Adventures of the Jade Assassin

During the recent run of good finds on Jamendo, I discovered Everything You Should Know, the first full-length album release by Netherlands-based Indie Rock band Silence is Sexy. This album is a collection of twelve earthly tracks storytelling the rise and fall of relationships. Each song has its own unique voice that expands upon the idea of how we connect with each other as human beings. The compositions are well-written & performed, and are backed up by high production values.

This album is released under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share-Alike license.

As some of you are no doubt already aware, I've been a member of Jamendo for a handful of years now, and as a result, I've recently begun posting links to the albums that I like on Twitter. About a month ago, one of my podcaster friends, Mark "@bbluesman" Foreman, asked if I'd heard of an artist named MoShang. When I told him that I hadn't, he suggested I give his older remix album a listen. Long story short, I streamed the first track off of Jamendo and enjoyed what I heard, so I ended up downloading the entire album from Jamendo.
Asian Variations is a collection of remixes for artists from across the globe, though there is a strong contingent from China. Artists remixed range from hip-hop artists Kou Chou Ching, Chang Jui-chuan & Fort Minor, to trip-hopping PureH & Lovespirals, to otherworldly jazz-funk of Andre van Rensburg. The progression of tracks flow with ease complimenting each other track on the album.
MoShang does a fantastic job of remixing and compiling such a great collection of music. I'd recommend to listeners of all ages for the diversity & high levels of production in the release, which bodes well for Suncake Lounge Volume #1 which is set to be released this month (see MoShang website for more information).

The album is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial Non-Derivatives license. Visit Asian Variations for more details.

Earlier this afternoon, I was chatting with some folks over twitter. I spent a bit of time talking about music that I enjoy, then, out of the blue a fellow by the name of Aaron Zimmer asked if I'd be interested in having listen to his new release, Live Wires. I love discovering new music so I took up the offer, and I am glad that I did, because I found the album to be an absolute delight to listen to.
You're probably wondering what to expect, which is fair enough given that he is isn't exactly a well-known artist. I listened to the album all the way through about two times before I decide to sit down and write this article, and the first thing that I noticed were the production qualities. The talented two-man band of Aaron Zimmer and producer Christian Cassan's showed a strong understanding of the direction of the album which built a strong foundation for Live Wires. Add to this Aaron's obvious gift for singing and songwriting, and we have a soft rock 'n pop album that works on numerous levels.

It has enough commercial qualities to appeal to a wide cross-section of society, but still manages to keep its soul, which is a grand feat in a business where creativity is often sacrificed for the sake of the bottom dollar. Aaron has a strong grasp of the technical aspects of music performance, with a strong rock voice that moves through a vast spectrum of emotions during this album. He weaves tales of love, longing and betrayal that draw people in with relative ease, thus offering us some insight into the mind of this fascinating artist.
Want to have a listen to some of the tracks? Being the generous guy that he is, Zimmer has offered up a stream of the entire album on his website. If you like what you hear then you can purchase a copy from CDBaby (product page) and iTunes.

I have been turning up some wonderful Electro albums of late and recently had the pleasure of discovering The Kyoto Connection II by Brazilian band The Kyoto Connection on the Jamendo website. This album blends synth with sounds of Japan (percussion and chords) in a fashion reminiscent of Deep Forest in their album Boheme, or the various releases by the group Enigma. That being said, the band stands out on its own, showing that they aren't just another Electro group.
The Kyoto Connection II has wonderful storytelling components, making it not just a great compilation to write to, but a great collection to sit back and listen to for the pure pleasure of it. On this album the instrumentation is soulful, the compositions solid and the production quality very high making me wonder why I haven't heard of them until now. Well worth a listen.

This album is released under a Creative Commons Non-Commercial Non-Derivatives 3.0 license.

I've been a fan of World Electronica for about as long as I can remember, and last year I discovered an album at Jamendo that made me rethink my previous experiences with this genre: Lliendes by Spanish group Xera. Lliendes is a collection of electronic pieces with strong Celtic influences that, in spite of having no lyrics, weave tales of epic adventures featuring woad-covered heroes in deep space. It is a wonderful blend of ethnic sounds and synth that rouse the spirit and send the imagination into overdrive. Well worth a listen!

This album is released under a Creative Commons Non-Commercial Non-Derivatives 3.0 license.

In the last review, I talked about my long membership at Jamendo has led to several delightful discoveries of musical talent, and in this review I will be discovery one of several incarnations of Finnish game composer, Matti Paalanen, Frozen Silence. In this review I will be discussing Frozen Silence and Heart of Winter, two albums that I have had the pleasure of listening to. In these two releases, the talented composer has produced breathtakingly beautiful solo piano and piano/guitar compositions that will transport you to another time and place. At times I feel like I have been transported into any of the recent Final Fantasy game-worlds, the songs evoking this with relative ease, and it is no wonder why Paalanen feels so comfortable composing for computer games.

Frozen Silence

Frozen Silence is one of those albums that threw me. It moved me with its gentle soundscapes that suggest love (e.g. Memories) and loss (e.g. Commemoration) and rebirth (e.g. Ray of Light). This collection of a dozen beautiful songs would make a great accompaniment to a fantasy computer game or for a dinner party.

