For a long time I’ve been a pirate. Yes, I’ll admit to not buying music legally. The thing is, buying music from a physical store is a tiresome process. You’ve got to get in your car, fight the crowds in the mall and then once you actually get into the store you’re left having to deal with a sales attendant who can barely help you. Once you’ve bought the disc I end up ripping it and putting it on my PC/iPod/Phone/Music player and then the CD gets stored on my shelf for posterity. Simply put, buying a CD for me these days is akin to buying a hundred and fifty rand coaster. I tend only to buy the albums from bands that I really want to collect even though I mostly have downloaded that album off Bittorrent two weeks before release anyway.

Being a pirate doesn’t keep me awake at night but I certainly don’t mind paying for decent music and while I couldn’t care if Lars Ulrich has to fly in first class rather than his own private jet, I do feel pretty bad stiffing South African bands out of their money.

A few months ago, the Nokia Music Store was launched and at ten rand a track it was pretty reasonable. Other services go for about sixteen rand a track but the real appeal of the Nokia Music Store was that of buying an album (no matter how many tracks) for a flat hundred bucks. I’ve probably bought three albums and about ten tracks off the service and it’s been fairly excellent in that time.

This previous Thursday I was invited to the launch of the newest extension to the Nokia Music Store, a service called “Comes With Music”. Basically you buy either a Nokia 5130, 5530 or 5630 and you get unlimited music downloads on either the device or one computer that you initially set the phone up on. Considering you get access to over five million tracks on the Nokia Music Store for twelve months, this is worth the price of entrance. I’m not entirely sure of the monthly cost of the other two devices but the 5130 costs a mere R100 a month.

At the event we were given either a 5530 or 5630 to test for an entire year and I chose the touchscreen 5530. Now it only has a 2G Internet connection (there is wi-fi though) but the 5630 is a T9, candybar device which is something I personally don’t like. The touchscreen is a mere (compared to my N97) 2.9-inches but is actually the most responsive Nokia touchscreen I’ve ever used. Needless to say, this beats its predecessor the bigger, more feature-filled 5800 in almost all ways. While the device comes with a stylus I’ve been typing perfectly on its full on-screen keyboard with my fingers. I’m sure it would get tiresome typing like this while on the move but this is more of a touchscreen device issue than a problem with the phone.

While the phone is exceptionally capable it really comes alive with “Comes With Music”. I’ve had this phone for three days now and I’ve burned through about a gig of music downloads. If you consider that for as little as a hundred rand a month you’ve got access to unlimited music. I do actually think this is probably the most revolutionary service to happen to the music industry since the introduction of the CD. Combine “Comes With Music” with a program such as Shazam (that identifies a song just by hearing the audio) and you’ve got the ability to download any song you hear on the radio, TV show or even when you’re out at a party.

Do yourself a favour and get “Comes With Music” if you can, it’ll change the way you consume and enjoy music.

I popped the disc in my car, I loved the album even more in decent CD quality than I did on my computer. It was this fact that made me thing I should possibly re-rip the disc so I could have higher quality MP3’s on my computer. I also knew it would make me feel slightly less dirty if I used the original to make MP3’s.

In my Macbook I popped my disc (right now you’re thinking what a prat I am for loving Mac’s and Coldplay) and was greeted with absolutely nothing. I eventually got an error message saying that my computer could not read the disc. This is upsetting for many reasons, the first being the fact that I couldn’t make nice copies of my Coldplay disc but more importantly the potential repercussions this has on using computers to play music.

Imagine if I didn’t have a CD player anywhere else besides my computer? How would I be able to enjoy my Coldplay CD? Quite simply I would have no choice but to download the album to listen to it. At this point owning the disc is slightly immaterial and I might as well have downloaded the disc anyway.

So here’s the rub I guess: I’m not going to buy anymore CD’s if this is the way the music industry wants to treat us music owners. First we had Sony installing Rootkit software (which as far as I understand allowed them to log in to your computer) and now it just doesn’t work on a computer at all.

You know what, this is truly a case of the music industry being petrified and taking it out on the consumer. I find it highly ironic that an industry can be so callous to its consumers and still get away with it. While I’m not advocating piracy I’m totally boycotting the CD stores of our country until the music industry behind it gets real.

6) Pearl Jam – Do The Evolution: Not only does this song have possibly one of my favourite music videos of all time, it’s also a rousing commentary about the state of our world. Do yourself a favour, watch the video and listen to the lyrics. Poignant is my best description.

7) Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody: “Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?” The first and best song by Queen is by far one of my favourite songs. The guitar work mixed with the constantly changing pace of the song makes it quite brilliant. Freddie Mercury’s lyrics are riveting and his voice will never be repeated. Best part of this song: the fact that it’s been immortalised thanks for Wayne’s World.

8 ) Radiohead – Just: My favourite Radiohead song (out of many favourites) is a song about narcissism. I’ve said this before but excellent (well phenomenal) guitar work mixed with Thom Yorke’s whiney voice makes for some excellent music. Cool video that still leaves us with the unanswered question of what the guy says at the end.

9) Red Hot Chili Peppers – Under The Bridge: The Chili Pepper’s mournful song about Los Angeles and Heroin is unbeatable. Again, the guitar in this song is what makes it for me. Excellent down-tempo song from a generally “overactive” band.

10) Silverchair – Ana’s Song: Silverchair lead singer Daniel Johns speaking about his fight with anorexia is by far and away the most haunting song of all time. Excellent work!

1)Coldplay – Shiver: A song about a guy who will change anything about himself to get a girl. From my understanding the first official Coldplay single and still their best song by a long shot. Chris Martin’s lyrics and voice are mournful and the rest of the band are simply excellent.

2)Incubus – Drive: From what I can understand a song about getting away from it all and getting in charge of your life. It’s funky, jazzy style mixed with lead singer Brandon Boyd’s haunting voice this is a total winner.

3) Jack Johnson – If I Could: Off Jack’s third album, In Between Dreams, Jack sings about the proverbial circle of life (maybe the Lion King soundtrack would be more apt here) in the style only Jack can pull off. On first listen this is a sweet lullaby about nothing in particular until you delve a little deeper and uncover the concept of “New life makes losing life easier to understand”.

4) Jeff Buckley – Lover You Should Have Come Over: Tragically killed just before his prime Buckley is truly one of my favourite musicians. Lover is definitely my favourite song of his as he speaks about love lost and troubled relationships in general. Mournful as can be but seriously, possibly best song ever.

5)Muse – Time is Running Out: The first song I ever listened to by Muse and still my favourite. You can understand when hearing this song why it would suck you into enjoying a band. It’s a very sultry sounding song with lead singer Matthew Bellamy making the weirdest sounds come out of both his voice and guitar. Great band, awesome song.

Got an exam tomorrow so will post parts 6-10 tomorrow after my stats exam

My absolutely super favourite band of all time Coldplay is set to release their new single “Violet Hill” tonight on their website at 12:15 PM UK time. This is the first single off their new album called: “Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends”.

So this is great, I’ll be the first to be listening to this tonight but I must ask the question: When does something stop being fresh and cool and then goes to something quite played out? I’m referring to the digital distribution method pioneered by Radiohead with the release of their newest album “In Rainbows”. For those of you with their heads in the sand you’ll know that they asked users to pay what they wanted for the album and paying nothing was an option.

This method was then copied by Nine Inch Nails and there is even talk from Lars Ulrich, drummer of Metallica (who vociferously went after Napster a few years ago), that the band feels that this is the only route forward.

I think this is a fascinating time for music in the sense that there is relatively little money to be made and as such this is a time of do or die. The question that I ponder is which of these two options will win the battle:

1) Pop music becomes the only kind of music. Let’s face it, record labels need money winners for them and the sales of pop musicians from Britney Spears to Mariah Carey have a definite appeal. While I don’t think their music has any substance the music industry strikes me as vapid and ultimately only interested in a quick buck. What this means is that the industry will promote these low talent artists who will make the most money.

2) The music industry as we know it ends. Major record labels such as EMI and Sony Music fall apart and do not exist anymore. In this situation only the best musicians can make a living by selling their products online and making money from big concerts.  The digital distribution method can’t be wrong considering successes such as the Radiohead model as well as the indisputable popularity of iTunes in the states. Technically you could be a rock star in your bedroom (assuming you had a large enough bedroom).

I see the reality as a somewhere in between the two extremes. While I think it’s exciting that bands such as Coldplay are willing to release one single for free I don’t think it’s pushing many boundaries but I definitely think there is a future in both online and offline music sales. MP3 players are the future and being able to load them with music in a music store is a business direction no one seems to have considered.
Otherwise, enjoy the single and let’s hope the album is as incredible as all their other work.

