Külföldi torrent oldalak What.cd | WCD The What.cd 2012 Summer Update!

The What.CD 2012 Summer Update!

​

Dear User,

Since the time of myth, summer has been synonymous with getting out, getting wet, exploring the world, enjoying the sun, looking good, lassoing sharks and imbibing frosty beverages. These days the summer is also for relishing hour after hour in the digital glow of the world's largest private tracker. It's no mystery that music is important. We don't want to let you go, but it's hard not to notice that your tans aren't up to snuff. Just in case you're not absorbing your recommended dose of Vitamin D, here's a little sunshine from your friendly neighborhood Staff Team. This post is just the beginning of our ramp up to What.CD's fifth birthday in October, but today we're enjoying the last vestiges of the season. We have eight announcements, big and small, contained in this news post, and we couldn't be more excited. Feel free to join us on IRC in the #mysterybox channel or in our announcement thread to celebrate this update. Hugs and kisses.

Love,

What.CD Staff​

Many of you have been asking for an update to The What.CD Online Store, and as your loyal stewards we felt obliged to fulfill your wishes. Before we dive in to the news and updates, we'd like to remind you to check out the FAQ for the store if you have any outstanding questions.

First, we'd like to congratulate myliu4 - the winner of our first-ever mug design contest! myliu4's design was easily the community favorite, and to be honest with you, we kinda liked it too. So much so, in fact, that our very own irredentia took a stab at making the design look that much closer to the source of inspiration. Thanks to the both of you for helping create a What.CD mug we can be proud of. After all, the best part of waking up is What.CD in your cup.

Second, we've decided to hold true to a promise we made awhile back. We know how much What.CD users love rare collectibles, so we're proud to introduce our first limited edition shirt! That's right, folks: there are only 340 of these puppies in existence, and when they're gone, they're gone. For our design, we enlisted the help of neebs - a truly talented (if occasionally misanthropic) member of our community whose design prowess has heretofore remained commercially untapped. Well, we're about to change that permanently. Check out his marvelous design below and consider draping yourself in the luxurious cloth he's decorated while supporting the site at the same time! Remember: all profits fund the tracker. As a bonus, a select number of the 340 shirts are available in women's sizes.

Third, many of you have already noticed the new box on the front page. Conspiracy theories abound as to its meaning (and we're rewarding some of our best conspiracy theorists with a user pick - see below!), and we've decided to put the speculation to rest by announcing the introduction of our featured product section! Now that we've reached a point where the store can go into full swing, we've created this space to display the latest What.CD product creations and give our artists some more recognition. But wait, there's more! We've also launched a totally new perma-contest meant for the exclusive production of limited edition designs. The details on this contest can be found below.

Finally, we've decided to put some familiar designs on sale. monotoo and Fire_Couch blew us away in the first design competition, so support their work by buying their Hexagon 27 and Headphones shirts at a discounted cost! We've also brought back the Rippy beverage koozies (collapsible!) from the fundraiser at half-price. Check out the links below for details.

[Click Images for Product Pages]​

​

​

[Hexagon27 Shirt] - [Rippy Koozie] - [Headphones Shirt]​

Alongside the introduction of our very first limited edition product, we're pleased to announce the limited edition design contest! The rules for this contest are outlined within the thread, but a few details are worth sharing here:

• The contest will never end.
• You can submit as many designs as you like.
• Designs may not be recycled from previous contests.
• We aim to print one limited edition product each month.
• Brainstorming can be done in The What.CD Design Thread. Submit finished designs only in the contest thread.
• Winners receive free gear featuring their artwork!

Limited edition designs represent a special new phase of The What.CD Online Store, and we're happy to make them available to you. We'd like to thank the countless designers who have taken it upon themselves to make this project a success. Without you, and without the financial support of those who proudly wear What.CD merchandise, the site could not exist. And so without further ado, blow our minds!





The summer is upon us and creative energies are peaking. To celebrate this magnificent season, we're asking our users to create some stylish stylesheets for official adoption via a brand new contest; throughout the next month we will be accepting the best stylesheets submitted by users in our Summer of Style challenge! You talented CSS designers of the world are free to start dreaming up some spectacular designs for the sake of style (and awesome prizes) right now. May the best designs win! You can find the contest thread over here.

​

Gwindow: "A little over a year after its original inception, The What.CD Android App is finally available for public consumption! The app serves as a mobile alternative for browsing What.CD, designed specifically with Android devices in mind. It also boasts extra features such as barcode scanning, allowing users to quickly find music without the hassle of typing. To download and discuss the app, visit this thread."

Screenshots: Show





DOWNLOAD HERE​

"The Build Team is also happy to introduce the Gazelle JSON API.

To satisfy the needs of the Android app's development process, an API for What.CD was created. The API allows you to make client requests in order to fetch a wide array of information, ranging from forum posts to torrent searches. The API comes standard in public Gazelle and works out of the box. Documentation can be found in the wiki here."






To help fuel your summery misadventures, we here at What.CD Staff Headquarters have compiled a list of albums which represent summer to us. We can offer no assurances that these picks won't prove too seductive to handle. All Summertime Staff Picks are Neutral Leech.

