The Post-rock Revolution (Explosions in the sky)

A lot has been said about the 'post-rock' revolution as of late. The rise of instrumental bands such as Explosions in the sky, Godspeed you! black emperor, Maserati, and The Mercury Program has raised questions about the direction that music is traveling. More and more people are looking for something different, something fresh. We are sick of the same pop songs being shoveled down our throats, we are sick of mindless rap, we are sick of mindless rock. We are sick of mindless music. So what happens when you remove the vocal aspect of music? It becomes exceedingly difficult to fall into the 'mindless' category; the instrumental soundscapes allow your mind to apply its own story to the music. It's remarkable what happens when you let the listener dictate the theme of the music. For the most part, the success of post-rock has been an underground phenomenon. However moving into the new age of music using the internet and file sharing as a hub, what will we be seeing in the future? Explosions in the Sky have recently scored one major hollywood movie and provided tracks for another, so obviously someone is listening to their music and finding a mainstream use for it. With the rise of the internet, it's now possible for entirely new genres to expose themselves to a widespread audience with minimal financial backing. Instead of playing shows for 10 people for months before being picked up for a statewide tour, bands can simply release their album online and let the music spread on its own. Explosions in the Sky are the perfect example of this new market. While this tiny band from Texas may not be selling millions of records, their presence is well known on the internet and many underground circles. Instead of actively working against the spread of their music via "illegal" means the band allows their shows to be taped and distributed for free throughout the internet. (For some great live videos, check out this site ) This allows not only for their music to reach more listeners, but when file sharers stumble upon a band that isn't actively fighting against them, or labeling them as criminals, they generally do what they can to help the band, and more importantly the band's mindset, proliferate. It's quite difficult to describe exactly what draws people to this band. Their music is simplistic at times, with a single echoing guitar melody and a droning bass line, but the songs always give the sense that something is happening, something behind the music. Every song will shrink and grow, building off slowly, and eventually climaxing with layered guitars, thundering drums and bass, only to descend again, and start the process over. With music orchestrated as if playing a soundtrack to an imaginary movie, allowing the listener to create their own worlds to accompany the sounds. Many people are reminded of lush mountain ranges, open skies and green pastures, still others describe the music as the perfect complement to an underwater epic. Perhaps you will find that the music would lend itself to old time war pictures? This is the brilliance of instrumental music; a choose your on adventure, with sounds. While bands like Godspeed you! Black emperor have been making this type of music for a few years now, more and more labels are taking the risk by signing 'unknown' post-rock acts, the number of bands in this genre has skyrocketed in the past few years. If the currents continue, we may just be seeing bands like Explosions in the Sky on MTV and Much Music in the near future. With this in mind we can look forward to the indie backlash and accusations of 'selling out' running rampant. Oh well, at least the bands will have money to keep making music. I guess that's the business. Chris Elkjar is the founder of 'trust.me' an online music magazine for the enthusiast. He spends all of his spare time immersed in music, be it writing reviews, interviews with leading bands or writing his own music. For more of his writing, check out Trust-Me.ca - Music for robots

