My Window To The World…

© Patrice Schneider.

After recommending a few tracks that are only available by spending your hard-earned cash, I felt it is time to once again guide you to another free download. Good-hearted guy that I am, you will find not only one, but four free tracks on the page I am about to reveal.

Katsue are a pop/electronica duo from Bangkok (Thailand): members are Montonn “J” Jira and Joni Anwar, who both have been superstars and very much loved in Thailand for almost two decades.

The following four tracks available on their MySpace page: Simple Life, If I Were, Pickled Sunday, Clear Cut.

My vote is on “Clear Cut”. Download it, scrobble it – and add them to your MySpace friends if you like their stuff.

Montonn “J” Jira, btw, is currently touring with Kenna. Later this month he will play live in London, alongside Justin Timberlake.

© Patrice Schneider. No reproduction without prior written consent.

Technorati Tags: Katsue, J Montonn, Montonn Jira, Joni Anwar

Have been too busy to write any full-length posts. Do please accept my apologies…

I thought that I should at least share another one liner with you:

Judge people by their actions, not their intentions.

How true. Words are meaningless and forgettable, as Dave Gahan (Depeche Mode) once sang.

Technorati Tags: Food For Thought, Dave Gahan, Depeche Mode

Jazz in the early 1980s wasn’t exactly that exciting anymore, but this album is Jazz at its very coolest. Ubercool. No doubt about it.

Again, the whole CD is really good, but I am choosing the opening track named “Incident On South Street”. It is by The Lounge Lizards, of course. Off their debut album simply entitled "The Lounge Lizards".

This album is worth its price for Arto Lindsay’s guitar parts only.

© Patrice Schneider. No reproduction without prior written consent.

Technorati Tags: The Lounge Lizards, John Lurie, Arto Lindsay

Frank Zappa has been a huge influence on me, and still today I feel sad that he is no longer with us.

Again, an extensive catalogue that I could tap into. Today’s choice is “Yo’ Mama”, off his album "Sheik Yerbouti". It is the closing track, so you will have to at least also listen to the preceding one “Wild Love”, because they go so well together. Better yet check out the whole album. A masterpiece.

Great line-up, too: Frank Zappa, Patrick O’Hearn, Adrian Belew, Tommy Mars, Terry Bozzio, Peter Wolf, Ed Mann.

© Patrice Schneider. No reproduction without prior written consent.

Technorati Tags: Frank Zappa, Patrick O’Hearn, Adrian Belew, Tommy Mars, Terry Bozzio, Peter Wolf, Ed Mann, Sheik Yerbouti

Today’s Top Tune, Round 008.

No, still not running out of ideas. In fact, I can probably keep doing this until the day that I die, because there is so much music out there that I adore.

Still, I will today tap into the catalogue of one of my all-time favourite bands: The Cure.

Such an extensive list of songs to choose from, but today let us go a little psychedelic: “The Kiss”, off their album "Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me".

Very cool guitars/drums intro, three minutes and fifty seconds of slowly building up a wall of guitar sounds, then into the lyrics – half screaming. As on many The Cure albums: a perfect opening track.

“The Kiss” live used to be mind-blowing, but since drummer Boris Williams left back in 1994, it sounds terrible and does not have the required drive.

© Patrice Schneider. No reproduction without prior written consent.

Technorati Tags: The Cure, Robert Smith, Boris Williams

Today’s Top Tune, Round 007 (aka “The James Bond Round”).

I have been going through my CD collection to find more Top Tunes – there are enough to keep this series up for not just years, but decades. You have been warned…

Today, I thought, it is time to point you to another track that you can download from the net for free. Don’t you guys and gals like freebies? If you do, but would still like to support the artist, you can find some of his other songs in the Apple iTunes Store.

The artist’s name is Roland Blum. The tune is called “Going Home”. You can find it on Roland Blum’s Last.FM Artist Page, on his release “EP”.

It is a laidback, catchy tune, grooves along nicely – even though it is in 7/4. Well done, Mister Blum.

© Patrice Schneider. No reproduction without prior written consent.

Technorati Tags: Roland Blum, Roland Blum EP, Last.FM, Free MP3 Download

Today’s Top Tune, Round 006.

I have been inspiring myself – how cool is that?! So I am picking up on yesterday’s idea of mentioning two artists in one post. Today it is John Zorn’s and Ennio Morricone’s turn.

John Zorn first had some mainstream success with his Ennio Morricone tribute album The Big Gundown.

The track I am recommending today, however, is an Ennio Morricone cover by John Zorn’s band Naked City: The Sicilian Clan. It is available on their debut release, entitled Naked City.

Naked City’s lineup is very impressive: Joey Baron on drums, Bill Frisell on guitar, Fred Frith on bass, Wayne Horvitz on keyboards/piano, Yamatsuka Eye on vocals, and John Zorn on saxophone.

© Patrice Schneider. No reproduction without prior written consent.

Technorati Tags: Ennio Morricone, John Zorn, Naked City, Joey Baron, Fred Frith, Bill Frisell, Wayne Horvitz, Yamatsuka Eye, The Big Gundown

The other night, I met up with a friend at a restaurant that specializes in burritos.

How could the conversation possibly not come to South Park and Cartman doing the “J.Lo” song “Burrito. Taco taco. Burrito. Taco. Taco taco. Don’t think that just because I got a lot of money I’ll give you taco-flavored kisses, honey! Fulfill all your wishes with my taco-flavored kisses. Taco taco. Burrito Burrito. Taco taco.”? “‘s okay! Si si!” Hilarious stuff!

My friend is also a South Park fan, but he had never seen the episode “Fat Butt And Pancake Head”, “starring” Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck.

I had to send him some info the minute I got home. Came across the Wikipedia page for said episode: interesting stuff!

Also on the main South Park Wikipedia page there were many interesting bits and pieces. If you are a fan: read it. Very informative.

I loved one of Trey Parker’s and Matt Stone’s “mottos”: “We are equal opportunity offenders!” Yeah!

Technorati Tags: South Park, Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck, Trey Parker, Matt Stone, South Park Studios, Fat Butt And Pancake Face

Today’s Top Tune, Round 005.

I am taking round 005 as an opportunity to mention two musicians/composers that have been rocking my world for almost two decades: John Zorn and Marc Ribot.

John Zorn first got my attention with his band Naked City, later with the Bill Laswell / Mick Harris collaboration Painkiller, and of course with his project Masada / Electric Masada.

Marc Ribot – who has played with the likes of Tom Waits, Lou Reed and Keith Richards (to name but a few) – always shines when under the guidance of John Zorn.

To cut a long story short, today my vote is on “A Tiki For Blue” from John Zorn’s album "Taboo & Exile" – breathtakingly beautiful! (Jamie Saft’s performance on keys also needs to be mentioned.)

For links to further artist info pages, check “Today’s Top Tune – 22 May 2007″ on my Last.FM.

© Patrice Schneider. No reproduction without prior written consent.

Technorati Tags: Marc Ribot, John Zorn, Naked City, Mick Harris, Bill Laswell, Painkiller, Masada, Electric Masada, Tom Waits, Lou Reed, Keith Richards, Jamie Saft, Taboo & Exile