The 'King of Pop' leaves his throne.

Last June 25, the pop icon superstar, Michael Jackson, died at the age of 50 years due to a cardiac arrest. The creator of record breaking hits like 'Thriller' or 'Beat It' left a legacy to the music industry. Although he was constantly involved in scandals that deformed his musicianship, the 'King of Pop' helped construct the pinnacle of large scale events and movie-like videos. It all started at Super Bowl XXVII, one of his best live performances, where the half time events were changed forever. He also helped refresh the music video scene, by making his videos a little movie that communicated a story. Since then, the half time shows have skyrocketed their level by bringing better artists, and doing a greater visuals; a greater metamorphosis took place in order to bring us what we have today: a vast range of entertaining performances that thrill our life and make us experience unspeakable emotions.

Even though I don't love Michael Jackson nor I'm effusive about him, I decided to create this entry to honor him. He may have had a horrendous childhood, forced to become a star, and being constantly in the media, but we will never know which problems or scandals he had throughout his life where true; the only one who could have known which ones where true or false was Michael. Furthermore, you may choose to remember him as a hero or a villain, and you may criticize him as much as you want, but there is one thing you will never deny: He was a true king, exhorting us to hear his masterpieces, commanding a generation to a new era, and establishing a stunning empire that is still standing these days.

Kashmir + No Balance Palace !

A few months ago I had a conversation with a friend from Yucatán. We were talking about a lot of things, but mostly about music; recommending each other bands and artists, and one of them is the one I dedicate this article to.

Kashmir at first reminded me of a song by Led Zeppelin. Later, I discovered my assumption was totally wrong. Directly from Denmark, this band manages to merge a soft and pleasant voice with a constant bass, a good drummming, a moderated distorted guitar, or sometimes a good keyboard texture. The band has a good sense of how to tint their songs. The result is a jubilant feeling, a moment of joy, a melancholic depression, and the debris of a mundane problem.

This entire journey leads us to a Palace, where gravity has a powerful force. Our balance is lost, and we tumble because we realize that what we are hearing is simply magnificent. This is represented in the song Ophelia. Certain things have a special charm, thus luring our perception. This leads us to wonder, why is that thing so special?
It represents our fanaticism towards a situation, place, or person. We’re just inherent creatures. Destroying and reconstructing our thoughts frequently, we tend to create an alienable truth. It is hilarious to begin searching for something you have always had in your pocket, isn’t it?

The following album is one of my personal favorites, and I hope it will become one of your favorites also; relish it as much as I do.

Kashmir - No Balance Palace (Click to download)

Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon

Impressionism rapped up in a delightful package of emotions; my first impression is that Pink Floyd has a lot of components that make them a Progressive Rock band, and if that’s the case, they’re the greatest Prog Rock Band in all the history of music.Taking in account Pink Floyd recorded ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ between 1972 and 1973; you may think that the recorded material is kind of old. Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you if you believe that, because it is one of the best conceptual albums in the entire history of music, and it is considered the magnum opus of Pink Floyd.

In the album, you will find a constant motion of ideas that are followed by well structured sound bases, thus creating an incredible sound for that time. You can even consider the album itself has its own binding atmosphere that hasn’t changed overtime, therefore giving us a pleasant sound for our time. Songs like ‘Money or ‘Brain Damage’ clearly expresses the influenced ideas of the band towards the early departure of Syd Barret. Their psychedelic sounds are still recognizable these days, a proof that symbolizes music can really trespass the barrier between time and trend.

As a closure statement, I would like to post this quote from Barret himself, which says:

"I think it's good if a song has more than one meaning. Maybe that kind of song can reach far more people."

That’s what is happening Syd, you influenced various generations, and now a 15 year old boy that didn’t lived in your era can truly affirm… Your words came true.

Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon (Click to download)

DU PACQUE

The Internet is nourishing our styles and preferences every second, thus leaving us a gigantic variety of choices. Right now, we have the opportunity to hear Bands from other countries without the necessity of leaving our computer; Last Month, I was browsing random myspace websites from bands all around the world, and discovered my preferences regarding music have changed. I was really disappointed by some bands, and really impressed by others, but the one that really took my attention and has a special glow is Du Pacque.

Their fresh and mesmerizing sound reminded me that there are Independent Artists all around the world, making music in their homemade studios just for fun. Listen to them, and if they manage to please you, support them. I assure that you'll love and acclaim them after you've heard them, or... at least I will.