Marienbad's Staff Pick

Boredoms - Vision Creation Newson

Genre: rock, space birds

Torrents: torrents.php?id=4027

Review:

Many of you will be very familiar with this album, but when it comes to a "summer" record, I couldn't pick anything else. I think this and the previous year's Super æ are both excellent, but VCN is simply more inviting and more fun than its companion. The cryptic artwork (though it's entirely apt; I would add girl.exploding.into.a.sun as an official tag if I could) and unpronounceable, iPod-unfriendly track titles are classic Boredoms, but the music itself is, to me, unlike anything they recorded before or after.​

Lisbeth's Staff Pick

Tiësto - In Search of Sunrise 6: Ibiza

Genre: Electronic, Progressive House, Trance, Progressive Trance

Torrents: torrents.php?id=93497

Review:

Let's face it, trance music isn't what it used to be. It turned to shit. This is one of the few 'recent' albums that's still good enough to listen to while reminiscing about how much better this genre was in the past.

Happy sunbaking. Don't forget the margaritas!​

Gamut's Staff Pick

jj - High Summer

Genre: balearic, pop, indie

Torrents: torrents.php?id=72240360

Review:

:]​

irredentia's's Staff Pick

Fuck Buttons - Olympians

Genre: Electronic, Rock, Indie, Noise Rock, Drone

Torrents: torrents.php?id=744860

Review:

While watching the Opening ceremonies of the 2012 London Olympics, two things really stood out: how much I missed London, a city I would go to every couple of weeks for two years, and ... wait, are they really playing Fuck Buttons?.

There have been years of questionable style decisions from the London 2012 organization, including one of the worst logos in modern history, a typeface not even a mother could love, and playing the Sex Pistols, always anti-monarchial and whose best-selling song "God Save the Queen" was targeted at the Monarchy—with the Queen in attendance. Playing "Olympians" during the opening ceremonies might make up for the rest.

Olympians, a single from the 2009 album Tarot Sport, is an anthem: long enough to push an incredible buildup, mournful enough to be nostalgic, and ending on an exuberant, affirming celebratory drone. And drone is exactly what this is, but even more so than work by The Field, this is drone with pop sensibility. The radio edit starts off the digital download edition, and accomplishes much of what the album version does, but in under four minutes instead of over eleven for those unwilling to commit to the longer, much more epic version. The Spaceman remix (a member of Spiritualized) will be more of a test of whether you enjoy Spiritualized rather than Fuck Buttons. Closing out the single, a remix of "Rough Steez" featuring Alan Vega of Suicide (and more recently a collaborator with the members of Pan Sonic) is one of the few Fuck Buttons tracks with any vocals.

"Olympians" was not originally written as a commission for the Olympic games. "Surf Solar", the opening song for Tarot Sport, was also featured in the opening ceremonies. The ceremonies prominently featured the song "Sundowner" by Fuck Buttons side project Blanck Mass, as well as a version of the same song recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra.​

spacirelei's Staff Pick

Airiel - Kid Games

Genre: shoegaze, dream pop

Torrents: torrents.php?id=72209275

Review:

for your summer night stargazing​

Arya's Staff Pick

Jonas Steur - Born For The Night

Genre: Trance, Progressive Trance

Torrents: torrents.php?id=296720

Review:

Just download it. It's good. This review is approved by Arya.​

WithTiredEyes' Staff Pick

Big Star - #1 Record

Genre: Rock, Punk, Awesome

Torrents: torrents.php?id=212203

Review: AllMusic wrote:

The problem with coming in late on an artwork lauded as "influential" is that you've probably encountered the work it influenced first, so its truly innovative qualities are lost. Thus, if you are hearing Big Star's debut album for the first time decades after its release (as, inevitably, most people must), you may be reminded of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers or R.E.M., who came after -- that is, if you don't think of the Byrds and the Beatles, circa 1965. What was remarkable about #1 Record in 1972 was that nobody except Big Star (and maybe Badfinger and the Raspberries) wanted to sound like this -- simple, light pop with sweet harmonies and jangly guitars. Since then, dozens of bands have rediscovered those pleasures. But in a way, that's an advantage because, whatever freshness is lost across the years, Big Star's craft is only confirmed. These are sturdy songs, feelingly performed, and once you get beyond the style to the content, you'll still be impressed.​

Ajax's Pick

Sergei Rachmaninoff performed by Evgeny Kissin - Kissin plays Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3

Genre: classical

Torrents: torrents.php?id=703395

Review:

Amazingly good.​

?'s Pick

Nicky Da B - PLEASE DON'T FORGET DA B

Genre: Bounce

Torrents: torrents.php?id=72223223

Review:

This says it all ​

KitchenStaff's Staff Pick

Outback - Baka

Genre: World, Acoustic

Torrents: torrents.php?id=543974

Review:

For my summer pick I thought I'd break with my own tradition of choosing some sort of electronic/downtempo thing, and instead share one of my top ten favorite acoustic recordings. I heard one of the tracks on this album on Radio Paradise years and years ago, and liked it so much I spent a huge sum of money importing multiple copies of this disc from the UK to send to all of my family members. Baka is a brilliant foray into acoustic music, led by Martin Cradick on acoustic guitar and Graham Wiggins on didjeridu. Yes, that's right, didjeridu.​

LesAdieux's Staff Pick

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart performed by Alfred Brendel, Academy of St-Martin-in-the-Fields, Sir Neville Marriner - The Great Piano Concertos

Genre: Classical

Torrents: torrents.php?id=840857

Review: Grammophon wrote:

Intellectually, Brendel is certainly a formidable rival, difficult to compete with when, as I suggested last month writing of his account of K467, innovatory thinking is matched by the finest kind of keyboard articulation and the loveliest kind of singing tone in the lyric passages. There are those, I know, who do not especially warm to Brendel's persistently forensic approach to the music he plays; as a professional scrutineer of texts and a fascinated reader of the musical entrails he has made as many enemies as he has won admiring friends. Yet you cannot reasonably put Mozart before a modern audience without decent scholarship and an acute, if necessarily pragmatic, feel for the kind of stylistic adjustments which that scholarship, modern instruments, and modern ears require. In this respect, Brendel is a more formidable Mozartian than Perahia. Brendel's thinking about disputed tempos, about in-fill, about embellishment, and about how to select, create, and project suitable cadenzas is more rigorous than anything Perahia manages to provide. It is not simply that many of Brendel's solutions seem right in the comparative safety of the study; they come well off the page as well in that all-important moment of communication with the audience. In terms of solutions to well-known problems, Brendel and Perahia are often diametrically opposed to one another, as we can hear in the slow movement of K503 or if we compare their resolution of such famous cruxes as the second movements of K466, bars 49-50 and K488, bars 644 where Perahia's solutions seem (there are no real certainties here) as implausible as Brendel's seem apt.​

Entrapment's Staff Pick

Buke And Gaas - Riposte

Genre: folk, experimental, rock

Torrents: torrents.php?id=840047

Review:

Arone Dyer had no particular reason to be smiling so much. She wasn't feeling well. She'd lost her voice. She'd downed some organic something-or-other cure-all right before sound check. But Dyer couldn't stop smiling as she and bandmate Aron Sanchez converted everybody within earshot of Buke and Gass' Tiny Desk Concert. With their heavy homemade amps, Dyer and Sanchez are plenty loud, so their oddly catchy prog-punk anthems surely made their way down the hall from the NPR Music offices.

It's Buke and Gass' homemade quality that draws you in at first. Dyer plays a modified baritone-ukulele run through effects that squeal with delight, while Sanchez runs his guitar-bass hybrid through two amps (one for the three low-end strings, another for the treble). The junkyard-Shellac set-up is geeky, yes, and might strike a chord of novelty. But ultimately, it's hard not to be sold on the songs or this performance. (In fact, you can catch Buke and Gass on a winter tour right now.)

The duo's debut album, Riposte, made NPR Music's 50 Favorite Albums of 2010, and with good reason: There's unbridled creativity at play, as the speakers are joyfully pummeled with unexpected delight — exactly the way they are at this Tiny Desk Concert.

entrapment edit: This album is pretty much defining my summer road trip driving music mix, and I love it to death. Give it a spin in the car.​

Iapetus's Pick

Poolside - Pacific Standard Time

Genre: nu.disco , electronic

Torrents: torrents.php?id=72250346

Review:

Ever have an album come along and sweep out your feet, wash you away, and completely captivate your attention? That’s exactly what Poolside‘s Pacific Standard Time has done to me. To say I’ve been obsessed with this album would be an understatement — I literally couldn’t stop listening for a solid two weeks. This album flows from one end to the other, a smoothly cohesive effort filled with beautiful ebbs and luscious flows.

Their self-assigned label of “daytime disco” is like a revelation once you listen. They come at the disco thing from every conceivable angle: vocals, instrumental tracks, more electronic, more organic, guitars, percussion… the works, all in addition to the typical synths, bass, and drum machines. The line has been blurred between electronic & instrument so much that it’s difficult to tell what’s sampled and what’s recorded. There are just so many different sounds — if disco is a whiffle ball, they’ve come in through every hole. But the common thread is this downtempo, silky, sexy attitude that embodies what it feels like to lounge around a pool during the day. The imagery that this album conjures is pure happiness, relaxation, and comfort. A very hedonistic sensation.

http://soundfusemag.com/2012/08/03/album-review-poolside-pacific-standard-time/​

alderaan's Staff Pick

AC/DC - Live

Genre: Hard Rock

Torrents: torrents.php?id=28074

Review: (taken from AllMusic):

Despite the fact that the band's best days were obviously behind them, a live album for AC/DC was all but completely necessary. After all, the group's first live release, If You Want Blood You've Got It, was recorded at a time when AC/DC was nothing more than a cult act that had yet to produce many of its future rock staples. Though recorded well into their career on the Razor's Edge 1991 tour, AC/DC Live surprisingly captures the hype and excitement that made AC/DC such a hit in their heyday. The set list wisely overlooks the songs from the band's mid-'80s slump and concentrates on hard rock hits such as "Hells Bells," "Back in Black," "Highway to Hell," and "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap." Brian Johnson's voice may not be as strong as in the early '80s, but he still sounds competent in his role. All too often, a live album is a cheaply made, rushed recording that only serves as a testament to a band's decline. AC/DC Live, however, shows what makes this band different from their peers—here they are still entirely capable of pulling off a great live show. This ranks among the best live metal albums of the '90s.​

GameOver's Pick

Iron Maiden - The Final Frontier

Genre: Heavy Metal

Torrents: torrents.php?id=832577

Review:

When the wild wind blows
Amazing song. Listen to it or else!​

DixieFlatline's Staff Pick

Dengue Fever - Cannibal Courtship

Genre: Rock, Psychedelic, Pop, World Fusion

Torrents: torrents.php?id=71958927

Review:

Remember to remove your slippers before wading deep, boys and girls.​

DRONE's Services Pick

Sunn O))) and Boris - Altar

Genre: DRONE

Torrents: torrents.php?id=6777

Review:

403 FORBIDDEN. You don't have permission to access /happiness.php on this server.​

The introduction of our Featured Product placeholder caused quite a controversy among inquisitive users. Since creating the thread, we've received no less than ten virgin sacrifices (we set them free) and fifty bushels of fine seed. It seems that when there's a mystery afoot, What.CD users will stop at nothing to unearth the truth. In the end, we couldn't help but reward our most creative and humorous sleuths with a round of free picks. Through false starts and false stops, these users showed that - at the very least - there's no harm in having fun when sunshine is soon to arrive. All Conspiracy Theorist Picks are Neutral Leech.


