Soulmate - Shillong

When I first heard of the band Soulmate, I looked them up on google and got linked to their homepage. Over there I heard some demos which I didn't like much. But little did I know then that I'd be blown away completely when I was to hear the whole album. Soulmate, the band from Shillong, has come a long way since starting off in 2001. Playing an eclectic mixture of blues and rock, their sound is completely original in the Indian rock circuit. Their debut album, Shillong was released in 2005 on the OML record label. The artwork has to be one of the best things in the package which is of a single open window of a house in Shillong (homage to the album title). The inaly contains lyrics to the songs on the album and is a delight to read while listening to the songs.

The album starts of "Love You". A guitar riff marks the opening of the song. The song is about how a lover misses his love. Aptly titled "Love You" and with Rudy on vocals, it's a catchy start to the album. The album then moves onto "The Price". Vocal duties get taken over by Tipriti. The song describes what a lover feels for her love. This song makes you want to sing along with Tips. Then we move onto 'If You Were My Guitar". A long track with an improvised jam in the middle reminds of true blues of the 70's.

Good arrangement on songs such as "I Am", "My Baby" make an interesting middle half of the album. "I Am" is all about being yourself and accepting the way you are, vocals again done by Tipriti. "My Baby" is vocals with a guitar and has a good feel to it. The gemsof the album has to be "St. Valentine's Day Blues" and "Shillong (Sier Lapalang)". St. Valentine's Day Blues" is an instrumental piece, which reminds you of the bluegrass and country movement of the 60's. "Shillong (Sier Lapalang)" is another instrumental piece which is based on an improvised jam. A solid trip of 7 minutes. Guitar solos, keyboard passages, the works. A ideal single off the album would either be "The Price" or "Love You". The arrangement on both tracks has to be close to superb, with justice done with the vocals department.

A thing that bothered me was that the songs sound very similar. Songs such as "I Am", "If You See My Baby" have very similar progressions and passages. But then, I'm not complaining at all. All in all, this album is a worth buy. Any blues lover would love to have it in his collection because of the sound on the album which is reminiscent of the 60's and 70's blues movement. And not just any blues lover, a music lover in general would love it too. Kudos to Soulmate. I'm a fan for life.

(Read and comment @ Split-magazine website)

Zeitgeist - The Smashing Pujmpkins

My dream drum kit configuration

So the other day, I was tr0lling on the DW (DrumWorkshop) webpage, and I came across the "create-your-own-virtual-drum-kit" page. And I was hooked. And I spent the next 20-30 mins creating my own drumkit. So lemme explain it to you.

Hardware - Gibralter stands
Pedals - Drum Workshop
Cymbals - Zildjian
Drums - Premier
Drum Heads - Remo
Drum Sticks - Vic Firth

Cymbals

1. 16inch China.
-good hits along with the hi hat. Good effects can be given before the start and during the breakdown of most songs.

2. 14inch Hi-hat
-the basic necessity of any drum kit.

3. 10inch splash
-Ah they sound so good. :D

4. 16inch Crash
-For normal hits

5. 17inch Crash
-for normal hits

6. 18inch Crash
-for normal hits

7. 20inch Ride
-keeping time

8. 20inch China
-They also sound so great. :D

Drums :

1. 14x8 Snare drum.
Something like Daney Carey's snare. Will be deep as hell, so an awesome sound will be produced. :D (premier will have to make it specially for me, obviously. :D)

2. 8x8 Rack tom
Awesome rolls with a three tom set up.

3. 10x10 Rack tom
Standard tom set up.

4. 12x12 Rack tom
Standard tom set up.

5. 20x22 Bass drum
A standard Rock or Fusion size bass drum.

6. 14x16 Floor Tom
Good addition to rolls.

7. 16x18 Floor Tom
Almost a gong bass drum, so awesome sounds and song starts with the two floor toms hit together.

So all in all, a good metal, progressive-rock kit. Loads of cymbals, so there'll be something to hit and add into fills and rolls. The main addition to this has to be the 14x8 Snare drum. Will give an awesome sound if tuned light. Something like what Danny Carey's (Tool drummer) snare sounds like.

