Across the Univers-ity

Posts By Elena Peña

2009-10-29T08:34:00.000-07:00

1. Presentation: Music around univers-ity world (15/09/09) and Floatation Therapy(18/09/09)
2. Two blogs and two relevant websites: Floatation Therapy II (24/09/09)
3.Hypertext: Square Enix Soundtracks (01/10/09)
4. Two podcasts and two videoblogs: Par-amour (08/10/09)
.Analyse of a multimedia special: Star Wars in concert (13/10/09)
5.Interview: Kerobia's new member, How does it feel the experience? (15/10/09)
6.Ten things I learned: Many things this blog has made me learn (22/10/09)

The last Post

2009-10-29T07:52:00.000-07:00

Posts by inesitachamploo!

Post 1: Welcome to Acrosstheunivers-ity!
Post 2: How to compete with eMule? Billy Talent III Guitar Villain Edition
Post 3:Those wonderful 90s
Post 4:Samurai Champloo OST
Post 5:Electro Girlss!
Post 6:I am my own connoiseur
Post 7: 10 things I´ve learned with Acrosstheunivers-ity!

Posts by Dani P. Álava

2009-10-27T11:34:00.000-07:00

1. Introducing yourself and your theme: Time to take the subway - Antecedent (9/15/09)
2. Sources: Music in the Faculty and a specialized "indie" website (9/23/09)
3. Using hypertext: Evil Insomnia (10/01/09)
4. Podcasts and Videoblogs: Music shaker (10/08/09)
5. Interview: Interview - The othe face of Mario (10/16/09)
6. The 10 things learned: Ten-tacles of the Web (10/23/09)

In fact, I'm really bad finding videoblogs =(

Posts by Elizabeth Schonig

2009-10-27T10:46:00.000-07:00

1)Introducing Myself and the Theme: The First Chord September 15, 2009
2)Sources: Sharing and Discovery September 25, 2009
3)Using Hypertext: Stream of Conciousness September 30, 2009
4)Podcasts and Videoblogs: Music in the 21st Century October 7, 2009
5)Interview: Interview with a College DJ October 15, 2009
6)The Ten Things I Learned: Reflection October 21, 2009

Ten-tacles of the Weblogs

2009-10-23T06:29:00.000-07:00

Here is the last post for the subject Multimedia Communication. It has been a great time, and I have learned a lot about the new emerging communication medium: the Blog. Here are the 10 points that summarize what I have learned:

1. First of all, I have met three fantastic bloggers, that like me, have wanted to speak about music. That is why I want to thank the participation of the ladies in this groupblog. Without them, this blog would not have had any sense.

2. I also have learned the concept of Web 2.0 and the relevance of the user. The blog is one of the best examples to explain it, because the protagonist is the user, who can speak free, and also in a bidirectional way, thanks to the comments of other users. The matter of interactivity.

3. I have learned how to search sources, quoting them by external links, and how to analyse and interpret them. This is one of the most educational aspects according to an academic level. The matter of hypertext.

4. I have discovered the weight of the audiovisuals nowadays. I couldn't imagine a blog or a website in general without images, videos or audios. And of course, I couldn't imagine a world without music! Thanks to the simple and easy functions of Blogger, I have posted images, videos, even audio in this blog. The matter of multimedia.

5. I have learned a lot of concepts and words from the web: podcasts, RSS, vlogs, lifestreaming...

6. I have learned how to prepare a post, it is not so simple, I don't like short and irrelevant posts, I like to be very cautious and choose the right words.

7. I have learned not to be anxious waiting for answers in the comments, I mean, we are a lot of bloggers and it is very hard to bright between the mass. That is why I have tried to remember each strategy to get known and be a reference for others.

8. I have learned to combine real and virtual life. One of the examples is the interview to a friend of mine, I think this social aspect of the web promotes some activism in real life.

9. I have learned that each voice is relevant and has something to tell. There are no better blogs, there are different opinions, and every one has the same options to be right, always according to his/her knowledge of the blog. That is the most important aspect of the web: global democratization.

10. Finally, I have to say that I have learned to organize myself, not only in my ideas in the blog, but also in real life. Writing a blog means a chance and a moral obligation when you have begun it. As my teacher Mr. Orihuela says, "be careful, bloging is an adiction". It is, indeed.

10 things i´ve learned with Acrosstheunivers-ity!

2009-10-22T12:50:00.000-07:00

Perhaps the feeling that in two months not enough time to learn, to deepen a theme, but with this little project Acrosstheunivers-ity, I've noticed the following:

1. Deciding to create a blog is easy, you do it almost like an impulse, a passion. Anyone can open a blog, and hence also the success of the half, he has to be a computer expert or have lots of money to be blogger.

2.But while having a blog is like having an idea, everyone can have them, within those ideas that are in the millions, there are only a few good, intelligent, interesting. So like worldwide there are only a few few good ideas in the blogosphere there are only a few good blogs.

3.So I learned how difficult it is to publish good posts. Rather than publish good posts, is to be original, having something you do not know yet novel.

4.People seek information on the Internet that doesn´t own. They look for information that they haven´t found in the superficial TV news, and that is not as polluted as the newspapers are.

5. If I can´t be the first to give information, at least have to give details, to make reflections of interest for the people.

6.Which brings us to that we can´t copy and paste from Wikipedia. We must give the information, thinking that it is almost sure that before going on your page the user has gone to Wikipedia, and if it has gone down to your page is because his looking for something more.

7.Taking that "something more", is what sets them apart from other blogs. It is very difficult to have a successful blog, as visits are concerned, they really treat the subject you are passionate. You have to pick something that you can provide.

8.Although you´ve got few views, you shouldn´t care. You have to be comfortable with what you write, if you are faithful to yourself having a blog will bring you much satisfaction.

9.Never write just to put more content on the blog . If you're not inspired is better you leave it. Needless bound to write.

10.That the blog is grupal doesn´t mean you can not be yourself and express yourself. On the contrary, Acrosstheunivers-ity began with a theme more or less homogeneous, but we came to discover that it is true the saying that the variety is the spice.

Many things this blog has made me learn

2009-10-22T06:56:00.000-07:00

Hi Rockers,

This week my post is going to be a little different. I want to talk about my experience posting every week, what that has meant to me and the things that I've learned. This blog was created to share information about music with whoever wanted to read it , to show new bands and not so new bands, to make you see different kinds of music and to invite you to listen to more unusual styles like japanese music or important soundtracks. Of course, I've learned many things about music, other bands the members of the blog group mentioned and other styles.
In my opinion, my colleages and I have learned a lot about internet and its possibilities. It's one of the most important sources of information and it allows us to share contents in real time. But it is important to perceive what information is valid and which is not. Posting every week has helped us to develop our skills when looking for information and rescuing important data to elaborate our publications. Internet is full of contents due to the freedom the user has, but many people just make up stories trying to catch our attention, so we must be often veryfying the veracity of the contents.

These posts also have served me to familiarize at the time of writing in English, to enhance the skills I already had and learn some new ones. It has allowed me to clarify certain issues and questions I had, and it has improved my ability to understand texts. My vocabulary and expression have improved this month with my grammar.

Of course it has made me learn more about the bands I've published about. Especially about its origins and influences, their problems in life and how they have overcome them. The members of the bands are just people like us, they have suffered in their beginings and were unknown as we are, but with effort and will they have reached their goals, and I hope they keep on doing it well.

Also posting every week has served me to know more about blogs. I had never posted anything, this was my first time, so I learned how its tools work. But it has made me visit other blogs too, so I've seen lots of kinds of posts, different quality levels and originality in many ways. It's been also the first time I've used hypertexts, a very useful tool which allows the conection between different sites.

To end up, this blog has made me make my first interview in english to a professional of the music world, which has been a very interesting experience. I had never made a serious interview, and now I've learned how to prepare one and how to get documented about the subjet first, which steps I must follow and which questions are appropriate and wich not.

In short, creating this blog has helped me to learn more about the Internet, its tools and possibilities, to learn about music and improve my English skills. I am studying advertising and public relations in the Faculty Of Navarra and in my opinion, for a communicator this knowledge is very important and allows a greater mastery of the sources of information, ways and means to express.

Elena

Reflection

2009-10-21T06:22:00.000-07:00

As our time blogging for Multimedia Communication starts to wind down, I've been reflecting upon what I've learned from doing this blog. While I didn't necessarily learn a lot about blogging or using the web, it helped me to reinforce skills I'd learned previously. In any event, here's a list of ten things I learned from practica and keeping this blog over the past few weeks.

