The Naked and Famous announce free concert download

Hailing from New Zealand, The Naked and Famous stormed the music scene a few years ago with their début record, Passive me, aggressive you. The band has been a bit quite of late, as they had just finished a two year touring cycle, promoting the record worldwide.

Finally they have broken the silence to announce that the tour documentary One Temporary Escape will be available as a free download form 18 March. Below is a trailer for the film to set the scene.

I'm going to be away from the internet (and technology in general) for the next two weeks, but at least I know that when I get back One Temporary Escape will be sitting, waiting for me to download and watch it.

Puscifer - Breathe (Drumcell remix)

A while back, I mentioned that one of my favourite tracks off Puscifer's new EP, was the Breathe reworking by Drumcell. Now you can also listen to the track via the Soundcloud widget below. 

Drumcell's version, as well as the original version of Breathe are available on the Donkey Punch the Night EP.

First single off Rob Zombie's next studio album

While Dead city radio and the new gods of supertown premièred nearly a week ago, I hadn't been able to listen to it until tonight. That's because every time I followed the links posted on Facebook I was directed to a site that had what appears to be a portion of a Soundcloud error notification image.

Fortunately the robzombie.com homepage has a link to UMe's Souncloud where I was able to finally listen to the complete track. There is no way you could mistake this song as having been performed by anyone other than Rob Zombie. It has his signature sound stamped all over it.

The Big Blog Exchange

One of the local bloggers I follow posted the video for this competition/ opportunity earlier today.

It's called The Big Blog Exchange, and the competition starts on 1 March. While this blog is obviously still in its fledgling stages, I figure I may as well give it a try. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

You can watch the video below for more details, alternatively you can visit The Big Blog Exchange.

Teaser for Surachai's next album

Surachai is a black/ death/ doom metal band based in Chicago. You can download a lot of their music for free, or you can buy some of their albums, like Plague Diagram, on vinyl.

The teaser for the new album, entitled Embrace, was recently released. I'm looking forward to hearing more from this project as they draw nearer to the release date.

Nine Inch Nails are returning in 2013

Today Trent Reznor announced the return of Nine Inch Nails via Pitchfork. Reznor's announcement read as follows:

Nine Inch Nails are touring this year.

I was working with Adrian Belew on some musical ideas, which led to some discussion on performing, which led to some beard-scratching, which (many steps later) led to the decision to re-think the idea of what Nine Inch Nails could be, and the idea of playing a show. Calls were made to some friends, lots of new ideas were discussed, and a show was booked - which led to another, which somehow led to a lot of shows.

The band is reinventing itself from scratch and will be comprised of Eric Avery, Adrian Belew, Alessandro Cortini, Josh Eustis, Ilan Rubin, and me. The first shows will begin this summer, followed by a full-on arena tour of the US this fall, and lots of other dates worldwide to follow through 2014.

Lots of details and dates to come. See you soon.

TR

This is the announcement the whole on the NIN fan base has been waiting four years to hear about. I'm a little intrigued to read about the re-invention of the band, but at the same time it brings a multitude of possibilities, especially with such a diverse line-up.

 I really hope I'll be able to catch a Nine Inch Nails show while I'm visiting the United States in November. If need be I'll even try extend my stay, or take a 'detour' in order to see the band live.

65daysofstatic remix Rolo Tomassi's "Illuminaire"

UK hardcore, prog rockers Rolo Tomassi released a free remix of their track Illuminaire by 65daysofstatic on Tuesday. The song reached the maximum number of downloads that same day. As a result 65daysofstatic have put the song up on their Soundcloud page as a free download too.

I have yet to hear the original of this track, but from listening to the remix one could easily be lead to believe that this were a 65daysofstatic track featuring Eva Spence.



I also really suggest you listen to Mesmerizer below. Like Illuminaire, it too showcases the delicate side of Eva Spence's vocal capabilities, without interchanging to choruses of screamed vocals as heard in many of the songs in Rolo Tomassi's catalogue.

