081978

LINDSTRØM "SIX CUPS OF REBEL"

2012-02-08T15:59:00.000-05:00

The latest release from Norwegian electronic music producer Lindstrøm has left me feeling a bit torn. There are a number of great ideas here, and some of the songs build up to wonderful crescendos, like "Quiet Place To Live", but a bit too much of the material here also suffers from some of the same problems that are also present in that track, most notably the weird and unpleasant effects added to the endlessly repeated title line. Too many times on "Six Cups Of Rebel" it feels like he takes things off in weird directions for no real purpose, the opening couple minutes of "Call Me Anytime" spring to mind, with its wholly unnecessary cacophony only serving to make me feel mildly annoyed. This is certainly an interesting listen, and it even achieves periodic moments of greatness, but with how often I found myself alternating between being intrigued and irritated it isn't something I'm very likely to want to experience again.

GRADE: C

AIR "LE VOYAGE DANS LA LUNE"

2012-02-08T15:08:00.000-05:00

Inspired by, and apparently in some way a soundtrack for, the 1902 silent film of the same name by Georges Méliès, the latest album by French duo Air sees them staying pretty comfortably within their safe zone. As a result a lot of what's here isn't really all that adventurous, but hearing Air do what they do best is always a treat. As a result of being written for a movie, there is a slightly more cinematic feel to their usual blend of lounge, electro, and prog rock; all of which adds up to what is one of the prettiest electronic releases to come along in quite some time. This is also easily one of the best records the band have produced in a while. Much of what's here would work wonderfully as trendy background music, but it feels as though it's all too intricately crafted to be relegated to such a role, instead demanding that the listener pay attention and take in every little detail.

GRADE: A

HOTTIE OF THE WEEK: MICHAEL B. JORDAN

2012-02-02T11:12:00.004-05:00

I can't say I'm not more than a little bit interested in tomorrow's wide release "Chronicle". It looks like it has an interesting spin on the "found footage" style that we've been seeing so much of in film lately, particularly in the horror genre. It also doesn't hurt the movie that one of its stars is the uniquely handsome Michael B. Jordan. With his combination of sweet innocence and bad boy edginess it's hard to take one's eyes off of him. His nicely toned physique certainly doesn't make doing so any easier either....

TOP 100 SONGS: JANUARY 2012

2012-02-01T12:51:00.002-05:00

These are the 100 songs I listened to the most over the last month, according to last.fm. You will need a free Rdio account to listen to them in their entirety, but anyone can listen to samples.

THE BOLIVIAN MARCHING AFFAIR "ARE YOU UP FOR GETTING DOWN?"

2012-02-01T10:54:00.002-05:00

Dubstep has become one of the biggest trends in electronic music in decades, even managing to get Skrillex into the Billboard Hot 100 and the Grammy Awards. Nonetheless, I usually belong to a rapidly growing number of people who think the genre, at least as it exists now, has overstayed its welcome. There still seems to be a smattering of acts though, that manage to put out material that makes me rethink that opinion. The Bolivian Marching Affair turned out to be one of them. All the requisite elements are here: wobbly bass, stuttery d&b beats, and seemingly random bursts of synthesizer. This isn't likely to cause any great revolution in the dubstep community, but for everything it lacks in innovation, it does a really good job within the already established rules. There were a number of times during this EP that a smile crept onto my face and I found myself thinking, "That shit is sick." And that's really all one can ask for out of dubstep.

GRADE: A-

K'NAAN "MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN SILENCE"

2012-01-31T17:45:00.003-05:00

It's a shame that after making us wait 3 years for more new music after the pretty great "Troubador", all Somali-Canadian rapper K'naan sees fit to give us is a 5 track EP. Yes, it is nice to get any material out of him at all, but after listening to these songs, it's hard not to be left hoping there will be more to come this year. He proves himself even better at crafting pop-rap perfection this time out, with each song being as infectious as the one before it. From the radio-ready, Nelly Furtado featuring "Is Anybody Out There"; to the more traditional rap style of "Nothing To Lose" with Nas; the gorgeous melody of the title track; the uplifting dance sounds on "Better"; and the Afro-pop influenced closer "Coming To America", there isn't a dud in the bunch. As January comes to a close, this continues to be a great year for music, and hopefully it will be the year this major talent breaks through to the mainstream, because music this infectiously great deserves to be enjoyed by as many people as possible.

GRADE: A+

DIE ANTWOORD "TEN$ION"

2012-01-31T17:03:00.005-05:00

I have to admit that when Die Antwoord's "$O$" received wide release in 2010 I only perfunctorily skimmed over the first 2 or 3 tracks, didn't feel like it was something I'd like, and never returned to it. Therefore, I assumed that I would be equally non-plussed by the South African rap group's sophomore album, and figuring it would probably be good for me to review something I didn't enjoy at least a little bit, since it's been a while since that's happened, decided to go ahead and give "Ten$ion" a listen. Much to my surprise I found myself enjoying this quite a bit. Their mix of modern and traditional hip hop elements with 1990's era rave music completely sold me. From the moment they give a shout out to The Movement's "Jump" all the way through to a closing track that could pass for Faithless at their best, I was dancing along in my chair. I did initially find Ninja and Yo-Landi's voices to be a little off-putting, which may be why I didn't give "$O$" a chance, but as things progressed they sort of grew on me. This is just noisy and profane enough to alienate older generations, while being catchy enough to keep everyone else happily moving along and good enough to have me interested in revisiting their debut.

GRADE: A

ITUNES / AMAZON CD / AMAZON VINYL

THE ASTEROIDS GALAXY TOUR "OUT OF FREQUENCY"

2012-01-31T15:42:00.004-05:00

Putting on a pop record and discovering that it is filled to the brim with 60's nostalgia and retro-chic sounds is becoming pretty much par for the course in the current music scene. On the basis of how many such experiences I feel like I've had just during this past month, I can't help but be starting to grow a little weary of the trend. Nonetheless, on their second full-length album, Danish duo The Asteroids Galaxy Tour do a pretty good job of keeping me interested. It could be due to their willingness to try out a variety of ideas throughout "Out Of Frequency", giving each song its own personality. The group's somewhat heavier reliance on electronics helps to set this release apart from those of their peers as well, as does their decision to take their sound in some more funk-oriented directions. There can be times though when the upbeat cuteness of the whole affair can seem a bit too much, particularly on the overly twee "Suburban Space Invader", which makes me feel these songs are better suited to be listened to on their own, rather than straight through, but there is still a lot of fun to be had here.

GRADE: B+

LANA DEL REY "BORN TO DIE"

2012-01-31T11:23:00.000-05:00

To some extent I would say that Lana Del Rey (real name Elizabeth Grant) has become a bit of a victim of the hype the web had built up around her debut release, "Born To Die". Ever since her fairly disastrous appearance on "Saturday Night Live" it would seem that the same blogs and websites that had previously championed the indy pop chanteuse decided to quickly switch gears and begin piling on the hate, never mind that something about the "SNL" studio seems to prevent anyone from ever having a better than adequate performance. Well now her record is out, and it seems to be having a pretty polarizing effect on the critics. Count me as one that actually likes it. The combination of retro-inspired pop and jazz melodies layered over sparse beats reminiscent of 90's Massive Attack or Portishead establishes a languid and haunting atmosphere, and Lana's voice proves to be very well suited to the material. Unfortunately, the majority of the songs here are extremely similar to one another, and after the halfway point this makes "Born To Die" start to become a little bit boring. Otherwise though, this is a pretty solid record that nicely showcases Ms. Del Rey as a talent to watch. There will certainly be detractors, but most of them were bound to be underwhelmed after getting whipped into a frenzy, as the blogosphere does perhaps a bit too often. Come into this record with reasonable expectations and I think you'll find yourself pleasantly surprised.

GRADE: B

ITUNES / AMAZON MP3 / AMAZON CD / AMAZON VINYL

TOP 10 TWEETS OF THE WEEK

2012-01-27T10:43:00.003-05:00

Another week has passed and once again I am here to bring you a collection of the week's best tweets. After monitoring Twitter for countless hours, and being subjected to untold horrors, I weeded out those brief bursts of wit that actually stood out from the noise. Then I whittled that list down further using national telephone polls and ran all the information collected through the Japanese K Supercomputer. Lastly, the final 10 was selected using an origami paper fortune teller game and a Magic 8 Ball. So, without further adieu, here they are:

HOTTIE OF THE WEEK: JAMIE BELL

2012-01-26T10:55:00.001-05:00

My how time flies. It seems like only yesterday that Jamie Bell was winning over our hearts as the adorable little dancer in "Billy Elliot". Now, he's all grown up, and has become quite the little hottie. His quirky charms are only augmented by his leanly muscled physique and of course, it never hurts to have a British accent. While it is unlikely we'll see very much of him with his clothes off in his latest movie, "Man On A Ledge", there are already plenty of pictures to help make up for that.

Oh, and just so you can't say I didn't warn you, the last picture is probably NSFW.

HECTIC ZENITHS "HECTIC ZENITHS"

2012-01-26T10:21:00.000-05:00

I have to say I would be very hard pressed to tell you exactly what genre the debut release from Hectic Zeniths belongs in. Conceived and performed by Philadelphia math teacher Adam Morgan Prince, with a little help from friends, I would be inclined to say this is a chillout record, but it's really so much more than that. While many of the songs contain what is ostensibly a pop structure, they generally also utilize hauntingly beautiful classical piano melodies and quick flourishes of softly oddball electronic experimentation. The beats, provided by the intimidatingly named The Yetti, range from somewhat traditional rock and jazz styles to head-tapping hip hop and even electro. While the drums often help propel the music along, they never overpower it, with the gorgeous melodies always remaining at the forefront. And those piano-driven melodies really are the star here, injecting every track on which they appear with hopeful imagination but also conveying a sense of underlying sadness. If you ever run into someone who claims that electronic music is incapable of emotion, there are few better albums than this one to convince them otherwise.

GRADE: A-

GOTYE "MAKING MIRRORS"

2012-01-25T15:18:00.002-05:00

Based on what I've been hearing so far this year, 2012 is going to be filled to the brim with electronica and classic pop revivalism. The third album from Australian-Belgian multi-instrumentalist Gotye (real name Wouter De Backer) does nothing to dispel that notion. Rather it fully embraces both, with it's retro samples and influences melding wonderfully with flourishes of techno and dance, disproving any idea that those 2 musical trends need to be at odds with one another. Of particular note is that, as far as I know, this whole record has been made by Gotye himself, with nary a guest performer to be found, and still manages to make it all the way to track 8 before it manages to be anything less than stellar. Leading up to that we are treated to one infectious song after another, seemingly on our way to a perfect alterna-pop album. That song though, "State Of The Art", ruins the streak. It's actually a decent enough song, but the weird vocal effect choice made on it almost ruins it for me. After that, things don't quite return to the greatness of the first half of "Making Mirrors", but they do improve, most notably on "Save Me", a track that makes the similarities between Wouter's voice and Sting's readily apparent. All in all this is simultaneously an interesting experiment in popular music and a satisfyingly catchy and coherent piece of art.

