While I was on my forced exile from cyberspace, I busied myself doing other things — I catched up on some reading, attended to some important matters for a couple of business ventures I recently started and cleaned up the house. But temptation has a way of sneaking up on you when you least expect it. And temptation came in the way of Guitar Hero III.

Guitar Hero III is the newest sequel to the massively popular rhythm game that brings your rock star dreams to life. I won’t elaborate on the game mechanics anymore because I’m pretty sure most of you guys know it anyway.  What I will say though is that the Guitar Hero series is providing a great service for budding rock fans and music fanatics. I find it both sad and infuriating to see so called “rock” kids only reference bands that are no more than five years old. Any band that can be traced for more than ten years are unfamiliar to these people anymore. For a music fan that is an unforgiveable oversight. One can only really appreciate music in all its forms if there is an openness to listen to different genres in different time periods and a desire to really find out the history of rock. It makes for a more satisfying music experience. That’s why I really like the fact that the Guitar Hero games feature bands that the average music listener won’t even know about. Besides, any game that can reference Foghat is cool as cool can be in my book.

Guitar Hero III, rock, music fan

The raid was done by one of the affiliate organizations associated with the RIAA. According to these officials, the raid was the culmination of a two year investigation on Oink. I think it’s a load of crap. If they did spend that much time investigating the site then why were the information they leaked to the public so wrong? First, they said that Oink asked for subscriptions to access the site. This is not true. Membership is free, although it is on an invite only basis. Second, they said that the site “releases” advance copies of albums. Oink doesn’t do that because it is just a TRACKER.

I really don’t know how the RIAA continues to go on these witchhunts that only seek to alienate true music lovers — the ones that really buy music. A vast majority of Oink members actually use the site as a way of getting listen to music to check out if they would love it. And if they do find that they like what they are hearing then they buy the CD. It makes you think that the RIAA wants to stop this practice so that music buyers would just blindly buy the crap that most record companies churn out.

The RIAA should wake to the reality that the paradigm on which they operated before is now effectively obsolete. The sooner they realize the better it will be for true music fans on the internet.

oink.cd, RIAA

The UK-based Hoax Funeral, as the band states, plays alt-folk. I do agree that they can be easily pigeonholed into this sub genre, one that is actually gaining a lot of proponents because of the continued rise in popularity of the Weird America movement led by folk impresario Devendra Banhart. But unlike the other Weird America disciples, Hoax Funeral puts the “weird” safely in a drawer and tap into a more accessible form of folk. They have been compared to acts as diverse as Shearwater, Low and Tunng. I do, however, think that they share some similarities with Mazzy Star, The Cowboy Junkies and with the US-based indie folk group Hem. I also hear very distinct bluegrass influences on Hoax Funeral’s sound, a bit of Nickel Creek comes out a little in some of their songs.

But back to the album. Pour Away The Ocean is one of the most heartfelt albums I’ve heard this year. I think Anjy Hall is one hell of a vocalist. Her pixie-ish delivery actually reminds me of a more tuneful version of Drugstore’s Isabel Monteiro. She gives Hoax Funeral’s songs a level of child-like vulnerability that compels you to listen. And this is most apparent in their short cover of Leadbelly’s Where Did You Sleep Last Night. Now, this song became “popular” because Nirvana covered it. But while Kurt Cobain gave the song a world weary delivery, Hall made the song less of an accusation, and more of a desperate plea. Too bad, it was such a short cover.

The songs in Pour Away The Ocean, is not just a centerpiece for Hall’s voice but also for the virtuosity of the rest of the Band. Chris Gregory, AJ Jordan and Cherish Burke bring to the table. Who would’ve thought that atmospheric almost shoe-gazey guitars can have a place in an alt-folk setting? It really does work and Hoax Funeral has cornered the market for it.