How to Destroy Angels announce tour dates

If you live in the United States, or Canada, then you'll be able to catch Trent Reznor and co. on tour in April. Eleven dates have been announced as follows:

04.12.2013 Indio, CA (Coachella)
04.13.2013 Las Vegas, NV (Pearl Theatre)
04.17.2013 Monterey, CA (The Golden State Theatre)
04.18.2013 San Francisco, CA (The Regency Ballroom)
04.19.2013 Indio, CA (Coachella)
04.21.2013 Denver, CO (Paramount Theater)
04.23.2013 Chicago, IL (Vic Theatre)
04.25.2013 Toronto, ON (Sound Academy)
04.27.2013 Boston, MA (House of Blues)
04.28.2013 Montclair, NJ (Wellmont Theatre)
04.29.3013 New York, NY (The Apollo Theatre)

Information about ticket pre-sales can be found here.

Exclusive clip from 'The Lords of Salem"

Entertainment Weekly is hosting an exclusive video clip from Rob Zombies fourth film, The Lords of Salem. While there are a couple of folks saying that Zombie is a "terrible fimmaker [sic]," Regardless, I for one am actually looking forward to the release of this film. While it may not be released in cinemas in South Africa, it is sure to reach the shelves of the local DVD rental shop.

From the short blurb on the Entertainment Weekly site, it sounds as though this film might just have a few more elements of a psychological thriller, as opposed to being a straight up shock horror, gore fest like the previous films directed by Zombie I've watched. That said House of 1000 corpses and The devil's rejects are still two of my favourite horror films, simply because they don't come across as trying overly hard to be serious and scary. I'd consider them to be light-hearted horror, because the story lines and gore are so over the top, they couldn't possibly be real. And that's what I love about Rob Zombie's films, as unreal as they are, I can still sit and watch them over, and over again.

Overview: a documentary by Planetary Collective

On the 40th anniversary of the famous ‘Blue Marble’ photograph taken of Earth from space, Planetary Collective presents a short film documenting astronauts’ life-changing stories of seeing the Earth from the outside – a perspective-altering experience often described as the Overview Effect.

The Overview Effect, first described by author Frank White in 1987, is an experience that transforms astronauts’ perspective of the planet and mankind’s place upon it. Common features of the experience are a feeling of awe for the planet, a profound understanding of the interconnection of all life, and a renewed sense of responsibility for taking care of the environment.

‘Overview’ is a short film that explores this phenomenon through interviews with five astronauts who have experienced the Overview Effect. The film also features insights from commentators and thinkers on the wider implications and importance of this understanding for society, and our relationship to the environment.

OVERVIEW from Planetary Collective on Vimeo.

Lioness tests out camera

Wedding photographer Ed Hetherington was visiting Zimbabwe to take some wildlife photos. When Hetherington set up his Canon 5D Mk II to capture a lioness returning to her kill, got a little more than he bargained for.

This is what it looks like to be stalked by a lion

Some astonishing photos were taken from the remotely triggered 5D Mk II, While Hetherington also snapped a few more from a safe distance with his other, hand-held rig.

"Smells like a Canon." Photos taken at approximately the same moment from Hetherington's handheld Canon 7D (left) and the remotely triggered Canon 5D Mk II (right). 

What happened next? The lioness gingerly picked up the camera and carried it away from her kill to spot where she could scrutinise it a bit more.

Walking away to find a place to investigate her prize

Hetherington was able to recover his camera after the lioness was done borrowing it. While the camera body didn't appear to have taken too much abuse, Hetherington said that it could no longer read the CF card and required repairs. Testament to how gentle a lioness' grip can be, and the ruggedness of Canon's range of DSLR cameras.

You can see an indentation right where the CF card door meets the body.

Source: All pictures copyright 2012 Ed Hetherington Photography.

Harlem Shake Update

I posted videos for three of my favourite Harlem Shakes on Day. Since then I have come across a few more, including a page dedicated to Capetonian Harlem Shakers, and what could possibly be the first Harlem Shake from Charles M. Schulz, the creator of Peanuts.

How to get 100% (or more) in life

The following was written on the wall of one of the Facebook groups I belong to:

