alt.end

alas, a several week break is comming for NoStars Rating, but never fear, i will be back

its been fun doing this blog.  ive been able to listen to music while typing, which is always better than the clatter of a frantic keyboard, and ive been able to show some pretty sweet videos through the wonderful, wonderful procrastination godsend Youtube.  ive also been able to show you all some of my favourite music blogs, which are all great avenues for discovering new music, or a gateway to nostalgic memories of music passed.

but what do i get out of doing this blog?

well, for starters, i’ve discovered that people actually read this blog (who would have thought?)  its not a huge following, but the couple of people who look at my blog daily really put a smile on my face.  it only occured to me when i started my own blog that people who write blogs really appreciate every viewer they get, so yay for those guys!

its also been interesting to see how the art of blogging (it’s not necessarily an art, but its more than a hobby, maybe an obsession? (that’d be a good pronoun for bloggers, an obsession of bloggers)) has affected my daily life.  im always really disapointed when i dont have the time to add to this blog.  i find myself thinking what to write about, and trying to find new places to start a new competition.  its exciting thinking about this sort of stuff.

thinking about the logistics of blogging, and the concepts of copyright etc, has also been food for thought.  creating the wordpress.com design to most suit  the needs for my blog and the different applications i can apply to the blog for a) user-friendly browsing and b) the cool factor.  thinking about who i would let use stuff from the blog and how i want to be remembered and recognised was also a complex matter, solved with easy to use applications on creativecommons.org.

i think going forward after i come back from my extended break that i would like to create more of a connection with other bloggers and their blogs.  i know many people with blogs for themselves, and i think linking them all for a group of commited bloggers would not only be exciting for us, but also great for the readers, to get a greater variety in their internet searching experience. 

so for now, so long, farewell, auf wiedersehn goodbye (apologies for my horrible German spelling)

until next time, stay well, and enjoy this last video!

A (blogging) Community Service Announcement

looking at several blogs about music, it is a shame to see that people don’t hate each other as much as in other forums. well … it’s not a shame, as such, just no where near as fun. 

I had come to the conclusion that everyone on the internet hated each other.  you only have to look at the comments on any Youtube video to see people usually resort to ‘vulgar’ name calling rather than considered, reasoned debate.

blogging is a unique concept.  it creates a community of people who only read what they like; so, they usually only comment on those blogs which they like to read.  this is basically the gist of what a pretty smart dude called Geert Lovink (I think I’ve mentioned him before) says.

I have mentioned before some other similar music blogs.  www.untitledrecords.com, www.thedecibeltolls.com, www.everybodytaste.com and www.pampelmoose.com are pretty similar to what I intend for my own blog.  none of these blogs have any provocative comments on them – none whatsoever.

where’s the fun in that?

I guess though it is a good thing, not to have people constantly having a go at you.  for this topic, it creates a safe and friendly environment to share taste and opinion – and everyone usually has the same taste/opinion anyway, so it’s a good ego booster.

I see this in my own comments; they all seem to be pretty good natured, which is very nice indeed.

although I haven’t actually commented back on any of these comments, I ask myself, would I comment back?  the risk with re-commenting is getting into a fierce debate with people you don’t really know, so the tendency to get a bit ‘over-the-top’ in your comments happens.

I think I would, it’s good to see that if you comment on a blog, that it not only gets read, but also that the blogger actually considers it and thinks about it. 

I once did an essay talking about ‘the public sphere’ (and I think I did alright on it, if my memory isn’t lying to me).  its this concept this German dude Jurgen Habermas came up with, where the semi-utopian ideal of a physical space for reasoned debate for everyone, no matter of sex or class or wealth, could participate.  although the internet seems to be an ideal space for public debate, the fact that there is no physical contact leads to people being a bit meaner than they usually would – which although very entertaining for an outsider, can be a bit harsh to the commented. 

