Mix #34 (analytical edition)

Love Me Already – Black Kids
Black Kids have a rather interesting sound. The keyboards and guitars are relatively standard, but it is the vocals that set them apart. The leader singer has a weird delivery style that isn’t quite yelling, but is certainly forceful, creating a rather washy sound. At times it works, but elsewhere it can get annoying. This song demonstrates this problem nicely, as well showing some of the underlying melodies that are driving people towards their music.

On and On – The Bell
I’ve been trying rather unsuccessfully to work out who The Bell’s vocalist sounds like. Whenever I find a similarity, such as the deep drone of Interpol, it always fails to apply across the board. Whatever the case, it’s a voice that works well. In fact, everything about this band is done right. Each track has a nicely crafted melody, different from the last, that has you bopping along without realising. But that’s just the problem. It all runs TOO smoothly. It’s like they’ve followed the ‘good music’ book so perfectly that their sound ends up hollow. It seems harsh, or perhaps nonsensical, but it's about the only explanation I can come up with for why I enjoy their music, but walk away feeling unsatisfied...

The Flies Arrive – Cajun Dance Party
Just as The Libertines did before them, Cajun Dance Party are successfully mastering the art of sloppiness. There’s something oddly appealing about music that appears effortless and at times deliberately bad. Slurred vocals, late changes and general disregard for polish is a combination which works surprisingly well; provided it’s done right. Well thankfully, CDP know their stuff. It also doesn’t hurt having some killer keyboard licks to boot.

Tyrants – Black Mountain
If you’re looking for some nicely packaged ‘songs’, you're going to be severely disappointed with Black Mountain’s new album. On their own, each track seems horribly disjointed; this one alone contains five or so different stages with questionable relevance to one other. But you have to realise that they are all parts of a bigger picture. All this lack of accessibility is forgotten when you discover just how epic the end result is. At times you think you’re listening to a hardcore instrumental band, until all of a sudden some vocals kick in and they’ve moved into a compelling new melody.

Playhouses – TV on the Radio
TV On The Radio are one of the few bands around that are truly right out of left field. You won’t find any obvious influences here. Their music is filled with complex, overlapping melodies that build slowly, but travel at exciting paces. And best of all, it’s all driven by team of powerful vocalists, not afraid to dabble in falsetto frequencies. What more could you want?

Mix #34 (anecdotal edition)

Love Me Already – Black Kids
Black Kids are the latest band to be thrust into popularity far too quickly. The usual sequence of events will probably occur, with the serious music community dismissing them as more and more idiots begin liking them. But until then, we can still get some enjoyment out of them. Personally, I'm not blown away, but they seem to be creating some pretty impressive music (including this song), and it’s still early in their career.

On and On – The Bell
For an album to succeed, it needs to do two important things. Firstly, it needs be good. It sounds simple enough, but convincing listeners of this fact is no walk in the park. Secondly, it needs to give you a reason to keep coming back. You may openly admit an album sounds good, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you have a desire to keep listening to it. You need something special that makes you associate the album with an enjoyable experience. Well that’s where I currently sit with Sweden’s The Bell and their album ‘Make Some Quiet’. It’s undoubtedly filled with some great music, I’m just looking for the spark that will keep pulling me back.

The Flies Arrive – Cajun Dance Party
Unless you regularly traverse the blogosphere or indulge in NME’s hyperboles, you probably haven’t heard much of Cajun Dance Party. Well as the year progress, that looks set to change. They are a band out of England, who are turning plenty of heads, despite still being in high school. I’ve previously mentioned their song, The Colourful Life, (which I recommend you track down if you haven’t heard), but I’ve been going through their other demos and finding plenty more promise. It will be very interesting to see how their debut album turns out.

Tyrants – Black Mountain
As I was recommending some music to my friend, Black Mountain came up. I hadn’t had much of a chance to listen to it myself, but I mentioned how it was receiving quite a bit of hype. We put it on to try it out and let’s just say it didn’t a very good job convincing my friend that it was worth listening to. The problem is that Black Mountain simply cannot be enjoyed in short bursts. It feels like some sort of epic cinematic experience that needs plenty of time to mature. The very act of me offering a track to sample is probably doing the album a great injustice, but I can’t very well give the whole thing away. As I’ve given it the time it deserves, the quality is certainly starting to emerge.

Playhouses – TV on the Radio
In my attempt to try and give some sort of indication of where Black Mountain sat on the hype / popularity chain, I tried offering a comparison with TV on the Radio. To which I got blank looks. TV on the Radio! I thought everybody knew who they were. Anyway, just in case anybody else out there is still ignorant, here’s a reminder.

Monday Mix

Maasai Mara – The Ruby Suns
For many of you, your first encounter with New Zealand band, The Ruby Suns, was when far off foreigners, The Shins, chose them as special guests for their tour of Australia. So much for our close relationship with NZ. But now they’re coming for their very own show (this Friday at Spectrum) and I’m getting pretty excited (for various reasons). Their music fits somewhere in the ‘twisted indie-pop’ category, alongside the likes of Animal Collective. Their debut album is excellent and they have another on the way very soon.

