The Napster Blog

Cirque du Soleil, Zed

"The French Canadians are coming! The French Canadians are coming!"

Okay, so maybe that sentence doesn't pack the same dreadful punch as it used to when it was used with "Russians," or "Redcoats," or even "Mongols." Quite the contrary. These days, if a large number of French Canadians descend on your town, either a) you live in South Florida; or b) your town is hosting the world-famous Cirque du Soleil, Quebec's second-largest cultural export, behind Céline Dion.

There are relatively few examples of mainstream entertainers who so completely bridge the gap in taste between young and old, male and female, and all other demographic categories the way the astonishingly talented Cirque performers can. Obviously, audiences will remember the fantastic art direction, costumes, and choreography of these opulent shows. But equally important to the experience is the music—all original (save for the show Love, which incorporates The Beatles' catalog) and international in flavor. The soundtracks to the shows have sold quite well, regularly peaking near the top of Billboard's Top World Music Albums chart.

The latest soundtrack, Zed, comes from a Cirque show that took up residence at the Tokyo Disney resort in 2008. It tells the story of Zed, an embodiment of the human condition, as he travels the world. His globetrotting is accompanied by multi-ethnic musical styles, including pieces inspired by Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, East Asian, and African traditions, but arranged and executed in a very contemporary manner. The music is dramatic, stirring, and alternately bombastic or sentimental, depending on the experience of the main character.

If you've ever been to a Cirque du Soleil performance, listening to René Dupéré's soundtrack for Zed may evoke many of the live show's hallmarks: The anticipation, the humor, and the sense of wonder common to all of their productions. And if you haven't seen Cirque yet, do yourself a favor and splurge for a ticket one of these days; it's nothing if not memorable.

50 Cent, “Baby by Me” (featuring Ne-Yo)

The new single "Baby By Me" by 50 Cent features R&B crooner Ne-Yo and is geared toward the female fans of the G-Unit head honcho. "Have a baby by me, baby; be a millionaire," he suggests. I'm sure there would be more than a few applicants who would like to take advantage of the thug entrepreneur's proposal. Maybe it's not the most romantic way to court a lady, but with Fiddy's super-thug reputation, this is probably as close to a love song as you're gonna get. Fiddy spits his sex rap while beatsmith Polow da Don hooks up the smoothed-out track to complement Ne-Yo's vocals. "Baby by Me" is the latest taste of the the upcoming 50 Cent album Before I Self Destruct, currently scheduled for release on Nov. 23.

Halloween Grab Bag of Treats

[To help set a spooky mood for this year's fright fest, here's a small collection of previously posted suggestions for Halloween party music. They're from different genres, and each is scary in its own way. —Ed.]
 

Spooky Blues: Napster Playlist
Does it get any scarier than a six-foot-six, three hundred pound man literally moaning at the moon at midnight? Yes, believe it or not, it does, and when a tormented guitar player who, legend has it, actually made a deal with the devil in exchange for instrumental skill, details his torment by hellhounds, you might want to count your blessings. For some, Halloween comes around more than just once a year -- just listen to Bessie Smith or Son House for proof. So if tonight you find yourself dancing with a demon in the wee hours or shaking hands with a ghoul over some misguided wager, remember... the sun will rise tomorrow.
 

Various Artists, This is Crucial Reggae: Halloween
Halloween isn't really celebrated in Jamaica, except at the big resorts full of Americans hopped up on jerk chicken and beef patties, among other things. That said, the good people at RAS Records have taken the liberty of putting together a compilation of dub tracks that fit in nicely with the spooky theme of the holiday. This Is Crucial Reggae: Halloween is a special edition in the Crucial Reggae series. The tripped-out soundscapes created by Lee "Scratch" Perry, his band The Upsetters, and the legendary Augustus Pablo are a great choice for party hosts looking for something a little less obvious than Michael Jackson's "Thriller" or "Time Warp" from The Rocky Horror Picture Show. And with tracks like "Dracula Prince of Darkness," "Doctor Satan Echo Chamber," and "Bells of Death," you'll be feeling irie and eerie at the same time.
 

Halloween Metal: Napster Playlist
With fright night fast approaching, it's time to line up the scary music to make this year's gathering of ghouls truly terrifying. Submitted for your approval: What's more horrifying than a seething batch of metal? Black metal, death metal, doom metal, grindcore, speed metal, power metal, sludge metal... metal metal metal metal metal!!! Featuring such catchy numbers as "Dead by Dawn," "Blood on My Hands," and "Coffin Fodder" by such upstanding organizations as Deicide, Morbid Angel, and Cradle of Filth, Napster's "Halloween Metal" playlist is not for children, but for metalheads with sufficient maturity to handle the heaviness. You'll also encounter numbers by Anthrax, Pantera, Lamb of God, and Slayer, so if outrageous, bone-rattling horror-noise is on your list of treats this year, this playlist may just do the trick.
 

Mannheim Steamroller, Halloween
Mannheim Steamroller, aka composer Chip Davis, struck again in 2003 with Halloween, a collection of silly, fun versions of classic songs you'd expect to hear come October (or is that July now?). The group has been primarily known for their New-Age take on Christmas and holiday music, but Halloween is its own complete holiday offering, with all the usual Steamroller hallmarks: neoclassical arrangements, drum machines, and a lively synthesized orchestra. All the major spooky classical pieces are covered: Bach's famous "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" starts us off, followed by Grieg's eerie "Hall of the Mountain King." Some of Davis' own compositions are placed between other famous musical pieces by Wagner ("The Flying Dutchman," "Ride of the Valkyries") and Mussorgsky ("Night on Bald Mountain"). He also adds a bizarre spacey element to the mix with "Z-Row Gravity," "Crystal," and his own rendition of the Twilight Zone theme. A few more easily identifiable favorites include  "Funeral March of a Marionette" and "The Sorcerer's Apprentice." The second half of the album is made up of sound effect-oriented numbers that are meant to be shuffled with the first half. Perfect for the whole family, Halloween provides prime background music that's playful enough for all to enjoy.

Bauhaus, 1979–1983

"Undead, undead, undead..." Three words that bring dark joy to every haunted heart.

 

 

 

 

 
 

Taylor Swift, Fearless (Platinum Edition)

According to Billboard, Taylor Swift's Fearless, which was released about a year ago, has sold over 4 million copies (Swift's total sales, including Fearless and her self-titled debut album, now exceed 10 million records). Amazing sales numbers, especially considering that Swift hasn't yet reached the age of 20 (she will do so in December). Out this week is the expanded Fearless (Platinum Edition), which appends six previously unreleased tracks to the original album. (We previously posted some thoughts on the the original Fearless ; it's good.)

Despite some recent unwanted attention stemming from photos taken at Katy Perry's birthday party, Swift has had an incredibly promising start to her musical career (she has even branched out into acting, guest-starring in an episode of CSI). At this point, the sustainability of this kind of success has got to be a concern for Swift and her management team, but the artist herself appears to be smart enough to navigate the twists and turns of a big show-biz career and seems pretty well positioned to do even bigger things in the future.

Jogger, This Great Pressure

Jogger is a Los Angeles duo featuring Amir Yaghmai (on violin and guitar) and Jonathan Larroquette (on laptop and controllers). Recently chosen as one of URB magazine's "Next 100" artists to watch, their debut album, This Great Pressure, establishes a new musical hybrid, spanning rock, folk, and electronic in surprising and pleasing ways. Displaying an unusually high level of musicality, Jogger can most closely be compared to the likes of Hot Chip or Junior Boys, but with a distinctive attitude that seems to flow through each of their tracks. This is definitely proper listening if you’re in search of something fresh that bridges the traditions of pop and the innovations of electronica. Give it a shot.