THE WONDERS OF SCIENCE
1 x 8 + 1 = 9
12 x 8 + 2 = 98
123 x 8 + 3 = 987
1234 x 8 + 4 = 9876
12345 x 8 + 5 = 98765
123456 x 8 + 6 = 987654
1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9876543
12345678 x 8 + 8 = 98765432
123456789 x 8 + 9 = 987654321
1 x 9 + 2 = 11
12 x 9 + 3 = 111
123 x 9 + 4 = 1111
1234 x 9 + 5 = 11111
12345 x 9 + 6 = 111111
123456 x 9 + 7 = 1111111
1234567 x 9 + 8 = 11111111
12345678 x 9 + 9 = 111111111
123456789 x 9 +10 = 1111111111
9 x 9 + 7 = 88
98 x 9 + 6 = 888
987 x 9 + 5 = 8888
9876 x 9 + 4 = 88888
98765 x 9 + 3 = 888888
987654 x 9 + 2 = 8888888
9876543 x 9 + 1 = 88888888
98765432 x 9 + 0 = 888888888
Brilliant, isn't it?
And look at this symmetry:
1 x 1 = 1
11 x 11 = 121
111 x 111 = 12321
1111 x 1111 = 1234321
11111 x 11111 = 123454321
111111 x 111111 = 12345654321
1111111 x 1111111 = 1234567654321
11111111 x 11111111 =
123456787654321...111111111 x
111111111 =
123456789876543 21
Now, take a look at this...
If:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R ST U V W X Y
Z
(Is represented as...)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.
If:
H-A-R-D-W-O- R- K
8+1+18+4+23+ 15+18+11 = 98%
And:
K-N-O-W-L-E- D-G-E
11+14+15+23+ 12+5+4+7+ 5 = 96%
But:
A-T-T-I-T-U- D-E
1+20+20+9+20+ 21+4+5 = 100%
Then:
L-O-V-E-O-F-G-O -D
12+15+22+5+15+ 6+7+15+4 = 101%
Therefore, one can conclude with
mathematical certainty that:
While Hard Work and Knowledge will get you
close, and Attitude will
get you there, It's the Love of God that will put
you over the top!

I wont deny that the mathematical part is pretty interesting, but all maths is, is a series of patterns. If you took the time, and sat and worked it all out, similar sequences could be attained for each of the multiplication tables. What really  peaked my interest though, was that it appears the original writer is claiming that science suggests we love a god. 

Ironically, if you perform a similar equation for the word "bullshit," you get the following:

B-U-L-L-S-H-I-T

2+21+12+12+19+8+9+20 = 103%

So obviously this means that "bullshit" will get you further in life than hard work, knowledge, attitude, and love of a god. Need some more proof? Well then, just look at some of the world's leading politicians. Even better, look at South African politicians, a majority are essentially nothing more than professional bullshitters.

Moral of the story; bullshit baffles brains, and random sequences of numbers are a great way to do so.

Let me know of any other "scientific" equations that could possibly teach us how to attain 100% or more in our daily lives.

Puscifer's take on Bohemian Rhapsody

Puscifer's version of Bohemian rhapsody, originally released by Queen in 1975, may not be the first recorded cover of the song, but it is certainly my favourite.

In a typical tongue-in-cheek manner, Puscifer have also paid tribute to the original music video. The low budget green screen effects, and make up are quite comical.

How to Destroy Angels' impressive new album

How to Destroy Angels have teamed up with Pitchfork Advance in order to stream their first full length album, Welcome Oblivion for free. This is no regular album stream though, as it includes album artwork, as well as several short videos to accompany the music.

Tracks available to stream:

1. Wake Up: the best opening track of all the HTDA releases.
2. Keep it together*: I still have neutral feelings about this track. I like the remixes though.
3. And the sky began to scream: from 03:00 onwards is reminiscent of Trent Reznor's earlier songs.
4. Welcome Oblivion: could easily be mistaken for a remix of a b-side from The Fragile era, with elements from Atticus Ross and Reznor's soundtracks thrown in for good measure. I like that this track has some aggressive vocals. This song will surely satisfy many Nine Inch Nails followers who are craving some new material from the project.
5. Ice age*: the original version of this song has grown on me me a little, but I still prefer the Soft Moon remix.
6. On the wing*: starts with some promise, but the vocals killed it for me. Not my favourite track, but not a bad one.
7. Too late, all gone: I liked the intro. I didn't like the verse, but the bridge and chorus are astounding. Overall this sounds like a mash-up of the Dust Brothers soundtrack for Fight Club and a b-side from NIN's Year Zero.
8. How long?: I like everything about this track; it is one of the songs where Mariqueen Maandig-Reznor has demonstrated her true vocal abilities. I really want to hear this song get a few plays on a  local radio station. The video is excellent too.
9. Strings and attractors: another track in which Maandig-Reznor flexes her vocal chords a bit. Unfortunately the spoken versus detract from the chorus, which is a beautiful combination of Reznor and Maandig-Reznor's voices. They really need to do another duet like this.
10. We fade away: with a guest appearance by Alessandro Cortini, I was a little disappointed by this track on the first listen. I was hoping it would build  into something that was reminiscent of one of the jams from Ghosts I-IV, but instead it turned out sounding a bit like a reworked left over from The Social Network soundtrack. It did sound better after a second listen though.
11. Recursive self-improvement: fortunately this track has the groovy, experimental noodling I was expecting to be featured in We fade away.
12. The loop closes*: still one of my favourites, although not so much the chanting at the end. It also has a cool video.
13. Hallowed ground: The piano in this piece, once again evokes memories of sounds from The Social Network score, None-the-less, it's a good choice to close the album off with.

