Music — Tag

iTunes has finally made a huge leap forward. Whilst only having EMI tracks DRM free, Apple have announced today that iTunes shall go fully DRM free. Beginning today, 80% of iTunes’ 10 million tracks will be in high quality 256kbps AAC format with no restrictions. The rest will follow in March. The downside is however that tracks can be charged at one of three prices, so we’ll what effects that has in the future. Right now, I can only find songs at $1.79 (and the Apple.co.nz homepage says they’re “all the same price.”)

Curiously, the theories about this deal have come out, and if anything they all point to the record companies doing a reach around to make Apple think twice about angering them. In the States, the Amazon.com MP3 service not only offered all tracks DRM free, but also at a price cheaper than iTunes. Some say that this won’t last now that iTunes is all DRM free. Maybe that’s what was happening here with Digirama?

I must say I was pleased. Just before heading out to Australia I had this song running through my head, and I just had to get it out (Run, Run, Run by Goldenhorse). It being a New Zealand band, and me not having it, and lately discovering I can download full tracks to my phone, I decided I had mightaswell purchase it. I was a bit put off by the price ($2) but figured that I am paying for the convenience of downloading it now. It was quick and painless to buy the song and then download it onto my mobile – you just use the web browser on the phone itself.

My SonyEricsson W850i though has a little trouble accessing the music, it seems to take a while to read the track before it can actually play it, but I’ve survived.

Last night I was once again having New Zealand music go through my head and decided to make a couple more purchases. It sent me a text this time telling me I could download the track at the store. I thought I’d check it out when I get to a computer next. Here’s the bonus, you can download the tracks to your computer as well without making an extra purchase (as a DRM’d WMA, but you can get around that).

To be honest, I’d rather purchase the CD. On the other hand, it’s a nice service to get that song swimming in your head out of there.

The Scissor Sisters are going to release their fourth single off Tah-Da called Kiss You Off – perhaps my favourite track on the album. The song is lead by Ana Matronic and has that classic 80’s feel about it. Go listen. It’ll be out May 28th with a mix by Mr Oizo.

Also while looking on YouTube I discovered that Ana Matronic was featured in a song by 80’s group New Order from their latest album with the song Jetstream. Very pop, but good pop.

This video is taking the rounds since it was released on the 1st of April. Alanis Morissette made a parody of the Black Eyed Peas’ My Humps and did a good job of pointing out just how generally bad the song is. Well worth a watch, and it just gets better as the song goes on.

YouTube strikes again. Fergalicious, a song by Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas has been parodied quite well – in drag! See the parody to the left, and if you haven’t seen it, the original is to your right.

Here’s something I caught on C4 the other day and ended up hunting it down. It’s Hey Lloyd, I’m Ready To Be Heartbroken. Very interesting song, and equally interesting music video. It’s by Camera Obscura, an indie band from Glasgow, Scotland as a response to Lloyd Cole’s song (Are You) Ready To Be Heartbroken?. How cute. It’s worth a listen.

Well, yesterday I told you guys two songs that sucked but I couldn’t get out of my head. Today I’ll tell you two songs that are going through my head, but I’m glad that they are.

James Morrison is a new singer on the block, who would probably remind you of James Blunt (and hopefully the music industry learned their lesson with that one). But, this guy is much better. Wonderful World is an awesome song and is well worth the listen to. This album, Undiscovered is definitely one I’m buying when I get the chance.

Here It Goes Again is also by a new group called OK Go. They reached fame last year when they personally released a music video to A Million Ways on the internet. It was recorded with a handycam at a cost of only $10, and choreographed by the leads sister. This one is noticeably higher budget (just), but in the same vein.

I have two songs swimming in my head, and they are both terrible. I don’t know why, but they are just… catchy. But then, they are horrible.

Fergielicious from Black Eyed Peas’ Fergie is just as bad as her first solo outing, London Bridge. Though, it is arguably a bit more bearable, but only by a hair’s breadth. The music video is terrible. It also took me a while to figure out what will.i.am (from BEP) was trying to spell (it is “delicious”).

Gwen Stefani has released her first single off her new album The Sweet Escape, Wind It Up. I am not amused. It seems it is written with the help of Pharrell (who must be that voice that randomly says “c’mon” at random places). It is a catchy song (Wind it up!), but is a horrible sounding mish-mash of The Sound of Music samples. Ugh.

So do what Gwen says and “let the beat get under your skin.”

Any songs you guys are finding annoying as hell? Share with the class.

Radio station The Edge decided that it was time for New Zealand to have its own Boyband. They held a competition to get the boyband steriotypes – Hot Boy; Bad Boy; Fat Boy; Mummy Boy; and Gay Boy. They gave them a single and now massively promoting it to get to number one (which it no doubt will).

And here it is. The single is the cover of The Kinks You Really Got Me. It is pretty terrible too. Hot Boy and Bad Boy seem to be the only ones with any redeeming singing talent, whereas the others (especially Gay Boy and Mommy Boy) sound like whiny teens.

Find out more about Boyband here.

Once again the Scissor Sisters are about ready to infect the world with their music. They have already released a video for their first single I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’ off their new album Ta-da!.

Since watching and listening to it yesterday, I couldn’t get it out of my head, so I thought I’d share so you experience the same. The album is released next month.