“Brought to you by Fruit of the Loom.”

How would you feel about your music being preceded by a brief recorded message from the underwear maker? Are fans just as willing to listen to audio advertising at the start of songs as they are willing to put up with seeing ads? If it means they get the song for free, apparently the answer is yes.

We’ve talked about bands and brands partnering up (like Throw Me The Statue in an Urban Outfitters commercial) and the trend is clearly not slowing down. In this new frontier, it’s becoming imperative to think outside the box and explore new media. Even CBS is doing it: OMG Boobies: Victoria’s Secret on Your Mobile. One of the most prevalent examples of band/brand partnerships that we’re seeing as of late is the ad-supported music model.

trueAnthem, which we first stumbled across because of their early work with Ultraviolet Sound, has been forging ahead and signing more and more bands. Led by Brad Barnes, they are pioneering a “new way for independent and undiscovered artists and bands to get paid while sharing their music with their fans for free - and without having to sign away their lives to a major music label”. Check out their widget (which you can grab and post wherever) - you can download the artists’ album for free. Free, as long as you don’t mind hearing and ad at the start of each song.

Personally, I don’t mind at all. The folks at trueAnthem (probably largely thanks to Emaleigh) have done a great job of pairing the right brand with each band and presenting the sponsor’s messaging in an appropriate way. If you browse through the various bands, you notice brands like Guitar Center, Steve Madden, and Baby Phat… and when you hear that band’s music you can’t help but nod and go “yep… that’s a fit”.

Another interesting example is the recently launched digital music service WE7, which has “all four majors and hundreds of independent labels via The Orchard on board.” Compensation is derived from ad revenues.

What seemed like a distant pipedream not too long ago is certainly becoming the new reality. The music industry simply must accept that the new generation of music consumers - you know, the ones who grew up with the internet and can’t imagine a world without it - expect to get their music for free (one way or another). And they want to consume it in their own way, on their own time, and in their preferred way. So, we might as well make that possible and find ways to still pay the artists. And that is exactly what WE7 has done.

A key ingredient in this equation is obviously appropriate pairing of bands and brands. The sites and services who do this best will likely come out on top. The advertisers need to reach their target demographics. And the music capturing that particular audience might be just the vehicle to get them there.

John Legend welcoming the Minneapolis crowd with open arms

John Legend performing “Ordinary People”: incredible mood with the song and lighting

John Legend in the spotlight

Bear with me because I’m still recovering from a beautiful concert put on last night in Minneapolis by John Legend and opener, Raphael Saadiq. The Northrop Auditorium on the University of Minnesota campus was the ideal venue for a booming live band and R&B and soul music all night (not to mention walking distance from La Casa de Tibs :D.. I digress). Raphael Saadiq opened up the show with a very energetic set as his two backup singers and himself were dancing and shuffling along to every song. His live band created a jazz feel as well and as people filed in, the crowd was more receptive to Raphael Saadiq, with the highlight coming with Saadiq’s closing song where he got everybody out of their seats clapping.

After an intermission, out came John Legend to a chilling, boxing themed entrance launching into his Get Lifted hit, “Used To Love U”! Legend kept it going throughout the entire show by going from one song to the next with no break and smooth transition from the live band and jazz section. Legend fluctuated between the microphone stand and the piano as he killed song after song, from new hits like “Quickly” (above), “Satisfaction”, “Everybody Knows”, and an energetic performance of “Green Light” to classics like “Heaven” (perhaps my fav. JL song ever), “I Can Change”, and “Slow Dance”, where JL brought out a lucky fan in the first row to come up and slow dance on stage. I’ve seen him do that before and that’s always a hit and Legend was beyond smooth.

As was the case when I saw him in Minneapolis a couple years ago on his previous tour, Legend closed the concert with brilliant song choice and even greater performances. The finale of the concert started with a chilling rendition of “Ordinary People”, where the lights were off except for the spotlight on Legend and the crowd eerily singing along to every word. He then made a speech about the progress of his Show Me Campaign, which ignited a “change is in the air!” exclamation that got the crowd roaring again. He then belted out “If You’re Out There” from the piano, with the big screen in the background displaying images of influential figures throughout history, ending with an image of our next President, Barack Obama, which resulted in perhaps the biggest overall cheer of the night as Legend concluded the song accordingly. He took a bow and seemingly left for good, but came out for an encore ballad of “This Time” (my 2008 R&B jam of the year!) and his usual concluding song, “So High”! Overall, the show was a top-notch performance and I was glad to experience the sounds and booming voice of John Legend in an auditorium atmosphere, compared to the club scene that I experienced last time I saw John Legend live. Even if you’re not a huge fan of John Legend, grab some tickets to enjoy a show unlike any other and a show that promises to entertain and appreciate the wonderful musical talent of John Legend.

