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ZuneHD

I'll preface by saying my Mp3 player fanboyism for a specific company is still for sale; currently up for bid between Microsoft and Creative.

Pre-Story: The only reason I am able to review the ZuneHD is because I accidentally washed my Zen X-Fi; I then took this as a sign from God that I should invest in a ZuneHD (washed it Sunday, ZuneHD came out Tuesday 9/15). The Zen is currently in transit to Creative Labs where I'm hoping my "accident" warranty will score me an X-Fi 2 (doubtful). If this does happen though I will be able to make a well informed decision as to who I'm going to be a total whore to. Currently, Microsoft is winning.

I've had a little over a week to fall in love with the ZuneHD, and I'll tell you; I'm considering proposing. People have general complaints about the ZuneHD such as, "It has a limited Apps store!" or "They removed the local social feature!". These are all problems that I expect to be solved (and can be done through firmware), but really don't bother me right now. I consider all the apps to be extremely gimmicky, and while I do enjoy being able to check the weather or facebook; music is my main concern. The way I see it, if you like flashy lights and shiny objects; go buy an Ipod Touch. If you love music, buy a ZuneHD. (I would like to point out that all the Microsoft apps will be free, just throwing that out there though.)

The first noteworthy function of the ZuneHD for me so far has been the music Channels: you can subscribe to channels that the Music Program picks based on your music, and everyday I plug my Zune into the computer, it puts new tracks on it. Opening the Channel is like opening a present, even if you don't always like it. My next favorite feature (probably my favorite) is being able to wirelessly download almost any track in existence with a Wi-Fi connection. Zune pass ($15/month gets you unlimited access to music from anywhere you have Wi-Fi: this price is equivalent to a semi-nice dinner and you get to keep 10 tracks: It's like buying an album). Then of course there's HD radio that you can bookmark tracks on for your player to automatically retrieve, the NVIDIA Tegra processor, an OLED screen (druel), 33 hours of battery life, and a grocery list of other features that make it (whatever your word for freakin' sweet is).

My only complaint so far is that this thing is so damn pretty I obsessively wipe the screen off on my shirt.

The ZuneHD is currently available in 16 or 32 GB and a multitude of colors if you order from microsoft.

More as the ZuneHD is updated.

If you want to add me on Zune my tag is Reviewfi.
If you have questions, comments, or concerns you can email me: sherwoodfi@gmail.com

I'm not atlas

My life is no longer being consumed by exams, tune in tomorrow for a "Super-Review". On another note, I've been enjoying my zuneHD thoroughly; want to see what I've been listening to? Add me: zune tag is "Reviewfi".

The Resistance

Alright, I know I said I'd review "The Resistance" within 48 hours of it coming out: but it was so awesome it took me till just now to revive from comatose. I like to think of it as; Muse does the 80's: all the tracks have this familiar feeling to them (not saying the album is unoriginal) it's the guitar and drum style. Now, since I've already covered Muse's sound, I'm going to try and be more album specific. If you haven't read "Black Holes & Revelations" check it out there.

Story Time; so I was upset when I heard the album was released digitally on the 14th (in America!) because I was hellbent on getting a hard copy. So within 5 minutes of my first class ending I hit up the local "Hole-in-the-wall" record shop and bought the last copy they had. Then I was swept off to Best Buy for a ZuneHD (another story). I heard the first couple tracks on the drive out, needless to say; I was impressed.

I love the piano part in "I belong to you" (It's probably one of my favorite tracks). I was somewhat surprised at the shortness of the track listing though. But when I saw the last three tracks, a three part symphony (wow). Just in concept it sounded so strange, an Alt. Rock band... composing a three part symphony? While it was executed well, I feel as though it lacks the level of epic found in other muse tracks. One of my good buddies said he was disappointed by the album as a whole, but it definitely lived up to my expectations. Check this album out when you get a chance, there's some very good stuff on it. (Sorry no sample tracks available yet).

Let me know what you think,
Sherwood

Hail to the Thief

Artist: Radiohead
Album: Hail to the Thief
Genre: Alt. Rock
Label: EMI

Radiohead's last album release set a new bar for "anti-selling-out". With their 7th studio album, they released it on the bands website and the price was your choice. The only reason this is a big deal is because of how main stream the band is. While politically charged, the entire album Hail to the Thief (play on "Hail to the Chief") gets it's song lyrics from News headlines (poor rabbits and their "Myxomatosis"). Their sound is best described as Muse Strung Out; you get everything from the falsetto lead, to sweet drum grooves, bass lines and guitar (with a synthesizer as an added bonus).