The Art Of Practicing - How To See Real Results

I have always believed that success, in practically any subject you can think of, is a direct result of "clear thinking". That is, the ability to understand very clearly what needs to be achieved and the action to set about surmounting very necessary hurdles in order to reach those goals. Less than successful people are either not clear in their goals or for one reason or another give up along the way. It's leveling that rough terrain, along with a clearly defined end result in mind that will get you there in the end. The success roadmap might go something like this: Visualize goal => Surmount problems => Score Sounds simple doesn't it? However, this clear thinking is all very well but it's usually the thought required before step 1 (visualization) that causes problems. Very often the goal does not manifest in mind because the process is so overwhelming. And so it is with practicing the guitar, or any instrument for that matter. In more laymen's terms it's more like "What the hell should I be practicing?". Practice is a constant struggle for many people. There is so much to learn and often so little time to allocate to it. For the jazz musician, clear thinking can be as simple as "I really like that Charlie Parker 2, 5 - how does he do that?". Then transcribing the line, practicing it in all keys and working the phrase into your own vocabulary. The 'score' as I like to call it is the ability to work it in to your own playing. I want to talk a little about that in a minute. First, I think the most important thing to talk about is how to make best use of your practice time. There was a time when I started playing where I used to sit in my room and allocate 15 minutes to practicing scales and arpeggios, 10 minutes on technique exercises, 20 minutes on sight reading and 1/2 an hour on practicing my classical guitar repertoire. Why? because my teacher told me I had to. Years later once I started to study jazz guitar on my own I didn't feel the need to be practicing this way. It wasn't really benefiting me fully. I started to have my own goals in mind that I wanted to reach. I wanted to learn to play like one or two of my heroes, but more importantly because I liked what they played. Even more under the microscope were certain melodic lines and licks that tweaked my ear and fueled me to transcribe or simply copy the way they phrased or 'felt' a phrase. Once I clearly had in mind what I wanted to achieve I could go about achieving it - I knew what I had to do. It's important to sit down to practice and be really clear about what you are going to do during that practice time. Now, one thing that helped me tremendously was when I made a huge commitment to scheduled practicing. In other words, deciding that every single day, no matter what, I would sit down and dedicate exactly one hour to working at this instrument. The amazing thing I found is that my regularly scheduled practice literally fueled my regularly scheduled practice! Does this make sense? What this means is that, the more I practiced, the more I wanted to practice. What started out as a committed hour turned into committed six hour sessions. Once I got into music college in London I remember waking up in the morning and practicing until I went to bed at night, remembering to eat on occasion. I was so fueled by the commitment to practice that the drive to play took over completely. Regular practice clearly keeps your guitar technique on tip top form. There's nothing like picking up the guitar and playing a few short runs and being on top of your game, simply because you are playing regularly. The other wonderful thing about committing to regular practice is that it actually helps you to think much more clearly, because you start to see results. Once you start to see results the concept of learning is much less overwhelming and you are able to make decisions about what you want to work on much more easily. So do yourself a huge favor, first, make the decision to want to get much better at your guitar playing. Then once you have decided that, make a clear commitment right now and allocate a certain time of day to your guitar practice. If you only have limited time then give yourself what you know you can afford. Once you get your teeth into this system, if you don't have more time, trust me you will want to find more time. You might just want to wake up earlier. The drive to learn will take over. Quality practice is key. I find now I am older that, if I let myself, I can get more and more distracted because there are so many other facets to my life. When I make the decision to focus 100% on my guitar problems and how I can surmount them, I find I can get completely absorbed for hours once I get going. Sometimes it helps to avoid those distractions from the outset. Maybe turn the phone off! There is a huge difference between playing the guitar and practicing the guitar. I can play for days quite happily but am I learning anything new? Not unless I stop myself and work on my weaknesses. And there are plenty of those trust me! Many years ago I wanted to learn licks from my favorite players. I would hear a line and transcribe it. Many times I found that those musical phrases would not come out in my playing and I asked myself why. It dawned on me that there were three possible reasons: 1) I found the phrase too technically difficult to pull off.