Heart of Winter

In Heart of Winter, Matti continues on with the beautiful music of the first album, but with more of an earthen feel to the compositions. The tracks are about half the length as the first and he has reused two from the first release, but what Paalanen makes up for the lack of play length and new tracks he more than makes for with high quality music.

I have been a member of the Jamendo community for several years, and in that time I have listened to a lot of junk, but there are a few gems to be found there, and prePOPsterous by Canadian group, Papa Dada happens to be one of these. This album features whimsical retro pop songs revolving around the piano that remind me of Australian band The Whitlams. This collection of six quirky yet entertaining tales range from the metaphorical opening song Art Gallery, to the emotional ballad Leave a Light on For Me, and ends with the comically silly Heb Jij Mijn Kat Kezien. This album is released under a Creative Commons Non-Commercial Sharealike 2.0 Be license so you can share it with friends, family and archenemies without breaking the law.

As has been the trend in recent times, I have added a widget so that you listen to the entire album streamed directly from Jamendo. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I have.

It didn't seem that long ago that I first discovered and listened to The West Exit's debut album Nocturne, but since then I have listened to it more than a hundred times. The album consists of a dozen dance tracks that I would describe as Calico Pop with a hint of mid 90's disco, and are great for the shimmering dance floor. The West Exit is a great balance of smooth vocals and energetic jazzy instrumental work.
Nocturne is about life in the big city and how the grand metropolis comes to life after dark. It is also about relationships, storytelling the rise and fall of love. The songwriting and compositions evoke these sensations with relative ease, drawing you into that other world where you can find beautiful people behind every corner and around every door. It is a place where you bump shoulders with the rich and the desirable while sipping cocktails.

Nocturne is available exclusively from Magnatune.

A few months ago, I happened upon the beautiful self-titled future jazz dance album by Australian and England-based group, Tokyo507. Tokyo507 is the brain child of music producer Mark Southeron & television and documentary presenter, Hayden Turner. Both men were born in Sydney and are no strangers to sound production.
Southeron and Turner do a good job of creating a collection of sexy, soulful tracks reminiscent of 80's jazz-pop, but with a synth injection and driving percussion. At times the album borders on Trip-Hop, but manages to pull back with some groovy dance beats. The instrumentation blends easily with Hayden's lyrics and vocals, reminding me of Michael Hutchence's early work with INXS.
The album isn't for everyone, but I for one, loved it. Its well worth a listen. Feel free to listen to the entire album on the stream below.

Below is a short list of a few places where you can pick up a copy of the album, and is in no ways exhaustive:
Magnatune: You can stream the entire album for free, and/or purchase the album in full or in part. Music Licensing is also available through this service. Note that Magnatune is one of two vendors that stock the entire 9 tracks version of the album at this time. (Band Page) (Product Page)
CD Baby: You can pick up the full version of the album at a reasonable price. (Product Page)
CD Universe: (Product Page)
Music Forte: (Band Page) (Product Page)

Last year I had the pleasure of listening to the first episode of the Podiobooks version of Daughter of the Sun by Lonnie Ezell. After numerous distractions and interruptions, including seven months in another city, I noticed the first six episodes sitting on my hard drive a few days ago and decided to give them a listen again. It made me remember why I subscribed to the story in the first place, so I began to downloaded the rest of the episodes, listening to the entire podcast novel over the next three days.
Daughter of the Sun is set in a world where the leader of an evil empire, the Overlord, has sustained his life force by sacrificing innocent children every fifty years. Each of his sons, including the oldest, Gideon Cabal, act as Dukes to each region within the empire, and each member of the family has the ability to breathe. The Overlord has ordained that anyones that wear the Red (those with red hair) should be terminated because they could pose a threat to his reign, due to their own ability to breathe.
As the time of the next ritual draws near and Gideon is set the task of gathering the children again. Years before Johan lead a rebellion to stop the process and managed to be successful, but at a huge cost. He is married to Elena, whose mother, Tirana, one who wore the Red, combated the Duke in the previous attempt at rounding up children and died as a result. Their daughter Jocelyn, is kidnapped by the Duke, who is charged with the task of gathering the children again, but Gideon has his own ideas. He orders Johan killed.
Thinking Johan is dead, Elena begins the task of getting her daughter back, whilst Johan starts to reform the rebellion in the hopes of getting both his wife and daughter back in the process. Along the way they will face many dangers, but the worst of all are their own demons. As the story progress many conspiracies will be brought into the light of day, until an exciting climax at the Temple of Light.
Daughter of the Sun is the debut release of Lonnie Ezell. This fast-paced epic fantasy sets its own rules, with a rich world unlike any other. This talented new author has created a world with a rich history; a magical system with as many dangers as perks; numerous organizations with their own agenda; monstrosities as horrific as they are formidable; and conspiracies as deep as they are dark. The plot takes advantage of many of these elements and Ezell is careful not to bombard the reader with the information. The characters have a lot of depth, having a healthy balance of strengths and weaknesses, making them approachable. The bad guys had a touch of humanity about them, with logic behind their behaviour, even if the reasoning was twisted. All in all, I recommend this story to adults with a love of epic fantasy.
Warning: Some horror and supernatural themes.

Note. Originally posted 10/24/2008, and I recently found a serialized version of the novel on the author's website.