Music

iTunes 11 is here!

Posted on by GumballsPlaysGames

If CNET is correct, we’ll be seeing a revamped iTunes sometime today. Steven Musil notes that this will be the first major update to iTunes since iTunes 10 released in 2010, and it will have a revamped user interface with social networking integration.

I love iTunes and look forward to playing around with the new version as soon as I’m able to download it. The lack of social networking interaction is one of the only things I’ve felt iTunes has lacked. I’d love the ability to share songs I’m listening to (like Pandora allows) and maybe even share purchases and playlists. We’ll see what exactly Apple includes in less than 24 hours!

 

This time it’s Thursday

Posted on by GumballsPlaysGames

So you thought there could never be a song worse than Rebecca Black’s “Friday” did you? Well you might be wrong. I didn’t research it, but I can almost guarantee this song is written by the same person, with such insightful lyrics such as “December was Christmas, January was New Year’s, April was Easter, 4th of July and now it’s Thanksgiving….. we we we gonna have a good time.”

-.-

Starbucks Pick of the Week (free song): The Lumineers

Posted on by GumballsPlaysGames

If you haven’t found a good reason to install the Starbucks app on your phone, I’m about to give you a good reason to do so. Not only can you use it as a quick and easy way to pay for your daily dose of caffeine (and earn rewards doing so), you can also download a free song every week via iTunes. It’s simple, you get a message titled ‘Pick of the Week’ every week and you simply click a button which will take you to iTunes and start your free download. Recent weeks have featured songs by Dave Matthews Band, Black Prairie and Van Morrison.

This week’s pick is by far my favorite, and I have fallen in love with this band which I discovered via Starbucks. The band is The Lumineers out of Colorado, whose album (The Lumineers) debuted this past April (check it out on iTunes). The song is “Stubborn Love” which you can see in the video below. It’s an amazing song, and a great video!

 

Sirius XM, worth another shot?

Posted on by GumballsPlaysGames

Nowadays nobody listens to the radio. Instead most people have turned to streaming services such as Pandora and Spotify, and that’s not such a bad thing, but I think you lose something when you turn to these automated services. I’m a Pandora One subscriber and I enjoy the service, however I find myself skipping unfamiliar songs all too often, trying to listen to only my favorite songs. Also Pandora is just too robotic. By that I mean there’s no human interaction. Just song after song. For some this is a good thing, however I’m starting to think it’s not for me.

Furthermore, Pandora doesn’t often play brand new music. That’s why I’ve decided to give SiriusXM another try. I had been a subscriber to XM before the merger and enjoyed it, however in the long run I had to cut the service from my budget. Now I think I may end up getting a Sirius radio for my car.

I’m currently on a 30 day trial of SiriusXM Internet Radio, which lets you stream the service via your computer or phone and it’s been quite enjoyable. I’ve already discovered quite a few new songs I hadn’t heard through Pandora, and I like the human component. I love the news breaks and commentary by the DJ’s. Furthermore it’s nice to be able to listen to the news via CNN or MSNBC if I feel like it, or check out ESPN Radio and SportsCenter throughout the day. There’s also streaming play by play, and of course Howard Stern!

I’m enjoying it so far, and look forward to having the service in my car again. I’d use the app on my phone in the car, except I don’t have 3G coverage until I drive an hour off base.

Modest Mouse vinyls

Posted on by GumballsPlaysGames

Check out what I picked up today:

Modest Mouse is one of my favorite bands, so you can imagine I was thrilled to find these albums while browsing Hot Topic. Sure they’re not originals, but they’re cool just the same. The Moon & Antarctica even came with a code to download the digital album which is always a nice edition. The albums sound great on vinyl and I’m glad they’re now a part of my collection.

 

I no longer use physical media

Posted on by GumballsPlaysGames

A year ago if I wanted a movie I’d go to the store and buy the blu ray, or if I wanted a video game I’d go to Gamestop and buy the disc. I had already given up CDs as a medium for music (I’ve been all iTunes for quite some time), but I hadn’t completely given up on physical media yet. The main reason was my internet at the time just wasn’t good enough to handle my media consumption.

Now things are different. I want a movie? I buy the digital copy on Amazon or now on Vudu, in HD (or HDX on Vudu) and it looks just as good as a blu ray to my untrained eyes. As for video games, most new releases aren’t instantly available in digital form (on the 360 at least) but when they are I prefer digital over a disc any day.

