NYDiscovery

Discover NEW Music: Division Day "Visitation"

Whenever I get Oh My Rockness' brilliant newsletter, I try to find the bands whose shows are coming up on Rhapsody, for which I have a subscription. While I couldn't find a few bands, I started with  Division Day and didn't trust my ears!

I didn't have any any expectations whatsoever. Best case scenario, I would like their sound but I wasn't prepared to immediately fall in love with it! Hence, the 2nd blog post for today!

So far, you can only visit them on Myspace, but that's cool because you can listen to their sound: http://www.myspace.com/divisionday and you should do so!

Recommended for: Fans of electronic music with heavy rock beats or vice versa. They are categorized as "Alt/Punk" in Rhapsody but I can't find anything "punk" in their music.

My favorite songs on this album:  "Malachite" and "Black Crow" but this might change soon again...

Reminds me of: A bit Silverspun Pickups (the singers voice), Kasabian, a bit Pink Floyd (the song "Azalean") and also a bit Led Zepplin, and then so many other bands I love to listen to and then again they sound unique!

My iTunes rating: Don't have the album (yet), listening on Rhapsody. Would give it 4 stars.

Album Release Date: August, 18th 2009

-- By Elke

It Might Get Loud and it Will Be Pleasure!

While still in limited release, New York and Los Angeles only, I so badly wanted to see It Might Get Loud and did so yesterday!

This is a MUST SEE for everybody who loves rock music, and for every guitar player anyway. But also people who are simply interested in a good movie and crafted film making would be the target audience. 

The Oscar winning filmmaker Davis Guggenheim knows exactly what he's doing. The vision he comes up with is fantastic. Every moment is a new surprise supported by great old footage and new material. From the first moment on I was in awe and a big fat smile settled on my face and did not leave until the film was over.

My only critique, which hardly isn't any, would be that I would have loved to see Jimmy Page, The Edge and Jack White jamming a bit more together. While their screen time seems to be well balanced, their jamming sessions are only a few but when they do, the screen is smoking!

It Might Get Loud is a masterpiece and a movie for the ages. Definitely worth to buy on DVD (or download from iTunes) and watch it more than once. Timeless gem!

-- By Elke

Photo picturing Josette, July 2007 c/o nysdiscovery.com

Michael John's "Hold Back My Heart" Could and Should be Better

Took me a while to finally get a handle on American Idols' surprisingly early booted off candidate Michael Johns album. He was actually my favorite, in the voice and looks department anyway. I still love his voice and wish Hold Back My Heart was a better album!

Blues and soul suit Michael Johns very well, his voice can shine best then. The arrangements of this album so are nothing but ultra boring. Worse! They even sound cheap, the whole recording sounds cheap!

There's something to it, to be the winner! While David Cook's first album isn't exactly perfect either, it sounds so much better! And let's room and hope for more. I am definitely looking forward to David Cooks sophomore album. And I truly love him as an artist. His voice is warm and disarming.

There's another idol who's first album I'll be waiting for: Adam Lambert. I just hope he can be original and he'll find great musicians to work with. He won't make it alone with his voice. Or awesome looks.

Quickly back to Michael Johns: the songs I like best are "Fire" an up-tempo, flavorful arrangement, and the soft and slow number with the same name as the album, "Hold Back My Heart", is beautiful too - but this alone doesn't make me buy the whole album.

Okay, let's see with what these "Idols" come up with next...

-- By Elke

Around the City: What’s That Weird Purple Thing?

At 7 a.m. in the Manhattan meat district, people are already waiting so they can go up and stroll the High Line, an abandoned railroad trestle snatched most handsomely from demolition. The first nine-block stretch is an airy parkland snaking near the West Side waterfront south of 20th Street. It’s already drawing 20,000 visitors a day on the weekends.

via www.nytimes.com

I cannot recommend the Highline enough. Yesterday we went there after dark and it's beautifully illuminated and even though it's only the equivalent of the third floor, it seems you are somehow above the city and it's lights.
Also the vegetation is beautiful - a little bit like on our terrace.

Kasabian on Facebook - When Ads Do Harm

"Do you like Radiohead? You'll like Kasabian!" - that's what I read this morning. Okay, I thought, that's odd because Kasabian only sounds remotely like Radiohead. Who ever does anyway? Radiohead are uniquely awesome and hardly anybody sounds like them!

"Do you like Interpol? You'll like Kasabian!" - only one hour later. Aha! That's an ad for Kasabian, I thought, okay. why not. But they don't sound like Interpol.

Another hour later, "Do you like The Killers? Then you'll like Kasabian!" I don't think so. I am not even sure if I still like Kasabian, whose debut album I have and really liked!

When this all really got onto my nerves was when yet another ad on Facebook's right hand side appeared, asking me: "Do you like Stereophonics? You will like Kasabian". No, no and NO! Kasabian do not even remotely sound like Stereophonics!

What's happening here is a bad marketing campaign, trying to sell Kasabian based on my personal music taste. But it backfires! While I am now listening to Kasabian's "West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylym" and really loving it, I won't buy it! I'll keep on listening to it on my Rhapsody subscription. Thank you very much!

I hope, other bands have more careful promotions! Music should not be in the hands of  marketeers who jump on every social media bandwagon but in the hands of listeners and fans!

Stay tuned for some blog postings and music videos about Adam Lambert, Jeff Palmiotti and Fiction Plane - this was a concert intensive week for me!

-- By Elke

Discover NEW Music: "Julian Plenti is... Skyscraper" - is Paul Banks

As a "die hard" Interpol fan, I couldn't be happier to be able to listen to new music from any of its members! It's Paupl Banks, Interpol's frontman who hides behind this pseudonym but I guess he knows it's not really working, this masquerade. Ahhh... Paul Banks voice! I love his voice! Like so many voices of other fantastic bands, it is very distinct and recognizable. It's not as irritating as Caleb Followill's or as smooth as Dave Gahan's but it has this little something that lulls you in, gives you comfort and keeps you on your toes and all at the same time!

Having listened to the album only 3 times by now, I know that I'll listen to it many more times. I absolutely love it! And I'd say it's a must for every Interpol fan. Not sure if this album would generate any new Paul Banks or Interpol fans but for the existing ones a wonderful treat!

Recommended for:
Every Interpol fan. Everybody who's in for a great voice and beautiful harmonies. To wind down and relax...

My Favorite songs on this album:
Skyscraper, No Chance Survival

Reminds me of:
Interpol (okay that's so obvious!) - but more playful; every other band that experiments a lot with different instruments. In a way, this album reminds me of Panic At The Disco's last album but much darker.

My iTunes rating:
5 stars (can't help it, I am a fan!)

Album Release Date:
August 2009

-- By Elke

Waste Not!

A visit at the MoMA is always inspiring: we went there for the member preview of the Ron Arad exhibition - a retrospective of a designer, whose name I haven't know yet, but whose designs are pretty familiar - many of them can be bought as high-end furniture and accessories. 

Also on display: An installation of the Chinese artist Song Dong. It is pretty moving and sad, but the description says that it had a very positive effect on the artist and his mother, whose belongings are spread out. 

Don't miss any of those two, if you can.