Külföldi torrent oldalak What.cd | WCD Birthday

It's unfortunate Halloween falls so close to What's birthday, when we like so much to celebrate both. Now that Part III of the birthday has passed, we can move on! The treat this Halloween is a host of Freeleech guest picks from the site's VIPs. These users go above and beyond the call of duty, contributing immensely to the site in numerous ways. Their contributions are rarely noticed by the general userbase, but the site would be very different without them. Our VIPs work hard to make What.CD the largest and best private tracker on the internet, and we'd like to show our gratitude by allowing them to share their favorites directly with you. ~ Tropolist

The VIP Picks:

c*'s pick

Why? - Alopecia

Genre: Indie Rock, Electronic, Hip-Hop, Folk

Torrents: torrents.php?id=46934

Review:

Although Why? have often been considered an alternative rap group, and frontman Yoni Wolf a rapper, this is a designation based on their affiliation with avant hip-hop label anticon and the fact that Wolf will alternate his nasally, sung vocals with spoken word pieces, a designation based on the fact that the band is simply rather hard to categorize. Why? are not hip-hop, but they are also much more than indie rock or folk or whatever other genres are thrown at them, staying within those distinctions but also moving forward, looking outward, all while remaining esoterically accessible. This is especially apparent on Alopecia, the band's third full-length, which, while musically resting comfortably in the experimentally-tinged indie rock realm, explores as many other influences as it can touch without ever overextending its reach. It's all wonderfully, awkwardly tied together by Wolf's lyrics -- detailed and odd and sometimes all too humanly crude -- which find a way to be both extremely intimate and detached, simultaneously.(allmusic.com)



I love this album, and I have loved it since the first time I listened to it. Why? manages to blend folk, rock, and electronic music with occasional hip-hop elements into a genre defying classic. The closest thing I can compare it to is Electric President's self-titled debut, and yet there's really no way you can understand without giving them a try. For those of you who are interested there's also a copy of the demos for this album on the site (torrents.php?id=80491) which feature the same vocals but much sparser instrumentation.



G*'s pick

King Crimson - Discipline

Genre: New Wave

Torrents: torrents.php?id=50467

Review:

When King Crimson leader Robert Fripp decided to assemble a new version of the band in the early '80s, prog rock fans rejoiced, and most new wave fans frowned. But after hearing this new unit's first release, 1981's Discipline, all the elements that made other arty new wave rockers (i.e., Talking Heads, Pere Ubu, the Police, etc.) successful were evident. Combining the futuristic guitar of Adrian Belew with the textured guitar of Fripp doesn't sound like it would work on paper, but the pairing of these two originals worked out magically. Rounding out the quartet was bass wizard Tony Levin and ex-Yes drummer Bill Bruford. Belew's vocals fit the music perfectly, sounding like David Byrne at his most paranoid at times (the funk track "Thela Hun Ginjeet"). Some other highlights include Tony Levin's "stick" (a strange bass-like instrument)-driven opener "Elephant Talk," the atmospheric "The Sheltering Sky," and the heavy rocker "Indiscipline." Many Crimson fans consider this album one of their best, right up there with In the Court of the Crimson King. It's easy to understand why after you hear the inspired performances by this hungry new version of the band.

This album flat out rocks. The songs are very intricate and complex. I highly recommend these if you're into the Talking Heads. They only did 3 albums with this lineup and they really shine. This album is down right funky and probably my favorite of the three. I love cranking this loud and jamming to it. Did I mention Bill Bruford was the drummer for Yes and played on their 3 biggest albums? (The Yes Album, Fragile, and Close to the Edge)



M*'s pick

Delain - April Rain

Genre: symphonic.gothic.metal, metal, symphonic.metal, gothic.metal

Torrents: torrents.php?id=437718

Review by Winston of lords of metal :

And there it is, the all-important second album for Delain. ‘Lucidity’ made it to the nr.1 spot in my year list of 2006 so you will understand that I was more than curious. They evolved to a steady collective in the past couple of years and this album is proves that in a great way.

Right from the first song, the first minute even, I recognized the band’s particular style and I was glad. They didn’t fall in that big pool of inter-exchangeable bands, they remained themselves. ‘April Rain’ starts off fiercely after a nice intro with pounding rhythms and strong melodies. In fact that goes for the whole album in general; graced with a full and bombastic sound, created by the four men and their leading lady Charlotte Wessels. Her voice sounds more convincing and direct, the freedom she had here as co-creator was embraced by her and that is easily audible. A nice variation from all the dramatic and operatic singers in the genre. Only two guests this time; Marko Hietala (Nightwish) was asked a second time and cellist Maria Ahn (Ahn Trio) was asked for her skills on the cello, adding a more contemporary atmosphere. Delain lives up to the promise of 2006, more than that. My favourite tracks for now; ‘April Rain’, ‘Virtue And Vice’ (with guitarist Ronald Landa as George Oosthoek sound-a-like, very well done!) and ‘Start Swimming’ (with Led Zeppelin influences). And now get back on that stage please!

