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What.CD Resurrection Bonanza!

After the troubles of this past week, we figured that you would appreciate a more pleasant announcement. Or multiple announcements. Over the next few days we will feature a large number of Freeleech and Neutral Leech* picks in order to celebrate some of What.CD's top contributors—the best entries from our recently completed Got Music? competition will also be announced.

Leading off the first announcement are picks from former SysOp A9 and current Developer porkpie. Without their most recent efforts, the site and tracker would not be functioning properly, leaving us with less desirable means of obtaining our music.

* (TM picks will be Neutral Leech. The rest are all Freeleech. For an explanation of how Neutral Leech works, read the first post in this thread.)

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A9's Site Savior Pick:

Sixx:A.M. - The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack

Genre: Hard Rock

Torrents: torrents.php?id=65109

Review - Allmusic wrote:
Now, this is an interesting album! Designed as a companion piece to Mötley Crüe bassist/songwriter Nikki Sixx's autobiography, The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack -- based on journals he kept during the peak of his drug abuse in the '80s, now supplemented by commentary by his friends and the man himself -- is a genuinely odd and oddly moving record, a weird pileup of pained spoken word diary entries, operatic metal, L.A. sleaze, grimy electro-industrial beats, the stray power ballad, and circus music, all delivered by Sixx's new band, Sixx: A.M., which is fronted by vocalist James Michael, who also produced and wrote the album with Sixx. Musically, this album exists out of time -- it certainly doesn't sound like a throwback to the Crüe and, despite the echoes of She Wants Revenge on "Pray for Me," it doesn't sound modern, either. In that sense, The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack is the product of a true, distinctive artistic vision -- one that might not be coherent, but it's certainly compelling, both in its open-wound honesty and often baffling mash-ups of styles. Even if Sixx: A.M. dabble in modern textures here, this never sounds like a desperate attempt to sound modern, since everything in this music is designed to mirror Sixx's voyage into heroin hell. It's a concept album and, as such, it plays as an extended suite instead of a collection of songs, but that's the appeal of this record: it's an art rock confessional, quite unlike anything Sixx -- or anyone else, for that matter -- has done before. Which means that even if The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack isn't quite to your specific tastes -- it might be too gloomy for Crüe fans -- it nevertheless is hard not to admire the risks Nikki Sixx takes on this record, or the strange success he achieves here, either.

porkpie's Staff/Site Savior Pick:

Julia Barry - Once, Or Twice

Genre: Pop, Jazz

Torrents: torrents.php?id=71797179

Review: Perfect for calming your nerves with a cup of tea while, for example, waiting for a website to come back to life.

Interstellar's Staff Pick:

Various Artists – Shangaan Electro: New Wave Dance Music From South Africa

Genre: ethnic, dance

Torrents: torrents.php?id=801485

Review -
Part of what makes Shangaan Electro so interesting is the way it seems to laugh away the notion of context altogether, or at least rush right past it. Tracks in the Shangaan style tend to run around 180 beats-per-minute, which is very fast, and the seizing effect of that is amplified by a focus on cheap high-end sounds and a near-total absence of bass, which there simply doesn't seem to be room for. Dance music in general is typically weighted and time-stamped by bass. Shangaan electro floats in ethereal space instead, with lots of speed and no friction. None of Shangaan Electro sounds quite like anything else we have at our disposal. Which, come to think of it, places it within a rich tradition indeed.
—Adapted from Andy Battaglia, p4k, August 17, 2010

Seethewaves' Staff Pick:

Jeff Wayne - Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of The Worlds

Genre: Progressive rock, concept album, science fiction

Torrents: torrents.php?id=61319
("1998 - 20th Anniversary Edition + bonus tracks" is recommended)

Review -
At times it definitely feels like the music takes a back seat to the story, but that doesn't take away from the magic of this album. Who cares if it isn't music in the strictest sense - it's one of the most interesting things I've ever played! If you're a fan of concept albums, science fiction, or really long attention spans, you owe it to yourself to give this a try.

PainTrain's Staff Pick:

Teddybears - Soft Machine

Genre: Electronic, Alternative, Rock

Torrents: torrents.php?id=44735

Review -
...Teddy Bears make music that expels a diverse array of genres amidst their work. At any point in time during this album you could be listening to garage punk, dancehall, or even electro, not to mention the intriguing guest vocals present on the album, including the likes of the legendary Iggy Pop, Ebbot Lundberg (of Soundtrack of Our Lives), and even Elephant Man and Annie. Musically Teddy Bears create some wonderful beats and it’s quite apparent on tracks like “Different Sound” which features a guest appearance by Malte. Other tracks sway with plausible beats such as the clever “Are You Feelin’ It” that is narrated by Jamaican MC Elephant Man. It’s obvious where Teddy Bears get their influences from, but in the name of art Teddy Bears strike a different pose with their staggeringly inconsistent innovations. Not stopping short, the rest of Soft Machine carries an energetic mindset as the rest of the renowned cast of guests make their appearances...

liquidsteel30's TM Pick:

L'elan Vital - The Wink And The Gun

Genre: post.rock

Torrents: torrents.php?id=203595

Review -
When I first joined What I was completely lost. The extreme scale of what I had stumbled upon boggled my mind. I downloaded very little at first, and one of the few things I did snatch was this album. I can't remember how I found it -- maybe it was a vanity house deal? Maybe I was just watching torrents.php for releases in genres that I liked. Regardless, this complete lack of knowledge of why I downloaded this only furthers my love for it. The music is a beautiful composition of strings meshed beautifully with the "standard" post rock feel. I can't even count the number of nights that I've queued this up and left it playing while I went to bed. Total peace in musical form.