2) It just didn't feel like it belonged in my vocabulary.
3) I hadn't fully explored the idea enough - perhaps I didn't fully understand how to use it in a practical sense. Let's talk about these briefly. Sometimes a horn line does not necessarily fit under the fingers on the guitar. The line might sound just terrific on a sax but if I can't play it on my guitar it's not going to have the same effect. In fact quite the opposite! Everyone is somewhat limited technically (although there are a few players that keep my head scratching I must admit!), every player has a ceiling in their own mind and I think it's perfectly OK to let some things go because they are just two gymnastic on the guitar. It's of course relative to each player's ability and comfort zone. Occasionally I'll try and work something into my music vocabulary and it just doesn't feel like me. Some players sound great playing certain things and when I play them them they either sound too much like that other great player or I just don't feel it. Music has to be personal, it's OK to weed out stuff that you don't want to use, even when those 'weeds' are a rose garden to others. The last idea is something very important I think. That is the idea that when you work on some new vocabulary or a new harmonic idea, that you fully understand how to use it and just as importantly, how to work it into your playing so it comes out naturally. Let's assume you are transcribing a lick on a CD you like. The first thing to do is to make sure you get the notes right. You might slow it down (there is plenty of software on the market that enables you to do this now). Whatever it takes, make sure the notes you are transcribing are correct. Then it is a matter of practicing that phrase so it feels good when you play it. Now most folks stop right there and wonder why the phrase never shows up in their playing. The secret is to figure out exactly what chord (or group of chords) is being played underneath that line. After that, figure out what other chords could also be played underneath that phrase. Next, learn how to play that phrase everywhere on the fretboard, in different positions and keys. Finally and the most important, work the phrase into your own playing. To do this, start by improvising in any way that you normally might and focus on ways to connect that new phrase you want to play. The new phrase starts on a certain note and you will need to focus on that starting note in order to make a connection to it. Practice improvising freely and connecting to that new phrase, focusing on its starting note. Do this in all keys. Pretty soon you will know if the phrase is going to come out into your playing or not. The art of practice is a huge subject and musicians have written complete books on it. But I do believe the real success starts with clear thinking. Make a decision to focus on something specific. Here is a more detailed roadmap to take on board: 1) Visualize. What do you want to work on - what do you want to achieve?
2) Plan. What exactly do you have to do in order to achieve that goal?
3) Action. Explore the subject in enough detail.
4) Surmount. Expect problems along the way - this is normal - don't give up! Just level the terrain.
5) Score - making sure that the subject is fully absorbed and part of your new musical make up, unless you decide otherwise. Great players really got to grips with practicing in the early stages. It became fascinating to them and the results they saw fueled more practice. It's a self perpetuating phenomenon. By simply not practicing, the incentive to pick up your instrument diminishes over time. Then the excuses start to pour out in torrents. Then regrets. Then a very dusty guitar possibly in a dark attic somewhere. Get practicing. Quality practice. Ask yourself questions. Look for the answers. Insist on results. This is the key to improving. Chris Standring is an international jazz recording artist and educator. For more info about him and his highly acclaimed home study guitar course please visit http://www.playjazzguitar.com