Rating: 94/100



t*'s pick

Antibalas - Security

Genre: Funk, Jazz, Rock, World Music, Afrobeat

Torrents: torrents.php?id=6879

Review
Rolling Stone wrote:

Antibalas are a small army of Brooklynites who make freewheeling, action-packed music inspired by the late Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti. The twelve-member-plus collective's fourth album offers jazzy Afro-Latin jams that are intricately assembled and totally rock in spots. The brass and keyboards organize themselves into riffs and tunes that overlap and soar toward heaven, underpinned by grooves ranging from invigorating funk ("Beaten Metal") to breezy shuffles ("AGE") to terrific pan-Latin bounce ("I.C.E."). Vocalists chime in now and then and drop some lefty needling on "Filibuster X," and titles like "War Hero" might make you think that Security is heavy listening, but this is big-time party music, plain and simple.


A* wrote:

A ricochet of crossed-horn riffs open Antibalas's third album, Security, and what's immediately marvelous is the production, the lack of polish and purity in the tones. There's a ratty edge on Jordan McLean and Eric Biondo's trumpets, and Aaron Johnson's trombone only fattens the frays. The album's produced, engineered, and mixed by John McEntire, who made his name playing cold-blooded percussion in Tortoise, and he brings this Brooklyn-born twelvetet to the Lagos of Fela Kuti by lessening the sonic distinction between Chris Vatalaro's bass drum, his snare, and his tom-toms. The rhythm's a viscous fluid, stirred by vintage, lo-fi keyboards, slinking guitar riffs, and Stuart Bogie's tenor sax, which bears more than a hint of the roughened "Texas tenor" sound of 60s' hard bop. Antibalas is decidedly like Fela in that theirs is agit-Afro Beat, musically stirring in its core groupthink elements (rather than in flashes of solo genius). Tune into "Filibuster X," an excoriating call-and-response send-up of Republican presidential politics, and you'll hear the echoes of Fela's telltale vocal constructions, the clatter of politicized funk at its best. --Andrew Bartlett



i*'s pick

Suba - Săo Paulo Confessions

Genre: electronic, Latin, acid jazz, downtempo

Torrents: torrents.php?id=326552

John Vallier, All Music Guide wrote:

Brazil's Săo Paulo is the largest city in South America, home to an estimated 19 million inhabitants. In 1992, this megalopolis ranked as the world's third largest city, coming in behind Tokyo and Mexico City. Within Săo Paulo's environs, like within any 21st century city, there is diversity and disparity, super-modern chic, and profound indigence. On the CD Săo Paulo Confessions, the Yugoslavian-born Brazilian pianist, producer, and programmer Suba mixed the modernity of techno beats and sampled loops with traditional Brazilian musics. Suba, who previously played piano with Hermeto Pascoal and Marcos Suzano, and produced records for such well-known Brazilian artists as Marina Lima, Mestre Ambrosio, Edson Cordeiro, and Arnaldo Artunes, collaborated on Săo Paulo Confessions with percussionist Joăo Parahyba and vocalists Cibelle and Taciana. Their live percussion and vocals, in addition to a number of acoustic guitar melodies, add enormous depth to Suba's inventive compositions. Unfortunately, the songs suffer when a standard techno dancehall bass drum line is added to the mix. The techno beat tends to take Joăo Parahyba's uniquely Brazilian rhythms and override their subtleties with an extremely uninteresting and plodding beat. Nonetheless, particularly commendable tracks on Săo Paulo Confessions include "Vocé Gosta" and "Antropofagos," which both feature reverberating street samba rhythms. The CD's eighth track, "Sereia," has at its core what sounds like an oscillating electronic cuica. In sum, Suba, who died from smoke inhalation during a fire in his Săo Paulo apartment and studio, was indeed one of Brazil's most promising exponents of modern Brazilian music. Though his death is undeniably tragic, Suba's inventive and visionary Săo Paulo Confessions will allow his legacy to live on. ~ John Vallier, All Music Guide



d*'s pick

ATB - Future Memories

Genre: Trance, Vocal Trance, Progressive, Uplift, Chillout

Torrents: torrents.php?id=465918

Review - noizemag.com wrote:

