Still Alive, But(t) Kicking?

Just wanted to post this for those who might actually read this...

Woah Patrol is still alive, between issues with Blogger, and issues with organization - the patrol has been lacking lately - however within a week of 2008, Woah Patrol will be back with updates on the regular, new posting software so each member of the patrol can update with ease (sorry Blogger, you fail), and (probably) it's own domain.

Our significant voices SHALL be heard! *fistpump*

Re: Politics. = Cute

It seems like everyone is freaking out over the election which is still about a year away, high tension...like the gore-fest movie "High Tension" better seen as the French version "Haute Tension".

I don't feel like talking politics at all right now, other than here is an awesome candidate calculator...and it worked for me!

"Find Your Candidate for the 2008 Election"

On side/personal note, posting frequency will be increasing as my cross country move is complete and I am settled!

New Feature!

Blogger/Google introduced a fancy new feature that allows me to mark RSS feeds in Google Reader as "shared". It then puts them on woah patrol as it is tied to my Google account....FANCY. Seems pretty neat though, so keep your eyes open and toward the top right of the woah patrol page to view postings I find interesting for various reasons on other blogs.

RIP Amp'd Mobile

Somewhat sad news for flashy startup company Amp'd Mobile....on July 24th they are indefinitely suspending service....I have mixed feelings.

The "blingy" commercials that insulted our intelligence as the startup company attempted to market to its main demographic were obviously quite effective.

In my opinion, here was their main flaw: They were obviously pushing to obtain young customers in the 14-27 or so year old market, mainly in urban areas, and suburban kids who wish they were from urban areas. Forcing kids in this demographic to be cellphone users has a plus and a minus. The plus: they know about the phones, and they will use the heck out of them. The minus: they don't pay! The company declared BANKRUPTCY quite quickly when half of its 175,000 customers failed to pay their bills. Oh yeah, they also owe Verizon $56+mil.
A cell phone is a huge responsibility. Making sure you don't lose it, and also to paying the bill! The target audience of Amp'd Mobile were obviously not so great at living up to these responsibilities. If you think about it, many national and regional carriers have accepted the burden of customers who need a little help with their priorities....however most have learned the hard way and now have measures in place to minimize costs in maintaining these customers, yet still getting paid. These protective and procedural measures are those that have been in place and constantly revised for years and years.

I'm a huge fan of smaller start up companies that do things better and offer better service - I'm all for getting behind an invention or service or product that might take one of the big 3 mobile carriers down a notch. However Amp'd Mobile just seemed to have the same mindset most Americans in $8k plus of debt have....

m83 Thoughts

It was announced the other day that my personal favorite band/composer/musician of all time is going to be bringing out a couple more new albums in the next 6 months or so. The first email I got about it was from the m83 newsletter and was in French. The free translation website gave me hints that a new album (or two?) would be coming out from m83!

A couple days later, I received communication in the form of English:
M83, "Digital Shades Volume 1" - OUT SEPT 03 2007 in France & USA
Release date in UK & other countries... will be announced shortly !

Just after the « Before the Dawn Heals Us » US tour, Anthony Gonzalez decided to develop a musical direction already heard on some earlier M83 tracks and he started to write and record a collection of ambient works. Having long been a Krautrock and Eno fan this was a kind of music that Anthony has always been familiar with. Recorded primarily at his home studio with the assistance of Antoine Gaillet, who had previously worked on “Before the Dawn Heals Us” , Anthony was able to work without pressure, knowing he could work on the record at his own time and pace. The idea of digital, relevant during all the process (from creating the music to sharing it), gave him the idea to call the project "Digital Shades vol.1", and to make the album part of an ongoing series.
Originally recorded in 2006, “Digital Shades vol 1” marks the beginning of a new period of activity for M83, since Anthony is already back in the studio working on a brand new album which will be released in January 2008.
This first volume of the Digital Shades series shares many qualities of previous M83 records but also follows its own individual elegiac, lunar and dream-like path. In keeping with the creative thinking behind the album, “Digital Shades Volume 1” will naturally be released on all digital download formats worldwide, as well as on more traditional formats such as vinyl and CD in France.

Now, this is pretty much very exciting. Though I don't know about this whole Digital Shades business...I don't really enjoy ambient albums, but I'm convinced that if I ever DO enjoy one, m83 will produce it. Whatever happens with 'Digital Shades' and the upcoming album in Jan 2008, I am definitely very much looking forward to them both.

m83 myspace (link)

reviewtime: Alcest - Souvenirs D'un Autre Monde

I've recently been from the school of thought that modern music coming from France worthy of my attention must include at least one synthesizer keyboard (m83) or a pop sensation with a body and dance routine to make you feel erotic at any given moment (Alizee). After giving the new Alcest album: 'Souvenirs D'un Autre Monde" (loosely translated to "Memories of Another World") a listen, I found I may just be flunking out of school.

