I'm back ... Still feeling alive and kicking ...

Hi fellas !!
I know I've been absent for a long time but, for your disappointement and dispair, I was working ...
But the important part is that I'm back and ready to talk
about music ...
More specificly about rock'n'roll music ... Is it me or we don't see any good bands lately ?
Not that I'm complaining about all the genres that are emerging from mixtures of cultures ...
For instance, latin people love to mix elements of percussion into rock, turning it into a more dynamic rock as Carlos Santana, Soda Stereo and Charly Garcia do to thier compositions ...
But if you look in the other side of the spectrum, you'll see bands who prefer to turn their heads into classical streams as Evanescence or Lacuna Coil ... (Beware guys !! If you do it wrongly, you'll listen to endless hours of musical masturbation as in some orchestral versions of rock songs) ...
But, getting back to my first initial discussion, criativity in music is fading or some beaten old fomulas are repeating themselves ... OK, I'll grant that The Strokes and The Vines are new good bands ... But where are all the other bands that used to surprise us with some new great sound or element in their music ?
Post me and give me the honor of searching and listen to new good stuff ...
Maybe it's just a dispointment of mine but I need to believe that music is recuparating some of its magic and charm towards us ...
Bye ... Missed ya, folks ... Remember, always have fun and enjoy the ride ....

Rock Singers : are they in extinction or migrating to Pop ?

Hi Fellas, how are ya ?
From time to time, I dig into the net in search for a great unknown rock singer that would blow my mind with a great performance. But lately, nothing seems to catch up my ear or even my eyes.
Even in mainstream talent shows such as American Idol, rock singers seems to be fading or even singing pop songs to attract an easy mellow crowd and their easy buying concert money.
Few are the examples of reaching out with the common audience but then going back to a more independent scene. Singers like Storm Large (mentioned in an early post), Mick Jagger, Iggy Pop are a dying breed.
Not that I dislike other pop singers but it's a shame that inspired performers are loosing their edge and going mainstream, loosing their creativity, just to sell records of no expression.
Here's a list of great new (old) timers that, maybe, will shake your mind:
- Iggy Pop, outstanding Punk/Rock icon ("the Iguana" of this genre), check out for his excellent greatest hits CD "Nude & Rude";
- David Bowie, Glam Rock icon and an inspiration to all genres of Rock'n'Roll, he's a "must have" artist in you CD collection, look out for the "Let's dance" album with appereances of the great long lost Stevie Ray Vaughan ;
- Storm Large, underground rocker from Portland already mentioned here, any album from her last 3 bands (Storm Inc., Storm and her dirty mouth, The Balls) are really good ;
- Mick Jagger, as the leading of the genious band Rolling Stones or even in his solo records, he can bring the most amazing heartfelt performances, search for the new Stones movie "Shine a light" soundtrack , unbelievable peformances for this amazing performer in his late 60's.
Just for the record, there are so many other performers/singers and those whom I've mentioned here, are those whom I appreciate the most.
Cheers and enjoy the ride.

High Fidelity's legacy - Top 5 albums to inspire exceptional moments

Hi lads, how are we doing now ?
Last days, I've been revisiting stuff I wrote here and I felt like something was missing.
May sound strange after only 10 scraps but when you think of it, this blog is supposed to inspire people commenting and telling their musical preferences, despite the genre we're disucussing or exposing at that particular post.
So, I've pretty much decided to start a new segment that helpfully people will relate to.
It's our High Fidelity moment, our personal top 5 about everything and nothing at the same time.
I'm starting with my top 5 favourite albums of all time.
Here they come:
- The Rolling Stones "Exile on Main Street",
- Jeff Buckley "Grace",
- Dave Matthews Band "Before These Crowded Streets",
- Led Zeppelin "Houses of Holy",
- Stevie Ray Vaughan "Texas Flood".
Any other suggestions, comment this post.
Always remember, listen to music and enjoy the ride.

Jeff Buckley - Last Goodbye ( album : Grace )

From the album "Grace", young american rock guitarist/singer Jeff Buckley ( son of late 60's and early 70's guitar hero Tim Buckley ) jams his hit tune called "Last goodbye".
This one of my favourite songs of all time and also one of my favourite artists in rock history.
The album "Grace" is more than a "must have" CD, it's a fundamental record to understand, for instance, the origins and influences of Nirvana's Kurt Cobain.
Listen and enjoy the ride.
To see this video on YouTube, click on this post's title.

LeAnn Rimes - Can't fight the Moonlight - acoustic version ( album : Coyote Ugly Soundtrack )

From the British TV Series "Live from Abbey Road", young american pop/country singer LeAnn Rimes jams her hit tune called "Can't fight the Moonlight", from the soountrack album of the movie "Coyote Ugly" ( lousy movie and gluey song but this unplugged version shows the depth of the amazing rich texture tones of her voice and it may surprise you all ).
Listen and enjoy the ride.
To see this video on YouTube, click on this post's title.

