Reviews

CNSM SESSIONS #1 by FOOL DADAZ FIRE – sharing the love for jazzy, blueesy, acoustic rock

Paris band sharing their love for jazzy, blueesy, acoustic rock. Even though their name is a bit hard to pronounce, Fool Dadaz Fire can certainly create great jazzy and soulful tracks. The band creates music that's easy to listen to and not very hard to love. CNSM Sessions#1 is a short album, clocking in just a little over 30 minutes. Each of the 7 tracks were recorded in just one night, capturing the rawness and the great interplay between the instruments and vocals. It's an easy listen for all you jazz, blues rock lovers out there.

Allison Crowe: Lisa’s Song + 6 Songs

Simon Cowell would be very enthusiastic if Allison Crowe had joined the Idol. Even if she wouldn't have won the Idol by some offbeat chance, she really doesn't need it since she is already a star in her very own right. Lisa's Song + 6 Songs was released back in 2007, certainly an oldie but a goodie right here. It's filled with acoustic, piano, jazz, rock and pop fusion tracks that defines Crowe as a musician completely. But perhaps, the best reason to listen to her songs would be simply to catch a glimpse of her powerful and ethereal vocals. She fills you with a longing to sit back and enjoy her music, much better than you would watching any TV show.
World Builder

World Builder – a strange man builds a world using holographic tools for the woman he loves

The film starts with hologram images up in the air, with a man lying down, flipping over these images with his finger. On his right arm is a digitized timer, projecting 59:59 – a second less than an hour for him to do what he’s got to do. “World Builder” is an award-winning romantic science fiction that was written, directed, and produced by Bruce Branit, a visual effects connoisseur well-known for co-creating “405” with Jeremy Hunt. For about nine minutes, “World Builder” will take you on a journey into a virtual world where all emotions are profound and for real. One man builds a world, one woman takes a little stroll, and the rest is for the creative imagination of the audience. The film was created with Newtek LightWave3D, EyeOn Digital Fusion, Adobe Photoshop and Premiere, and Dell Computers. Kudos to Randy Skach and Jason Sartain for a neat work on the musical score and music production, respectively.

Duwende – taking a cappella to the next level

I grew up with a cappella music. I was in choirs from a very young age, and when it comes to innovative vocals, I thought I'd pretty much heard it all. But Duwende still manage to be different, even within the recent trend of vocal groups trying to be more outlandish and original than each other. And the difference has nothing to do with cheesy gimmicks or contrived tricks - Duwende simply make solid music that doesn't come off as choir-like.

Plan X From The Eastern Dark (Compilation) – A Bittersweet Taste of Japanese Underground Rock

Underground Japanese Rock that makes you wish you were turning Japanese... I really think so... Although it might not be everybody's cup of tea, Japanese rock, punk and rock never got any better. Plan X From The Eastern Dark is a compilation album that showcases some of the best underground deathrock, punk and rockabilly acts waving their banner all the way from the land of the rising sun. If you've never tried your hand at anything else Japanese apart from sushi, then take a stab at listening to this one. You might not get most of what they're saying, but it's a good listen especially if you're into the genre.

MUTO – a wall-painted animation by BLU licensed under Creative Commons

When I first came across this animation I couldn't believe how much work and imagination went into creating it. There is really no storyline or a clear message - "Muto" is just "an ambiguous animation painted on public walls" - yet for over 7 minutes it keeps you glued to the screen waiting for what creature is going to come out of the animator's brush next. To allow everybody to freely share this animation, Blu has licensed it under CC. Enjoy.