1) I learned how to utilize RSS feeds to more efficiently optimize the time I spend online.

2) I learned how to use Bubbl.us, which is a useful tool for visually representing complicated relationships online.

3) Through researching sources for my blog posts, I learned how to find podcasts or video blogs on a variety of topics.

4) By doing this blog, I've been able to learn what type of music and which groups are popular with my classmates at UNav-- which is important to me in keeping up with my musical education!

5) By reading my classmate's blogposts, I've been able to learn what resources they like to use to find new music.

6) I found Elena and Dani's interviews with artists from the Basque Country really interesting; it revealed that no matter what background you may come from the desire to create music is driven by the same passion.

7) I was surprised to learn that American bands I listen to that don't necessarily get a lot of radio play, like Incubus, are known and enjoyed in Spain.

8) Ines and Elena's posts often challenged me to think about music from a different perspective, such as soundtracks to video games, which I've often just kind of considered part of the game or background noise rather than music in its own right.

9) I also learned the true impact Hollywood films seem to have on perceptions of American culture...

10) Overall, I've learned a lot about different music and have discovered a lot of new bands! Blogs seem to be a great medium for doing this because, as Ines touched upon in her last post, and as Professor Orihuela has discussed,people prefer to get information from sources that are like them rather than "experts". In writing for this blog, I've certainly found that to be true.

Interview - The other face of Mario

2009-10-16T06:02:00.000-07:00

Following the same idea of my last posts, I have inteviewed a member of a rap group, which is getting more popular in Vitoria. Mario, member of "La Otra Cara", studies Biology in the University of Navarra, and his current residence is Colegio Mayor Larraona, "La Otra Cara" was formed in 2006 by three friends, Mario, Aarón and Santi, who shared the same passion: love for the rap. Here is the interview:

1. How would you define the values of your group?
M: My friends and me defend the value of friendship, love for the rap and a lot of desire of going on. We are not only a rap group, but also a group of friends who want to know our own potential, ways and means. We guess that we can give a lot of ourselves, but we have not had enough time to show it.

2.. Who are you influences?
M: I began listening to rap which was made in Spain around 2004. Some of the artists were Nach, Falsalarma, Toteking, Dogma Crew... I do not like the people who say that they began listening to american rap, in order to seem "cooler". In one of my unpublished songs, there is a verse which says "No me crié escuchando yankee", that means, "I did not grow listening to yankee".

3. What is your opinion about the actual Hip Hop cultural movement in Spain?
M: There is an increasingly growth of the movement. The rap is evolving a lot in every aspect (instrumentals, mc's, producers...), there is more influence of West, Detroit styles, more innovative in the melodies, refrains; refusing the typical rythm, that is what we are trying.

4. For when the first official album? M: After our fist song called "Fuck the Rules", which was succesful and a lot of people of Vitoria know, we are preparing an album. We have recorded some songs, one of them is "Rabia", the single which probably will give the name to the whole album.

5. Which are the places in Vitoria where the rap can be listened?
M: In Vitoria there is a concert hall which was a sport alley called "La Vieja Club", and some of the concerts are of rap. There are other places like "Hell Dorado" or "Jimmy Jazz", but the real essence of the rap can be seen in the street.

6. Could you remember an anecdote with your group?
M: Our first concert (laughs). We did not prepare very well the rehearsals, we were very nervous and we did not know what we were going to "defy". In addition, the other groups were very talented and gave spectacular performances. Everything got worse when we began, because our instrumentals were in a MP3 which had the songs in a random order! That was a disaster! (laughs)

7. To conclude, what are you listening eventually?
M: I am listening to Black Milk, a mc with Detroit style, Evidence from L. A., Primerdan from Madrid, and Jean Paul from Vitoria, who is a friend of mine and has released with the producer Jazzy Dark "En cursiva".

I am my own Connoisseur

2009-10-15T09:56:00.000-07:00

I was tired of reading articles written by those who call themselves experts, in fact I never really understood how they could be called "connoisseurs" of art, music.. The musician, like the painter, poet or playwright, seeks only to express the feeling, what lies inside with such intensity that he cant articulate clearly. This is why there are people who are excited about a picture because they see what's behind the canvas, and those who think that Pollock was drunk and accidentally dropped the brush. There are as many ways of seeing art as people in the world. Why? Because everyone is a completely different reality, consisting of his own feelings, personal tastes, memories and motivations.For I do not like the definition of "connoisseurs of...". No matter how much someone knows about music, art, cinema or theater he is never going to tell me what I like, what I love. I´m hurting noone if I listen to a song, no matter how bad it is for criticism, if I am happy listening to the Aserejé and for me it´s better than Sympathy for the devil, because I can´t dance it, or because i can´t understand a word, it doesn´t matter how many rankings Rolling Stone may publish...

I met the legendary American photographer Lawrence Schiller, when I was working for my aunt, owner of the Drissien Galerie at Munich, in an exhibition of the last photoshoot of Marilyn Monroe in the gallery Artmosphere of Salzburg, as a mythical advice given to someone who sets the scene Schiller said, "I do not know what is good or bad. I only know what I like and what I don´t. " And indeed, at that time thought it was the most typical and topical phrase that a yankee could tell, but after a while, I've come to realize, that if you are not yourself,when you choose what like and do not, if you just follow the fashion, to accept as beautiful what others tell you that is beautiful, and not seek what really makes you sigh and feel chills, what fills you up, makes you smile or mourn, causing reflection on you, those things that you think for hours but always arouse your interest, if you can not see the beauty of taking a little of here and a bit of there, life will lose all intensity and your soul will wander through the world like a plastic bag.

In Acrosstheunivers-ity, you will have been able to observe the radical change that has taken the blog, which at first was to treat a monotheme, college bands, and has been transformed into a blend of all the tastes of young people who compose it. This week, Professor J. Luis Orihuela (author of eCuaderno.com) asked us to make an entry that consisted of an interview with an expert, "connoisseur ..." on the subject of our weblog.
At first if I'm really honest, I just looked for viable alternatives to this for not knowing anyone interesting to interview, but I realized that really, I didn´t felt like it. The grace of our blog is that it is written by students for everyone around the world. And it's interesting to see how almost with no sources, we can develop our own discretion posts that may be of interest to someone who one day accidentally finds them.

As Professor Orihuela mentions in his book "Revolution of the Blogs", perhaps the users, tired of the false objectivity of traditional media, are seeking information that doesn´t have masks. I've noticed in my brief experience as a blogger that in this environment, subjectivity is almost unavoidable, because although the other media want to hide there and ting with professionalism, we all stand and love to meet with those who have reasoned like us, what any other reason is there for the comments? There are only two types: supporting or criticizing what was said on the blog post.

However, I do not want to deviate from the topic. I return to the beginning, each person is a completely different reality, and this brings me to the conclusion that we were all tired of being treated like a herd, that "they" the traditional media, treated us as if we were sheep. Unlike in "Animal Farm", we, the sheep (or at least most of us and moreevery day) haven´t subsided. There are more blogs every day because of the discontent. Why are they treating me like the rest when I know that I am different, that I am only identical to myself?For these reasons I will not put the interview of any understanding, I wish to express my opinion and not go along with someone even though he´s got every reason in the world, five degrees, eight masters and thirty years of experience. It is obvious that he knows more than me, and that he can analyze each riff out of the fingers of Hendrix with full precision, he can teach me to appreciate the technique, the difficulty of Uranus Rock, but if he doesn´t understand that it was the identity of Jimi which made Jimi who he was, instead of what he was, he can´t love his music, I´m saying that there will never be anyone in the world to do what he did no matter how much we attempt to define his art, the most important thing was that he was faithful to himself, the original. A genius will never be identifible with other genious.

Kerobia's new member: How does it feel the experience?

2009-10-15T08:16:00.000-07:00

Hi rockers,

This week I have made an interview to the musician who has been recently included in the band Kerobia: Rubén Matilla. For those who still don't know this band it must be said that is one of the most talented bands in the north of Spain. This season they are giving several concerts due to their new 2009 recording: Papera eta kartoia (Paper and cardboard). They already have three Cds but this one is the second volume of a trilogy started a year ago with the publication of "Materia organikoa eta gainerakoak" (Organic matter and rest). This band is formed by Xabi Bandini (guitar and vocals), Mikel Zorrilla (drums), Alberto Isaba (bass) ,Mikel Isaba (keyboards) and Rubén (second guitar). The group appeared in 2001 and until now they have been working hard to reach their goal: becoming one of the most important bands in the Basque Country.