Hoax Funeral has made the ultimate indie decision by deciding to handle all aspects of production, distribution and marketing on their own and they have to be commended for this. Although this may mean that not as many people will be able to hear them initially, I am sure that the promise that the band holds will win out in the end. Hoax Funeral is not a band that has to be selfishly kept to one’s self. They deserve a far larger audience. And Pour Way The Ocean ensures that they will be heard.

Hoax Funeral, Pour Away The Ocean, Nickel Creek, Hem

Now, my wife and I are polar opposites when it comes to our musical tastes. Her musical preferences are more or less limited to the popular pop artists, more accessible forms of jazz and classical music. I was afraid that her iPod won’t have any kind of music that I would like. Fortunately, as my wife’s appointed personal handler of her iPod, I forgot that I placed a few albums from my stash of MP3s. So there I was listening to Jill Cunniff, Jose Gonzalez and even Rilo Kiley. I was a happy camper! Those artists though also made me think. Does my wife appreciate these artists and their work? I would like to think so. One thing going for her is that she is open to new things. I love to think that when she’s at work, she casually flips through the albums I’ve put in her iPod, excited at what she might discover.

Jill Cunniff, Jose Gonzalez, Rilo Kiley

Radiohead is testing the limits of indie style distribution and publicity with In Rainbows. First of all, marketing the album is very unconventional in that the existence of the album was only announced a couple of weeks before its actual release. Then there is the fact that the band has left it up to its fans to decide how much they want to pay for the album. Yup, you can get it for free if you’re cheap (a physical boxed set of the album will be made available this December though). This simple decision alone has left the recording industry reeling from the ramifications of Radiohead’s move. Even though the band is not the first one to really explore the avenues of self distribution (Prince and Ani DiFranco have done it before), their decision has, nonetheless, bode ill tidings for the well established (and creatively stifling) corporate setup. If Radiohead succeeds in this endeavor it could signal the death of the music industry as we know it. Radiohead would have sent a clear signal that the middleman could now be cut off and the artist can now directly communicate and distribute his music to his fans.

I hope this is an experiment that Radiohead succeeds in.

Radiohead, In Rainbows

I chronologically played their albums starting from their debut Ten up to their self titled album. Listening to an artist’s work chronologically really gives you a better perspective on the artist’s growth, any risks he may have taken, any setbacks he may have experienced. It also gives the listener a very general (though not so accurate) idea of the creative steps that may likely be taken in the future.

Listening to Pearl Jam’s discography really gives you a sense of scale as to the magnitude of risks the band has taken over the years. This is one band that is not afraid to really undermine what they have established in the pursuit of a real and sincere creative vision. Any other band may have taken a predictable, maybe even more commercial, direction following the massive success of their first three albums. But not Pearl Jam, they have proven that their creative vision cannot be compromised. Some may look at this as their biggest witness — after all a band should always look at what the fans want. Pearl Jam may have made some very crucial mistakes (though this is really debatable) along the way and this may have resulted in fans jumping ship because they felt that they are alienated. But I admire Pearl Jam’s tenacity and adherence to maintain the purity of their vision as well as the strength of their commitment to their music and, yes, to their fans as well.

Pearl Jam could arguably be one of the most indie of rock bands for heroically adhering to an independent spirit that would, for better or worse, help cement its reputation and contribution to rock and roll.

Pearl Jam, Ten

I tried to bring some form of indulgence on my “special day” by playing the extended edition version of The Lord of The Rings: Return of The King with my home theater cranked up. It really gave my humongous subwoofer a good workout, I had a little fun but it was not enough to really mark my day. I really tried to do something that would make me remember my 36th birthday — I ate a lot of sugar even though my glycemic index is already in the upper registers. I tried to smoke some cigarettes but ended up throwing it away (I can’t stand the stuff now). I even played some of my video and PC games — nothing. I am ashamed to report that I had a dull day, nothing memorable happened. Nothing that would make me look back ten or twenty years from now and say to myself, “that was a fucking awesome day.”