No One’s Gonna Love You – Band of Horses
Those who listened to the last Band of Horses album will know just how powerful their music can be. The vocals are undoubtedly the main driving force behind this. I haven’t yet decided whether their latest album is up to the same standards, but if this song is anything to go by, we may have another classic on our hands.

She Says – VHS or Beta
Perhaps their name is supposed to indicate a sound, rooted in the past? Maybe it symbolises a battle in another fiercely competitive industry? Either that or they’re just nerds. Whatever the case, VHS or Beta seem well poised. They’ve put out a high quality album that’s accessible from the get go. I’d be surprised if they didn’t end up reaching the heights of bands like Franz Ferdinand very soon.

California Girls – The Magnetic Fields
For an album that was supposed to sound “more like Jesus and Mary Chain than Jesus and Mary Chain”, it comes off sounding much more like a Magnetic Fields album to me. And that’s a good thing. Stephin Merritt’s brilliant melodies are back, along with the rotating vocalists. It feels like a perfect continuation of 69 Love Songs.

A Violent Yet Flammable World – Au Revoir Simone
The idea of an all female, all keyboard wielding band is sure to delight some and disgust others. I’m personally one of the former. When I first heard of Au Revoir Simone, I immediately thought of Electrelane and I wasn’t far off. They definitely have their own sound (except for one very similar song), but the vibe is very much the same. This is, of course, an excellent thing! Their album, Birds of Music, is very impressive and I struggled to pick just one song. I think this one finds a nice balance between their two extremes of delicate and powerful.

Digital Music: Stores Wrapup

When it comes to buying digital music, there are many important factors you’ll come up against. Here’s an overview of what they are, who fares best and what I’d like to see in the future.

Digital Music: Value

When I say value, I don’t just mean how cheap it is (though that is important). I’m also referring to what you get for your money, how rewarding your purchase is. Digital Music has a problem with being a rather hollow purchase. Unlike buying a CD or vinyl, you get nothing physical, just a few files for your computer. When these files are identical to what you could have downloaded for free of an illegal network, it’s hard to keep up the motivation to do the right thing. But it doesn’t have to be this way, the internet is perfect place for delivering rewarding media experiences. Digital Music stores just need to make the effort.

Winner: Matador

You know things are bad when none of the stores win this award. Some fare better than others, but the sad fact is that they all fall short. Other than some album art and the occasional bonus track, each offers little more than a bunch of standard mp3s. Matador, on the hand, is doing some excellent work with their ‘Buy Early, Get Now’ program. This allows you to pre-order CDs, months before they’re ready, and then stream the album while you wait. In some cases, bonus material is released periodically and you can download the album to enjoy in mp3 format before your physical CD arrives. It’s not quite the same as buying digital music in the regular fashion, but it’s an example of using the digital medium to deliver superior content, and more importantly, shows that someone out there is trying.

Runner Up: eMusic

If you’re looking for value in a purely monetary sense, eMusic is the place to go. On the cheapest subscription model, you get 30 tracks for US$10 a month. That comes in at a respectable AU$0.40 per song, WELL below the standard asking price. This is great to see because it makes digital music a viable option. $16.99 is simply too much for an album worth of mp3s. The money you save isn’t enough to justify the sacrifice, especially when you’re getting just plain mp3s. If more stores (and the labels that provide the music) followed eMusic’s lead, digital music would be a far better choice.

What Is Needed:

Either the price needs to come down or the product must be made more rewarding, because as it stands, you simply don’t get your money’s worth. I realise that the pressing of CDs is a small part of the costs in making an album, but surely there is room for better margins. On the other side of the story, I believe it is vital (and not all that difficult) to make digital purchases more rewarding. I would like to see all digital purchased kept in a personal ‘online catalogue’ that can be easily browsed. It should have not just album art, but also liner notes and the ability to stream each track. When digital music reaches this point, I think it will have found its place as a true medium for buying music.

Digital Music: Choice / Discovery

A friend once pointed out that ‘Number 1’ records are judged not by the amount sold, but the amount out of the warehouse. So if you make enough of them, any record can be number 1. And what is the first thing people who don’t know any better buy? The number 1 record, of course. Thus your artificially inflated CD becomes a justified chart topper.

Now we may just be conspiracy theorists, but it raises a legitimate point. When we get to a shop, it’s so tempting to just buy what’s popular. All the music we discovered at gigs, various blogs and Myspace gets dwarfed by the shelf space and promotional weight of the top ten. Thankfully though, digital music stands to change this. The wealth of information out there and the ability to buy on the spot, when we find something, means we can get music that is not only better, but more suited to our individual tastes.

Winner: iTunes

Now digital stores are far from perfect. Home pages are still dominated by Top 10s and the financially backed, and iTunes is no different. However, it still wins, quite simply because its large catalogue is most likely to give us instant gratification. Not only that, but the many ‘Buy with iTunes’ links that are scattered across the web help to make the job even easier. It also has other nice touches like a personalised home page, which uses your previous purchases to feature music you’re more likely to enjoy.

