Jun 28, 2009
This week on Soulful Sundays, from the Ample Soul Physician himself, Fat Jon’s 2008 album – Repaint Tomorrow.
I absolutely love this album, because it’s very instrumental-heavy. I discovered Fat Jon through one of the tracks he produced with Nujabes, and then I discovered some of the work he did for Samurai Champloo as well, which had a fantastic soundtrack. I hope you guys really enjoy this album, because I totally loved it. Cheers!
Jun 26, 2009
This week on Featured Album Fridays, I’m showcasing the 2009 album from The Fiery Furnaces – I’m Going Away.
Here is the description of The Fiery Furnaces from their Last.FM:
The Fiery Furnaces are an inventive and often challengingly experimental rock group from Brooklyn, New York. Originally from Oak Park, Illinois — a suburb of Chicago — they consist of the brother and sister team of Matthew Friedberger and Eleanor Friedberger, and are currently joined by Jason Loewenstein (Sebadoh), BOB D’AMICO and Michael Goodman when playing live on tour.
The Fiery Furnaces signed with the Rough Trade Records music label in 2002, and recorded their debut album in the same year.
Gallowsbird’s Bark, released in the autumn of 2003, garnered critical praise for its clever wordplay and original songwriting.
Anybody who thought they had the band pinned at that point was quickly proven wrong with the 2004 release Blueberry Boat, a rock-operatic album whose track lengths were often six minutes long or longer.
While some critics adored the album for its vast complexity, others found it all a little too overwhelming.After releasing EP in 2005 (considered a full-length album because of its 41 minute play time, but is “officially” an EP) the band then released two further albums – Rehearsing My Choir (2005), a radio-dramaesque concept album about the Friedbergers’ Greek grandmother; and Bitter Tea (2006), which is a comparably more conventional album built on still-bent song structures, but with more pop-oriented stylings.
In October 2007 the band released their fifth full-length album, Widow City.
Great indie band, this is the first time I’m posting with this kind of sound (That I can recall!) so I’m excited to share it. As usual, the stream is below, so enjoy!
Jun 21, 2009
This week on Soulful Sundays, I am showcasing a great album from Count Bass D release in 2008 – Robbed Without a Pistol.
It’s a very instrumental-heavy album, and it has been a fantastic album to jam out to on a relaxing Saturday afternoon. I definitely hope you guys enjoy it, the stream is below!
Jun 19, 2009
This week on Featured Album Fridays, a great Canadian band from Milton, Ontario with a fantastic offering. The album is The Most Serene Republic’s 2009 album – …And the Ever Expanding Universe.
Here is the description of The Most Serene Republic from their Last.FM:
The Most Serene Republic is a Canadian indie rock band formed in Milton, Ontario, by band members Adrian Jewett, Ryan Lenssen, and Nick Greaves, who had all left school to pursue more artistic ventures. The band takes its name from the sobriquet of formerly independent Venice under the Doges, which was regarded as “The Most Serene Republic of Venice.”
The Most Serene Republic released its debut album, Underwater Cinematographer, in 2005 on the Arts & Crafts label. They are the first band on the A&C label that isn’t related in one way or another to Broken Social Scene (though Ryan and Adrian perform sometimes in their live shows). They later released a tour EP in spring/summer of 2006, titled Phages, capturing more of the sweep of their live performances.
Originally formed in mid-2003 as a duo (Lenssen and Jewett) known as Thee Oneironauts (O-nye-rawn-nauts). The pair would quickly record and self-release an EP entitled Night of the Lawnchairs on Lenssen’s GROK Studios imprint. The Oneironauts grew to trio status with the addition of Greaves on keyboard and guitar.
Their live shows are known for being extremely entertaining, and intense with dancing, and cramming so many sounds to overload the senses.
Awesome album, the stream is below, check it out! Enjoy.
Jun 16, 2009
In case you haven’t heard, ZoomPass opened its doors on June 15, 2009 for any and all users to sign up and join their service. If you haven’t heard of ZoomPass before, here is a description from their website:
Zoompass is a unique mobile payment service that offers a new way for you to send, receive, and request money quickly and securely, using a mobile device operating on the Bell, Fido, PC Mobile, Rogers, Solo, or TELUS network. With a mobile application that can be downloaded onto your mobile phone and synchronized with your phone’s contact list, you can use Zoompass anytime, anywhere while on the go.
