Category Archives: music

31 days of good 2010, 35mmbeats, hype machine, music

(31) Days of Good: Day 2

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If you followed any of the coverage from the most recent CMJ, you’ve probably already heard about Zowie. I was first introduced to the New Zealand based, singer-songwriter by The Hype Machine and A Heart is a Spade.

The track i’ve chosen for today is the RAC remix of Broken Machine. This track was featured on the most recent Hype Machine Radio Show (November 2010) and it’s been on almost constant repeat since I first listened to it.
The track definitely reminds me a bit of La Roux, but I think I like Zowie more (i’ll decide on a final verdict after i’ve heard Zowie’s full-length). Without going too much into it, this track is super fun and I bet you’ll hear it at your New Year’s Eve party this year.
Zowie’s untitled debut is set to be released in 2011, and if it’s anything like her first single, Broken Machine, we’re all in for a big treat.
More Zowie @ myspace and iamzowie.com
More (31) Days of Good @ 35mmBeats
31 days of good 2010, 35mmbeats, music

(31) Days of Good: Day 1

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One of the most anticipated albums (and one of my favorites) of 2010 came to us from the amazing, orchestral indie rock band, Arcade Fire. Hailing from Canada, this 7-piece band had the difficult task of following up the critically acclaimed album, Neon Bible, but once again proved they deserve all the praise they receive.
As far as i’m concerned, a truly great album is one you can listen from beginning to end and each track fits together seamlessly, nearly creating one long song—The Suburbs does just that. The album was released last August and I don’t think there’s a bad song on it, but I do have a favorite. From the very first time I listened to The Suburbs in it’s entirety, one track grabbed me the most. Powerfully sang by frontwoman, Regine Chassagne, Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) beautifully reminds us of an adolescent suburbia, teenage good times, and edge-of-adulthood bad times.
I can’t post any tracks for you (sorry), but here’s the unstaged video from Madison Square Garden
Purchase The Suburbs via Amazon (only $1.99 as of 11/30) or iTunes.
More Arcade Fire at arcadefire.com
More (31) Days of Good @ 35mmBeats
31 days of good 2010, 35mmbeats, music
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The holiday season is my absolute favorite time of year. I love the decorations, the music (no joke, Christmas music is probably my favorite genre), the chilly weather, the delicious food, the overall cheer that just doesn’t seem to exist during other times of the year, and my favorite music blogs start hashing out their “best of” lists. Last year, I collaborated with 35mmBeats to bring you our favorite songs of 2009 and (31) Days of Good was born.
Not much has changed for 2010. During the month of December, we’ll again bring you our favorite songs from the past year. There really isn’t an order or rank for the songs, we simply pick our favorites and hope you enjoy them as much as we do. The only difference this year is we’ll each be doing our own (31) Days of Good, which means more music for all of you. There was so much good new music this year, I’m sure we’ll miss some (and we’ll definitely overlap on a few), but you’ll still get a hefty dosage of music.
Stay tuned!
christmas, gift guide, music

Holiday Gift Guide 2010

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The Christmas season is in full swing and if you didn’t brave the crowds this last black friday, you probably still have some shopping to take care of. If you happen to be shopping for any music lovers, this list will hopefully help you find the perfect gift. Also, most of these sites are offering Cyber Monday deals today (11/29), so definitely check them out.

1. Ticket Stub Diary from uncommongoods.com
This is a great way to preserve your concert tickets (or broadway, sporting events, movies, etc.). It comes with clear sleeves that fit a variety of ticket sizes, plus space in the margin to write down your memories from the event. Acid-free pages will preserve your memories; so you can tell your kids you saw Lou Reed join the Gorillaz on stage to peform Some Kind of Nature.
2. EarPeace – Live Music Hearing Protection from earpeace.com
If there’s one thing I dislike about concerts, it’s the ringing I get in my ears after shows. Hearing damage is no laughing matter and if you want to continue enjoying the use of your ears, I recommend investing in these bad boys. EarPeace ear plug’s high-fidelity design delivers high quality sound and great protection. Plus, the plug’s low profile design and small size make them very unnoticeable.
BONUS: EarPeace is offering 50% off and free shipping when you order 2 (or more) ear plugs today (11/29). Use coupon code “50off”.
3. Love is a Mixtape by Rob Sheffield