The simple premise is this: black metal got fresh with shoegaze, and they had a baby. Check what people are saying about this album anywhere and you are bound to stumble upon those saying its black metal, and those saying it isn't and yada yada. Doesn't matter, it is completely both - and neither genre is in a position to lay sole claim to this sound. My favorite aspects of each genre are represented here, and I always subconsciously knew they were the same, Alcest proves it. The droning, sonic guitar layering providing the framework for the aural wall of sound is executed with grace and absolutely no pretentiousness. This becomes obvious a short way through the first offering on the record entitled "Printemps Emeraude" which slowly builds upon the backbone of layered metal riffs and a submissive yet not at all laid back drum beat. The jaw dropper on this track is the injection of vocals, which to me weren't even necessary, although they are what set this record apart, as the instrumentation alone could carry it strongly.

The seemingly short six song collection travels on through each song with deliberate and crafted transitions between loud/quiet, melodic/sonic, black/shoe (oh funny!). Nothing is rushed, nothing is left out, giving the listener the feeling that this guy is in complete control of where he is going with this vast sound scape being built in front of you. The third song, "Les Iris" is another stand out song in my opinion. As in many of the songs, acoustic work compliments and carries the dreamier parts which carry the song to the next stage. Each part of building up seems to out-do the one prior, pushing you to think "wow, I didn't even think this was possible". A true example of beautiful music.

So many positive descriptions will be given to this record and it is quite deserving, I know I haven't had a record take me quite like this one has in some time. The most refreshing part I find about it, is it does something I think people have been thinking and feeling for a long time. It seems to hit on what some have attempted and already done, but does it to a higher level of discipline and accurate execution.

Alcest's MySpace: (Link)

indie rock jackpot

I don't really like the term 'indie-rock'. It has been over used, and is used in the 'forefront' media as a loose label for just about anything these days. It is incorrectly used more and more to describe a sound, rather than a culture or drive.

It was exciting today when a friend of mine pointed me over to Daytrotter Sessions. (Link) Ran out of a studio in Rock Island, Illinois (midwest=heartland) - Daytrotter brings in a vast array of acts to record a couple songs for them. These songs may be new or old, release or unreleased, new versions or established renditions. Being in Rock Island gives them a great geographic location to hook up with everyone either inbound or outbound from Chicago.

Check it out, it is really a nugget of something new and valuable to hold you over through those dry times of "I just haven't been impressed by music lately". I'm most glad about Aloha, Six Parts Seven, Grizzly Bear, Owen, Velvet Teen, Of Montreal, Conner, and Casiotone for the Painfully Alone being involved - and they are just a small example of the 75+ bands available in the archives.

Kobe Bryant: Overpaid Drama Factory with a Good Jumpshot

As if it weren't obvious enough that Kobe Bryant has communication and attitude issues, check out the news today where at the start of the day he tells Stephen A. Smith (Sports Radio Host) that he would welcome being traded because of things he wasn't happy with inside the Lakers' Organization, to telling Dan Patrick (ESPN) he would like to be a Laker for life.

Check out what Bill Simmons has to say (here).

Dear Kobe Kobez:
PLEASE, be a Laker for life. Your dynasty team is in shambles, and honestly the thought of you being a hot commodity for the Suns or Mavs made me sick!

still kicking

In important music news, Anthony Gonzales of M83 is surfacing again.

Collaborating on an upcoming Montag album out 6/5/07 on Carpark, he lends his assistance on the opening track entitled "I Have Sound"

This will be incredibly looked forward to and I can't wait to get home to try and obtain this early.

Paying for faster web servers...site by site by site by site by site by site

I saw a link on Live Journal's main page about paying for speedier service. Clicking the link took me to this basic description and "justification":

"The Express Lane is a priority request queue that makes LiveJournal faster for Paid and Permanent users. When logged into your Paid or Permanent Account during times of heavy site load, your requests for LiveJournal pages are sent to the web servers before other users' requests.

LiveJournal's main priority as a service is to offer all users, Basic and Paid alike, fast and uninterrupted access to the site at all times. LiveJournal's fast and numerous web servers ensure speedy access most of the time; however, like any service, LiveJournal does encounter unavoidable periods of heavy site load. The Express Lane is designed to speed access for our paying users during peak times."

What a horrific attempt at extra revenue. I sure hope NO ONE signs up and actually pays for something like this, and I hope it is not a trend that catches on with more sites on the web. It does look like a small baby step in undermining Net Neutrality [wiki] and that is a shame.

buzz

Young Love's album comes out January 30th on Island Records.
Dance punk in a nice, easy to swallow pill. The masses will comply.

Expect it on everyone's spring/summer mix....and yours.

Their myspace page has the obvious single: 'Discotech'