8-Bit Heart, High Def Work (A Review: Simon Curtis - 8-Bit Heart)

Official Website: http://www.simon-curtis.com/
Follow Simon on Twitter: http://twitter.com/SimonCurtis

"There once was a boy who was made, not created. He wanted to learn. He wanted to indulge his senses, to understand pain. But most of all, he wanted to love. For only when he found true love would he become real."

With those opening words begin "8-Bit Heart": a beautifully twisted electronic fairy tale about a boy robot's search for true love in a world of humans who "complicate the word". An album released solely on the interwebs (for now, at least) just yesterday (03/24/2010) by a young (and completely adorable) young talent named Simon Curtis.

I admit that prior to my seeing it posted on a blog I frequent, Curtis' name was unfamiliar to me. While this is his debut album, he was the star of 2009 Nickelodeon musical TV movie "Spectacular".  For all you music prudes out there, don't let that fact taint your opinion! One listen to "8-Bit Heart" is all one needs to see that Curtis is not your cookie cutter pop star, and this album is not like your standard pop fare. 

In an industry and genre where there has been a waning focus on genuine talent over the last few years, the robotization of vocals has become almost expected. Sadly, many of the top artists out there can't deliver the goods in a live setting and as a result it seems electronic music and the art of vocal processing and production has gotten a bad reputation.

On "8-Bit Heart", the albums narrative seems to both demand and justify the use of heavy processing techniques on both the inventive (and sometimes unconventional) instrumentation and on Curtis' versatile character-driven vocals. (He is, the boy robot.)

The album's songs are solid; built on edgy beats that throb, pound and grind their way into your subconscious. Each track creates a new sonic landscape and though the album is cohesive as a set, none of the songs really sound alike. Vocally, Curtis is equal parts Darren Hayes and Blake Lewis. Lyrically, he often strays from the norm and a few songs are pleasantly disarming in their frankness. (Check out "Fell in Love With An Android" below; for the delicious diss "I hate to say it but I'd rather fuck a robot.")

Cementing the concept/narrative of the album, the tracks often contain tongue-in-cheek references to other modern pop songs (Britney's "If You Seek Amy", Kelly Clarkson's "Since You've Been Gone" and Gaga's "Bad Romance" are all referenced) and lots of homage to technology.

Curtis is equally comfortable on and off the beaten path as the tracks often vary in their audible proximity to all out radio-friendly pop and a more transgressive fare, showing that while he is certainly an artist he has a great pop sensibility. This is definitely one guy to watch out for!

Recommended Tracks: "Fell In Love With An Android", "Joystick", "Super Psycho Love" and "Don't Wanna Be Alone" (but I truly enjoy them all!)

"8-Bit Heart" is available now for free download at http://www.simon-curtis.com/

Get it while it's hot!!! 

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Blog Post #1,459,834 on Tiger Woods

I have mixed feelings about the whole Tiger Woods debacle. On one hand, Woods seems like an entitled, arrogant jerkface who just likes to slut it up, and he got caught. But this public act of contrition (what crime did he commit again?) is over the top, not to mention disingenuous. It was obviously done to save face with his sponsors so he could keep making all that money. And why are we surprised at his infidelity? I guess it’s because although lots of sports (football, basketball, baseball, soccer) stars are considered sex machines because they epitomize physical prowess, golfers are about as sexy as, well, golf.

Tiger's Apology

On the other hand, I have sympathy for anyone; male, female, gay, straight, famous or ordinary who is caught cheating and has to suffer public and private humiliation. I don’t think cheating automatically makes you a bad person (unless you did it to hurt someone). When Bill Clinton was facing impeachment, I thought it was ridiculous. So he had a fling, suddenly he’s not capable of leading the free world? I think I have sympathy because these cheaters are caught in the tyranny of monogamy, aka The Only Relationship Model™. But I think some people are ready to rethink the old model. I think the fact that any time a public figure cheats it becomes a scandal is because underneath all the pearl-clutching people are deeply ambivalent about monogamy. It is unrealistic to ask one person to meet another person’s entire romantic and sexual needs for the rest of his/her life. If sexuality is fluid, then what you like and need at 25 might not be the same at 35, or even 10 minutes ago.

