A Solid Call 2.0

Incredible Invention : This is amazing and cool: Check oput this BoomboxPC. I saw it on Slashdot. The coolest part is the clever detail on the screen facade.

Tra La La : I must say, hard work can sometimes suck the life out of the music biz. Then, I come across some true genius, and it makes this all worthwhile. (Thanks to loyal reader Aimee for the link.)

RS For Life : Have you seen this? RollingStone offers lifetime subscriptions for $99. I might do this. Is it a new idea?

BBC Changes Mostly Sane : The shake-up on BBC Evenings really didn't affect my overnight favorites. Whew! But one result of this is that I will check out the 'funk-driven' mix of British Asian music which was moved to a prime-time slot because it's supposedly super good: Bobby & Nihal.

Free Music: Elysian Fields :
Gosh, it was 1996 and AP Magazine came with a CD sampler. I vividly remember playing this song called "Star" over and over 73 times in a row. It was the last song on the CD, but it was my hidden gem.

Aside, the liner notes were the first time I ever got exposed to the world "chanteuse" to describe sultry frontwoman Jennifer Charles. That sweet word went on to be the most over used bon mot in rock journalism, but it sure was cool at the time.

Sadly, I was in my "broke years" phase, so I never made any follow-up CD purchases like I was supposed to. But, it left a strong impression nonetheless. The band behind that song was called Elysian Fields. Ahh, the past.

Fast forward to 2004. A whole eight years later, and what do you know.. Elysian Fields are still around! They even have a new album called Dreams That Breathe Your Name and Charles is still as chanteusey as ever! Rowrr! Two crisp free MP3s from that record that I highly recommend checking out:

• Baby Get Lost
• Shooting Stars

Yummy alt-pop make-out music... like Mazzy Star or Rachel Yamagata. I am not going to miss out on the album this time. You can also buy tracks from the new album digitally from Musicmatch -- and they even still have "Star"! So, pick that one up for me. C'mon, it's only 99 cents! Do it for 1996!

(Big thanks to Toolshed Media for the links and assets.)

Gilles Peterson previews The Roots : Speaking of Gilles Peterson, this week's Worldwide show is excellent above the norm. The first 45 min are so chill, they saved my life today. (Work is worse than stressful, it's deadly.) The show also features an in-depth feature with Questlove previewing the new Roots album -- it's pretty much like a director's commentary. I loved his comments about why the album is short - 10 songs. That really bodes well for this album. I'm excited to get it. Note also that Questlove attributes the Roots getting discovered to GP. I also recently read something that called GP the logical successor to John Peel. Now I'm rambling...

Major Fuckups at BBC Radio 1 Expected : The news in the Independent says that "BBC Radio 1 is to make sweeping changes to the line-up of DJs who present the specialist shows that have become a hallmark of the station. [...] It is likely that at least three of the current night-time presenters will go, although officially no final decision has yet been made." Crap. Apparently they don't realize that Gilles Peterson keeps me sane.

Welcome Ozomatli : Reader Scott T comments: If you have some time, you should check out www.ozomatli.com

They updated their site for the new album release and have the entire album streaming (once you enter the main page). The first two songs are pretty cool. Also check out the "Band" link, which has a nice bio talking about the new album. Pretty interesting stuff.

Angelique van der Byl : FYI: She has a degree and speaks 4 languages. How, then, can she sound so wooden? Cameras can't be phasing her. Hmmm.

Solid Song of the Week Gomez : I was reading rock reviews in the NYT rock reviews in the NYT when I came across this bit: "'We Don't Know Where We're Going' illustrates its title with a Ping-Pong stereo introduction, amazing on headphones, played on acoustic guitars so rhythmically perfect some listeners will have seizures." Stephin Merritt was talking about a track from the new Gomez record. Being always in the market for a good seizure to stay (in)sane, I fired up the Zion mainframe and checked it out. Yeah, it's a thudding, hard-rocking post-rock track all right. I love it. Doesn't look like the track is cleared for Musicmatch or iTunes, though.