Music and Healing: The Power of Meaningful Words and Music

We All Have a Favorite Piece of Music that Moves Us to a Special Place in Our Hearts. A Conversion About the Music We Love and How It Colors Our Lives. JUSTIN:
My favorite piece of music, depends on the mood, jazz is music for all moods. My favorite jazz piece would be - as a sax player - My Favorite Things by Coltrane, or anything by Thelonios Monk. Soft lighting, Kalhua and milk and company always suits Monk or vice versa. Driving is made for music so anything by crowded house makes a trip to anywhere (even work) worth it. How can a song sound so simplistic yet be difficult to play. what does Neil do? but my favorite piece would be from the shine soundtrack, a piece called "Nulla in mundo pax" by Vivaldi, which I am listening to now. IMELDA:
Every piece of music represents the expression of the composer of that music. The piece of music that I like the most is the piano instrumental music because it does not say in words as other kind of music. The person who listens to the instrumental music has to try to understand what messages the composer is trying to tell through the piece of music. It is challenging in finding the meaning. Furthermore, when I listen to the instrumental music, such as "A Maiden's Prayer" by T. Badarzewska, I believe that this piece is messaging us to surrender to God. If I got chance, I'd love to play my favorite pieces. KEN: This is old stuff to those who know me, but I am a huge James Taylor Nut. And my favorite song is 'The Water is Wide' If MP3s are legal I will put it up on this site. But I will have to check first. Every time I hear it, I feel transformed to a different place, where everything is pensive, and people walk in the streets heartbroken, but with the hope that life will be kind to them again. It leaves me with a lump in my throat each time. There is something comforting in the song that leaves me appeased and convinced that whatever trial I'm facing, someone's faced it before, and someone's overcome it before. That's what music should do. The song and the artist both inspire me endlessly. It inspires me in a way I hope that I can inspire people. Listen to it if you can find it --Ken JENNY:
Many times, when I just close my eyes and listen to music I escape to this other level. It does something to appease me, as you put it feeding my soul I guess. I appreciate music very much, which to me is as much art as creating it. Music is a part of everyone's life, and everyone is connected to it in someway. For me it keeps me going when I'm down, or just makes me happy when I'm happy. I have music for all occasions. All in all, I'd be a very unhappy girl if music were suddenly taken away. JILLIAN:
At the end of a busy day.. I love listening to music. I did dancing and singing lessons when I was a child but never learnt to play an instrument. This year, at the ripe old age of 40, I decided to learn to read music and play the keyboard. It is all part of having a balanced life, setting goals and taking time for me to do the things that I enjoy. My nine year old son and I now have lessons at home each week and are encouraging each other to practice and enjoy our music. It is something we are doing together and I hope that my son continues to enjoy music and continue playing as he grows up. I love listening and now playing music to "switch off" and relax at the end of a busy day. I have only had a few lessons so far and play poorly, but I am enjoying it and improving week by week. My son is doing the same and we, as a family, are enjoying playing music, listening and singing along with our simple tunes. I consider the keyboard as my "best buy of the year 2000" so far! ED:
Divinity..
Music embodies life. A physical and emotional manifestation of divinity, music is an integral part of the loving bond that has fulfilled us and strengthened us, and brought harmony to individuals, societies and nations around the world throughout time. LINDA:
Without Words..
Music is an expression of what is going on inside a persons' mind/heart. You don't need to concentrate to realise its power. I think the most moving music is music performed by an artist who is playing with a passion, who feels precisely, or deeply empathizes with, the meaning and feelings conveyed in the song. I play the piano by ear. That is, I can listen to music and once the music has made an impression on me , I can more often than not, play back what I heard. I have always played the piano this way (since I was 4) and I wouldn't have it any other way because its made me sensitive to music - the melody, the beats, the volume and pace of songs. The most wonderful thing I believe music can bring to a person is when a person can sit down with their instrument and play (and/or sing) whatever feelings they would otherwise keep bottled up inside them - the kind of feelings you just wouldn't be able to tell another person, the kind of feelings that only music can really bring comfort to. Many times, when I just close my eyes and listen to music I escape to this other level. It does something to appease me, as you put it feeding my soul I guess. I appreciate music very much, which to me is as much art as creating it. Music is a part of everyone's life, and everyone is connected to it in someway. For me it keeps me going when I'm down, or just makes me happy when I'm happy. I have music for all occasions. All in all, I'd be a very unhappy girl if music were suddenly taken away. Jenny and Me:
Okay.. If I don't play my guitar, Jenny, at least once a day, I get withdrawal. I'm deadly serious here. Its like you forgot something and you left a part of you somewhere... where?? where?? where.. Almost like losing your keys. Music has been part of my life since I was 5, when I was forced to learn piano. Luckily I loved it. Music is like a parent. My muse is that thing which makes me make music. Like the entity "music" herself or himself. I don't write really.. Its "it" which speaks through me. People deal with pain, and hurt in different ways. When I have finished blaming myself =) I talk to jenny and she seems to make it all seem very trivial. and I say thanks jenny.. Sometimes she is moody. People give me strange looks when I say she talks to me. But I believe instruments acquire a soul when they are created. Spirits inhabit them, and they generate karma. Music feeds my soul in ways I can't even begin to explain. If you know what I mean, then you are truly blessed too. Linda:
The most important things..
Music keeps me in touch with life, real life. It reminds me of the basics and the most important things. While we are all rushing around from day to day it is too easy to get wrapped up in 'getting it all' done and we forget to get in touch with ourselves and with each other often enough. Music takes us away and provides the ultimate escape for the soul - a renewal, and its free for the taking. We all need to take advantage of what it offers on a daily basis to stay in touch with 'life'. Have a good day - and take some time out today to be embraced by music!! Elaine:
How Music Moves Me
(Apart from the obvious way in wanting to get up and dance around!) Music moves me in many ways but the most memorable experience I have had was (eyes closed, sitting in an armchair) listening to a particular piece of Mahler's. At one point the string section builds up to a high note which is so exquisitely haunting and sad that tears streamed down my face. I'm not sure if I knew at the time, but I now know that he wrote this music about the death of his child and I find it amazing that this emotion could be conveyed so clearly. Most of the time music makes me glad to be alive, but I suppose this experience was more memorable because the emotion was so powerful. Created by: Ken Chan & Kent Logie of Curtin's Music Community: Edited & Presented by: Michael Alan Michael Alan is a published songwriter, with album & movie credits, who has lived and toured in the US and Europe. Website: http://www.MichaelAlanMusic.com Visit his site to hear original songs of the heart & soul. Free mp3 downloads.

Learn Piano the Easy Way!