While this is relatively old news, I’ve been buried in a pit of work and have only got the news now. As you may or may not know the Coke Fest is coming to Joburg and Cape Town again and is bringing some incredible bands. The line up includes bands like Muse (a massive favorite of mine) as well as big names such as 30 Seconds to Mars and Korn. While this is not any new knowledge to me I did just hear about the line up of South African bands playing on stage.

I’ll admit, I was quite confused when I heard about South African bands being on stage, surely the whole point of the festival is to get international bands to play on a local stage? Why on earth would I want to hear a South African band that I can hear any night of the week in any dodgy venue around the country? It then dawned on me that this meant that the international acts such as Muse would have less stage time and frankly I was highly irritated.

I then had the pleasure to look at the list of SA bands playing. Please share my excitement as you read over this list:

* WONDERBOOM, CRASH CAR BURN and LONEHILL ESTATE (Joburg gig)
* VAN COKE KARTEL and the SHY GUEVARAS (playing in the Cape Town event)

To add insult to injury Prime Circle will be joining the line up at both events. Now I know nothing about the Cape Town bands but Lonehill Estate and Crash Car Burn play the most insipid style of punk rock music that is popular these days. Their music isn’t catchy, their lyrics aren’t smart and all they have is the fact that they’re copying a style of music popular amongst the idiot American demographic. Wonderboom are a genuinely talented band and frankly I can deal with them being part of the line up. Prime Circle however has always sucked. I’ve seen them a few times live and have always found them underwhelming at the best of times.

Frankly I’m quite pissed off, I paid 600 bucks to see Muse and I expected a decent time but now I have to watch them share stage time with rubbish minimal talent South African bands like Prime Circle. Prime Circle is the dorkiest name for a band ever, the lead singer is a midget and the baldy guitar player thinks he’s the coolest guy ever with the dumb hats he wears. The band inspires about as much excitement as a moldy potato.

I ‘m not sure why Big Concerts decided to get these bands as fillers; surely they could have gotten an extra international band at the same price as all of those bands? Thank goodness for Muse, they will be awesome.

Since I’ve had little time to blog today I felt that it would be the launch day for a topic I’ve wanted to talk about for a while. As a major music lover I’ve decided to comment not on the music (as it’s mostly all crap these days) but a new form of art: the music video. For this first issue I’m going to speak about local artist Nicholis Louw’s video called “Hier naby jou”. Translated this means “here by you”. It’s a direct cover of the “Hellogoodbye” song “Here in your arms”. First of all this is a dodgy cover, the guy has a higher English to Afrikaans and back turnover rate than a drive through whorehouse and seems to think he’s sexy.

Since I need to go to bed I’ll leave you with the video to decide by yourself. Goodnight and enjoy what will be a weekly column at the Outlet.

Dodge video man

Anyway…

So I’ve been listening to the radio lately and I feel that it is both my civic duty and right as a human being to complain about the absolute trash that is currently being played on the radio. I’d first like the talk about the little grommet known as “Shane Ward”. Ward was the winner of some arb contest in the U.K. known as “X Factor”. Dodgy reality TV credentials aside I won’t go on about whether he’s a good singer or not; even though he’s not. What I do want to talk about is his newest song (and I quote): “No U Hang Up”. Yes, it’s spelled “U” because the average music listener these days is obviously a total cretin. Not to detract from the incredible title I’d like to attract your opinion to the often sung chorus. When I looked at the lyrics of this song I was shocked to see how many words there are considering this is all I ever seem to hear:

We got that you hang
No, you hang up kinda love

Genius lyrics indeed! Now seriously, I know there’s a writers strike and all but surely the person who wrote this must have some talent? I mean it must take some vague skill to write a song and even more skill (or taste/class) to allow that song to be produced? I just feel bad for Mr Ward, if this is the best he can find to sing about then his career is toast. It saddens me even more to see that it debuted at number two in the UK charts.

This now brings us to Britney Spears’s new release titled: “Piece Of Me”. I used to quite like Miss Spears. I never found her music brilliant but I always appreciated her ability to release a good pop song. Her new song is particularly atrocious though. Throughout the whole song she “sings” about how the media wants to always have a jab at her. Firstly, she’s right about the media jabbing at her but frankly to make that into a song is pathetic. Secondly her singing is non existent on the song. She seems unable to sing and is replaced by her talking being fed through a vocoder to create a real pop “masterpiece”.
The video is below:

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The thing is, if you think that pop music is only bad overseas then you’ve never heard of a band called “Timi” hailing from South Africa. I had the pleasure of watching their video the other day on TV and I’ve never seen anything more bizarre and low budget. Unfortunately I don’t have the video but if someone could send it to me I would be forever grateful. What I can link you up with is the MP3 which is horrible in its own right. It can be found here.

