analog scene
Analog Scene updates with fresh tracks and commentary on art and music throughout the work week. If you like what you hear send the artist some naked pix of yourself. Just make sure the nudes are tasteful, sexy, and original.Archive for Culture
culture and music: the mars volta and aqua teen hunger force
What do The Mars Volta, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Neko Case and Kelly Hogan have to do with each other? Well, not a lot, actually – but just enough to write about! There was a recent episode of Aqua Teen Hunger Force that featured the mythological Sirens (named Chrysanthemum and The BJ Queen) moving in to a vacant Aqua Teen house, along with their slave; former pro athlete John Cruk.
It was just another episode to me until the Sirens started singing – with really good voices! They sang one melody over and over again… something along the lines of ‘We’re getting it on’ but that wasn’t important, it was just the melody. Humor me, here. The next week I was listening to the new Mars Volta album, The Bedlam in Goliath. The third track started, and for a moment I felt like I was watching that Aqua Teen episode again. I swear to god, the beginning of Ilyena sounds just like the Sirens singing! Upon further research, I learned that the Sirens in that episode were played by Neko Case and Kelly Hogan. The oddness just doesn’t stop! Anyway, Ilyena happens to be my favorite track on the Volta’s new album, so any excuse to share it I’ll take.
Apparently, the creator of ATHF is making a new series with Neko Case as a pop star princess who tackles hardcore issues like racism and teen pregnancy with her music. I’m pretty excited.
The Mars Volta- Ilyena
right click and save as to download.
- Robert
photo via flickr user, haleythecaker.
music and culture: drm news and matmos
Hope your weekend went well! Let’s get started with some news about Amazon’s DRM-Free mp3 Service. Amazon now has a Linux client for the service and now Amazon supports all major operating systems which definitely could give them an edge over iTunes but then again; Linux users are a pretty minuscule number of the computing population. Other DRM news includes a NY Times story on how publishers are phasing out DRM. Audible has yet to jump on this band wagon.
Alright enough of that, let’s get to the music! My good friend Matt Kish once posted the following track at his blog on Spudd64 and I can’t look into the archives to quote him directly but I will paraphrase I little of what he had to say about the Matmos song I’m sharing with you. Kish has a way of describing music that I’m not very good at but one of the things that he said really stuck with me. First off he said that the song reminded him of summer and I believe he was posting this in the middle of winter so it was applicable but the thing that really got me was his intimate description of sitting on a front porch just simply enjoying summer while listening to the fireworks in the distance along with other ambient noises. It was a gorgeous description and it’s a bummer I can’t recreate it for you.
Regardless, I miss summer too.
Matmos- For The Trees (Return)
right click and save as to download.
- Kyle
culture: nanibird
Stuff you can print out from the internet and make into über-cute stuff. This idea isn’t news but the folks at NaniBird are doing some awesome things with it. The creator, Josh McKibile hasn’t been living in Japan all his life and he says that he is constantly sayning “nani”. Nani in Japanese means what so Josh is all the time saying, “nani?, nani?” and he decided to make 100 paintings of birds running around saying “what?”. So he decided to get artists and designers to create printable NaniBirds that you can cut out and put together for free. Cute!
NaniBird
nanibird.com
In celebration of Josh McKibile’s über-cute “what”birds, I’ve decided to put together a little three song “what” mix for you while you make your own NaniBird.
Jamie Lidell- What’s the use?
right click and save as to download.
Parks & Recreation- What Was She Doing on the Shore that Night?
right click and save as to download.
The Radio Dept.- What Will Give?
right click and save as to download.
-Kyle
music and culture: downliners sekt
Everyone knows about all the Radiohead biznass that occurred in late 2007 with their whole digital distribution/pick your own price shit. Yeah I called it shit because personally I thought it was pretty lame of Thom Yorke and co. to be all about this absolutely kick ass idea to try and evolve the music industry’s economy and then release the album traditionally and take away the online distribution model they started off with. What the fuck happened? It was like Radiohead got stage fright or maybe that green just tasted too good. Let’s not even mention the album was entirely underwhelming.
Radiohead failed in my book. They had an awesome idea, ran with it, then dropped it, and covered up with greed. The music industry definitely doesn’t need greed, and it definitely doesn’t need Thom Yorke. It needs more artists like Downliners Sekt.
Two days before Valentine’s Day I received an email from Downliners Sekt with a link to their website. I was already smitten by their kind words in the email but when I arrived at their cyberhome, I was even more impressed. The website has incredible design, it’s a little dark and gritty but it’s sexy dark and gritty. What’s the point? Well first off these artists already have the presentation shit down solidly so all they need to do now is deliver the goods. Deliver the goods they do.
Creative Commons! Let’s talk about Creative Commons and what Downliners Sekt has to do with Creative Commons. First off Creative Commons is an alternative to Copyright and it’s growing steadily. Basically it gives people the right to copy and distribute work under the CC license with minimal restrictions. It’s a really incredible idea and I’m definitely for it. So what about Downliners Sekt and Creative Commons? Well all of Downliners Sekt’s music under a Creative Commons license! What does that mean?
Their digital music is free. That’s right, so you won’t even feel a pang of guilt when downloading their album. On second thought scratch that point, when is the last time you actually ever felt a pang of guilt for downloading an album illegally? Exactly. Well, at least download an album for free legally has to feel a little better. Downliners Sekt wants you to stick their album in your P2P share folder and distribute it on torrents. They want you to share the love and some wonderful love it is. Of course they have a PayPal button but that’s up to you! If you want to show some love then break out the credit card but they’re not forcing you to do anything.
Downliners Sekt make incredibly cool dark electronic beats that teeter on electropop and other genres around that area. Their albums are instrumental sanctuaries of sound and noise. I’ve been spinning their newest album, The Saltire Wave and I’ve been digging the shit out of it. Especially when I normally don’t find myself listening to darker music.
I absolutely champion everything that Downliners Sekt is doing. They’re saying “fuck you” to the music industry with style, flair, and content! So go on, click the following links below to download their newest album and visit their website.
Downliners Sekt- The Saltire Wave
right click and save as to download.
Downliners Sekt
http://downliners-sekt.com/
-Kyle
culture: mary and matt
Mary and Matt’ totally sound like an indie pop (See: Matt & Kim) band but it’s actually one of my new favorite websites. I’m sure Mary and Matt dig great music but their website mostly focuses on design, quirky finds, and quirky items for sale on their “general store” page. As of today some of the wacky stuff they have for sale includes ultra cute stencil cards (pictured above) that say “congratulations” and “happy birthday.”
Other awesome items include an old skateboard done up as a hangable chalk board; witty right? Witty and cute, Mary and Matt have this down. Their prices aren’t so bad either, especially when they actually sale Fruit Stripe gum for a dollar, shippin’ included. That’s a pretty strange item to have in a section with a 1978 Texas Instruments Little Professor calculator that they’re currently restocking but it somehow works. I’ve always wanted to have a cute little website like Mary and Matt with my girlfriend and this site is definitely an inspiration. I highly recommend not only checkin’ out the cool goods they have in their general store but also looking at their blog because you’ll most likely find some rare and beautiful images you’ve never seen before.
Mary & Matt
http://maryandmatt.net
-Kyle
