Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Websnacker's Essential Post-Grunge Alt Rock Hits


This post should have been up by Sunday but alas, a lousy ISP and a harried client had kept me busy for the last 2 days and I could make time for this post only today. Anyway, what I have assembled this time is a high octane collection of rock hits, mostly post-grunge, hard alternative with a tinge of heavy metal and art rock. If you are an alt rock fan, I’m sure you’ll love it.

This is what you’ll get to hear…

The Mississippi post-grunge rockers – 3 Doors Down’s Duck and Run" from their 2000 debut platinum album 'The Better Life', the subtly melodic Splender’s "Yeah, Whatever" from their best selling 1999 debut album, 'Halfway Down the Sky' and the Pennsylvania band Breaking Benjamin’s massive billboard hit "The Diary of Jane" that had the unique distinction of being the fastest peaking rock single of 2006, eventually reaching #2 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, #4 on the U.S. Modern Rock Charts and simultaneous airplay at more than 100 top radio stations across America and Canada.

In 2004, pop diva Anastacia added an edgy feel to her music which she called "sprock" a mix of pop, soul and rock and released a self-titled album that helped her increase her popularity beyond America. “I Do”, an enjoyable collaboration with Sonny Sandoval, P.O.D’s lead vocalist was proof of the new sprock feel that blended well with her Tina Turner-ish appeal. I have added this cos it has great lyrics besides a nice tune.

Similar fav additions include Texas rockers Seven Channels’ Breathe”, Hoobastank’s radio hit “Crawling In The Dark” and Bush’sLittle Things” a billboard hit from their super-successful 1994 album, 'Sixteen Stone' though it was not as accepted as their other hit “Glycerine”. Did you know that Bush was a UK band originally from London and not an American band as many strongly still believe. It is also worthwhile to know that the D2, the popular Bulgarian group used the same guitar riffs that are prominent in “Little Things’ in their 1999 breakthrough hit "I Can't Stop Loving You".

From the original purveyors of classic grunge, I have added Candlebox’sYou” - a vintage hit from the Seattle grunge scene of the early 90’s taken from their 1993 self-titled debut that peaked at number 7 on Billboard's album charts, Florida’s ex-grundig-ger’s Cold’s rock ballad “Cure My Tragedy” from their third and commercially successful Billboard #3 album 'Year of the Spider', Puddle of Mudd’s Billboard #1 hit "Blurry" from their 2001 album 'Come Clean' and the Chicago based new age heavy metal band Disturbed’s Stupefy” from their internationally acclaimed 2000 debut album 'The Sickness'.

You’ll also find Live’s immensely popular "Lightning Crashes" from their 1994 breakthrough album, 'Throwing Copper', Fuel’s no. 1 hit “Hemorrhage (In My Hands)" from their album 'Something Like Human', the San Francisco alternative rock band Third Eye Blind’s "Deep Inside of You” from their second album, 'Blue' and the Grammy-nominated Tonic’s highest charting # 1 Billboard single "If You Could Only See" from their debut album, 'Lemon Parade'.

From outside America, I have added Finland’s Poets of the Fall with their 2006 hit – “Gravity” from their triumphant second album 'Carnival of Rust' and Australian nu metal art rockers - The Butterfly Effect’s "Take It Away" from their 2001 self-titled debut EP that remained in the Australian top 20 charts for almost a year.

The hard to find North Carolina’s Far Too Jones’ 1996 hit "Falling Back Down" from their 'Plastic Hero' EP and “Need To Know”, a small hit from the little known Indianapolis alternative band – Transmatic are reader requests that have been pending for quite awhile now.

Go ahead, download and enjoy the aural energy!!