* Tracks originally released on An Omen EP.

Overall, I enjoyed this album, and am considering getting the vinyl edition. Listening to this on a pair of earphones for the first time has definitely made a difference, especially with regard to the tracks that were originally released on the An Omen EP. It also helps to have heard the rest of the album in order to fully appreciate how the tracks on the EP fit in with the concept of the album.

For me the stand out tracks were Welcome oblivion, How long?, Recursive self-improvement and Hallowed ground.

Harlem Shake Top 3

The whole Harlem Shake thing was introduced to me when my brother posted a link to one of his buddies YouTube videos. I thought it was pretty lame, because I had no idea about the the Harlem Shake meme just yet. So far I have come across a few more renditions of the video, which are incredibly well executed. I present to you my three favourites:

3. Ikey Harlem Shake: 

Not only does this video feature a giant white tiger, girls kissing, and one of the infamous dummies; but it also a pretty accurate representation of what student life at UCT is all about. As an alumnus of the university I've seen pretty much all of the above take place on campus, except for the letting off of a fire-extinguisher. Good times.

2. Portal 2 - The Harlem Shake




While I've never played Portal 2, I'm a big fan of the first game. Last time I saw robots like these they were trying to kill me. I like the dancing versions more.

1. Grooveshark does the Harlem Shake:



Grooveshark looks like the best company on Earth to work for! Which other office has an inflatable snowman just lying about?

I might add a few more videos to the list as I see fit. In the meantime, here is the full version of Baauer's Harlem Shake.

J.Viewz & his musical fruit

J.viewz' folks obviously never scorned him for playing with food, or not eating his vegetables. Probably just as well though. If you thought that making music with sounds recorded from slamming car doors was amazing, then your mind will blown after watching J.Viewz' version of Massive Attack's Teardrop, recorded using various fruit and vegetables. 

If you enjoyed what you heard/ saw, then you should definitely head over to J.Viewz' Soundcloud page and listen to some of his original tracks. Many of these tracks, including 8 off of Rivers and Homes, can be downloaded as mp3s for free.

How to turn a Nissan Juke into an instrument

South African musicians Peach van Peltzen (Yesterday's Pupil & Bittereinder) and Richard Brokensha (Kidofdoom & Iso) collaborated with Nissan South Africa to create the a piece of music, mostly using recordings of the sounds made by a Nissan Juke.



Incredible to see what can come from a just little bit of imagination and creativity. It also reminded me of this.

What do you want to see more of?

I set up a poll (on the right) for people who come across this blog (whether intentionally or accidently) to be able to give some feedback as to what they would like to see more of on Here be Porpoises. If you would like to suggest another category for the poll, then feel free to comment below.

Facts about Animal Hearts

The National Wildlife Federation shared an infographic about animal hearts on their website. The Oatmeal shared it on Facebook, crashing the NWF's website. Good thing the NWF shared it on Pinterest too.

Source: Uploaded by user via National Wildlife Federation on Pinterest

As the Oatmeal put it, "Happy aortic-squishy-blood-muscle day."

Stream Puscifer's "Donkey Punch the Night EP"

You can listen to Puscifer's Donkey Punch the Night EP in its entirety over at Spin Magazine.

My favourite tracks are Puscifer's cover of Queen's classic, Bohemian rhapsody, and Drumcell's reinterpretation of the track Breathe. The band's front man  Maynard James Keenan, explained in an interview with Spin Magazine that Dear brother, the only other original track on the EP, was dedicated to several peers who recently passed away including Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys, and Australian winemaker, Ray Beckworth.

Puzzle reveals new Rob Zombie album artwork

Rob Zombie posted a link on Facebook that leads to a puzzle (requires Flash). Solving the puzzle reveals the artwork for Rob Zombie's next studio album, Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor, to be released 0n 23 April 2013. In addition solving the puzzle will play a snippet of the album track Dead city radio. Happy Puzzling.