The Way the Music Died : I'll be recording this to watch when I'm not working. The Way the Music Died "FRONTLINE examines how the business that has provided the soundtrack of the lives of a generation is on the verge of collapse." Sounds a bit dire, but we'll see on May 27.

Ask The Mars Volta :
We have a very special treat for you this week. The Mars Volta stopped by the ASC editorial complex to answer some relationship e-mails from you the readers. Here's what went down.

Dear Mars Volta,

I'm having a problem with a guy at work. Somehow he got my home phone number and started calling me. I don't mean he called once or twice; he called once or twice EVERY HOUR for weeks. It got so bad I'd make excuses to get off the phone or have my roomates tell him I was out. I'd have no problem telling him to stop, but he has a very big mouth and every time someone disagrees with him, he calls them a racist. I feel helpless for fear he'll spread rumors about me.

Signed,
Stalked in Sacramento

Dear Stalked,

In denial who will come clean all the ravenous debris. In disguise sideswiped by penance cerecloth sentencing this scapegrace will pay my barking harangue... are you listening? On the 14th you stole what hasn't grown old. In denial, file this under a bridge that he can't leave will those shadows glare from that blank- rimmed stare in a vacancy hush.

Dear Mars Volta,

I am a 36-year-old mother of three and have lived with "Phillp" for 12 years. Phil has always promised he'd marry me "someday," and I believed him - until last Valentine's Day.

I had been dropping hints about how romantic it would be if he proposed on that day. He took me to a fancy restaurant. I was so happy, because I thought this was it.

My heart was pounding all through dinner because I thought this would be the night. But that's as far as it went! When we were walking to the car, I finally said, "You're not going to pop the question, are you?" He then removed a tiny ring from his pocket and said, "This is a promise ring. I promise to marry you - someday."

I was devastated. Am I wrong to expect this man to make a legal commitment?

Signed,
Mother of His Children in North Dakota

Dear Mother,

You've got the lot to burn. A shelve of pig smothered cries. Is there a spirit that spits upon the exit of signs? Is anybody there? These steps keep on growing long bayonet trials, rust propellers await .

No, nobody is heard. Rowing sheep smiles for the dead. Nobody is heard, an antiquated home afloat with engines on mute. Sui generis ship spined around the yard. Is anybody there? These craft only multiply at the nape of ruins rust propellers await.

Well, there you have it. Keep asking the tough questions, and maybe The Mars Volta will stop by from time to time to give you the wisdom you'll need to make it through.

C-Cubed : J-Ro writes in: There's no way she's on drugs again! There's no way she's on drugs again! Crazy Courtney the Clown (C Cubed)

New Link in Tech Section : I'm going to include an Insider link on the right to the Hydrogenaudio Forums. They seem to be a super-techy bunch of audiophiles talking about formats, compression and other ridiculous tech matter, but I find it interesting. Plus, if new CD-copy prevention schemes come out, this might be a place to hear if they get cracked.

Treat Myself? : It may be time to treat myself. The good folks at Headroom have a gadget that's right up my alley. The BitHead is a headphone amp designed specificaly for computers. It jacks into USB and acts like an external sound card with an amp.

See, right this very minute I am sitting at my desk with my Sennheiser 280 headphones and an early version of their Airhead amp. It's a pretty cool setup, but here's what happens with the sound. Computer goes through soundcard, soundcard goes to an Altec amp unit, amp goes to cheap speakers, cheap speakers have a headphone jack, and the jack goes to my headphone amp, to my headphones and from there directly into my soul. The end result of that equation is way more hiss than any human should have to endure. It's hiss that's going, as l said, right into my soul! This is no good. I've tried going right from the soundcard to my amp, but the weak-sauce company issue card's only got one line out, and I can't be switching behind my computer everytime I want to flip from cans to speakers and back.

So this BitHead seems to be the ideal answer. But at $199 (or $269 for the premium version) can I afford the luxury? Listening to this hiss, I'm really wondering if I can afford not to... Any suggestions?

Wednesday Morning Download : Definitely check out Wednesday Morning Download on Salon.

The Kingmaker : If you missed this Wired article profiling Walt Mossberg, then you should read it now.