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If you look at the PubSub LinkRanks today, you may see something a little weird:
That’s right, my site is currently ranked above ABC News, the Guardian, the Wall Street Journal, Flickr, and various other profitable weblogs.
In order to capitalize on this power, I’m selling this website. Bidding starts at $20 million.
It’s been a while since I’ve written one of my insightful album reviews. Here’s a run down of a few albums from the last few months:
M.I.A. seems more confident than the last time I saw her, but her set is still way short, clocking in at 45 minutes (!). Also, she seems to have replaced Diplo another DJ, who kinda resembles Diplo from far away. Beats (and video) were the same as last show — disappointing.
Solid (B) High energy crowd, short set
Aside: This was the first show I’ve seen at the Commodore, which is Vancouver’s version of the Showbox (although it seems larger). The venue was fine, up until the show ended — the place must be a fire risk, it took at least 10 minutes to get out of the building.
Second aside: Due to lack of research, we didn’t know that the Arcade Fire played in Vancouver the same night. Oops.
I really enjoy seeing the Arcade Fire live, their music is excellent and they have great stage energy.
I don’t like seeing shows at the Paramount. The acoustics are mediocre and the advantages of a small venue are lost (e.g. close connection with the performers).
Recommended (B) Great performers, poor venue
I saw Matisyahu, everyone’s favorite beatboxing hasidic reggae artist, at the Showbox. Matisyahu has more talent than you would expect from an artist with a gimmick that screams novelty act. He’s also gained quite a following, this Monday night (all-ages) show was quite packed.
Bonus: I’ve posted a short video of Matisyahu’s beatboxing, for those curious. The audio quality is poor, but that’s expected for a small digital camera.
Recommended (A-) Strong stage presence and energetic crowd entertain when the novelty fades
I don’t typically like shows at large venues, but ended up seeing Coldplay at the White River Ampitheatre thanks to a free box seat (thanks Shar and Dan!).
Perhaps I should re-think my stance on large venues. The sound quality was surprisingly good, the light show well done, crowd energy was high (probably due to the fact that every woman there [and some men] were hoping they could sleep with the lead singer), and the seats were nice (admittedly, that’s an exception).
As part of our VIP treatment, tacos were served.
Recommended (A-) High energy, good sound and lights. Guacamole could have been fresher
Common’s latest album benefits from Kanye West production, which works well with Common’s intelligent, relaxed flow.
For the registered users: Album of the week; all others can read more sensible reviews.
Solid (B) Straightforward, but consistent.
Highlights from this year’s Sasquatch! music festival:
Great energetic hipster sing-a-long. They had some equipment issues (the vocals were tough to hear), but more than made up for it with great stage presence (in spite of the heat). Highly Recommended (A-)
Solid hip-hop on the small stage; a good mix of beats and improvisation. Recommended (B+)
These guys were plagued by equipment troubles, yet still managed to put on a high-energy set (in the noonday desert sun, no less). Recommended (B+)
It was ridiculously hot at the Gorge, I spent a lot of time trying to cool down (and ended up missing many acts). Here are the ones that stuck out the most:
Roots Manuva specializes in hazy, dub-influenced hip-hop; his style is slower and thicker than the grime speedsters that currently dominate the British hip-hop scene. His style is frequently reminiscent of Tricky from ten years ago (you know, before he started to suck).
Like much of the trip-hop from the last decade, this album works well as background music. Manuva’s voice provides good variety, and the beats are all solid — but the album never makes the leap into excellence.
Registered users can form their own opinions (please) through the Album of the Week. Every one else should read more reviews.
Solid (B) More good UK hip-hop, but can be a bit repetitive
The Gorillaz underwent significant roster changes for their second album:
Despite all these changes, the Gorillaz sound hasn’t changed much. Yes, the beats are a little denser, and the rapping is obviously different, but the album is a straightforward progression from the debut.
Registered users may peruse through the Album of the Week.
Recommended (B+) Some filler, but strong overall
If you think listening to an Extinguished-heavy collection of Prefuse 73 songs at 130 decibels with live drum kits and sweaty hipsters sounds like a good time, then I have the perfect show for you.
Solid (B-) All but super-fans are better served by listening to the albums
Aside: I may have to stop going to shows at Chop Suey — unnecessarily loud.
I’ve only had Madlib’s latest album for an hour, which makes writing one of my typical deep, insightful reviews challenging, but not impossible.
As with any album, the reviews use a consistent writing style and narritive structure. I’ve started writing a program that uses a combination of sophisticated lexical analysis, database queries, XML, speech recognition, and binary numbers to auto-generate a review for me. The results so far are promising:
010101110101101011101101010001010101010001101010 001010110100101011111101101111010000101010100010 100101010101011111010110000101000001011010001011 010110001001010010011010101011101011100101011101 100111100101010101011011010010101011010001010101
Registered users: Album of the week
Recommended (B+) 1010101110101