Axl Rose and the Importance of Humility and Flexibility

Posted on 24. May, 2010 by refe.

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Change is difficult.
Artists often have the hardest time with change because they can be so driven by principle. The rockstar-poet is the clearest example of this. You know the type – one or even a couple of great albums that receive major critical acclaim (whether under or above ground) and then the world moves on [...]

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Reality of Fan Involvement – Figures and Benefits

Posted on 11. Jan, 2010 by Rich Huxley.

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Following on from my first guest post here on Creative Deconstruction, I wanted to focus on the wider implications of one of the special events I talked about there, and the release that followed; to expand on the financial viability of the event/the release and the other reasons why this special box-set and concert package are proving valuable for the band.

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New Music Review: Sufjan Stevens – The BQE

Posted on 19. Oct, 2009 by refe.

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October has been a big month for Sufjan Stevens (who I wrote about yesterday, if you missed it.) Run Rabbit Run dropped on the 6th, and today brings us the release of another Sufjan Stevens project – The BQE. Much like Run Rabbit Run, which is a chamber music re-imagining of Sufjan’s electronic sophomore album [...]

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Sufjan Stevens on the Existential Crisis of the Album

Posted on 19. Oct, 2009 by refe.

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The album has reigned as the prince of popular music formats for nearly a century. Yet, it’s become unclear how long this reign will last. Digital technology has transformed the way many listeners experience music and fueled a resurgence of the short-form single.
For the past several years bloggers, critics, industry pros and consumers have contributed [...]

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Video Pick: Arctic Monkeys – Cornerstone

Posted on 18. Oct, 2009 by refe.

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The new Arctic Monkeys video is an entertaining exercise in tongue in cheek minimalism. Its three minutes and twenty five seconds feature nothing but Monkeys frontman Alex Turner, an old-school cassette deck and a blank white wall.
Turner, clad in headphones and red sweater, croons at the camera while casually acting out the lyrics of the [...]

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Album Review: Sufjan Stevens ‘Run Rabbit Run’

Posted on 29. Sep, 2009 by refe.

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There’s a world of quirky indie-folk out there, and Sufjan Stevens is its king. His ‘wunderkind’ status may be a stretch – the guy is in his thirties, after all – but there is no question about Sufjan’s skill and creativity as a songwriter. Diverse arrangements, complex characters and themes of spirituality and Americana are [...]

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Music Video Pick: Kings of Convenience ‘Boat Behind’

Posted on 25. Sep, 2009 by refe.

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Billy Corgan Announces New Smashing Pumpkins Album – 44 Free Songs

Posted on 17. Sep, 2009 by refe.

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Billy Corgan announced Wednesday that recording has begun on a new 44 track album, Teargarden by Kaleidyscope, which he will release as a series of free downloads.
In a statement made on the Pumpkins’ website Corgan said that he hopes ”to release a song at a time beginning around Halloween of this year, with each new release coming [...]

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Album Review: Castanets – Texas Rose, The Thaw, and the Beasts

Posted on 16. Sep, 2009 by refe.

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Texas Rose, the Thaw and the Beasts is Castanets’ biggest and most ambitious work to date, featuring a full band and bringing to the table a brand new appetite for the epic. It’s a challenging, but oddly accessible collection of music.
The album is something of an enigma – rooted in rustic country-folk, yet twisted and [...]