Top 5 PERFORMANCES (in order)

1. “Ordinary People”

2. “If You’re Out There”

3. “So High”

4. “Everybody Knows”

5. “Good Morning”

I never came through with a review of Evolver when it was released 3 weeks ago and besides my busy schedule, I have to allow some time for John Legend albums to fully set in and some songs to grow on me. In the case of Evolver, I concluded that John Legend comes through with a handful of classics like with any other album, but when considering the entire album as a whole, I feel the rest of the tracks do not live up to that extra level that John Legend has always consistently attained. I would rank Evolver 3rd out of John’s 3 LPs, with Once Again 2nd and the CLASSIC Get Lifted an undisputed number one.

That being said, Evolver is still an above average album that is actually appealing to a wider audience compared to his previous albums. With this album, John Legend wanted to take a different direction and experiment with different sounds and genres of music to show the artist’s evolution (hence the title, if you couldn’t connect it already). At times, Legend executes it flawlessly, like in the duet with Brandy over a new-age Midi Mafia R&B production. The beat really enhances Legend’s booming voice at times that has yet to be explored on his previous two albums. Conversely, I liked Legend’s effort to sing over reggae with “No Other Love” f/ Estelle and while the pair’s voices and the lyrics keep me on that song, the production holds the song back. Normally, Legend would take those lyrics and sing them over a piano or a soulful beat, but decided to branch out into other genres of music throughout the album. I would never say it works for him negatively as his first single, “Green Light” f/ Andre 3000 was his biggest single to date and was a solid track over a poppy beat, but I think the hardcore John Legend fans like myself would prefer an album where Legend sticks to what he does best: belting over a piano or soul productions.

I admire John Legend’s exploration of the limits of his artistic ability by trying to reach many genres of music, and while that is necessary for artists to explore to keep things fresh, I feel it also held back Evolver from reaching the high status of Get Lifted or Once Again. However, those two albums are pretty high standards so compared to what else is out there, Evolver is typically above the rest. It’s funny how fans always urge artists to explore outside their comfort zone, but sometimes once they do, they never wanted them to leave that comfort zone in the first place. I guess I fall in line with that generality, but I also recognize the double edged sword for Legend because if he did an album a lot like his previous two, then fans and critics would complain that he’s not extending himself as an artist. Interesting, huh? Whatever the case, Evolver has more than enough tracks that appeal to fans of his previous albums while also featuring a lot of tracks that appeal to many genres of music and will open long-time John Legend fans to another side of the artist. Pick up the album below, if you haven’t already, and peep one last lyric from the influential “If You’re Out There”!

“No more broken promises
No more call to war
Unless it’s love and peace that we’re really fighting for
We can destroy hunger
We can conquer hate
Put down the arms and raise your voice
We’re joining hands today

Oh I was looking for a song to sing
I searched for a leader
But the leader was me
We were looking for the world to change
We can be heroes
Just go on and say

If you’re out there
Sing along with me
If you’re out there
I’m dying to believe that you’re out there
Stand up and say it loud
If you’re out there
Tomorrow’s starting now
Now, now”

- John Legend “If You’re Out There”

Top 5 *Tibs Favs.™ (in order)

08. This Time

05. Quickly f/ Brandy

13. If You’re Out There

03. It’s Over f/ Kanye West

04. Everybody Knows

Production: 8/10

Lyrics: 9/10

OVERALL (not an average): 8.5/10

BUY: John Legend - Evolver [iTunes]

~ Sgt. Tibs

There is no word yet on what Microsoft is paying to each distributor, but eMusic returns about 35 cents per track downloaded by subscribers. Zunes new program offers real competion to Rhapsody America and Napster who now have less attractive offerings. eMusic may also feel some pressure though its deep indie catalog has built a dedicated community of indie music fans.

