been on my radar for a long while but I kept forgetting to grab one of her albums to get me started. I finally bought “Hunting for My Dress” and I love it, and it was down to this song – The Kingdom. There’s also a making of here too. Enjoy!
{ August 25, 2010 @ 9:25 pm }
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{ Site News }
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It’s been a long time in the making (hence a quiet month here at HPG) but due for release on bank holiday monday here in the UK, we have HPM’s Guess that VGM Song Contest 2010! This time 100 song samples from all different years, eras and game types will be fired at you to guess. I’m just arranging the top 3 scorers prizes but until monday… get listening!!!
{ August 24, 2010 @ 8:10 pm }
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{ alternative, guitar, Introducing..., music, rock, singer songwriter }
{ Tags: Kelly Greene } · { }
Kelly Greene is a singer/songwriter who popped onto my radar the other day. Her vocals vary from fragile to forceful with ease and the guitar riffs and chords she uses are dark and damp. The combination makes for great music to both turn off the lights and be alone with while shouting out loud emotional outbursts. Here’s a music video for the song “Don’t Leave Me Alone“. We hope to have a review of her new album and interview with Kelly soon!
{ August 24, 2010 @ 7:48 pm }
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{ composer, game music, music, news, release dates, VGM }
{ Tags: Tadayo Shinmakin, Yukko Miyama } · { }
Monster Tri Hunter’s soundtrack was released today which is of particular excitement of MH and MegaMan fans as the composers are Tadayo Shinmakin and Yukko Miyama! The FILMharmonic orchestra were used and combined with different cultured instruments so I’ll be grabbing this for a review in the near future! Available to download from www.sumthingelsedigital.com
{ August 19, 2010 @ 9:17 pm }
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{ acoustic, ambient, band, dream pop, electro pop, Introducing..., music, rock }
{ Tags: Mushu } · { }
Mushu are an Australian band based in Sydney who combine some lushious guitar and keyboard ambient soundscapes with beautiful perscussive sounds and soft vocals. The result is something that sits somewhere between fluffy clouds, melodic rock and the echoes down the hall. Mushu have just recently released their self-entitled EP and it’s rather dreamy indeed. You can listen to it on their myspace page and if you like it you can find your way to the shopping cart from there!
{ August 19, 2010 @ 9:04 pm }
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{ arrangements, live music, music, piano, review, singer songwriter }
{ Tags: Imogen Heap } · { }
Imogen Heap performed a one off iTunes concert whereby she played her entire debut album iMegaphone (still my favourite of her four albums she’s released including Frou Frou) on piano. The result is something that showcases Imogen live and offers a new insight into old material.
Having what was a piano based album that was drenched in guitars, noises and preluding synth extras taken down into bare bones shows each song in a different light. “Getting Scared” changes from a building pulse to a rip roaring stop/starter with passion and energy, whilst “Sweet Religion” slips and slides at such a speedy rate, my favourite song from the original album takes on a superhero plight. Little Heap anecdotes into what the songs about also give you new insight into the tracks too.
“Oh Me, Oh My” feels much more desperate and less like a devine moment and “Shine” gives you a complete Immi freak out! Her story about Shine also makes me laugh because she talks about having water in her ears when she was crafting the song and when you go back to hear the start of the song on the album, there’s a nautical opening throbbing. “Shine” really sounds like a completely new song and is utterly amazing.
“Whatever” is transformed too, while “Angry Angel” loses none of its feriocity with its guitars stripped away. With Heap’s tendancy these days to play songs with all kinds of instruments all at once, it’s a beauty to hear her just alone with piano again sometimes. “Candlelight” is one pure example of a beautiful track that deserves more attention. So emotive and simple, it’s a timeless piece. “Rake It In” is utterly nuts! The original was like a manic fairground ride, and this version see’s Immi screaming and moaning like a cheesy hammer horror movie. It’s so dark and delicious all at once!
“Come Here Boy” is the one song really carried forward from this era and is faithfully recreated. “Useless” is completely revamped and sounds brand new and “Sleep” is just as pretty and sparse as the original.
In addition, some b-sides are included including my favourite b-side scorcher “Leave Me Here To Love” which is fantastic to finally hear live in all its raw glory – a real personal highlight. “Blanket” is an unusual choice as it was her collaboration with Urban Species and includes a rap! Finally “Kidding” closes the set with a flowing channel of emotion through voice to fingers to ivory and out again.
Some people aren’t fans of stripped down performances. Going from this iMegaphone Live album, I have no idea why. Each song is organically revolutionized into something new and indulgent. With Imogen’s new sound, she gets to experiment with everything and that’s great, but with this more intimate side, you really get the best of both worlds.