GRADE: B+

C2C "DOWN THE ROAD"

2012-01-25T13:48:00.001-05:00

Turntablists certainly attract large crowds when playing out at clubs or parties, and for good reason. The excitement and the energy they build up by quickly blending samples and beats to create something new is both impressive and infectious. They often have a considerable amount of difficulty translating that same vibe into an actual album however. Sure there are plenty of great mixtapes out there, but I'm referring to an actual, original record. DJ Shadow managed to do it twice, but I can't really think of anyone else who's pulled it off since. It remains to be seen if C2C is capable of it, but if the 5 original songs here are any indication, it shouldn't be a problem. Each one has layers upon layers of obscure samples, run though all manner of turntable trickery and piled on top of heavy beats. The end result is one of the best examples of the artform to come along in years, and leaves me hungry to see what they put out next.

GRADE: A

ITUNES

GRAFFITI6 "COLOURS"

2012-01-25T13:16:00.001-05:00

If there was ever a pop record that seemed to truly have something on it for everybody, this would be it. Seriously, I can't imagine that there would be anyone who couldn't find something to love on "Colours", aside from perhaps Juggalos, but they aren't exactly known for their good taste. London duo Graffiti6 have put together a simply beautiful album that deftly blends bits and pieces of everything that's been great about popular music over the last 60 or so odd years. There are elements of 90's alternative, classic rock, folk, 60's pop, classic Prince-style funk, trip hop, chilled-out Moby, and gospel; just to name those that I picked up on. Even more impressive than the group's diverse influences is just how well they pull it all together into a cohesive sound, that remains consistent throughout. And with singer Jamie Scott delivering a pretty incredible, often moving performance, despite being run through a variety of processing tricks, this is yet another great album in a year that is off to a very promising start. My one and only complaint is that closing track "Free" doesn't seem like it lasted as long as I wanted it to, but that's a pretty minor gripe for an otherwise superb record.

GRADE: A

TOP 10 TWEETS OF THE WEEK

2012-01-20T10:30:00.003-05:00

Twitter really is such a wonderful creation. It keeps me informed and entertained throughout the day, and even better still, it allows me to inject a large amount of comedy into this site without actually having to write anything funny. We are truly living in a golden age! Of tweets!

HOTTIE OF THE WEEK: CHANNING TATUM

2012-01-19T12:37:00.003-05:00

Browsing through the week's new releases it came to my attention that Channing Tatum is appearing in Steven Soderbergh's "Haywire", which actually looks to be a rare January movie that doesn't suck. It also came to my attention that despite being incredibly good looking and not at all ashamed to remove his clothes, Mr. Tatum has yet to be featured in this column. So, there was really only one logical course of action...

JESSIE BAYLIN "LITTLE SPARK"

2012-01-18T12:09:00.002-05:00

Right after the success of Amy Winehouse's "Back To Black" the market became flooded with female singers trying to recreate that success with their own blends of 60's and current pop sounds. Some of them disappeared from our collective consciousness just as quickly as they arrived, and at least one has managed to reach even greater heights than that aforementioned record did. And there is still no shortage of acts releasing music in that specific subgenre. The latest from singer-songwriter Jessie Baylin seemingly fits right into that mold, particularly during the first couple tracks, which are almost certainly going to be serviced to radio to cash in on that ongoing trend. Don't let that dissuade you from enjoying them though, as they are most assuredly great songs, but it's not until after them that "Little Spark" really takes off. Ms. Baylin adds a bit of country charm to the mix, which really helps her to stand out and adds an extra touch of sweet beauty to the material. There are bits of further experimentation scattered throughout, like the nicely integrated electronic drums of "The Winds", but it's when Jessie's softly beautiful voice is matched up with the more classically American sounds that this becomes truly impossible to resist. And those 60's-influenced tracks are pretty fun.

GRADE: A

STEVE AOKI "WONDERLAND"

2012-01-18T11:12:00.002-05:00

2012 is only a couple of weeks old and already we have one of the year's best party records. Dim Mak Records founder and superstar DJ Steve Aoki's "Wonderland" utilizes a large assortment of guest stars to great effect, helping him craft an album that, while staying true to his sound, has enough variety from track to track that it is nearly impossible to find oneself becoming bored. The first 9 songs here are just pop-radio-friendly enough to be a potential hit, but also just weird enough to keep fans of Aoki's previous work and the releases on his label contented. Songs featuring Wynter Gordon and LMFAO could easily fit in with the rest of today's techno-heavy Top 40 hits. After that though, the Kid Cudi and Travis Barker assisted "Cudi The Kid", and the rest of the record head off into harder, stranger, and equally excellent territory. I'm sure there are still pleny of people out there that currently don't and probably won't ever appreciate dance music, and it's pretty unlikely "Wonderland" will do anything to change their minds on the matter. For the rest of us however, it's simply wonderful.

GRADE: A

CHECK OUT THE OFFICIAL SITE HERE.

TOP 10 TWEETS OF THE WEEK

2012-01-13T10:56:00.000-05:00

Hello and welcome to the second installment of my favorite tweets. I'm sure there were some good ones I've missed as I can't be on Twitter all the time, but I am hanging around on it far more than I ought to, so I come across quite a lot that amuses me. It can be difficult whittling it down to just 10, but after hours of polling and data analysis I've managed to do it once again. So let's see those sweet, sweet tweets.

THE BEST OF CES 2012 PART 2: THE LITTLE STUFF

2012-01-12T16:10:00.001-05:00

In the first half of my feature about my favorite new technology from this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas I focused on larger items, or at least larger ticket items. For the second half (Check out the Part 1 of my coverage here) I'll be talking about the smaller, more novelty-ish products. Sure they aren't all exactly groundbreaking, but this category is where a lot of the truly fun ideas wind up. So let's get to it...

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LOGITECH CUBE

Believe it or not this strange little box shaped thing is actually a very, very new take on the mouse. While it works in some ways like the mice we're already familiar with, it adds some nice new features, like swiping your finger along its surface to scroll the screen, and the ability to become a presenter simply by picking it up. This is a very novel little device that should add a lot of convenience to many people's lives.

CHECK OUT THE OFFICIAL SITE HERE.
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GOALZERO GUIDE 10 PLUS

There is almost certainly a somewhat limited market that could really use this product, but for them this is pretty revolutionary. Getting a truly portable, affordable solar charger kit capable of filling up your cell phone's battery in as little as 2 hours is a very big deal for anyone who spends a lot of time outdoors. This could be especially handy for hikers and nature photographers. Best of all, this product is available to buy now.

CHECK OUT THE OFFICIAL SITE HERE.
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SPARE ONE PHONE

Don't tell me you haven't worried about what would happen if your car broke down in the middle of nowhere and the battery on your phone died. Coming soon this phone, projected to be available for under $100, will take care of that problem. Capable of holding its charge for up to 15 years on a single AA battery, you could just pop it in your glovebox and not worry about it again. And if the time should come that you need it, you'll be glad it was there.

CHECK OUT THE OFFICIAL SITE HERE.
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I'M WATCH

With the cheapest model available coming in at $329 I don't know that these will really be flying off the shelves, but the idea of an Android powered watch that can make and receive calls and has access to a number of apps like Facebook and Twitter does have a lot of appeal. It may not really catch on until the price comes down, but it's a very promising start.

CHECK OUT THE OFFICIAL SITE HERE.
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FEEDAIR

Even I have to admit that I'm somewhat hard pressed to come up with a real reason why someone might need a product like this. But I can say that I definitely want one, and that's all that really matters. Very simply, it is a cute, little scrolling LED sign that displays a crawl of the information you ask to see; be that top news stories, stock quotes, or your Twitter feed. Yes, it is somewhat pointless, but admit it, you kind of want one too. It will be available for purchase this March.

CHECK OUT THE OFFICIAL SITE HERE.
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KAROTZ

And speaking of pointless but kind of cool things, meet Karotz. They are little robot bunnies that can read you your Facebook statuses and tweets, check the news, tell you the weather, monitor your house while you're out, and a host of other neat but unnecessary things.

CHECK OUT THE OFFICIAL SITE HERE.
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MIMOMICRO

Coming in March, these are collectible USB card readers and drives. They each feature flip-out USB plugs and are designed to look like your favorite characters from Star Wars or DC Comics, with more likely to come later. And with them all expected to cost under $20 they will certainly be hard to pass up. Not exactly revolutionary, but they do take something fairly boring and make it seem fun.

CHECK OUT THE OFFICIAL SITE HERE.
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BLUESTACKS

There isn't really a lot of need to run Android apps on your PC, seeing as most of them are only rearrangements of perfectly functional websites or available for free for use on the Chrome web browser. But if you should decide you want to use Facebook or play Field Runners that way instead, you only need to download this free program and then download the free app from the Android Market, and sync the apps you want. On Windows 7 this is really more of a novelty than anything else, but it will certainly help fill a void when Windows 8 comes out while everyone waits for developers to make tablet-friendly apps for that OS.

CHECK OUT THE OFFICIAL SITE HERE.
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WOWWEE APPGEAR ELITE COMMANDAR

Allegedly coming out soon, this game for iOS and Android devices has you clip your phone into a holder on the top of a physical toy gun, and then using augmented reality through the camera, you run around shooting alien robots. There is also a multiplayer mode, which promises to make the concept even more interesting. It remains to be seen if this is nearly as much fun as it looks, but even if it stinks, it will hopefully inspire a lot of similar products in what could be a really cool new niche of the gaming market.

THE BEST OF CES 2012 PART 1: THE BIG STUFF

2012-01-12T15:00:00.000-05:00

Every January, seemingly the entire electronics industry flocks to Las Vegas to show off what they believe, or at least hope, are the gadgets that all of us will be dying to get our hands on over the next 12 months. I unfortunately do not get to go to any of these annual events, but lucky for me, the coverage of it has become so massively overblown, it's pretty easy to see the majority of the truly interesting products presented. So, after monitoring this coverage for many, many hours, I have come up with a list of the tech gear that most excited me while I was streaming coverage on my Roku box, reading blogs on my Asus Transformer and sipping coffee and hot chocolate from my Keurig (isn't it obvious that I need more stuff?). There were so many interesting products that it seemed impossible to get it all in one post, so I didn't. This first post will focus on the larger scale items and Part 2, which can be seen here, will focus on the smaller stuff.