This new member comes from Burlada and played the guitar for other hardcore bands like Shinigami, but this time he has decided to change his style for something more melodic. Ruben gave us the chance to know a little more about him and we asked him about this new experience.

Elena: " How does it feel starting playing in a band so different than what you were doing before?"

Rubén: "Quite strange at first, but so exciting though. I was very scared because of the fact that I had never played for any big crowd like my partners, I had never met the fans after a show and, one of the best things in the world, I had never signed an autograph. Anyway, I'm very happy to be in the band, as another member."

Elena: "How did you join the band?Did they propose it to you or you wanted to join the band before?"

Rubén: "One day, a friend told me something about joining Kerobia. They were looking for a guitarist to help Xabi in live stuff. You know, arrangements, maybe difficult guitar passages, etc. I got in contact with the keyboardist of the band and well...I met them, in a little bit closer environment, going out to a couple of shows in Derio, and HERRI URRATS, and so, so, we know each other, bla bla bla...(laughs)."

Elena: "And how's the feeling with the guys?Do you feel good?"
Rubén: "It is so good. After all summer touring, we have known pretty well each other. Now, we are always joking, and having fun, etc."

Elena: "Did you know Kerobia before joining them or had you just heard about the band?"

Rubén: "I had seen the band a couple of times, but I did not pay so much attention to the show. You love Kerobia when you hear their music on your ipod, cd player, sitting so calm at home, listening very carefully all the small details of their sound."

Elena: "Could you define exactly Kerobia's style? What are your influences?"

Rubén: "Well, this is a very difficult question! (laughs) I think that KEROBIA is a completly storm of feelings and emotions. There are so many different styles into it. Every member brings his little and personal sound. Indie, pop rock, are the best words to define the music we play. Talking about influences, I could name COLDPLAY, ATHLETE, BARCELONA, WEEZER, THE FRAY, etc. "

Elena: "Have you ever thought about the future? What do you expect from this project?"

Rubén: "No one knows what could happen in the future. First of all, we have to end this tour. Then, compose and record the latest part of our trilogy, going on tour again, etc. We should take it easy and do what we have to do. No pressure. Just enjoy!"

Elena: " Haha, well, to end up I would like to ask you something more personal. How does it feel to have fans? Does it help you knowing more girls?"

Rubén:"Hahahahaha! Well, we don't have so much time to spend with our fans, but it is cool. For me, one of the best things in the world, things I have dreamed of, you know. Girls? What does girls mean? hahahahahaha!

Rubén left us with this last joking words, I hope everyting go great for him and I invite you to hear their music. It's special and different from what people usually listens, but not for that it's worse. I hope you like it. Enjoy the sound.

Elena

Interview with a College DJ

2009-10-15T02:54:00.000-07:00

Since our blog is about music at universities, I decided to interview my younger brother, who has a new radio show called "The Chess Hour" at his school's local radio station. Here's his take on the music scene at American universities, specifically his school, the State University of New York College at Geneseo.

1) What is most being listened to right now on your campus?
Since Geneseo is a small liberal arts college the most popular genres are Indie and Alternative, though 89.3 WGSU also plays a lot of contemporary Progressive Rock and other "non-mainstream" music. Popular artists include Vampire Weekend, Wilco, Rilo Kiley and Modest Mouse.

2)What performers or songs do you get a lot of requests for during your
show?
We don't take requests during our show. I imagine that some larger college radio stations can afford a phone switchboard, but 89.3 WGSU can't. As a result, the only way to make a request is to call an on-air DJ's cellphone and personally request a song. The only instance of this happening that I can recall is a request for Ted Leo's cover of "Many Rivers to Cross".

3)What artists inspired you to become a DJ?
The composer Franz Liszt and the jazz bassist Jaco Pastorius are most responsible for my radio program, 89.3 WGSU's "The Chess Hour". My co-DJ and I often listen to both while playing chess, providing the inspiration and most of the programming for our radio show. The program also provides a platform to give exposure to some other, off-genre, artists such as Young Galaxy and Mogwai.

4)What artists inspired you to become a DJ?
The best resources for finding new music are other people. I've gotten most of my music library from various friends who share some musical tastes, and are more than happy to provide exposure to different artists and genres. I also have access to promotional copies of music sent to the radio station, which is an easy way to find and evaluate new releases.

5) If you could recommend one artist or group to everyone reading this, who
would it be and why?
My best recommendation is Spiritualized. The sound of their latest release, "Songs in A&E", indicates the meticulous detail the group puts into constructing and mixing their songs. The lyrics are dark at times, but always introspective and melodious.

Lines of the Time - Michael Jackson's Steps

2009-10-13T08:56:00.000-07:00

I will speak today about the biggest celebrity of pop music. Indeed, he has been called as "The King of Pop". I'm referring to Michael Jackson, of course. Los Angeles Times has recently uploaded an interactive timeline that contains all the relevant dates and events of the defunct artist. Obviously, this interactive timeline has no sense if it is not related to and multimedia special of the artist. I'm going to analyse this kind of multimedia resource that makes to the user an easier way to understand a lot of aspects of the life of Michael Jackson.

The main website of the special is in The Complete Coverage of Michael Jackson. But I'm going to focus on the timeline.

To see the full image, please click on it (I have had problems with the quality and compression of the images, sorry!)

Structure: here we can see that the special is divided in various sections: Photos, Map and Videos, Panoramas, Articles, Selected Blog Posts and Selected Archives. The timeline is in the section of Articles.

The timeline is divided in vertical columns, each one for a year. There are images with text that summarizes important events of the Jackson family:

Formats: there are text and images. These are the basic important elements. Sometimes there are hyperlinks to videos, or to articles and news about certain days, like in this image:

Features: it is a timeline, all the features have been explained on the images.

This timeline is oriented to the user. There are no characteristics of the Web 2.0, because there are no social aspects, like comments of the readers or something like that.

All in all, this tool is very useful to the user (specially for the fans and biographers of Michael Jackson), because it contains the basic information with very simple elements like text and images, but also offers the opportunity to external links with videos, articles, essays...etc.

Comparative: the BBC has a very similar timeline that permits the user to know the British History. The BBC has a multimedia special about History with this timeline. There are obvious differences, like the use of colors, the division of the History according to the different states of United Kingdom (Wales, England, Scotland, Northern Ireland), the "journeys", that means that you can choose different themes and see how they are evolve in the british history (Slavery, Women's Rights, Technology, Queens and Kings)... This timeline is more sophisticated, but its complicate structure makes the user more difficult to find the wished information.

I hope you find it helpful.

. Good night, and good luck!

NYT Woodstock Interactive Feature

2009-10-13T08:41:00.000-07:00

Although it´s a little old, this multimedia special on Woodstock is pretty cool. The structure is straightforward: after a breif text introduction (with a hyperlink to the Art Beat blog), it lays out boxes with the audio, informative text, and an occasional hyperlink. These boxes are organized by band, making the structure super easy for a user to follow. Its formats are fairly basic in that it only uses text, hypertext and audio (plus one tiny photo). It also lacks features, like timelines, maps, or infographics. But it makes up for these shortcomings in that its extremely interactive and user oriented: users are encouraged to stream a sampling of songs from Woodstock, vote on them, and share their thoughts on New York Times´"Art Beat" blog. Aside from commenting on the blog, NYT encourages the use of social media with this multimedia special in that they allow you to sign in with your NYT account to email the post or reccommend it to other users, tweet it on Twitter, or share it on Facebook, Linked In, MySpace, Mixx, Digg, or Yahoo! Buzz. Although the content hasn´t been updated since its publication on August 10th, the tallies of the votes (which you can see by clicking on one of the "vote" buttons) are updated in real time.

But to prove that not all multimedia presentations are equal, take a look at this other multimedia presentation about Woodstock. While it lacks the social media options provided by the multimedia presentation by the New York Times, it combines video (divided into sections based on the idea behind Woodstock, each day of the festival, and its aftermath) with audio, links, text, and an "infographic" timeline. The sidebar includes "related content" , which often pops up with information about the song that is currently accompanying the video. These things all combine to make for easy navigability for the user. At the same time, the video plays automatically and while the "related content" offers a lot of options for the user to interact with the piece, they aren´t forced to do so as they are with the New York Times presentation, which ultimately leaves the user with less control.