For the reader on your list, I highly recommend Rob Sheffield’s memoir, Love is a Mixtape. It uses fifteen mix tapes to frame the story of his courtship and marriage to Renee Crist (a fellow DJ, grad student, and mix tape aficionado) before her untimely death from a pulmonary embolism in 1997. This is one of my favorite books and definitely one of the best books i’ve read in the past 10 years. Sheffield’s second book, Talking to Girls About Duran Duran: One Young Man’s Quest for True Love and a Cooler Haircut, was released in July 2010. I haven’t had a chance to read it yet, but now that i’m done with grad school I definitely plan on it. You can purchase both books at Amazon and pretty much any bookstore.
4. Wilco Coffee Lover’s Bundle
Jeff Tweedy and Co are showcasing their coffee expertise with a special gift set that’s perfect for the coffee/music lover on your list. The gift set includes two pounds of Wilco-selected whole beans (an Ethiopian coffee roasted by Chicago’s esteemed coffee purveyors, Intelligentsia), two Wilco mugs, and a mystery gift. You can purchase the gift set directly from the Wilco Store.
5. Station to Station: Deluxe Edition
This 5 CD, 3 vinyl, DVD, and more, boxset for David Bowie’s Station to Station reissue is perfect for the Bowie fan on your list. Among the included goodies are a remastered 5.1 mix of the album, a previously unreleased 1976 concert, and a booklet of never-before-seen photos. You can purchase the box set from Amazon.
6. Apple iPod Touch (4th gen)

Hands down the best iPod Touch to date and the next best option for non-iPhone users (don’t believe me, ask all your android/blackberry friends why they carry both this and a phone around). Anybody that has an iPhone or iPod Touch can vouch for this product. You’ll never want to use your classic iPod again once you’ve experienced this iPod’s interface. The touch screen makes finding the perfect tune so much easier than the original iPod’s wheel and combine this with the the camera, the App Store, iTunes, and iBooks, and you’ve got yourself a mighty fine product. My only gripe would be the lack of 3G access, but wifi is becoming more and more accessible everyday that this isn’t a huge issue. Make somebody very happy and purchase the latest iPhone Touch here.
7. Agent headphones by Skullcandy


Skullcandy makes a lot of great headphones and music accessories, but my personal favorite are the Agent headphones. These headphones provide great sound, fit perfectly, and come in a multitude of colors/styles. I wish they were mic’d for my iPhone, but the low cost and quality more than make up for it. You can purchase the Agent headphones directly from Skullcandy.com
That’s it for now…
35mmbeats, music

1 Year Down

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Wow. I’m usually not one to brag, but I’m feeling pretty accomplished today. What started out as a simple creative outlet, with very little direction, is officially 1 year old today!

Over the past year, I’ve learned that managing a music blog is a whole lot harder than people think. Other than the few collaborations with Brendan over at 35mmBeats, I’ve been at this by my lonesome, while at the same time working my day job and finishing up grad school.

There have been (more than a few) times when I’ve dropped the ball and posted pure rubbish and/or wasn’t able to make frequent or regular posts, but for the most part, I’m really proud of what I’ve accomplished in such short time. I know there’s still a lot more to the music blogsophere I have yet to grasp, but I really feel like I’ve got some good momentum going and I look forward to the future of this little creative outlet of mine.

Thanks to Brendan/35mmbeats, I wouldn’t have started this blog, had you not started yours. Thanks to all/any of my readers (I think I have few out there) for thinking my thoughts and ramblings about music are worth a mouse click. And a big THANKS to all the bands/musicians/artists that continue to create music that excites, interests, and inspires me to write about it.

Here’s to many more years!

~ Billy/Concrete Opinions

p.s. since this is a music blog, here are some of the songs i’ve listened to the most since Nov 21, 2009

[mp3] The Big Pink – Velvet