Muse

I've become obsessed with Muse again after buying their new Absolution Tour DVD. It's all there, riduculour falstetto vocals singing apocalyptic melodrama over the top of ripping guiitars, arpeiggiated synths and bombastic piano, not to mention the flat out heavy drumming and fat distorted basslines.

I saw Muse live in September 2004 in Sydney without having heard them and was floored by it. Love any rock band that can find so much room for arpeiggiated synth lines and huge pianos. The guitar playing is pretty mean too, which suits an ex Van Halen fan like me. Their album Absolution rocks, but lately I'm into to tracks from Origin of Symmetry like Bliss and New Born, to the point I'm playing them a bit. My band also does a stomping version of Time Is Running Out from Absolution.

The DVD rips. Buy it

Bliss...

What I'm listening to, part II

Picked up a cd by a New Zealand Drum & Bass act called Shapeshifter. The album is called Riddim Wise from 2004. I missed their crowd pleaser of a gig last year due to a cold. The CD is quite hard to find, but I managed to pick a copy up at the local Fish Records.

So what's it like? Mind blowing. A great album. High enegry, soulful and fresh sounding. And from local talent. This kicks ass boys. Well done. If you like drum & bass, funk, jazz or electronic music, buy it now.

What I'm listening to

I picked up a CD by German composer Klaus Schulze last year called Moonlake that has seemed to stay on constant rotation. I bought it after I heard a radio interview with Klaus, which featured some of the tracks, which you can listen to here. The interview is in German, but the music is there too. Growing up I was into what is now called the "masters of electronic music" ie the first people to get into it, such as Jarre, Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream, Vangelis etc, but I sort of skipped over Klaus Schulze. I've recently picked up some of his music. He's quite intense, and indiviual, with some pieces lasting upto 30 mins. Some of it is not my cup of tea, but this new CD is really good. Klaus is one of the few 70s synth guys that has actually managed to stay relevant (aside from Kraftwerk, who everyone copied). This CD sounds like it belongs in 2005 and is like a masterclass in electonic music production. Good compositions, good sound design and most importantly, quite engaging. Recommended.

Also Klaus has collaborated with many musicians from the modern electronic dance era such as Pete Namlook and their Dark Side of the Moog X and VIII are worth a listen, for a more ambient take.

Beer of the Week

Tonight I'm enjoying a Coopers Original Pale Ale (the green one) after a day learning a new clients studio. Always a mind bender learning a new job, and an overcast day today, so I felt that a Coopers green was the way to go for a refreshing bevvie to wind down before meeting up with missus tonight for valentines day. One cannot describe pale ale in words, so follow The Daily Leon's instructions: Go to bottle shop or pub that serves Coopers Original Pale Ale. Order the bevvie. Consume. Enjoy.

Engage

It's been a while since an update on The Daily Leon. That's because I've been organising my engagement party with my fiancee Marie. The night was the 4th of Feb and it went down really well with all the family and friends having a good time. The night had a relaxed enjoyable feel and all our little plans and details seemed to work. It was like a trial run for the big day later thso year. Life is good.