Runner Up: eMusic

It’s a bit unfair that eMusic comes second, because they certainly put the most effort in. There are all sorts of editorials and lists to help you find something new and the music is divided into everything from genre to year, so you can browse how you like. On top of this, each band’s page has a list of similar bands and influences, allowing you to jump from one to another with ease. There’s so much interesting content to read through that you’ll forget you’re at a store.

What Is Needed:

While iTunes and eMusic solve two big problems with finding music, they don’t offer complete solutions. When you open iTunes thinking “I want to buy some music!”, but you’re not sure what (as I did), it’s very hard to know where to start looking. Some possible solutions could include scanning your browsing history to find which artists you have been looking at or a small program that allowed you to ‘note’ bands of interest as you browse, and then be reminded of them when you next visit the store. Clearly there aren’t any fundamental problems here, just the potential for new and interesting ways to make sure you’re getting the music you like best.

Digital Music: Ease Of Use

You’d be surprised how complicated some stores make it just to buy a few songs off the internet. The two main areas to look out for are payment flexibility and download ease. You want a store that allows you to pay in the way that suits you and you want to get through the whole process relatively quickly. Similarly, once you’ve paid, you want to be listening to your music with as little hassle as possible.

Winner: 7digital

Having only bought one song from their sister site, Indiestore, I give this recommendation cautiously, but it would appear they are doing everything right. They use a ‘shopping cart’ system but it seems to run incredibly smoothly and you have the ability to pay with both credit card and paypal (my personal choice). On the downloading side, albums can be downloaded as one package, which is a must (and sadly not the case some other stores). It also conveniently keeps track of all your previously bought files, should you need to redownload them.

What impresses me most about 7digital is that it caters to both regular users and one-off customers. Unlike client systems (iTunes, eMusic), where you have to install software and sign-up, 7digital allows you to come along and buy an album with relatively little commitment. It’s just like a purchase anywhere else on the web. But for those who do want to buy more frequently, there are also mechanisms in place to manage all your files, including the handy ability to access them away from your main computer.

Runner Up: iTunes

The ability to buy iTunes credit at nearly any music store is a huge bonus, especially for the young, but it isn’t the most efficient system. You have to keep returning to the shop and you’ll often end up with $1.50 of unusable credit. Paypal is sorely missed (though I may be biased). However, once the software is installed and your credit is in, buying music with iTunes is an absolute dream. Everything just works! It’s quick and its simple. Apple certainly know their stuff.

What Is Needed:

Again, the main problem here is that each store will do some things right, but not others. If you took the best parts from each store, you could make the perfect digital music store. Unfortunately, it’s not that easy. Either way, these are the main features I think every store should be aiming to include:

• Batch downloading (whole albums at a time)
• A page to view and redownload all purchased files
• Support all major payment options
• 1-click purchases (after buying some credit)
• Ability to buy and access to files from any computer

Is that so much to ask!?

Digital Music: Format

If you’re new to buying digital music, you’ll want to pay very close attention to what format it is. This will determine what players it will work on and what you’re allowed to do with it. The ideal format to look out for is plain MP3s, however sadly most digital music is sold in other formats, along with protection. Basically, the record label fat cats don’t want you spreading the music you just bought (fair enough) so they add protection which restricts what you can do with it (not fair). All in all, this punishes those who do the right thing by buying their music legally.

There are two mains types of protection. First is Apple’s method, where files are sold in AAC format, which will only work on iTunes and iPods. This is what you get from the iTunes music store. All other stores selling protected files must use the other type of protection, ie Microsoft’s method. This gives you files in WMA format with DRM (Digital Rights Management) protection. Apples method works smoothly, but limits you to their products, while Microsoft’s method is more flexible, but unreliable. In other words, they’re both bad. It’s in your best interest to avoid buying protected music whenever possible.

Best Performer: eMusic

All of eMusic’s songs are unprotected. No exceptions. This puts it leaps and bounds ahead of the others. You are given regular MP3s which can be put on your iPod as well as every other MP3 player on the planet. It’s as it should be.

Runner Up: 7digital

7Digital gets an honourable mention because it is clear that whenever possible, they do their best to offer the files in an unprotected format. In most cases it is not the store who decides whether the music is protected or not, so it is hardly fair criticise them (though they do play their part). On top of this, 7Digital offers many files in multiple formats and at various levels of quality, allowing you to choose the one that suits you best.

What’s Needed:

For starters, protection needs to be removed completely. Illegal file sharing will take place regardless, so there’s no point making the legal option any more difficult. Thankfully the backlash from consumers is starting to turn things around, and soon this dream will be a reality. Secondly, other stores should take 7Digital’s example in offering multiple choices in file format and quality. In one hand I might want small MP3s to cram onto my player, but also high quality FLAC files to enjoy at home. When you buy a CD you can have both. There’s no reason why digital music shouldn’t be the same.