Star Wars in concert (analyse of a multimedia special)

2009-10-13T08:35:00.000-07:00

This post is about analysing a multimedia special related to our blog theme so I chose a special I found about the Star Wars tour. It includes an interview to Anthony Daniels, one of the most famous voices of the franchise Star Wars (C-3PO). He has become the narrator of the "Star Wars: in concert", having the chance to work with more than 100 musicians and professionals including the compositor of the soundtrack John Williams.

This special multimedia is just a little part of a one much bigger called "Hero complex: for your inner fanboy", which includes the posibility to navigate and get informed about many franchises and characters of famous films, normally trilogies. You can go any of these sections just clicking on the hypertexts, which lead you to the special report you are interested in. Once you are on one of those reports, in this case "Star Wars:in concert", you have a navigation bar above the news wich let you go to the previous post, the next post, and of course, to Hero Complex Home. It's a very simple navigation bar, but due to this very effective, because you just cannot get lost while browsing.

Below this navigation bar appears the title of the special and its publication date including the hour. The special contains a structure full of hypertexts. Clicking on these hypertexts another window will be opened leading you to the official websites of the subjet. For example, the name of the trilogy, Star Wars, appears in blue and underlined. If you click on it, you will be taken to the official Star Wars site. It's structured in several paragraphs, the first ones related to the Star Wars tour and the next ones to the Anthony Daniels interview.

At the bottom of the report there's an special section to get informed about the dates and how to get tickets, and other section with recent and related links to Star Wars. As a good special multimedia it also gives the posibility to post comments with your opinion.

The special multimedia also includes official pictures of the interviewee and the movie. We have the opportunity to download them just clicking on it. The report offers the chance to see the Star Wars orchestra in action through a promotional video tour (offered by youtube) which invites everybody to attend the event.

So this is an interactive experience which lets users get informed while enjoying the characteristics of Web 2.0. It could also contain timelines, maps or infographics but the website has chosen to do it like this. If you want to live one of these experiences just go to this page to see what a timeline is http://www.usatoday.com/news/graphics/jacksontimeline/flash.htm

Enjoy.

Elena

Practice 6 :Analysis of multimedia specials

2009-10-13T08:34:00.000-07:00

For this practice I choose a multimedia special that appears on the New York Times webpage about the legendary music festival Woodstock. Considering that Acrosstheunivers-ity explores the past, the present and the future sounds, I thought it would be interesting to go back to the latest 60´s and take the opportunity of learning more about what has become a myth.

-Structure: This multimedia special is not a typical one, it´s structure it´s quite different. First we´ve got a big photograph that introduces us on the context and the title: "Woodstock: A moment of muddy grace", and below it there´s an article explaning how the festival went on and it´s influence over the following years. These article occupies two pages.On the left side of the article we may find diferent options. There are a bunch of links headed by the title "Multimedia". To begin, there´s a link that takes us to another page, where we can choose our favorite Woodstock song, and a list of tracks with a player underneath them so we can listen before voting. Next, there´s a link toa slide show of Reader´s photos of Woodstock, to continue there is another link to a slide show of photos in this case titled "Woodstock: A look back". If we continue going down, now we can see a podcast with a twenty-four minute mp3 of the festival, below it, another link to videos uploaded by reader´s,the webpage of Woodstock´s film. Nearly at the end of the left list there´s a column of related articles, another photograph and a link to a larger photograph gallery, a video and the option to watch more videos and at the end a link to the comments of the reader´s. The same column appears at the second page although the article continues.

-Formats: These special includes most of the formats, maybe we could say all of them. There are several images and videos, as well as audio and hypertext. So we could say it´s really exhaustive because there´s a lot of audiovisual content.

-Features: There are no timelines, infographics or maps at this multimedia special

-User oriented: There´s a big interactivity on this special. The user has a list at the top right of the article with several options, he can sign in to recommend, link it to Twitter, comment and read the comments, sign in to e-mail, print, read it on a single page, print it several times and share it to several webpages : Linkedin,Mixx, Digg, Facebook, Yahoo!Buzz and Myspace. He can also make this same actions on the slide shows mentioned before.

-Updating of contents: On the link "Related" contents upload as new articles or news come and are related to this special. Contents as comments also update the special as they can give new information that has not been included on the article.

-Web 2.0 : The social media is included at the Woodstock special as the user has the possibility of sharing it in several communities such as Facebook or Myspace.

-Comparative: On the New York Times webpage we can find another multimedia special in this case about a review of the movies of the seventies, called "A 70´s Flashback complete with flaws". It´s got a similar structure but this one is more simple. There´s also a use of the Web 2.0 and a big interactivity of the user, but not as many slide shows, although it´s got more hypertext links.

Music shaker

2009-10-08T10:56:00.000-07:00

Today I have very different styles of music. To be honest, maybe it has been very hard for me to find adecuate videoblogs and podcasts because I did not visit none of these kind of blogs frequently. One videoblog and one podcast are in spanish, I hope there is no problem (maybe the no-spanish readers can learn something =D).

BoM!

Well, first of all, I have found a kind of videoblog that actually is a community of amateur musicians. I'm very surprised because I wanted to do something similar for the big project of the subject Multimedia Communication. It offers the opportunity to register and upload own videos that can be rated, flagged and commented. Maybe this is not really a videoblog, because anyone can be the author of the videos, but I think that this website, or at least, the idea behind it, is very positive for the "emerging bands and solo artists". Band of Me has a very simple interface, the most important features are the tags on the left with the differents styles of music and the bar of tags in the superior part of the home page with the different instruments. With these two types of division, it is very easy to find as fan what you want to hear or simply know new "possible" groups or solo artists that play music you like. That's why is very important to distinguish between "listeners" and "musicians".

This website could be a revolutionary way to "propel" new groups and solo musicians. The problem is that the website is not very known, and it need some original propaganda to have more visits. It would be very utopian, but a good aspect that could help this website could be the contract with an independent record label, so the "emerging" groups or solo artists had a goal and a chance to get in the musical industry (at least in the no-commercial).

There are a lot of very good artists in the website, if you visit the website "where musicians come to strut their stuff", you will find diversity and real passion for the music.

Beatboxing in the ring

The second "videoblog" (I don't think the first was in fact a videoblog, but a social network) is in spanish and deals with beatboxing. For many this is not a type of music, that's why I considered that this new subculture of the Hip Hop is so to say "underground" or "indie". I prefer to call it "of the street". Human Beatbox recollects videos related to beatbox, like competitions, festivals, famous and amateur beatboxers or documentaries. I find it very entertaining, not only because the difficulty of "doing" these weird of noises, but also because the funny and comic faces of the beatboxers. I had begund this "discipline" and I have to say, there a lot of impressive people with fantastic guttural capabilities. Beatboxing can be combined with other instruments, like the harmonica or the flute. Here one of my new heroes of "flutebox":

Mixed Styles, mixed songs

According to the principal theme of this blog, I have searched music podcasts with diverse styles. And fortunately, I have found The Playlist Mix Podcast, a podcast that offers a cure against boredom. You will find a lot of unknown songs, but they are very special. A very good selection, very helpful while writing these posts =D

American Hip Hop

The second podcast is also a radio in spanish, but it does not matter because the songs are in english. But it speaks only of underground american rap, in the first volumen the speaker clarifies that there would not be commercial rap (which loses its essence). It is very useful because it speaks about rap from its origins, and there are songs from different decades. I recommend it, the website has also information and donwloads from spanish rap. I think this is one of the few portals for Hip Hop culture in spanish with online radio and podcast. Enjoy RW Hip Hop.

I've tried not to extend the post very much. Sometimes it is better only to listen to some music and forget the wordos. Today is the day for videos and music, usel information will come in its moment.

Good night, and good luck!

Par- amour

2009-10-08T07:28:00.000-07:00

Hi rockers,

As I do every week, I want to show you a band that is really worth: Paramore. For those who still don't know this band I must say that they are something different, a mixture of alternative rock, punk and acoustic with a great voice who will amaze anyone. Paramore originated when the young vocalist Hayley Williams was attending a private school and met the brothers Farro and Jeremy Davis.The band was officially formed by Josh Farro (lead guitar/backing vocals), Zac Farro (drums), Jeremy Davis (bass guitar) and Hayley Williams (lead vocals) in
2004,with the later addition of Williams' neighbor Jason Bynum (rhythm guitar).

