The great thing about my day job as a tech reviewer is all the cool gadgets that land on my desk. The not-so-great thing about my day job as a tech reviewer is that you get tired of seeing the same cookie-cutter gadgets again and again, such as portable speakers for digital audio players. But, once in a while, something comes up that captures my fancy and tickles my ears, something like the X-MINIMAX capsule speakers.

By “capsule,” I mean that these speakers, undeployed, take the shape of a large antibiotic pill, the kind you shove down your throat to kill off any nasty infections. Two speaker units connect magnetically at the base to form the distinct capsule shape, small enough to fit in a jacket pocket. Setting up is a matter of cracking them apart and connecting them to your audio source via the supplied retractable cables. Once you’ve connected everything, position each speaker pod on either side of your audio source and crack ‘em open. By that, I mean each pod actually cracks open to reveal pop-up bass resonators. These are supposed to simulate a subwoofer cabinet and add a gut punch to your audio.

When you press play, you can’t help but wonder: how’d such a big sound come from such a small gadget? While Bose’s legendary Acoustimass cube speakers come to mind, the X-MINIMAX isn’t at par with Bose audio quality, they do manage to put up a good effort. They’re certainly louder than a lot of travel speakers on the market but it’s in audio clarity that these speakers perform well. Across the mid-range, the X-MINIMAX renders sound pretty damn good, though at high volume in the high frequency range, they have difficulty keeping highs from breaking up. In terms of bass, while they won’t be replacing your subwoofer anytime soon, the pop-up bass resonators do manage to produce a sound that is almost warm.

When you’re talking about a size-to-performance ratio, the X-MINIMAX displays considerable advantage to other travel speakers available on shelves. They’re small yet pack a considerable wallop. The deal-breaker, perhaps, would be its reliance to a USB port for charging, but if you’re the type who travels with his Macbook Pro, then you won’t have any problems. Fully charged, the X-MINIMAX can churn out your tunes for about 6 to 8 hours, just enough time for a nice afternoon at the beach

I didn't want to slap this on my blog, but it's fun and merits an entry.

Many years before R.E.M. became an arena-filling superband and Michael Stipe went bald and cuckoo, it was THE college band. Formed in 1980 by Stipe, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Bill Berry, R.E.M. made intellectual, witty songs which were relevant to the times and pleasing to the ears. Stipe’s voice mumbled through lyrics yet resonated enough for their first album MURMUR to become the 1983 Album of the Year in the Rolling Stone Critics Poll. The world had taken notice of a relatively obscure band from Athens, Georgia and has never been the same since.

And I Feel Fine is a collection of the band’s best material from 1982 to 1987, produced while they were under the I.R.S. label. Arguably, this was the period when R.E.M. spoke their purest, when their minds were still full of idealism and truth. The album showcases their breakthrough songs (such as It’s the End of the World as We Know It and The One I Love), plus a lot of tracks that you never hear on the airwaves anymore and rarely find on iPods. The first disc contains singles while the bonus disc collects B-Sides, live cuts and previously unreleased songs – a veritable treasure trove of early material.

Consider it a historical narrative of R.E.M.’s early years. The CD has extensive liner notes, with the band’s members reminiscing about each track, what efforts they put into it, and what other trivial minutiae they could remember. And I Feel Fine serves as tangible proof that today's continuing alt rock scene was fathered by this foursome. While this album should definitely be on the shelves of R.E.M. completists, it should also be required listening to fans who are only familiar with R.E.M.’s latest songs, which tend to reflect the band’s advanced age. Give a listen and you’ll definitely agree with the title.

SAD BASTARD MUSIC IS THE NEW SENTI

If you happen to receive a copy of Keane’s new album from your favorite aunt or parish priest, immediately file it under the genre ‘sad bastard music.’ There are times when you want to hear a plaintive honesty that comes from a far deeper wellspring than your usual ghetto palace crib and it would be good to keep this CD where it’s easy to find. There is such a thing as ‘too much honesty’ and methinks this album suffers from it.

It takes a certain mood to be able to listen to this album straight. Say your girlfriend of six years leaves you for your rich dad or your best friend runs off with your mother. Times when you need a Juicy. This is the type of stuff you can be sure Nick Lachey doesn’t want to hear when he reminisces about Jessica or the current state of his career. If you’re depressed and have a bottle of Valium in the medicine cabinet, stay away from this CD. Bad things might happen.

