Editorial Product Review: :Swirling atmospherics and mantra-like lyrics abound on Mercury Rev's newest work ''Snowflake Midnight.'' Recorded almost exclusively in the band's Catskills, N.Y. laboratory, ''Snowflake Midnight'' sees MR continue experiments with laser harps, ad-hoc computer programs and random note generators resulting in a record that moves with grace between avant garde and traditional pop sensibilities. Standout tracks ''Butterfly's Wing'' and ''Senses on Fire'' exhibit the emphasis on letting the music define itself, as free as possible from human interference. Zooming in at nearly any magnification, ''Snowflake ...
Editorial Product Review:Album Description:ALBUM HIGHLIGHTS : The Modern Rock #1s are 'Give It Away,' 'Soul To Squeeze,' 'My Friends,' 'Californication,' 'Otherside' and 'By The Way' (also Top 40 Pop). The Top 20s are 'Higher Ground' and 'Suck My Kiss.'
Editorial Product Review: :\N :To have resisted Def Leppard's radio power in their heyday, you'd have to have been a critic--and even some of us could hardly argue with the likes of 'Photograph,' 'Animal,' and 'Bringin' on the Heartbreak.' Vault covers a decade and a half of hits by the one-time wonder boys of the new wave of British metal, but perhaps inevitably concentrates on singles from the multiplatinum Pyromania and Hysteria. It offers little meaning beyond fun fun fun, but there are hooks here that Noel ...
Editorial Product Review: :Formed as a cohesive alternative organism in 2005, the FLOBOTS `good-fight' mythology can be traced via Denver's underground vines and creative community of the late `90s when various members enlivened each others' gigs and creative events, setting the charge that would eventually power up the band's contagious and rollicking rock/rap pedigree. Their rousing live show, seasoned by classically trained viola player Mackenzie Robert's innovative playing, sparked an impressive undertow of across-the-board support (including both coasts and off-the-grid territories such as Nebraska and Utah) as the ...
Editorial Product Review: : Gorillaz Photos More from Gorillaz Demon Days G-Sides Spacemonkeyz Vs. Gorillaz: Laika Come Home Gorillaz - Phase One - Celebrity Take Down Gorillaz - Phase Two - Slowboat to Hades Demon Days Live Amazon.com's Best of 2001:The Gorillaz claim to have found their motley crew of cartoon characters sleeping in Leicester Square, but Blur's Damon Albarn (a.k.a. 2-D) and cult cartoonist Jamie Hewlett (Murdoc) aren't fooling anyone. As the ultimate experiment in manufactured image, the Gorillaz are a virtual cartoon-character-based ...
Editorial Product Review: :In an era when pop nihilism fulfilled its dark promise all too regularly, Pearl Jam not only survived, but thrived to become one of rock's greatest bands. This 33-track double-disc career retrospective documents the arc of a career that went from arena and radio triumphs in the early 90's (while Nirvana's promise imploded in the wake of hype, Pearl Jam's crowd-pleasing fame only burgeoned) to the uncompromising, core audience-focused tack that carried the band into the 21st century. Shrewdly compiled by the band into an ...
Editorial Product Review: essential recording:Recognizing that there's no such thing as bad publicity, manager-Svengali Malcolm McLaren molded the Pistols into the most confrontational, nihilistic band rock & roll had ever seen. Propelled by Johnny Rotten's maniacal vocals, Steve Jones's buzz-saw guitar, and (most importantly) bass player Glen Matlock's hook-filled compositional skills, the Pistols' early singles 'Anarchy in the U.K.' and 'God Save the Queen' defined the raging style of British punk. By the time they recorded their lone 1977 album, Matlock had been bounced, replaced by the ...
Editorial Product Review: :Following a trying summer during which the band dealt with the death of drummer and founding member John Pike, Ra Ra Riot regrouped and recorded this debut full-length, which features nine originals and the best Kate Bush cover ('Suspended In Gaffa') you've ever heard. Their earlier self-titled EP and dark-edged joyfulness onstage garnered acclaim from the likes of Rolling Stone, Nylon, NPR, and NME. They've toured with Tokyo Police Club and Editors and will headline their own tour in support of this release.
Editorial Product Review:Album Description:There's plenty of heart on Big Bad World. Says singer/songwriter Tom Higgenson, 'We tried to be really ambitious and not worry about people's expectations for this record. Our vision was to do it in a classic way.' To that end, the band only used gear or instruments made before 1970: vintage guitars, old Vox amps and Leslie speakers, a Ludwig drum set circa 1966. They even recorded without a click track (equivalent to walking a high-wire without a net). Because they recorded it live, ...
Editorial Product Review:Album Description:20 of their best tracks available on 1 CD, including 'Just What I Needed', 'You're All I've Got Tonight', Touch and Go', 'Magic', 'You Might Think' & more. Rhino Records. 2002. :If rock's most successful and memorable acts have usually succeeded by wrapping their own distillation of music history and personal tastes in whatever fashionable trappings are currently gripping the culture, it's hardly surprising that the Cars remain one of the most enduring symbols of the punk/new wave era. This 20-track anthology distills that ...
Sales of semiconductors in November indicate that consumer products such as LCD (liquid crystal display) TVs, digital music players, and other devices sold well during the holidays, the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) said Monday.
November chip sales rose 2.3 percent year-on-year to $23.1 billion, the SIA said.
Unit demand has far outpaced last year. But falling chip prices have hurt industry revenue, the chip association said. For example, DRAM (dynamic RAM) bit shipments grew 25 percent in the three months through mid-December, but average selling prices have declined 20 percent over the same period.
The association also noted that rising energy prices and concerns about the sub-prime lending issue in the U.S. do not appear to have had a significant impact on consumer spending for the holidays, the SIA said. The group reiterated its forecast that worldwide semiconductor sales will reach a new record in 2007. But it will take a stronger than expected December selling season to reach the 3.8 percent growth goal the group had forecast earlier this year, the SIA said.
Investment banking firm Credit Suisse was not as optimistic as the SIA.
The November data was below normal seasonal trends, noted analyst John Pitzer, in a report on Monday. Even if December reaches its normal seasonal growth, 2007 industry revenue will only reach $255.7 billion, up 3.2 percent over last year. The growth percentage would fall short of the SIA's 3.8 percent target.
The slow November prompted Credit Suisse to lower its 2008 chip industry revenue forecast to 9.4 percent year-on-year growth, down from a previous target of 13 percent.
Editor Annalee Newitz reveals the inspiration for the futurism-focused site's name, shares her obsession with the scientifically taboo and tells why sci-fi is going mainstream.