Chuck Palahniuk's "Romance" available for free download

Some of you may already know the name Chuck Palahniuk, others of you might not. I'm fairly certain all of you will be familiar with Fight Club though, it was the first of Palahniuk's novels to be published. That's right, Fight Club was a book before it was a movie starring Brad Pitt and Edward Norton, and Chuck Palahniuk is its kick-ass writer.

I recently discovered that the audiobook for Palahniuk's short story Romance was available as a free download (sign up required) across at Downpour.

According to Downpour, "Romance is a twisted love story like only Chuck could tell." As such it could be a fun listen/ read before doing whomever whatever you have planned for Thursday.

Adopt a Penguin for Valentine's Day

Do you want to do something different for your loved one this Valentine's Day? Why not adopt a pair of African Penguins (Spheniscus demersus), and name it after yourselves? 

No, that is not a joke. The South African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds, or SANCOBB, are running a Valentine's promotion that will allow for the adoption of two penguins for the price of one. By adopting a penguin you will help cover the cost of rehabilitating an injured or ill bird, allowing for it to be released back into the wild when it is strong and healthy enough.

In addition to be being able to name the pair of penguins, as part of the adoption package you will also receive a  letter containing the history (where they were found, what type of ailments they were suffering from, their weights, etc.) of the birds you've adopted, photographs of your adopted penguins, and certificates of adoption.

Why adopt a pair of African penguins for Valentine's Day, you ask? For starters, African Penguins mate for life, and as a result penguin symbols are often used to signify love. More importantly, by adopting two penguins you will be contributing towards the conservation of these world-renowned birds, which have seen a rapid decline in number over the last decade, largely due to food shortages. As a result of the decrease in the number of breeding pairs, the conservation status of the species was changed from vulnerable to endangered in 2010.

If you're ready to adopt your pair of African Penguins for only R 500*, then go here, and if you have a few more questions, look here. If you don't want to adopt a penguin, but would still like to help, then you may still make a monetary donation here, or purchase stickers, books, DVDs, plush toys, etc. from SANCOBB's online shop here.

If none of those options tickle your fancy, then maybe you'd prefer to buy a bottle of wine with a penguin on the label for your better half this Valentine's Day.

--

*ZAR 500 is the equivalent to about US$ 56, or EUR 42.

Mr. Lif & DJ Qbert freestyle Magnet Jam

A little while ago Sibot released his Magnet Jam EP to critical acclaim. Then along came Mr. Lif and DJ Qbert. They got hold of a vinyl pressing with the title track, and created the following:

Puscifer have a surprise waiting for you

This morning there was a post on Facebook by Puscifer simply reading, "Hmmm... if you visit Puscifer.com there might be a surprise waiting for you. http://www.puscifer.com/"

I haven't been over to the Puscifer website in some time, but I'm guessing the surprise is being able to listen to Breathe, the first single off their third EP, Donkey Punch the Night.

The EP features two new tracks, two cover versions, and several reworkings by the likes of Drumcell and Sonoio.

You can preorder the EP from the above links.

If that wasn't the surprise, then please let me know, because then I've missed it.

Beast like to Smoke, Swig & Swear

What do you get when two bassists, a drummer and a trained opera singer get together and form a band? The answer is Beast, a group of immensely talented musicians with diverse backgrounds, yet a single goal; to make powerful rock 'n roll music.

After having taken a quick listen to Smoke Swig Swear, the stand out track for me was Hand of God. It's a track that should played every day, by every radio station, everywhere. It's just that good. 

If you'd like to hear what Beast's music sounds like, you're in luck, as their first album Smoke Swig Swear is currently available as a free download. 

Cape Town skater caught on speed camera

Cape Town based downhill skater, Decio, passed the infamous speed camera on Kloof Nek Drive at sufficient speed to set it off. Below is the video of him getting caught by the camera:

Get 'Sound City' for only $10

Dave Grohl will be hosting an Ask me anything (AMA) session on Reddit on 8 February 2013. In the meantime, you can download Sound City for only US$ 10 by using the discount code provided on the following site.

This is another excellent opportunity to get a DRM-free download of Sound City at a reduced price. I'm going to continue to be patient and wait for the DVD release of the documentary. I'm a sucker for the physical product.