Music Archive

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Did You Know That Tiesto Makes $20 Million Annually?

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on April 5, 2011Posted in: Music, Music Industry

Yeah, me neither. That’s a breathtakingly high number, especially for someone who is “just a DJ.” To put it in perspective, that would make his annual salary higher than anyone in the NBA, save Kobe Bryant (who makes $24.8 million a year).

But you know what? Good for him. The dude has worked his ass off since the mid-eighties to get to here he’s at today. He tours constantly and loves what he does. He’s clearly good at what he does, including marketing himself, his music, and establishing relationships with his fans.

Witness Tiësto, the stage name of the Dutch disc jockey, producer and composer Tijs Michiel Verwest, the headliner on Friday, Ultra’s opening night. Though he’s never had a crossover radio hit and his solo albums sell modestly, Tiësto is a major international star, as confirmed by one familiar evaluation: His annual income apparently exceeds $20 million.

“Yeah. Could be that,” he said without a trace of affect recently by phone. “Before taxes and costs.”

via WSJ.com.

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Watch LCD Soundsystem’s Three And A Half Hour Last Show From MSG 4/2/11

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on April 3, 2011Posted in: Music

Apparently Pitchfork TV streamed LCD Soundsystem’s entire three hour, forty-one minute last performance from Madison Square Garden over the weekend. This is some epic shit here, folks. Not only did Arcade Fire show up to guest on “North American Scum,” LCD Soundsystem played the entire 45:33 mix! I guess if you’ve planned out your band’s last live show, you may as well go hog wild and play for almost four friggin’ hours. What a way to go out.

I recommend using something like SaveYoutube to download a local copy of the show just in case someone forces Pitchfork or YouTube to take down the video someday.

Set 1:
2:10 Dance Yrself Clean (with “I’m Not In Love” by 10cc intro)
12:40 Drunk Girls
17:09 I Can Change
23:45 Time To Get Away
28:16 Get Innocuous!
35:18 Daft Punk Is Playing At My House
41:45 Too Much Love
46:53 All My Friends
55:30 Tired (with “Heart of the Sunrise” by Yes snippet)
—
Set 2:
45:33 Part One
45:33 Part Two (w/ Reggie Watts)
Sound of Silver
45:33 Part Four
45:33 Part Five (w/ Shit Robot)
45:33 Part Six
Freak Out/Starry Eyes
—
Set 3:
1:54:39 Us v Them
2:04:00 North American Scum (with Arcade Fire)
2:11:45 Bye Bye Bayou (Alan Vega cover)
2:16:30 You Wanted A Hit
2:24:07 Tribulations
2:29:15 Movement
2:33:48 Yeah (Crass Version)
—
Set 4:
2:45:30 Someone Great
2:53:06 Losing My Edge (With “Da Funk” by Daft Punk snippet)
3:03:36 Home
—
Set 5:
3:15:53 All I Want
3:22:18 Jump Into the Fire (Harry Nilsson Cover)
3:30:30 New York, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down (with “Twin Peaks Theme” by Angelo Badalamenti intro)

via YouTube – LCD Soundsystem’s last show in all its glory. Arcade Fire guesting!

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New Death Cab For Cutie Single – You Are A Tourist

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on April 3, 2011Posted in: Music

Personally, I haven’t really been enamored with what Death Cab For Cutie has been putting out after Plans. This new single, “You Are A Tourist” isn’t as poppy as “Soul Meets Body” nor is it as euphoric as, say, “We Looked Like Giants,” from Transatlanticism. It’s just kinda… there. It’s decidedly Death Cab, but the song feels like its a shade of what the band has accomplished in the past. In fact, “You Are A Tourist” feels like it was already on a previous album.

Listen here and tell me if you agree:

via YouTube – Death Cab for Cutie – You Are A Tourist.

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The National Will Write A Song For Portal 2

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on March 23, 2011Posted in: Music, Video Games

This news is from a little over a week ago and it’s not much more than a short announcement, but screw it, it’s noteworthy.

The National are writing a song to be featured in Portal 2.

I’m still a bit skeptical because though, yes, The National are a “buzzworthy” indie band these days, The original Portal’s signature song, “Still Alive, was great because it was written from the perspective of a whimsically evil yet fun ode from a sardonic computer AI. The only imagery The National conjures up for me is a mid-tempo soundtrack to moping.

I hope I’m proven wrong, but this news doesn’t exactly excite from the point of view of a Portal fan. The good thing is that Jonathan Coulton has already been confirmed to be writing another song for Portal 2. It would have been a shame if Valve dumped him in favor of a “bigger” indie rock artist.

“The inclusion of the original song, Still Alive, in the first Portal game was part of what made the game special,” explained Valve writer Chet Faliszek.

“For Portal 2, we wanted to extend the use of music. When Bug Music mentioned to us that The National might be interested, we jumped at the opportunity to work with them.”

via The National write song for Portal 2 News – Page 1 | Eurogamer.net.

