Külföldi torrent oldalak What.cd | WCD Happy Third Birthday! (part Ii)

Hopefully you enjoyed the first installment of our birthday celebrations, and have recovered well enough from last night's partying to participate in the second round. In this announcement, we present an important new feature and an ample supply of Freeleech picks.

Custom Paranoia

This long-requested feature, coded by VIP p*, affords users numerous options in choosing which parts of their profiles are visible to other users. For example, it is now possible to hide your Last Seen and leave the rest of your profile visible. Remember, though: Paranoia has nothing to do with your security on this site; the only thing affected by this setting is other users' ability to see your site activity and taste in music. Extensive debate of this feature's development occurred in this thread.

More Staff Picks:

h*'s pick

Keith Jarrett - Sun Bear Concerts

Genre: Jazz

Torrents: torrents.php?id=65904

Review - Allmusic.com wrote:

This gargantuan package -- a ten-LP set now compressed into a chunky six-CD box -- once was derided as the ultimate ego trip, probably by many who didn't take the time to hear it all. You have to go back to Art Tatum's solo records for Norman Granz in the '50s to find another large single outpouring of solo jazz piano like this, all of it improvised on the wing before five Japanese audiences in Kyoto, Osaka, Nagoya, Tokyo, and Sapporo. Yet the miracle is how consistently good much of this giant box is. In the opening Kyoto concert, Jarrett's gospel-driven muse is in full play, up to the level of his peak solo performances in Bremen and Koln, and the Osaka and Nagoya concerts have pockets of first-rate, often folk-like, even profound, lyrical ideas. The Tokyo concert takes a while to get in gear, but when Jarrett finally locks into one of his grooving vamps, he carries us along, and there is a memorably melodic encore. In Sapporo, Jarrett breaks from a nicely flowing pattern into a jumpy rhythm that reminds one of C&W guitar fingerpicking, and there's some exuberant barrelhouse stuff and outbreaks of dissonance in part two. Each concert is placed on a single CD, while the much briefer sixth disc is reserved for the encores from Nagoya, Tokyo, and Sapporo. While Sun Bear breaks little ground that his earlier solo piano albums had not already covered, it is nevertheless richly inventive within Jarrett's personal parameter of idioms. If price is not a barrier, the Jarrett devotee need not hesitate.



W*' pick

Ocean Colour Scene - Moseley Shoals

Genre: Rock, Alternative, Britpop

Torrents: torrents.php?id=42402

Review - allmusic.com wrote:

By the time Ocean Colour Scene released their debut album in 1992, they were already considered has-beens. The band had formed during the height of Madchester, but they never released their first album until the scene was already dead, which left them without a following. But between their debut and their second album, 1996's Moseley Shoals, a strange thing happened -- the band was taken under the wings of two of Britain's biggest pop stars, Paul Weller and Noel Gallagher. The band suddenly catapulted back into the spotlight because of its superstar connections, but the music actually deserved the attention. Ocean Colour Scene had spent the time between their two albums improving their sound. On Moseley Shoals, they are looser, funkier, and have a strong, organic R&B vibe that was inherited from the Small Faces and Weller's solo recordings. They sprinkle Beatlesque and Stonesy flourishes throughout the album, as well as the odd prog rock flair, adding an even more eclectic flavor to their traditionalist pop/rock.



c*'s pick

Cujo - Adventures in Foam

Genre: Drum and Bass, Electronic

Torrents: torrents.php?id=119978

Review - Ninja Tune wrote:

Although Amon Tobin has been called Amon Tobin from birth, before he was Amon Tobin the producer he was Cujo. In 1996 he released a record called "Adventures In Foam" through small-but-hip south London label Ninebar. It was around this time that he also signed to the mighty Ninja Tune under his own name and started growing into the international star-shaped creature that he is today (let's just say he is Ninja's biggest overseas artists).

Ninebar eventually went the way of many small independents who release great records but struggle to build an audience for them. Amon as we know, went onward and ever upward.

But the fact remains that "Adventures In Foam" was a really good record, one that deserved to be heard, so when Ninja were offered an opportunity to re-release it, they jumped at the chance. Not least, because a rather unscrupulous company in the States have been circulating a version of the record with a changed tracklist, different (and unapproved) cover art and mis-titled tracks.

So Ninja's version is on two cds. The first disc contains the definitive version of "Adventures In Foam" as it was released by Ninebar. The second disc contains a number of tracks from Ninebar singles including the all-time classic "Brazilianaire", bonus tracks from the vinyl version of the album plus three previously unreleased tracks from the same period.

