Hands-On with Spotify

Although it's still in the very initial stages, the much-lauded Swedish music streaming service Spotify has made its way stateside. Boasting a library of over 15 million songs and freshly inked contracts with every major US label (and a quality selection of indies, as well), it's off to no small start. I got myself an invite to see what all the fuss was about, having heard glorious praises sung by my friends and family in the UK who've had access to it for a few years now. With the blogosphere throwing around powerful terms like "next big thing" and "iTunes killer", all eyes are on Spotify, but does it really live up to the hype?

"Within and Without" by Washed Out

Within and Without by Washed Out was released on
July 12, 2011 on Sub Pop

Washed Out's Ernest Green was thrust into indie stardom with his debut effort of Life of Leisure, an EP released in 2009 that picked up a lot of steam thanks to favorable reviews from across the board.  Washed Out jumped right into the top-tier of chillwave musicians like Toro y Moi and Neon Indian and now he's right back at it with an even bigger and more aurally adventurous project, his first full length Within and Without.  Released on Sub Pop, Within and Without shows that Ernest Green continues to grow musically along with the rest of his early front running peers in the chillwave movement.

It's easy to just fall into habit and keep making the same records over and over, especially in a genre as subversive as chillwave where if you're not paying attention to the subtle nuances of the music then one could easily get lost in the sounds and simply dismiss it as 'another generic chillwave song'.  I've heard it before as a complaint and it can be deemed as legitimate amongst the majority of the artists in that genre, there's many who simply believe reverberated vocals and catchy synth lines can equal good and entertaining music, but what truly makes artists like Ernest Green stick out from the crowd are the unique changes to his sounds from Life of Leisure, he's added a plethora of live instruments and has toned down the focus on making catchy and vibrant pop songs in favor of slow-brooding sonic landscapes that can leave the listener floating through this forty-minute album in seemingly no time.

Follow Friday: 07/15/2011

 @oldmansearch

A man has told his 81-year old father that Twitter is Google, so this man sets about scouring the internet (somehow) via Twitter, for all sorts of goodies: thin divorcees, gyms with no teenagers indianapolis and a plethora of others, usually about twice a day. Equal parts hilarious and awful, @oldmansearch is definitely something you should be following.

 @robdelaney

As hilarious as he is vulgar, Mr. Delaney has made a name for himself as a stand-up comedian doing national tours, as well as creating a massive twitter presence. He writes, occasionally, for Vice Magazine, Huffington Post, and (depending on how thoroughly you vet your Google searches) plays for the Tampa Bay Stingrays. Terry and I had the opportunity to catch his live show in Chapel Hill and were blown away. I even found some video from the night's performance where he makes mention of an ongoing Twitter feud with the Counting Crows. You can follow him here: @robdelaney.

@RL_Stine

As you can see at the right, he thinks I'm funny. Or rather, that I made him laugh that one time. Regardless, @RL_Stine has a special place in my heart, as I believe he does all of the kids from my generation. I was a hair too old when Harry Potter came out, but I had spent the preceding years as a devout Goosebumps reader. I even got so good at the Choose Your Own, I didn't have to save the page I was on. Now RL (who's About Me: is "My job: to terrify kids") has a twitter, and whether you've got Goosebumps or not, I recommend following.

Hopscotch Announces Day Party Lineup

After announcing an incredible lineup, featuring headliners The Flaming Lips, Guided By Voices performing their final show, Lost in the Trees and about a hundred and fifty other equally remarkable acts (full list here), Raleigh, NC's Hopscotch Music Festival announced their equally incredible day party lineup.

The day partying starts on Thursday with a kickoff party at Sadlack's Heroes featuring Chip Robinson, Olympic Ass Kicking Team and others. On Friday, Tir Na Nog hosts Duo Sets, where performers pair off from Mandolin Orange, Birds and Arrows and others. Kings will also be rocking it on Friday with Transportations, Shit Horse, Americans in France and Wild Wild Geese. The Pour House will be hosting a Three Lobed Recordings party, featuring Year of the Pig, The Moaners and Monsonia.