(yes, there is a reason for this nostalgic muse)

being a part of the blogging world adds to the public sphere, even reading blogs adds to it.  all the blogs on the net are linked to each other, no matter what topic they cover or what country they are made, they are all easily accessible to obtain.

Hmm food for thought I guess.

for these more intellectual, non-music posts, I’ve been trying to find videos that either people a) haven’t seen before or b) could watch over and over again.  it’s fun, but not always easy, so I think I’ll put 2 vids on here today, some of my favs.  Enjoy!

Nic(h)e Guys Finish Last

I know not everybody goes searching the web looking for someone’s thoughts on an old album, let alone what they think is a better one between 2 (mostly) unrelated albums.  this blog is not designed to be mainstream; to be honest, it is not designed to be anything other than an online hobby.  it combines new media videos (through the wonderful avenue of Youtube) with music from both old and new.

the niche of this blog (if there are infact people who actually read this blog) is one for music fans, not fans looking to discover the newest music – there are already hundreds of music blogs which look at new/current music from all genres, such as www.anewbandaday.com and www.prettymuchamazing.com.  their aim is to grade music “as is”, from the now. 

this blog is a reflection and recognition that there is something more to music than the sound that it makes.  it is the experiences, memories that music creates.  this blog is a celebration of music. 

as I said, this blog is not mainstream, it is pretty un-mainstream.  it belongs in what Chris Anderson described as “The Long Tail”, popularized in his article in Wired magazine (http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.10/tail.html). 

in a nutshell, this is what it means, in terms of music.  if popular music is released into the mainstream, then as new generations of pop music become popular, old generation pop music moves down in the popularity scale.  as time goes by, less people search the older music genres, pushing them into a select niche market of people.  hence, this subjective view of music, along with the retro-age style of the music, places this category of blog into the long tail.

looking at similar blogs talking about almost the same stuff, www.untitledrecords.com comes to mind.  this blog mainly looks at current music, yet the writer of the blog doesn’t rate the music in the blog the traditional way (ie with star ratings).  she talks about music like it is her life, like it is much more than sounds, which is how I intent the blog to be.  http://www.untitledrecords.com/2010/05/slow-show/ is a perfect example of her understanding of music, saying the The National’s 2007 album Boxer is the perfect cure to a cloudy Monday evening (which it totally is).  her posts are not too long and not made up of pretentious description, and usually host an mp3 at the end of each post.  there are normally 2 or 3 posts in a week.  although I have Youtube videos instead of mp3’s I think the videos go in showing a human aspect to the artists, especially if they are live performances, such as my Marvin Gaye video in http://nostarsrating.wordpress.com/2010/05/31/i-forgot-to-remember-to-forget. 

another blog is www.thedecibeltolls.com.  this blog serves a similar function to Untitled Records, but tends to focus more on the live music aspect of music, with regular updates on tours and promotional gigs.  the blog is highly decorated, more so than Untitled Records, and has videos of performances to entertain its readers.

neither blog has a large comments focus, with very rare comments on any post.  as there is not really a controversial reviewing system, there is not much to get passionate about, as they rarely put things on their sites which they themselves don’t like. 

given time, I would like to think my blog would have a mixture of these two, in terms of tone and personality in Untitled Records and the focus on live and video music seen in The Decibel Tolls.  this should fit within the niche I have set out at the start of this blog.

and now, with a video to finish off

Golden Web (design)

setting up a wordpress.com blog, one is given the challenging yet user-friendly task of choosing a design.  there are hundreds of ready-made backgrounds/styles to choose from (although I have used backgrounds/styles here, I’m going to refer to them as templates), which may seem overwhelming to pick the one which speaks to you and your viewers alike’.  however, it is important to choose a blogging template which reflects your blog’s purpose (or at least, one which doesn’t make you look like an absolute idiot). 

