Just thought I would let you all know that the article I wrote for CONFRONT Magazine is now live. Click here to read the article (with pictures).

Hello Folks,

I thought that I would post about a few really good bands that I discovered while surfing on the net. It all started when I googled The Crow Soundtrack. You see, I have always really liked the song “Burn” from The Cure. I have always been a fan of dark movies and themes with a fascination in things “goth.” But don’t get me wrong, I don’t like “elements” of the goth culture that you see on the streets nor do I like the various subcultures perpetuated by popular media that define themselves with their own sensational spin-off themes like S&M, Deathrock (you know, the kind with lyrics of teen suicide), satanic worship, mutilation, etc.

What I do like and what kind of goth am I talking about? Think the style of dress from the Renaissance and Victoria era, not so much the punk and deathrock stream. Think medieval romances, gothic revival architecture and yes, even the horror genre with ghosts, vampires, graveyards and old country castles.

What surprised me, however, was when I started looking up “Goth Rock” bands, I came up with some surprisingly mellow and very emotionally charged music. So lately, I’ve been expanding my repertoire of music reflecting that taste. Once I got “Burn” from The Cure on my Youtube playlist, on a list of related videos, I came across these great songs from a Finnish Band called Entwine. Well, 4 hours later of exploring, I discovered this great band along with others that fall under the “Goth Rock” label including Lacuna Coil and H.I.M.. And now a lot of their music makes up my very best list for songs from the late 90s to now. So I am including links to the songs that I like most. These songs move me. They make me feel something. Not a lot of bands do that for me anymore.

If you are interested, check out the links. Regrettably, not all of them have a video per se, but some do include the lyrics which is nice…

Here is a list of songs from the band Entwine…

Entwine

• Learn to Let Go
• Closer (My Love)
• Lost Within
• Time Of Despair
• Nothing Left To Say
• Nothing’s Forever
• Frozen By the Sun
• Hearts of Frozen Stone

And 2 from Lacuna Coil

• Entwined
• Falling Again

And 2 from H.I.M.

• Join Me in Death
• Gone With the Sin

If you went to these links, I would really like to know what you think.

Tina

This weekend we started packing for our move to Ottawa. We started with books, DVDs, and CDs. In order to reduce the stuff we have to pack (and subsequently keep in storage for 6 months), I decided to do some purging of old crap I didn’t need any longer. In the process of going through my computer CDs, I came across a backup disc from my PC days (i.e. from a LONG time ago). On MC’s insistence, I popped in the CD to see what was on it, and came across a little gem of a video.
Keep reading the rest of this article…

This week I will discuss how I plan to integrate a series of Apple products to create a fairly low-cost whole-home audio solution. This will be a two part post, with part 2 to be written after moving in to our new house in December. This post will discuss the theorhetical and technical aspects of implementing the solution, while part 2 will be a hands-on step-by-step guide. So why the iHome? Read on.
Keep reading the rest of this article…

Apparently, we’re famous in China! The song we wrote together, Your Everything, was linked to a couple of sites in China somehow, and recently got so many downloads they had to shut down the file. So there you go folks… Butterfly7 made it big.

A7

It’s almost 3am, so you know it’s time for a post. Welcome to this year’s music in review. If you’re a long-time reader of this blog, you’ll know that every year I write an article that covers the hot artists and albums of 2007 along with my predictions for next year’s breakout bands. This year has been interesting, with notable releases by small indie bands, reunion albums from long-time artists, and unique approaches to digital music distribution.

First up is the hot albums of 2007. The following are in no particular order (in fact, it’s just the order they come up in iTunes as I listen to the tracks of the past year).

Hot albums for 2007!?

Strata - Strata Presents the End of the World: Strata ended up being the breakout band of 2007. Their latest album was a real hit, they are getting all kinds of airplay, and their single “Cocaine” is my pick for the best song of 2007. They are amazing performers live, they have a unique sound, and they combine that with powerful lyrics and storytelling. If I really had to pick one standout album of 2007, this would be it. And it’s a STEAL at only $7.99 on iTunes!

Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare: What is there to say? It’s the Arctic Monkeys. Somehow, a large number of people haven’t heard of them before. Ok… so they don’t really get any airplay here in Canada (which is a shame), but still… It’s the Arctic Monkeys!!! Their thrashy, kinda sloppy, rock-with-punk-roots sound is so recognizable I can tell it’s one of their…

(Cut. Full post can be seen on the original blog.)