Digital Music: Range

Obviously if you’re going to be buying your music digitally on a regular basis, you’ll want the shop you use to have a decent range. While it is possible go different stores for different releases, it is much nicer if one store gives you everything you need. Now digital stores have a habit of quoting big numbers in order make their range seem impressive, but I guarantee you, numbers mean nothing. What really matters is the quality of their collection. The only real way to judge a stores range is to jump in and try it out. Search for favourite albums and ones you’re thinking about buying and see how it fares. Different stores will cater better to different people.

Best Performer: iTunes

Being the biggest digital music store, iTunes has the distinct advantage of being the place where every band wants their music sold. As a result, the iTunes music catalogue is by far the best. In fact, barring a few exceptions, the iTunes store could serve most people’s music needs completely. Not many other digital (or indeed physical) music stores could argue this. There is a catch, however. Most iTunes music is protected and the iTunes Plus range (unprotected) is no where near as impressive.

Runner Up: eMusic

Being a largely independent music store, eMusic is missing plenty of music. If you’re looking for something from the top 40, this certainly isn’t the place to look. But it more than makes up for this with all the music you won’t find anywhere else. And I’m not talking about b-grade independent music that nobody cares about. I mean all the brilliant indie music that is so frequently swooned about by bloggers such as myself.

What Is Needed: More!

It sounds simple and it is. Digital music won’t become a viable option until sellers build up a collection that offers all the music you could possibly want. iTunes is mighty close, but many of the competitors are lagging significantly.

Monday Mix #31

The Opposite Of Hallelujah – Jens Lekman
After the success of ‘Your Arms Around Me’ it really comes as no surprise that Jens Lekman has released an album full of nicely polished pop gems. The lyrics can occasionally get a little awkward, but this is always made up for in pure sweetness.

123456 (Pardon Us) – Aleks and The Ramps
Speaking of lyrics, this song has some rather interesting ones. I bought Aleks and The Rams’ debut album on the back of some rather impressive reviews and I must admit, I was a little disappointed. It’s undoubtedly good and certainly different, but it just failed to grab me. Then again, I’m yet to see them live which could turn things around.

Love Goes On! – The Go-Betweens
How unAustralian of me, that I’ve only just got into The Go-Betweens. It hasn’t taken much, though and I’m now beginning to realise just how great they are. That signature acoustic sound of theirs never fails to deliver. If you’re yet to be convinced, it will only take one listen of 16 Lovers Lane to turn you around.

While We Go Dancing – The White Rabbits
I’m not quite sure how I ended up with The White Rabbits’ album, but all of a sudden I found myself listening to a band I’d never heard of before, with no idea what to expect. It didn’t come immediately, but I’m really coming to appreciate their music.

They Made Frogs Smoke Til They Exploded – Mum
Mum are another band out of Iceland making some really unique music. It’s incredibly weird at times, and I’m surprised that I actually like it. This song probably isn’t the best, but I wanted to include it for the cool video they’ve made for it.

The Octopus Project and why you should pay more attention to your music.

I’ve always been one who sees the allure of vinyls, indulge yet I’ve also done my best to avoid getting swept up by them. I do this because I know that it is neither practical nor affordable to listen to everything on vinyl, no matter how much better it sounds. Yet in recent times, my standards have been slipping a little and I’ve been indulging myself. The most striking thing I’ve noticed is how different the listening process is. The fact that you have to physically turn the record over, just to get through an album, means it is generally more involving. You’re far more likely to pay attention to the music coming out of your turntable, than the queued up mp3s on your computer. The reason this was so striking was that it made me realise how little attention I pay to the music I listen to. I consider myself devoted to music because I listen to it all the time, but in actual fact, I’m hardly listening at all. It is merely sitting in the background, failing to register as I attend to whatever else I’m doing. And I wonder why it takes me so long to decide whether I like something or not. I need at least three of these half-hearted attempts before an image of the song begins to form in my brain. I know most people out there probably don’t offend as badly as I do, but every now and then, I recommend you try actually LISTENING to your music. You’ll find it to be much more enjoyable, even if you do lose all that time that could have been spent multitasking.

Now all this might seem irrelevant, but it partly thanks to The Octopus Project and their latest album, Hello, Avalanche that I came to this revolutionary conclusion. I was at my computer, doing the motions, listening to their album for probably the third time. However, after a 3am session of listening to the White Album and playing Uno the night before, I was getting rather tired. I decided to leave the album going as I gave my eyes a rest. It was here I discovered just how great it is. Being a (largely) instrumental band, it makes sense that The Octopus Project pay a fair amount of attention to detail. So as I lay there, concentrating on nothing but, I was able to experience this in all its glory. Each song is delicately crafted, gradually layering one riff on top of other until it builds into a spectacular climax, or else floats off in another direction. It really is quite a special album and this is coming from someone who usually shies away from instrumental music. There really isn’t any stand out tracks because each just carries on perfectly from the last. I must admit, I picked a nice album to lie back and relax to.