19 tracks in playlist, average track length: 4:01
Playlist length: 1 hour 16 minutes 21 seconds

1. Three Doors Down - Duck And Run (3:50)
2. Anastacia - I Do (Feat. Sonny From POD) (3:00)
3. Breaking Benjamin - Diary of Jane (3:23)
4. Bush - Little Things (4:24)
5. The Butterfly Effect - Take it away (4:40)
6. Candlebox - You (4:56)
7. Cold - Cure My Tragedy (a letter to god) (3:55)
8. Disturbed - Stupified (4:33)
9. Far Too Jones - Falling Back Down (3:12)
10. Fuel - Hemorrhage (In My Hands) (4:00)
11. Hoobastank - Crawling In The Dark (2:55)
12. Live - Lightning Crashes (5:25)
13. Poets of the Fall - Gravity (3:56)
14. Puddles of Mudd - Blurry (5:03)
15. Seven Channels - Breathe (3:47)
16. Splender - Yeah Whatever (3:40)
17. Third Eye Blind - Deep Inside You (4:10)
18. Tonic - If You Could Only See (4:23)
19. Transmatic - Need To Know (3:09)

Free Mp3 Download - 98.6 MB Zipped Folder – Multiupload link -
http://su.pr/5NgTV1
(links to Rapidshare, Megaupload, Deposit Files, Zshare, Hotfile and More)

IF YOU LIKE EM, BUY EM!!
at your nearest record store or check out www.emusic.com, www.itunes.com or www.amazon.com

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Why Simplicity is the New Marketing Paradigm


New age businesses are pumping out new ideas and knowledge at an unprecedented rate. As our recent marketing assignment for a radically new product would vindicate, the new age chant seems to be - more, better, faster, louder and most importantly simpler (think Twitter).

For marketing and design professionals, simplicity might well be the decade’s greatest differentiator. It’s the timeless power to do more with less. To be heard at all amidst the electronic chaos, let alone be clearly understood, a brand’s marketing communications must refine and talk the essential truth as plainly as possible.

Have you ever noticed how there now seems to be a “time” for every business and technology idea, and when that time comes, the idea springs into the minds of several people simultaneously? The next big thing emerges overnight. From categories like social media networks, niche portals and concepts like trending topics, social buying, to the fancy fonts and the reds and greens to prop up corporate identities. What’s up with that?

With millions and millions of people receiving indistinguishable data and stimuli, should it be any surprise that many have the same epiphanies at about the same time? This phenomenon gives overnight birth to entire industry spaces awash with venture capital and generous seed money. It also paralyzes decision-makers.

Consumer Minds are more Saturated (and Confused) than ever before.

Business information is doubling every three years. That’s about twice as much stuff every 1000 days. And, the web-centric among us are now bombarded with something like a billion different URLs. Researchers tell us there’ll be ten times that many in two years.

Let’s face it; we’re all developing internal defenses to guard against the blight of buzzwords and boilerplate verbiage. The sheer volume of media available and density of communications is making many potential customers indifferent, if not immune to even the most persuasive value propositions.

Stuff all looks and sounds the same. It’s all mission critical. It all improves shareholder value. And it’s all “e-this” and “i-that”. Even the once refreshingly clever names of techie start-ups have become astonishingly analogous.

Our adaptive brains automatically discount the predictable. The vagueness and overkill is bad news for people who need to promote and sell technology products and services. So they throw more up against the wall in fruitless efforts to see what will stick. Case in point is the scam-tainted, overvalued IPL: It was relatively easy for flush new mobile companies to drop millions of dollars for mundane IPL ads, but what will any of them really accomplish?)

Let’s Just Cut to the Chase

The solution is Simplicity. Simplicity is the result of making the intricate clear. It greatly improves the performance of information. The cost of confusion is greater than the task of making things simple. Simplicity reduces advertising and public relations expenditures.

The key to message simplicity is painfully obvious: focus. Selectively exclude messages and media, which matter less, so that attention is given to those that matter most. That’s it. You need read no further. Just as simple a concept as losing weight for cheap: eat less, exercise more. Duh.

Okay, like weight loss and fitness, simplicity is also a great paradox, an absurdity because achieving it is known to be very hard work. Intuitively obvious. Practically difficult. And sometimes, you need a little coaching to provide the requisite inspiration and discipline. So where do you start? I’ll tell you soon.