Microsoft, who also lowered Zune player prices this week, has bet on music subsrcriptions from the beginning. New Zune 3.0 software also includes features focused on music discovery and personalizing the music experience:

• Mixview. Customers can select an artist, album or listener from the Zune Social online music community to activate a visual mosaic of related music and listeners. With each click, users can take the view in a new direction. Mixview works with users' current collection of music, in addition to tracks and albums from across the Zune Marketplace.
• Zune Channels. Subscribers can explore dozens of channels programmed by genre; explore sources such as Billboard Hot 100, The FADER magazine and KEXP radio; or access themed channels, like fitness, to get a steady stream ofnew music added to their collection automatically. Zune will even create custom channels for each user, based on favorite artists and genres.
• Personal Picks. Zune software learns what kind of music users like and makes personal recommendations. Each week Zune suggests artists, albums and tracks based on the music each person has been listening to, as well as channels they might enjoy and listeners like them in the Zune Social.

Zune is offering a free, 14-day trial to all new customers.More information is available at http://www.zune.net/free.

Fall Out Boy will perform their new Folie A Deux in its entirety at the Chicago Theatre on December 2nd. The performance will then be televised by Fuse on the night of the album’s release on December 16th. If you happen to live in the Windy City, tickets for the concert go on sale November 28th and cost a mere $10. The band originally planned on releasing Folie on Election Day, but opted to delay the album’s release so that it wouldn’t be overshadowed by the historic election. Bassist and lyricist Pete Wentz is due to become a father any day, as wife Ashlee Simpson is currently attempting to induce labor.

Related Stories:

• Fall Out Boy: The Boys With the Car Crash Hearts

• Fall Out Boy Seek Opening Acts For Small Folie Tour

• Album Preview: Fall Out Boy Explore Soul, Baseball on Folie A Deux

Take Eria Tarka for example. Listen to the melodic guitar plucking provide the base for an emotion at all times about to burst (and it will). Listen to the lead guitar whine its way over those notes not unlike a dolphin trying to find its way through a dark underwater cave. The undulations break into a chaotic barrage of riff and drum only to somehow find their way back home after the disruption's been given its time. Or Roulette Dares. Listen to the guitar frolic its way over the mellotron cloud as Cedric brings it all together with some subtle vocal stylings. Or the relentless buildups of Drunkship of Lanterns as each section fools you that it could be the real deal before seamlessly melting into another developmental section.

Unlike some of the band's later releases, everything here seems purposeful. Even the chaos. I'm not sure if the band knows what it all means, but that doesn't bother me. As long as they know that it means something.

by The Progmatist


MARS VOLTA, THE Music Online:
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Amputechture sounded pretty much like a transitional album to my ears, with plenty of rough edges to explore, things left unfinished. The Bedlam In Goliath decides to take a further step in some of those things, particularly in the dynamics. Here the band goes back to conceptual albums, something different from the bunch of separate, cut-off songs in Amputechture, trying to unify and give focus to the whole thing. It works well despite the obtuse complexity of the lyrics, particularly on the first half and some moments of the second one (Agadez, Ouroborous).

But what's most easily distinguishable is Bedlam's unrelenting loudness. It's virtually quietness-free, all-loud. all-fast stuff. It also has the shortest track-lenghts since De-Loused, with every song under 10 minutes long, an average of 6 minutes and two of them at less than 3! It's one blasting riff after another, backed up by insane, machine-gun-like drumming and filled with layers of noise, effects and whatever Omar could find on his studio.

To make this happen, Omar had to look for a suitable drummer, and we could say he found just that with Thomas Pridgen. I saw TMV live last November and hell, he is indeed endless, fast and furious as hell, he just doesn't have a stop button! And he shows it all over the album, laying down fast and complex rhythm patterns, pounding brutally on those poor drums. It's a good call considering the sound Omar wanted to shape here.

Sadly, this approach has many mixed results. It's OK if Omar thought that 'focusing' was to make things shorter and much louder, ambience-noise-free, but that ends up cluttering the album at some points. On its first half, the concept plays very well despite the usually hard-to-decipher lyrics by Cedric - creating some kind of coherence. But after half an hour of explosiveness, I find myself needing quite a relief, which is Tourniquet Man's (too) brief respite. To make things worse, that song sounds undercooked, and then comes the uninspired Cavalettas, who coincidentally is the longest song on the album. So at the middle of the album there's a double-double-whammy, to put it into words.