Wolo's Donald Duck's Trembling Rage Pick

The Chamelons - Script of the Bridge

Genre: Post Punk, Dream Pop

Torrents: torrents.php?id=27882

Review:

Snatched it randomly a couple of weeks ago, best decision i've made in a while.​

Velvelette's Mars Madness Pick

Matt Berry - Opium

Genre: progressive.rock, folk, comedy, rock, spoken.word

Torrents: torrents.php?id=35801

Review:

I chose this album in part because the questing, philosophical and hilarious tone feels akin to the one in the speculation thread; the rest being the sheer quality of the album itself. It's funny and can be classed as comedy, yet the psychedlic folk/progressive rock is truly well done and stands alone as excellent music (something Berry did by itself on the following Witchhazel). Matt Berry has two voices here: his well-known "God" voice, deep and commanding, and a vunerable, very sweet, high singing voice, making it appear there are two singers at first listen—and this is reflected in the duality of the work. You will laugh and be amused, but also be genuinely moved. It achieves the moments of poignancy and insight present in the very best comedy. Matt Berry comes across here as a kind of Georgian-renaissance man-lounge singer-mystic, but most of all, an errant lover in quest of truth and a good time. Lay your love on me...​

Hostile711's Partial Accuracy Pick

Psyche Origami - Midnight Love

Genre: hip.hop

Torrents: torrents.php?id=110380

Review:

The first time I've heard music from Psyche Origami was from a Adult Swim on Cartoon Network. Even though they were just clips, I still though they were awesome! This album has exceeded my expectations and now Psyche Origami is my favorite hip-hop group! Because they use the exchange of the MC and the DJ, this shows how innovative they are and what hip-hop should be!​

indiefan786's Theory Engineer Pick

A.R. Kane - 69

Genre: Dream Pop

Torrents: torrents.php?id=125555

Review:

A criminally-underrated band of their era A.R. Kane debuted an indescribable mix of dream-pop, alternative, psychedelia, trip-hop, and dub reggae. This album should appeal to any fans of Cocteau Twins, early shoegaze, and experimental music. After first listen it's instantly shocking how something this unique could be lost in time. A haunting and dreary record, truly a gem of the late eighties.​

dante_fresh's Television Guru Pick

Radicalfashion - Odori

Genre: Minimal, Glitch, Modern Classical

Torrents: torrents.php?id=115007

Review:

Hirohito Ihara, who founded radicalfashion in Kobe, Japan, speaks of the subconscious influence of his surroundings on his work. He links the sea with his “liking for some kind of nostalgia”. In the purest spirit of abstract expression, Hirohito allows the listeners to experience in his debut full-length, Odori, their own emotions without any guiding elements. This is ambient beauty at its finest.​

iGod's Elite Scribe, Whose Word is Truth Pick

Vanaprasta - Healthy Geometry

Genre: Alternative, Experimental, Indie Rock

Torrents: torrents.php?id=72083240

Review:

Following a healthy buzz garnered by its 2009 EP and its often-blogged-about live performances, Los Angelino indie quintet Vanaprasta surpasses expectations with its cleverly crafted debut album, Healthy Geometry. “Nine Equals Nine” starts with fluttering analog oscillations that undulate over sequenced drumbeats. Then singer Steven Wilkins takes over the tune with soulful inflections; check out the gospel-inspired harmonies on the bridge. “Minnesota” blends vintage organ tremolo with looped guitar lines over scattered beats that make way for more wailing croons. Wilkins exercises vocal restraint on the title track as it slowly builds like a late-'90s Radiohead tune, with angular arrangements and endlessly ascending guitar leads. He pushes the falsetto notes as far as they can go in the beautifully melancholy “Don’t Go Home.” The moody closing song, “Crushing Ants,” moves at a snail’s pace: winding guitars gradually build a juggernaut of sonic momentum that only stops to excrete a heavy rumbling bass solo before hard-rocking riffs unfold.​

latinlatte's Heeeeere's Johnny! Pick

The Good Life - Novena On A Nocturn

Genre: indie

Torrents: torrents.php?id=215620

Review:

Essentially a solo project for Cursive's Tim Kasher, albeit with plenty of instrumental help from a variety of friends, the debut album from the Good Life is the culmination of 12 years of songwriting outside his full-time gig. Those 12 years must have been filled with some great bygone LPs and a fair helping of woe, because instead of the '90s indie pop of Cursive, Kasher explores stark and angular ground on Novena on a Nocturn that recalls no one more so than the Brit-pop icons of the 1980s. The dour and miserable sentiment of the Smiths and the Cure ("The Competition" would have fit perfectly on Disintegration) bleeds into the detached and alien sound of synth-pop combos like Human League and Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark, with the lush, melodramatic theatricality of new romantics Soft Cell and Ultravox draping over each song like a wet blanket. These are pure coffeehouse and cabaret tunes with a sustained atmosphere of haunting, world-weary ache. In addition to their '80s forebears, the songs explore the timeless songcraft and painfully honest life-lessons of artists such as Jacques Brel, Kurt Weill, and Scott Walker. The music is minimalistic but also cleverly layered with intriguing sounds, particularly eerie keyboards and bits of electronics. It is sweeping, intense music with volumes of emotional resonance and a tragic undercurrent. Kasher's songs are inconsolable prayers of lament and resignation, intimate and almost painfully introspective without exactly being overtly insular. And yet there is an overwhelming sense that you are eavesdropping on a two-way conversation with Job-like epic proportions. As the title suggests, the album has nearly religious connotations, and its nine 'novenas' delve into all the shadows and blue hues of nighttime. Dark and icy imagery spots nearly every tune, and even when a subject like the sun is referenced, as on the final "Golden Exit," there is something cold and insidious and wintry about its appearance, as if nothing can thaw Kasher's anguish, nothing can break through the bleakness of his worldview. Novena on a Nocturn, after all, is not about the light; despite the cleverly ironic band name, its purpose is to exorcise all those personal demons that seem to travel in the darkness -- listeners' own individual darknesses.​

