Reviews

Republic of Letters: Stories

A family business? Almost. Republic of Letters was originally created by two brothers, Chris Venti (vocals, guitar) and Nick Venti (drums) all the way back in 2005. Since than however, the band saw an addition of some great talent and eventually, with the help of Martin Niwinski (bass, guitar) and Adrian Thorstensen (guitar), developed it's own sonic experience. Combining the bits and pieces of Brit pop beats and alternative-rock sounds the band's latest album Stories makes for a great free release. So get it while it lasts!

Xonotic

A direct successor of the Nexuiz Project, Xonotic is a free, open source (GPL) shooter game that serves as the updated and much improved version of the former. After internal disagreements plagued the Nexuiz Project, several developers took a stand and vowed to remake the game from scratch. Creating one that's even better and ensuring that it'll remain free with an open source license. The game was created by a team of "players, developers, and artists who enjoy learning and refining their skills through contribution and collaboration with other players from around the globe." Thanks to this effort, this forked version features much of what gamers could hope for. With stunning graphics, engaging gameplay, great maps and a host of other features; Xonotic is slowly shaping up to becoming an excellent game.

Bangs: Fakes EP

Released in February of this year Fakes EP takes us on a journey through computer generated sounds, upbeat multi-layered harmonies, and great vocals adding the needed extra flavor to this lovely pop-electronica treat from the band. Bangs is a Wisconsin-born, but currently living it up in London, duo who has been together ever since their freshman year at college. The boys have been making music for a while now and have offered their latest EP as a free download to all of their fans.

Microsoft’s Image Composite Editor

With the help of the Image Composite Editor, you can now create simple panoramic images even without using a wide lens camera. It's the perfect program for seamlessly weaving together different photos and creating a gorgeous panoramic picture of choice. Whether you use 4 photographs or 200, it can get the job done without much fuss. With a simple interface and tons of reliable features incorporated, this neat little program will serve its function well. The program is primarily geared towards the Windows system and works great on a Vista, XP and even Windows 7.

My Bubba & Mi: Wild & You

Back with another lovely and sweet compilation, My Bubba & Mi just recently released a 5-track EP, Wild & You. Coated with beautiful folk melodies that the girls are known for, this mini-EP is filled with delightful cuts perfect for quiet and relaxing afternoons. The group is actually a trio, formed by three ladies who have a knack for creating some of the most gorgeous folk lullabies to serenade your ears. Their first full length album, How It's Done in Italy, was featured here in Frostclick a couple of months back. Their sound has gained a positive response from the listeners who have taken a liking to the band's self-dubbed "lullabies from the countryside."

Cavanaugh: Far From Chicago

At the mention of the phrase “music from Sweden”, the odds are you'll sing in your head a line or two from Dancing Queen or, if your affinities lie at the opposite pole, make a mental list of your favorite death metal bands from that part of the world. Much as outsider impression of Swedish music is limited to the spirited disco pop of ABBA and the baneful loudness of the country's vibrant metal scene, a genre that's somewhere near the confluence into which these opposing musical streams flow is peeking out for some attention. Cavanaugh, a four-piece band from Borlänge, Dalarana, is among the proponents of this genre, which the group unabashedly calls “mainstream rock”. But even as we hear that from the band itself, a deeper look into its music reveals sensibilities that have recently been missing from the mainstream scene at large. The 2009 EP Far From Chicago, spirited as it is in a way heavy, is without most of the unneccessary trappings.

Uncle Tom’s Bungalow

An old time classic coming from Warner Bros, "Uncle Tom's Bungalow", can be only described as all fun and laughter - exactly what the Looney Tunes are famous for and doing best. With a run-time of 08:33, it is great to see how the environment manages to look convincing with just sketches. On top of that the cartoon features some really epic "characters", from a little kid with the meanest expressions to the sleeping hounds. These little personalities sport varied voice-tones and emotions that words simply cannot do justice.

Carrie Ryan: This Road

Listening to a Carrie Ryan record makes you want to rush over to a poppy field overlooking a beautiful scenery and stay there enjoying the wonders of nature. This Road is the first full length record from Ryan. She wrote and recorded all of the songs while still in high school. Much of the songs are about her personal experiences, about people and events around her. This 9-track compilation is filled with acoustic folk songs that resonate with Ryan's endearing, angelic voice. Her voice is surprisingly mature and you wouldn't even think that she recorded this at such a young age.