NEW WEBSITE LAUNCH!

Forgive me if this sounds like a sales pitch, I'm really excited.

I've been working on my site for a few months now and it's finally up! Not too long ago I noticed that there was a niche in the design/music world that didn't exist and I knew if I didn't act soon, someone else would jump on it. Basically the idea is this, bands don't have a ton of cash and those that are on Indie labels don't have a lot to spend on advertising. They usually have one guy that kind of knows photoshop who can whip up a quick flyer to promote their next gig. Usually the flyer is nothing but a photo of the band with 5 different massive fonts slapped on with the info. Gets the point across, but not exactly a polished piece. On the other hand bands will go to a professional to have Gig Posters printed in limited editions to sell at the show. The cost to get these made can be really steep. There is nothing in between!! Today for bands to promote their shows they have to have digital flyers up on their home page, Myspace, Facebook, Last.fm and every other corner of the web. What I am going to do is provide professionally designed digital flyers for a considerably reasonable price. The best part is it's all a matter of logging on, fill out a form, paying through paypal and getting an email a few days later with the finished work. No phone calls. No Agency taking cash out of anyones pocket. 

So if you know anyone in a band, large or small, please pass this on to them. Even if you don't understand what I'm talking about, they will.

So here's the link (and it's easy to remember): http://www.linwilde.com

80's Synth Revisited, Tweexcore & More!

01 crystal castles

remember the cartoon she-ra? she fought alongside he-man as a co-defender of the universe? yeah, you know the gal, champion of goodness and honor in the 80's cartoon world. well she lived in this place called the "crystal castle". so when i tell you that there is a band called crystal castles that named themselves after she-ra's home, what kind of music do you envision? if you said synthesizers then you are correct, and if you said it probably sounds like some drugs went into it then you're probably also correct (though i have no way of confirming that). i don't know who started this whole 80's throwback thing that's been going on, but there are some parts of it that are really good. this band is worth checking out (or at least these tracks).

>>Good Time
>>Vanished

02 architecture in helsinki

no, they're not a band singing about structures located in the largest city in finland. they are an avant-garde pop outfit from australia though. their album "places like this" isn't exactly brand new (released august 21, 2007), but i've been listening to it a lot lately and i think it fits with the other tracks that i'm posting. architecture in helsinki is one of the more carefree and playful bands that i've come across in the last 5 years.

>>Lazy (Lazy)
>>Underwater

03 The Eames Era

i came across this band on one of the music blogs that i visit often (stereoscope). they had a track by the eames era posted at #18 in their top 20 of 2007. i had never heard of them so i had to give them a spin. i can now see why the posted "dear gabby" in their top 20 for the year.

>>Dear Gabby
>>Fake Do-Gooders

04 los campesinos!

another band whose name is rather deceiving, though the name sounds rather spanish, they are actually from cardiff wales. the name is however spanish for "the farmers". they're filed under the indie pop category, but i think there's something a little more rambunctious and witty about their approach than most "indie" bands.

>>Drop It Doe Eyes
>>Broken Heartbeats Sound Like Breakbeats

05 neon neon

this is another 80's synth revisit band that isn't as frantic as crystal castles. it's an odd sound to come out of a hip-hip producer (boom bip) and an indie rocker (gruff rhy's) but they've created a rather impressive and dancy debut "stainless style". the track "raquel" is getting quite a bit of buzz and lives up to the hype in my opinion.

>>raquel
>>i told her on aldernaan

songs you need to put on your ipod right now

01 MGMT

I know the song "Time To Pretend" is being blasted all over the place right now, but there are 2 tracks off of the EP that i think are better tracks. "Kids" is on their full length "Oracular Spectacular" as well but "Love Always Remains" is only on the EP. I highly recommend going out and picking up this album, especially if you like these tracks:

>>Love Always Remains

>>Kids

02 Medeski Martin & Wood

MMW is a jazz trio with kind of a trip-hop twist. very cool stuff. their latest album "Let's Go Everywhere" reminds me a lot of They Might Be Giants somehow. The album is somewhat geared toward kids, and something you can play with youngsters in the car and still be hip if your windows are down.

>>Let's Go Everywhere

>>Pat A Cake

03 Melody Club

Yeah, they're another swedish pop band. but they're been around since 2002, so they aren't really new-comers. I've been really enjoying their 2006 album "Scream". Good, catchy pop music.

>>Feed On Me

>>Fever Fever

04 Novika

On last.fm I occasionally listen to radio stations of rather obscure genres. One day i happened to be listening to a Polish DJ station and I came across Novika. Apparently she's one of the most well known dj's in Poland and has rather large body of work and if you go to her site she has some really great live sets available. Worth checking out for sure.

>>Common Tear

>>California Dreaming

Music recommendations for a wednesday

01. Yeasayer 

If you haven't heard these guys yet, it's just a matter of time; might as well be here. Their sound isn't anything you haven't heard, it's in the same vein as Arcade Fire, Beruit, Wolf Parade and MGMT. Rock base with world sounds and electronic enhancements. I call it good music. here are two tracks that I think are standouts on the album "All Hours Cymbals".

>>2080

>>Forgiveness

02. edIT

Local L.A. DJ that's putting together some really impressive tracks. Great breaks and on this track he hooks up with underground rapper "The Grouch" for a pretty hilarious track. If you are getting frustrated with all these hipsters throwing their lifestyle in your face then you'll find this a bit therapeutic. The other is a good showcase of his work without any vocals.

>>Artsy Remix

>>Straight Heat

03. Sweet Thing

They only have an EP right now, but if their full-length ends up being as solid as this EP, then they'll end up being another darling on everyones top new artist lists.

>>Change of Seasons

04. Peter & The Wolf

Honestly I don't know too much about this band other than it's the work of Red Hunter. Some really beautiful and delicate tracks. Reminds me a little of Iron & Wine and Devendra Banhart.

>>Safe Travels

>>The Bonsai Tree

05. Gorillaz

I thought I'd throw this one in for fun. If you like the Gorillaz i recommend picking up the G-Sides and D-Sides albums.

>>Dirty Harry (Chinese New Year Remix)

Oh Great, another blog...

I feel like i need to briefly explain the existence of this blog. Most people that are going to come across this blog already know that my wife started a blog this past year. It's basically the family blog (or "mom blog", whatever you want to call it). We find it a great way to stay current with friends and family (and if we get random passers-by that are interested in our weekly visits to disneyland, then I guess we welcome that too). In the past year I've come to appreciate a good web log. Mostly I am looking out for quality music blogs where people have posted or have links to great music that I haven't yet discovered, yet I've grown to enjoy the personal updates from friends and family. As I have started to visit more and more web logs I have felt the need to post a reply or a comment. Now when you post a comment on another blog it automatically enters your name & link to your own blog if you happen to be signed in already. What this means is I have left comments on other peoples blogs as "Melanie" because I have had no luck with the co-author option on Blogger. The only way I found where I could leave a comment with my own name was to start a blog of my own. So here I am. I've decided that this will be for posts that don't necessarily fall into the family blog category. In other words, I have no idea how often I will actually post here, but when I do I'll make it worth your time.