if you follow depeche mode at all, you’re probably aware that martin gore’s second solo project counterfeit2 is out now and dave gahan’s paper monsters comes out on june 3rd.
i’m still letting counterfeit2 sink in, but so far i like it. and i really dig the first single from paper monsters, “dirty sticky floors” – although it kinda reminds me of a new year’s party a few years ago at my buddy kevin’s apartment – not pretty… (in my defense i think i had food poisoning!)
singer nina simone died monday. she was a great jazz singer. if you don’t know her stuff, you might recognize her name from the movie point of no return (bridget fonda’s character’s favorite singer) or the song sinner man from the movie the thomas crown affair (remake) – used in the main final picture switch scene. i really enjoyed her music.
if you visited my blog before, you know i had to shut down shwango radio due to licensing issues. well i just stumbled across this newsgroup posting while playing at google. it’s sad to see so many internet radio stations shut down, but it was cool to see that someone put shwango radio on the list!
the script kiddie left us some cool/interesting/unusual mp3s!
there was some cool christmas stuff to augment my holiday collection. and a wide range of german tunes – everything from techno to more traditional songs.
but the best find was “masters of chant III” – a collection of pop songs sung in gregorian chant. well, it’s mostly chant, there is instrument accompanyment by keyboards and drum machines, maybe a real guitar too.
some of the more outrageous songs are depeche mode’s blasphemous rumors, new order’s blue monday, chris issac’s wicked game and yaz’s only you.
the strange thing is that as strange as it sounds, i still like it! it’s still listenable! but boy did i have a good laugh at first listen! 
acid pro 4.0 came out recently and i went ahead and upgraded! man, is it sweet! it’s got automated effects that are totally cool. and it supports vsti! yup all those virtual synths now work in acid! it’s got a ways to go, but still super cool! did i mention the new resonant filter?
i had stumbled across not applicable’s music a while ago somehow on mp3.com and just re-stumbled upon the mp3s i had downloaded from the site. not applicable is courtnee papastathis. her music is very haunting. if you like things along the lines of dead can dance, this mortal coil, gladiator soundtrack, koyaanisqatsi soundtrack, ambient, etc., check it out.
i’m turning into a ebay junkie – or lurker, i guess, seeing as i haven’t actually bought anything yet. as you may know, i’m a huge depeche mode fan. i’ve even got a site set up – although a bit neglected nowadays – and have many 12″ “rare” singles and cds. (i’ll post some cool items some time.) i never got into the ebay thing, but a friend sent me a link to a dm item on ebay – after that i had to see what else was on there. i can’t belive it! there a ton of stuff out there, some good, some bad.
so anyway… i came across an item and to follow up on it’s authenticity i searched the web for it and came across it in some guy’s collection which he displays online. then it turns out he has the one single that i could’ve bought many years ago, but opted for something else.
this single has haunted me for years. i saw it many years ago – like 15 or so – at a (now defunct) record shop in clifton called culture 7. i used to go there all the time to get dm singles. that day i had only about five bucks to spend so it was between dm and the brand new and first skinny puppy single “dig it”. skinny puppy had just come out and i had read about them so it thought i’d try it. i did like the single, but man, i wish i’d bought the dm one.
turns out that’s a promo single of the classic “blasphemous rumors” track. that cover haunted me. i knew sort of what it looked like but didn’t know the details – then, when i saw that page, it all came back in an instant. i know it sounds corny, but i do love my dm!
again, a paris concert dvd! i saw diana krall at the aronoff center back in march and it was great. she’s an amazing performer, so i figured i’d pick up the dvd. first, the sound is awesome! there’s the normal dolby 2.0 and 5.1 options, but also wonderful dts. maybe you can’t tell the difference, but i think dts sounds the best, and this dvd shows it well. the performance is very good, but i thought the show i saw was better – better vocal reflections or something – but it’s still a great performance. (note: “peel me a grape” was not performed at either show.) the show at the aronoff was more personal since she left the orchestra at home. i prefer my jazz small – four or five pieces is all you need. the dvd extras are nice – a couple videos and some rehersal footage – but nothing to write home about. worth the 20 bucks, though!
if you’ve got a dts player and decoder, i highly recommend the dts version of diana’s love scenes album – superb! “peel me a grape” – indeed!
last june i saw depeche mode in cleveland. it was my fifth depeche mode concert. (see below for list.) the concert rocked! (althought it was quite a fiasco because i left the tickets back at my house in cincinnati! thanks to erin and sarah for making the trip down and back in record time!) anyway, a few months ago, depeche mode showed the paris show on pay-per-view. although a bit hesitant to fork out 20 bucks for the show, it is dM so i had to. the concert was great… then i learned that it would be released on dvd – i was a bit pissed that i’d have to fork out another 20 bucks, but hey, it is dM! well, the dvd is worth it. it’s in glorious 5.1 surround (no dts, though)! and the quality is great. i was a little disappointed with the sound on the pay-per-view showing – even with digital cable going to my digital reciever, the highs were dull, but not the dvd! i haven’t watched all the extras on the 2nd dvd, but so far it’s very cool. well worth the 20 bucks.
dM concerts i’ve attended:
Music For The Masses Tour
1988 May 22nd Sun Cincinnati, OH, Riverbend Music Center
World Violation Tour
1990 June 25th Mon Cincinnati, OH, Riverbend Music Center
Exotic Tour (Second leg of “The Devotional Tour”)
1994 July 6th Wed Cincinnati, OH, Riverbend Music Center
The Singles Tour
1998 November 8th Sun Cleveland, OH, Gund Arena
The Exciter Tour
2001 June 24th Sun Cleveland, OH, Blossom Music Center
i know a lot of people don’t like the new album cos it’s so much like play, but i like it. yes, it is very similar to play, but i really liked play – one of my favs actually. i’m really into down tempo electronica or whatever you want to call it, which is sort of how i’d describe 18 (well mostly), but more poppy in a way. (maybe it’s just poppy sounding now that moby’s “pop”?) the first single, “we are all made of stars” is way catchy, poppy but enjoyable.