All this leads me to believe is that until the music industries current head honchos are burnt at the stake we will forever be living in a world of rubbish like Shane Ward, Britney Spears and Timi. Take a stand, don’t let your tween sister buy that crap.

I have a dream: A world where music is intelligent and tasteful. Am I crazy?

1) Feist – The Reminder: Arguably the album of the year in my mind. Released earlier in the year singer Leslie Feist has struck some sort of musical gold with this album. At first I didn’t really enjoy the album, I found it depressing and dull. I resigned it to the back of my musical collection until recently, on a recommendation, I rediscovered this fantastic piece of art. Feist manages to package an album filled with brilliant pop hits (”one, two, three, four” and “My Moon, My Man”) with sombre thoughtful tracks that leave you longing for more. Each song has something special to it and sounds different from the last which is something I’m a stickler for. This is a great album which I’m struggling to put down.

2) Radiohead – In Rainbows: The seminal Radiohead is back with the album they released only online. To be honest I’m a huge Radiohead fan so the excitement for this album was fever pitched. Let me just say I was not disappointed, rather elated by this album. Featuring a lot of influence from lead singer Thom Yorke’s solo album In Rainbows is a phenomenal album. It mixes the best of Radiohead from their album “The Bends” with a bit of “OK Computer”, their last album “Hail to the thief” and as mentioned earlier “The Eraser” Yorke’s solo album. The album proves firstly what a dynamic band Radiohead is in how they manage to create such different styles of music on one album and secondly how they have managed to evolve and stay not only relevant but progressive in terms of music style. Featuring excellent melodies and haunting lyrics this is an album for everyone who has ears. Each song is brilliant and I’m foaming at the mouth with excitement just talking about the album.

3) Amy Winehouse – Back to Black: As weird and wacky as Winehouse is her album shines through the relative junk that was released this year. Starting with the bass pounding “Rehab” you tend to wonder how an anorexic Jewish girl from England sounds like a soul diva from the deep south of America. Winehouse speaks about love, life and her myriad of problems. Featuring Mark Ronson’s big band sound in the background this album will have you tapping your feet and clapping your hands. For lovers of soul this is a must and for everyone else: even if you don’t enjoy her private life her music is quite phenomenal.

4) Kanye West – Graduation: West is frankly an unstoppable force in music at the moment. With the release of his third studio album “Graduation” he shows his brilliant understanding of a subtle beat, great rhyme and lyrics that leave you singing along while at the same time thinking about the moral. With his first single, he sampled Daft Punk’s “Stronger” a perennial favourite of The Outlet and brought that song to an American audience. Every song on this album is catchy and will leave you wanting to give it another spin. Not as good as the first Kanye West album but a very strong outing by Mr West.

5) Mark Ronson – Version: For essentially an album filled with covers this album totally rocks. Ronson is the king of the “Horn Sound” where big brass instruments are the king. Featuring covers of Coldplays “God put a smile on your face”, The Smiths “Stop Me”, Britney Spear’s “Toxic” and my favourite song of the year the cover of the Zutons “Valerie” featuring a very soulful Amy Winehouse. You’ll recognise a lot of songs on this album. It’s a great album to have in the background at a party or to just jam to. Ronson has created a toe tapping masterpiece with this album and is highly worth owning.

6) Mika – Life in Cartoon Motion: Mika is a very camp Brit who originally popped on to the scene with a song called “Grace Kelly”. Sounding like a mix between the Scissor Sisters and Freddy Mercury this is one of the great talents to emerge this year. Every song on his album is a hit, his lyrics are light and fun while at the same time dealing with issues. In his one song “Billy Brown” Mika deals with a gay man stuck in a marriage with: “Two kids and a cautionary wife”. I highly recommend this album if you want something fun and light while at the same time containing a large amount of substance.

7) Modest Mouse – We were dead before the ship even sank : This is the second Modest Mouse album I own and I must say this band is awesome. Lead singer Isaac Brock has this scratchy voice that lures you in to massive pop hits such as the song “Dashboard” while at the same time giving a huge amount of depth to other songs on the album. Musically the band is not only incredibly catchy but incredibly layered in their style. Frankly you cannot begin to imagine that this amount of noise comes from four musicians. If you like a bit of Indie Rock mixed with a hint of bubblegum pop then this is the album to listen to.

In summary I would never be able to say which of these are my favourite as I’ve listen to them at different times. All are excellent and highly recommended.