{ August 16, 2010 @ 9:54 pm }
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{ acoustic, alternative, electronica, goth, indie, music, music fusion, piano, review, singer songwriter }
{ Tags: Soap&Skin } · { }
Soap&Skin fell onto my radar a few months ago and I’ve never looked back. “Lovetune for Vacuum” is a beautifully gothical deliciously delicate delight.
“Sleep” opens with sparse piano chords and introduces you to Soap&Skin’s (Anja Plaschg) vocals, from desperate whimsy whispers to yelps of heartpain and everything tragically beautiful inbetween. Vocal layering and minimal percussive underscoring is really where the heart of this album lies.
“Cry Wolf” is like a demented marionette fairground ride as the piano and carousel music interlope and provide a haunting backdrop to Anja’s dualing vocals which are high and sweet. The percussion sounds like a till being opened and a camera’s film being rolled. I love that the track doesn’t hurry itself at all, like a wander down a stream. Single “Thanatos” follows which is a brooding gothic chanting rouse to all. The piano coda riff really sinks into your skin as Anja bursts into foreboding tones. The song is incredibly tense and I adore the music video that couples it.
“Extinguish Me” is a beautifully quiet track with underplayed strings and soft piano and vocals until the middle part of the track which almost feels like an ascension. The mood however stays like that of regret and sorrow and encaptures you from start to finish. “Turbine Woomb” opens to baby cries which in the context of where I feel the album comes, feels like a rebirth almost. The song itself is instrumental and devastatingly beautiful and has a real epicness to it, especailly when the electronics and percussion hits in during the final sections.
“Cynthia” is stunning. From the falling trickling piano to the understated murmurings from Anja, there’s something more mystical about how Anja pronounces things and is sometimes not always crystal clear. It gives her an otherworldly feel. The piano here standouts as a perfectly pitched performance. “Fall Foilage” reminds me of evil jinxes with its sinister playful piano which gathers pace and complexity before it explodes into a beaming up of electronic pulses.
“Spiracle” is about as mainstream as Lovesongs… gets. A simple piano tune set apart from Anja’s vocal ranges which soar and scream their way throughout. There’s about four different main vocals all playing at the same time and you can hear little creases and cracks in each one, its a joy to listen to the hidden depth. “Mr Gaunt Pt 1000″ is overwhelmingly sad. There’s something very weary and tiresome just plugged into the production, like the life is sucked out of the vocals and the piano. It’s just a tiny difference to everything else but its beautifully done.
“Marche Funebre” signals change in sound. This track is a cutting and pasting of string arrangements over some minimal beat work and guitar signal wails. With a gentle vocal over the top, it makes for an absolutely haunting piece of music that stalks you from start to finish. “The Sun” is is creepy and crawls in from its horror movie beginning as it builds up and up into a frenzied middle section before twisting itself around into a clockwork merging of piano, electric clicks and static bursts as the album continues to add more digital elements the further it gets. The song structures are quite unusual too which adds to the general unsettling beauty of it all.
“DDMMYYYY” is almost completely made up of electric clicks, whooshes and sounds that harken back to modem connection noises. The result is something completely removed from the rest of the album itself, yet it still feels naturally part of the evolution of the album. As the song loops round Anja’s vocal shouts and general chaos are thrown in over the top to make the experimental piece almost become quite harrowing. The album ends with “Brother of Sleep” is so light and shimmering its almost like you’ve reached a resting place. The last two minutes of the track is just garden ambience and bird song.
Soap&Skin is one of the most unique albums and new artists I’ve came across for a while. She straddles so many emotions, overtones and undertones, it’s so rare to have an artist that is so darkly rooted and yet so utterly beautiful all at the same time. “Lovesongs for Vacuum” captures the essence of the beauty of a death of something. Mesmorizing.
{ August 16, 2010 @ 9:17 pm }
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{ alternative, duo, grunge, guitar, music, review, rock }
{ Tags: john parish, PJ Harvey } · { }
One of the few artists to still give us wonderful b-sides, PJ Harvey’s collaboration with John Parrish see’s John take the vocals to the b-sides to the fantastic rock anthem “Black Hearted Love”.
“Within A Month” has completely discordant guitar stumming to a drum loop while John talks through a megaphone effected microphone about all kinds of wonderful things. Gradually more guitar riffs and loops flood in the left speaker, while the monologue spews out the right. It’s really interesting for me as its the first time I’ve heard John’s voice at all and coupled with his lazy swinging guitars and rolling drums it makes for a taut production.