Yip's George is Gettin' Upset! Pick

Warm Ghost - Narrows

Genre: Electronic, Chillwave, Electropop

Torrents: torrents.php?id=72050522

Review:

In early 2011, Warm Ghost released the music video for 'Open the Wormhole in Your Heart' -- a neon-pulsating, ambient-lighted, chilling video with erotic under--and over, if you know what I mean--tones. There seems to be no better way to describe Warm Ghost, and by extension, their debut album 'Narrows', than that. All the dampened synths and mellow, relaxing vocals in the world couldn't change the fact that very few bands sound as cold and distant. And by no means is that an insult.​

chemiloco's A George Divided Pick

Eider Stellaire - 1

Genre: zeuhl

Torrents: torrents.php?id=72101510

Review:

Amazing album. This is considered the "masterpiece" of their discography, and its clearly their most accesible work. Why you don't have this yet?​

Aslion's Japanese Lava Pick

World's End Girlfriend - Hurtbreak Wonderland

Genre: Modern Classical, Glitch, Post Rock

Torrents: torrents.php?id=37885

Review:

The most beautiful and intense album I've ever heard. Flawlessly blends together elements of classical, glitch, and post-rock, with amazing composition on top of it all. Doesn't get boring for even a moment.​

kaiserlevi's Fun with Words Pick

The Benedictine Nuns Of Notre-Dame De L'Annonciation - Voices: Chant From Avignon

Genre: Classical, Medieval, Vocal, Choral, Gregorian Chant,

Torrents: torrents.php?id=71909249

Review:

I checked out this album after hearing the story of a closed order of Benedictine nuns that recorded and produced an entire album of Gregorian chants from within the confines of their abbey. It was an interesting enough story, but the album ended up being one of my favorite finds in recent years. The purity of these incandescent chants instantly transports the listener to 6th century France, when this order was established. As it has gone mostly untouched by outside influences over the years, this album is a treat for musical scholars and fantasy/medieval fanboys alike. At the very least, it provides a sense of relaxation that's hard to find anywhere else. This album has been the soundtrack to most of my writings since it was released, and I'm excited to bring more attention to it.​

The good news is that we're still not finished. Let's top up our pick spree with a healthy portion of routine user picks for the month of August. All August 2012 User Picks are Neutral Leech.


amxtrash's User Pick

Crimpshrine - The Sound of a New World Being Born

Genre: Punk Rock

Torrents: torrents.php?id=92711

Review:

After years of being bootlegged, out of print and vinyl-exclusive, longtime Crimpshrine fans can rejoice that all their scattered compilation tracks, split EPs and 7"s are now conveniently packaged on one CD. Containing their Sleep, What's That? and Quit Talkin' Claude EPs among a whole boatload of hard-to-find material, The Sound of a New World Being Born is a reminder of how tragic their short lifespan was. Despite their brief existence, Crimpshrine would eventually leave a mark as being one of the most influential punk bands to emerge out of Berkeley, CA. It was a combination of their sheer honesty, down-on-your-luck lyrics, and lo-fi recordings that made these guys stick out among the crowd to this day. And it's all here on this collection.​

littlehelper's User Pick

Metric - Grow Up and Blow Away

Genre: Indie, New Wave, Rock, Canada

Torrents: torrents.php?id=57312

Review:

Grow Up and Blow Away was recorded between 1999 and 2001, and was meant to be Metric's debut LP, but it got lost in that endless cycle of large music labels buying small labels, with bands, musicians, and entire albums forgotten during that turnover.

Finally being released after an eight year delay by its current label, Last Gang Records, the album's downtempo sound gives Emily Haines' vocal qualities and laid-back synth sound room to flourish.

Parkdale, only present in the unreleased album, is my favorite track.

Pitchfork wrote:

The album is fully a product of Metric's signature style, where electro-pop, trip-hop, and good old indie rock underpin Haines' effortless charisma. Despite its textural richness, it's feather-light; it's also comely and stylish. In fact, Metric's neophyte effort might be their best.​

Soliq's Delta Team Pick

Break of Reality - Spectrum of the Sky

Genre: Cello rock, Contemporary classical

Torrents: torrents.php?id=603824

Review:

Review from Amazon:
No other group that I can recall in recent history has elicited such a broad range of emotions from their music. Is it the absence of a vocalist that allows your own mind to decipher what the music means to you? Is it the gut wrenching timbre of the cello, the weaving of so many different harmonies, or possibly the impact of the intense percussional variations? Break of Reality has really come into its own with this collection of songs. When you listen to "Spectrum" for the first time, one thing is perfectly clear - Break of Reality has a very serious and distinct purpose in mind from the first track, right to the very end. Coupled with stellar audio quality, the disc won't be leaving your rotation for a long, long time.​