In their origins they were very young (at the age of 13 Hayley started her vocalist career) but that hasn't ever meant that they work wasn't worth. According to Williams, they decided to call the band Paramore because they discovered the meaning of the homophone paramour( secret lover), so they adopted the name using the Paramore spelling. The first song they recorded was called Conspiracy, which was going to appear on their debut album "All we know is Falling" that reached top 30 on the Billboard's Heatseekers Chart. In 2007 Paramore was named by a british magazine as one of ten bands to watch out for in their 2007 tour. This band surprises due to its incredible direct, both normal and acoustic, and because Hayley's voice never fails. Here I leave you a video of an acoustic version of the song "Here we go again", which was used on their first album. If you want to see more about how the guys have fun and a live, watch this videoblog.

Well, but the album that sent them to the top was "Riot". The name was chosen because it meant "a sudden outburst of uncontrolled emotions", and it was a word that "summed it all up". The band sold 44,000 copies of this album the first week in the United States. "Misery business"(listen to the podcast clicking on misery business) was their first single and according to Hayley it was the most sincere thing that she had written in life and the guys matched that emotion musically. In fact, may be most of you know this band due to that single. Since then, Paramore started appearing in many programs, giving concerts every day and new fans began spreading their music around the world so now they are a famous band that has been on tour around all the United States and Europe.

However, the group reached everybody's mind when they recorded the soundtrack of the famous saga Twilight, and the song Decode(listen to the podcast) captivated millions of fans of the books and alternative rock. The group did not disappoint his supporters and won over many new ones. The famous vampires gave an incredible advertising to the group, which this September has released their last album Brand New Eyes.Enjoy the beyond the video of the single Ignorance visiting this videoblog.

The band is expected to reach the top of the lists with their latest album giving a tour around the USA and Europe. Give them a chance and listen to them if you haven't already done it. The spanish fan group is making an effort to bring them to Spain, I hope this time we are lucky and able to see them in Madrid or Barcelona. Enjoy the music.

Elena

Music in the 21st Century

2009-10-07T09:04:00.000-07:00

Hey bloggers! It's that time of week again, where I share with you my minimal knowledge of the vast world of music in the hopes we can all find new bands to share and discover. This week I'll mainly be discussing some cool podcasts and neat video blogs I like. Writing this post has really made me realize how fortunate we are to live in the 21st century, when music is widely available over a variety of media.

A blog I frequently check for music, The Culture of Me, is not exclusively a video blog, but they do frequently feature videos in addition to mp3s and concert updates. Every post is tagged with other posts you might enjoy, so it really gives you the option to more fully explore a topic you liked. Here is the video the site posted on October 5th for the first single off of Stellastarr*'s new CD. It's called, "Graffiti Eyes".

Another blog that does not focus exclusively on videos, but still posts them frequently, is I Pick My Nose. Like Culture of Me, the always offer mp3s if not videos, so it's definitely worth checking out. They focus mainly on music from the west coast of the US, but they post whatever is good and entertaining. For example, the video below was posted on August 26th, and is a cover by Lushlife of Jay-Z's "Dead Presidents".

Anyway, this week I've discovered two really cool podcasts, both available on iTunes. The first is called "All Songs Considered" and is offered by National Public Radio. The title is a play off of their radio program, "All Things Considered". Whereas on the radio program they discuss a wide variety of music, the podcast samples a wide variety of songs across genres. It's a really great way to be exposed to a wide variety of new music-- for free! My favorite of the ones I listened to was from June 1st, where they discussed songs lyrics and featured Wilco and Regina Spektor. NPR is a great resource for a lot of different and interesting information, so I recommend checking out the site if you're bored or want to feel less guilty about procrastinating.

The other neat podcast I found is called "Indie Feed". Indie Feed is an organization that hand-picks music for their podcasts so that people can discover new music more easily and objectively-- you don't have to rely on a 20 second preview or album art in a record store to make a decision about whether or not you like a band. Each podcast is a whole song, so you get to-- for free-- listen to a complete work of an artist or band before deciding if you want to seek them out and spend your money. It's another great resource for discovering new music, and I love it. For example, I've heard a lot of great things about Brother Ali, but I never wanted to go out and purchase his stuff without first listening to him. August 26th's Indie Feed: Hip Hop podcast cleared that problem up for me.
We're so lucky to live in an age where an abundance of technology makes music so available to us! I hope you all can use these resources to find more music that interests you.

eLeCtRo GiRLsss!

2009-10-06T02:31:00.000-07:00

Although in principle this was going to be a blog about college bands,it has been drifting slowly in a mixture of items proposed by each of the components of Acrosstheunivers-ity, this is perhaps because following the directions of Professor Orihuela, we decided to write on subjects that really excite us, and thus transmitting that passion.

Following this direction, this week I´m writting about a radically different style of music,the one that I´m really into: electronic music. But not any kind of electronic music, Electropop by female artists one, who have achieved a different and original sound.

Perhaps many of our readers will know who Yelle is, well, the French came to fame as many other current groups, hanging her first video on Myspace, "Short Dick Cuizi" in which she answered macho points that some French rappers were making common on French rap (TTC and Cuiziner). This song had more than 130,000 views simultaneously on Youtube,and catapulted to success Yelle. But it was certainly the theme "A cause de Garçons" remix, in 2007, which made her a star. In the video for the song there are three boys dancing Tecktonic, a dance style that was developing mainly in France and thanks to this song became world renowned. So Yelle, has a unique style and her lyrics are at least ... different. Often using the issue of sex, parties, friendship .... in short, a declaration of how the girls of the 21st century are coming.

Another girl who has managed to captivate millions of people, is the Japanese Aira Mitsuki. This lady won the Mega Trance 2007 contest, from more than 6,000 applicants. Her music goes through many styles, Jpop, Jtek, Trance, Techno ... and the topics covered are science fiction and pop culture.Her debut single, "Colorful Tokyo Sounds No. 9" is a song that leads to a fantasy world filled with lights and people .... no doubt it´s Tokyo. Aira´s songs put us inside a bubble and make us dream, we are teleported to other world.

Some other Aira Mitsuki´s hits are : "China Discotica", "Plastic Doll"(her latest release), "Sayonara Technopolis","Robot Honey", "Barbie Barbie".

Lastly, I´ll speak about the aslo japanese group Perfume. This tech-pop group from Hiroshima, was considered the most influential group in the music industry in Japan in 2008. Although they started in 2001, it wasn´t until 2005 when it´s first debut came, produced by Yasutaka Nakata, with the album "Complete Best", with songs like "Electro World".

Success comes to them with the album "Game and Triangle", with the song "Polyrythm" (It's great!), After, they released "Baby cruising Love / Macaroni" getting an even bigger success in 2007 and 2008. Their style has been drifting into more and more electro tracks.

I can´t finish wothout mentioning the amazing choreography´s that Perfume makes. They are just impressive!!!! Here I leave a couple of videos where you can here a watch their incredible music and dances.

This is not the original song,it is a remix,but the dance at 1:47 is crazy!!!

Evil Insomnia

2009-10-01T08:33:00.000-07:00

These days I have been a litlle bit faint-hearted and discouraged, maybe it could be explained because the autumn has been showing itself in the rainy clouds and the grey afternoons, but I also think it is because I have a lot of work to do (a lot of heaviness!) and I have thought there were no "loophole". The bed was the only one which could refuge me, but I couldn't escape to the Land of Dreams because I have suffered sleeplessness. Indeed, the nightmares have invaded my reality like creatures of the hell.

But today it is a sunny day, things have changed and I want to speak about a group whose songs have always received me when I have had bad news. Curiously, the name of these group is related to all the previous bold words, specially the two last ones. Its name is Incubus, etymologically, "incubare" (from Latin), to lie on, and according to the Online Oxford Dictionary, it is "a male demon believed to have sexual intercourse with sleeping women" or in archaic language, "a nightmare". Nowadays one of the most recognized-ecological music groups of the world and also because it charitable Make Yourself Foundation, organization without acquisitive aims focused on people in need of help. According to Wikipedia, the genres of the band are alternative rock and alternative metal, but the giddiness and the dominion of the members make very difficult to "label" their style, that's why many people think that they are identified with hard rock, funk metal, rapcore, heavy metal or rap rock.

