Not for Vampire Weekend. From what I’ve heard this album sounds effortless. Vampire Weekend are one of the great left over bands from the new music internet craze of the 21st century. They have released their second album called Contra earlier on this week.

Their second album still has the unmissable catchy rhythms that seep into your mind and the cute sharp lyrics but they have also grown and developed into mature rock musicians.

The band certainly haven’t changed direction or turned a new path musically at all, but that a great thing in term of a band like Vampire Weekend. Who’s sound is still new and untouched by any other artist other than Vampire Weekend. There sounds cool, edgy and weird yet still allowing it to be poppy enough to make a main streams music impact.

This new album has changed and been tweaked enough to sound new and interesting without becoming untrue to Vampire Weekends first self titled debut album. All together I would say Vampire Weekend have made a Solid follow up and I think not only will this album make an impact but it is only the beginning of a great band who will stand the test of time.

So what do you think, have they moved there sound on enough or too much. Do you like the album?

The Michael Jackson mystery may never be solved, but someone will be forced to accept blame. First and foremost, there is no reason to issue “Milk of Amnesia” to anyone outside a hospital setting…period. That fact is enough to close this case and leave enough questions unanswered to keep the memories of Jackson alive forever. Is that what we want? Is this where the story ends?

The ruling of homocide permits the Insurance policy to be resolved. It permits the tears to flow and it takes the case out of the spotlight. I think that’s exactly what all sides in this case want. The investigation was botched the moment it started. Who gets controlled substances issued under multiple names from so many different sources? Who permits evidence from a crime scene to be removed before the facts are found? Sorry Janet, the facts are facts. Who concludes an investigation without revealing all the facts and outlining all the players and possible motives in this mystery? We don’t know who was with Michael and what access they had. It’s my uneducated opinion that Dr. Murray is the fall guy. We always knew he couldn’t avoid some level of culpability.

What’s the $64,000 question that I want answered? Did anyone else issue Michael Jackson any unauthorized doses of this medication? Did the autopsy account for all the injection sites and did the lethal dose level found correlate directly to the evidence provided by Dr. Murray? What’s my point? If someone other than Dr. Murray issued drugs to Michael Jackson unknown to the facts in this case, we certainly do have a homocide. We would be permitting a “Smooth Criminal” to get away. Why would we do that? The truth always comes out and the facts are the facts. Hiding the truth would only make Michael a victim forever or us slaves at his musical shrine. I don’t want that. We deserve all the questions answered. Should we wait until after his next billion records are sold? This investigation reminds me of the rush to judgement after former VP Dick Cheney went “Duck Hunting.” Not asking questions only serves a private interest not the public.

I’ve never seen the point when it comes to comparing 11 tracks downloaded from the net, or the same 11 tracks bought in a store, the quality is still the same, the only thing that change is price, and you don’t get the plastic with the album cover.
People that only choose to buy 1, or 2 songs from the net, instead of buying the entire album, well, they’re obviously not actual fans of that band, as they seem not to appriciate the music. I can’t just have one song of a band I listen to, I have to have an entire album at least to understand what the band is about, because one song say’s nothing about the bands diversity.
Look at the most popular music amongst youths today. If you actually listen to it, honest to god its shit. “Rhianna”? What the fucks that about? Singing the same line, then repeating it for a solid 3 and a half minutes of garbage, whilst the computer somehow manages to add a few bumps and thuds in. If people choose to listen to this ear junk food, good on them, but I’m going to be the one who still listens to The Stones on vinal in 50 years time.

It has come to my attention that the corporate king of the music industry, Apple’s own iTunes, is causing quite a stir these days. Bands, labels, and music lovers alike are all rallying against the idea of downloading singles instead of going out and purchasing the entire cd. Some personally find that iTunes saves us from spending $13 on something we might not like. Others feel that it is destroying the music industry. Up-and-coming bands are for it due to the fact that, along with myspace, it’s the easiest way to get your music heard. However, the bands that have already made it are struggling with the idea that they can no longer sell entire cds. So, is iTunes, along with other online music sites, a bad thing, or a good thing?

Lets look at the positives, shall we? iTunes only charges 99 cents for their wonderful single tracks, and deals are provided when you buy the entire album. As mentioned before, it helps get music out there, helps promote up-and-coming bands. It even, dare it’s stated, saves us a trip to the store, which ultimately saves us money on gas, city tax on purchase, and the other 12 songs we might not want. So, from one side, we understand why there is an argument for iTunes. With the good, comes the bad.

iTunes has been labeled the “cancer” of the entertainment industry. Music videos, songs, movies, and television shows can all be purchased online at the iTunes store. This is making it easier for people to avoid buying the seasons, buying the movies, buying entire albums that they don’t want, which is killing major record labels and Best Buy stores. It also prevents people from experiencing the artist as a whole, as opposed to their hit single. A listener can’t truly call themself a fan if all they know is what’s playing on the radio. In order for one to enjoy, and by enjoy I mean damn near have an orgasm, one must listen to the entire c.d. Bands like AC/DC or The Doors would have never been as big a name as they are today if we had iTunes clearing the shelves.

So, with the good and bad in the backseat of our minds, which side is the winner? iTunes, friend or foe? Do we embrace the technological advancement of music, or do we rebel and stick to CD purchasing? If it were my decision, I’d say forget iTunes. Go to the record store, purchase that CD, go home, place it in your CD player, and just listen to the cd, cover to cover. It’s one experience that I believe should never be missed.