The whole thing about making things shorter doesn't help the album at certain points, despite the focus. It took me some time, but after that I realized that the long *ambient noise* parts in Frances The Mute did have a purpose and helped with the flow of the album. Amputechture sounds a bit cluttered because of its cut-off endings. Here, I find both the two 2:39 songs sounding a bit underdeveloped, playing more like experiments than like proper songs, and also a lack of quieter moments that help the intense things, well, being properly intense. Have you noticed, for example, how Tournqiuet Man starts so intriguing? Because it comes all quiet, comparatively low-register from the avalanche of fire that's the end of Goliath. The same thing about Ouroborous well-crafted stops. To be intense, you need to be the opposite at times so you can define what's intense. Here, the album's solely quiet track apart from Tourniquet Man is Soothsayer, which is clumsily executed because of Pridgen's nonstop drumming, which clutters the song. He just can't drum slowly, something that Theodore handled very well. It's just not his thing, and you can notice it.

Cedric suffers much from this approach to the music. He sings well, quite higher than in previous albums, but he gets trapped under another avalanche: the one made up of vocal effects. There's just too many of them all over here, from the obnoxious double-octave premiered on Amputechture up to much weirder ones (Tourniquet Man, Cavalettas). The problem with this is that by being so many, none of them have such an impact. Therefore, his performance diminishes in quality and strength, it doesn't sound so intense anymore.

Those are the flaws, but still Omar manages to pull many good things together: Many of these songs (more independent than the songs on the first two albums) stand very well by themselves, and the shorter track lengths are welcome in a way since they force him out of the stiffness I found on many parts in Amputechture. Ouroborous, Metatron, Goliath and Agadez have an excelent timing and structure, and parts on many others shine with Omar's distinctive style, now bearing incredible flourishes of many styles, particularly of a middle-eastern flavor. He corrected many of the rough edges in Amputechture, packing a more powerful, punchier sound. Pridgen helps a lot with this, adding a primal, lightning-fast drumming that lifts things up. And despite my criticism of the short songs, I still like them a lot, since they're really intense nevertheless.

In overall, it's a good album, although the choice of pure volume has mixed results every now and then. The Mars Volta are drifting even further apart from any other band, even the prog ones, creating their own rules to make music, and that's what makes it being a nice addition to any prog-music collection. However, Omar's statements about a possible next album left me intrigued: A quiet one, dubbed *the acoustic one*? Got to hear that.

by santiagoprog


MARS VOLTA, THE Music Online:
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The main complaint every non-diehard-fan has about this album is against those stunningly long segments of ambient noise found on many of the songs, which make a sizeable contribution to the track lengths in every song except L'Via. It's important to notice that, since their use is intentional, they are music as well (not noise), so overlooking them would be missing the point. I found them boring at first, mostly because of the amazing intensity of every song here (which accelerates you), but then I realized what they meant and how they integrated and contributed to the overall flow of the album, and I really enjoyed them. The only one I still struggle a bit with is that strange distorted-organ coming after The Widow, which is indeed a bit too shocking. But the one coming before that sounds great, and L'Via and Miranda flow so well with those parts that I was amazed to open my mind by enjoying them.

As for the album itself, I found that what makes TMV so unique is upfront: Blasting, furious intensity all over it. Not only in those guitar seizures or the violent moments, but also there's a feral intensity in the quieter parts, a sense of tension that I felt a bit stiff on Amputechture and not quite so accomplished on The Bedlam In Goliath, since in that album everything is just very loud. There's a great control of intensity here. Cygnus... Vismund Cygnus is a great example: Can you really calm down when that solo comes? The answer: Yes, but only for the following 30 seconds... There's tension everywhere, all over it, and it shows itself gently, very well displayed. That's this album's main virtue. When both the explosions and the chill-outs are so excellently managed, it's a treat to hear.

Another great thing about it is how Omar manages to tie most of his influences into his own style, creating original sounds. There's a lot to appreciate here, from Crimsonian solos popping up every now and then up to what sounds like a crazed P-funk in Cygnus' manic delivery, and that's only the tip of the iceberg. It's pure prog-sound attitude, totallly devoid of committing to anything but its own rules. Cramming many things into one song it's even easy, but making a great song MIXING things is quite an accomplishment.