I don't care what they really are. I love their music, perhaps the reason is because they have done an effort to distinguish themselves from the rest of the wave. I think that they have a very personal style; Let me call it "incubing". I just don't want to speak about the history of the group. To be honest, today was the first time I searched information about the history of the group. The only relevant date is the foundation of the group, 1991, like my birthyear.

I love all their songs because all of them belong to different phases of the group. But if I had to choose, I will say that my favourite ones are the first I listened to, "Oil and Water", "Anna Molly" or "Loves Hurts" . But the best is, with no doubt, "Dig". These songs are from the last album, "Lighting Grenades". Here the videoclip:

I also recommend "Here in my room" and "Mexico", as well as instrumental songs of the parallel group founded in 2003 by the guitarrist of Incubus Mike Einziger "Time Lapse Consortium". For him, "Time Lapse Consortium is an idea that had been swirling around in my brain for quite some time. For years I've been fascinated by the great bandleaders and arrangers of the 50's and 60's. People such as Quincy Jones, Esquivel, Sergio Mendes, etc.... With all of those instruments, it's like being able to paint a picture with many different colors. It's a very different experience from writing music for a standard rock and roll setup."

I finish with the discography of the group, it is in a chronological order. I hope you become also a fan of this special group. Pay attention to the lyrics, they will surprise you!

Good night, and good luck!

Discography of Incubus

Square Enix Soundtracks

2009-10-01T07:44:00.000-07:00

Hi rockers,

This week, as Ines did, I'm going to show you something completly different: The Square Soundtracks. It seems this is the week of japanese recommendations. I have to say that for me it's important to mention that good games, series or film soundtracks, can sometines be the better medicine not to feel sad, or just to clear your own feelings. Those who like roll games or just have heard about Final Fantasy and Kingdom hearts will like this post. Even those who like to listen classical music sometimes or take a rest listening to something "different" should take a look to this.

Firstly, I'm going to explain briefly what now Square is. It's a major japanese company producer of manga(with its magazine Shonen Gangan) and video games. His main genre is RPG and its headquarters are in Tokyo, Japan. Its origin is the result of the fussion of the companys Square Soft and Enix, which took place on 1 April 2003 and one of its most famous sagas are Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts. This last one had an incredible succes due to the fussion with the company Walt Disney, which provided the japoneses with its famous characters Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy...

But, what makes these games so special? I think one of the most important things are their gorgeous soundtracks. Famous good scenes of all times won't be so great if we weren't listening to their background music. Those scenes wake up feelings inside of us, and we relive them listening to the soundtrack over and over again. But there's no need of having played these games to appreciate the quality of Square music. It takes us to places in our minds we could have never imagined.

One of the songs that touched thousands of players has been the famous theme To Zanarkand from Final Fantasy X and its variations. This game was the presentation of Final Fantasy for Playstation 2 and is characterized by its incredible graphics for its time, its story, gameplay and wonderful soundtrack. It's considered as one of the bests roll games and even one of the best games ever. Final Fantasy X tells a tale of adventures, love and sorrow in the imagined world of Spira. Here I leave you the theme so you can listen to it.
However, Final fantasy is not the only square saga which has a great soundtrack. I must mention the recent game Kingdom Hearts. Emerged from the union of Square and Disney, it had a runaway success that many had not expected, just because they thought it was going to be a game for "kids". But what was the surprise when not only children found the game exciting, but all kinds of amateurs and even expert players of all ages. Its graphics weren`t perfect then, but its story and the soundtrack touched many.
Well, I hope this post will provide you new opportunities. Playing music of this kind is always helpful on many occasions. Enjoy.
Elena

SAMURAI CHAMPLOO OST

2009-09-30T09:55:00.000-07:00

This week in Acrosstheunivers-ity, I wanted to bring something different to what we normally recommend routinely. Because of my love for anime, I've seen plenty of series that have influenced my life and personality. No wonder that after weeks of watching a series, when it reaches it´s last chapters I feel sluggish and sad .. though it sounds silly, because the adventures
of the characters who have lived with me are ending forever. Reviving the feelings that their experiences produced in me it´s possible by listening to the music that accompanied them. Images come to my head and I can meditate about the message of the series.

On this occasion, since it will not be the only one, I´ll talk about the soundtrack of the anime series that has influenced my life most: Samurai Champloo.

Jin,Mugen & Fuu respectively

Samurai Champloo appears in 2007 under the direction of Shinichiro Watanabe, the creator of the legendary Cowboy Bebop (series of worship for all lovers of anime).

The series is set in the Edo period in Japan and follows the adventures of Mugen, Jin and Fuu, three completely different people that are brought together by fate in a thrilling adventure in search of the samurai who smells like sunflowers.Specifically, something that is special of Samurai Champloo, is the attitude of the characters,similar to the people of the twenty-first century. Besides the soundtrack gives it that urban touch that makes the difference.

The Samurai Champloo soundtrack, has several musical styles mixed superbly by the director in each of the episodes, adding an incredibly modern and original atmosphere.

The artists who make up this wonderful soundtrack are Force of Nature, Tsuchie and Fat Jon. Shing02 in addition,a Japanese rapper who sings during the opening theme with Nujabes "Battlecry". The ending theme is sang by Minmi who runs with the beautiful theme "Shiki no Uta"or song of four seasons.

Some songs can not be heard on the albums of the official series. This is the case Obokuri Eeumi a beautiful song from her album Ikue Asazaki "Utabautayun" and "San Francisco" by MIDICRONICA for her album "# 501" which is the ending of last episode.

Nujabes is a Japanese producer and DJ of hip-hop. In the soundtrack to the style used is heavily influenced by cool jazz. Although we could qualify his music as jazz rap.Some great songs? "Mystline"and "Aurarian dance".When Shing02 colaborates with Nijabes, they create great songs such as "F.I.L.O"

DJ KZA and Kent are the DJ / producers in Force of Nature. Creators of new techniques and concepts have a strong style of his previous experience as a hip-hop artists.Their songs create a calm and mysterious atmosphere. Listen to "Just Forget" and "Hiri Zuru Style".

This was my recommendation for this week, I hope you enjoy listening to something different .To conclude I´ll just say that in Samurai Champloo Shinichiro Watanabe achieves a masterly combination between feudal style and and urban hip-hop,creating a masterpiece, and proving once again that it is one of the masters of animation.

Stream of Consciousness

2009-09-30T06:30:00.000-07:00

I'll admit it: lately, I have been terrible about keeping up on music. Please excuse this sin; the fact of the matter is I'm here to learn Spanish (whether or not that's obvious), and so I've pretty much been listening to the one Pereza album I own on repeat since arriving in Pamplona. It's Animales, in case you were wondering-- I heard Princesas one night in a bar a few years ago and decided to download the CD so I had something in Spanish to listen to. But I digress.

Originally, I intended this post to be about a band that's hot right now on my college campus, so I decided to head over to the website for Cat's Cradle, a well known venue for alternative acts in my college town in the States. One act caught my eye for two reasons, the first being that I'm bummed I won't be in Chapel Hill to see them perform. The other is that they are indirectly related to a band Ines mentioned in her last post (I'll explain why in a minute!). Anyway, the band is called Built to Spill; they were big in the 90s and are still well known and respected on the lo-fi scene. They are touring now because they have an album coming out in October.

In Ines's last post she mentioned The Ataris, which was without a doubt my favorite band when I was in 8th grade and 13-14 years old. My musical taste has evolved considerably since then, but I still remember most of the words to the songs I used to listen to-- including one called "Song for a Mix Tape". One of the verses goes, "...it had all my favorite songs. There was Jawbreaker and Armchair Martian, Built to Spill and The Descendents; yeah I even put one of ours on it". The introduction of the song is a clip from The Descendents "Silly Girl", and a line of the song is inspired by (or directly copied from, depending on how you choose to look at it) from Jawbreaker's "Jinx Removing". Jawbreaker, now defunct, is one of my favorite bands. They're generally considered "punk" depending on who you talk to, so if you're looking for something a little harder than The Ataris I highly recommend them.

Anyway, I guess the main point of this post was how interesting I find the way bands are related to one another and influence one another, especially bands as diverse as The Ataris, Jawbreaker, and Built to Spill. Just to tie it back to my original intent-- a band students on my campus are listening to-- here's a video I found on YouTube that someone made for one of my favorite Built to Spill songs, "Car". Enjoy!