If you can handle a bit of melancholy, however, then Under the Iron Sea might just be for you. The title itself lends a hint as to what you’ll be feeling when you listen to songs like Atlantic. Comparisons to Radiohead, Coldplay, even U2 are unavoidable as it seems lead vocalist Tom Chaplin insists on channeling Thom Yorke, Bono and Chris Martin sans Gwyneth Paltrow. Perhaps the most upbeat this album gets is on Is It Any Wonder, its first single. But, even that song speaks of unspeakable misery, followed closely by Leaving So Soon, a driving song that speaks of loss. Bonus points for being able to use the word ‘prosaic’ in a pop song. Nothing In My Way is a lovely tune about dishonesty, and should be released as a single by the time you read this, in case you’re still breathing. Something enjoyable was Put It Behind You, which sounds like something by That Petrol Emotion. It ends on a somber note, however, with a heavy Vangelis-like synth dirge that drones on for almost three minutes.

Overall, Under the Iron Sea is a worthy effort if you dig the material. The songs are, for the most part, deftly crafted, melodic and strangely appealing, the way looking downcast and disinterested at an emo concert is appealing. If album sales are any indication, then a lot of blokes can take the melancholy. Maybe sad bastard music is the new senti.

Oh, if you do decide to purchase Under the Iron Sea, make sure you get an original copy. On the inlay card art is a quirky and wonderful illustration by Finnish-British artist Sanna Annuka Smith. Flip that over for complete lyrics and you’ll be able to whine along with the band.

A SERGIO MENDES ALBUM WITH VERY LITTLE SERGIO MENDES


In the late sixties to mid-seventies, Sergio Mendes was the biggest cultural export of Brazil, introducing the world-at-large to samba and bossanova. An entire generation of children were weaned on Sergio Mendes records playing on their parents’ hi-fis. Those children are all grown up now, with children of their own. Almost four decades removed from the days when Brazilian music was truly exotic, this generation parties to the beats of acts like Fifty Cent, Pussy Cat Dolls and Black Eyed Peas. For them, Mais Que Nada is elevator music, or something you’d hear when you’re put on hold.

The music of Sergio Mendes is timeless. This new album is not.

In an effort to reach out to a newer, younger audience and remain relevant in the world of samplers and software, Sergio Mendes and the Powers-That-Be have released Timeless. In theory, this project takes the sun-kissed beach sounds of samba and collides it with the 21st Century urban world of hip-hop. It’s “laid back” meets “keeping it real.” In Theory.

To capture that new market, Timeless
features a veritable Rolodex of A-list guest collaborators - Black Eyed Peas, Stevie Wonder, Erykah Badu, John Legend and Justin Timberlake just to name a few. It seems, though, that the guest stars overshadow the man whose name is on the album cover. The biggest scene-stealer is Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas who is also among the producers of the album and makes his presence known with a party pack of hip-hop loops driving the majority of tracks.

Mashing up loops with samba and bossanova isn’t a new concept. It’s been done before, notably in the 1996 compilation album Red Hot + Rio and more recently in excellent releases from Smoke City and Bossacucanova. Will.i.am doesn’t quite make the grade. His loops tend to be laconic and monotonous, utterly lacking in the simple elegance that permeates vintage Mendes. It feels dumbed down and comes off as uninspired. Don’t even get us started on his rapping.

Timeless isn’t a bad album, just underwhelming. There are a few bright spots, such as Please Baby Don’t, a syrupy, suave smoothie of a song that is carried effortlessly by the convincing vocals of John Legend and deserves to be inserted covertly into your girlfriend’s playlist. The title track Timeless, like Please Baby Don’t, is a new ballad written for the album. On this track, India Arie removes you from urban life and transports you to Brazil. In Samba Da Bencao, the rap is in Portuguese, fitting perfectly with the arrangement. Do the hip-hop in context and it works.

Oddly enough, it’s in the least hip-hop parts of this album that it shines. Perhaps that should serve as a warning against tampering with classics. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

FORMULAIC, SAFE AND SAPPY, THIS ALBUM DELIVERS GUILTY PLEASURES.

Even though a lot of my high school classmates were members of the theater guild, I don’t remember high school being anywhere near as musical as the one in High School Musical. Nobody broke out into song in the cafeteria. There was no dancing in the halls. Heck, all we could probably manage for entertainment was a dirty joke and a half. Still, give a listen to the High School Musical OST and you just might be fooled.