Bezvezenator's Delta Team Pick

Diablo Swing Orchestra – Sing Along Songs for the Damned & Delirious

Genre: Avant-garde metal

Torrents: torrents.php?id=581624

Review:

Imagine a cross between the Squirrel Nut Zippers, some of J.G. Thirlwell's more swing/exotica-oriented work, and Lacuna Coil and you've got Diablo Swing Orchestra. This Swedish group combines swing and hot jazz in a '30s style with metal and operatic female vocals, with the results being quite compellingly weird, though decidedly not for everyone. ​

Looped's VIP Pick

The Good, The Bad & The Queen - The Good, The Bad & The Queen

Genre: Alternative, Post.Rock, Indie

Torrents: torrents.php?id=71399

Pitchfork.com Review:

Damon Albarn has been branded a dictator, a dilettante, even a bit daft. But to be fair, the guy's biggest mistake since entering the post-Blur era has been his failure to recognize it as the post-Blur era. So even as he globetrots to Mali or grooves in Gorillaz, everything Albarn does feels a little bit like a side project, which unfortunately casts his often quite good music as an afterthought rather than the real deal.

If perception is such a big part of the game, though, then Albarn has stacked things in his favor with the Good, the Bad & the Queen-- another name, another band, this one with something for nearly everyone because it features someone for nearly everyone. On bass, Clash veteran Paul Simonon. On guitar, Simon Tong, late of the Verve. On drums, the unimpeachable Afrobeat master Tony Allen. Behind the boards, somewhere, the ubiquitous, beloved Danger Mouse. And Albarn himself on top, his ego and voice the would-be X-factor that ties these disparate kindred souls together.​

weisguy's VIP Pick

Alco - Alco

Genre: Progressive Rock

Torrents: torrents.php?id=72194677

Review:

Alco has returned with their sophomore effort, unassumingly titled Alco. As eponymous releases go, not many other albums can say "this is us" more powerfully than this stunning new set of progressive rock from the Lansing, Michigan five piece. Followers of the band will remember that five used to be four, and the addition here is cellist Jackie Douches who reportedly chatted up lead singer Justin Franks after a show one night a couple years ago. Thank goodness she did as she manages to accomplish with one instrument what some entire string sections cannot.

But Alco is really about the songwriting in its current incarnation and that's where this album truly stands on its own. The beautiful and simply-titled "Prelude" serves as just that to the album's stunning opener, "The Tide," lyrically invoking a nautical theme while at the same time washing over the listener like a welcome series of waves. It's a perfect match of music and message which plots an ambitious course fulfilled in spades by the rest. "Amnesia" and "Bend the Light" will make any prog-head smirk in delight (as only they can do) while the one-two punch of "Poisoning the Well" and "World on Fire" shows the band is at least aware of what contemporaries Muse and Radiohead have been up to. In the penultimate and climactic "Like Father, Like Son", an unlivable situation is turned on its head and into a piece of cathartic beauty which should make any songwriter who has never experienced true pain reevaluate the craft.

If all of this sounds rather grandiose, it's also worth mentioning everyone's remarkable restraint throughout. Guitarist Shaun Spivak's pyrotechnics are kept to a minimum in favor of atmosphere, and drummer Jeff Twomley exudes emotion rather than bombast. Highly recommended.
​

Becky's VIP Pick

Hans Zimmer - Inception

Genre: Electronic, soundtrack, score

Torrents: torrents.php?id=812258

Review:

Inception has certainly gained a cult following since its release, but I personally have fallen more in love with the music from the film than the movie itself. Hans Zimmer never ceases to amaze me with his ability to compose beautiful, emotional pieces. There are tracks in this album that will have your heart racing in anticipation, while others leave you with a feeling of profound importance or heaviness that you can't seem to explain. "Time," the final track in the album I could listen to on repeat for hours (and may be guilty of doing so, sad to admit). Anyone who enjoys instrumentals or movie scores should have this in their collection.​

Cheszilla's User Pick

Scarling - Sweetheart Dealer

Genre: Alternative, Rock, Shoegaze

Torrents: torrents.php?id=27784

Review:

This album evokes a certain highschool depression that works well in a newer, more adult form, like a post highschool Daria. Addams Family meets rock'n'roll. A less punk direction than her former band, Scarling explores the more sedate path, but by no means less grating than frontswoman Jessicka's grrrl power punk roots. Gothic imagery and a dream pop like feel flow through songs such as Band Aid Covers the Bullet Hole, despite the almost upbeat drumlines, and are carefully countered with relaxing droning of Alexander the Burn Victem, with it's wailing guitars. As Robert Smith of the Cure describes it, this reall is the soundtrack to the end of the world.​

[Click for More Info]​

(View: The What.CD Online Store)
(View: The What.CD Limited Edition Design Contest Thread)
(View: The What.CD Summer of Style Contest Thread)
(View: The What.CD Android App Thread)


(Discuss The What.CD 2012 Summer Update)

[Community Vote] The What.CD Online Store Design Contest: II 1 month, 5 hours ago
The What.CD staff would like to offer a huge round of thanks to those of you who took part in the submission process for our second design competition. Expecting a smaller turnout for this particular competition, we were surprised and pleased with the effort on display. As with the last competition, we've combed through the submissions and chosen a shortlist of entrants to put up for community voting. The winners and runners-up will be selected from among this group in a separate Staff vote. While the What.CD Staff will decide the winner, we're asking you to provide us with useful information about which designs you're the most interested in.