Alan Liu wrote a book called “The Laws of Cool” (2001), where he describes and defines cool.  that’s pretty hardcore, since it isn’t something that is easy to define.  although you cant access the book online, Geert Lovink, media theorist, explains the book very well in an interview with Liu, at http://networkcultures.org/wpmu/geert/interview-with-alan-liu, where he describes Liu’s motto of working in an office space, yet still remaining cool as

“I am not so cool as to actively rebel or quit, but I am just cool enough to be slightly kinky in the web pages I browse at work, I’m not quite subversive, but my behaviour asserts that I’m me and not just part of this corporation or that team.” 

keeping this idea of cool in my mind, it is hard to make an asserted effort to remain cool using such a strict, ‘corporate’ template which wordpress.com gives you, there’s not too much freedom involved.  so setting up a blog may be easy, but to try to remain above the line f cool with such a limited selection of design is a challenge.

my blog is about music, it is a personal review of classic albums, even putting them in competition against eachother to see which ones draw a more raw expression, emotion than the others.  given this, there are certain blogging templates on wordpress.com which can be ruled out even before seeing how good they look on the screen.  

Girl in Green, a template with a punk girl in the top right corner, is out, as I am neither a punk, nor a girl.  Sweet Blossoms, which is covered with flowers and backed by a pink background, may be a very pretty template, but no – no no – it’s not for me or my blog.

this blog is not designed to wow viewers with a flashy design (well, not in its building stage at least), it is a relatively conservative interface with as user-friendly format as possible.  I originally had the template Chaos Theory, which was fine to begin with, but there were some problems with it, which is why I eventually changed to Motion. 

Mm aim for the blog was to have easy access to past posts to be displayed at the top of the page (ie not needing to scroll all the way to the bottom to find the posts).  tags were also needed to be displayed as soon as you see the page, preferably underneath the recent posts.  I chose a template with a dark background, which allowed for a light coloured font, making it different than your usual light background and dark coloured font. 

my header image for the blog is the default image of 3 intersecting, coloured circles, which is fine.  preferably I would keep it as it is, but with coloured vinyl records replacing the circles (and since I cannot design the alternative, it will stay as it is), but the chosen design).

video time

Here, There and Everywhere

hello all!

here we have a Beatles vs. Beatles battle, with two of their greatest albums going head to head in Abbey Road and Revolver


Abbey Road has inspired generations of musicians.  it is simply superb.  the songs are unforgettable, the music is both sweet and eerie and th ealbm works as a great album, not jus a collection of great sounding songs.  it starts with Come Together (one of the clips above is (again) from the movie Across the Universe), with a brilliant portrayal of a man with hair down to his knees.  the album evolves into a sweet and soft ode to the world and the sun with Because and Here Comes the Sun, finishing with the more energetic song The End and the quaint little ode, Her Majesty.  this album, is not overrated, it is one of the best albums ever produced.


and Revolver aint that shabby either.  you only have to listen to Elanor Rigby to be hooked on the album (i even remember studying the lyrics of that song in a yr 10 literature class, wow that was a fun class).  the songs are fantastic, yet it lacks the mature confidence that Abbey Road has.   

so Abbey Road wins the final pool B round.

we now have another round, with

Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band vs. Blonde on Blonde

Rubber Soul vs. The Velvet Underground & Nico

Are You Experienced? vs. Exile on Main Street

and What’s Goin’ On vs. Abbey Road

keep in touch to see the next results!

I Forgot To Remember To Forget

hello

this is the penultimate review of pool b, Marvin Gaye’s What’s Goin’ On? vs. Elvis’ The Sun Sessions.

Elvis is pretty cool, before his -umm different eating habits, Elvis was a cool guy.  his songs are memorable, his style was totally unique for its time and he brought rock and roll truly into the forefront of (mainly American) music culture.  he was a prominent actor, which basically were made as giant film clips; but looking back with retrospect, they are quite fun (not the best quality films, but enjoyable).  his sun sessions are a agateway into the great Elvis, but dont really contain any of his best work (Jailhouse Rock, Hound Dog or Suspicious Minds in my opinion).  they are classic Elvis, without really being classics in themselves.