This OST works best in the context of the movie it hails from, a Disney Channel Original Movie that you can’t seem to escape from. I’ve seen it rerun ad infinitum on cable. I’ve seen desperate parents buy bootleg DVDs of High School Musical from the bowels of Makati Cinema Square to placate their kids. My two and a half year old nephew flatly refuses to eat his lunch without Troy and Gabriella’s audition scene playing on the telly. A pretty colleague of mine even sings along to Breaking Free after banging her head to Rob Zombie (unbelievable, but true). To ape a thought from The Matrix, this OST is inevitable, like the drunken shenanigans of Disney doyen La Lohan AKA Firecrotch or the monthly waning of the moon.

Frankly, you could do worse than succumb to the siren call of this CD. You could, perhaps make disparaging remarks about the bloody history of Islam in front of an international audience of scholars. You could break wind loudly inside an elevator full of nuns. Or, you could pick up Paris Hilton’s new album and proclaim yourself hip. Despite all the high-pitched, tinny voices from singers whose voices have yet to break, this CD deserves the attention it is receiving.

Start of Something New, perhaps the most popular ditty in this collection, is the bane of many an LSS (Last Song Syndrome) sufferer. It’s still ringing in my ears, and I last listened to the album a week ago. Stick to the Status Quo, another crowd favorite with interesting choreography to boot, talks about sticking to the things you know versus secretly trying out new things, an almost dialectical dialogue, but for kids. The songs are pleasant, smarter than Jessica Simpson, and hark back to innocent past that may belong in Pleasantville but is quite a welcome change.

By the end of the movie, all friendships are restored, rivalries extinguished, everybody gets along peachy, quite on par for a Disney movie. The soundtrack doesn’t end with the closing credits, though. The 2-Disc Special Edition Soundtrack comes with bonus tracks, including the Asian version of Get Your Head in the Game, performed by Vince Chong, Alicia Pan and Nikki Gil. Disc 2 is the Karaoke CD+G monster disc, designed to drive your older brothers bonkers from repetitive stress. Like I said, High School Musical is inevitable, and the sooner you surrender to its bubblegum pop, the saner you will stay.

Also, shoot me in the head, but I think that Vanessa Anne Hudgens is going to be a bona fide hottie a few years down the road.

www.combustibleorange.com
I met the writer of this cool online comics while playing online poker haha. His name's Frank Gibson aka FZA. It's great when you find similarities in taste in music and media in the people you encounter and this is one of those times. Check out his site and snicker along with his characters as they forge ahead in indie-comics land.

www.newgrounds.com

Though this site has been around for a while, the ultimate stress releaser that is New Grounds keeps the gonzo gaming coming at ya. Bursting to the seams with flash games that are ultra-violent, risqué, rude, ridiculous, or everything in between, New Grounds celebrates the end to online boredom by keeping you glued. Play The Pickup Game, based on the bestselling book on seduction The Game by Neil Strauss and learn how to skillfully take home poontang, or any of them Hentai games.

www.doubleedgefilms.com/spin/player.html
While most short films are too artsy and wholly unwatchable, you’ll no doubt enjoy spending a few minutes nailed to this video. It’s about a superhero scratch DJ who falls from the sky and restores balance to the world by fixing wrongs and setting things right. His instruments? Two time-shifting turntables and a soft spot for accident-prone idiots.

www.thepbf.com
Not in any way anything close to religious, the Perry Bible Fellowship is a brilliant comic strip created by humorist Nicholas Gurewitch (hahaha what a funny name!). His strips are populated with rutting bunnies, not-so-stick figures, weird space aliens who kill puppies, and adulterous lizards. Scour the archives for all the funnies. While you’re at it, you can check out his oddly compelling student films as well.

http://www.kaiju.com
Stone Cold Steve Austin is as stale as my dead grandmother’s socks. Kaiju Big Battel rockets wrestling entertainment way beyond the blah-o-sphere with earth-shattering fights between evil beast monsters and oversized costumed heroes. How these fighters can move clad in big-ass heavy costumes is beyond us. Short videos whet your bloodthirst and compel you to buy their DVD. For those of us who grew up on Shaider, this is overwhelmingly familiar and comforting.