There are essentially two ways to learn piano - note reading or chords. For those who want to spend years learning how to play other peoples music, note reading is the way to go. For those who want to create their own special music, chord understanding is a must - and much easier to learn. It is far better to learn how to make music first than it is to read it on a piece of paper.

Imagine a writer forced to copy another novelists work. Insane right? But that's essentially what people do when they recreate another composers work. It is not a creative act but a recreative one because while the pianist's interpretation may be artistic, it does not mean that he created something original.

I'm not saying that great composer's works should not be recreated for others listening pleasure. I am saying that it's a good idea to understand that there is quite a difference between Beethoven composing something and someone else playing it.

Having said that, the benefit of learning how to make music first is that you understand the underlying principles of the thing. For example, let's go back to our fiction writer. If he looks at another novelist's work and the structure of the work, then he is beginning to see how the thing is made. This is entirely different than what goes on in the classical music world where a performer can read music, but does not know the principles that go into it's making.

Learn piano the easy way first. Learn how to first improvise, then compose your own music. This skill is invaluable even if you do read music because you begin to see how the thing is made and once you can see this, your appreciation of it will increase tenfold!

Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music's online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Stop by now at http://www.quiescencemusic.com/piano_lessons.html for a FREE piano lesson!

You Cant Force Play

A student once asked me; "How come sometimes the music comes freely while other times, I feel blocked and can't play?"

A perfectly valid question and one that many students of improvisation ask. You see, the problem is that many think they should be able to just sit down at the piano and play anytime anywhere. But this is unrealistic. Why? Because you can't force play!

Improvisation is play. And when you try to force the music to appear, the exact opposite happens. Blocks to receiving the music are set up and the spirit is let down. All this can be avoided if we learn that there is a certain ebb and flow to creativity. Respect this natural tendency. Learn to see the creative force as one that naturally goes away, only to come back again, stronger and revitalized!

There is a natural order to creating that, if respected and trusted, will serve you well. Listen to yourself and don't let your ego get the best of you.

Many students fear that if they can't go to the piano and play, they're creativity is dried up. Not true! They may be experiencing an ebb tide period. During this time, it's best to take a break from playing and come back later on when the creative waters return.

Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music's online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Stop by now at http://www.quiescencemusic.com/piano_lessons.html for a FREE piano lesson!

Greg Koch Fender Guitar History

The Greg Koch Fender guitar began to take shape all the way back when Greg Koch was in the third grade. Greg cut out cardboard Fender Stratocaster guitars, then Koch used his sisters sewing machine pedal as a wah-wah. By watching, listening and copying what he heard on records he was able to advance quickly.

Early on while playing his Greg Koch Fender guitar, Greg melded the blues, rock and country styles. Koch's Fender guitar playing style began to mutate. This continued by his playing in polka groups and blues-rock ensembles of his own creation. He even accompanied Elvis impersonators.

Greg Koch studied jazz guitar for four years at the University of Wisconsin. His musical maturity playing with a Fender led to national attention as a fiery instrumentalist. Greg was "Guitarist of the Year" (92, 94-99). His playing style has been featured on numerous TV and radio commercials including Sprite, Sassoon, Bank One and Oldsmobile.

Greg Koch utilizing his own tunes as a backdrop is one of a handful of guitarists that promote Fender, Guild, SUNN and De Armond instruments and tools. He created a unique clinic, in which he shares a wide array of tones, tricks and anecdotes with those present. Greg was present at the Summer NAMM 2000, to debut the Fender American Series Stratocaster. This summer music festival attracted large crowds and was a great success.

Copyright ? JJ PERSISTENT PUBLISHING, INC.

PERMISSIONS TO REPUBLISH: This article may be republished in its entirety free of charge, electronically or in print, provided it appears with the included copyright and author's resource box with live website links.

Jeremy Hier is the Business Manager and Webmaster of Best Guitar Deals Jeremy Hier is a freelance writer and regular contributer He likes to offer his advice and tips to consumers looking to purchase acoustic guitars and electric guitars

Memorizing Music - How Is It Best Achieved?

When memorizing music there are several things you can do that will make your job that much easier. Memorizing music is important as most people know you play better when having the music in your head rather than having your head in the music. So where to start when memorizing music effectively?

I agree with Fred Noad, when discussing memorization in his book, Solo Guitar playing, he states...Learn to play a piece from beginning to end with absolutely correct fingering and with complete continuity (however slow) before committing it to memory.