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TOBII GAZE

I don't know how practical this technology will wind up being, but it's certainly cool enough that it seems worth giving a try. Gaze by Tobii allows a PC or laptop user to control their pointer simply by looking where they want it to go. I'm not really sure how it works, but the hardware / software combo knows exactly where your eyes have wandered and moves the cursor accordingly. It certainly seems like it has the potential to be useful, and if nothing else it will at least have some novelty value. They have put together an arcade game using the device to demo it that also looks pretty cool, and apparently can be purchased for a mere $25,000.

CHECK OUT THE OFFICIAL SITE HERE.

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LG SMART THINQ APPLIANCES

Who wouldn't want a refrigerator than can tell you what's in it, when it will expire, how much of it is left, what recipes you can make with it, and let the stove know to start preheating? Well, I imagine someone wouldn't want that, but I certainly would...

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LG ULTRA-THIN 55" OLED TV

Not only does this TV, which may or may not be made commercially available later this year, produce stunningly gorgeous images. It's comparably minuscule bezel and startlingly low thickness help make it equally wonderful to look at when it's turned off. You know television technology has really gotten somewhere when we can start complaining about our wires being too thick compared to the device they plug in to.

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SHARP AQUOS FREESTYLE TV

The idea of a portable 20" television set may seem a bit silly at its face, but if you really think about it there is a lot of potential here. With built-in wifi capability and a rechargeable battery it would allow you the ability to take whatever you wanted to watch with you wherever you want. Of course, you wouldn't realistically be roaming the neighborhood with it, but say you wanted to sit on your deck and enjoy a nice evening without missing your favorite show; suddenly this doesn't seem like a terrible idea after all...

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WINDOWS 8

Sure, the latest iteration of Microsoft's dominant computer operating system was announced quite a while ago, but one could easily make the case that it was one of the stars of this year's CES. It was popping up on PC's, ultrabooks, and tablets pretty much everywhere one looked. And the few new features mentioned during the Microsoft keynote address were pretty much the only noteworthy announcements during that rather dull presentation. With its radical reinvention of the company's flagship product it poses a rather large risk for them, but if it works as nicely as it looks, it should pay off handsomely.

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LENOVO IDEAPAD YOGA

Speaking of devices highlighting Windows 8, this ultrabook / tablet hybrid by Lenovo was easily one of the most promising of the bunch. Featuring a 360° hinge, this versatile piece of hardware effortlessly takes on many convenient forms. Check the video below to see what I'm talking about.

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ASUS MEMO 370T

Sure, there are already lots of tablets crowding the marketplace, and there's certainly no shortage of them in the 7" category. Making matters even worse for anyone trying to enter the space is that it is currently being dominated by Amazon's inexpensive Kindle Fire. Leave it to Asus to introduce a product that not only blows that device out of the water on specs, but is pretty competitive on price too, coming in at only $50 more. Running a quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 chip, with 1 GB of RAM and a minimum of 16 GB of hard-drive space along with an 8-megapixel camera, Micro-USB port, Micro-HDMI port, and a microSD card reader this packs an awful lot of punch for a meager $250. By all rights, this should be a very hot property when it comes out in the 2nd quarter of this year.

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LENOVO THINKVISION USB MONITOR

This isn't really a new product, in fact it's already available, and a secondary USB monitor for your laptop or PC is hardly a new idea, but with it's relatively light weight and included travel-case, this is one of the first, if not the first, I've ever seen with portability in mind. Being able to easily tote this little screen around with you is a huge selling point that should really help it stand out in a moderately crowded marketplace.

BUY HERE FROM AMAZON

HOTTIE OF THE WEEK: JOSH HUTCHERSON

2012-01-12T10:02:00.001-05:00

Having absolutely loved the book "The Hunger Games", I can't help but be very excited to see the cinematic adaptation this March. There has been some controversy over the casting of the movie, and I can say that some of the choices don't really match up with what I was picturing in my head. The one they seem to have gotten spot on though is the role of Peeta Mellark. With the combination of his well-defined features and boy-next-door charm, and after they dye his hair blonde, the 19 year-old Kentucky native looks pretty much exactly like what I was picturing. Normally I would wait until it was much closer to the actual release date of a film to feature one of its stars here, but since I am too excited for its release, and the hype machine for it is already kicking into full gear anyway, I figured why not? So, without further adieu, here is some very convincing evidence to argue the case for Team Peeta.

CURIO CITY "YOU ARE HOME"

2012-01-11T15:54:00.000-05:00

I was drawn to Curio City's "You Are Home" by the absolutely gorgeous cover art, but I can't say I really had much of an idea of what to expect upon listening. Despite bearing at least a passing resemblance to the covers of some recent electro albums, it's actually a chillout record that seems to be trying to equal the beauty of the image on its face. The project, which is largely the work of Chris Timpson, doesn't quite pull it off. At its best it comes close, like on the lovely "Lost Song", and even at its worst it is always pleasing to listen to. Curio City deftly blends folk rock, jazz and downtempo; but for a concept whose name playfully suggests musical experimentation, there isn't really anything here that hasn't been done a million times before, and as such it's difficult to not get at least a little bit bored. There is a lot of talent behind "You Are Home", and it does yield some great tunes, but it's hard not to feel like he is capable of more.

GRADE: B

SDUK "ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN"

2012-01-11T10:11:00.004-05:00

I can easily see how Sduk could build up a bit of a following. His mixture of retro-techno sounds and styles with dubstep beats and hints of hip hop would ostensibly ensure that his sound is exactly what listeners are looking for right now; and it is a melange that, perhaps not too surprisingly, works out quite well most of the time. There are a few moments where the older-sounding synths lead to things sounding a bit cheesy, but they come up far less often than I would typically expect upon hearing they are being utilized. Instead, the combination leads to something that sounds fresh and new, which is really quite a feat considering all the elements on their own are anything but. The only real problem I have with "Anything Could Happen" is that it too often feels like the same limited melody is allowed to loop on, uninterrupted for too long. It's unlikely it's something anyone would notice if this came on at a bar or when hanging out with friends, but it does make listening alone on headphones a less pleasant experience than it could be, and in turn prevents this record from achieving greatness.

GRADE: B

TOP 10 TWEETS OF THE WEEK

2012-01-06T09:53:00.000-05:00

As part of my year-end coverage, and because 2011 was the year I became increasingly obsessed with Twitter, I thought it would be fun to include a list of my 10 favorite tweets of the year. Much to my surprise, it turned out to be a really popular post, so, it has occurred to me that I should perhaps look into making this a regular feature. Therefore, I present to you, my first ever Top 10 Tweets Of The Week. Since it has been several weeks since that last post, this one will include tweets from a longer period than 1 week and will include more than 10, but after this, well, you get the idea.

Oh no, that doesn't come off as racist at all...

If you suddenly start noticing that the fresh baked bread contains an awful lot of ground up Englishman's bones, now you'll know why.

What can I say? I think gross stuff is funny.

HOTTIE OF THE WEEK: MAX GREENFIELD

2012-01-05T11:25:00.001-05:00

The Fox sitcom "New Girl" has a lot going for it, so much in fact that it is easily one of the best new shows of this season. One of the breakout stars of the program is Max Greenfield, whose character Schmidt has become the most likable douchebag ever portrayed in the media. Sure he says some ridiculous and/or obnoxious things, and is usually trying WAY too hard, but it's clear that deep down inside he's a sweetheart who, like the rest of us, really just wants somebody to love who loves him back. It doesn't hurt that he has a unique cuteness about him, and is frequently made by the writers of the show to remove his shirt...

CAMILLE JONES "DID I SAY I LOVE YOU"

2012-01-04T16:22:00.000-05:00

After the success she experienced back in 2007, when DJ Fedde LeGrand decided to remix and re-release her single "The Creeps", Camille Jones has been trying to find another dancefloor chart-topper with only marginal success. Her latest album isn't likely to do much to help her on that quest. While opener and lead single "The Streets" is appealingly dark and weird, and there are a couple of other stand-out tracks scattered around this record ("Better Forget", "Stay Gold", "Show Me Love"), much of what is here feels a little bit too much like filler. Her vocals are always pleasing and the production is ably polished, but it often sticks too closely to the same standard European dance-pop formula that has been in use for at least the last decade. There are occasional flourishes of techno weirdness to help bring the sound into the current decade, but it's still not enough to make "Did I Say I Love You" feel vital. Although it's entirely possible that someone could come along and remix one of these songs into another smash for her.

GRADE: B-

FLOEX "ZORYA"

2012-01-04T15:36:00.000-05:00

One could easily be mistaken into thinking that producing ambient or downtempo music is relatively easy. How difficult can it be to throw together a couple layers of atmospherics, a simple melody, and maybe a sparse beat or 2? Well, as anyone who has listened to a lot of the genres' output can tell you, it's definitely a lot more difficult than it sounds. It is far too easy to take the simple way out and create bland background music that is more likely to send listeners to sleep than to have them trying to discover the name of your song on SoundHound. Likewise, too much experimentation can create jarring compositions that are unlikely to win over anyone who isn't tone deaf. Luckily, the latest release from Floex suffers from none of the above problems. By mixing the best of The Orb's ambient style with free-form jazz reminiscent of Thievery Corporation or Cinematic Orchestra, Floex a.k.a. Tomáš Dvořák has created the first great chillout record of this admittedly very young year. And by mixing in just the right amount of beats to get your fingers tapping and your head bobbing but never reaching the point of becoming straight-up dance music, this becomes something even more rare: a FUN downtempo album. Striking the perfect balance of energy and beauty, "Zorya" is an electronic masterpiece, and gives me hope that this year will be even better for music than the pretty impressive one we just came out of.

