New Doves and (not as) new Metric.

Listen to new single  here:

Doves – Jetstream

Manchester’s Doves release new LP ‘Kingdom of Rust‘ coming out very soon, and assuming will tour for the first time in 4 years (!!).   Been a massive fan starting circa 2001 with Last Broadcast – my first Doves loves.

Anyone hoping to learn anything about  inspired music production – musicians, budding engineers/producers, or gear/tone afficianados – they really owe it to themselves to hear at least a couple of records.  For production, go with Last Broadcast and Some Cities.  They use arrangement and stereo image unlike any other rock band I’ve heard – so artful and tasteful.

This new song is inspired by Blade Runner as they are evidently large fans.  The song fits the Blade Runner vibe really well, but the song disappointed me at first.  But comme d’habitude I am sticking with.

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Listen to quasi-new single here:

Metric – Help I’m Alive

Metric has never really destroyed me but I’ve enjoyed many of their songs.  Live it Out was impressive as sophomore albums go.  Old World Underground was a nice fresh debut as well.

This song scratches me right where I itch – it’s no departure from their earlier songs but it’s so goshdarnitly hooky, the whole song is hook.  Mmmmuffins. So as long as the new record is different enough and well done I’ll give them a full on back pat.

Mad (Libs) Men.

Click here or on image ^^.  NreallySFW.  For fans of either Mad Libs union Mad Men.  That better be all of you, I’ve covered all possible bases.  You don’t need to have seen the show but it helps.

One of the better CollegeHumour skits I’ve seen. Sorry I can’t embed non-YouTube videos, free WordPress is verging on weak.

[via Videogum]

Kitchener will save the world?

Very cool article/video, thanks Paul.   Let’s cross our fingers that it works out, especially his patents.

Richard Willis, a Kitchener man has found a way to amplify/multiply the amount of power many times over using magnets in a custom-made unit.  So he could either be a crock or solve the world’s energy problems, just like that.

Turns out he got $1 million out of an investor on the CBC show “Dragon’s Den”.  Read the newspaper article here, video below.

Yes, even a sustainable wallet.

Made from recycled plastic and made into Tyvek, an ultra durable and paper-like plastic material.  All waste products are supposedly recyclable (both wallet and packaging), although I’ve heard that Tyvek is very hard to get recycled as not all municipalities accept it.  Pretty cool for people that don’t want a George Costanza wallet, so pretty much all of us.

Buy it here.

Socialism and driving.

from a very interesting Scientific American article:

“Conventional traffic engineering assumes that given no increase in vehicles, more roads mean less congestion. So when planners in Seoul tore down a six-lane highway a few years ago and replaced it with a five-mile-long park, many transportation professionals were surprised to learn that the city’s traffic flow had actually improved, instead of worsening”.

What traffic engineers have been finding that drivers that “selfishly” drive makes traffic suffer, and if travel was optimized by a group of drivers, a common path, everyone gets to their destination up to 30% faster. Maybe there’s still hope for destroying the Gardiner Expressway (or Montreal’s highway 720), making a green corridor and traffic congestion would actually decrease? I have a dream.

Read it here.