An Evening With Rthrtha – Then again, after listening to this song, you’ll probably wonder how I could ever call the album relaxing. But as you pay close attention, hearing the changes as they evolve, it does end up rather peaceful.

I Saw The Bright Shinies – This song impressed me so much, it made want to copy it. The patch they use does a brilliant job of replicating haunting vocals, especially how each notes peaks just after you’d expect it to.

Label | Website | Myspace

Mini Review: The Forms

The Forms caught my attention very early, but they almost got lost amongst a sea of new music. If anything, I'm writing this to prevent myself from forgetting about them again. The self-titled album which they have recently released is actually their second, though it's the first I've heard. Their sound is an interesting one, which concentrates on building layers of smooth, washy harmonies rather than defined, crisp melodies. It works quite well for them and often evokes memories of TV On The Radio. If I had one criticism, it would probably be that many of the songs sound too alike, failing to really define themselves. All in all, this album is certainly worth a look if you enjoy the song below.

Knowledge In Hand

Digital Music: Other Stores

There are tons of music downloads services out there, so obviously I can’t try them all. However, here’s a few more that have caught my eye.

7 Digital / Indiestore

7 Digital is a digital music store operating out of the UK. I’ve only just come across them, but they definitely seem like one to watch. For starters, most of their content is available in multiple formats including WMA and FLAC, as well as high and low quality versions of MP3 and AAC. Once you buy a song, it is kept in your ‘locker’, which can be accessed from anywhere, and downloaded in any of the available formats. It’s good to see this sort of flexibility in a market characterised by restrictions.

The range at the 7digital store is a mix of mainstream and ‘mainstream indie’ and while it doesn’t compare to iTunes, it’s decent. This range is expanded by the inclusion of the Indiestore, which is attached to the regular store and is a place where smaller artists can upload and sell their material. This is still in its early stages and I didn’t really see any artists I recognised, but hopefully it will grow and it’s good to see them doing it.

I bought a single with this service and it was ridiculously easy. The inclusion Paypal made payment simple and whole process was nice and straightforward. Seeing as I haven’t used it more, I can’t really offer a detailed opinion, but on first glance, it seems worth a try.

BigPond

Telstra’s BigPond service is as close as we have to a complete entertainment solution in Australia. On top of your mobile phone and broadband, you can now get music, videos and games. However, this is hardly anything to get excited about. While they do have a large range, it’s nothing you can’t find elsewhere and unfortunately it’s all sold as protected WMAs. I can only really recommend it to existing BigPond customers (who get discounts), but in truth, I think you’d be better off bypassing Telstra all together.

CD Baby

CD Baby is an online store doing great things for independent artists wanting to sell their own music. Many of the albums are now available as MP3s

Amazon

Amazon have put a lot of time and money into taking on iTunes with their MP3 store and on first glance it seems pretty impressive. Unfortunately it’s only available to US customers so I guess we’ll have to wait.

Next: Music Discovery

Mix # 30 something

I Get Around – The Beach Boys
Last week I had the pleasure of seeing Brian Wilson. Despite him missing many of his lines, barely touching his keyboard and just generally being out of it, it was an incredible show. It really is testimony to his genius and the strength of the Beach Boys material. His band were also excellent, especially Jeff Foskett who really carried the performance. Don’t ever let anyone put you down for listening to a bunch of men singing falsetto harmonies. It’s heavenly.

From Little Things, Big Things Grow – Paul Kelly
Also playing at this show was Paul Kelly. It must have been over 5 years since I’d listened to his music, but it was still fresh in my mind. This song at the end was a highlight. It was also amusing to see a guy up the back, jumping up and down the whole time yelling “we’re so lucky!”. Either he REALLY likes Paul Kelly, or he got lost on his way to the Fuzzy party.

Oregon Girl – Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
I’m in the very early stages of listening to this band, but so far I like what I hear. This song has a very Weezer feel to it, but it’s just one of the many different styles they produce. I’m really not sure why they’re not better known. Perhaps they went a little TOO far with the weird name thing.

Your Name – Oh! Custer
The latest trend I’ve been noticing is the emergence of labels that regularly put out 3 inch CDs by various bands. I’m not sure if any labels here in Australia are doing it, but I know a couple of Aussie bands have been involved, including two that I mentioned in my last post. Perhaps the most prominent of these labels is Cloudberry Records, who have been pumping out three of these CDs per month. The folks at Skatterbrain and IndieMP3 have been kind enough to compile their top ten, which you can download as an album. Get them while they last.

Parachute – Shugo Tokumaru
Keeping with the theme of plugging other blogs’ lists, Off The Record, have put out some rather interesting Best of 2007 ones. I was rather surprised to see so many releases I didn’t recognise, as well as a number of international albums. It’s a refreshing change to the more or less identical lists that seem to be popping up elsewhere.

The Hopetoun Hotel's Melbourne Menagerie!