All of Amon's trademarks are here - the interest in jazz (not 'jazzy'), the queasy atmospherics, the cut up beat-making. And while it is interesting and informative to hear how his style has developed, this stands as a great record in its own right. Definitely one for Amon lovers, then, but with more than enough about it to be worthy of a full release.



N*'s pick

Glenn Gould & Johann Sebastian Bach - A State of Wonder: The Complete Goldberg Variations 1955 & 1981

Genre: Classical, Baroque

Torrents: torrents.php?id=115294

Review -

Glenn Gould's recording debut in 1955 of Bach's Goldberg Variations took the world by storm. His decidedly un-Romantic view, absolute technical skill, startling lucidity, and right-on rhythmic changes, combined with his eccentricities--audible humming, sometimes outrageously fast tempi--made him an instantly legendary pianist and elucidated Bach's music in a whole new way. Gould's final recording, 26 years later, was also of the Goldbergs. It's a more relaxed, sometimes much slower, more inward reading (although still very much his own, complete with oddly ferocious attacks and accents), in which he offers repeats of the first half of 15 of the Variations. Both performances are glorious, each in its own way, and this luxurious new set of three CDs is entertaining, a joy to hear, and revelatory; it belongs in any music lover's collection. The third CD is devoted to outtakes and chatter from recording sessions. At one point, Gould improvises "God Save the King" and exhibits how it turns into "The Star-Spangled Banner." And a long interview with critic Tim Page offers great insight into Gould's weird humor and unique outlook. A must-have collection.



b*'s pick

The Feelies - Crazy Rhythms

Genre: alternative, post.punk, jangle.pop

Torrents: torrents.php?id=106137

Review -

Even the cover is a winner, with a washed-out look that screams new wave via horn-rimmed glasses, even more so than contemporaneous pictures of either Elvis Costello or the Embarrassment. But if it was all look and no brain, Crazy Rhythms would long ago have been dismissed as an early-'80s relic. That's exactly what this album is not, right from the soft, haunting hints of percussion that preface the suddenly energetic jump of the appropriately titled "The Boy With the Perpetual Nervousness." From there the band delivers seven more originals plus a striking cover of the Beatles' "Everybody's Got Something to Hide" that rips along even more quickly than the original. The guitar team of Mercer and Million smokes throughout, whether it's soft, rhythmic chiming with a mysterious, distanced air or blasting, angular solos. But Fier is the band's secret weapon, able to play straight-up beats but aiming at a rumbling, strange punch that updates Velvet Underground/Krautrock trance into giddier realms. Mercer's obvious Lou Reed vocal inflections make the VU roots even clearer, but even at this stage of the game there's something fresh about the work the quartet does, even 20 years on -- a good blend of past and present, rave-up and reflection. -AllMusic.com



a*'s pick

Pink Floyd - Pulse

Genre: Live Concert, Psychedelic Rock, Progressive Rock

Torrents: torrents.php?id=62715

Review - Paul Roy, blogcritics, Music wrote:

Pulse was recorded on October 20th, 1994, during Pink Floyd's two-week stand at London's Earls Court, while touring in support of the recently released, Roger Waters-less, [The] Division Bell album. For those of you lucky enough to have seen the tour, or who at least saw the original VHS version of Pulse, you know that The Division Bell tour was one of the most amazing visual spectacles to ever call itself a rock concert. I can't say that it has been, or ever will be, topped. The stage is so damn enormous, and the wall of lights, lasers, videos, and special effects are so spectacular that you might find yourself forgetting that there is actually a band playing up there.

Although this tour was in support of The Division Bell album, the real star here was The Dark Side Of The Moon - performed in its entirety. The performance was absolutely stunning, and I look forward to comparing Roger Waters' version, when I see him next month. Before the Dark Side album was trotted out, the Floyds opened the show with a mesmerizing "Shine On You Crazy Diamond." From there, they trot out the best of the post-Waters material, with four songs from The Division Bell and two from A Momentary Lapse Of Reason.

The end of the first set gives you a sneak peek of [a high sense of anticipation for what was soon to follow], starting with a loose, highly improvised version of "Another Brick In the Wall", followed by their ferocious instrumental classic "One Of These Days", from 1971's Meddle album.