GRADE: A+

SKRILLEX "BANGARANG"

2012-01-04T10:08:00.003-05:00

As dubstep begins its fall from grace amongst the electronic music community, it's good to see that many of the biggest names to emerge from that scene are beginning to experiment with new variations on their sounds that take them in new, less-restrictive directions. On his latest EP, Skrillex has almost completely moved more under the generic techno label, although one could easily argue that's where he has always belonged, since he has long been known to play around with too broad a swath of sounds to really be lumped into just one sub-genre. While there are a few real gems here, for something that only contains 8 tracks, there is perhaps a bit too much that falls flat, most notably the hard-rock tinged "Kyoto" and the only slightly entertaining title track, "Bangarang". Things do get off to a good start with opening track "Right In" and improve most notably again on track 4, "The Devil's Den", both of which combine Skrillex's trademark scattershot sound effects and stuttery melodies with more conventional house music and techno elements. "Summit", which features Ellie Goulding, is another highlight, taking things off in a somewhat mellower, almost trance-like direction, before closing things off with a classical-style medley of hits arranged by Varien, which is actually far more enjoyable to listen to than one might expect. All in all this is a pretty strong release from one of electronica's biggest stars of the moment. It will certainly keep his fans happy, and has enough great tracks on it to conceivably bring some new ones into the fold as well.

GRADE: B+

2011 YEAR IN REVIEW: 10 HOTTEST HOTTIES

2011-12-15T15:13:00.001-05:00

What would my year-end wrap-up coverage be without a list of the 10 hottest hotties to be featured on this site in 2011? I'm not sure, but it whatever it was, it wouldn't be nearly as sexy. All of this year's top 10 are being shown as oil paintings. I was going to put something here to make it seem like there was some grand artistic reason for doing this, but there really isn't one, so I won't. To see them in regular photographic form in the original posts, just click on their names. Some of the pictures are a bit racy, so I would highly advise against looking through this while you're at work. And that's about it, so let's get to it...

10. Drake

09. Nicholas Hoult

08. Kevin Zegers

07. Sean Faris

06. Adam Joseph

05. Adam Levine

04. Lewis Hamilton

03. Christopher Fawcett

02. Harry Shum, Jr.

01. Joseph Gordon-Levitt

2011 YEAR IN REVIEW: 10 BEST YOUTUBE VIDEOS

2011-12-14T15:03:00.003-05:00

In keeping with the somewhat less conventional year-end wrap-up theme I've been following this year so far, I've decided to highlight the 10 videos I saw on YouTube this year that stuck with me the most. They range from topical to random, funny to sad, and cute to touching. So let's get to it.

10. "Don't Talk - Angry Voicemail"

The Alamo Drafthouse movie theater has very strict rules against talking and/or using cellphones during screenings, and unlike most of its competitors, they will actually enfore these rules. Of course, there are some people who don't care much for this, but most of us can't help but wish more cinemas did things like it.

09. "Adopt A Job Creator"

With all this Occupy Wall Street business going on this year, it would seem that Americans have forgotten about those who need our help the most. This PSA aims to remind us to send our charity dollars where they'll do the most good.

08. "Never Say No To Panda!"

This video compiles the complete set of TV spots created for Egyptian cheese company Panda, which makes mafia-style intimidation far funnier than one could have imagined. Whenever someone turns down some cheese, a panda arrives to "encourage" them to change their minds. These ads may at times be a bit darker than some people would be comfortable with, but they do work, as I find myself wishing I could pick some of this stuff up here in the States...

EMBEDDING HAS BEEN DISABLED FOR THIS VIDEO, SO CLICK HERE TO CHECK IT OUT.

07. "The Motion Pictures Of 2011"

This is basically what it says, a compilation of clips from a very large sampling of the movies released in 2011. It's a great way to wrap up the year, and put together so well that award-show producers should seriously take notes. Or consider hiring this guy.

06. Swedish House Mafia "Save The World"

Sure, there's all sorts of music videos that are probably more artistically significant than this one, but it's hard not to love a clip that casts all manner of dogs as the ultimate saviors of mankind.

05. Ultimate Loyalty

There were a lot of dramatic and heartbreaking videos coming out of Japan in the wake of the massive earthquake and tsunami that devastated the country earlier this year, and I would be lying if I didn't say that many of them brought me to tears. But how heartless would you have to be to watch this clip of a dog that refused to leave his injured friend in the rubble and not wind up at least a little misty eyed?

04. Devastating EF5 Joplin Tornado & Aftermath

Every bit as terrifying and saddening as the videos from Japan were the images that emerged from Missouri last May. An absolutely massive tornado pretty much wiped out the town and took the lives of many of the people who called it home. While there was no shortage of harrowing clips of the twister, this one really captures the horror of the actual event and the sheer devastation that followed. I warn you that this video may be too intense for some.

03. "Rick Perry" - A BLR Soundbite

Now that I've sufficiently brought the mood down, it's time to lighten things back up a bit. Bad Lip Reading has been making quite a splash this year with their clips of politicians giving speeches, but overdubbed by completely ridiculous nonsense that seems to be strangely accurate. You have to see it to understand, and this clip featuring Rick Perry is one of their best.

02. Cookie The Little Penguin At The Cincinnati Zoo

Who doesn't love cute animal videos? And this year there was none cuter than this clip of a penguin getting tickled by a zookeeper.

01. The Crazy Nastyass Honey Badger

Leading to everything from t-shirts to appearances on television commercials, this clip was not only the year's funniest, but perhaps had the biggest influence on popular culture, even getting referenced on "Glee". Who knew that having a flamboyantly gay man with relatively little knowledge of animals dub his own narration over a National Geographic special would be so entertaining? Actually, that does sound like it pretty obviously would be good, so perhaps the better question is why did it take so long for this idea to occur to somebody? Regardless, it's lucky for these guys, and us, that it occurred to them.

2011 YEAR IN REVIEW: 10 FAVORITE TWEETS

2011-12-14T14:03:00.000-05:00

There's plenty of people listing the most important news stories of the year, or the best websites and technology of the year, and it had crossed my mind to make similar lists. But then it occurred to me, that I should instead do something a little bit different, much like with the way I handled this year's music charts. So, in that spirit, here are my 10 favorite tweets of the from the past 12 months.

2011 YEAR IN REVIEW: MOST PLAYED SONGS

2011-12-13T15:48:00.002-05:00

In keeping with the theme established by my last post, here is an Rdio playlist of what, according to that service, are the 100 songs I listened to the most over the course of 2011. Listening to my "Hot Mix" on Rdio is my preferred form of music consumption, so this is probably a slightly more accurate look back at what really caught my attention this last year, but it is worth noting that I put on Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" so many times, that even a few of the songs from that album that haven't been released as singles managed to work their way onto this list, so it was no big surprise to me that it took the top spot on my albums chart. The songs are presented here in order from 1 to 100, and you don't have to be a paid Rdio subscriber to listen.

For those of you that are reading this on devices that don't allow you to see the embedded Rdio playlist, here is the chart in plain, old text format.

01: Adele "Rolling In The Deep"

02: Beth Ditto "I Wrote The Book"

03: Britney Spears "Till The World Ends"

04: Lady Gaga "Judas"

05: The Sounds "Something To Die For"

06: Justice "Civilization"

07: Lady Gaga "Born This Way"

08: Example "Kickstarts"

09: Pet Shop Boys "Together (Ultimate Mix)"

10: Robyn "Hang With Me"

11: DJ Love feat. Geechi Suede "Zigga Zigga (A-Skillz Remix)"

12: Cee-Lo Green "Bright Lights Bigger City"

13: Cee-Lo Green "Bodies"

14: Rihanna "S&M"

15: Emily Browning "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)"

16: Stateless "Ariel"

17: Katalyst feat. Stephanie McKay "Day Into Night (Main)"

18: Sleigh Bells "Rill Rill"

19: Armin van Buuren feat. Sophie Ellis-Bextor "Not Giving Up On Love"

20: Mark Ronson & The Business Intl "The Bike Song"

21: Duck Sauce "Barbra Streisand"

22: Robyn "Call Your Girlfriend"

23: WIN WIN feat. Lizzie Bougatsos "RELEASERPM"

24: La Roux "I'm Not Your Toy (Jack Beats Remix)"

25: Yelle "Safari Disco Club"

26: Britney Spears "I Wanna Go"

27: Alex Clare "Too Close"

28: Tiësto feat. Sneaky Sound System "I Will Be Here"

29: Kele "Tenderoni"

30: Lykke Li "Get Some"

31: James Blake "The Wilhelm Scream"

32: Jack Beats feat. John B "All Night"

33: Britney Spears "Hold It Against Me"

34: Yelle "Que Veux-Tu"

35: Lady Gaga "Marry The Night"

36: Far East Movement "Rocketeer"

37: Robyn "Dancing On My Own (Radio Version)"

38: Martin Solveig & Dragonette "Hello"

39: Happy Camper feat Bouke Zoete "Born With A Bothered Mind"

40: Above & Beyond feat. Zoë Johnston "Love Is Not Enough"

41: Cartonnage "I'm Not Your Computer"

42: Janelle Monáe "Cold War"

43: Miami Horror feat. Alan Palomo "Holidays"

44: Fake Blood "I Think I Like It"

45: Far East Movement "Like A G6"

46: Rihanna "Only Girl (In The World)"

47: Designer Drugs "Through The Prism"

48: Taio Cruz "Dynamite"

49: Skrillex feat. Penny "All I Ask Of You"

50: Gorillaz "Revolving Doors"

51: Talia Coles feat. KO Stiggity "Never See You Again"

52: TV On The Radio "Will Do (XXXchange Dancehall Mix)"

53: Lady Gaga "Yoü And I"

54: Above & Beyond feat. Richard Bedford "Sun & Moon"

55: Oh Land "Sun Of A Gun"

56: Ellie Goulding "Guns And Horses"

57: Leggz feat. Stephanie "La La La"

58: P!nk "F**kin' Perfect"

59: Ke$ha "Blow"

60: Monarchy "I Won't Let Go"

61: Lady Gaga "The Edge Of Glory"

62: The Black Ghosts "Water Will Find A Way"

63: Example "Won't Go Quietly"

64: Cee-Lo Green "Fuck You"

65: Kanye West "All Of The Lights"

66: Taio Cruz "Higher"

67: Florence + The Machine "Dog Days Are Over"

68: Friendly Fires "Live Those Days Tonight"

69: KMFDM "Take It Like A Man"

70: Lady Gaga "Government Hooker"

71: Beastie Boys feat. Santigold "Don't Play No Game That I Can't Win"

72: La Roux "Bulletproof"

73: The Ready Set "Love Like Woe"

74: Mark Ronson & The Business Intl "Bang Bang Bang"

75: Aeroplane "We Can't Fly"

76: Skrillex feat. Sirah "Weekends!!! (Original Mix)"

77: Tricky "Murder Weapon"

78: Bruno Mars "Grenade"

79: Adele "Set Fire To The Rain"

80: Ellie Goulding "Lights"

81: Mary J. Blige "Someone To Love Me (Naked)"

82: Audio Bullys "Shotgun"

83: Rival Consoles "S.P.K.R.S."