Just in case you didn't have enough great shows to go to in January, here's another one. This Saturday, three of Melbourne's finest indie-pop bands are coming up to Sydney to play one special show at The Hopetoun Hotel. It's an overdose of super sweet sounds. Melbourne really does beat us hands down when it comes to making warm, energetic and fun music. It's sure to be a treat. Here's some samples by each of the bands:

The Zebras - You Look Ready
Summer Cats - Discotheque
The Motifs - Backwards

Sydney band, Our Monk, will also be opening on the night.

More details here

Can't wait!

Digital Music: JB Hi-Fi

(click to visit)

Background

JB Hi-fi’s music download service is one of many run by Destra. Destra don’t have a store of their own, however they provide the catalogue and back-end for anyone else wanting to set one up. Their customers include other big stores such as Harvey Norman’s and ABC’s. It’s quite an intelligent business model because it allows them to build off the brand names of other franchises. One downside of this is that other than the interface, all the Destra stores are pretty much identical. So while we appear to have some choice in this market, we don’t.

Range

There’s no denying that JB Hi-fi shops have become a great place to find music. They’ve got a huge range, consistently lower prices and these days there’s always one nearby. Not only this, but they are beginning to rival smaller, independent retailers by stocking more obscure releases.

Sadly, however, anyone thinking they’ll have access to this expansive catalogue in digital format will be disappointed. You see, other than the name, this digital store holds no relation to JB Hi-fi stores. The range, while large, is mostly mainstream and ‘Top 40’ stuff. For anyone who’s become used to JB Hi-fi’s reputation, this is a bit of a let down. Still, its not all bad. You should be able find any artist who is relatively popular and the occasion smaller local release will also pop up.

Method

I’m not 100% of this, but I think you can buy vouchers, similar to iTunes ones in JB Hi-fi stores. Otherwise, you can always buy online. Thankfully, they have included Paypal, which makes paying a breeze for those who aren’t fans of using their credit cards. You can either buy an online voucher or pay for each item directly. Be sure to do the latter or you may end up with $1.50 useless credit like I did.

Like all digital download stores, JB Hi-fi has a rather rigid price structure, with standard prices for tracks and flat rates for albums. However, whereas other stores might offer the occasional variation, JB Hi-fi is rock solid. Each track is $1.69 and any album with ten or more tracks is $16.99. No exceptions (that I saw). This is great news for fans of Explosions in the Sky, wishing to pick up an album for under $10, but to me it seems lazy. Either they don’t care or haven’t put any thought into it, neither of which instils much confidence.

For the most part, JB Hi-fi sells their songs in Microsoft’s protected WMA format. This is the most common way of doing things and also the most controversial. The idea of being restricted to Window’s Media Player, required to download licenses and limited in how I used the files certainly didn’t appeal to me. I joined the masses in demanding its demise. But maybe, just maybe, I was complaining about nothing. Maybe things would all go nice and smoothly. Ha!

I downloaded one song as a test. Getting it was easy enough, listening to it was another matter. First I had to acquire a license. This failed. I was then told I needed a security upgrade. Which I got. Then I reloaded the song and was told the license for this song had already been issued and I’d have to do it again. These messages just kept on coming and kept on failing. I even tried redownloading it as well as using another computer, all to no avail. In the end I gave up. I had paid $1.69 for a useless piece of code. I couldn’t help but laugh at how dismally it had gone. Imagine how disappointing it would have been for someone who was actually eager to hear their newly PURCHASED music.

But the woes didn’t end there. JB Hi-fi also sells some music as unprotected mp3’s (though they are fingerprinted so they can track who spreads them – scary). This is a good sign and it seems as if they are trying to move more of their collection to this format. I bought an EP worth of mp3s and everything seemed to go fine. That was until I got to the last track and found it was corrupted. In other words, unlistenable. I sent an email to support, but got no reply. I gave up. JB Hi-fi sure weren’t making a very good impression on me.

Yet another problem with JB Hi-fi is that after you’ve bought your files, actually downloading them can be quite a hassle. They are all collected nicely in the ‘My Media’ section, allowing you to easily see and reacquire them, however, you must download each individually. When you have a number of files (like an album), this can get annoyingly tedious, especially since the page reloads each time you click one. It really makes you appreciate the ease of the eMusic and iTunes download managers.

Conclusion

I almost feel sorry for JB Hi-fi’s music store. The problems I encountered are probably incredibly rare, and in the case of the WMA file, possibly my fault, but it’s a painful reminder of the potential hassles associated with buying songs online. Three weeks later I managed to get my song playing and the corrupted file had been fixed, but it doesn’t change the fact that they messed up in the first place. The only really positive feature of this store is the inclusion of Paypal, which while handy, is always bypassable and isn’t really a unique feature. Sadly, I can’t recommend this service, other than as a last resort.

