Tera Melos releases free cover EP and announces US tour, Squarepusher makes available a free track from his latest EP; Slayer, Marilyn Manson and Opeth announce tour dates. Check out Beatcrave’s news round up: Continue reading...
31.1.09
Tera Melos, Squarepusher, Slayer, Manson, Opeth
British Government Wants Music and Film Internet Tax
After outlining a plan to extend broadband Internet connections to every home, now the British government is looking to propose a £20 ($28) broadband tax, which will be used to indirectly pay the record and film industries for their failing business models. Read more...
Spotify gets ‘Restricted’ by Major Labels
Spotify posted on their blog that their music catalogue will be reduced in quantity and some tracks will be removed for certain countries. The free streaming music service is being bullied by the major labels to restrict their distribution and although Spotify is compiling, they are not happy about it. From the blog:
Continue reading...“These restrictions are a legacy from when most music was sold on tapes and CDs and they have continued over into streaming music, our hope is that one day restrictions like this will disappear for good.”
30.1.09
Pendulum Tour, Fischerspooner, Mastodon Albums
Pendulum announces their American tour, Fischerspooner is set to release Entertainment later this year, and Mastodon reveals the artwork of their album and streams a free track online, all in the following round up: Read more...
29.1.09
RZA Diversifies, Quasimoto Toy, Joaquin Phoenix Hoax
Wu-Tang’s RZA tells Wired about his newest projects, Madlib’s character Quasimoto gets its own toy figure, and EW casts doubt on Joaquin Phoenix’s career change. Check out the round up: Read more...
28.1.09
Editorial: How to Support Independent Music in a Changing Industry
The music industry is changing, major labels have been losing money since file-sharing started cutting into their profits. Maybe we shouldn’t care, for most major label artists are heavily publicized, pre-packaged for the masses, and generally worse than our favorite indie bands. But how is the shift in industry affecting independent labels? Common sense says that indie labels suffer alongside the big players, but the change in the industry is shifting towards a diversification of music, with more and more people listening to what they really want to hear, instead of what is imposed by the mass media. How you can support indie music in our changing times, after the jump: Continue reading...
Multi-room Touchscreen Music Server
CasaTools is now shipping the CasaTunes XL Music Server, a multi-room music system that features a built-in touchscreen and a 250GB hard drive. The server can play stereo music in up to 48 rooms, as well as music from mp3 players and phones. Read more...
Newborn Infants Can Detect The Beat In Music
Using brain-signal detection and measurement, scientists have discovered a phenomenon called “beat induction” in two to three day old babies. Unique to humans, either innate or learned in the womb, beat induction is the ability to detect and synchronize rhythms, and is linked to the origin of music itself. Read more...
Thom Yorke goes Dubstep with The Eraser Rmxs
If you haven’t been able to get your hands on Thom Yorke’s The Eraser Rmxs, be prepared for the newest electronic music directly from Europe: Dubstep. Counting with remixed tracks from some of the best European dubstep composers, The Eraser Rmxs has been available in the past via mp3 download, and was released in Japan in 2008. Read more...
Nokia 5800 Xpress Music Competes with iPod
The Nokia 5800 is literally changing the market. Since its European launch in October 2008, the Finnish manufacturer announced over 1 million units shipped, showing that mobile phones might soon be replacing popular mp3 players, like the iPod, for music listener’s needs. Continue reading...
EMI set to release Ben Harper on Vinyl
EMI Music is continuing with their vinyl campaign, with a planned release of Ben Harper’s Virgin Records catalog on February 24th. Nine albums have been restored, with Harper’s supervision, for the limited edition, 180 gram vinyl format. Read more...
27.1.09
Nine Inch Nails Album Released for Free Download
The newest Nine Inch Nails album, entitled The Slip, is available as a free application under a Creative Commons license on Playapp.com. The downloadable PlayApp contains 10 extractable 192 kbps MP3 songs, and 14 high resolution JPG pictures. Continue reading...
Warp Webshop Closes, Warner Music’s YouTube Demands, New FCC Chairman
The Warp Records online store has closed, Warner Music forces its own artist’s videos offline and Obama is ready to nominate a new FCC Chairman, all in today’s round up! Read more...
26.1.09
Radiohead to Perform at Grammy Awards Ceremony
The 2009 Grammy Awards will count on a performance from Radiohead, nominated for five awards, including best album. Thom Yorke is already advertising for the Grammys, and now Pitchfork reports that the band is also going to perform at the event, scheduled for February 8th in Los Angeles. Continue reading...
Microsoft Automates Musical Composition
Songsmith, the newest music production tool from Microsoft, is designed to create automatic compositions from your recorded vocals. You record your singing onto the PC, and the program generates a song to accompany you. The results, while hilarious, are a bit scary. Read more...
Anni Rossi Afton Review
Read this review at Noripcord.com
Afton, the debut 4AD release from Anni Rossi, establishes the 22 year old Minnesotan as the newest talent in American alternative music. With original composition and organic sonority, Rossi mixes her classically trained singing and viola playing with a wide range of woodwinds, paced rhythms and string instruments in Afton, proving that she is worthy to brush elbows with Beirut, Minotaur Shock, and Blonde Redhead on the 4AD roster.
Machine starts the EP with Anni’s viola playing, the self proclaimed centerpiece of her music. Her viola playing is varied, sometimes sharp and punctuated with dissonant notes, other times silky and erudite. The ease with which other instruments are blended into her style is notable, whether it’s clarinet in Venice, or organ in Ecology, the different layers of sound are seamless, almost bestowing a ‘band’ feel to the music.
Rossi uses an impressive amplitude for her vocal composition, and she’s able to produce different vocal harmonies together with the instrumental chord progressions. Her singing isn’t the focus of the music, but rather works as an equal part of the many instrumental layers. Downtempo rhythm enters the fusion in West Coasts and Wheelpusher, and tremendous effort was put into the percussion, making it interesting on its own and staying away from overused quaternary rhythms.
Classically trained since the age of three, Rossi is now based in Chicago, IL and tours as a solo artist. Afton was mostly recorded in 2006, and the tracks previously have been available on Anni’s Myspace page or on limited releases. The collected songs don’t feel too different from each other, and the total 20-minute experience feels complete. Rossi is now working on her debut album at Electrical Audio with Steve Albini, to be released in March, 2009.
Influences in Afton range from folk music to classical to rock and roll, spanning decades and genres. However, Rossi genuinely achieves a style of her own, in her plucked viola playing and in her multi-instrumental composition, while maintaining a pleasant, contained approach to her combination of sonorities. The music is rich with personality, and strives to establish uniqueness and incomparability.
Coming to a close with Central Utah, an almost concerto-style track with semi-orchestral backing, Afton leaves us thinking ‘over already?’, and leaves a promise of future delights from Anni Rossi, carving a space for her musical expertise and talent, with arguments to spare. Anni Rossi is a rising star, and those who want to listen to something different and be surprised should get the EP here.
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