Two Slashes

I don’t typically enjoy Facebook/MySpace/blog memes, but this one is more or less related to something else I wanted to discuss, so I figured I would give it a shot anyway.  And I hope I’m not going to be penalized for being a little late with the post; I just finished helping someone put together a computer science project at the last minute.

Meet Poppendorf, an alternative rock band from Chicago, recently noted for releasing their debut album, To Speak In Public.  Known for their witty lyrics (hence the name), Poppendorf has already released two singles off the album and is gearing up for a nationwide tour this coming summer…

Alright, so perhaps I suck at coming up with descriptions for bands you’ve never heard of (seeing as they don’t exist).  It’s hard enough for me to come up with a description for bands that do.

One of my interests outside of the technology world is music.  I don’t compose it – I don’t have that kind of creativity – but I do enjoy a little background noise while I’m doing whatever.  There’s the widget in my sidebar attached to my Last.fm account (that needs fixing at some point…) to prove my point.

Of course, I like a little variety in my music, and my moderately-sized collection shows it.  But getting to that point has taken some time and trial-and-error, and I don’t always find some of the stuff I like on any sites people have ever heard of.  Because of this, I figured some people might be interested in some of the out-of-the-way sites I use to find music I like.

• Magnatune – I think I’ve mentioned this site before, and even if I haven’t, it’s not a bad place to look.  While a lot of the offerings are not up to snuff, I’ve found the occasional buried treasure hidden deep within the track listings.  Magnatune even lets you listen to the entire track before you decide whether the music is worth your money, a fitting feature considering their slogan is “We are not evil.”  (Some of you might know what a full-length track preview might be good for, but I do not condone stealing.  Especially from independent artists.)
• Jamendo – Jamendo is another great hole-in-the-wall for independent music.  Originally shown to me by friend and co-host Steve from TechCentric (or at least, I think it was), Jamendo has some interesting content to offer no matter what genre you like.
• Seeqpod – Seeqpod is intended more as a search engine/playlisting site than anything, but the live search viewer is a cool way to see what music other site users are into.
• Harmonize – I probably shouldn’t be mentioning this one since it’s in private beta right now, but Harmonize is a cool way to check out some of the music your friends have an interest in.  It’s tied to Facebook, too, so any friends from the social networking site who use Harmonize are automatically attached to you.  (For those wondering, I have no idea when it goes public, though, and I can’t help you get an invite either.  Sorry.)
• Hype Machine – Hype Machine is a music blog aggregator.  What could make it easier to find something you like than a site that slaps you in the face with it?

…and for the usual (shameless) plug:

• Sweet Cinnamon Wontons – Described by my friend Don (the author) as “satisfaction for your earhole,” the music posted is definitely worthy of checking out.  Of course, I have the majority of the stuff that’s been posted already, so I wonder if he’s been leafing through my catalog…but that’s a story for a different day.

Of course, all of this discussion has left me with a single question:  Where do you get your music (and/or suggestions)?  Indulge me.  (Please?)

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Alright, so maybe I didn’t follow the directions for that mock album exactly as written.  It’s not like you can do anything about it.    Oh, and the image source might be a good thing to credit.

No offense to anyone who might suffer from the condition, but this is one of those times that being deaf might actually be a benefit.  You know, right alongside being able to ignore any sudden rounds of Rick Astley emanating from your computer.

It seems that the tech world is all about second chances and highly disruptive career changes these days, what with all these multimillionaires suddenly uprooting themselves from their business ventures to work on completely unrelated ideas.  Bill Gates retired from daily life at Microsoft, for example, in order to become a full-time philanthropist for his self-named charitable foundation.  Steve Wozniak has done it all, from working at Apple to teaching to dancing with the stars (which is perhaps the only reason to watch the show) to playing Segway polo (pardon me while I laugh).  And now, it seems, there’s room for yet another gearhead to put his name to work on a completely different venture.

As you might have heard, Jim Allchin (of note for his work at Microsoft leading development teams until his departure after Windows Vista and for looking like an elf as pictured) seems to have another burning passion:  music.  He’s apparently spent some time in a recording studio working on a solo album.  (Wait, isn’t there supposed to be a group before the solo albums start rolling out?)