“False Fire” is the second b-side is equally as frought as thrasing guitar with added organ bashes in and out as John takes a kitsch view on a country song! It reminds me very much of early PJ songs “Me-Jane” and “M-Bike” in tone, structure and song style. It’s a rip roaring fun track.
While PJ’s influence is there, she cannot be heard vocally and John taking the forefront is quite unique and while it does project a completely different spin on everything, and his vocals aren’t as strong as PJ’s, everything else is channelling the same vein and that’s something grand indeed.
{ August 10, 2010 @ 8:38 pm }
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{ classical, etheral, music, release dates, religion, Vocal, vocal group }
{ Tags: Anonymous 4 } · { }
Vocal angels Anonymous 4 have their 18th album on the way. Entitled “The Cherry Tree”, it contains a collection of medieval English carols and Anglo-American songs that are inspired by the Cherry Tree Carol. The album is the first in four years to contain all new material and so its a must have for all vocal ensemble enthusiasts. Also as a side note, on the notes I was given regarding the release, there appears to be another release entitled “Secret Voices” already in the pipleline for 2011! Watch this space!
{ August 4, 2010 @ 11:58 pm }
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{ band, guitar, indie, music, review, rock }
{ Tags: Million Dollar Mouth } · { }
Million Dollar Mouth are a 5 piece band from LA and have recently released their latest album, the excellently titled “The panicKING”. Is there room for another band for everyone to rave over? (ED: and would that really stop thousands of new bands being formed anyway come to think of it!) Who knows, but the ingredients are here for a great album that harks back to my personal favourite era of indie-alt-grungey-rock, the 90′s!
“Big Kiss” kicks off the album with confident vocals and self assured rocking out guitar riffs and a good beat to boot. It’s immediately apparent to me as if Million Dollar Mouth (MDM) sound like they’ve teleported from the Stone Temple Pilots / Queen of the Stone Age / Soundgarden era of rock and fused a nice slice of Muse in. “Space Out” see’s everything stretched out a bit more effortlessly transitioning from chugging bass to free flowing showers of rock eden psychadelica. It’s a personal favourite from the album as it wraps up much of the different faces of the band into one track with a neat guitar solo outro too!
“Lush” is a more straightforward immediate track and would do well as a radio single and hits the retro-current trend that is doing so well in the UK at the moment in rock circles. The mddle section of this track is particularly funky and familiar – like seeing an old friend. “1-4-3″ has a great drum/chord structure that cross over and make the song stand out as nothing stays the same during the track but it focuses on having the critical hooks and riffs in it instead of becoming math rock. The last minute of this track is absolutely blinding too as it builds into its climax.
“Don’t Disappear” is the first non rock out track on the album and showcases a more particular stadium love song element of the band you’ve not heard until then. The lush guitar arrangements, big drums and spot on vocal delivery all add up for a powerful kick. “Keep It To Yourself” wastes no time however returning to stomping riffs and a quick fire lyrics. This track is like a classic Pilots track. Even the vocal effects seem to wander towards the band although I also detect a hint of T-Rex in there too. All the above resemblants are all great compliments to be likened to and shows the strength of the music.
“Pretty” sounds like how a pub crawl sea shanty chorus and a big rock band have collided together. There’s something slightly drunk and euphoric about the chorus that just makes me smile. “Give It Up” has slight funky twang in the guitars and takes a more traditional rock song structure and is a real joy to listen to with its purposeful verses and rising choruses. “Strong” is another favourite of the album of mine. The riff is infectious, the vocals sound particularly desperate and its just full of tweaks and chord choices that you don’t find in your average rock song.
“Stupid Like Me” continues the winning formula with anthemic gusto (and great choruses) before the closer track “Second Skin” see’s the band try something a bit different. Singer Mike sings in a higher register, the guitars sound like they are twiddled to different frequencies and the plodding chugging pace of the song make it the darkest track on the album by a mile and adds a new string to the bands bow.
“The panicKING” is a great album. It’s born to rock and is full to the brim with infectious riffs and melodies, great song structures and has a great respect from the roots where they are drawing from, but also an independance and clarity in the sound they want to produce. Million Dollar Mouth certainly have immense talent and deserve to be heard. If you are someone that remembers when great riffs were being pumped out by non manufactured groups who make music first and then do their hair after, this is right up your street.
{ August 3, 2010 @ 7:12 pm }
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{ indie, live music, live vault, music, piano, singer songwriter }
{ Tags: Myra Flynn } · { }
While HPM iss busy digesting Myra’s debut album ready for a review in the next week or so, have a slice of live Myra Flynn with a beautiful rendition of “Long Fall Down”. Lovelyful! Congratulations to Myra whom is also getting married today too.