84: Hostage "Energise"

85: Janelle Monáe feat. Big Boi "Tightrope"

86: Nadia Ali "Fantasy (Morgan Page Radio Edit)"

87: Lil B "Freeze"

88: Dirty Vegas "Changes"

89: Aqua "How R U Doin?"

90: Lady Gaga "Americano"

91: Lady Gaga "Hair"

92: The Sound Of Arrows "Wonders"

93: Phantogram "When I'm Small"

94: M.I.A. "XXXO"

95: The Black Eyed Peas "The Time (Dirty Bit)"

96: Lars Vaular "Fett"

97: Kylie Minogue "Better Than Today"

98: Bruno Mars "The Lazy Song"

99: Lupe Fiasco feat. Sklyar Grey "Words I Never Said"

100: Lupe Fiasco "The Show Goes On"

2011 YEAR IN REVIEW: MOST PLAYED ALBUMS

2011-12-13T14:37:00.001-05:00

What most music websites do at the end of the year, and what was my original intention, is post a list of the albums they found to be the most artistically significant. There is a lot of merit to this, as it helps expose readers to material they might otherwise not have bothered listening to. But let's face it, the reason we don't all listen to a lot of those records is because, even if we know that they're technically very good, they just aren't necessarily all that enjoyable to listen to. Don't get me wrong, sometimes they are, but I would bet that if these same publications and/or critics were to compare their year-end best lists with actual data showing which albums they listened to the most, there would be some significant differences. So, I have scrapped my initial list (although you can probably guess what would be on it by skimming through my reviews) and am instead posting the list of the albums that I actually played more than any others over the last year, according to Rdio. Each is posted with an embed to the album on Rdio so you can listen, whether or not you are a paid Rdio subscriber.

30. KMFDM "WTF?"

29. Ellie Goulding "Lights"

28. Taio Cruz "Rokstarr"

27. La Roux "La Roux (Gold Edition)"

26. Arms And Sleepers "The Organ Hearts"

25. Beth Ditto "EP"

24. Far East Movement "Free Wired"

23. Fleet Foxes "Helplessness Blues"

22. Glee Cast "Glee: The Music, Volume 5"

21. Example "Won't Go Quietly"

20. Mark Ronson & The Business Intl "Record Collection"

19. Beyoncé "4"

18. Depeche Mode "Remixes 2: 81-11"

17. Beastie Boys "Hot Sauce Committee Part Two"

16. Florence + The Machine "Ceremonials"

15. Rihanna "Loud"

14. The Sounds "Something To Die For"

13. "Verve Remixed (Deluxe Box)"

12. Janelle Monáe "The ArchAndroid"

11. "Ultra Chilled 06"

10. Basement Jaxx vs. Metropole Orkest "Basement Jaxx vs. Metropole Orkest"

09. Cartonnage "I'm Not Your Computer"

08. Yelle "Safari Disco Club"

07. Cee-Lo Green "The Lady Killer"

06. Robyn "Body Talk"

05. Above & Beyond "Group Therapy"

04. The Sound Of Arrows "Voyage"

03. Adele "21"

02. Britney Spears "Femme Fatale"

01. Lady Gaga "Born This Way"

HOTTIE OF THE WEEK: JAMES YOUNGHUSBAND

2011-12-08T10:02:00.001-05:00

This week I once again find myself turning to the world of international sports to come up with someone worthy of being featured here. James Younghusband was born in England, but is now living in the Phillipines and playing soccer there. He has one parent each from those 2 countries and as is usually the case with children of mixed-race couples, he turned out very attractive. Seeing as I don't really follow sports all that much, particularly those that take place in time zones that would make them prohibitively scheduled for anyone on the US East Coast to watch live, I can't really comment as to how good a soccer player he is, but these posts aren't really here for debating those types of things. Instead, let's just look at some pictures of him with his clothes off.

I feel like I would be remiss to not mention that he also has a younger brother named Phil who plays soccer on the same team as him, and is equally hot:

THE ROOTS "UNDUN"

2011-12-07T15:41:00.001-05:00

Prior to the release of their latest album it seemed as if the music press at large had decided in advance that The Root's latest was going to be a major evolutionary leap forward for hip hop music. It was hard not to become intrigued by what "Undun" would wind up sounding like with so many breathless reports of how incredible it was certain to be. After all that it was perhaps inevitable that it wouldn't really live up to the hype. Don't get me wrong, it's definitely a great record, but it's certainly not the revolutionary masterpiece the blogosphere was promising. The album opens up strongly, and hints at the sort of experimentation I was hoping for, but then things become somewhat more ordinary. The middle section is still good, with a chilled vibe and beats that are hard not to enjoy, and the quality of the lyrics remains consistently high throughout, but it's not until "Lighthouse" that things begin to get interesting again. For the back half of "Undun" the band experiments with more cinematic sounding themes and then finally takes a stab at jazz-inflected classical. Those last 4 tracks are likely to be somewhat unappealing to some fans, but they really are the main highlight of the whole record. While the entire effort is never less than satisfying, it is at the end that The Roots really prove just how musically gifted a band they are.

GRADE: A-

/ AMAZON MP3 / AMAZON CD

YUJIM "OLFA"

2011-12-06T16:58:00.001-05:00

I wasn't able to find very much information about Yujim, except that I think he's French, and that may or may not be him on the cover of "Olfa" (shown above). Listening to this record though I can say with certainty that he is definitely a talent to watch. With a mix of glitchy synths, laid-back beats, and crazily diverse samples he has created one of the year's best experimental techno albums. This is not the sort of electronica one usually associates with the French. There is very little similarity to his more renowned compatriots Daft Punk and Justice. Instead this is thematically more similar to Flying Lotus, but with a slightly larger attention span. He does share that particular Californian's sonic schizophrenia however, with the tracks heading off in innumerable directions. While one can never really tell where things are heading, there is a cohesion to everything that helps make "Olfa" a solid body of work.

GRADE: A

/ AMAZON MP3

AMY WINEHOUSE "LIONESS: HIDDEN TREASURES"

2011-12-06T16:39:00.001-05:00

It's not any big surprise that a compilation of unfinished and/or tossed aside tracks that Amy Winehouse had been working on before her untimely passing is unable to really capture the magic of her best work. Lucky for us though, it turns out that even her most mediocre efforts are extremely easy to enjoy. And there are a couple of real stand out tracks here. Her duet with Tony Bennett, "Body And Soul", is a soft jazz masterpiece and the Mark Ronson produced tracks are unsurprisingly great, even if they are just alternate takes of previously released material. It's always been my opinion that her Salaam Remi produced songs were inferior to those done with Mr. Ronson, and this collection doesn't really do anything to change that, but even he gets a few gems onto "Lioness", namely "Tears Dry", "The Girl From Ipanema" and the absolutely stellar closing track "A Song For You". While this record winds up being pretty uneven, and only intermittently captures Amy at her best, it is still a must-have for fans that serves as a reminder of the great talent that was taken away from all of us much, much too soon.

GRADE: B+

GET 1 YEAR OF NETFLIX HERE FOR $95.88

KORN "THE PATH OF TOTALITY"

2011-12-06T16:16:00.001-05:00

It's a testament to how many inroads techno has been making in the United States lately that in order to remain relevant, hard-rock band Korn has brought in a host of electronic producers for their latest album. I can't say I've ever really been a big fan of the band, but I never really hated them either and I was pretty intrigued to see exactly what sort of sounds might come out of a collaboration between them and acts like Skrillex, Noisia and Feed Me. It seems sort like a wasted opportunity though when it turns out the end product of this union winds up sounding only marginally different from anything the band has put out before. Sure there are a lot more synthesizers and stuttery beats, but it comes off more as a cheap coat of paint over the same tired old wallpaper than any great revelation. This isn't bad, but it's a shame when a bunch of cutting edge techno producers can't do a better, or even significantly different, job of marrying their genre with hard rock than was done on the soundtrack to "Spawn" back in 1997, which Korn also participated in. On the bright side though, any die-hard fans who were ready to be outraged but such a radical change in the band's sound will likely find they were all worked up over nothing.

GRADE: C

/ AMAZON MP3 / AMAZON CD

6 BOMB: 2011 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

2011-12-02T10:13:00.001-05:00

It's that time of the year again, when we all realize that even though we had intended to get our Christmas shopping done early, here it is the beginning of December and we're lucky if we managed to buy one gift. Being faced with the task coming up with presents for everyone on your list with so little time left can be quite the daunting task, but lucky for you, I'm here to help. So, instead of the usual "6 Bomb" format of selecting 6 random things that I find entertaining on a given week, I'll instead show you 10 great gift ideas that should hopefully help you pick something out for everyone on your list.

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1. AMAZON KINDLE FIRE

Now before I get a bunch of people calling me crazy for putting this tablet on this list, let me state that for some people, myself included, there are better tablet choices like the Apple iPad 2 or Asus Transformer. Some people don't need all the capabilities of those devices however, and would simply like a cool, affordable, portable entertainment device. With its sleekly designed variation of the Android OS and easy access to Amazon's e-book, mp3, video, and application stores; along with popular services like Netflix, Hulu+ and Pandora, this little device will be exactly what some people are looking for.

GET IT HERE FOR $199.00
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2. GIFT SUBSCRIPTIONS

For the longest time I found gift cards to be impersonal and a way of letting the recipient on to the fact that you don't really know anything about them. And let's not even get into how undesirable any "Strange Thing Of The Month" club actually was. The times have changed however. And subscriptions to services like Netflix or Rdio make the perfect presents for the cinephiles and audiophiles in your life. Especially since no one wants DVD's or CD's anymore. And as for monthly selection clubs, how about instead of giving your nephew a membership in the Fruit Of The Month Club (Ummm, can't you buy fruit where you live? Why would anyone want this?), you set them up with Swag Of The Month, wherein they'll receive a new, trendy t-shirt, catered to their taste, 12 times a year? A great gift for everyone, except maybe those who don't live near any sort food markets.

GET 1 YEAR OF RDIO HERE FOR $100.00

GET 1 YEAR OF SWAG OF THE MONTH HERE FOR $99.00

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3. ROKU 2

There is an ever-increasing number of options available to people who want to access internet content on their televisions, and they all basically have their own merits. Google TV could use some tweaking, but there is much about it to recommend. Apple TV will almost certainly delight any of the deranged Apple fanboys you might know. But by far, the most fully fleshed out web TV experience currently available is the Roku box. It is ridiculously simple to set up, and offers content from more sources than any of its competitors. Really, pretty much everything is on here anymore. Netflix, Hulu+, Rdio, Pandora, Crackle, Al Jazeera, CNBC, Fox News, GBTV, Disney, Chow, MOG, Live365, MLB, MLS, NHL, and many, many more. The most expensive model even lets you play games like Angry Birds. Roku is clearly leading the way towards the future of television.