To learn music in this fashion helps with an overall visual memory of the piece and it helps with continuity rather than have the piece sound disjointed and fragmented. If you think about it you will realize that our thoughts and memories are nothing more than powerful images or, pictures, if you like.

To prove my point let's say I ask you to think of an elephant. What do you see? Is it the word elephant written down (which could be a picture) or is it a picture or part picture the animal itself? I bet you I know the answer. Another test would be to ask how you dreamed at night. Do you dream in words or are your dreams a series of pictures rather like a scene from a movie?

You need to work with your brain rather than against it. Why not utilize the natural operation of your memory? It's crazy not to!

I also know from my days at Teacher's College that most people have different strengths when it comes to learning something new based on the body's different senses. Some people are visual learners, some learn better with their tactile (touching) sense and some are strong auditory learners.

What is clear in most literature about memory is that a combination of as many of your senses as possible is a stronger way of learning anything. Because of this we should employ most of our senses when learning a new piece of music. Of course we can't include taste and smell to any great degree (unless you want to eat your music!) but we should definitely try to use our other senses of sight, hearing and touch.

So, having established a method of learning a new piece of music what comes next? What are the nuts and bolts, so to speak?

I would actually take a step back. That is, start not with playing a piece of music but rather just reading it, just like a book, on its own. What I would be looking for is how it is put together. I would look at the key, form, and structure of the music? What about sequences and repetitions? What about dynamics, articulation and tone?

Breaking a piece up into its component parts first before you start to play it and get a visual memory of the piece allows you to take a short-cut of sorts. If you understand where the repeats are, for example, you have already cut down on the amount of bars you have to memorize. If you know about the dynamics of the piece before you play it physically your brain won't have to deal with too much information at once.

As Sharon Isbin says in the Classical Guitar Answer Book..."The more you understand the language and structure of a piece, the easier it will be to memorize."

I liken it to driving to an unfamiliar place or suburb in your car and using a roadmap. If you just turn up and expect to find the street it would be very difficult indeed. But if you look at the map beforehand you stand a much better chance of finding your destination by noticing the signs along the way. You recognize where you are, with much less stress!

Of course, I'm talking about reading the music AWAY from the guitar. This should be your very first step. I would then employ the Noad method after this.

Next I would test my memory by playing the separate phrases in the music. If you definitely know a phrase, try to string it together with the next phrase in the piece and so on until you get to the end of the piece. If you are not confident to play phrases try playing one bar at a time and going back to the printed music when a bar is forgotten.

In this way the music can be overlapped until the whole piece can be played by memory.

I would leave the piece for several days to a week after that. Then I would test my memory again by trying to play the whole piece, making note of where I faltered or needed to consolidate. Leaving it for a period of time allows your subconscious brain to keep "working" on it for you. The subconscious is really quite powerful and when you get out of its way, you'll be amazed at what it can achieve.

Studying a new piece in this fashion should yield results. And remember, the more you practice (properly) the easier it will become. Good luck!

Trevor Maurice is an Australian, living in beautiful seaside Maroubra, in the eastern suburbs of Sydney.

He's been involved in playing guitar (mainly classical) for longer than he cares to remember and has also taught the instrument for many years. He is teacher trained, having a Diploma of Education (Majoring in music)

He has also taught Primary (Elementary) school for many years and had a long-held dream to build a quality website for the classical guitar that is of use to anyone even slightly interested in this beautiful instrument. He has now made that dream a reality with the highly rated...

http://www.learnclassicalguitar.com/index.html

Review: The Bled - Pass the Flask

Released in 2003, Pass the Flask turned this little quintet from Tucson, into a mainstream success overnight. Classifying this band as 'metalcore' or 'indie' or 'hardcore' is quite futile, because for every genre you pick, someone is going to disagree, and have a solid backing for their view. Everyone however can agree that whatever The Bled are doing, they are doing it well.

This album bursts into action from the first song, and doesn't let you down for 38 minutes. Personally I would like to see a longer album, but releasing a short disc like this sure does make you long for more. The album is very tight throughout, featuring a 'machine gun' riffing section in nearly every song. If you love the stereotypical 'hardcore' breakdowns, you will love every minute of this album.

