Rocket Science

Weekly Roundup, Vol. 10

EmmaGoldstein — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 23:31:45 +0000

Remember remember the 10th of November…because this week’s roundup is one for the books. Hit the jump to see for yourself…

Above: AWOLNATION’s “Sail” sets the backdrop for Alex Yde’s “yoga breakdancing.” Not for those less flexible, to say the least.

Everyone from professional athletes to writers use music to pump themselves up. What do you blast to get in the zone? (Don’t even pretend like it’s not “Whip My Hair“) WSJ: “Cranking Up Your Private Pep Rally“
If a bad economy means more music festivals, then maybe terrible unemployment rates are just the price we have to pay. Take one for the team, guys. “Live, at a Field Near You: Why the Music Industry Is Singing a Happy Tune“
Singer Kina Grannis and her team were clearly Reaganing when they conceptualized a video made entirely of jelly beans. The Gipper would be proud. Bonus: don’t miss the “making of.”
R. Kelly is great at naming things. We know this. Thus, the title for his autobiography does not disappoint.

In RS news…

Stream Margaret Cho’s new live comedy album, “Cho Dependent,” exclusively on Rdio.
Free music! Download “Dirty Oil” from Wyland ft. jazz great Taj Mahal, exclusively from American Blues Scene.

Blasting off,

- The RS team

Weekly Roundup, Vol. 9

EmmaGoldstein — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 21:23:37 +0000

Do You Like Luxury? Tom DeLonge analyzes his latest artwork, available when you purchase Angels & Airwaves’ new album, LOVE Parts One & Two. While supplies last. Bonus: Enter to win one of 10 canvas prints

Come on in to see what else went down this week…

Make music while you’re waiting in line for the bathroom or when you’re bored with Angry Birds (just kidding, that never happens): GarageBand now available on the iPhone and iPod Touch.
But a competitor emerges! “Songineer Makes It Easier Than Ever To Make Music From Your iPhone“
“Black Swan” director Darren Aronofsky set to direct “Iced Honey” music video off the upcoming Metallica-Lou Reed collabo, “Lulu.” Just process that for a minute.
In teen scandal news: Taylor Swift is maybe naked online and Justin Bieber is maybe a baby daddy. Baby, baby, baby…oh.

In RS news…

Buy LOVE Parts One & Two from Angels & Airwaves + download their new single “Surrender” free, exclusively on iTunes
In case you missed it: Watch AWOLNATION perform their single “Sail” on The Tonight Show.

Weekly Roundup, Vol. 8

EmmaGoldstein — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 18:34:42 +0000

Surprise! Weekly Roundup? On my Friday? It’s more common than you think. We’re coming to you on a Friday today. DEAL WITH IT. Come inside to see what we deemed buzzworthy this week in music.

Above: Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler sporting a fun new look in Paraguay.

iTunes still outpaces Spotify in Google searches, by quite a lot: “Searches for ‘iTunes’ Still 5 Times Greater Than ‘Spotify’“
As we mentioned last week, R.E.M. called it quits after 31 years. Don’t miss their last single
Coldplay doesn’t want you to stream their latest album. Was anyone clamoring for that? #letsbehonest: “Coldplay latest act to freeze out streaming services“
Rihanna–Game changer? Social media guru? Maybe. Oh na na. “Rihanna’s UNLOCKED Redefines the Album Launch“

In RS news…

We’ve got two video premieres for you (on different ends of the spectrum):

“Uninspired,” from CA rockers ACIDIC.

“GOSSIP,” from tween sister pop act The PreZcotts

Filter recently added more tour dates–don’t miss your chance!

Weekly Roundup, Vol. 7

EmmaGoldstein — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 20:57:24 +0000

“Sound” from SoundCloud on Vimeo.

Welcome! What’s that? You’re ready for the Weekly Roundup? Well it’s here! Come on in!

Above: Moby, Imogen Heap and others help explain the symphony of life.

YouTube announces The Merch Store, a digital storefront for bands and artists integrated within YouTube profiles.
I don’t know…their colors alone are kind of scary. AND it shares over half its letters with the word “spooky!” “Why Pandora Isn’t Scared of Spotify“
Scary news for Southern California-area hipsters: Coachella Status Uncertain
The Beets’ seminal hit, “Need Mo’ Allowance” is a glaring omission: Time lists the “Top 10 Protest Songs“

In RS news…

Pre-Order LOVE Pts. 1 & 2 from Angels & Airwaves now and receive limited signed CD booklet
CA-based rockers ACIDIC named as one of 12 Bands To Watch in 2012
Free music alert! Download Quiet Company’s “You, Me and the Boatman“

Weekly Roundup, Vol. 6

EmmaGoldstein — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 20:43:54 +0000

WE’RE BACK (just like those well-meaning but misunderstood dinosaurs). Did you miss us? No need to respond, we already know the answer and we’re sorry. But we’ve got lots of news to console you. Hit the jump…

We covered Spotify’s recent Facebook integration last time, but there’s a very important update to share: No need to listen selectively for fear your friends will judge you. “Spotify Launches ‘Private Listening’ for Your Guilty Pleasures.”
Is Scandinavia the missing link in the digital music game? What a mysterious and majestic nation. “Inside the Most Successful Digital Music Licensing Service You’ve Never Heard Of.”
Waiting for the catch on this one: “Rdio Launches Free, On-Demand Music Streaming.”
Rhapsody acquired Napster. Sean Parker is on Twitter. Everything is changing.

In RS news…

The new craze: The GOSSIP Dance
Quiet Company’s new album, “We Are All Where We Belong“
Catch Pete RG at LA’s Genghis Cohen 10/18

Manraze Hits the U.S.