We feel that every entry on the shortlist lived up to the task we set before the community. If your entry isn't found in the shortlist, don't worry! A number of submissions were truly excellent despite being a bit unsuitable for mugs and/or the particulars of our printing process. Keep in mind that we'll be holding many future design contests, and there will be many opportunities to participate. As always, we direct aspiring artists to The What.CD Design Thread for brainstorming, advice and planning before the next contest takes place.

In order to choose which mug you like the most, please head over to the voting thread. Your vote matters!

• This vote will close on Tuesday, July 24th at 11:59 PM, What.CD Time (GMT). The winner and runners-up will be announced shortly thereafter.
• The winner and runners-up will be determined by the Staff.

(Discuss this post here)

Happy July 1 month, 3 days ago
Here are some user picks.

neebs's Nincompoop Pick

Motion Sickness of Time Travel - Seeping Through the Veil of Unconsciousness

Genre: folk, experimental, electronic

Torrents: torrents.php?id=841499

Review:

The shining masterpiece of Motion Sickness's discography, Seeping Through the Veil of Unconsciousness is also the fastest and most brutal album ever released by the band, or indeed by any of the Big Four of thrash metal, and it has a good claim to being one of the most extreme thrash metal albums ever released. Rachel Evans' faster style from Quiet Evenings is brought to perfection on this disc, with excellent production by Rick Rubin which brings out all the different aspects of what's going on - in particular, the release features the clearest and meatiest drum sound of any of Motion Sickness's first three albums - and the shift in the lyrical focus from Satan and demons to more wide-ranging musings on violent subject matter if anything makes the band sound even more sick and sinister than previously. A true classic.​

senatortom's ¯°_o)/¯ Team Pick

Schnappi - Schnappi und seine Freunde

Genre: Krokodil

Torrents: torrents.php?id=72178931

Review:

The best album about a young crocodile you'll ever hear.​

Wolo's Elite TM Pick

Exuma - Exuma

Genre: World Music, freak folk, 1970's, Voodoo

Torrents: torrents.php?id=13461

Review -

Exuma's debut album was a real odd piece of work, even by the standards of the late '60s and early '70s, when major labels went further out on a limb to throw weird stuff at the public to see what would stick than they ever had before or have since. Roughly speaking, it's kind of like a combination of the Bahamian folk of Joseph Spence with early Dr. John at his most voodooed-out, though even that nutshell doesn't really do justice to how unusual this record is. Often it seems more like eavesdropping on a tribal ritual than listening to songs. Some of the tracks, indeed, have little or less to do with conventional "songs" than with tunes and lyrics; they're more akin to Mardi Gras street percussion jams airlifted to the Caribbean islands. Exuma and his accompanists make quite a spooky clamor with their various bells, foot drums, chanting, gasps, sighs, shouts, and other percussive instruments, creating a mood both celebratory and scary. He's not totally averse to using more standard song forms, though, singing about "zombies walking in the broad daylight" in "Mama Loi, Papa Loi"; devising a simple, fairly singable soul melody for "You Don't Know What's Going On," his most famous song due to its inclusion in the movie Joe; and setting "The Vision" to an appealing, if again quite simple, folk melody. Exuma's rough, unschooled vocals cut off any prospect of mainstream accessibility, but they get the job done in getting both his uplifting and ominous spirituality over. It's a little surprising that this stuff hasn't undergone a sizable cult revival; many artists of lesser talent and idiosyncrasy have, and perhaps the 2003 CD reissue on Repertoire, with reasonably informed liner notes, will aid in its rediscovery.​

stones2621's Torrent Master Pick

Citay - Dream Get Together

Genre: Rock, Alternative, Indie, Neo-Psychedelia

Torrent: torrents.php?id=681315

Allmusic Review by Tim Sendra

On Citay’s third album, Dream Get Together, the group keep on doing what’s been working so far, with very few changes to their unique sound. Masterminds Ezra Feinberg and Tim Green have again concocted a guitar lover’s dream album. From the layered acoustic strumming that underpins everything to the harmony leads (that are borrowed from Green’s Fucking Champs) and the moments of wild soloing that should have even the most hardheaded head-banger nodding in approval, there is an abundance of six-string prowess. As on previous albums, the group makes sure to add some pretty melodies, sweet female harmony vocals, and the occasional keyboard to the mix to keep it from becoming too much of a fret-fest. The songs, too, are varied in sound and feel, some are raging rockers like the opening "Careful with That Hat" (which concludes with an impressively fierce guitar solo), some are catchy almost-folk-rockers, and the title track is an epically meditative jam that builds to a maelstrom of guitar noise. They even throw in a suitably spaced-out cover of Galaxie 500’s "Tugboat," and welcome a few guests (Merrill Garbus of tUnE-YArDs sings on "Mirror Kisses," Joel Robinow of Howlin' Rain contributes a synth solo on the most metallic song here, "Hunter"). Throughout, Feinberg continues to impress with his ability to create long, multi-part songs that sound both lazily stoned and meticulously crafted. They may not be what most people would consider classic songs with verses and choruses, but they have enough construction to keep them from drifting away. Green’s production, too, is an invaluable factor, he layers the guitars and vocals into a lush and hazy blanket of sound that is very easy to get lost in. Together they create a sound you won’t hear anywhere else. Dream Get Together is the rare 2000s album that sounds better played end to end than it does broken down into pieces. A track might sound good in a random mix, sure, but taken together, the effect is somewhat magical.
​