Those wonderful 90s

2009-09-28T07:55:00.000-07:00

Who doesn´t remember those American teenagers obsessed with losing their virginity before the prom?Those parties at the "Rich boy" house, with tables full of red plastic glasses and punch bowls? What about those drunk girls turning on the poor nerds of the highschool? What about the practical jokes to the Dean? And the American football players with their busty blond cheerleaders? Where are those bands that played at the Spring Break?

Those moments have an original soundtrack: 90s Punk-pop
Punk-pop came out from the fussion between Punk-rock and Pop music. When a group of californian youngs called "The Descendents" started talking on their letters about highschool,proms,girls,friends...to sum up, they started to talk about what really matters to a teenager at the U.S.A . Los Angeles time wrote about them when their first Cd (Milo goes to college) came out at 1982 that it was "perfect for the kid who was always the loser who never got the girl". Maybe you haven´t heard much about this group, we´ll that may be because they started at the 80s, but if you want to know more about them, they´ve got a great webpage: http://www.descendentsonline.com/

Although The Descendents started what seemed to be a new music style (and lifestyle too) who actually settled it was Blink 182. This californian(what a surprise) band was formed by Tom Delonge,Mark Hoppus and Scott Raynor (this last one was fired from the group for his problem with drink) at the end the battery was played by Travis Baker. Their influences? Bad Religion´s punk, and Green Day´s and Offspring´s punk-rock.

But what does Blink 182 make that differences them from their predecessors?: they didn´t talk about politics on their letters, their songs were made for brats and they were completely original. Their success came from the fact that their music reflected the experiences of teens, and conected with the life of skaters and surfers that just wanted to have fun. Have a look at their website http://www.blink182.com/,because they are coming back with a tour on 2009 and 2010.

Blink though, wasn´t the only band that made it.Sum41,Good Charlotte,New found glory, Ataris,Yellowcard,Bowling for soup or Zebrahead, composed the tendency.You can listen all their songs for free at http://www.garageband.com/genre/poppunk. And in this atmosphere, not only the music changed, movies did too. And the industry noticed that this film genre had it´s place. So, American pie appears and becames a complete success. And its plot its not the 8th wonder,but its hilarious. And another series that turned out being a complete success asociated with pop-punk was Malcolm in the Middle. But after this boom, there was a weakening, around 2005, this groups have a more alternative style, and new groups such as Fall out boy have taken over.

The strength of Pop-punk is gone, but we will always remember those wonderful 90s, and the hope that this genre never dies completely. Life seemed so easy...

Sharing and Discovery

2009-09-25T00:42:00.000-07:00

To me, music is all about sharing and discovery, so I thought I'd share with you some of my favorite sites on the Internet for discovering new bands.

First up is Rolling Stone, the official website for the magazine of the same name. At least in the States, this magazine is pretty much the Bible for anything and everything pertaining to music news. They have interviews with artists, album reviews, and stream mp3s so you can hear a song before buying it. Plus the website has a section for blogs, where people frequently comment and express their views about bands and what's going on in the world of music.

The next site is one I've been using for awhile-- Last FM. On Last FM, you create a user profile and submit what kind of music you like to listen to, and a personalized radio station is created for you to listen to online. Last FM introduces you to new music because when they create your radio station, they take into account what other users with similar tastes listen to. It's a really great resource for finding new bands, and best of all, it's free-- so its perfect for college students with little disposable income.

Tuneage, powered by Tumblr, is a great blog I stumbled upon this summer. Ten contributors write for the blog, and each day they bring to you a free song to stream as they make recommendations about what music to listen to. And it's not all "I like this band, so listen to them!" either-- some of their recommendations are more like, "Kings of Convenience is a great band to listen to on a rainy day." Again, the best part of this site is that it's free, so it's a really easy and convenient way to discover new music without spending money or illegally downloading.

Another blog I discovered this summer is The OCMD, and like Tuneage most posts offer free music to stream. The difference is this blog is updated by one person, and it's more of her personal thoughts on sharing the music she loves (mostly indie and electronica). But it's still a good read, and still a great resource for discovering new bands-- especial ly since, as the title indicates, she is obsessive about music.

That's all for now. I highly recommend you check out these sites (at the very least, Last FM) to discover bands you'll love but didn't know existed. Enjoy!

Floatation Therapy II

2009-09-24T09:46:00.000-07:00

Hi Rockers,

As you can see in my previous post, my name is Elena and I study in the Communication faculty of Navarra. This week I take the opportunity to offer you all a blog and a web, which could bring you more information of what I talked about last week: The English band Fightstar and their latest album. I'm going to recomend you other site and other blog too, which contain news and media about the most latest famous alternative and hard-rock bands. Who hasn't ever got bored of his music and thought "Well I really need something new that fills my mind but I don't know where to find it"?

To begin with, I will continue talking about Fightstar. It seems that their popularity is increasing with the passage of the weeks since they released their last work. Now, I invite you to visit these worhtwile sites. http://www.fightstar.org/ is an unofficial website which contains recent updates, interviews, an incredible photo gallery and a forum in which you can share your opinions and feelings about the band. Of course, to enjoy the forum you must register on the website, but if you really like this band I recommend it to you, because you will find all you wish about performances. You will know new people from all countries to talk with. It's a really good experience. But if you want to know more about other bloggers opinion you can visit buzznet . This is like a huge blog where many bloggers post their opinions about this band and other ones which they love. It contains many videoclips and even articles from magazines like Rock Sound.

Secondly, in one hand, I'm going to show you a good website which contains lots of alternative music radios, so you can chose the one you want and listen to it, discovering new groups and songs you would have never heard of otherwise.

ALTERNATIVE ROCK RADIO STATIONS

This is the name of the website. It's very easy to use, so don't be worried thinking that you will have to download a special player or something like that. Just if you have the windows media player it will automaticaly reproduce the songs (it's the same with stuff like winamp, spacial audio etc...). These radios often play modern rock bands as Nickelback, Billy Talent, Saosin, Avenged Sevenfold; but you could find sometimes themes by Jimi Hendrix or Pink Floyd.

On the other hand, there's an online music blog which contains posts of many users who want to share information about alternative music. They can be very different. For example, one which caught my attention was a post talking about the most annoying songs of all time (very funny by the way). This is the url www.onlinemusicblog.com/blog/.

Well, I hope you like these websites and you make use of them because they are worth.If you have any suggestions or you know interesting websites with similar caracteristics you can comment or just send me an email.

Elena

Music in the Faculty and a specialized "indie" website

2009-09-23T08:52:00.000-07:00

I have to admit that I have no idea how I should do my section. I have already affirmed that I want to speak about groups done in the university, but I have no references, because I'm also learning about this topic.

Back To The Seventies

That's why I have searched some information about the music that is listened in the University of Navarra. In the Faculty of Communication, the students have the choice to do practices of radio. The radio station has many programms, but I want to focus on "Plástico 70", aprogramm that make reference to the vinyl records of the 70's ("plástico", or plastic in English, was an alternative name of the vinyl records). Why am I speaking about this section of the radio? Well, I think this is the "approximate" radio station that fits with the origins of underground music movements (origined from 60's to 80's). I recommend to every reader of this blog to listen the different podcasts. There are relevant and famous names from groups and artists like "The Who", "Deep Purple ", "Cat Stevens", "Bob Marley", "Pink Floyd" and also explanations of certain styles, like "Punk" or "Heavy Metal".

Photo called "The Sweet balance of Vinyl" by Tobias Zeising

All lovers of the diverse music, please visit the suggested website. It will give you a lot of joyful hours and you will learn a lot about different styles of music.

Oh My God, look at OMB!

Secondly, I have searched in the "Oracle of the Web" (what a wonderful sense of humour) some specialized websites of our beloved independent and alternative music. OnlineMusicBlog is a very good example that offers a lot of possibilities. It has a very simple layout that helps a lot to not to "get lost". The page has a blog with recent news, like new releases of albums, updatings of other websites that allows you to download music, new downloadable software (music programms like "Piano Wizard Premier") or other related content to this kind of music (like the funny list of "The 10 Most Annoying Songs of All Time").

There is also a Music Store where you can download legal (I mean, you should pay) music; even you can shop musical intruments and material if you are an active musician. This section shows the professionality of the website, not only because the clear content of their very reasonable prices, but also because it almost perfect organization.

