Reviews

Goodbye Kumiko: My Wild Arms

What is there to say about Goodbye Kumiko? Well maybe the fact that there is nearly nothing I could find on the artists standing behind the album... So let the music speak for itself. My Wild Arms is a wonderful collection of ten tracks, each with it's own flavor. They come in all shapes and sizes and range from the Beatlelesque cuts to chamber-pop sounds with some dream like instrumental and piano additions. The album, recorded in Philadelphia with Bill Moriarty (Man Man, Dr. Dog, et al), is currently offered as a pay what you want/free download from the bands' Bandcamp website, so enjoy every bit of its wonderful chill out sounds.

The Revolution Will Be Animated

The Revolution Will Be Animated is a twenty-minute documentary created by Marie Lormant Sebag that presents multiple viewpoints on the concept of copyright laws and free culture. It focuses on Nina Paley, the creator of the animated film Sita Sings the Blues which is available for free download. The film captures well-selected footages of Paley while talking about the copyright problems that she had encountered while creating the said film. These experiences lead to her new advocacy of allowing free content dissemination to the public domain.

Nueva Noventa: Colors

A product of years of work and countless rehearsals; Colors by Nueva Noventa contains a lushness that only time could have filled and created. Nueva Noventa is a four piece indie rock crew from Santiago, Chile. Their sound focuses on indie pop rock but also introduces elements of electronica once in awhile. There's nothing much out there about the band or the members themselves. It seems they're among the few bands who like to let their sound do all the talking instead. Frankly, this works just fine as their music is capable of communicating and reaching out to its audience.

Skitch

If scribbling on pictures was your childhood obsession, then you have the chance to live it all-over again with Skitch. Yes, this app allows users to scribble on any past, current and every picture you can lay your hands on. It not only allows to scribble but also annotate, edit, and save right on the device. The buck does not stop there, users can also sketch something entirely new, makeup an existing photo, and save it to Evernote or share with various applications and sites.

Various Artists: A People’s History of Bombed Out Records

A People's History of Bombed Out Records might seem like a mouthful but it's a fitting one as it chronicles the long and very diverse history of indie netlabel Bombed Out Records. The album puts together some of the best tracks released from their fences; making it an exciting fusion of rock, punk and indie that'll give you an idea what the label has to offer. All of the bands here have, at one time or another, been considered a band from Bombed Out. Some of them continue on while others have said their farewells.

Life is Crime

Here is something for all the action lovers who get enticed with the thought of owning their own Mafia family. Well, we are talking about Life is Crime and this is an Android exclusive. The game is very much like Zynga's Mafia Wars, but this one uses GPS coordinates for awesome realism and action. The game is the only release from the Red Robot Labs, but keeping in mind the execution level given to this title, the future updates/games are something to just anxiously wait for.

The Dimes: The King Can Drink The Harbour Dry

The Dimes have revamped boring history classes into a pristine musical collection. Composed of Johnny Clay, Pierre Kaiser, Kelly Masigat, Ryan Johnston, Tucker Jackson, Anthony Powell and Matt Farina, this American folk-pop collective from Portland, Oregon has been likened to the old country charm and sixties pop sensibility. After their debut album Silent Generation which is based on old newspaper articles, The King Can Drink The Harbour Dry is another literary experimentation that offers a steady doze of early Boston history.

Vernon Lenoir: The Rites of Sausage

For times when all you need is a funky and quirky party album, pop over Vernon Lenoir's The Rites of Sausage and you should be good to go. This crazy party album mixes loud beats, 8-bit pixel goodness and a dose of remade pop culture. The super talented composer/ sampling-genius has released several compilations from various netlabels like UpItUp, VM Recordings, and Ego Twister. This time around, he ventures over to Chinstrap Records and unloads his genius samples via The Rites of Sausage. From the Macarena to Inspector Gadget, the record is a sure mix of funky goodness.