GET IT HERE FOR $49.99 TO $99.99

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4. CHOCOMIZE CUSTOM CHOCOLATE BARS

While there are undoubtedly many of us that fancy ourselves geniuses in the kitchen, the odds are if we attempted to make our own candy bars at home the results would be quite disastrous. As a result you may find yourself wondering, "But how am I supposed to give my chocoholic friends a truly unique gift?" Well worry no more! Just head over to Chocomize and customize a delicious chocolate treat in mere moments! This is one of those rare edible gifts that the recipients are actually fairly certain to remember long after it's been consumed. Just try not to be too unique in your topping choices so as to ensure they remember it for the right reasons...

GET IT HERE FOR AROUND $7 (PRICES VARY)
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5. GODIVA PARFAIT CHOCOLATES

Don't want to bother thinking about what sort of chocolate bar your friends might like? Or maybe you need a little bit of indulgence for yourself this holiday season? As usual, Godiva has all but ensured that they will be the go-to supplier for that touch of richly delicious escapism. By filling their chocolates with a variety of parfaits they have added a dash more innovation than usual for the company, but come on. It's Godiva. And look at them. They HAVE to be delicious...

GET IT HERE FOR $50.00
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6. CAFEPRESS CUSTOM IPHONE CASES

There really is a lot to be said for making a unique gift to give your loved ones, but perhaps even more so than with chocolate bars, none of us really have the requisite skills to make an iPhone case ourselves. Luckily, thanks to well known custom printers CafePress we don't have to. Just upload whatever image you want to have on the case and they'll make it for you. What better way is there to simultaneously let the Apple lover in your life know you pay attention to their interests while simultaneously helping them to differentiate their phone from those of everyone else who's so "hip" and "unique" with their iPhones?

GET IT HERE FOR ABOUT $29.99 (PRICES VARY)
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7. ANGRY BIRDS TOYS

It's a good thing those Angry Birds are cute, because there is now virtually no escaping them. Take for instance the increasing number of items created for those who are not satisfied to only have access to said Angry Birds from virtually every electronic device they own, and need the experience to spill out into the electricity free portions of their lives. The most interesting of these would be the large selection of plush dolls, a board game and a card game. I'm not really sure how either of the games would work, but I have to say I am intrigued, and I could easily think of several other people who would be equally interested. Any of these may wind up being the best received stocking stuffers of the year.

GET THE PLUSH DOLLS HERE FOR AROUND $7.29 (PRICES VARY)
GET THE BOARD GAME HERE FOR $33.68
GET THE CARD GAME HERE FOR $10.27
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8. CUISINART SS-700 KEURIG BREWER

The single-serving, virtually-instantaneous-brewing Keurig coffee system has been very quickly establishing itself as America's new preferred way to make a cup of joe. With a large variety of flavors and perhaps the easiest preparation ever, it's easy to see why it's catching on so fast, even if there is a bit of a mark-up in switching to this way of doing things. To make it even better, there are K-cups available to make tea, hot chocolate, and apple cider, ensuring that just about anyone will be able to find something they like. And if you're going to be giving your favorite caffeine addict one of these for Christmas, you may as well let them know how much you love them by being a brand-whore and picking up the Cuisinart model, right?

GET IT HERE FOR $198.95
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9. SPIRITHOODS

Perhaps people really connect with the Native American notion of connecting with your spirit animal. Or maybe it's just that the Japanese trend of cute-ifying everything is beginning to catch on over here. Either way, over the last year SpiritHoods have been really catching on, and while a part of me finds the idea a bit silly, another part of me really likes it and kind of wants one. There is a growing number of imitators out there, but these are still the best.

GET IT HERE FOR $129.00

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10. AIR SWIMMER FLYING SHARK

I'm not sure what it says about us as a society that one can go out and buy something so utterly pointless, but I also haven't set out to write a sociology paper either. While the Air Swimmer Remote Control Flying Shark balloon may be completely ridiculous, it's also pretty damn awesome. Sure, it requires you to have a can of helium sitting around in order to use it, and it will probably get boring really quick, but just think of how much fun everyone will have for 15 minutes or so? And you know there must be someone in your life who would be absolutely ecstatic to open this up on Christmas morning.

GET IT HERE FOR A MERE $26.95

2012 GRAMMY NOMINEES ANNOUNCED

2011-12-01T11:48:00.001-05:00

Last night saw the announcement of the complete list of nominees for the 2012 Grammy Awards ceremony, to be held on February 12. There were more than a few big surprises, not the least of which was the Best New Artist nod for dubstep act Skrillex. Anyway, being the helpful sort that I am, I've decided to create a playlist of all the song nominees, to help you familiarize yourself with them before the big day. There were a couple that were missing from Rdio, but nearly all of them are here. Anyone can listen to the full songs here, but those of you who are not paying Rdio subscribers can only play a limited number of songs, although it is my understanding that the limit is fairly high. So, if you're the sort that enjoys a very, very wide variety of musical styles, sit back for a couple hours and enjoy! And for the full list of nominations just click here.

HOTTIE OF THE WEEK: LEWIS HAMILTON

2011-12-01T11:32:00.001-05:00

With this being the second time someone from the world of motorsports has been featured here, one could easily come to the conclusion that I am a big racing fan. One would be quite mistaken. Although if everyone looked more like British Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton, I might be inclined to pay more attention. It also wouldn't hurt if they were as willing to undress as he appears to be...

SWOD "DREI"

2011-11-29T17:24:00.001-05:00

I'm sure I've mentioned somewhere on this site before that I absolutely love the combination of classical music and electronica. As such, I suppose I am somewhat predisposed towards liking this album. With the gorgeously haunted piano melodies and the intricate background electronic arrangements it's really hard not to love. Spike in flourishes of jazz and the occasional acoustic guitar and this German duo have created a mellow classic. "Drei" is perfectly suited both for use in the background of an upscale restaurant and as headphone music for people who like to just lie back, listen, and escape into the sounds.

GRADE: A

PANDORA "HEAD UP HIGH"

2011-11-29T16:13:00.001-05:00

Swedish dance-pop singer Pandora is not exactly a household name here in the United States, but she did have a string of hits in the 1990's in Japan, Australia, and the Nordic countries of Europe. Since then she has continued releasing records at a pretty steady rate, with only limited success, and listening to "Head Up High", her 15'th album of original material, it's easy to see why more mainstream success has eluded her throughout the 2000's. I'm not saying that she can't sing. While her voice isn't exactly amazing, it is perfectly fine, and well suited to this type of music. I'm not saying that this is a bad record either. It's really not. It's just that it pretty much sounds like it would have fit right in with the Eurodance music that was being put out back in her heyday. There are a couple of standouts, in particular the 3 song stretch of "You Believed", "Kitchy Kitchy" and "Everytime", but largely there isn't much to distinguish anything here from 90's hits by the likes of Corona, Gina G or Alexia. I suppose we are about due for a 90's pop music revival, but whoever really kicks that off in force is going to have to bring a little more newness to the sound than anything presented here manages.

GRADE: C

/ AMAZON MP3

BIG CITY LOVER "OMNIVORE"

2011-11-29T15:11:00.001-05:00

There have been a lot of jittery, short-attention-spanned techno albums making pretty big splashes over the last year or 2, and I have thoroughly enjoyed several of them. Of course, I've also found some of them to be quite unlistenable. During the course of "Omnivore", I found myself unsure of which way I felt. It starts off strongly, with "Hi" and "Postcards From My City" catching my attention in a very good way and making me feel very optimistic about where things were headed. I very quickly found myself turned off by some of the segments that followed though. After those 2 strong openers, it seemed like every time Big City Lover came up with a great idea that mixed just the right amount of seemingly random noise with a pretty, ambient melody, he would let it lose out to something less cohesive. With "Big City Shadow" the quality improves again and leads into a solid finish, but the only intermittently enjoyable middle section prevents this from being a great record.

GRADE: B-

/ AMAZON MP3

MARY J. BLIGE "MY LIFE II... THE JOURNEY CONTINUES (ACT I)"

2011-11-22T16:12:00.001-05:00

There's no denying that Mary J. Blige can sing. She is almost certainly one of the best singers of the last couple decades. Since "No More Drama" however, her musical output has been largely on a downward spiral. Sure, we still got to hear that amazing voice, but the productions were slipping into a dull, somewhat irrelevant space that only wasted her immense talent. Now, on the "sequel" to one of her best releases, we see her almost return to form. There are still a couple of slips into blander territory, but on "My Life II", she is largely allowing just the right amount of current influences to seep into her signature R&B sound to regain her cultural relevancy. The first half of the record especially sees the most solid collection of beat-driven jams that Mary has put out in several years, and the ballads smartly avoid becoming overly sappy. Most important of all, the producers all smartly keep her voice front and center, and it sounds just as it good as it did when the original "My Life" came out back in 1994.

GRADE: A-

/ AMAZON MP3 / AMAZON CD

ZOMBY "NOTHING"

2011-11-22T15:21:00.001-05:00

There is a lot to like on the latest EP from Zomby, particularly for those of us with fond memories of the 90's rave scene. Unfortunately for anyone who does remember it, there isn't really much new going on here. The tempos do vary a bit, and it's pleasant enough to listen to during it's brief 22 minute run time, but anyone who recalls the Clinton era will be unable to escape a distinct "been there, done that" feeling. Still, while it's not as interesting as his last release, "Dedication", at least the material here feels like it gets more time to develop. And while themes still come and go fairly quickly, I did manage to feel a little familiar with them before they got wiped away. A lot of hype has been laid onto Zomby, and thus far I don't think he's really lived up to it, but with what I've heard as of yet, he definitely has the potential to. I can't wait to hear it when he does.

GRADE: B

RIHANNA "TALK THAT TALK"

2011-11-21T16:50:00.001-05:00

While I'm sure that die-hard Rihanna fans would disagree with me, I can't help but thinking that it might be good for her to periodically wait a little while between releases. Sure, she keeps coming up with really fun singles, and there are plenty of likely choices for that here, but perhaps a little more time spent on each album might result in more satisfyingly cohesive experiences for listeners. Despite collaborations with Calvin Harris and Chase & Status giving her sound a couple more pushes into nightclub territory, most of the material here is pretty standard pop fare. It is largely pretty decent, but is only periodically really memorable. The only truly bad decision here though, is when the promising jam "Birthday Cake" mysteriously fades out after only a little more than a minute. "Talk That Talk" will almost certainly keep Ri-hards happy, and it provides a better than average amount of fun for the rest of us.