Staticx17's TM Pick:

Chronic Future - Lines in My Face

Genre: Alternative, Rock

Torrents: torrents.php?id=52204

Review - allmusic wrote:
In 2000, the youngsters in Chronic Future found themselves stuck in a crappy label situation, as Beyond Music disintegrated around them. Naturally, in the bent discourse of the record industry, Beyond's implosion didn't necessarily void the Chronic's contract. This impossible situation resulted in a lengthy, smelly legal wrangle. Luckily, however, instead of having to get jobs at Phoenix area sub shops, the bandmembers ended up out of their old deal, on Interscope, and owners of a more mature sound. It should be -- Chronic Future's members can finally rent cars legally. Whereas 2000's 4 Elements was still wired to a pretty standard rap-rock mainframe (311, Rage, etc.), Lines in My Face wisely paints from a fuller palette. Like other suburbanites raised on grunge, alternative, and Hype Williams fish-eye hip-hop, the Chronic have no problem mixing hues and washes from each of those genres. Incubus, Hoobastank, and RX Bandits have been successful with this same formula during Chronic Future's hiatus, so it's nice that Face is here to get a little recognition of its own. "Stop Pretending," the self-examination "World Keeps Spinning (A Chronic Future)," and "New York, NY" depart deftly from the by-numbers riff slap of Chronic past; MC Mike Busse seems to have incorporated a bit of Eminem's lyrical flow, and the addition of keyboardist/programmer Ryan Breen means songs can rely on more dynamics than the hiccup between "Get up! Get up!" and a downtuned D. Lines finds a workable formula in rangy, angry, or searching verses slipping easily into choruses of loud guitar and actual singing, but it also makes each song on the album unique, whether through wordy raps, thick distortion, or unlikely sonic detours. Highlights include the Foo Fighters-ish "Static on the Radio" and "Thank You"; best might be "Wicked Games," where moody synth textures set up a stuttering, surging chorus. It sounds like mid-'80s Depeche Mode covering P.O.D.

FrenchToast's TM Pick:

Propagandhi - Supporting Caste

Genre: punk rock, hardcore, progressive metal, thrash metal

Torrents: torrents.php?id=402968

crackpotdemagogue of Punknews.org wrote:
Unbelievably, it has been a full four years since ‘prairie skids’ Propagandhi released their previous full-length, Potemkin City Limits. Since then the band has experienced some notable changes: recruiting David ‘Space Beaver’ Guillas (ex-Giant Sons) on second guitar in 2006; announcing the closure of their own G7 Welcoming Committee record label in early 2008; and more recently, parting ways with the label that brought them to the world, Fat Wreck Chords. Transitionary times, but not a transitionary album for Propagandhi, whose latest offering, Supporting Caste, is as focused, grounded and absolutely vital as the band has ever been.

Opener “Night Letters” arrives like an adrenaline-filled syringe into the heart of an overdosed junkie. Blasts of down-tuned thrash intersect a melodic lick and Kowalski screams stirring lyrics, with verses dispersed in between an insane riff that bursts from the speakers like a rabies-infected dog; meanwhile, somewhere in the world Kerry King closes his eyes in disbelief, for it was not him who wrote this riff.

Title track “Supporting Caste” finds Chris Hannah contemplating the insanity of recorded history (“Because history exalts / only the pornography of force / that of murderers and psychopaths”) whilst touching on issues of power and of feeling powerless, ultimately concluding with a relatively upbeat sentiment: “if you’re cast on thin ice, you may as well dance.” Hannah then shifts his target, expressing his disillusionment with religion and its rigid prescription to binary oppositions on “Terntium Non Datur” (Latin for, roughly, no third way) before the brilliant “Dear Coach’s Corner,” which explodes with a mind-bending, face-melting intro that eventually settles into an excursion towards more melodic territory, complemented by some nice picking by The Beave on second guitar, as Hannah documents his often underestimated vocal abilities whilst commenting on the idiocy of nationalism and militarism, juxtaposed with references to his beloved game, ice hockey.

Kowalski returns to lead vocal duties on “This Is Your Life,” his best contribution to the Propagandhi canon since “Fuck the Border,” before Hannah returns to the forefront with one of the album's many highlights, “Human(e) Meat,” which shoots down the paradoxical notion that it is possible to kill humanely, played out with a stunning, screaming solo. Lyrically, this theme continues on “Potemkin City Limits,” with Hannah presenting an extremely poignant and touching account of animal suffering -- proving here again, as he has done repeatedly over the years, that his lyrics can stand alone, and stand out, as prose on their own merit.

