Reviews

Karbidangeln Mit Aurica – Glacial Series

Glacial Series by Karbidangeln Mit Aurica is a combination of creatively powerful beats and soothing vocals. All of the tracks in Glacial Series were written and produced by Berlin-based Aurica Kurtuschin, who also lent her beautiful voice to complete this collection. Aurica’s netlabel Electrolyt describes the album tracks as, “the finest living room electronica with elements of synth pop, drone and industrial, as well as ambient, post-punk and experimental.”

Talley Lambert – The Red Line of Hydrogen

Folk rock musician armed with skillful guitar work and emotional vocals. After spending time online looking for info on Lambert, I came up with a page on Jamendo and Last FM, nothing else. It's either this guy appreciates his privacy (frustrating for fans) or he simply dropped off the music scene altogether. If its the latter, then too bad because Talley Lambert can certainly evoke great emotion with his music. The Red Line of Hydrogen is the artists' first album and was recorded back in 1999, supposedly at the age of 17. Lambert is capable of creating modern folk rock music that definitely hits you right on the sweet spot. The Red Line of Hydrogen compiles 10 acoustic and very personal songs by Talley Lambert. Each track is guitar driven and recorded with passionate vocals that seems to resonate with heartbreak, loss or generally a sad reverie. The singer cites Jeff Buckley, Mark Knopfler, The Grateful Dead and Ani Difranco as among his favorites. The Red Line of Hydrogen is the artists' first album and was recorded back in 1999, supposedly at the age of 17. Lambert is capable of creating modern folk rock music that definitely hits you right on the sweet spot.

Hedgewars – free multi-platform game similar to Worms

If you were born in a generation where Worms was considered a near equivalent to Mario, then you might want to check Hedgewars. It's basically the same game except that you are not a worm and it works great in most platforms. Old versions of the Worms game won't work at all on Vista and most of the current systems today. Even though it's essentially a Worms clone, it is awesome. It features really smooth gameplay and graphics are pretty good. Plus, it will definitely give players a great time.

Way of the Mantis (2006) – short animation film

Monk learns a thing or two from a tiny little green critter. Way of the Mantis is a beautiful animation short that showcases the story of a Chinese monk that learns a valuable lesson from a tiny friend. The entire film is rendered in a traditional brushpainted style which sets the mood perfectly. The film was done as a thesis animation by Joe Daniels and Jedidiah Mitchell. It is definitely a nice little animation film to watch; all 6 minutes of it would be worth your time.

The Adventures of Fatman – 2D adventure comedy game

Thanks to advancements in technology, we can now experience gaming at its best, with great game engines that render realistic looking characters and scenes. However, occasionally, we like to relax and simply enjoy watching a fat, jobless guy in a Batman suit, fight crime. Such is the premise for The Adventures of Fatman. The game was created back in May 2003 by Michael Doak. It's a point and click 2D adventure game that follows the exploits of hero Fatman as he tries to protect Shadowlawn from evildoers.

The Big Bong Fiasco by Gidgets Ga Ga – power pop with an alternative flair

Power pop that mixes alt rock and a touch of British sound. Gidgets Ga Ga is a Chicago based band that belts out catchy power pop, alternative and rock tracks that are consistent and will keep you head bobbing for some time. The Big Bong Fiasco is filled with 18 massive punk pop songs that consists of great beats, catchy melodies and enjoyable vocals. The band is made up of vocalist/lead guitarist Mickey Flores alongside bassist Zac Zildron as well as drummer Larry Beers.

Discount Store by Dan Bryk – quirky and fun pop tracks to enjoy

Fun and quirky tracks that makes you reflect about hitting the discount store. Canadian songwriter and singer, Dan Bryk, creates fun and catchy pop songs that are easy to listen to and hits you in all the right places. Currently, this Toronto native has relocated to his new home in New York City. Discount Store is his latest offering. In spite of his indie status, Bryk has a heavy following in Japan and has garnered critical media acclaim for his songwriting. Discount Store is packed with songs that tackle funny, confessional and often blunt heartbreaking lyrics wrapped in some of the catchiest pop melodies out there.

Workrave – open source program that helps against repetitive strain injury

Want to minimize your risk of suffering RSI or repetitive strain injury? If so, this nifty tool could help save you from this problem. Workrave is a fun and very helpful tool that could help anybody who frequently does repetitive work like typing in front of the computer, to avoid any problems. The program works by reminding you to take micro pauses or breaks once in awhile. Workrave is a program that manages your breaks and even suggests things that you should do in order to promote better circulation and health as you work on your computer.

Beginner’s Luck by Lindalou and Michael Ryge – folk pop 70s music

70s style couple that loves to make folk music together. Originally released almost a decade ago, (2003) Lindalou and Michael Ryge's Beginner's Luck only became available for download in Jamendo two years ago. The album is a mixture of folk 70s rock and straight acoustic pop. It certainly makes you think of staying in some uphill grassland park somewhere, basking in the sun and enjoying nature. The couple has been creating music together for over 30 years. Songs on Beginner's Luck talk about their adventures and reflect their love for each other as well as their love for life. It's an honest, feel good 60s-70s folk music that will make you wish it was the flower era once again.