GRADE: B

/ AMAZON MP3 / AMAZON CD

6 BOMB: 11/18/2011

2011-11-17T12:04:00.001-05:00

1. LOUIS VS. RICK

The idea of a blog comprised entirely of transcriptions of text message conversations isn't really all that great, and it's probably not all that original either. However, when those conversations are taking place between a man and his pet cat, well now we're onto something. Particularly when said cat, Louis, has exactly the sort of arrogant, smart ass attitude one would expect a feline to possess. Things start out fairly slowly, but by episode 4, bits had me laughing out loud.

VISIT THE SITE HERE.
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2. GLEE

While I am a huge fan of the show, I'll freely admit that it is not without its flaws. Last season in particular seemed to highlight just how many there were. But in season 3, things have really come together. Balancing just the right amount of sweet with just the right amount of mean has led to some of the show's most entertaining moments yet. And having adopted a willingness to carry out plotlines for more than 1/2 an episode and allowing character's motivations to remain consistent have allowed the show to carry more emotional weight than it has since the first couple episodes.

TUESDAYS AT 8:00 EST ON FOX
OFFICIAL SITE HERE.
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3. MOTOROLA TRIUMPH FOR VIRGIN MOBILE

The tech press has a tendency to make a lot of noise about smartphone releases, but they are nearly always for models that require buyers to sign up for lengthy contracts with big monthly bills. This has largely been because the pre-paid carriers haven't really ever had any phones that were worth getting excited about. But over the last year or so, more and more Android phones have been making their way to pre-paid customers, and Virgin Mobile in particular has been picking up some pretty impressive devices. With it's large screen and fast processor, I've been loving my Motorola Triumph ever since I got it back in August. And with a monthly bill that gives me unlimited everything for under $60, well, what's not to love about that?

BUY FROM VIRGIN MOBILE / BUY FROM AMAZON
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4. SPORCLE

Despite having an odd name, the idea behind Sporcle is very simple. It's just a website (with app versions available) that hosts a large selection of trivia games. Several new ones are added every day, and users may design and submit their own. You can log on, take as many as you want, and compare your results against other visitors to the site. That's it. And yet, it is insanely addictive, and far, far too easy to lose hours on.

VISIT THE SITE HERE.

GET THE APP VERSIONS HERE:

/ ANDROID MARKET / AMAZON APPSTORE
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5. WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE? FOR FACEBOOK

If you've seen the show, like ever, then you pretty much know what to expect here. And this Facebook app delivers exactly that flawlessly. With only minor tweaks to the show's current format, the developers have created a very fun, challenging game which is easily one of the best on the platform.

VISIT THE SITE HERE.

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6. THE CHEW

I don't know that people were necessarily clamoring for someone to race out and create another daytime talk show, but I think that most people who happen upon this ABC chatfest will be glad they did. With a panel of 5 chefs preparing dishes and discussing topics that are generally epicurean in nature, this is different from all of its competitors, and certainly more mouth watering. The easy going chemistry between the hosts also helps it stand out, and makes it so much easier to welcome into our lives on a daily basis.

WEEKDAYS AT 1:00 EST ON ABC

OFFICIAL SITE HERE.

CONTEST: DANCE MIX USA VOL. 2

2011-11-17T10:00:00.001-05:00

One year after the release of the original, superstar DJ Louie DeVito is back with a second installment in the newly revived "Dance Mix USA" series. And much like last year's effort, this disc is certain to get you moving. Whether you're trying to kickstart a party or you need something to amp you up in the car on the way to a night of clubbing, these massive dance hits will get the job done. With songs and remixes by Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Katy Perry, Ke$ha, Chris Brown, Taio Cruz, Kelly Rowland, Pitbull, Bimbo Jones, Dave Audé, Afrojack, Dirty South, MSTRKRFT, and many, many more; this record is a veritable who's who of the current dance music scene.

And luckily for you, well 3 of you, we're giving away a couple of copies. That's right, 3 lucky winners will each receive a copy of "The New Dance Mix USA Vol. 2" on CD. How does one get a chance to win? There are 2 very simple ways:

1. Comment below. Your comment can be about anything or nothing, although since I have to read all of them it would be nice if you tried to write something entertaining, and it wouldn't hurt if it had something to do with this record, or at least dance music in general. Also, and this is very important, make sure there is some way for me to contact you in the event that you win. Acceptable methods would be posting your email address in the comment, or by signing in on Disqus before commenting, so I can reach you through that.

2. Become a fan on 081978 on Facebook. There is a box in the right hand column of this site that allows you to like it, just click the button, and everyone who is a Facebook fan at the time of the drawing will automatically be entered.

You are allowed to enter both ways, but only once each, for a total of 2 possible entries. No matter how many entries each person has, they can only win once, so if your name gets pulled a second time, it will not count and another name will be selected. Other rules can be found here. The drawing will be held on Thursday, December 8, 2011 at 3:00pm EST.

If you don't want to wait around to see if you've won the contest, or if you discover that you've lost but still want a copy (and who wouldn't?), you can buy "The New Dance Mix USA Vol. 2" here:

/ AMAZON MP3 / AMAZON CD

And that's it! So get to commenting, and good luck!!

EDIT: 12/8/2011 @ 3:57 PM EST

The winners have been selected! All 3 will now receive an email from me with instructions on how to receive their CD's. The winners all posted comments below and so are listed here by their Disqus display names. Winners will have one week to respond, after which, one of the alternate winners (who have already been drawn) will be contacted. Thanks for entering everyone!

WINNER #1: Peterg201

WINNER #2: Jdlcmco

WINNER #3: Buddy Garrett

HOTTIE OF THE WEEK: THOMAS JAMES LONGLEY

2011-11-16T22:22:00.001-05:00

The odds are that you've probably not yet heard of this week's hottie, but that is very likely to change. He's already been making a splash on the indie film circuit with his role in the buzzy UK slasher movie "Sparrow", and will likely keep up the trend with next year's post-apocalyptic tale "Island". With his classic good looks and that oh-so-sexy British accent, his charms are certainly hard to resist. Unfortunately, there aren't any shirtless pictures of him floating around just yet, but I think that we can all agree that even though he's clothed, these photos are hot, especially the last one. Let's hope that we get to see a lot more of Mr. Longley in the near future.

And if anyone should happen to know where one can score a copy or catch a viewing of "Sparrow" please let me know in the comments below as it looks like it would be right up my alley. The reviews I've come across for it seem to be largely positive ("If you are looking for a good horror film, watch this one" "If you're a slasher movie fan you'll want this in your collection"), so my interest is definitely piqued. And having someone as pleasing on the eyes as Thomas in the cast doesn't hurt either...

HURTS "HAPPINESS"

2011-11-16T17:44:00.001-05:00

The type of pop that UK duo Hurts specializes in is of a sort that has a particularly difficult time catching on here in the States. There's nothing bad about it, but it has that distinctively British sound that has never really worked on this side of the Atlantic. It could be that the 2-guys-with-a-synthesizer format, and the inherently gay notions that go along with it, is a tough sell to somewhat prudish mainstream America. It could be that, while dance-oriented music has been blowing up lately, it's still not nearly as big in the US as it is everywhere else. It could be that the bombastic, orchestra-heavy arrangements don't appeal to ears that were brought up on rock and hip hop. Whatever the reason, it's unlikely that "Happiness" will see large scale success in my home country, which is a shame, because I personally quite like all those things about it, and think it's a pretty entertaining record that a lot of people might enjoy if they were to give it the chance.

GRADE: B+

SOFT ROCKS "THE CURSE OF SOFT ROCKS"

2011-11-16T17:08:00.001-05:00

The debut album by British foursome Soft Rocks is ostensibly a chillout record. As is often the case in the sometimes tough to categorize dance music community though, it's really a lot more than that. Many of the musical cues here seem to be taken from the best works of Massive Attack, but there are bits and pieces of all manner of sounds sprinkled across each of these 11 songs. Languid beats and slow, insistent melodies dominate "The Curse Of Soft Rocks", with the tempo only rarely picking up. While faster track "Magic Milk" is vaguely reminiscent of X-Press 2's work with David Byrne, the few speedier songs don't work out as well as the mellower numbers, each of which is perfectly suited for enjoying a blissed out afternoon with friends. The band's spot-on ear for creating catchy, downtempo tunes along with their interest in sonic experimentation makes this a very satisfying, if not stellar, release, and promises great things to come.

GRADE: B

/ AMAZON CD

MR. OIZO "STADE 2"

2011-11-16T15:35:00.001-05:00

If you have any sort of aversions to techno music, the odds are you are not going to be a big fan of the latest album by Frenchman Mr. Oizo. However if, like me, you've long been fond of electronica, then the odds are you'll pretty quickly fall in love with "Stade 2". With 13 tracks squeezed into a relatively brief 32 minutes, no particular theme is lingered on for very long. Instead, Oizo opts to quickly bounce from one danceably bizarre musical idea to another in quick bursts. Make no mistake, this isn't like a Flying Lotus projects, where one can barely identify a melody before he's moved on to the next one. Here each notion is giving just long enough to insinuate itself into your brain and have you bopping along, but stopping before it can become grating or monotonous. There are some trademark French techno elements incorporated here and there, but this is largely playing outside any established rules, and is a must-listen for tech-heads.

GRADE: A

/ AMAZON MP3 / AMAZON CD

"GLEE: THE MUSIC, THE CHRISTMAS ALBUM VOLUME 2"

2011-11-15T16:49:00.001-05:00

I love Christmas music. Even in June I'll find myself sometimes getting "Jingle Bells" stuck in my head, and I barely made it to Halloween before queuing up some carols on Rdio. I also love "Glee" and really enjoyed the show's 2010 holiday album. So it should come as no surprise that I was very excited for volume 2. Alas, this second disc was unable to capture the same sense of magic and fun that the first had. The covers selected are somewhat more ordinary this time, and the arrangements largely don't do anything to improve on the original versions, with "Let It Snow" and "Blue Christmas" being exceptions. This time out there are also 2 original songs, "Extraordinary Merry Christmas" and "Christmas Eve With You", neither of which is likely to become a beloved classic, although the 2'nd is a bit better. There isn't really anything wrong with anything here, and it's all enjoyable enough that I'll almost certainly listen to it at least a few more times, it's just that after last year's album I was expecting a bit more.

