Digital correspondence #292

Sometimes (rarely anymore) on Fridays I do a random post that highlights my recent finds or the week's latest and greatest. Well today is Wednesday so this isn't going to make any sense.

Oh, btw, before I get started. If you scroll down and to the right you will see what is temporarily and hastily called "The Sharing Zone". Seeing as how my previous sidebar addition of MIKEROBLOG set the bar so high I don't think I really lived up to the standard. However, The Sharing Zone is everything I decide to share that passes over my desk (my Google Reader). I am actually pretty picky and think twice before passing anything along. So you've got that to keep your eye on. Go here to see the page that it produces.

Ok, over in Berlin, Germany you can get an apartment for quite cheap. There are, from what I'm told, a crapload of empty apartments just waiting to be occupied. The problem and reason for the empty apartments in Berlin? Well, there's not enough jobs. But if you're good enough you can make a living (or at least act like you make a living) by being a DJ.
Here's what their apartments look like. (Thanks Simon)

There is a band called Deerhunter and another called Atlas Sound. Chances are you have already heard of them both. They share some members. I can tell you that I am enjoying the recent Atlas Sound album and that I have never listened to Deerhunter. But if you swing over to their collective blog you are going to get a pretty regular dose of interesting music. We're talking mixtapes, VIRTUAL 7"s (I love that idea and will rip it off soon I think) and plenty of outtakes and songs recorded merely hours ago with no place to go except online. Go hang out over there.

I don't want to talk only about music but it just sort of happens. But to break up the pop-boy stuff I would like to tell you that tonight I'm going to see the Atlanta Thrashers take on the Pittsburgh Penguins. I honestly don't care who wins. I love hockey in person. It's probably the best live sport to see besides baseball which is, or course, a completely different vibe and experience.

Super Bowl Sunday coming up, right? Gotta go for the Giants. I didn't like the Patriots when the Bears beat them in '85 and I surely don't like them now.

Yesterday I signed into my AIM account for the first time in probably 5 years. My buddy list looked like a graveyard; the list of grayed-out and unavailable buddies was staggering. Where did you go? I went away and I don't blame you for doing the same.

My schedule looks like this:

+ HOLD HORSES IS COMING OUT SOON I PROMISE (hopefully by the end of Feb). All of the files are out of my hands and are being processed by and prepared for consumption.

+ I went back into my project files and separated the files of 2 songs from my upcoming album. So, anyone interested in remixing please get in touch. I will eventually post them somewhere where anyone can get to them but if you are looking to get a head start or just need something to do then I'd like to hear from you. And the best part is, since you've never heard my version of the song, your remix will be even that much better and further from what I've already done.

+ And in the next week or 2 I will put up some songs from the album for streaming on Virb and Myspace. There's the marketing department's strategy. We are doing what we can.

Questions, comments? Leave a message at the beep.

Life's a peach

I've been in Atlanta for one week now. It is full of parking garages. I wish I had some interesting news about the city itself but so far I don't. I haven't found the charm to this city as of yet. It has to be there. But I'm not sure how hard I've looked.

In the office we listen to Swedish hockey broadcasts with the door open and others (who work for other companies) can hear and sometimes look at us a little funny. I speak with an American tongue and it puts them at ease. Sometimes we listen to Swedish rap followed by American music. I've got "Ramblin Man" within reach in case anything gets out of hand.

I haven't decided if I will venture out to the bar that plays live English football on Saturday mornings. That's a 10AM kickoff. That's a 10AM beer.

Food, yeah, there's no shortage of artery-blocking food in this city. I am going to start asking if I can get a side of broccoli with that.

Oh yeah, and everything is on Peachtree. Everything.

Listeners also bought

As the digital release of my next album nears I figured I'd do some background research to see how stuff looked for my album that was released back in 2006. You know, get an already-too-late view of where my music stacks up against the pack.