[A heartbeat pulse] triggers the beginning of The Dark Side Of The Moon's opening track "Speak To Me". After a haunting performance of "Breathe" things really heat up, literally, as "On The Run" ends with a burning airplane flying across the entire length of the arena until it crashes and explodes into a giant fireball at the front corner of the stadium. "Money" featured a cool soulful/blues breakdown in the middle, before ending with another phenomenal Gilmour guitar solo.



p*'s pick

Tarentel - Mort Aux Vaches

Genre: Post-Rock, Space Rock

Torrents: torrents.php?id=159332

Review -

I remember when I was first discovering post-rock. That was a number of years ago now, and the post-rock scene was very different, less prominent, with only a handful of bands to choose from. Technically, perhaps, that's not completely accurate but that is how I remember it--my memories are probably just skewed because I was new to the genre. Somehow, though, I ended up finding this album long before I had been properly introduced to post-rock, before I knew who people like Mono or Mogwai were. So this album is pretty nostalgic for me, because this is essentially how I found the genre that is post-rock.

This album is probably sparser than most post-rock--more Godspeed You! Black Emperor than Explosions in the Sky. I like it because it's a bit more ambient that a lot of post-rock out there, not as obtrusive, far more subtle. It's tired post-rock, music that couldn't be bothered to get out of bed in the morning. Yet, why would this music want to wake up if this is what it dreams? This strange, spacey, dream-like resonance to the album is truly delightful. Eventually, though, one has to wake up and as the album draws to a close, it springs to life with a grand finale.



s*' pick

Gavin Mikhail - Like Normal People Do

Genre: pop, rock

Torrents: torrents.php?id=215090

Review -

Gavin Mikhail's sound fits the mainstream mold well enough that it's surprising he hasn't become bigger than he is. Effortlessly flawless vocals and precision piano work, this album is crisp with hooks both strong and subtle. This is likely to fall more in the guilty pleasure category for the average user on here, but for those who are unabashed romantics looking for something new to be swallowed up in, I'd recommend giving this album a try. At the very least, the opening track is an expertly crafted pop song of its kind and will be a strong indicator of whether the rest of the album is of interest to you or not. If you like the music, please support the artist.



p*'s pick

Nightwish - Highest Hopes: The Best of Nightwish

Genre: Heavy Metal, Symphonic Rock

Torrents: torrents.php?id=295978

Review - AllMusic wrote:

Released at a time when Nightwish's future appeared uncertain because of the shocking departure of charismatic frontwoman and de facto band calling card Tarja Turunen, Highest Hopes is a comprehensive greatest-hits collection spanning the chart-topping Finnish pop-metal act's entire first decade. Summarized in one convenient CD at last, the 16-song set proves that Nightwish were nothing if not consistent -- both in terms of quality and overall style -- throughout the five and a half studio albums recorded during that period.

Yes, enduring early numbers like the Tolkien-esque "Elvenpath," the somewhat preposterous, narration-embellished "The Kinslayer," and the neoclassical metal-by-numbers of "Stargazers" eventually gave way to slightly more refined (and restrained) pop-metal singles like "Ever Dream," "Wish I Had an Angel," and "Nemo" (which, one presumes, was about the submarine captain, not the fish), but the relatively seamless transition between them all is made abundantly clear by the non-chronological order in which they are presented here. Likewise, with the exception of their still tentative (and therefore, on this collection, mostly ignored) first album, Nightwish showed equal mastery at composing potent power metal ("Sacrament of Wilderness," "Wishmaster," "Dead to the World") and tear-jerking ballads ("Walking in the Air," "Dead Boy's Poem," "Sleeping Sun") in all phases of their career. They even took Gary Moore's generally forgotten '80s nugget "Over the Hills and Far Away" for their own, recording a debatably definitive version that is wisely included in this disc, alongside a brand new recording of Pink Floyd's "High Hopes."

Also keep in mind the band's immaculate instrumental execution through the years, and what this collection proves above all else is that, though they've inspired quite literally dozens of imitators, Nightwish's groundbreaking fusion of melodic power metal, symphonic orchestration, theatrical lyrics, and (of course) Turunen's classically trained, operatic soprano, has arguably yet to be equaled. Whatever becomes of the group's trajectory following its popular singer's exit, you can at least take this statement to the bank.