Next: The rest

Soft Tigers - Gospel Ambitions

If you know of Soft Tigers, it is most likely for their two biggest songs, M.A.R.I.A. and Mr Ice Cream. This is no surprise, because after all, these two songs are undeniably great. Catchy, energetic and fun, these two have ‘hit’ written all over them. You may also have seen them live and discovered a whole new side to them. Their on stage show is far more chaotic, mixing shambolic recreations of their recorded material with all sorts of new sounds. This experimental (and a little apathetic) approach means you never what you’re going to get.

Well their debut album demonstrates yet another side to Soft Tigers. It isn’t a collection of hits. In fact a number of the songs deviate significantly from any sort of ‘song’ structure. Similarly, their rough edges have been smoothed and their chaos given some direction. These changes are certain to leave some fans a little disappointed and as a result, it’s hardly a shock to see this album failing to make waves in the music community. But as far I’m concerned, it delivers everything the Soft Tigers promises to deliver, even if it’s not quite what we expected.

The problem is that on first inspection, Gospel Ambitions certainly seems to be rather weak. You can’t help but hold on to the hope for an album full of M.A.R.I.A.s. But on closer inspection, you’ll discover this album to be great for plenty of other reasons. It’s softer, more intimate sound displays a genuine for love creating music filled with cool sounds and engaging melodies. At first I thought it to be rather sloppy, but I realise how well they’ve captured the spirit of music, imperfections and all.

I’m not trying to proclaim that this is some sort of spectacular album that everyone should love. All I’m saying is that it appears widely misunderstood, and as far as I’m concerned, critically undervalued. What impresses me most is that their rise in popularity has certainly seen no compromise of integrity. Soft Tigers make music how they like to make it, not how they think will sell best. They haven’t just found a winning formula and stuck to it and their shows aren’t just live recreations. They offer far more variety and as a result, a far richer musical experience.

Making Love – This song perfectly demonstrates some of the different sounds to expect on this album. The song travels through a number of different styles, each reflecting the mood of the story being told. It actually quite an interesting song that really captures your attention.

M.A.R.I.A. – Despite all the talk of a different sound, it doesn’t change the fact that all their biggest hits are still on the album. Not only that, but they also fit in seamlessly as the album progresses.

Label | Website | Myspace

Heaven 07

I have super gig on offer for all you Sydney people. Basically we'll be setting the stage up and inviting a heap of Sydney musicians to come play. It will all be for a bit of fun as they play covers and collaborate with each other. On top of everyone listed above, we've managed to reel in Brian Campeau, Richie Cuthbert, Dead Letter Chorus and many more. This mayhem will be bookended by a bit of sanity thanks to full sets from The Ringleaders and Justin Grounds (Melb). Check the myspace for a full spiel.

Also, if we manage to organise ourselves, we may be forming a 'band of bloggers' composed of people from A Reminder, Twelve Major Chords, Get Big, Little Kid and Open Your Eyes. Crazy! Of course, knowing us it will probably fall through, but its a possibility.

It all takes place this Sunday, from the early time of 6pm at The Hopetoun Hotel.

$5!

Arcade Fire Are Coming....

I think if there's one band out there that I'd like to see more than any other, it would have to be Arcade Fire. It's a big call, I know, but just the thought of seeing their music performed live gets me excited. Well as you probably already know, they are coming to Australia for the very first time, this January. It's a momentous occasion, and I should be over the moon, but instead, I'm just depressed. You see, I don't have tickets. A mental blank on the day of sale and my decision to skip Big Day Out this year has left me empty handed. It's a sad story. But don't worry, I'll be there. I'm on the hunt for spare tickets and if that fails, I'll be working extra hard on my sneaking abilities. Not even big angry bouncers can stop me from going to this event. It's my calling. Why Arcade Fire? Why must you be so damn popular!!

See you there.

Digital Music: iTunes

(click to visit)

Background

As far as digital music goes, iTunes is the king. It kick-started the industry and continues to dominate it. While others were hurt by DRM, Apple powered on regardless. Exact figures are hard to find, but their share of the digital download market stands at something absurd like 80%. It’s not all bad news for the competitors, though. There’s plenty of room for improvement and the keys to Apple’s success are hardly a big secret. It will be interesting to see how the expansion of this market pans out, but for the time being, iTunes sits at the top for one very good reason: it’s the best.

Now don’t get the impression that I’m some kind of Apple fan boy. Far from it. I’ve never owned an iPod and I’ve always steered clear of iTunes because it lacked flexibility. But there’s one thing I’m always willing to admit: Apple has style. Everything they put out is so damn cool and I can understand why people throw themselves at it. If I had a spare $400, I’d buy an iPod Touch to admire how thin it is. And the way all their products seamlessly integrate just makes them all the more amazing. I would love nothing more than to surround myself with everything Apple. Sadly, however, their products are a little TOO good.

You see, in order to truly enjoy one of Apple’s products, you have to enjoy them all. I can’t just buy an iPod and bask its sexiness. I’d have to use iTunes to manage it, sacrificing many of the features I enjoy in other programs (read: obsessive tagging and organisation). Similarly, if I wanted to skip the iPod and just enjoy the products on offer in the iTunes music store, I’d be out of luck. Sure, iTunes is beginning to sell some songs as unprotected mp3s, but the majority will still only work on the iPod. Sadly, it seems you can’t enter the Apple world half-heartedly. It’s either all or nothing.