What’s Goin’ On? on the other hand, is both classic Marvin, and classic in its own rights.  Gaye’s music is political, groovy and catchy, a trio of checks to be a worthwhile listen.  his voice is soothing, more trained than Elvis’ and just as unique.  the R&B singer/songwriter captures the mood perfectly with his most recognised song on the record, What’s Goin’ On? after which the album is named.  his relaxed preacher style is infectious, with backing vocals backing his message of equality.  his lyrics are poetic (“mother mother, there’s too many of you crying.  Brother brother brother, there’s far too many of you dying.”) and the mood of the song is driven by the R&B energy which is played through the syncopated drums and light, soulful sax. 

the winner, Marvin Gaye!  (yay!)

the next review is the last of the first 8, with two beatle’s classics, Abbey Road vs. Revolver

should be interesting …

Revolution 9

hey guys
sorry for the delay of posts, but my blasted internet has been down for almost a week, and ive been ready to kill someone!
lol so now the rant is over, lets get to the next competition.
this week its between The Rolling Stones vs. The Beatles

now i hope by now you all know i love The Beatles, they are the most influential people, ever, in the world, everywhere.  their White Album, with 4 sides and exquisite album cover represents a time in their career where everything was going right, they were at their element.  although this is not their best album, this is most definitely a seriously great album.  the highlight, in my opinion, are dear prudence (covered very well by the Across the Universe crowd) and revolution, a powerful protest song adaptable to any time and place.  my favourite cover from this album, however, comes again from across the universe, with blackbird.

the album is a great listen, with the softer, easier tones of the Beatles almost bringing a childish aura through the ears (except of course with protest songs like revolution )


the rolling stones show the epitome of blues induced rock and roll, and Exile on Main St is the most pure, perfect example of their expertise.  their songs encourage head-bopping syndrome and show a real class in jagger and richards.  rocks off has a great guitar riff which is central to the song, with is added trumpets and crazy keyboard in the chorus adds real excitement to the song.  the whole album is infused with this sort of charm which made the rolling stones (arguably) the best rock n roll outfit ever.  the album brings the idea of a dance hall filled with rebelious youths at their prime, in the 60s, just on the brink of sexual and political revolution, which is just plain exciting to imagine.

so the winner is Exile on Main St (and the crowd goes wild!)

tune in next time for Marvin Gaye vs. Elvis

Fanfare for the (creative) Common(s) Man

copyright systems have been a vital part of media for the past 400 years. copyright has had the ability to protect artists/authors/musicians work from counterfeiting and privacy. however, copyright has only been effective when the overall number of people/pieces of work to be copied is relatively low ( if not low, then at least a sensible number of things which has the remotest possibility to be traced).

as the amount of art, music and literature (to name just a few) has rapidly increased since the Web was invented (some would say the production has increased exponentially), a new system of production is needed. with upwards of 200 million blogs said to be on the internet, ordinary internet users need to decide to what extent their work needs to be protected.

this blog is not designed for commercial gain, nor is any of its contents displayed on the internet to further any music ambitions I may have. if people read this blog and like it enough to use it for their own blog, touch it up and use it to make money, I have absolutely no problem with it. however, saying that, it is important to me to make people aware it is my original work/idea that is the subject of this new money making tactic. I know if I am misled in believing someone has created something that isn’t theirs, I feel let down, I feel like someone lied to me.

through my Uni, the concept of a lighter Copyright system caught my attention. it is called Creative Commons, founded by Creative Commons was founded in 2001 with the generous support of the Center for the Public Domain.

it is led by a Board of Directors that includes cyberlaw and intellectual property experts James Boyle, Michael Carroll, Molly Shaffer Van Houweling, and Lawrence Lessig, MIT computer science professor Hal Abelson, lawyer-turned-documentary filmmaker-turned-cyberlaw expert Eric Saltzman, renowned documentary filmmaker Davis Guggenheim, noted Japanese entrepreneur Joi Ito, and public domain web publisher Eric Eldred. these people created an alternative to Copyright to suit the participatory nature of the internet post 2001 (with the dotcom crash, commonly called web 2.0).