T*' pick

Underworld - Dubnobasswithmyheadman

Genre: Electronic, Progressive House, techno

Torrents: torrents.php?id=7351

Review -

From the beginning of the first track "Dark & Long," Underworld's focus on production is clear, with songwriting coming in a distant second. The best tracks ("MMM Skyscraper I Love You," "Cowgirl") mesh Hyde's sultry songwriting with Emerson's beat-driven production, an innovative blend of classic acid house, techno and dub that sounds different from much that preceded it. In a decade awash with stale fusion, Underworld are truly a multi-genre group.



l*'s pick

Howie Day - Australia

Genre: Pop, Rock

Torrents: torrents.php?id=99140

Review -

Howie Day is a rare talent. His feel for melody and structure coupled with the poetry that comprises his lyrics prove this point over and over, 11 songs running. Even amid, or perhaps thanks to, tastefully straightforward production, Day's brilliance comes through. And seeing as he was 19 when he made Australia, he's just getting started. His are the songs that stick in listeners' minds and ears for days on end, even after only one listen. Dive a little deeper and one gets to the heart of his intimate storytelling, and they'll be awfully glad they did. Just pick a tune, any tune. From "Sorry So Sorry" and "She Says" to "More You Understand" and "Morning After" or any point in between, these are great songs one and all. They are not the work of a teenybopper. Rather, Day falls more in line with Fiona Apple in terms of the maturity and depth of songwriting craft that surprisingly comes from such a young upstart. Indeed, he's an old soul who just happens to have blonde spiky hair. Those who love the smart pop offered by folks like Jonatha Brooke, Neil Finn, and Sheryl Crow will, from the opening groove box rhythm, be hooked on this wunderkind. And his live performances are just as mesmerizing. It's no wonder Australia sold over 10,000 copies before any of the big boys even had a chance to take a meeting.



T*'s guest pick

Carla Bley - Escalator Over the Hill

Genres: Jazz, krautrock

Torrent: torrents.php?id=291733

All the reviews I read, intending to paste one here, returned to the fact of this album sounding entirely unlike any else. Marcello Carlin of Stylus Magazine lists it as his favorite album of all time, Piero Scaruffi puts it in his top ten. Neither, however, do a great job of describing what it sounds like. These men are not simply maladroit though; at just over two hours long, it lies almost beyond description. Here is my best attempt: it is an album with a loose narrative, using almost every instrument available to mankind at the time of its recording. There are electric guitars, horns and sitars, synthesizers and honking cars. The album is sometimes silly, sometimes grave, and unerringly ambitious. The category of "Best Triple Album" is not a fiercely competed one, but nonetheless this is it. Escalator Over the Hill is simply phenomenal beyond compare.



b*'s guest pick

(Front Page)
Grouper - Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill

Genre: dark ambient, drone, folky

Torrents: torrents.php?id=169012

Review:

Dragging a Dead Deer Up A Hill elicits eerie feelings as folk and drone elements intertwine. Liz Harris' soft voice and unintelligible lyrics evoke melancholy - almost too nostalgic. The album beautifully conveys the autumnal season: dying leaves, chilly winds, and cloudy skies with sporadic rain. Truly, it's a simple album - very repetitious, yet even its simplicity is endearing and engrossing.



p*'s guest pick

(Front Page)
Siah & Yeshua dapoED - The Visualz Anthology

Genre - Hip-Hop, Underground

Torrents: torrents.php?id=247213

Jayson Greene of eMusic wrote:

The New York hip-hop duo Siah and Yeshua DapoED represent a sort of secret handshake amongst heads, and their 1996 EP, The Visualz, has attained near holy-grail status. It had all the ingredients necessary to generate a tiny-yet-fervent cult: it is tantalizingly short yet fully-formed, and long out-of-print. It doesn’t hurt that it came out on Fondle ‘Em Records, which could probably fix the subprime mortgage crisis if “indie cred” were money. (Oh, and did I mention that it was vinyl-only? Also, it was pressed from Rakim’s tears.)
Now, Traffic, in a supreme act of generosity, has expanded and reissued the original EP, including follow-up 12” tracks recorded in 1998 and live radio freestyles. The resulting full-length, dubbed The Visualz Anthology, is almost ludicrously refreshing to a parched rap throat in 2008. Siah and Yeshua DapoED rap small novels in each song, packing more internal rhyme and wordplay into single verses than most rappers manage in whole careers. “The Head Bop” and “The Victim of My Own Imagination” are the upfront dazzlers, pure showcases for giddy virtuosity. “A Day Like Any Other,” however, is the centerpiece and maybe their most enduring achievement: an 11-minute narrative opus that never flags in momentum, packed with finely observed details and compelling right up through its last seconds. An indie-rap milestone from an undisputed golden age for the genre.



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