As with all bands in the 'metalcore' genre, the guitar work on this album is fantastic, a great blend of soothing indie tones, contrasted next to dissonant riffing doubled by the bass guitar and kick drums. Showcased best in 'The sound of sulfur' guitarists; Jeremy Tally and Ross Ott put on a spectacular performance highlighted by the breakdown section half way through the song. Building slowly with one hard panned guitar, the riff slowly progresses over 8 bars, culminating in a machine gun section with a 4/4 crash beat forcing you to nod your head. 'I hope he loves you like I did/ when you needed me / I came for you that night'

The vocals on this disc are nothing short of phenomenal, the band manages to turn a simplistic guitar melody and soothing vocal line 'and I'd burn alive to keep you warm/when you're alone/shiver under blankets in the basement" and slowly turn it into a thrash symphony that Metallica approve of. The most important aspect of music is dynamics; there is no use in playing something heavy unless you can juxtapose it next to something quiet. The band knows this, and they have crafted their songs masterfully using this concept.

Known for their intense stage show, the music conveys a sense of urgency, as if the band knew they need to have this music heard, and they aren't going to sit down until you've heard exactly what they have to say. You will hear it, especially since I you'll find yourself turning up your speakers periodically as the album progresses.

One of the most memorable moments on this disc comes on the 9th track, 'we are the industry' after 3 minutes of heavy riffing and screaming, the song slowly degrades into a simple guitar melody with calm, matter of fact vocals whispering 'we are the industry / the birth and the death' while the drumming and guitar slowly grows over the next few bars; adding a simple change every 4 bars gives the song an epic buildup, eventually the music, and vocals reach a fevered pitch and then drop off, into static.

If you're looking for a solid album with heavy guitars, solid drumming and excellent screaming vocals, there is a damn good chance that you will enjoy the bled. If not, you have terrible taste in music, and you should be shot! Well, perhaps that isn't the case, but I really like this disc, and I hope you do as well.

Overall: 8.4

Chris Elkjar is the founder of 'trust.me' an online music magazine for the enthusiast. He spends all of his spare time immersed in music, be it writing reviews, interviews with leading bands or writing his own music.

For more of his writing, check out Trust-Me.ca - Music for robots

Its Jewish Music, But Is The Music Jewish?

A while back I was driving along the Jerusalem highway scanning the radio stations. On one frequency, a very intense dance beat was exploding out of the speakers. I was about to move the dial some more in search of a Jewish tune when the vocalist started in. Shock of shocks, he was a heavily Hassidic singer, complete with eastern European pronunciation. And what was he singing? "Kumee oy'ree ki va oy-reich.." from 16th century Rabbi Shlomo Alkavetz' classic Sabbath poem, L'cha Dodi. Before he had began his rendition I had been expecting something like "Oh baby, the way you move with me ..."!

I had to ask the old question, "Is this good for the Jews?" And I had to give the old answer, "Does hair grow on the palm of your hand?"

Of course it's not good for the Jews, I felt. Poor, unfortunate L'cha Dodi, dragged from the fields of Tsfat on the Sabbath eve and infected with Saturday Night Fever! Lovingly done by a Hassid, no less!

Speaking of Tsfat, I recall meandering about their Klezmer festival once and hearing a contemporary setting of Psalm 126. It was to a funk rhythm, and the words did not fit. The singer had to split words in two, which rendered them more or less meaningless. Good for the Jews? Nah.

What bothered me about this so-called Jewish music? To put it briefly, besides the words, it just wasn't. It was dance, trance, shmantz. It was hip, driving, suggestive. If this music was asked where it wanted to play, the synagogue or the sin-skin club, the answer was clear. If Jewish music is to be defined as such, it must have authentic Jewish roots. And so much contemporary music simply does not. Where was the source of this tradition? Nowhere. That's what bothered me.

But, as Tevye reminds us, there's another hand. After all, go listen to classic Hassidic nigunim (melodies). Then go listen to Russian folk songs. Eerie, no? Weren't those folk songs the "dance" of their day?

Even stronger, go watch the religious kids. They love contemporary popular music and all its villains. What these new Jewish groups do is take what's hip and put Jewish content into it. Isn't that what the original Hassidic nigunim were all about? If we don't want to lose our young people in the culture war, we have to compete. Didn't Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch bring the choral works of Lewandowsky and Japhet in to the synagogue service, even though they were completely in the style of the German composers of the age, such as Schubert and Mendelssohn (he needs an asterisk because he was halakhically Jewish)? So maybe I should not only calm down, I should applaud this phenomenon.