Zoompass funds are held in a stored value account that is linked to your personal bank account or credit card, which makes loading your Zoompass account and transferring money simple and convenient. You can also use the optional Zoompass Prepaid MasterCard® card with PayPass™, linked to your Zoompass account, to make purchases in-store and online or withdraw cash from an ATM.
Innovative stuff eh? Well, I’ve been hoping for something like this for a long time and it has finally come, albeit not in the exact form that I had been looking for, it is a step in the right direction. While I have not actually used the system yet, this is just a quick list of things I like and I don’t like, and hopefully a more in-depth review of the system a little later on, when more users have adopted it and it has gained traction.
1. Multi-platform!
Thank goodness for this, ZoomPass has three different platforms that allows users to use it in practically all walks of life. There is the ZoomPass website (Similar to Paypal) as well as the mobile application, and the ZoomPass Pre-Paid Mastercard. They are all linked with each other, and you can send payments directly from your mobile application, accept payments from the ZoomPass website, and spend your ZoomPass balance with your Pre-Paid Mastercard.
I feel the Mastercard is a nice little touch until all mobile phones are retrofitted with RFID technology that we can use to pay with at any retailer. Initially, I was skeptical of ZoomPass because I had only heard about the website and the mobile application, because then it was basically Paypal for the phone, but once I discovered that a Pre-Paid Mastercard was also being offered, it seemed like a great idea.
2. Supported by all most carriers.
On the About page itself, it says that the big three (Rogers, Bell, and TELUS) as well as their budget carriers (Fido, Solo, and Koodo) all support ZoomPass. As the majority of mobile phone users in Canada use one of the big three carriers, ZoomPass makes itself very accessible and easy for almost anyone, anywhere to use.
3. Uses your phone number to send and receive payments.
This is pretty self explanatory, no real need to send using an email or username, just send it to someone’s phone number and they will be the only ones who will see it. Here is the process as described in the FAQ:
You can send money using Zoompass on your mobile phone or logging in to your account on the Zoompass website. To send money, enter the person’s name, mobile number, and the amount and press the Send button. You also have the option of sending money using the funds in your Zoompass account or from your linked credit card instead. A confirmation screen will then appear that asks you to verify the name, amount, and mobile number of the recipient. At this point you can change the information or confirm the transaction.
Seems easy enough.
1. The Fees!
It’s only natural that there would be fees attached to using ZoomPass, and you can find them here. They seem reasonable, especially since there are three different platforms we can use, as opposed to Paypal. But… what if we compared the core service of ZoomPass of sending money to each other with Paypal?
Paypal has quite a bit more free features, but once again, since there is a mobile component as well as a pre-paid Mastercard, one can’t really complain.
Until you see the fees associated with the Mastercard and the limits imposed on it.
2. Limited to ONLY the big three.
This felt like somewhat of a competitive move from the big three carriers, they had a project going on several years ago called WPS Pay, which quickly dissolved under, what I was told, as disagreements between the big three. And yet here we are, ZoomPass is released in the year that competitors are finally set to enter the Canadian mobile market. Something tells me the new competitors will have quite a delay before ZoomPass is available to their customers.
3. Requires a lot of traction.
This may be true for a lot of businesses, but for ZoomPass to really succeed, they will have to capture mainstream usage from the Canadian market, which is no easy task. Without the traction they need, ZoomPass will never be a necessity to Canadians.
But that’s enough of my nitpicking, I’m hoping to use it and really get some mileage out of it. I’ll use it for a few weeks and really go through what I like and what I don’t like.
Have I missed anything? Leave a comment!
Jun 14, 2009
Recently, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about one particular subject, and I felt that I finally had to write about it to get it off my chest. In short, I find myself frequently asking: Am I supposed to have a vastly different personality when I am in “professional mode”, compared to how I am in “personal mode”?
Allow me to elaborate.
One of my acquaintances, who shall not be named, appears to have a constant facade in play. They are a fantastic networker because of their ability make small talk, but will come off as somewhat fake due to their facade. Having conversations with this acquaintance can be a rather difficult experience, because they do not feel very genuine, even when it is a personal one-on-one conversation.