Taken Best: With the band's slow feel and thought provoking lyrics, it's perfect for spacing out or studying.

When I was first introduced to Radiohead, it sounded a lot like an acquired taste. The first track off the album "2+2=5" is a perfect example for the bands style in 2003. For something a bit trippy, listen to "Backdrifters" with headphones on. For good measure, my favorite track off the album: "Myxomatosis".

Recent Radiohead: there was recently a track leaked "These Are My Twisted Words". Also there's the whole, "might be on the next twilight movie soundtrack" bit (which I can't say I'll experience first hand.)

Enjoy Radiohead and definitely check out their other albums. For similar artists look for Muse and Coldplay.

Childrenless Water

So apparently, Adult Swim (Cartoon Network post 11pm) actually puts out Hip-Hop EP's. They're not just small projects either, they have some pretty well known artists on their albums. I always wondered where their fan-sub music came from, and now I know. If you're feeling a little skeptical, they're free (and not super market sample free, the whole album).

First on the list, we have "Ghostly Swim". I've been listening to bits and pieces of it all day and I keep coming back to the track "The Offbeat" by FLYamSAM. While this track is completely instrumental, some of the other tracks do have some singing (I say "singing" very loosely). The instrumentals are a completely different story, the Hip-Hop-esque beats are more or less above average while being characterized by what sounds like a clap snare. If this album wasn't labeled as Hip-Hop, I would just call it a genre mix with similar beats.

Here's an actual "Underground Hip-Hop" album, "Definitive Swim". Definitive as in, Definitive Jux: i.e. Aesop Rock's label. If you've been wanting a copy of "None Shall Pass" there is a child-safe version on this album (1-2 sound cuts). I listened to parts of this album today as well, I found some of the tracks strange(wouldn't go out of my way to listen to them), but still good enough to hear at least once.

Finally we have "Chocolate Swim", a mix with chocolate industries. This album had some artists that I was interested in hearing, while short this album was fairly decent (Listened to the entire thing today, only 24 minutes). The album has a clearly Mos Def track, as well as some MF Doom (Aqua Teen Hunger Force anyone?) Regrettably, this album is no longer available on Adult Swim, so happy hunting.

Well those are the three albums I've listened to so far, but there's much more available for free at adultswim.com. I'd assume African swim is the only other album available right now similar to these, but I can recommend the Dethalbum, listened through it a couple times; animted Death Metal band: Hilarious.

So I'm hoping to get some feed back from you guys, feel free to comment on the post (I've been working on an email address). If you want recommendations from a certain genre or similar artists to something you like, I'm happy to assist.

Enjoy!
Sherwood

Alternative Rock

If you were to stab a college radio station in a fit of rage, Alternative rock would flood the floor by the liter. Another genre that could be considered "Underground" ("Underground Rock" sounds too dark) a lot of these bands start independent and make their way to fame via college radio stations or by playing a show with a more popular band. While being an extremely broad genre that spans multiple decades; these bands are typically 3-4 instruments (drums, guitar, bass and sometimes keyboard) with the drums and bass typically being very noticeable. A lot of these songs will have lyrics that you can relate to or at the very least sympathize with. This genre will be like an old pal you can reminisce with, like that childhood friend you haven't seen in years but still gets a wedding invitation.

Taken Best: Outside on a sunny day or road tripping with some friends.

Some bands I have previously reviewed that might fall into this genre are Vampire Weekend and Metric. Here are my top Mp3 player alt. rock bands; Red Hot Chili Peppers "Dani California" (watch the video for a "history" of rock), Audioslave "Revelations" (Rage Against the Machine meets Soundgarden), Modest Mouse "Float on", Ted Leo and the Pharmacist "Me and Mia" (apparently, it's about an eating disorder), and Incubus "Drive"(awesome music video).

Hope you enjoy,
Sherwood

P.S. couldn't find a pic for alt. rock, so I took one from my pics folder; don't know where i got it.