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Now Playing : Liar - Korn [See You on the Other Side]

Now Downloading : Mike Portnoy's In Constant Motion 3 dvd set, Non Human Level's self titled debut album.
Where? : Utorrent BitTorrent Client

Download Speed : 40KB/ps and 2KB/ps

Good Morning, my fellow retards. :P

Shaa'ir + Func - New Day : The Love Album

Very Recently (one week ago to be exact) I received this package from an online music store called MusicYogi. I shall not reveal the contents of the package, but the only thing I'll reveal is that I got a cd called "New Day - The Love Album" in it's white packing case. This album is by new electronica/pop musicians "Shaa'ir + Func", who aren't so new after all.




The duo comprises of Monica Dogra a.k.a Shaa'ir (urdu for poet) and Randolph Correia who goes by his alias Func (he also plays for Pentagram and is also a producer). They recently released their first album "New Day - The Love Album" at Zenzi's in Mumbai and when I heard the album, I was gripped immediately. I described this album as an electro/pop album, but it has hints of Funk, in HIT, R&B in Oops and some jazz and blues here and there.

The album starts of with the 9PM side. The 9PM side represents the fact that the songs on this side are good to be played after 9PM. They are the remixed songs. More like songs that could be good played in clubs. "It's Probably That" starts the album which builds up to move slow and comfortably. It then moves onto "Broken" which has this R&B feel and then "HIT" which has this funky vibe. Next comes "Government" which can be said to be a song about the Indian government in this age (really :P). The lines -

"The government doesn't know me, the government doesn't care about me, and I'm happy"

seem to talk about the government situation in India right now. It's moves really smoothly and has to be my favorite on the album. After that come "Juxtapose", "Swirl" and "It's Probably This". The first single off the album comes after this called "Oops". A true pop track that has a kinda happy-cheery feel to it. Has to be my second favorite off the album.

The 9AM side comes next, which has the original songs from the album. They are all slow moving, which are seem to be good to be played in the day time. They include the original versions of Hit, Government, Swirl, Another Secret, Broken, Juxtapose, etc. They are named with a period (.) at the end of their song name to distinguish them from the remixed versions. The original versions of the songs are slower and have a relaxing feel toward them.

This album feels like a Pentagram album in some places minus the Vishal vocals. Maybe it's because of the fact that Randolph has used a similar style in both bands, but I am not complaining. Pentagram is also one of my favorite bands. All in all, a very good buy, I would say. Monica's crooning soul/blues style of vocals and Randolph's electronics and guitars make this a brilliant album. This album is also a proof of how Indian musicians are coming of age and how that music and albums are not restricted to just one genre in India. A breathe of fresh air compared to the gay pop and soundtracks of movies that are coming out which stick to one formula only with the same vocals and tablas and dholaks.

The format of this album is very good, and I bet you'll be hooked instantly. A brilliant release.

Track listing -

1. It's Probably That
2. Broken
3. HIT
4. Government
5. Juxtapose
6. Swirl
7. It's Probably This
8. Moonlight
9. New Day
10. Oops
11. Secret
12. Swirl.
13. HIT.
14. Government.
15. Broken.
16. Another Secret
17. Juxtapose.
18. New Day.
19. Parles and Chai

http://www.musicyogi.com/asp/idpndDetails.asp?albId=ALB6124 - order album
http://www.myspace.com/shaairandfunc - MySpace for sampling
http://www.shaairandfunc.com/ - Their webpage

photography: Courtesy of Akshayraj Uchil and Shaa'ir + Func.

Morning View - Incubus

Morning View was 4th album released by Incubus. I heard the album completely when one day I let the playlist run after "Wish You Were Here (not a Floyd cover), and I was blown away. Especially 11Am. It's one of their mellower albums with a lot more experimentation.

The album starts of with "Nice To Know You", a typical 'hard' Incubus song. It moves onto Circles, a similar track and then a gem of a track "Wish You Were Here". "Wish You Were Here" is the typical Incubus masterpiece on albums such as "Glass" on the album S.C.I.E.N.C.E. and "Drive" on the album Make Yourself.