EmmaGoldstein — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 17:25:03 +0000

Rock supergroup Manraze played their first ever U.S. show Sunday night at L.A.’s historic Roxy Theatre to a raucous crowd. Prior to the wild show, the group–comprised of Def Leppard’s Phil Collen, Paul Cook of the Sex Pistols, and Girl’s Simon Laffy–quietly played for a much different crowd: high school students. For an afternoon, the guys entertained and thrilled 30 local high school students at the GRAMMY Camp SoundCheck, where students were able to ask Manraze questions following a closed soundcheck.

Read, see and hear more from the event at AOL’s Noisecreep: http://www.noisecreep.com/2011/10/04/manraze-perform-intimate-show-for-high-school-kids-video/

Weekly Roundup, Vol. 5

EmmaGoldstein — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 21:09:50 +0000

It’s that day again…the one we’ve all been waiting for: EXTREME COUPONING is back on TV tonight. While this is true, we’re actually more excited to bring you this week’s Weekly Roundup…

BREAKING NEWS: FACEBOOK CHANGED. But this time we like it? We think. Maybe we don’t, depending on your thoughts on personal privacy. Well, whether you like it or not, Facebook is intent on making music more social. And yes, everyone will judge you each time you listen to Color Me Badd. (But it looks like Last.fm wasn’t invited to the party)
With Facebook’s plans to change the way we do everything, comes a change to Spotify: “New Spotify users are now required to have a Facebook account.” Does the future involve needing a Facebook account to do anything?
Speaking of the recent U.S. transplant, Spotify recently launched their non-Pandora-killing radio feature
Last year’s logo redesign by MTV eschewed the network’s namesake, and the channel has essentially evolved to be a constant Jersey Shore transmission, peppered with the occasional music video. So, can KarmaloopTV become the MTV of the Hip-Hop Generation?

Until next week!

The PreZcotts Steal Show at Children’s Day LA 2011

EmmaGoldstein — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 17:41:56 +0000

Tween pop act The PreZcotts — comprised of sisters AnaLeyna, 17, ChaLyn, 15, RaNelle, 14, and Mariah, 12 — wowed fans new and old last Saturday at the annual Children’s Day in Van Nuys, CA. The girls were joined at the event by acts including dance troupe The Groovaloos, rapper Lil’ Jordan, voice artist Nancy Cartwright and others. The PreZcotts performed songs from their upcoming album, and even made time to mingle with stars from Disney’s “So Random!” and “The Twilight Saga.” Check out pictures from the event below.

The PreZcotts with Disney's Adam Irigoyen

AnaLeyna performing for the crowd

Fans show their support for The PreZcotts

The girls meeting fans after their performance

Score a free download The PreZcotts’ new single, “Gossip.” To stay posted on the latest from The PreZcotts, including two soon to be released music videos and an album in early November, connect with the girls on Facebook and Twitter.

Weekly Roundup, Vol. 4

EmmaGoldstein — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 18:29:42 +0000

Another week gone by as we near the end of September (cue The Circle Game). Check out what we’re reading to distract us from the passage of time in this week’s installment of the Weekly Roundup…

Bloc Party frontman Kele Okereke fired. Maybe. Or just paranoid.
Seems there’s always something new to report on the streaming music front: No new players this week, but old favorite Pandora underwent a redesign, eschewing Flash for the increasingly popular HTML5. Looks like they borrowed a few tips from rival Spotify, opting to make the service more social. Most importantly, they’ve abolished the 40-hour listening cap–something we’ve reached far too many times at the RS office. What are your thoughts on the new look? To put it more simply, if this were a song on Pandora, would you thumbs up or thumbs down?
Gizmodo asks, “Can Streaming Music Services Survive Freemium?” Do you pay to stream?
Read how members of Ok Go, Portugal, The Man and others listen to music and how it influences their own art: “How Online Services Are Changing the Way Bands Consume Music“
FastCompany predicts Apple will soon kill the iPod Classic. Sad news for some luddites (i.e. me) still holding on to the simple, but now dated model. (Speaking of, who remembers this guy? Or the iPod OG? So vintage. Will hipsters bring them back?)
Why do work when you can get your fans to do it for you? Wilco is asking fans to provide local footage to project during shows. A nice personal touch, we must say.
SPIN thinks everyone has the right to DJ–or at least iOS users: “SPIN Launches Dance Remix App“

That’s all for this week. What did we leave out? Feel free to leave thoughts and comments below! We’ll be back next week, most likely with even more ways to stream music.

Weekly Roundup, Vol. 3

EmmaGoldstein — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 19:17:59 +0000

Another week gone by. While we could reflect on the passage of time life’s ethereal nature, we’re just going to share some links instead! Click through to see what we’re buzzing about this week…

The future is now! More entrants to the on-the-go music streaming playing field: Turntable.fm (soon), Songza–which allows users to share and create playlists–and Google Music, from that little startup in Mountain View.
We’ve all been there: You’re at a party and the resident DJ is a buzzkill. Crowdsource your DJ responsibilities to your guests with TuneTug.

In a similar democratizing effort, just-launched Roqbot allows bar patrons to pick the next song without ever having to leave the company of their drinks friends. (LA only for now)

Adult Swim, cool older brother to Cartoon Network, is set to air “Loiter Squad“–a live action variety show from Odd Future. A group known for its controversy is surely a good fit to work with the same people that brought us The Powerpuff Girls.”

In end of the world news, Paris Hilton is pursuing a career as a DJ, managing to bring Afrojack, Deadmau5 and David Guetta down with her in her quest to ruin music