The Kooks - Naïve ( album : Inside in the inside out )

From the British TV Series "Live from Abbey Road", young british pop/rock band The Kooks jam thier funky hit tune called "Naïve" , from their album "Inside in the inside out".
Listen and enjoy the ride.
To see this video on YouTube, click on this post's title.

John Mayer - Belief ( album : Continuum )

From the British TV Series "Live from Abbey Road", young american guitar prodigy and Clapton's pupil, John Mayer talks about music composing , his latest grammy awarded album "Continuum" and jams this magnificent tune called "Belief".
Listen and enjoy the ride.
To see this video on YouTube, click on this post's title.

INXS - Definitive INXS ( Best of )

Hey, it's me again, Music Minded guy, filling you up with good music and tips from my personal CD collection and other fine bootleg misdemeanours.
We've visited three 3 continents till now : South America, Europe and North America.
Today, we hit another continent whose a force in Pop/Rock quality music : Oceania, but in this case, Australia.
It's problably the country with the biggest hitmakers per square inch but there are some who diferenciate themselves for their creativity and tough sound.
For instance, Midnight Oil, AC/DC, Yothu Yindi, Crowded House and many others.
But this band's compliation is a definitve yes in Pop/Rock recent history.
INXS and its late lead singer, Micheal Hutchence, proves to us that both their live and studio performances are powerful, rough and witty tales about our funtime here on Earth,
"Definitive INXS" assembles great hits and lives performances to die for in tracks such as "Mystify", "Need you tonight", "Suicide Blonde", "Never tear us apart" and many others.
Hutchence jaggeresque's vocals makes the trip worth while and the rythym makes us dance and enjoy more this greatest hits.
Listen and enjoy the ride.

Storm and The Balls - Hanging with the balls

If you're enjoying my journey with my tips about music , stick around 'cause this time I'm going to review one of my favourites CDs of all time . I'm huge fan of rock music and all its different vibes but this little lady turns your head upside down mixing punk atitude , cabaresque performances with a huge, wonderful and potent voice.
I'm talking about Storm Large, Dante's Portland main show case singer and a contestant from the the TV show Rockstar:Supernova. You may remember from energetic and powerful performances of songs such as Dramarama's hit "Anything , anything" ( one of my Top 5 songs ), Bowie's "Suffragette City" and her personal one "What the fuck is ladylike ?" in the contest.
But Storm is way more than that.
Rebel by essence and with a power trio ( piano , drums and bass ) to be envious of , Storm shows us in this album the essence of really good rock music , even if it's covers from other great rock songs .
"Hanging with the balls" ( ironic title if you think about this desguised censorship we live today in our society ) is a jewel to be kept in a vault . Masterpiece versions of the Sex Pistols , Billy Idol , Cheap Trick and even "Grease" makes this CD a "must have" in your collection.
The perfect synchronicity and understanding between Storm , the piano makes this an experience to never forget , mixing atitude , laughs and messages to those who believe that good music is dead.
Enjoy and knock yourself out with this one.

James Morrison - Undiscovered

Hi guys , how are we today ?
I thought for this second review change it up a little bit .
We started our journey in South America , more specificly in Argentina .
Now , I suggest we go to Europe , in a certain country called England .
The name of the artist : James Morrison , the album : Undiscovered.
Amazing singer , great piano player , James Morrison is part of a new wave of new genre ( for some , since Van Morrison had done that in the late 60's till now ) called "British soul".
Mixing good folk melodies with souful lyrics , Morrison gives us treats such as "Under the influence" , "You give me something" , "The letter", showing different styles to envolve the audience with dancing , romancing and even some thinking about life , friends with a touch of joviality needed our every day journey,
Listen , enjoy and give me your opinion on this one.

Tanghetto - El miedo a la Libertad

For a first and nice review , I've choosen a rythym which is real close to my heart : Tango.
Not only because it's the rythym of our hermanos Argentina and Uruguay , but because Tango reflects to me the most beautiful expression of sadness in melodies and words , specially when you need that recomforting word that the bandoneon whispers in you ears .
The argentine electronic tango group Tanghetto does that to pefection . This is demonstrated in their new work "El miedo a la Libertad. Tracks such as "El desvio" , "El miedo a la Libertad" and "El arte de amar"show the amazing synchronicity and depth of the beats with all the bandoneon's singing , piano's fierceness and drama needed to have Tango in its essence.
It's south american soul with european elegance.
This CD is a "must have" in your collection.
Enjoy.

Hello and welcome into my world of music!

Hello, how are you all doing ? My name is Music Minded Guy ( more known as Pedro to my friends ). I'm brazilian and like most of brazilians , music is our life. But in my case, music is more than a passion. It's life captured itself in a few minutes.
Music is our mood during that specific moment of the day, a reminescence of a perfect visual picture of calmness or even the thought of someone.
Through this journey and digging through my private CD Collection, I hope I'll be passing all my knowledge and good tips about some of my favourite albums and songs.
Cheers and enjoy the ride.