But the section that has amazed me is The Directory. If you aren't enough satisfied, the website offers you a lot of external links to essential information or software, like The Apple iTunes Music S t or e, Tickets-selling websites, Sheet Music Websites, Memorabilia (rare stuff like posters, merchandising in general) sites... and so forth. I just don't want to bore you, that's why I have tried to summarize all the aspects of this sophisticated website. I recommend an obligatory visit (sounds kind of contradiction, doesn´t it?).

Logo of OnlineMusicBlog

I hope you find interesting and useful these both websites. The first keep you informed about past and actual groups and styles of music, the second goes beyond and allows you to learn more how to begin a new group, offering equipments and scores. Sometimes, I will use these websites as sources of information, so don't be worried about the important news! (Ladies of the blog, I recommend you to visit them ;D).

Good night, and good luck!

Floatation Therapy

2009-09-18T06:17:00.000-07:00

Hi rockers,

Firstly, I'd like to introduce myself, my name is Elena and I study in the communication faculty of Navarra. My aim with this blog is to make you all know new bands could interest you or just add iformation about their latest albums and concerts if you already know them. If you have any suggestions, please don't hesitate and write to me or just add comments, you're all welcome. This is my second post(the first one was published by dani's account but it was me the one who wrote it) and I like to make a special mention to talk about the band Fightstar and their new album.
I’d like to introduce them in a brief way. They formed in 2003 when Charlie Simpson was actually still a member of the pop-rock trio Busted and after,in 2005, he broke away from this band to focus on the new and more rockier project: Fightstar. During the band's initial emergence, they were faced with much scepticism due to Simpson's former pop career. But forget about Busted because they just are in a different league, Charlie doesn't record music for kids anymore. Fightstar is a post-hardcore british band formed by 4 members(Charlie,Alex Westaway, Dan Haigh and Omar Abidi ) which has already recorded three albums and a b-sides compilation: Grand Unification, One day son this will be all yours, Be human and Alternate Endings.

BE HUMAN is the latest album the band released and "The English Way" was its first single. Recorded on 3 November 2009 it reached numer 1 in the UK rock chart and the videoclip also reached number one on the MTV2 top ten. This new album include their dark and heavy elements but they have experimented with more of a "rock opera" sound including full strings and choir. Haigh, one of the members of the group, says “Some people will listen to this album and expect things to sound the same but we decided to just create things you'd enjoy listening to.” And he's right, the disadvantage that many albums present is that most of their songs are repetitive and share the same style, but Be Human does not. Now they have released their third single of the album,called Never Change, which has received lots of positive critiques. I'm going to leave here the videoclip of The English Way so you can judge their talent.

However, I think my favourite single is Palahniuk's laughter, from the first EP called "They liked better when you were dead"

One thing that I admire about this band is that each of their songs and albums are absolutly different, they are not the typical guys whose songs are always the same, I just cannot get bored hearing their tracks once again and again. It's a pitty they are not coming to Spain this year but the fan club is making a good job so we might listen to them next year in Madrid or Barcelona. I hope you like their music, thank you for spending your time reading this.

Elena

How to compete with Emule? Billy Talent III: Guitar Villain Edition

2009-09-17T10:41:00.000-07:00

We hear a song we like and we jot the name down on a paper or we repeat what we think it´s the title of the song several times so we don´t forget it .Later we turn the computer on and remember, what was the name of that song? Ahhh...I´ll download it right now! We open Emule, Ares, Kazaa...we search and in seconds....Eureka!We click on a couple of times and it´s being downloaded. Months, maybe years of work have been put on that song. And, in a few minutes we are listening to it completely free and all the times we want. But really, who is going to spend 20 € on a CD, when you can have it for free? It´s quite evident that our society is no longer paying to listen anything. But, what would they pay for? What may encourage someone to go to the stores and buy?

Many artists have tried to offer their fans or possible new fans, unpublished material, that they couldn´t find on the internet, some failed and some succeded. But anyway, there is a group that has just hitten the nail on the head: Billy Talent.

These canadian rock band,made a simple reflexion that turned out being very effective. They thought : "Who listens our music? Youngsters; And what kind of youngsters? Youngsters who like Rock.; And what is being a complete bombshell between Youngsters who like Rock? : Guitar Hero. "

So what did Billy Talent do? They included on their new album (which reached out on July 14th on Canada) a second CD, that contains a version of all their new CD songs for Guitar Hero, but in this case they called it Guitar Villain.

The question is that over the fact that it was a brilliant idea of the group (and for sure from now on copied by more groups) the album "Billy Talent III" is scarely good. I´ll explain myself, it wouldn´t be necessary the second CD, to enjoy from the first to the last riff. The sound and letters of "Billy Talent III" are the pure reflection of youngs from the second millenium.Thirteen unpublished songs compose this album: From Devil on my shoulder, that speaks about low autoestim of teenagers(once more), to White Sparrows, a semi-balad based on the history of the death of the loved one. What´s more, it also includes themes like alcoholism(Saint Veronika), everyday decisions (Definition of destiny), and teenage love obssesion with Diamond on a Landmine (this song is so passional and real that it hurts).

Being objective, I could keep speaking about every song on the album because each one has got something to emphazise, but moreover it´s important to accentuate from this album that Billy Talent has astound us again (maybe Billy Talent II couldn´t be up to Billy Talent I, with songs like Nothing to Loose or Line and Sinker it´s quite difficult, although Surrender was excellent) and they have regain their punk freshness and that ska touch that enthralled us. There´s no doubt that again Benjamin´s high-pitched voice, D´sas angry shouts and those guitars that seem to be cursed are not going to leave you indiferrent.

Great marketing and music lessons, all combined on one CD: Billy Talent III

Music around univers-ity world

2009-09-15T09:27:00.000-07:00

Our blog is going to talk about the last and interesting famous music groups which could interest any of the university students. We might mention legends of music like Jimmy Hendrix or make some useful recommendations.We will inform about concerts and new albums, new stuff, biographys, musician's experiences or some news about music. Hope you like it.

BY: Elena

WeLcOmE To UniVeRs-iTy!!!!!

2009-09-15T09:25:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Across the Univers-ity, the blog that will keep you in touch with the newest and best college bands. My name is Inés Chaure Martínez and I am one of the editors of the blog, for more information my nickname is Inesitachamploo.No more comments.

ENJOY MUSIC!!!!!!!

The First Chord

2009-09-15T09:17:00.000-07:00

So here is our blog on music and university music culture. I´m Liz, la americana, from New York. We decided to make this blog about music because it´s something that interests all of us, and we´re going to try and focus specifically on "university music"-- be it bands university students have formed, or what´s popular among univeristy students now (both in Spain and in the US). Hopefully we´ll all learn a lot about music and discover new bands to listen to!

I guess for now I´ll start with talking about a band that´s pretty popular in the US-- Modest Mouse. You´ll never hear them on the radio, but they´re big on the "indie" scene and have been around since the mid 1990s. With their second to last full-length album, "Float On", they started becoming more mainstream and gaining more notoreity. In August they released an LP of previously unreleased tracks. Below is a video for one of those tracks, called "King Rat", which got a lot of buzz this summer because it had been directed by the late Australian actor, Heath Ledger, who was friends with the band. The video is a little weird, but that´s Modest Mouse! They´re one of my favorite bands, so I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Time to take the subway - Antecedent

2009-09-15T09:15:00.000-07:00

We don't have any concrete ideas for our blog yet, but we are trying to think what students may like during her/his time in the university. That's why we have decided to speak about music, about groups, about groups of music (particularly founded in the university). We will give to this blog some "underground touch". I hope you enjoy it, see you in the faculty!

EDIT: Well, I'm not a specialist of "underground, indie or alternative" groups. I will let this task to the ladies. I just want to speak about "scholastic" borned groups. The problem is that I have no idea, I just want to inform about these groups (specially the ones of Pamplona, or others cities which are in the near, like San Sebastián, Bilbao, Vitoria, Logroño...etc) so that the people can go to their concerts, know more about their songs, links to videos or music, lyrics to understand them...All in all, I just want to promote between the rest of my classmates the music culture done by us.

I just want to add that I'm also searching a group, I play the trumpet. Any interested please email me (shown in the profile). I don't want to advertise my previous "group" (we only played for fun and for ourselves), I just want to show you which is my style (the recorded song has bad audio quality and I was very tired that day because we already had some concerts, that's why the trumpet's sound is not the one I wanted. However, I just want to share with you this "kind of music" (our "old" group was called "Absenta para 5" and our best song is a version of the group Dirty Pretty Things). I hope you like it :P