Hold on. We're both right, I believe. Here's how I reconcile the difference, and my earnest appeal to all who create Jewish music. The most important thing is to ask, "To be or not to be?" That is the question.

Every song has a purpose, a message. It can be joy, faith, pensiveness, determination, anything. The message is in the melody and rhythm, which create the atmosphere. It's in the text, which gives articulation to the message. And it's in the performance, which makes the message personal between the performer and the listener. If the message is congruent, if the music and the lyrics are a perfect union that inspires the performer, then you have a great piece of music. If the message is mixed, if there's a battle going on between the rhythm and the words, then we are troubled. That was why that "kumee oy'ree" was so absolutely awful. It was a mixed message of licentious music with holy texts.

We love to set verses from the liturgy to music, and that's wonderful. Composers have a special responsibility to make sure that the music conveys the message and colors the words with deeper meanings. Do that, and I'm fascinated, I'm inspired, even if it's a contemporary style.

But be very, very careful with verses. We tend to ask, "Do you think Adon Olam goes to this?", when we would do better to ask, "What is this melody saying?". If it says Adon Olam, good. If it does not, then WRITE YOUR OWN WORDS. To keep with the idea of message, if you have a great tune that can say something worthwhile (something human and real, not negative or immodest), say it your way. That satisfies.

The foundation of Jewish music has always been expressing what's in our hearts as a prayer to God. That expression must be congruent, pure, sincere. There is room in the Jewish music world for great innovation, if it comes from our hearts, not from the charts.

Seth Yisra'el Lutnick is a singer and composer who has performed on stage and screen. His CD is called Gesharim, and he is also a trained cantor. Visit his website, http://www.greatjewishmusic.com for music and more.

Record Collecting Still Thriving in the Twenty-first Century

It may surprise many to find that the hobby of record collecting, long thought dead after the introduction of the compact disc, is still alive and well. Granted, many music fans have long replaced their records with CDs, but for many Baby Boomers and Generation X-ers, the hobby of buying and collecting record albums and singles continues to be a focal point in their lives.

Records offer the tactile sense of a substantial product, unlike the CD. The seven-inch, 45 RPM single often came with a picture sleeve that has no equivalent among compact discs. The nostalgia of records draws many back to their younger days. And records still sound great. A recent check of the Bay auction site showed 959,857 records for sale. That's just under one million records!

These records aren't selling at garage-sale prices, either. At any given time, there might be six thousand records by the Beatles for sale, some of which have sold for up to $40,000. Elvis isn't far behind; his first five singles, issued on the small Memphis-based, Sun label, routinely bring $2000 at auction in nice condition. Other artists, such as the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, James Brown, or Madonna have issued records that not only command sky-high prices, but also draw a lot of bids.

The greatest interest in record collecting is in artists of the 1960's and 1970's, but newer bands, such as Nirvana, draw a lot of attention from younger collectors. Nivrana's first single, Love Buzz issued in 1988, sells for up to $2000 and there are several other bands, such as the Misfits, that have released numerous records that sell for more than $1000. What do collectors do with these records? Some play them, some frame them, some simply put them on the shelf. There are collectors who only buy records that they intend to play and others that simply want anything that was ever commercially released by the artist that interests them. There is no pigeonholing a collector; they come in all shapes and sizes. For them, finding a long-unavailable single that has eluded them for years is like winning the lottery.

For those who are interested, there are literally thousands of Websites devoted to artists, records, and record collecting. There are well-known magazines, like Goldmine , Discoveries, and in the UK, Record Collector. Anyone who thinks they might be interested in collecting records has more resources available to them than ever before. Twenty years ago, people thought that records would be long forgotten by now. They couldn't have been more wrong.

?Copyright 2005 by Retro Marketing. Charles Essmeier is the owner of Retro Marketing, a firm that operates several retail Websites, including AluminumChristmasTrees.net, a site devoted to vintage aluminum Christmas trees and accessories, and RarePinkFloyd.com, a site devoted to rare records, compact discs and memorabilia by the band Pink Floyd.