Malvar's Torrent Master Pick

Black Lab - Two Strangers

Genre: Alternative, Rock

Torrents: torrents.php?id=71834558

Review: Malvar wrote:

This is quite possibly one of the greatest albums I've ever heard. What I feel to be their most lyrically paramount albums, is a musical work of art in every sense of the word. This album is going to move you emotionally, and please your ears beyond anything you've heard in a long time. Everyone loves an album you can listen to, and enjoy, from start to finish. This album takes that sentiment to a totally different level. If you have ever loved, lost, desired, been alive, this album will grab your heart. It's one of the few albums that my wife and I can both agree on listening too at any time, and considering our vastly different tastes in music, that is saying a lot.​

Threemosphere's Torrent Master Pick

Fight Like Apes - The Body of Christ and the Legs of Tina Turner

Genre: pop.punk, electronic, punk.rock, experimental

Torrents: torrents.php?id=71795184

Review:

I'm not sure how I first heard Fight Like Apes, it was some time during 2009, but their first album was absolutely breathtaking and this sophomore release was only an improvement. With their fast unique blend of sounds and fun lyrical content Fight Like Apes release albums I find myself coming back to again and again without it getting old. This is one of my favorite albums to play all the way through every time. Enjoy this fantastic record! ​

Nanook's Torrent Master Pick

Fairport Convention - House Full: Live at the LA Troubadour

Genre: Celtic, Folk-Rock, Live

Torrents: torrents.php?id=494502

Review: A long time favorite, and imo, the best thing either Fairport or Richard Thompson has done. Old British folk songs electrified and electrifying.

AMG wrote:

Recorded during Fairport Convention's September 1970 shows in Los Angeles (their second visit to the city in six months), House Full captures the four-piece Full House lineup at its zenith -- a point proven by the marathon renditions of "Sloth" and "Matty Groves," which are among its epic highlights. Anybody who thought Sandy Denny was the only person who could convincingly perform the latter is certainly in for a pleasant surprise, as is anyone who thought the Albion Band's version of "Battle of the Somme" was the definitive rendition. By year's end, however, this particular Fairport Convention lineup would have shattered, as Richard Thompson moved on to a solo career. This performance, with its taste of two songs originally intended for a pre-split new album, is a vivid portrayal of all that listeners lost when he went. Originally released as Live at the LA Troubadour in 1976, then reissued, with a slightly different track listing, a decade later as House Full, this remastered collection rounds up all ten of the live songs spread across those two (heavily overlapping) sets, omitting only the doctored studio version of Richard Thompson's "Poor Will and the Jolly Hangman" that appeared on the original 1976 release, and replacing one epic, "Sloth," with another. Among other cosmetic alterations can be found the correct retitling of "Toss the Feathers" as "The Lark in the Morning Medley." However, the 90-plus seconds shorn from "Mason's Apron" for the original House Full release have not been restored for the CD, while fans of the 1976 album probably would have welcomed the restoration of the two "lost" performances. With those latter flaws in mind, then, this isn't the perfect restoration that this exceptional album deserves. But it's by no means a wasted opportunity, either.​

Chaos_theory's Torrent Master Pick

Os Mutantes - Os Mutantes

Genre: Experimental, progressive.rock, psychedelic, rock, brazilian, tropicalia, mpb, 1960s

Torrents: torrents.php?id=16544

Review by John Bush of AllMusic:

The band's debut album, Os Mutantes, is far and away their best -- a wildly inventive trip that assimilates orchestral pop, whimsical psychedelia, musique concrète, found-sound environments -- and that's just the first song! Elsewhere there are nods to Carnaval, albeit with distinct hippie sensibilities, incorporating fuzztone guitars and go-go basslines. Two tracks, "O Relogio" and "Le Premier Bonheur du Jour," work through pastoral French pop, sounding closer to the Swingle Singers than Gilberto Gil. Though not all of the experimentation succeeds -- the languid Brazilian blues of "Baby" is rather cumbersome -- and pop/rock listeners may have a hard time finding the hooks, Os Mutantes' first album is an astonishing listen. It's far more experimental than any of the albums produced by the era's first-rate psychedelic bands of Britain or America. ​

teetee's Torrent Master Pick

Various Artists – Nu Yorica! (Culture Clash In New York City: Experiments In Latin Music 1970-77)

Genre: Funk, Latin, Salsa, Afro-Cuban, Soul, Experimental

Torrents: torrents.php?id=369857

Review:

Nu Yorica! is the sound of Latin music in 1970-77 New York City. Including artists like Eddie Palmieri, Joe Bataan, Cortijo and Machito, Nu Yorica! explores the culture clash in New York when Latin music met African American funk, jazz and Soul, leading to new forms of music that have since become standard. Nu Yorica! features the cream of New York's Latin musicians at the height of their journeys into experimental Latin music.​

Steelemix's Guest Pick

Moon Taxi - Cabaret

Genre: Rock, Electronic, Jam

Torrents: torrents.php?id=72141859

Review:

Hailing from Nashville, Moon Taxi has released their second album Cabaret on the label 12th South Records. I stumbled upon this group in a daze whilst at Bonnaroo and their sound had such a great vibe and groove to it, I have been hooked ever since. A bit of an eclectic sound and high energy drives their funky melodies and gets people moving. They have defined themselves as a band and their sound is one that can be appreciated by a wide variety of music aficionados. I look forward to hearing more from them in the future and seeing them develop as a group. Hope y'all enjoy them as much as I do! ​

(Discuss this post here)