The technical musicianship on “The Funeral Procession” is astounding, beginning with an intro that for a few brief seconds feels like it is about to break into a rendition of some grinding hard rock, before quickly descending into a rapid guitar-driven frenzy of melody and pounding, racing drums accompanied by some vicious and driving bass work. Following this is “Without Love,” an emotive account of having to face one's own mortality while “Incalculable Effects” is a bleak, dark description of an ugly scene of urban brutality, dispatched via Kowalski’s preferred medium of pure thrash attack.

“The Bangers Embrace” is an insight into the kind of things Chris Hannah dreams about and “Last Will & Testament” best documents the influence The Beave has had in a creative sense upon the output of the band, his guitar work the central focus as the atmosphere builds with a purely instrumental progression that lasts just beyond three minutes, until the pace picks up and the vocals arrive to accompany us to a blazing exit. However, it's not before the secret track, a bizarre cover of Black Widow’s “Come to the Sabot,” bursts from the silence to close the album in hysterical fashion.

But hysterics aside, and in all seriousness, Supporting Caste is a hugely significant release from a band that have proven, yet again, that they are still the most important band in punk rock. Musically and lyrically uncompromising, pioneering whilst at the same time always didactic, the energy that floods from the music like lies from the mouth of a politician illustrates that this is a band at the top of their game. The added creative stimulus of The Beave, coupled with Hannah’s dedication to the band full-time since the closing of G7, represent what is a newly energized Propagandhi: So let us hope it stays this way -- for if it does, we can be sure to expect several more releases just as vital and as mind-blowing as this one.

(Source)

Lapper's TM Pick:

Gatsbys American Dream - Volcano

Genre: Alternative, Emo, Indie, Pop, Punk, Rock

Torrents: torrents.php?id=116825

Review - Scott Weber of AbsolutePunk wrote:
Volcano is epic. Gatsby’s American Dream has matured to an entirely new level. From start to finish Volcano will make you dance, it will make you re-think music, and it will make your jaw drop – not just in places, but for 33 straight minutes. The diversity of this CD is absolutely stunning. Gatsby’s has fully maintained the trademark musicianship that made them so amazing in the first place. Some songs change time signatures and melodies like crazy, others shift directions completely in mid song, while others provide one unifying theme throughout – without choruses. Yet there are other tracks that contain choruses and radio friendly melodies as the band proves to us all that they are more than capable of writing pop music. The lyrics are insightful and deep, as throughout the course of Volcano the concept is revealed. The lyrics refer not only to a physical Volcano but also draw parallels to human emotion, boiling up inside us all, ready to erupt. The music and instrumentation itself is deeper than ever before, as many songs have countless dimensions. Every single time I listen to Volcano, I notice something different, something subtle. All kinds of percussion instruments are used as a supplement to songs, mainly claves as Gatsby’s digs into some Latin influence. The depth to the music is only furthered by the countless references to past Gatsby’s records. If you listen closely, you’ll hear a chord progression from Ribbons and Sugar, or a strumming pattern from Why We Fight. You might even hear a lyric or two from earlier records. Volcano is complete in every way, shape and form.

mc's TM Pick:

The Big Pink - A Brief History of Love

Genre: Electronic, Shoegaze , Rock , Indie

Torrents: torrents.php?id=572307

Review - BBC

The Big Pink’s debut album arrives with the hefty weight of expectation. Singer Milo Cordell runs Merok Records and is the son of 60s producer Denny Cordell. His partner is Robbie Curze, a man who previously played guitar with Berlin techno-rock mentalist Alec Empire.

Fortunately, A Brief History of Love delivers. Cordell’s heritage and sharp eye (and ear) for talent, combined with Curze’s ability to terrorise with sound, has clearly imbued the London-based pair with a knack for creating music which is often extreme but rarely less than tuneful.

Current single Dominos will have listeners chanting gleefully along to its euphoric chorus – “These girls fall like dominoes” – while the accompanying fearsome, bass-heavy synth drone is positively overwhelming.

The holy trinity of Spacemen 3, My Bloody Valentine and The Jesus and Mary Chain are overt influences throughout the album, especially on debut single Too Young to Love. Screeching feedback, guitars squealing like tortured porpoises and a lyric about lost innocence: it’s an instant noise-pop classic.

There’s a drop in quality with Love in Vain, a slight diversion from the rest of the album in terms of its sedate pace and bizarrely jaunty tone. The Big Pink are at their best when trying to punch holes in the sky, not making ballads.

Second single Velvet, meanwhile, aims for the ethereal territory of Cocteau Twins crossed with the studied cool of The Velvet Underground. Music to wear sunglasses to never sounded so good.

Live collaborator Jo Apps crops up to sing on the title track, a beautiful work of passion, pain and longing which sounds like it was performed on the tear ducts of a spurned bride.

Countbackwards from Ten blends sweet vocal melodies with a guitar tone from Pixies’ Where Is My Mind? to swoonsome effect, ensuring the album ends a lot better than most relationships.

The Big Pink aimed to make an album about every facet of love, so it’s a great tribute to them that after hearing these 11 songs many will immediately want to come back for more as soon possible. After all, isn’t that how people feel when they are actually in love?

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