More Feist- September 29, 2007 Still enjoying using Amazon MP3 (you'll need to use a US delivery address to buy stuff). Today I finally got round to buying Leslie Feist's The Reminder. I'm not sure that the single, 1234, is the best track on the album. It all sounds rather like Let It Die (try Secret Heart or Mushaboom), which in my view is a good thing, but if you're trying her out for the first time you'll only want one of those albums.http://www.webmink.net/2007/09/more-feist.htm Amazon to Apple: Stop the Lock-In- September 25, 2007 The war has started between the two As - Apple and Amazon. I just gave Amazon MP3 a try and it works splendidly. They are selling current chart music in the US at 89 per track (cheaper albums too), and delivering it directly into iTunes in MP3 format. And just to add insult to injury, they let me test the service with a free track from "The Apples in Stereo", as if to ask why iTMS is still in mono and offering less for more. A very welcome challenge timed just around the point when lots of us...http://www.webmink.net/2007/09/amazon-to-apple-stop-lock-in.htm Avoid Heathrow- September 11, 2007 Heathrow is in a state of "increased alert" this morning, according to the yellow-jackets just before security in Terminal One. What this means is that they offer the following Kafkaesque service as a "convenience for my safety" (yes, they said that too).I arrive at the entrance to the checkpoint with my single wheelie bag of approved UK dimensions.The yellow-jackets ask if I have any liquids. I decide to avoid the tempting discussion of body fluids and say no. Crestfallen, they wave me...http://www.webmink.net/2007/09/avoid-heathrow.htm Argentine Magic- September 5, 2007 The sample tracks finally managed to displace A Fine Frenzy from continuous play, so I gave in and bought not one but two albums by Juana Molina. I really liked the three free tracks from Son UKUSiTMS and I previewed the rest of the album on iTunes. It's clear she is getting more experimental over time, and several tracks on Son will be challengingly avante-garde to some ears, not least the title track. But I adore La Verdad as well as Rio Seco.By contrast, her previous album Tres Cosas...http://www.webmink.net/2007/09/argentine-magic.htm Juana Molina- September 3, 2007 I have been following a site called Lost At E Minor for a while now. They have an eclectic mix of art and music on there, often with an antipodean slant that means there's frequently material I don't see on places like 3Hive.Today they had an excellent pointer to Juana Molina, an Argentinian actress and musician who weaves magical soundscapes with voice and instruments. Her breathy and ethereal voice is accompanied by loops she creates with various instruments. The sound her one-woman-orchestra.http://www.webmink.net/2007/09/juana-molina.htm |