Having a stack of DVDs just doesn’t appeal to me. They take up shelf space for no good reason, it’s not like they’re appealing to look at every day. Plus when I move it’s really annoying to use up precious box space for a ton of DVDs. Having a digital movie collection is awesome. I can browse my collection on my laptop, tablet, or TV and watch what I want in an instant. I never have to hunt down a disc, I never have to put anything in, just click and enjoy. When I’m done the movie stays on the server far away and takes up no space in my room or on my hard drives.

Even better I can access my collection from anywhere. Over at a friend’s house? No problem. I have access to my entire movie library by simply logging into an account. On vacation? My movies are there waiting for me.

I know a lot of people are slow to give up on something they know. They say they like seeing their collection, or if they pay money for something they need something to hold in their hands. Believe it or not there are people who still buy CDs. So be it, but it’s not for me. I welcome the digital age with open arms. I love the cloud.

Tonight Alive “What Are You So Scared Of?”

Posted on by GumballsPlaysGames

While browsing the iTunes store late last night I saw an album cover that caught my eye. I gave the album a quick listen and instantly knew I had to purchase it. I picked up the deluxe edition of Tonight Alive’s “What Are You So Scared Of” for just $10.99 (only $1 more than the regular edition). The deluxe edition includes two music videos, “Breaking and Entering” and “Starlight” alongside the album.

Tonight Alive was formed in 2008 in Australia and originally released an EP only in Australia and Japan before signing to Fearless records and re-releasing their EP. Their first LP “What Are You So Scared Of” went on sale today. The band is lead by vocalist Jenna McDougall and has an upbeat pop / punk sound. Jenna’s vocals are powerful and confident over strong and peppy guitars and drums.

Stand out tracks include “Starlight” and “Let it Land” on which McDougall’s emotions seep out but her strong voice never fails. Blink 182’s Mark Hoppus contributes vocals for a verse on “Thank You and Goodnight” and my only complaint is that his verse is too short. I’m sure the up and coming band was thrilled to work with an icon of the genre.

I definitely recommend you give the album a listen, whether you a fan of female vocalist bands or not. I’d be willing to bet Tonight Alive might just change your opinion.

 

SOURCE: Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonight_Alive

Listening to lately: Natalia Kills and Neon Hitch

Posted on by GumballsPlaysGames

Lately I’ve been finding myself looking for some pop music, specifically something similar to Katy Perry and Lady Gaga, two of the few pop artists I actually enjoy. I’ve found two artists who fit my requirements perfectly.

First up is Natalia Kills, a 25 year old English singer. Her first album, Perfectionist, debuted in 2011 and it’s a thrill to listen to. She has a voice and sound very similar to that of Katy Perry and even Lady Gaga at times, with catchy choruses over bubbly, energetic and catchy background music. The song “Kill my Boyfriend” is a strange mix of dark lyrics over an upbeat, happy keyboard track. The song “Zombie” with its autotune vocals sounds a lot like a Kanye West song and is very addicting to listen to. “Mirrors” which is produced and partially written by Akon sounds a lot like something Lady Gaga would sing, but it’s still very much an original song and one of my favorites from the album. I would definitely recommend you give Natalia Kills a listen, you won’t regret it.

Next up is Neon Hitch, another 25 year old British pop artist who I think will become very popular in America. Her debut album is due out sometime early this year and the debut single “Fuck U Betta” is available on iTunes now. Her voice is addicting and the song is provocative and hard to get out of your head. With the lyrics, “She’s prettier than I’ll ever be, got yourself a beauty queen, but there’s one thing I’ve got to say, she can fuck you good…..But I can fuck you betta” the song is sort of a break up song but the speaker is confident in herself and happy. It’s not necessarily ‘screw you’, it’s more ‘good for you, but I’m better and I know it’. The song is catchy and I can’t wait for a music video.

Listening to: Sixx AM “7”

Posted on by GumballsPlaysGames

Sixx: A.M. is a wonderful hard rock band lead by Nikki Sixx, the bassist for Motley Crue. Their music is hard hitting and emotional, and on their new acoustic EP “7” this really stands out. James Michael’s vocals cry out over the acoustic guitar carrying so much emotion and beauty that it’s easy to get absolutely lost in the feelings created. “Life is Beautiful” is probably the hit Sixx AM is most known for and is in my opinion the best track on the album, but each of the seven songs is a worthy selection from The Heroin Diaries and This is Gonna Hurt. Definitely recommend you give this album a listen and also check out their two LPs.