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New Deadmau5 Track – HR 8938 Cephei

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on March 22, 2011Posted in: Music, Music Picks

I’ll admit, Deadmau5’s latest album, 4×4=12, wasn’t exactly my favorite mix of songs. Sure, it had some nice tracks (“Some Chords,” “Right This Second”), but it doesn’t come close to some of his other mixes or previous albums. It just felt a bit disjointed and not quite memorable.

Fortunately, his new song, “HR 8938 Cephei,” is pure awesome. It has a more “traditional” electronica trance-y feel, eliciting visions of a journey through space. (Which makes sense, given that the title of the track is the name of a distant star.)

Best listened to while driving at night or on a rainy day or when you just need some music to get you through the workday. Clocking in at just under 11 minutes, it’s an epic soundtrack for when you have to just do shit.

YouTube – Deadmau5 – HR 8938 Cephei (Full – 1080p).

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Listen To Two New Burial Songs With Four Tet And Thome Yorke

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on March 17, 2011Posted in: Music

The Thome Yorke dubstep train continues on with two new songs from a new Burial 12″ EP featuring Four Tet and Yorke.

There are two songs making the rounds from a Floating Points + Four Tet Rinse.FM show a couple of days ago.

Mirror:

and Ego:

If you’re like me, your tastes may gravitate more to Ego which makes sense since the track is the “A-side” on the 12″ release. It’s a solid track, if not a bit predictable. Are we poised for dubstep to become the “chillwave” of 2011?

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Liam Gallagher Reviews King Of Limbs

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on March 3, 2011Posted in: Music

I heard that fucking Radiohead record and I just go, ‘What?!’ I like to think that what we do, we do fucking well. Them writing a song about a fucking tree? Give me a fucking break! A thousand year old tree? Go fuck yourself! You’d have thought he’d have written a song about a modern tree or one that was planted last week. You know what I mean?

I know what you mean, Liam. I know exactly what you mean.

Liam Gallagher Reviews King Of Limbs – Stereogum.

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Stream The New REM album “Collapse Into Now” In Its Entirety

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on March 1, 2011Posted in: Music

It’s been awhile since I’ve liked an REM album fully, perhaps dating back to 1996’s “New Adventures In Hi-Fi.” From an initial listen, their new LP, “Collapse Into Me” is definitely their best work in the last decade and a half. Give it a shot if you’ve ever liked them or even if their work has put you off the last 15 years.

Since the annoying Brightcove player doesn’t let you pick specific tracks, here’s the official live video for the single “Mine Smell Like Honey,” if you want just a taste:

Otherwise, Listen to the entire album right here:

Update: The embedded player got taken down, but you can stream the album on NPR here.

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Gizmodo’s Guide To The Best Streaming Music Service

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on February 19, 2011Posted in: Music

The problem with all of these services is that other than Grooveshark, they all cost something to use and to share. That wouldn’t be a problem if the music libraries were all comprehensive. I can’t get myself to pay for a service that’s missing huge holes of content. For example, Rdio was missing Arcade Fire when I was using the service last year, that’s an instant dealbreaker for me.

That being said, Rdio had the best social features out of any of the digital subscription services out there. If I had to pick one right now I would go with it. But personally, I’d rather stick to YouTube streaming until Spotify comes out here.

But ultimately, I have to give the edge to Rdio for creating a better user experience. MOG is technically more impressive when it comes to sound quality and music offerings, but I don’t enjoy using the service in the same way I do Rdio. Rdio presents relevant information about what you and your friends are listening to in a way that doesn’t get in the way, but doesn’t make you have to go looking for it either. And the process of listening to music is painfully easy, which is the most important thing.

via Gizmodo – The Best Streaming Music Service.

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New Radiohead Album, “The King Of Limbs” And Video Are Out

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on February 18, 2011Posted in: Music

Looks like the Radiohead boys were itchy to get their new music out to the wild as they flipped the switch to download their new album, “The King of Limbs,” a day early. Before you get visions of “In Rainbows” and expect to download this album for free, know that the price of admission is $9 for an MP3 and $14 for the WAV files. You can still pre-order the “Newspaper album” (essentially a collector’s edition) version of The King Of Limbs that includes a download for a cool $48. It’s a little curious as to why they’re not selling a standard CD version or something tangible in between the $9 download and the $48 extravaganza. Consequence of Sound reports that there will be a standard CD/Vinyl release on March 28th, so why not get in on that pricing tier on their own band site?

I’ve given the 8 track album about two listens so far and I’m not exactly blown away. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not bad, it’s just decidedly…Radiohead. Bear in mind that I’m the type of fan that likes to hear bands succeed at trying out new musical styles. That being said, I can’t really see myself springing for the Newspaper Album, despite wanting to own something collectible.

Give yourself a little sample with this video of “Lotus Flower”:

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