GRADE: C+

/ AMAZON MP3 / AMAZON CD

CAMO & KROOKED "CROSS THE LINE"

2011-11-15T16:25:00.001-05:00

Now that dubstep has become pretty mainstream in the dance and electronic music community it has begun to lose some of the novelty that made it so exciting. As a result it would seem that it is morphing back into the sound that spawned it: drum & bass. On Austrian duo Camo & Krooked's second LP, they stick pretty closely to the classic formulas of that subgenre, with only a handful of nods to more current styles scattered throughout. While their adherence to the older sound does help set them apart from their contemporaries, it doesn't really do much to keep one's interest. Making matters worse is that they seem to pull far too much influence from Pendulum, who have long since stopped being remotely interesting. Although at least they haven't completely wrecked the sound with faux-rock aspirations like Pendulum did. Despite my misgivings, all the material here is well made and sounds good for what it is, which isn't likely to win over any new listeners, but should keep D&B lovers happy.

GRADE: B

/ AMAZON MP3 / AMAZON CD

DRAKE "TAKE CARE"

2011-11-15T11:57:00.001-05:00

Comprised largely of stark electronic beats and minimal synth melodies, it's surprising just how much warmth the music on Drake's sophomore release manages to convey. This is perhaps attributable to his smooth voice, which is perfectly suited to this sort of neo-R&B crooning. It would have been nice to hear some of the more unexpected collaborations he has been suggesting he is interested in. I mean who wouldn't want to hear what would come of a meeting between Drake, James Blake & Florence Welch? Maybe on record #3. We do get to hear him work with Rihanna and Jamie xx on the title track with stellar, very top-40 radio ready results. There isn't really a bad song here, although by the end things do suffer a bit from sounding a little too similar to each other, suggesting perhaps the album would have been better off with 5 or 6 fewer songs. Still, this should go some way to ensuring that Drake's star doesn't begin to fade any time soon.

GRADE: A-

HOTTIE OF THE WEEK: HENRY CAVILL

2011-11-10T10:29:00.001-05:00

Henry Cavill may not be all that well known, particularly amongst people who never watched Showtime's "The Tudors", but there are a number of things in the near future that will almost certainly change that. Firstly, he appears in Tarsem's visually stunning "Immortals", which opens tomorrow. Secondly, that movie promises to show us all a lot of this week's hottie's body, and by the look of things, that can only help further his career. And lastly, he will be playing Superman in Zack Snyder's upcoming reboot of that franchise, "Man Of Steel". So it would appear that we will be seeing a lot of more of the super-sexy Mr. Cavill, and that is definitely not a bad thing.

KASKADE "FIRE & ICE"

2011-11-08T16:15:00.000-05:00

The latest LP by superstar American DJ Kaskade has a very interesting concept behind it. The first disc, "Fire", is comprised of 10 nightclub-ready dance tracks. The second disc, "Ice", contains the exact same 10 songs, in the exact same order, but in radically different, primarily chilled-out versions. Aside from that novel conceit, this isn't an especially essential release. There is very little here to distinguish any of these songs from others in the genre. It is very easy to imagine most of the songs on "Fire" winding up as major hits in clubs, and they do contain an infectious energy, but despite collaborations from such diverse names as Neon Trees, Skrillex, Skylar Grey, and Late Night Alumni, this still basically sounds like just another Kaskade album. Still, his standard style has earned him a number of fans, who are likely to find much to enjoy here. "Ice" adds a bit more variety to his sound, with downtempo playing a heavier role than usual and dubstep making a brief appearance, but still isn't really giving us anything that others haven't been doing for some time now. Overall, this is a solidly decent, if somewhat unimaginative effort, that shows it takes more than a cool idea to make a truly hot record.

GRADE: B-

THE SOUND OF ARROWS "VOYAGE"

2011-11-08T12:15:00.000-05:00

I have been getting quite bored of the 80's electropop revival that's been going on for a couple years now, an opinion that I've made abundantly clear in previous reviews on this site. Not so surprisingly however, when such an effort is executed really well, I find myself unable to resist. The first full-length from Swedish duo The Sound Of Arrows is such a case. From it's Vangelis-esque opening seconds I knew that this was going to be something special, and each successive track managed to prove me right. They combine the best elements of classic Erasure and Pet Shop Boys into danceable, blissed out, synth heaven; without a single dud on the whole record. Fans of PSB in particular will enjoy this, as there are brief moments scattered throughout where one could easily be mistaken for thinking this was a lost album of theirs, with singer Stefan Storm almost sounding like Neil Tennant. With such a high-quality debut under their belt, I can only hope their career lasts as long as the Pet Shop Boys' has.

GRADE: A

/ AMAZON MP3 / AMAZON CD

HOTTIE OF THE WEEK: LARS VAULAR

2011-11-03T11:59:00.002-04:00

Norwegian rapper Lars Vaular is unlikely to make it big here in the US any time soon, primarily because his lyrics are (not-so-surprisingly) all in Norwegian. His techno and dance heavy sound caught my ear quite some time ago, and is likely to help him earn at least a few fans outside of his native country. The fact that he's pretty damn good looking will almost certainly help with that as well...

STARKEY "OPEN THE POD BAY DOORS"

2011-11-02T18:22:00.000-04:00

Unfortunately, much of the music coming out of the dubstep scene is almost solely reliable on the same stuttery beat and the same wobbly bass sound. Sure, that was fun at first, but if you expect the genre you purport to love to have any staying power, you're going to have to mix things up a little bit more than that. Luckily for dubsteppers, and music lovers in general, the scene is home to someone like Starkey. By incorporating more elements from a wide range of influences he is showing just what can be done with the sound. Throwing in a dash of R&B here, a bit of classical there, and a healthy dollop of drum & bass, this Philadelphia native is consistently putting out EP's that are light years ahead of others in the genre, and filled with some of the best electronic music being produced today.

GRADE: A

/ AMAZON MP3

MAKE THE GIRL DANCE "EVERYTHING IS GONNA BE OK IN THE END"

2011-11-02T17:48:00.000-04:00

Mixing electro with alternative rock is certainly nothing new. One could argue it's been going on since at least the 80's, though it's certainly been prevalent over the last 10 years or so. As a result, one has to do a pretty good job of it to really stand out, and French duo Make The Girl Dance have managed to do pull it off. With just the right energy to get anybody moving, great use of guest vocalists, and the perfect blend of old and new sounds, this is hands down one of the best party records of 2011. All it would take is for MTV, Entertainment Weekly, or some other equally influential media outlet to take notice and this could easily be a big hit with both ravers and rockers.

GRADE: A-

/ AMAZON MP3 / AMAZON CD

JUSTIN BIEBER "UNDER THE MISTLETOE"

2011-11-02T16:52:00.005-04:00

While it is true that some Christmas albums wind up becoming modern holiday classics, more often than not they are just a shameless attempt to get fans to shell out more of their hard earned cash without having to bother coming up with any new songs. It should come as no surprise to anyone then that current teen pop superstar Justin Bieber has released his own yuletide collection, "Under The Mistletoe". It will also surprise no one that it is filled with his trademark blend of bubblegum pop, hip-hop-lite, soft R&B, and a couple of standard arrangements. This is more or less exactly what one would expect on a Justin Bieber holiday record. It's also not really a big shock that it's largely pretty enjoyable. He is certainly a good singer, and as he gets older there is beginning to be more maturity to the productions, with more songs aimed at pleasing pop fans of any age and not solely aimed at the tweener market he had been previously courting. The most surprising aspect of the whole thing though may just be that the majority of the material here is original. Sure there are a couple of the usual suspects, like "The Christmas Song" or "Silent Night", but more than half of the songs are new, and nearly all of them are co-written by Justin himself. And with how good they all turn out to be, it makes it pretty clear that Mr. Bieber will be around for a long time to come. I don't know that this is likely to become a classic, it's certainly not perfect, but it's pretty fun for now.

GRADE: B

/ AMAZON MP3 / AMAZON CD

PHANTOGRAM "NIGHTLIFE"

2011-11-02T15:54:00.000-04:00

The 6 songs on the new EP from Phantogram still sound distinctly of the duo's other work, with a mix of dark electronica and alternative rock, but this is certainly not a band that's interested in making a carbon copy of "Eyelid Movies" either. The tracks on "Nightlife" have a decidedly more fun and upbeat feel to them, even if the lyrics aren't exactly all sunshine and roses. As the title implies, the music here could easily fit into the playlist of a hip urban nightspot, or anywhere in which people like their parties to feature just the right amount of melancholy. Whether or not I found this record so enjoyable, and superior to their first, in spite of or due to the juxtaposition of contrasting moods is anybody's guess, but the fact remains that I did find myself pretty quickly falling in love with it. My only real complaint being that I would have liked a full album of material like this as opposed to just an EP, but sometimes one needs to be happy with what one can get.

GRADE: A

/ AMAZON MP3 / AMAZON CD

WALE "AMBITION"

2011-11-01T17:39:00.001-04:00

For all the hype that surrounds Wale, his second album is not exactly going to set the world on fire. Don't get me wrong, it's mostly pretty good, but it's not really all that exciting. Everything here has a distinctly "been there, done that" feel, heavily relying on very retro samples and a strong 90's aesthetic. Tracks 6 through 10, 15 and 16 manage to be the most interesting, with the Diplo-produced "Slight Work" easily being the biggest standout on the whole record, but even that isn't the producer's most original work. Still, if more of "Ambition" had sounded like that, we might have had something really interesting to listen to, instead of the only intermittently enjoyable LP we got.

GRADE: B-

/ AMAZON MP3 / AMAZON CD

FLORENCE + THE MACHINE "CEREMONIALS"

2011-11-01T16:34:00.000-04:00

Anyone fearing that Florence + The Machine would be unable to recapture the magic of their debut album can breathe a sigh of relief. On sophomore release "Ceremonials", they have tweaked the formula a little, upping the bombast throughout, but things basically stick satisfactorily close to what made us fall in love in the first place. Mixing folk and classic rock styles with modern pop sensibilities to ensure that every song sounds like something that will be immediately enjoyable to both twentysomething hipsters AND their parents is probably not that easy, but once again Florence Welch and company make it seem effortless. With incredibly catchy, often vibrant melodies backing up Ms. Welch's unmistakably gorgeous vocals, it's hard to resist calling this album an instant classic. So I won't, because it almost certainly is.

GRADE: A+