Valerie

The French Revolution – The Letdown

Power pop rock visionaries claiming their stake on revolution. Sharing their penchant "love for rock music." The French Revolution is striving to make their own splash with their upbeat rocking record The Letdown. Well, if there's one thing these guys are doing right, it's NOT letting their listeners "down." The band lineup has changed since this first album was released. From 7 original members contributing in the first release, they've narrowed it down to 4 official members for their upcoming 2nd album. Staples throughout the transition includes Daniel French on vocals and guitar and Jeremy Bentley on drums.

Move Under Ground by Nick Mamatas

Jack Kerouac taking on Lovecraft and his cult. There are very few writers who like to mix and match. Some love to experiment with different genres while others love to take inspiration from the existing work of fellow writers. Nick Mamatas is a mix of both. With Move Under Ground, he manages to integrate his love for Kerouac and the Beats. His three characters are on the verge of an adventure, stumbling into Lovecraft's R'lyeh. Move Under Ground follows three characters as they discover this fictional city which holds the Cthulhu. The book features plenty of references to other materials and holds an engaging storyline for any reader that loves this horror, fantasy genre.

Post Human Era’s To Build A Fire – lazy electronic pop at its finest

Two brothers channeling Deathcab for Cutie along with Radiohead. Perhaps one of the biggest pull that Post Human Era has on its listeners is the fact that they incorporate plenty of elements into their tracks. There are tracks showing hints of Nine Inch Nails, Kraftwerk and even the Postal Service. Underneath all this layering and synth work, there are nice vocals and sweet melodies that remind you of Ben Gibbard at his best. Daniel Finfer usually does the job himself inside the studio, but on the road, he jams along with brother, Michael, on samples, Steve Kurschner on drums as well as Josh Stark on guitars.

Curious – The Intimate Stranger

German alternative goth band promises a good haunting. For many people, The Cure was the "be all and end all" of the Gothic rock scene. Curious, however, aims to make their own mark in the genre. Almost by foresight, Curious initially traversed their musical dreams by becoming a cover band of The Cure. Although they subsequently created their own music, it doesn't take a genius to see where their influence came from. The Intimate Stranger includes 10 tracks that powerfully channels The Cure during their Disintegration days.

Twingly – visualize blogging activity worldwide

Are you an avid blogger? Do you take fancy with the idea of seeing all those people blogging at the same time as you are? If you answered, "yes," to both questions, then Twingly is the perfect screensaver for you. The program is still in its beta stages but it works great in providing users with a visual idea of the entire blogosphere. It gives users and bloggers, a chance to see exactly how many people are blogging at the same time all across the world. It is definitely a nifty and fascinating tool to have right in front of your computer screen.

Grid Wars – great Geometry Wars clone for free

Never thought that a programmer's art could be appealing? Then let Grid Wars prove you wrong. Grid Wars is a free game that's based on the minigame Geometry Wars. Despite its simple aim and shoot gameplay, it is one of the most entertaining shooting games around. With simple gameplay, colorful graphics and straightforward controls, the game is a definite winner. It has been tagged as one of the "most fun shooting games" around and pretty much you'll understand why once you start playing it.

The Rest – Atlantis, Oh Our Saviour

Dreamy Canadian youngsters that strike a chord in the world of indie rock. To say that indie rock has never sounded so good, is an understatement with The Rest. Atlantis, Oh Our Saviour is a great compilation of 11 fresh tracks that resonate with twangy guitars, intermittent piano, sometimes painful screaming and sometimes sweet vocals. The Rest certainly showcases one of the best albums in the indie world. Their follow up album Everyone All at Once is out now. But if you want to get to know the band a bit better, start with this album first.

Nexuiz – free first person shooter game

Another 3D death match game that you can enjoy. Dying to shoot some alien scum or simply pass off a lazy Saturday afternoon? Give Nexuiz a try. It's an open source 3D deathmatch game created by Alientrap. Development for the game started back in 2002 and until now it's still gaining a lot of favorable responses from gamers. Nexuiz can run on different kinds of platforms including Mac and Linux, aside from the traditional Windows. Players can choose from several different game modes from CTF, deathmatch, domination and of course, single player campaigns which will lead players to survive through 20 levels of chaos.

The Extended Play by Farmertan – a garage rock band bent in making their music heard

Maybe it's just me but it's hard to get over this band once you start listening to their songs. Farmertan is an indie rock band that composes tracks that makes itself so easily likable. If there's a special place for indie rock in your heart, it's hard not to find a place for this band somewhere in your heart. Farmertan hails from Connecticut and has been active in the band scene, touring and playing live since the 1990s. The Extended Play is one of the several EPs they've released since their inception.