For fun over the summer (I am a nerd, after all) I read a few books on monogamy and love; The Ethical Slut by Dossie Easton and Janet W. Hardy, Against Love: A Polemic by Laura Kipnis, and Open: Love, Sex and Life in an Open Marriage by Jenny Block (not Jenny from THE Block). What these writers (all women, interesting) argue is that the romantic/libidinal economy is based on our actual economy, which is one of scarcity.* Scarcity means we think there is only a limited amount of love, and lovers, to go around, and we can’t share with anyone else, because the beloved is our property (but if you think like that, your PlusOne is not a beloved, s/he is an object). This is why cheating and general sluttery is frowned upon. Yeah, there’s the moral aspect, but if you look closer you’ll find the scarcity model wrapped in the rhetoric of ethics and religion: I invested money, emotional energy, and Brazilian waxes in this relationship, why should someone else enjoy my investment? In a different world, we would not vilify cheaters, and monogamy would be one of many legitimate relationship options. But also in this different world, a man wouldn’t get piles of money for hitting a ball with a metal stick, and no one would have to apologize to the world for having sex with someone other than their spouse.

*If you wanna go back even further, read French anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss’ famous essay “The Principles of Kinship” in which he argues that women exist to be exchanged among men. This is the foundation of culture: Women are the gift men give to each other. Think about it: What’s the best way to get in with the next tribe over? Marry one of their women.

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Classic Videos: Does anyone else ALWAYS sing this to themselves every single week?

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We Are The World 25 For Haiti (YouTube Edition)

For anyone reading this who may know me, you know that I am a singer/songwriter and that I feel very passionate about the power of song and the ways in which music can change lives and move mountains. While the internet can be attributed in many ways to the downfall of the music industry as we once knew it, it can also be noted that it's given millions of people like you and me a way to put our talents out there into the world, to be seen and heard and to do our own little part to make a change in the world. Sites like MySpace and YouTube give us our platform, our stage.

As most of you also know, recently a re-envisioning of the classic charity single: "We Are The World" (written by the legendary Lionel Ritchie and Michael Jackson) was released to raise money and awareness to aid in the aftermath of the recent earthquakes in Haiti.

"We Are The World" is a touching tribute, especially to those of us who lived when it's first incarnation was released in 1985, however I know I'm not the only one who felt the 2010 remake left something to be desired. While it boasts a stellar cast of many fantastic singers, it also suffered from what I felt was a lack of heart that was so instrumental to the original and it's message.

Thankfully, artists all over the world want to lend their hearts and voices to the cause and independent Canadian singer/songwriter Lisa Lavie envisioned a re-working of this classic song featuring 57 talented online singers from across the globe. The result is the beautifully edited and performed video you see posted below this text. Less than 2 days after first appearing on YouTube, it's received nearly a quarter of a million views and it's already garnering attention from the media and even Tyra Banks has tweeted that it moved her to tears.

Check out the wonderful video below! and be sure to leave the group some feedback on the YouTube Video! For more information about donating to the cause, go to: http://wearetheworldfoundation.org

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Good Tunes, Eh!? Great Canadian Music Pt. 1

Growing up, I was always a big fan of popular music. For those of us in small town, eastern Canada, it was standard to get home from school, sit through your mom's soap operas (remember Another World anyone?) and then tune into Video Hits on CBC while she cooked you supper. If you were lucky enough to have cable, MuchMusic was also a frequent TV passtime, at least before it started sucking and they actually played music videos, similar to the decline of MTV and VH1 in the U.S.

Later, when you had gotten ready for bed you would usually spend the early part of the evening with your tape deck, antenna and blank cassettes listening to the nightly countdown or request show on your local AM radio station while you sat, phone in hand, trying to get through to request the songs you wanted with your other finger poised directly over the record button.

Damn, those were the days.

For those of you that are stateside, let me say that while about 80% of our celebrity cannon is derived from American popular culture, we do have our own history of significantly less glamorous but equally as talented and wonderful Canadian celebrities. While I'm sure many of you are thinking of Anne Murray's and Bryan Adams' (Adamses.. Adams's, Adamsii....) and I hope to bring you a glimpse of the joy that those very talented folks brought to our poor provincial lives each and everyday through this recurring segment.

For my first profile, I decided to go with an artist who unfortunately is no longer in the limelight but she brought us many infectious and wonderful pop hits in the late 80's and very early 90's. Before you click on the jump link to learn more, I have just one last thing to say to all of you: You're welcome.

(Click here to read more)

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Episode 1 - Time, Love & Tenderness

It might be hard for all of you to believe, but we twenty-somethings need to break out of this adult contemporary closet. In the spirit of starting things "balls out" Heather and I thought we would reveal our very recent obsession with the master of the chick magnet mullet: the one and only Michael Bolton. Enjoy!

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