While I haven’t been able to locate any full-length songs as the album isn’t available yet, Allchin has samples of his work on his website (and a few other places besides).  Based on what I’ve heard, though, I’m going to be investing in a pair of earmuffs about the time this CD comes out.

While Jimbo seems to have some skill with a guitar, I’m not sure his microphone should be connected to anything while he’s singing.  He could also use a little help from someone with some songwriting experience, as the samples demonstrate that he has all the lyrical creativity of a first grader, and the ability to make just as much sense.  Take the first few lines from “I’m About To Fall” (at least, as I hear them) as my example:

Told you I wanted to be free,
All I needed – was just me.

Your eyes – they’re so dreamy,
You’ve got me leaning over the waterfall…

Some of the other songs could have used a little assistance in their development, too.  The leading track, “Enigma Machine,” reminds me of the soundtrack to some of the early Need for Speed games, which makes it seem more than a little out of place among a bunch of ballads.  And there’s no reason for the underwater singing effects in “Killer Shuffle,” either.

Allchin provides a short blurb about each song, too (though he might want to use a proofreader next time), and they’re just as corny as the lyrics.  (Perhaps they’re another sign of what the other two minutes and thirty seconds of each song are hiding?)

Pardon me, Jim, but I’m not quite sure the music business was the right place for a new beginning.  You may be good on a guitar, but it might have been better for you either to get a band going (with someone who can sing and write) or find a band in need of a guitarist.  Alternatively, you might be able to pull a Santana and find a few people who are willing to collaborate with you on a song or two.  (But please, whatever you do, do not even think of sending a sample to one of my favorite bands.)

And I know Gizmodo got there first, but there’s no way this album was made without a little help from everyone’s favorite new Microsoft Research project.  Hey, there’s nothing like showing a little support for your friends stuck in the trenches at the company you deserted, right?

In reality, I’ll probably be looking for a copy of the album once it’s released, if only to do a follow-up to this post.  I don’t know if I’ll survive listening to it, but in case I don’t…ah, I don’t think there’s anything to give.

Listen to emo?  Perhaps you’re an emotionally-sensitive wrist-slitter.  How about rap?  Well, the bets are on that you’ve been having boatloads of sex and been drunk enough to make Lindsay Lohan look like a model citizen.  And jazz?  Oh, you’re probably hiding in the closet, too much of a loner to do anything social (like comment?).

I don’t mean to offend anyone there, as it’s not actually me saying any of that.  Nope, those would be (more or less) the words of Felicity Baker, who has all but attached every genre of music with some insane mental or social health diagnosis.  No offense to her, but I find it extremely ridiculous that any person who so much as turns on a radio could be diagnosed as suicidal or a drug addict.

I also say that none of this is revolutionary due to the fact that all of the “diagnoses” seem to be common themes in that genre.  For example, in a genre that (at this point in time) prides itself on “banging dem hoes” and getting “crunk,” it’s a miracle at all that someone could suggest that people who listen to rap are following along without someone having already noticed the obvious similarity. And while I can’t call H.I.M. “heavy metal”, there are enough mentions of drug use throughout metal and rock to give me credit when I point out one of the (pardon me) “documented types” of groupie.  I am, however, having a hard time picturing the corellation between techno and suicide.

The point I’m trying to make here is that this “research” isn’t really research so much as a “medically-relevant” way to stereotype people based upon the genres of music they listen to.  Think about it:  I know quite a few people who listen to those types of music, and I think the worst habit any of them have is a cigarette habit, hardly self-destructive nature at the level Baker (and the according article there) seem to imply.

Not every genre has been accounted for (at least judging by the article I linked to), but enough are mentioned to account for almost every person I’ve ever met.  And with the multifaceted nature of music, most music may actually end up classified at least partially under a genre that this article ties with “bad connotations,” or (to what probably would be a mixture of horror and ridicule) multiple “bad” genres.

I guess I’ll go back to listening to my vast library, and quit putting fuel on the fire.  Call me a depressed, drug-addicted loner with suicidal tendencies and questionable sexuality if you want, but I’m in perfectly good health and I’m not going to let something as harebrained as an amateur diagnosis of my social and mental capacities ruin my listening pleasure.  So go on then.  Ensure your path to drug addiction, wrist-cutting, and wallflower behavior today.

Side note:  I’d love to know the researcher’s medical opinion to songs like this one.  Aside from the flagrant disregard for authority, of course.