As for the song themselves, they succeed at being both part of a whole and unique entities at the same time. Each track is a world by itself: Cygnus makes up for the perfect introduction, 9 relentless minutes of fury exploding at full tilt on Cedric's final screams; there are dramatic crescendos, both in a short version (The Widow) and in a full-on, bombastic, fierce chill-out (Miranda), and L'Via, which refuses any easy description (it would be something like a freakout progged-up metal-salsa night). It's so well done that you tend to sing (or scream?) along without caring exactly about its meaning.

As for that, I find the lyrics quite hard to decipher but also quite intriguing. There's a nice lyrical work here, very mysterious and thought-inducing metaphores, something quite lacking for me on most of the other albums. But of course what really makes those lyrics lift off is what are undoubtely Cedric's most amazing performances, peaking specially on Miranda, which scares and amazes the hell out of me at every single listen. It's a wonder to hear, absolutely stunning at every single verse. He even manage to succeed greatly in blowing my mind off on L'Via, despite the fact that I can detect the slightly sloppy accent on his Spanish easily since I'm from Argentina. Clean, powerful, intense (how many times I've used that word already?) with the right performance nuances, and a cool effect every now and then (like Spider-Cedric at the beginning of Cassandra Geminni). A great development from De-Loused, and Cedric never sang like this later, or the many effects of the following albums didn't let him.

Cassandra... deserves a part of its own. A 32-minute monster which is (and at the same time isn't) an album by itself, which starts originally by avoiding a long intro and blowing your ears right from the first second. From then Omar goes on a rampage with his guitar, while Cedric sings the hell out of his lungs (AND ITS MULTIPLE SONS WITH THEIR MANDIBLE TONGUES SET CRUCIFIED FIRES TO PETRIFIED HOMES... amazing!!!) like for 18 minutes... A few minutes of a mysterious, chilled-out interlude and the re-emergence of the whole thing in full force, with sax? flute? whatever it is before crashing in one last chorus. As a nice extra and to bring a fitting closure, Sarcophagi gets a reprise at a higher volume than the version found at the beginning of the album. As an amazing thing: Most of the song's many riffs are built around one single note, E. Check it out by yourselves and you'll hear it.

In short, this album develops things that were in primary stages on De-Loused At The Comatorium, and it's a final point in a way for TMV, since from Amputechture on things take another direction (I really like Amputechure and Bedlam, though, they explore many things that this album doesn't). However, neither Omar composed anything so flawlessly intense, nor Cedric sang as well and hypnotically attractive (with the tremendous exception of the amazing Asilos Magdalena) like what they display here. A masterpiece.

by santiagoprog


MARS VOLTA, THE Music Online:
recommended progarchives.com worldwide prog rock stores

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Soprano Celia Lu's ethereal vocals and the harpsichord work of Dietrich Eichmann stand out among the ensemble. Evoked are both the calm before the storms and then storms themselves; using Germany as a metaphor and as proof, the decadence of the early 1930's and the horrors of the 40s are of a piece. Allusions to a coming visceral appearance of evil in the present is represented by violent video games and porn. The dread, the gothic menace of the tracks, especially "Make It Sinister," "a vain committing (antiwar.com)"-which is a section of a longer piece titled "Spoilt Brat Sacrifice" and "Mouse Girl Stoned," dig for evil and the choices that lead to it in both the personal and political. They don't need to dig deep to find, but they do. This is a two disc set that is as moral as it is shocking, beautiful as it creepy. "Demons!" reminds us of choices, and of what results when those choices are made in fear.

Titled "Technology Analogy" the album is the bands 2nd release and consists of 13 tracks. The album tells a story, it has a beginning, middle, and an end but is full circle, it will leave you exactly where you started. The album reflects on the pros and cons of computer technology and how it is integrated into today’s society. How did it begin? Where did science derive from? And will communication and social interaction inevitably suffer from its evolution. These are the themes "Technology Analogy" seeks to explore.... The album moves like a train moving through musical soundscape of classic rock, R&B style songs, fused with trance/electronica and an atmosphere creating a musical journey for the listener unlike any sounds heard together before.

Um, right. Apparently, there’s a big “Internet buzz” on the album’s first single, “Green is the Colour” featuring Jon Carin, a song about the environment which can be heard Feldman's website. But here’s the best most interesting aspect of the release:

The album was made with special 100% biodegradable materials including recycle-able paper, soy ink, and even a corn plastic disc tray. So essentially you could throw it in the ocean and it will just go back to nature!