An MP3 Saved My Life

Hiatus

On hiatus until 2008 due to a death in the family and sickness. Please check back for the relaunch in '08.

posted by E @ 1:44 PM 0 Comments

Fools Gold

I was going to post about last night's Fools Gold CMJ showcase at Hiro Ballroom, but I'm still way to hungover. I'll post a review and some video later this weekend, but for now, this will hold you over.

DJ A-Trak- Draped Up- Stepping Out (Bun B vs. Joe Jackson Blend)

Labels: Concert Review, DJ, DJ A-Trak, Hip-Hop

posted by elogical @ 11:37 PM 0 Comments

Windows To The Night

I just got introduced to The Weakerthans a couple days ago through "Quick Before It Melts." From the few songs I've heard, I really like them. The Weakerthans are a Canadian band that have been around for over 10 years. The kind of remind me of the Wallflowers, though I haven't listened to the Wallflowers in years. Am I wrong?

The Weakerthans- "Night Windows"

Buy The Weakerthans new album, "Reunion Tour."

Labels: Folk Rock, The Weakerthans

posted by elogical @ 10:41 PM 0 Comments

Songs About Women

Will.I.Am takes a lot of flack. I'll be honest, I used to hate on him too, but people, please stop fronting on his production skills. He has been stepping up to the plate in the last year and really showing how versatile he is behind the boards. From Nas to Game to John Legend to Fergie, he's becoming a problem.

I was a little skeptical about his new solo joint, Songs About Girls"Songs About Girls." The title itself was an initial turnoff as I assumed it would be mostly music that riffed on girls' asses. Nothing wrong with that, but a whole album? Plus, Will.I.Am is not a vulgar guy, so there would be very little chance of over-the-top, misogynistic pining over asses or videos with credit cards being swiped (and really, that's how songs about girls' asses should be). However, I was surprised at how much I like the album.

It is no surprise that the production is on point. Will.I.Am fills most of the songs will a melodic airiness mixed with electro pop and 80's-styled grooves. The rhymes are still pretty simplistic, which seems to be most peoples' beef with Will.I.Am, but it all works. Will.I.Am knows how to write a good hook, marry it with good production, and create a hit. This is not heavy-handed backpack wrap and it is not hardcore gangsta rap. Its just good pop hip-hop music. The only real drawback to this album is that it was not released at the beginning of the summer. I think it would have been a great summer album to groove to.

Two of my favorite songs from the album:

Will.I.Am- Heartbreaker

Will.I.Am- One More Chance

Check out Smoking Sessions with Will.I.Am.

Labels: Black Eyed Peas, Hip-Hop, Will.I.Am

posted by elogical @ 5:43 PM 0 Comments

Rebirth

Welcome to the "An MP3 Saved My Life" blog. This is actually the 2nd version of this audio blog. I originally started this back in Nov '05, but due to a lot of time constraints and laziness, the blog never really materialized the way I had planned. However, I've decided to give this another go.

The reason for restarting this blog is threefold. First, I'm a huge music fan (and former musician) and just cannot go a day without listening to, talking about or reading about music. Second, I feel like I've been exposed to a lot of great music over the last few years; in fact, I think I have been so overloaded with music, mostly due to the easy access via the Net, that I've become somewhat disconnected from the music. Hopefully by having to write posts and think more deeply about the music I'm listening to, I can reconnect with it in a more meaningful way. Lastly, I just like sharing music with people and I hope that in return, people who read this blog with share their musical tastes too.

The story behind the title of the blog is simple: music usually saves my life on a daily basis. My current job gets very boring and repetitive. Luckily, I'm allowed to listen to music as I work. I often find myself being in a sullen state at work and then suddenly a song on my IPod or on one of my random mix CDs comes on and I just brighten up. Sometimes I lose control and almost jump out of my seat and start dancing (though that might have been the shrooms). I am grateful for these moments and I am grateful for the music that moves me in this way.

There will not be a whole lot of criteria or constraints for my posts. I like all types of music so the music I post and write about with often vary and probably won't make sense when looked at as a whole. Maybe down the road I'll try to bring some more focus to the blog, but for now, I just want to start writing and get into a rhythm. To help things, I plan to post a minimum of twice a week. For now, I've set Mondays and Thursdays as my posting days. Why Monday and Thursday? Given my schedule, these are the days I have the most time to write. These are also the days that a good mp3(s) is crucial for me. I always need something good to start the week off and get me excited to deal with the drudgery of work, and since Thursdays are the new Friday, I need something to get my primed for the weekend. I also go to a lot of concerts, so I will probably post reviews, pics, and videos from those when I can.

For the most part, I'm going to post songs using third-party servers (probably Rapidshare and Zshare) so the mp3s will remain as long as they are active. If for some reason a link goes down, just shoot me an e-mail and I'll try reup.

As I noted, my musical tastes tend to vary. I'm a huge hip hop head, but I also love soul, rock, r&b, funk, indie, etc. One thing I want to admit up front is that I also have a soft spot for excellent pop music and sometimes "bad but good" pop music. Sometimes that may come off as me having very bad taste in music. Deal...this blog is about music that I like, not necessarily music that could be deemed as "classic" or "timeless."

Finally, before I forget...obligatory disclaimer:

Music posted on this site is for sampling purposes. If you are the owner of any of the music posted on this blog and want it removed, please let me know and I will remove it.

Labels: About

posted by elogical @ 2:17 PM 0 Comments