To keep it simple, we'll just look at iTunes: no customer reviews (no news is good news!) and there are songs in the "Top Songs" list so that means that someone has actually used this service to buy my album. The 2nd and 3rd "Top Songs" happen to be the 2 songs from the album that I have available for free download on my website. That makes me think that the model of: give some songs away for free, people listen and love and then buy works.....or that you might just have to do a little more research before buying. Doesn't matter really because I'll never know the answer to this question. I have no idea what models work and which don't. I only know how to make the songs. The business of this is a clusterfuck.

Now the actual reason I'm writing this comes here: Listeners Also Bought. Make your eyes go all squinty and take a look for yourself.


But before I get too caught up in the weirdness of this I want to say that this could be a glitch in iTunes. When you first go to the album's page there is no "Listeners Also Bought" list. It's not until you click off of the page and then back that you see the list, so who knows what's actually happening here. As of today Britney Spears was replaced with The Pussycat Dolls. If this isn't a glitch, there is a 14 year old girl out there who accidentally bought my album. To you, my dear, I hope you find something in my songs that you don't find in most of the other albums you buy that makes you just as happy but in a different sort of happy way.

And just a little bit more on iTunes. It was my first choice when deciding to self-release my next album. I figured that if I could get it onto iTunes I'd be happy enough because I like the product now that they offer iTunes Plus, which is higher bit rates without the stupid DRM. I buy albums on iTunes. I don't buy albums anywhere else really these days. And if I had to tell you what I thought the best song I've purchased lately was well then I'd have to tell you that it's Watership Drown by hollAnd.

Lastly, the new album, it's called Hold Horses (ok?) will also be available at amazon.com/mp3 and eMusic. Amazon.com has the physical cd for my old album but up until 2 days ago it was listed under "Michael S. Downey" so it was basically buried unless someone really really searched for it. I don't know much about eMusic except that it's a subscription service and you can get 50 free mp3s if you give them your credit card number and then cancel it after you get your songs. I don't know, when my album comes out go do that and get it for free and then paypal me some bucks to cut out the middle man. That's just one idea.

The meaning of life

This morning I discovered the meaning of life. I always wondered when I'd get it all figured out.

My girlfriend and I are having a baby this June. I'm very proud of the two images below and wanted to share. Have a wonderful day.

Rescue rocket

I've never traveled for work before but now I find myself with an e-ticket on my desk and a 7-week span of time away from home ahead of me. I will be helping the company I work for set up their first US office in Atlanta starting next Monday. I'll also be in Miami, Connecticut and maybe some other places along the way. I hope to add Chicago to that list (pleasure, not business) but haven't been able to make that happen just yet.

I have been to Atlanta before. 2x at least to play shows with Wolfie back in 99, 2000. Spent a week or so outside of ATL as a kid and I remember running over red clay trails and into pine forests trying to fix a flat tire on a minibike. That's all I've got. Where can I go? Would you like to show me a place to get a beer and something decent to eat? Email me if you can do that. Would be appreciated.

I've spent a lot of time putting together IKEA furniture lately. It never goes quite as fast as I expect it to go. It takes a bit of time to remove all vocabulary and morph into a one-line drawing man who can't talk or really communicate beyond simple gestures. Maybe it's the simplicity itself that can complicate or prolong the assembly. I enjoy how the particle board is fastened together by not the screws but those pieces that fit over the screws and really lock the pieces together. Genius.

I can't get over how good Kanye West's album Graduation is. I never gave his music a chance until now. I saw the video for "The Good Life" and decided to try out the album. "Flashing Lights" is also a really great song. I don't identify with this music at all. Even when he talks about Chicago it feels like he's talking about another world. I guess it's not my Chicago. I identify with the beats and samples 100x more than any of the lyrics. I know that drum machine and I know that Steely Dan loop but I have no idea about Versace or ice or, really, money. But it's still a great album. I think there's a bit of escapism happening when I listen to it. There's nothing wrong with escapism.

I really do have a lot more to say. For the time being I'm into short bursts on randomly important to me topics. After I leave Sweden and find myself back in my home country, yet completely out of my element, I bet I'll retreat here more often.

Until then.

Coming this Spring...

More details, teaser tracks, remix possibilities and whatever else coming in February.