This is somewhat of a stark contrast to my own behaviour. In a professional setting, I usually try my best to create real conversations that have a bit more depth to them. It may not always work and people may not always connect with me, but I refuse to change that just to make networking easier. This is exactly how I am with my friends, and I feel that it is appropriate for professional settings as well.
So I asked myself, should you really behave all that differently between “personal mode” and “professional mode”? I don’t expect people to be acting boorish and idiotic around professional events, but who would you rather deal with: a master of small talk, or a conversationalist?
Weigh in with your opinions, please!
Jun 14, 2009
This week on Soulful Sundays, I’m showcasing a great concept album from Funky DL – The 4th Quarter.
I really like this album because of the concept. Funky DL serves up four different styles of songs: soul, new age, jazz, and authentic, in four different sections of his album. I feel that it works out very well, and I hope you think so too. Enjoy!
Jun 12, 2009
This week on Featured Album Fridays, a little beat of an off-beat album, but a great album nonetheless, Starlight Mints and their 2009 album – Change Remains.
Here is the description of Starlight Mints from their Last.FM:
Starlight Mints are a group of beautiful pop mutants: four oddballs whose love for archetypal pop music and AM radio has provided a rock-solid foundation for a whole bunch of inspired weirdness. Allan Vest (vocals/guitar), Marian Love Nunez (keyboards), Javier Gonzales (bass), and Andy Nunez (drums) began jamming together in the ’90s, giving birth to their own funky brand of heavily instrumental, surrealistically worded pop sound. Maybe you could call it bubblegum psych. It all adds up to something very grand: one marvelous piece of orchestrated, catchy surrealism after another, in the form of 2006’s drowaton. The band has released two previous albums, the dream that stuff was made of (2000), and built on squares (2003), combining classic string arrangements, cheeky boyish vocals, and a feel good vibe to bring a glossy, fresh sound to indie rock.
The Starlight Mints is an indie pop band from Norman, Oklahoma. This quirky quintet is nationally renowned on the indie scene for their creative juxtaposition of classical and pop elements in their music. The band was formed in the ’90s and has varied in size between 5-7 members.
The current quartet consists of:
- Allan Vest (vocals, guitar)
- Andy Nunez (drums)
- Marian Love Nunez (keyboard)
- Javier Gonzales (bass).Two previous members contributed to their sound on violin and cello. After releasing The Dream That Stuff Was Made Of in 2000 through the label See Thru Broadcasting, and Built on Squares in 2003 through Pias America. Similar bands include the Flaming Lips (who hail from the same area of Oklahoma), the Mayflies USA, the French Kicks and The Unicorns.
Pop mutants indeed! Hope you enjoy the album as much as I do, the stream is below!
Jun 7, 2009
This week on Soulful Sundays, I’m showcasing a fantastic instrumental album from Nomak – Musiq and Foto.
What I really like about this album is that it is very calm, has great piano pieces, and is the perfect way to end a Sunday evening. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do, the stream is below, cheers!
Jun 5, 2009
This week on Featured Album Fridays, I am highlighting the self-titled album from a UK band called Grammatics – Grammatics.
Of course, here is the description of the Grammatis from their Last.FM:
Leeds-based Grammatics formed in April 2006 with best friends Owen Brinley and Dominic Ord deciding to form a band after the demise of Owen’s previous band Colour of Fire. The line-up was pieced together with the addition of Rebecca Dumican and Rory O’Hara and Michael Repeat. They spent the next few months writing and rewriting songs. Perfectionists to the last, the band waited until that October to begin playing live. This paid off and their live performances quickly gained them a reputation as a band to look out for on the Leeds scene. The inclusion of their track “The Shipping Forecast” as the opening track of Leeds label Dance To The Radio’s “Something I Learned Today” compilation saw them start to gain attention nationwide.
Meanwhile tensions within the band, who openly admit to their fondness for arguments, were making progress difficult and in May 2007 Michael left the band to work on other things.
Recently the band have continued to build on their already formidable reputation. A Japanese EP released in 2007 has now sold out, as with their debut 7” release on Dance To The Radio.
Current line-up is:
Owen Brinley – Vocals, Guitar, Sampler, Keys
Emilia Ergin – Vocals, Cello
Dominic Ord – Drums
Rory O’Hara – Bass
Great album, the stream is below, enjoy!