To be released (2008)
Written, Arranged & Performed by ProJect
Recorded live off the floor!
Engineered by Alex Mastronardi
Mixing & Post-Production by Mike St-Jean

Keys by Eric Disero
Upright Bass by Alex Mastronardi
Laptops by Matt Rosen
Drums by Mike St-Jean
Copyright 2008 (Socan)

Coldplay :: Viva la Vida | Death & All His Friends [2008]
Posting this one again cause I’ve finally had a chance to listen to it. This record is definitely Coldplay. It’s definitely happy, definitely dark, definitely cool. Having Brian Eno on board has benefited the band greatly; I’ve always been a fan of lush atmospheric ambiance, especially when there’s a rock band riding the wave. One of the finest moments for me is the use of Jon Hopkins’ tune at the beginning and end of the record. More lush atmospheric ambiance; you just can’t go wrong.

The Field :: From Here We Go Sublime [2007]
I can’t tell who The Field is sampling but they’ve got some cool ideas and great sounds going on. Lots of interesting dynamics and every once in a while they give up their 1second looped samples to reveal the original tracks they’re sampling from. Ebows and other interesting additions give this mostly electronic record a feign feel of live instrumentation.

Oceansize :: Frames [2008]
If you like Porcupine Tree (like me), you’ll dig these guys. Basically sounding a little like PTree a few years before maturity. Drumming could use a little Gavin Harrison touch; otherwise the tunes are really cool. Get ready to count.

Esbjorn Svensson Trio :: Tuesday Wonderland [2007]
This awesomely talented and musical pianist just passed away last week in an as yet unexplained scuba diving accident. Check him out; really great stuff, musical and technically pleasing jazz.

Chemical Brothers :: Come With Us [2002]
Just amazing. You’ve gotta hear it to get it. Crazy sounds, huge atmospheres, great progressions, BOB DYLAN! They take you to the edge of your seat and out into the universe.

Matthew Good Band :: Raygun [2000]
One of the best summer Eps, if you ask me. Straight up rock. Best lead guitar this side of the 90’s. ‘Modern’ rock bands should really take a cue from this record, read: Add some substance to your songs, Neanderthals!

That’s just downright cool.

Video, please?

Thoughts?

(Thanks, InHabitat.)

Who knew?

A tree has been grown from a 2,200 year old seed, “recovered from Masada, where rebelling Jews committed suicide rather than surrender to Roman attackers.”

The Middle Eastern Medicinal Plant Project “is working to conserve and reintroduce plants to the region where they once lived.”

…and maybe this is more of, “The Trouble with So Many Things in the World Today”, but…

I wake up and start reading some of today’s news. I’ve got a whole whack of sources syndicated as headlines so I can skip through the bs celebrity gossip, and find the news that matters to me. But then I come across something like this…

Canadians could be target in feared Taliban attack

The problem with media, that is to say, one of the problems with corporate media is that they’re not trying to inform you of the news, they’re trying to get you to read their news.

Obviously the first thought that comes to mind is an attack on Canadian soil. Anyone with a vivid imagination might even worry that it might be their home town that is targeted. Well I simply must read on now…

“As the Taliban appeared to prepare for a full-scale attack on the city of Kandahar in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday, officials said the Canadian military is among the feared targets.”

No shit? You mean the Taliban isn’t just targeting the American military? You mean to tell me that Canadians in uniform, wielding weapons and night vision goggles and executing peaceful and violent operations in Afghanistan have gone untargeted until now? Or that the Taliban hasn’t targeted them until now?

Or, perhaps this article is about informing the public about the recent developments concerning the Taliban and their plans. More recently apparently we have learned that a full-scale attack is being prepared and not only are the Afghan governor’s palace and police headquarters targets, so too is Canada’s provincial reconstruction team.

Oh, but “…keep in mind that Canadian Forces themselves have not confirmed any of this.“

In conclusion, the title of CBC’s article could have simply included the words “soldiers” or “in Afghanistan” and all would be much less fear-mongerful and more informative, not withstanding the fact that the article goes on to say that none of this is ‘confirmed’.

Definitely going to have to try this one at the next lan-party.

Update: Hoax.

It seems it’s been a while since I’ve contributed here so here are some things I’ve been enjoying lately:

Intense photo manipulation:

Photo by: Emeric; Source: Design Feeder

Great music, all fairly fresh: