As 2003 leaves us, some good news comes from a smaller group. Visit Magnatune ("we are not evil") and check-out their interesting business model, where shareware is used in a positive way and artists get 50% of the cash generated by their work. Then drop-by this article about Creative Commons and the way things should be.

I liked the audio input options the most, however. Apart from the four 1/4" inputs, there's an XLR mic input (with preamp) as well. What for? How about running other synths, or vocals, through the G2's vocoder and filter banks?

The original Nord Modular is best known for it's ability to create sounds using different architecture combinations, all from the comfort of your PC screen. The G2 is equally well connected, allowing you to visually patch it's modules (over 100 processes to choose from) with virtual patch cables, much like a nasty, prehistoric modular synth. It's similar in appearance to Reason, although only in that both have onscreen cables. And the hardware looks great.

Heard somewhere that the extended version is an hour longer... ouch.

Both times I went to see ROTK, I could clearly hear people weeping during some of the final scenes...

The holiday season is turning out great. The extended family threw a major party and I got a digital camera. That's me trying it out. posted by lawrence at 02:37 AM

Well, during the first few scenes you're tricked into believing this may not be another ridiculously commercial Hollywood product. Just as I was about to become disappointed the special effects, grand battle scenes, climactic orchestral score and clichés started showing up (after about 3 minutes).

And, as I had hoped, it was pretty good.

A band of Samurai led by a legendary ex-general of the Imperial army, Katsumoto (Ken Watanabe), fight to rid Japan of western influence, while the Emperor's councilors have plans to exterminate their resistance movement. Cruise's character, a (US) Civil War officer, is brought in to train the Imperial army in the use of modern weapons (firearms), but after being captured by the rebels he sees that he's fighting on the wrong side.

The story gets, duh, predictable, as do the emotional scenes, but that's what a movie like this is all about. It’s a classic "forget about life for a couple hours" flick. And it's epic. No, not nearly as true to classic samurai movies as Kill Bill is. But then again, The Last Samurai is a great example of what Hollywood is pasteurizing nowadays.

Wow, totally the opposite of yesterday's Lost In Translation, yet it's the second Japan-related film in two days. I like Lost better than Last. Why don’t they make some movies about China? posted by lawrence at 02:38 AM

Lost in Translation is Sofia Coppola's second major release and it's awesome. Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson are so spectacularly cast that, right from the first scenes, you believe. Every simple little situation is totally satisfying.

You start off thinking, "darn, this film is about how bad it is to be in Japan." But by the time the film is over, you get it. The whole thing says very little about Japan, a lot about these two people, and it could have been situated in just about any city, including Sao Paulo.

This is no comedy, at least not a Bill Murray comedy. He doesn't get to deliver killer punch lines. It’s an intimate film. It can be spacious, quiet and delicate. Like real life, right?

I believe too. There were no low points, but I got a kick out of the cell phone ring tones. The Peaches song at the strip-joint is nifty. Murray on the killer exercise machine is hilarious. As is the hospital waiting room segment. posted by lawrence at 01:20 PM

You get a little calendar with sub-outlook aesthetics. And the whole contraption looks like a blog for 4-year-olds. Heck, today's four-year-olds would probably be offended by the thing's lack of features.

The only thing going for it is the calendar-looking layout, but, seriously, how difficult would that be to put together in your blog template? Haven't studio managers heard of free blog services, like blogger?

None of this would bother me. However, there's no mention of the word "free" on their site, and a suspicious "sales@studio..." address for contact. So they're obviously going to charge people for this thing.

Cholly's grumpy today. Not that it's a good product... posted by lawrence at 11:27 AM

Sonar in Brazil? The gossip says it'll be here in 2004. An event separate from the one held in Barcelona? Has to be, because the Spanish gathering is alive and well.

As the date approaches, interesting little articles start popping up. Spin has two nice interviews with hobbits in their many forms. CNN has posted their review, plus many other related articles.

"There are no sins below the equator." Ah, refreshing beer. Say, "A Marca Bavaria." Now, imagine those words being said by someone whose native (and perhaps only) language is English. Now visit the site. Listen to the pumpin' looped music. Flash your way into options like "the language of adventure," or the "A Marca Bavaria Etiquette." Hear the cuica as you click. "Whoo!" I'm Chinese, so I'm not sweating it, but could they please paint a better picture of Brazil? posted by lawrence at 05:20 PM

When I first found out about them, probably around 1987, they had the Vitalizer, a psychoacoustic enhancer/exciter which was far more efficient than what the competition was offering at the time. For those people who weren't attracted to enhancers, the Vitalizer was a practical, mix-friendly way to mess with phase and harmonic content.

Well, since then, SPL has been putting out some very cool devices, most of which I have not had the opportunity to try out. Those that I have listened to are amazing. The ones I have not played with yet still seem like very nifty concepts. Like the Transient Designer, which treats sound independent of levels in manipulating attack and sustain.

Now they've come out with something a bit less inspired, an eight channel mic preamp called the Gainstation 8. I'm willing to bet it's a great sounding device. It features 24/96 AD conversion, simultaneous tube and solid state topology, switchable input impedance, plenty of dynamic range and limiting on every channel. Nice, eh?

However, I've decided to take the hermit-route this year. I'm going to cut back on partying in favor of hanging out with friends in uncluttered places. I think I need to organize a Christmas party here at my place.

Two interesting bands are playing today at Mojo: Os Massa, our own local party band, and a surprise visit from the son of a famous Brazilian artist. I have no idea why, but I can't say who it is because I've been warned that it's a secret...

I, on the other hand, will be hitting every party in town! Ms. Ballantines, her I come!

This Is Not A Test assembles some nice celebs, like Mary J., Jay-Z, Nelly, and R. Kelly. In my warped mind, Elliott is the hip-hop version of rock's Stephen Malkmus. She's to the point, has a strange musical point of view and her music is unique and BS-less.

Every track includes an incredible amount of attention to detail and everything fits together so well... Ah, it's difficult to listen to anything else in this genre after sitting down to Elliott's music. I did listen to the new double-cd Outkast release, which would make an interesting comparison to This Is Not A Test. But no, not even the totally wacky Speakerboxx/The Love Below is as cool or well implemented as this.

Elliott's track featuring R. Kelly, "Dats What I'm Talking About," is odd yet smooth. "Don't Be Cruel," featuring Monica and Beenie Man, shifts into a nice Bhangra segment about half way through. With so many Hip Hop acts turning to desi-beats, it's nice to see Elliott doing it her way.

Today I'm going to disagree with cholly and risk being fired. Elliott's album is a keeper, but I prefer the wackier Outkast album, especially the Love Below side of things. Lots of insanity. Back to Elliott... Of course, we have to give Timbaland some credit for doing his thing again. They sure make a good team...

Next we see Lexicon desperately trying to make a dent in the audio interface market. Isn't it obvious to them that people don't associate their brand with audio interfaces? The Omega site makes the thing appear very sub-Extigy. Looking like an overweight M-Box, the Omega features eight inputs, two of which are phantom powered mic-preamps with inserts, a high-z input on the front panel and MIDI and digital i/o. I have no doubt this thing sounds and functions really well. Like the long line of forgotten Lexicon interfaces that came before it.

Finally, we have PreSonus's audio distribution box, the Central Station. Ultra simple, yet exactly what any little digital studio needs. S/PDIF and toslink inputs with plenty of resolution make this thing valuable as a converter, but it does much, much more. Starting with three pairs of speaker outputs, three stereo pairs of analog inputs, two headphone outputs, built-in talkback (the mic's right there on the front panel) and controls for all these cool features. There's even an optional remote control for talkback, one of the nicest pro-studio amenities, in my opinion... hit the talkback button from the sofa!

I have given Aiken's "Measure of a Man" a quick listen. I figured, "if I can listen to Britney, I can do anything!" Anyway, straightforward, radio-friendly pop has reached a point where you don't need great songs and you don't need a very talented artist - you just need good production. That said, Aiken's stuff is not as evil as it could be. Beneath the prefab radio finish of "Invisible," his hit song, is a competent vocalist with some very obvious, and very outdated, mainstream influences. Unfortunately, it's one of the best songs on the album.

So yesterday I sat down to give Studdard's new release, Soulful, a long listen.

I still like Studdard more. "Sorry 2004" and "What Is Sexy" are both cool songs which highlight Studdard’s timbre and delivery. The album has the "required" rap and hip-hop influences to sound "modern." Too bad, because Studdard is a classic soul man, no gimmicks required.

