Crimes [These United States]

Crimes

[These United States]

I received Crimes from a good friend of mine a little while ago. I had never heard of them before but I really liked the album art the first time I saw the album (this is [almost] always a good sign). So over the past few days I’ve been listening to the intricate multi-faceted music of These United States, and I approve.

Strengths

I always appreciate variety. This album is variety, and therefore I appreciate it. One of the strongest parts of Crimes is the diversity in style. There are several upbeat and rhythmic songs, but they are complimented by those that are acoustic ballads full of emotions in quiet esteem. The lyrical depth of the album is also something to be commended. Lines such as “each wave a mirror, each crest a key” strike me with elegant beauty. I am glad the use of instruments is also not over done or too colloquial. Yes, there is your basic guitars and drums, but with the addition of banjo, piano, and synthetic sounds, that mundane guitar takes on some pretty interesting shapes.

Denison Witmer [Life Before Aesthetics] Free Download

Life Before Aesthetics.mp3

You can download Denison Witmer’s new EP, Life Before Aesthetics, from My Old Kentucky Blog for Free!

There is something about album art that makes me want to “judge a book by its cover”. I almost think you can. But besides that little note, I love this album’s album art. No particular reason why I am sharing this

Facebook Chat, AIM, and MSN Integration (aka Digsby)

( Digsby! )

I’ve always been frustrated that I’ve had to use multiple instant messaging services to talk to all the different people I may know. Some use Msn, others AIM, and there are always people on Facebook. So I found Digsby – an instant messaging service that allows you to integrate a whole bunch of different chatting programs into one!

The full potential of Digsby includes integration of AIM, MSN, Yahoo, ICQ, Google Talk, and Jabber. You can also add email accounts and social networks. It’s a nice little tool that is very customizable. I know this is not the typical kind of things I would post about on this site, but it’s just so great I have to share it. Here are some snapshots:

Hymns Unleashed

The Hymns Unleashed

The other day I found out about a project that is focused on bringing older hymns to the forefront of musical appeal for youth today. Here is their statement:

“The Hymns Unleashed Project is all about trying to introduce some of those wonderful melodies found in famous hymns to those who would not otherwise know them.  We want talented musicians to take a priceless hymn (of praise, worship, adoration, prayer) and make them uniquely your own, much like Jesse did with “It Is Well With My Soul”. Let these songs inspire you, possibly leading you in a way that will utilize your own God-given talents in a way that might even suprise you! “

What’s interesting about this site is that it invites other Christian indie artists to rearrange, rework, and share their hymns that may never “have never been heard on anything but a piano or organ.” Here is a sample of what the site is getting at:

more about “About | The Hymns Unleashed Project“, posted with vodpod

This site has potential, and if you are a Christian Inide artist out there who wants to or has already rearranged some older hymns, you may want to give this site a second look.

The Hymns Unleashed

The Ruin of the Beast