My kooky sister-in-law talked to me last weekend and asked how old I’d be on my birthday. When I told her that it was my 36th birthday, she told me that some cultures believe that we go through nine year cycles and that my 36th birthday marks the beginning of a new cycle in my life. I hope to God she’s right, I don’t think I can stand another nine years of being bored out of my wits.

video games, home theater, Lord of the Rings

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Now playing: Semifinalists - Origin Song
via FoxyTunes

It was with great trepidation that I approached Enigk’s solo effort post-Sunny Day Real Estate’s first breakup. I’ve heard it was a far slower affair compared to his band’s music, which left me a bit cynical at first. But, nevertheless, I took the plunge and listened to Return of the Frog Queen — and promptly fell in love. I was surprised by the delicate beauty of that album, which was so far away from Sunny Day Real Estate’s forced chaos. This was Enigk sounding more genuinely earnest, more at home with his own skin. Listening to Return of the Frog Queen and his subsequent solo albums, you immediately feel that he is more at home with this more intimate sound.

Missing Link is just a natural progression of the sound he is exploring. This album though is a sparser affair (a compilation of some new songs and previous material that appeared in World Waits), with more emphasis on a more conventional acoustic sound. Enigk’s songs in Missing Link may sound a bit dated and you hear some weaknesses in his songwriting especially when you compare it with some really strong singer-songwriters right now like Jose Gonzalez, Damien Rice or Mike Kinsella, but there are still obvious gems on Missing Link. I especially love Been Here Before and the very beautiful rendition of Canons.

Missing Link is a decent effort and sets a strong message that we can still expect far stronger work from Enigk in the future.

Jeremy Enigk, Missing Link, Mike Kinsella

Listening to Superdrag’s first album after their disastrous relationship with a major label (yes, I’m looking at you Elektra) the first thing that will strike you is the quality of the songcraft in this album. This is one of the qualities that I love about Superdrag — it’s the masterful construction of their songs. You never get bored listening to their songs and each one sits well in the album, even the fillers sound like they have a definite purpose in their placement in the track listing.

But back to John Davis’ amazing song sense. Superdrag songs are an entertaining pastiche of different musical styles. Davis really puts his musical influences to the forefront but not in any way that would make it sound derivative. On the contrary, he manages to pull a distinctive Superdrag style that revolves around catchy pop hooks, witty lyrics and an obvious love for melody. This is the kind of music that would not only make you want to rock out, you’d want to sing along with it, too.

I was really disappointed when I heard that Superdrag disbanded a few years ago but with their reunion tour this year Superdrag fans are hoping that a new album would be released soon. Consider a public appeal to John Davis and company to make a new Superdrag album.

Superdrag, John Davis, Elektra

But even with the jaw dropping graphics that my souped up computer can provide I’m still obsessively playing with Playstation 2 — more specifically Guitar Hero II. I think that Guitar Hero II is the perfect melding of my love for both music and video games. I just love rocking out to really cool rock songs. I have to say that not all of the songs work for me, but those that I love really give me a great buzz. I love to imagine that I’m playing a real guitar (although I do play the guitar my skills are intermediate, at the most) and executing those hard licks like a true virtuoso.

I am quite stoked  about the upcoming release of Guitar Hero III because of the large amount of original songs included in the game. Some old faves are also included so I’m really polishing up my “fretwork” to do the songs justice.

But if I have the ability to choose the songs in Guitar Hero I’m going to come up with a radically different song list. I’d have Elastica and Blur in the lineup along with more Ramones and Stooges songs. I’ll also have some synth based bands in the line up like Moving Units. I’d also add some upbeat songs from Aberfeldy or Architecture in Helsinki to brighten up the song lineup a bit.  Of course, punk will figure prominently in my dream Guitar Hero game — with the likes of The Blitz and The Exploited. Now that would be cool.

Guitar Hero, The Exploited, Elastica, Blur