If money wasn’t such a concern for me, I would buy their ipods, buy all my music on iTunes, buy a PowerBook, buy an Apple TV and probably buy an Airport or two to connect it all up. Life would be bliss. Sadly, money is a concern for me, as it is for most of us. And so, my life has been relatively Apple-free. To an extent. Both my brothers and half my friends have iPods so I know the iTunes set up quite well, but up until now, the store was only ever entered by accident (argh! how do I get out? please don’t take my money!). Well now I’ve finally tried it and was rather surprised with what I found.

Range

I always knew that iTunes had a big catalogue. After all, it is the most popular service so you’d hope so. But after exploring it, it exceeded all my expectations. It is undeniably impressive. Unlike other services which may cater for a specific audience (independent or mainstream etc.), iTunes caters for pretty much everyone. I found a good 95% of everything I would want to buy, including a number of smaller releases by local bands. They have Cloud Control and John Columbus! Wow.

Their catalogue is so extensive that it is actually beginning to rival physical CD stores. In fact, in many cases, it surpasses them. That certainly can’t be said for any of the other digital music stores. The popularity of iTunes has put Apple in the perfect position where artists actively try to get their music added. This means their catalogue stays updated without them having to chase music. Still, not everything is rosy. Relations with Universal have been a little rocky lately and the loss of major labels is always going to hurt. Also most of the music you find is protected and thus limited to your iPod and the iTunes software. The iTunes Plus range, which gives you unprotected, higher quality files, is still fairly limited and leaving a lot to be desired.

Method

Anyone who leaves their house will know that you can buy vouchers to use in the iTunes music store. They come in a variety of sizes and are available pretty much everywhere. They are a nice alternative for those without a credit card, though it can be annoying when you’re left with $1.50 that isn’t enough to buy anything. Whichever method you use, you’re credit is displayed in the top right and is automatically reduced as you buy music.

If you want to use the iTunes store, you’ll have to have the software installed. Though it depends on your particular setup, I’ve always found iTunes to really eat away at my computers resources. Of course this isn’t ideal, but it isn’t too big of an issue. Once it gets going, everything seems to run smoothly. In typical Apple style, the interface is very simple and uncluttered. The home page gives a number of different recommendations, including personalised ones. Search results are also laid out nicely, allowing you to easily find what you what. As far as options for browsing go, iTunes is as comprehensive as you’ll find.

Like most digital music stores, iTunes has a fairly rigid pricing scheme. Tracks all cost the same and full albums can be bought as a slightly discounted package. It’s all pretty standard stuff. Thankfully, the iTunes Plus range doesn’t any cost more, which is a promising sign. Hopefully this means they’re aiming to move the entire catalogue into this format.

Once you’ve found want, you simply click the buy button and the songs are added to your purchased list where they start to download. The whole system is brilliantly straightforward. You can pause the downloads, alter the order they’re downloading in or just continue browsing while you wait. Once they’re done, they are automatically integrated into your collection for you to enjoy. The process goes so smoothly that I’m starting see the appeal of having your music player and store wrapped up in one nice application.

Most of the music you get from iTunes will be protected and in Apple’s proprietary AAC format. For those of us who don’t use iTunes or an iPod, this can be problematic. You could just leave this music as it is and use iTunes whenever you wanted to listen to it, but this would be rather limiting. The better option is to burn it to a CD. Not only does this allow you to enjoy it like any other CD you may have bought, but you can also rip it back to your computer as a standard mp3. After all, you did the right thing by paying for it, so bending the rules a little shouldn’t hurt.

Conclusion

If you’re an iPod and iTunes user, this store is a Godsend. The combination of range and simplicity actually makes buying music a pleasure. If you want to buy music online, you have the perfect solution. For the rest of us, iTunes isn’t so saintly, though it does fair pretty well. It’s hardly practical to burn and re-rip every album you want to buy, so I’d say it serves best as a backup option for the hard to get items. On the other hand, you have the smaller, but more friendly iTunes Plus collection. If you find a CD you want in this format, go for it. You do have to manually convert it to mp3, but this is nothing compared to the trouble you’ll go through with some other on-demand music stores.

Before I tried this service, I was very negative towards it. The way Apple forced protection and their own formats on buyers just didn’t sit well. Whenever I saw a ‘Buy on iTunes’ link, I scoffed at the thought of giving my money to this big corporation and would look elsewhere. But iTunes isn’t as bad as I always thought. On protection, they are at least trying to improve things and when it comes to the whole selling process, they are the beacon of hope. I’d still like to see more improvement, but they certainly deserve some credit for all the good things they’ve brought to this industry. The iTunes music store is a genuinely viable option for buying your music. If you’re yet to try it, I recommend you shed your preconceptions and just give it a go. You may be pleasantly surprised.

Next: JB-Hifi