There's plenty to criticize. Unfortunately, many of the original songs are not exactly inspired. In contrast with mainstream pop, you can't get away with weak songs in R&B, and although a few tracks sound pretty good, some do sound half-baked. On "Ruben" and "Can I get your Attention," you get the impression that the Studdard team is trying to emulate someone else's songs. And I don't like covers. Those featured on this disc are not exceptions.

I just barely recommend this album... only a few songs are really good. But make no mistake, this guy can really sing.

Ruben Studdard's Soulful is a keeper, although cholly was overly nice about it. Believe me, you'll be hating a few tracks. Clay Aiken's "Measure of a Man," however, is something we do not wish on you (unless you're twelve). That means, "not a keeper." .

I walked into the movie theater fully aware that no film named SWAT could be good, and the premise - a remake of a tv classic - was totally doomed. I had my flinching face all ready for the moment the bararuh song popped up.

And so I'm glad to say I survived. In fact, as far as summer-blockbuster-action flicks go, SWAT was, well... good. Maybe I went in expecting it to be the worse movie I'd ever seen? Well, it certainly is no masterpiece. In fact, it's shallow and predictable. But then there's a half decent story, plus actors Samuel Jackson and Michelle Rodriguez. Eheh.

I think I'm the last person to see this film anyway. It's even coming out on DVD.

It's a keeper... but only if you don't mind high-quality brainlessness.

After that, it was rehearsal time at the local studio, followed by a trip to Ossip. The night would have been perfect if we'd made it to La Basque before it closed.

Duck Tape? This band wrote the winning Duck Tape song...

Tarantino hits us with a sucker punch. I mean, after his other three films, who would have expected something this wacky?

Kill Bill is definitely the coolest movie to hit theaters this year (until now, at least). Uma Thurman plays Black Mamba, an ex-member of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad. She's out to get Bill (the leader) and the Squad, since they tried to kill her, leaving her for dead at her wedding and whacking her husband. The weapons of choice for the Squad are Katanas.

Although the whole thing is very tongue-in-cheek, it's enough like an old, classic samurai flick to keep you in a serious state of mind. The music is awesome: cheesy little dramatic pieces underscore the action, insane retro punk rock jumps in when you least expect it and the band in the main fight scene is great.

The story - which jumps back and forth in time, no surprise - is nice too, although not too complex. More details would have been welcome, but there is a second film coming soon, no?

It's a keeper! The bloodiest film I've seen in a long time, the site is fun and Uma's looking sweet!

My Sting-fan history started in the late 80's. I was in Porto Alegre in 1989 for his "Nothing Like The Sun" concert at Olimpico stadium. Very memorable, although it did rain (I was out on the field). Later, in 1997, I caught "Mercury Falling" near Philadelphia. It was across the river in Camden, late on a bright summer afternoon.

Now Sting has released Sacred Love. Well, not exactly now... it's been out for over two months. Heck, I wouldn't even have known if Rubino hadn't given me the news. So, being as enthusiastic as I am, I went out and got the album.

I like it. The songs are classic Sting material, and he repeats some of the Middle Eastern instrumentation he seems so fond of, ala Mad About You (The Soul Cages, 1991). Here and there his content covers his political views, and every once in a while you get a feeling he's not sufficiently in-touch with what's happening in music in 2003. Send Your Love, for example, with its driving percussion and synth-toms, almost sounds ten years old.

But the songs are generally very good. And in the end, that’s why people buy Sting albums in the first place.

It’s a keeper. As always, beautiful vocal work. The programmed drums don't sound a bit dated, and Mary J. is featured on a song! The whole recording is very nice. And, yeah, the songs are pretty good.

I've reserved some special words regarding the Sacred Love web site: it sucks.

Once again, care of Bob Lefsetz, some food for thought (mpeg).

I think I'll name him Lawrence.

Alexi Murdoch, a Scot who became somewhat famous after making an appearance on LA’s KCRW, makes nice songs. It’s easy listening. Not threatening at all. But still, it’s inspiring.

Now he has his story at my favorite news site, two songs on Dawson’s Creek (which I don’t watch, mind you) and appearances around the US. He may become a big celebrity tomorrow. But regardless of mainstream fame, this is the kind of music that connects with masses of people.

The blog that pointed me there is nifty.