After Wish You Were Here, the best songs have to be Mexico and 11Am. Mexico is an acoustic song which grips you immediately. Also, 11Am with it's vocal chanting and lyrical theme shows how the band has matured in song writing and as a band.

The album ends with Aqueous Transmission. It features relaxing sounds and the Pipa (a traditional Chinese instrument) which would make the listener pee his/her pants in relaxation (as said by Brandon Boyd) :P.

As a whole, this album performs wonderfully, and is in my top-5 alternative rock album lists of all time. A must listen to any Incubus fan and a must listen even if you're not an Incubus fan.

This album :

at Wikipedia
Download from Rapidshare
at last.fm

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Now Playing : Warning - Incubus [Morning View]

Now Downloading : The Italian Job (2003 remake)
Where? : Utorrent BitTorrent Client

Download Speed : 45kB/ps
Seeders Connected : 28
Seeders in Network : 86

Leechers : 26
Leechers in Network : 124

Total downloaded : 584MB
Total uploaded : 427MB

Good Night \m/

Sneaky Bastard.

DSC00496
Originally uploaded by Red Eye Reduction

Photo Taken on - April 1st, 2007
Camera Used - Sony Ericsson W700i
Time Taken - 6:54pm

So, it was one of the days on which I didn't get any sleep at night. I was on my computer, doing some random things ( I don't remember what), and the electricity goes out. That too, at 6 in the morning. So, I head out to do some photography. And it had rained the previous day too. Now, I had this idea of doing some "em0" photography (oh shut up!). And I came up with this.

This is how I did it -
a. I kept the camera (my phone :| ) On the boundary wall some 6 feet away.
b. The photo size was large. Luckily, it came out to be good.
c. The effect was "sepia". (you already musta made that out.)

This is how it happened -

I placed the camera on the wall, and set the timer for 10 seconds. Apparently, those ten seconds were not enough. The effect you see is a result of me running to make a pose. During my dash to make the pose, I kinda slipped on some water. And, because of that, it came out as if I'm sneaking into the house, or, out of it. Thus, sneaky bastard. :P. Come to think of it, the pose which I originally planned, wouldn't have been good. :|

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Now Playing : Crawling King Snake - The Doors [The Doors Box Set (disc 2: Live in New York)]

Now Downloading : The Police discography
Where? = Utorrent Bit Torrent client.

Download speed = 48kB/ps (Naice. :D)
Seeders connected = 10
Seeders in network = 23 (I ain't bitter today :P)

Leechers = 11
Leechers in network = 64

Total size = 752 MB

Total downloaded = 441MB
Total uploaded = 347MB

All in all, a happy day. Good night. :|

Last.fm

Very weird service/website, yes. (according to some people :P )

But then, whatever we don't know, we are pretty much afraid or ignorant about it.

So it is this little website, which isn't so "little" after all.

The main purpose of Last.fm is to make a "social music revolution". It's a service, which allows you to download its software and use it. Whatever you're listening to (music) will get "scrobbled" onto your customised page on the same website. Scrobbling here means submitting tracks onto your website page through the software. You just need basic tagging - Song title and artist/band name is the important. Without that basic knowledge you can't scrobble tracks. Other than that, the software will find the proper album, and scrobble it. Scrobbling takes place when the track reaches 1/2 of its the time, or 4 minutes, which ever is earlier.

That way, you can check out your detailed charts, your daily track average, your tastes, interests, participate in forums and many many more things. The best part is - you get this radio service. Isn't much, but gives you awesome recommendations. For example, you click on this button (either recommendation, or a tag/genre, or an artist), and it'll start playing music based on your taste and interest. That way you can write down the recommendations you like, and go out and buy the records or download them from some p2p.

Another great advantage is that you can find people on the website, with the same tastes as yours. That way, you can make friends with them, share music, talk. I've made many friends from there, and we share a lot of fun talk and good music.

Join up/download soft if you -
1. Are a music freak
2. Have a lot of music
3. You listen to your music daily.
4. Would like to try something like this.