through www.creativecommons.org, one can choose the level of restrictions placed on what can be used/done to existing work and what is the appropriate amount of recognition the original author requires when reproducing their work.

this system covers all spectrums for what people wish for their work on the internet. it allows people to have the option of opening their content for the public, of restricting it to only be usable “as-is” (ie not altered), restricting it to non-commercial use and also affecting the way people use it when it is copied onto another website (parasitic economy, check it it!). it also covers levels of attribution required for other users to copy/alter content.

this sounds like a complicated system, but it is quite easy to use. the user-friendly layout and explanations suit the purpose of the system; it is designed for the ordinary person to protect their work.
and another video

I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times

hey guys

the first review of pool b is here, and its Pet Sounds vs. Are You Experienced?


the Beach Boys are a great band, and this is a great album.  being younger than conscription, i guess i cant fully appreciate the effect this album had on the world, but seeing the reviews at rateyourmusic, http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the_beach_boys/pet_sounds/, its clear this album has had a profound effect on the world.  the songs are catchy and show a lost nostalgia in both the lyrics and the tone of the music.  wouldn’t it be nice (despite being the cadbury song), is one of the most addictive songs ever, one you sing for hours after hearing it.  but as good as the album is, i cant get excited about it.

jimi hendrix, on the other hand, i can get excited about.


Are You Experienced? is a guitar-tastic album which still motivates guitar wannabes today.  the guitar riff on purple haze is electric and addictive.  the raw energy hendrix creates in this album through each of his songs is chilling.  granted, the vocals are something which is not a selling point of this album, but when coupled by the guitar, it doesnt matter who’s singing, its gonna sound good. 

so Are You Experienced? it is.

next time, Exile on Main St vs. The White Album

ps i found this video last night, and i loved it, so enjoy!

Ballad of a Thin Man, Freddie Freeloader

hey all,

today’s battles are Rubber Soul vs. Kind of Blue and Velvet Underground and Nico vs. Highway 61 Revisited.  so lets get started!

Miles Davis is cool, he is just awesomely cool, and so is his music.  there may only be 6 tracks on this record, but the essence of jazz is captured in each of them.  you just want to be in a bar, and dance to this music, because its infectious.  this is, in my opinion, the jazziest jazz album.  the trumpet of Davis is sublime, the rhythm section belts groovy lines to swing your body to, and if you can get the vinyl record, the experience is unforgetable. 

But even with all the good things about Davis and jazz, there is something about this Beatles album.  Rubber Soul is not as experimental as Sgt Peppers, but there are a lot more catchy tunes than Sgt Peppers.  “Baby you can drive my car” is just an awesome catch for a song.

and Girl (this excerpt from the movie Across the Universe, highly recommended!) is a fascinating ode to ‘Girl’, but you find yourself just saying ‘Giiirrrlll, giiirrrlll’ for no real reason after hearing it.

so Rubber Soul wins this battle, and on with the next one!

i love the Velvet Underground and Nico, like serioiusly, love the music.

Heroin is a great song, it is dealing with a very serious subject matter, but unlike what many critics of the song believe, it doesnt advocate heroin usage.  “oh heroin be the death of me, Heroin, its my wife and its my life”  not only does it talk against H use, but it also relects a H rush musically, with bursts of speed followed by relaxing calm. 

the whole album is experimental and quite pschycadellic, but it works, whether it be through the tune of Femme Fatale, or the chant-like vibe of All Tomorrow’s Parties.

and we come to another Dylan.  dont get me wrong, i love Dylan, but when it comes to variation, the Dylan is no Lennon and McCartney.  the rustic feel is there and the harmonica is working, but it can’t nudge VU from the win.  (Plus, is it just me, or is this Rolling Stones Cover actually really cool?)

so we finish the last of the Pool A songs, now on to Pool B. 

stay tuned for updates on the contests.