GameSpoon - Nintendo DSi piano

This is very cool - especially for those of us who play music. Thanks to Nintendo for this hidden gem!

TuneSpoon - Madden Tracks '09; Does over-sensitive editing make people happy?

I take offense to suggestive vowels


EA loves to tell you how much they love music and love music in their games. It is something they take pride in. Proof? See press release for Madden '08 here. Year after year they include established and new acts on their sports franchise games. It gets a little much, yet in my opinion it is not the worst idea....... until this year.

EA has taken it upon themselves to edit this years music free from anything that they have deemed "suggestive" or "offensive". For example, words such as "Guns", "Arms", and "Loaded" have all been removed from the song "Hammerhead" by The Offspring. If they wanted to remove suggestive themes from the song, they may as well have had no lyrics in it. Guess what EA, the song is about school shootings [song meaning]. Is that the message you want to send to people while they play your football game?

There are instances where they are not consistent with the editing either. Using the example of Hammerhead again, the line "I'll take a life" is edit free. Seems a bit suggestive, wouldn't you think? Especially when another song on the game, "Inside the fire" by Disturbed, had the word "life" from the line "Release your life" edited from the song.

I do not mind editing of songs, but it has to make sense. Randomly choosing "suggestive" words without looking at the context of how they are being used isn't the way this should be done. Swear words are one thing, you shouldn't have to worry about the rest.

So what do you think?

TuneSpoon - The Offspring; "Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace" review

Look at my profile under music..... Go ahead...... Notice who was number one under "music"? That, my friends, is why this will hurt......

On June 17th, The Offspring released their 8th studio album, "Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace". I had been waiting 5 long years for this album to come. Paying close attention to the bands website, I trying to squeeze as much information out of the little they released to the public. I heard the first single on the radio and I was sold. This album was going to rock. Well, June 17th came around and the first time I listened through the album I thought just that. But, the more I heard the second side, the more disappointed I got that the first side didn't continue. So I hear this album as two 6 song EPs on the same disc.

Side One:
This group of songs show that Dexter, Noodles, and Greg K. still have what it takes to kick ass. "Half-Truism" and "Trust in You" are definitely what we have come to expect from The Offspring sound and opens the album perfectly. The two singles in "You're Gonna Go Far, Kid" and "HammerHead" are perfect ways to sell the album.

I personally love "A Lot Like Me". Dexter's vocals make the song very exciting and gives the song the passion and urgency the music calls for. Numerous people have said that they are ripping off "Clocks" by Coldplay. I make the opposite claim that they took "Clocks" and made it better. HA! Take that jerks!

Now, side two [here comes my production rant]:
Side two was in fact victimized by Bob Rock. My opinion is that there has always been a way to distinguish The Offspring from Green Day. Bob Rock ruined that. I don't think that it was a fluke that on his first run with The Offspring songs like "Fix you" and "Rise and Fall" suddenly had the sound of the other before mentioned band. Their work with Thom Wilson and later with Brendan O'brien prove that point. The songs on side two are very good songs. I just cannot get over how they sound, and it really bothers me.

I am going to give this album 3 1/2 out of 5 based on the fact that side one bashed me in the face with a brick, kicked me in the nuts, pissed on me, and told me I suck......Then side two held me while lovingly stroking my hair and apologizing.

TuneSpoon - Throw the Fight will rip your effin' face off

TuneSpoon - a music review



Throw the Fight kicks ass. They'll riff your face off and melt it down, so bring a bucket, you'll need it! These guys are a good old-fashioned rock 'n roll band from Minneapolis, MN. They just released their debut album entitled In Pursuit of Tomorrow (Label: Cordless Records). Fresh off a their recent tour with Drowning Pool, these guys are pulling double-time - playing shows, writing new music, living their normal lives and attempting to win an MTV Woodie Award. They are a hard-working band that is consistently pushing the limits of their abilities to higher levels, creating intricate, thoughtful musical elements from harmonizing melodic riffs to their simple transitions between the various sections of their song structures.

So, the question to ask is this - are you Ready for War?