Joe Nichols, Old Things New

Old Things New is Joe Nichols' fifth studio album. Nichols has one of the best voices in country music at the moment, and the new album puts that voice to great use on some fine compositions. The album contains some of Nichols' most heartfelt tracks ("Old Things New" and "This Bed's Too Big") but skillfully navigates between these quiet, intimate moments and the more fun, infectious rousers like "Cheaper Than a Shrink" and a live version of "Let's Get Drunk and Fight" (a song originally released on Nichols' previous album, Real Things). Old Things New is a thoroughly modern record, but one that proudly showcases the tradition and rich heritage of country music. Vince Gill and Mac MacAnally lend some fine backing vocals and guitar to the mix. This album should make Nichols an even bigger star than he already is.

“Weird Al” Yankovic, The Essential “Weird Al” Yankovic

When something is parodied, it's a sure sign that thing has entered the zeitgeist. But what does it mean when the parody itself becomes an indelible part of the culture as well? Since 1979, "Weird Al" Yankovic has been so successful at creating timely, ingenious musical parodies of Top 40 hits and other favorites that what people often refer to as the "MTV Era" could just as easily be called the "'Weird Al' Era." Because of his willingness to parody all styles of music and his nerd-like fluency in pop cultural idioms and trends, his catalog provides a virtual roadmap of American musical tastes over the last 30 years—refracted through a satirical prism, of course.

The Essential "Weird Al" Yankovic is an impressive new collection of the master parodist's work, from the live 1980 recording of "Another One Rides the Bus" (lampooning Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust"), to 2006's "Trapped in the Drive-Thru" (a send-up of R. Kelly's epically-long "Trapped in the Closet"). Fans will find all the big hits in between, like the classics "Eat It," "Like a Surgeon," and "Amish Paradise," as well as the more recent "Canadian Idiot" and "White & Nerdy."

Parody is a tricky endeavor. Go for cheap jokes and it comes off as derivative and trite (see the countless examples of such attempts on YouTube). Go too obscure, and the meaning of the joke is lost. Somewhere in between the two, there exists a sweet spot, where the originality of the subject is at once faithfully captured and creatively spun on its head. "Weird Al" has lived in that sweet spot for decades, and if one of his most recent pieces, the Doors-inspired "Craigslist" (not included on this album), is any indication of how much he has left in the tank, then we can expect plenty more to come.

Electronica Staff Picks

Philly’s Diplo and Dutch producer Laidback Luke hardly need an introduction. The two have paired up on this latest single that they’ve put through the remix treatment courtesy of Sidney Samson (as advertised) and others. The three versions each have their own approach and style—find your favorite.

Mezzanine De L’Alcazar is one of Paris’ hippest restaurants. In its quest to combine music, art, fashion, and cuisine, it has become a focal point of style and innovation. In partnership with Defected records, the AZ Mezzanine series now has a third volume. The compilation promises to "nourish your ears with delicate downtempo grooves and luscious soulful house."

Houston’s Great Scott (Scott Novich) has released the EP Tarot this week courtesy of the innovative San Francisco label Muti Music. Bridging glitch-hop ideas with the fundamentals of breakbeat, this release should satisfy fans of both.

Renowned German label Sonar Kollektiv brings us a compilation album based on their early days. The label is known for fusing different combinations of Latin, world, jazz, soul, and house. The Early Days album delivers on all fronts bringing back the sounds of Jazzanova’s “Let Your Heart Be Free,” Clara Hill’s “Here” and more.
 

Dãm-Funk, Toeachizown

Representing his title as Los Angeles' "ambassador of boogie-funk" has been no small feat over the past few years for Dãm-Funk. While holding down a residency at his world-renowned weekly party Funkmosphere, criss-crossing the globe to spread the gospel of early '80s funk and soul at DJ gigs and live performances, and remixing critically acclaimed artists, Dãm (pronounced "dame") found time to record and release Toeachizown. The album is an epic collection of original compositions that honor the legacy of Prince, Parliament, Funkadelic, and the G-funk sound he helped to create as a sesson musician in the early '90s. Toeachizown is tailor-made for a late night crosstown excursion, and even if you find yourself on the other side of the world, it'll instantly take you on a Southern California slow cruise to boogie nirvana.