Friday, April 16, 2010

Websnacker's Saturday Night Fever


Free Mp3s - Awesome Club Hits from the World Over

This is first post after a long break and what better fun than some exhilarating dance music to listen and jive on.

Starting with the UK 2003 dance hit "LA Today" of producer DJ Alex Gold and singer/composer Philip Oakey, you’ll enjoy Bob Sinclar aka Bob Sinclair’s astoundingly famous, Grammy nominated international chart hit of 2006 “World, Hold On”; Deepest Blue, the electronic British group’s club hit of the same name and the vintage synth-pop band Ganymede’s collaboration with Paul Parker on “Perfect Target”.

Dire Straits fans will love popular house mixer’s Deep Dish’s modern rendition of "Money for Nothing". You’ll probably be surprised to know that the house music team of Deep Dish is not european but an Iranian- American duo of Ali Dubfire Shirazinia and Sharam Tayebi who are now quite popular in the dance club circuit and now have several global hits under their label.

Other first-rate additions include Germany’s electropop import Ultima Bleep’s remix of their hit “Back”, Duran Duran’s 2007 hit “Falling Down" from the album ‘Red Carpet Massacre’ that was co-written by Timbaland and Justin Timberlake, Spanish dance rockers’ Delorean’s catchy “As Time Breaks Off” and an extended mix of euro popstars Munich Syndrome’s “Love & Dancing”.

For those new to Delerium, the outstanding Canadian electronic fusion band, you’ll like their partnership with Canadian songstress Sarah McLachlan on their worldwide radio and club hit "Silence" that was also featured on the hit soundtrack of 1999’s Brokedown Palace starring Claire Danes and Kate Beckinsale. On similar lines, you’ll savor Tiffany Lee, more popularly known as Plumb in her enticing remixed blend of electronica and dance pop on her 2003 club hit “Damaged”, taken from her award winning second album ‘Candy Coated Water Drops’.

As usual, I have also added some requests that include Phil Collin’s son – Simon Collins’ 2000 hit single “Pride”, Soulsavers mix of the 2004 Starsailor hit “Four To The Floor” that was featured on Daniel Craig's Layer Cake Soundtrack and Fred Falke’s remix of the Berlin indie electro band - The Whitest Boy Alive’s 2006 hit “Golden Cage” from their debut album ‘Dreams’. Incidentally, one half of the Whitest Boy Alive duo - Erlend Øye is also the lead member of the Norwegian alternative folk rock band - Kings of Convenience. So, go on, download and enjoy. If you like what you hear, send me a mail pls.

1. Alex Gold feat Phill Oakey - LA Today (5:54)
2. Bob Sinclair feat Steve Edwards - World, Hold On (Children of The Sky) (3:16)
3. Deep Dish - Deep Dish - Money For Nothing (7:00)
4. Deepest Blue - Deepest Blue (3:27)
5. Delerium & Sarah Mclachlan - Silence (Airscape Remix) (8:38)
6. Delorean - As Time Breaks Off (4:53)
7. Duran Duran - Falling Down (Freeks Main Mix) (7:11)
8. Ganymede - Perfect Target (With Paul Parker) (4:40)
9. Munich Syndrome - Love & Dancing (Even More Love Extended Mix) (7:25)
10. Plumb - Damaged (Club Mix) (6:49)
11. Simon Collins - Pride (3:32)
12. Starsailor - Four To The Floor (Soulsavers Mix) (Layer Cake Sdtk) (6:43)
13. The Whitest Boy Alive - Golden Cage (Fred Falke Remix) (8:28)
14. Ultima Bleep - Back (Club Remix) (4:26)

14 tracks in playlist, average track length: 5:53
Playlist length: 1 hour 22 minutes 22 seconds

Free Mp3 Download - 98.61 MB Zipped Folder – Megaupload link

THIS IS A NON-COMMERCIAL FAN MIXTAPE. IF YOU LIKE THESE ARTISTS, PLEASE BUY THEIR ORIGINAL MUSIC & PROMOTE THEM. You can buy original CDS/DVDs & Mp3s of the above artists at emusic, amazon, itunes, other online stores or your nearest music and movie retailer.
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