Links -


http://www.last.fm/music/ - Weekly charts.
http://www.last.fm/user/vareen_G/ - My last.fm Page
http://www.last.fm/download/ - Download software for your pc.

Naagin!

Mera man dole, mera tan dole. xD

See the video :)






Mp3 high quality available at :
http://myspace.com/decibelindia
http://mosh.in/decibel

Want to download free music?

Then forget about it. It ain't gonna happen. It might, yeah. But get ready to tear out 100 strands of your hair. (yes! hundred!. Now shut up).

Not ready to lose your precious shampooed hair? BUY CDS! Gettit? Buy them, rip them into mp3 or mP4 (whatever you want), and play them on YOUR computer, and YOUR iPod/Flash memory player. DO NOT SHARE!. Because that way, the other person will have to rip out 100 strands of his/her hair. (yeah 100 you f***ing retard. Stop asking questions will you?).

I must have ripped out about 99 strands of my hair. (Yeah ninety nine. I'm above the system :P). Why you ask? BiT FRIGGING torrent! Azureus! And most of all, FRIGGING AirTEL! Those bloody f***ers. Hate them. They have NAT problems at random times. (my port forwarding is all right) (someone please remind me that I have to call them and shout.) And I hate the leechers who were giving me problems, and whoever else who caused problems. May those leechers rot not in hell, but spend countless nights with either Paris Hilton or Jessica Simpson (or both if my downloads go bad again). (don't laugh. You won't realise how awful that curse is untill you actually experience it. :P) (NO I HAVEN't :|).


So let this be a lesson to you all out there : You wanna download something, and act as a leecher, I know countless other curses.

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Now Playing : Old Age (Nevermind Outtake) - Nirvana [Sliver - The Best of the Box]

Now Downloading = Aerosmith Discography.
Where? = Azureus Bit Torrent client.

Download speed = 20 KB/ps (WHY? *curses*)
Seeders connected = ZERO! NONE! SHUNIYA!
Seeders in network = 100 (WHY AREN'T THEY CONNECTED TO MY CLIENT? *curses again*)

Leechers (bastards) = 24
Leechers in network (all the bastards) = 79

Total size = 1.9 GB

Total downloaded = 350MB
Total uploaded = 490MB (stop laughing tards)

Now, am I unlucky or what? :|

*faints*

Bombay Rain

Ever lived in Bombay (yes BOMBAY tard. The people who named it Mumbai are sad fcuks).

a. You haven't? Don't read b

b. You have? Now you're talking. The rains! god the rains. The beautiful summer evening rains. Marine Drive getting wet with splashes of water. Trees getting greener. People enjoying.

Do you miss it? I sure do. And I wish I could go and live there. But then, it's aright. You have to get over your past sometimes.

Getting back to Bombay Rain. It's a song composed and recorded by Warren Mendonsa. He used to live in BOMBAY (tard) and played lead guitars in this band called Zero. He left in 2006 for New Zealand. (dunno why. Zero is hopeless without him. His replacement Varun is pretty good though. Many wishes to him on his marriage in June.). He recorded a solo album called "Nights In Shining Karma" and released it in May on his website. It has a song called "Bombay Rain" which is one of the best blues instrumental tracks I've ever heard (I haven't heard much of blues instrumental, but who cares? It's pwnage anyway). It gives you this feeling that you're back in Bombay (tard) and not just that, you're standing in the rain. The album itself is a huge delight to listen to. Everyone has everything but negative reviews for it.

The YouTube video below is a video I made for this song. I got some pictures of rains in Bombay (tard) , and put em together along with some pictures of Bombay life.



And btw, Warrens album is a free download. I uploaded it onto rapidshare for people who have problems in downloading it from the website. So don't PM me and accuse me of piracy :P. Have a look at his website. Do make a download.

Rapidshare : http://rapidshare.com/files/26675979/nisk192kbps.zip.html
Blackstratblues (Warren Mendonsa) website : http://blackstratblues.com
YouTube video of Bombay Rain : http://www.youtube.com/v/3wYrJ4g-034


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tard = Retard.
Why is it there after every mention of BOMBAY? Because every person who thinks it's mumbai is a retard, and it applies to them.