This man made such a huge name for himself with his very first single in 1999, I’m always amazed that he’s able to continually create and innovate with material that rivals all that came before. Most remember “9 PM (Till I Come)” as “that wobbly guitar song with the chick whispering, ‘Till I Come” that was played in every gay club, straight club, frat party and radio station mix show well into the early 2000s. And while nothing he’s done since that has had the same American pop crossover behind it, ATB remains in a category alongside artists like Benny Benassi, Cascada and Darude to anyone who appreciates pop-accessible dance music. “Future Memories” continues with the format he established with 2000’s “Two Worlds”: a double disc release composed of a dance disc and a chill disc. ATB branches out with his vocalist usage on the album, deviating from the affair he’s had for years with Wild Strawberries singer Roberta Carter Harrison by also employing trance darlings like Betsie Larkin, Tiff Lacey, Aruna, Jan Löchel and Kaskade’s discovery Haley. The majority of the dance disc is vocal while the chill disc is entirely instrumental save for a downtempo cover of Everything But The Girl’s “Missing, which could have been disastrous without the beauty of Tiff’s vocals. That’s kind of a song you can’t cover without raising some heckles, but he gets away with it. Other gems on the first disc are “What About Us,” “Swept Away,” “A New Day,” “Gravity,” and “My Saving Grace.”



H*'s pick

Secret Machines - Now Here Is Nowhere

Genre: Progressive Rock

Torrents: torrents.php?id=27205

Review:

The Secret Machines are a three-piece American alternative rock band. Originally from Dallas, Texas before moving to New York City, they describe their band as space rock. The music is heavily influenced and in fact best described as a fusion of Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd.



K*'s pick

The Bridge - Cross Street Market

Genre: Rock, Funk, Jam Band, Country, Beatbox, Bluegrass, Folk

Torrents: torrents.php?id=595942

Review:

Get lost in the energetic entity known as The Bridge! This Maryland-based band's multi-sonic sound is in fine form on this CD, which bridges studio and live realms to keep you on your toes! You'll find everything from mandolin-laced funk to bluesy stomps and even beatboxing, plus an instrumentation that includes electric and acoustic guitars, banjo, acoustic mandolin, "mand-organ", bass, drums, saxophone, and vocals. The Bridge is a band that can truly back up their genre-hopping reputation.



B*'s pick

Deastro - Moondagger

Genre: Electro-pop, Dream-pop, Nu-gaze

Torrents: torrents.php?id=487546

Review:
Paper Magazine wrote:

Just when it seemed that electronic pop had reached the outer limits of psychedelia, one Midwestern musician has taken things even farther: He's going intergalactic. (No, really -- as of this writing, his MySpace page has him scheduled to play a January show at Gula Mons, a volcano on western Venus.) Deastro is Randolph Chabot, a bespectacled 22-year-old Michiganian with an uncanny ability to compose otherworldly, synth-fueled melodies. And Moondagger is his major-label debut, a diabolically catchy album that is Detroit's answer to MGMT's Time to Pretend and the Russian Futurists' Me, Myself and Rye. Not a single track on Moondagger goes to waste; alpha songs "Parallelogram" and "Greens, Grays, and Nordics" are surefire radio fodder, while mellower tunes like "Toxic Crusaders" and "Kurgan Wave Number One" are works of subtle pop genius. If this isn't one of the best indie albums of the summer, this reviewer will eat his hat -- I mean, space helmet.



S*'s pick

Collective Soul - Collective Soul

Genre: Rock, Alternative, 90s, USA, Post-grunge

Torrents: torrents.php?id=29937

Review:
Jim DeRogatis wrote:

After the surprising success of "Shine" from his debut effort, Collective Soul honcho Ed Roland told anyone who'd listen how the track was a demo that wasn't even recorded by his "real" band. This self-titled release is the first thing recorded by Collective Soul as a group, and guess what? The sub-Allman Brothers country boogie and ultra-derivative classic-rock riffing proves that "Shine" was a fluke and Roland certainly isn't the best judge of his own material.



a*'s pick

Blue Sky Black Death - A Heap of Broken Images

Genre: Hip-hop, trip-hop, instrumentals

Torrents: torrents.php?id=95341

Review

This album found its' way to my ears many years ago, and since has been playing around the house pretty much non-stop.

What these two guys do is astounding. This two disc release contains one CD with pure instrumental Hiphop, while the other features their own beats but with some of the finest underground rappers adding their own flavour with original and intense rap.

Just download it it, it's amazing. If you liked Why? - Alopecia by caaok, this is right up your alley.



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