Music From My Youth - Alice Donut

Hey all. I'm writing this post a few hours after watching Trent Reznor win an Oscar, but I figure a LOT of people will be posting about that and I was quite disappointed with the complete lack of Winter's Bone love so I thought I'd post about the very first punk band/song I ever heard. The band was Alice Donut and the song was Come Up With Your Hands Out.

I heard this song for the first time in form class. In Western Australia this is where you sit for 10 minutes at the beginning of the day and a teacher marks attendance. On that particular morning (I was 14, I can tell you that much), my best friend at the time took his earphones off, handed them to me and said "Listen to this."

Had he mentioned that the song was 6.5 minutes of screeching guitars while a guy tells the story of a mild-mannered murderess, this blog might have ended up being a tribute to East 17. Luckily, I listened and my mind was suitably blown. I like to think of that song as my first step. I still listen to it and Alice Donut.

Doing It For Themselves - Radiohead

Radiohead has released a new album called The King of Limbs. I pre-ordered the mp3 version so I downloaded and listened for the first time today. So far, I like, but I'm not here to review the album. I'd much rather talk about their method of release.

In 2007, Radiohead recorded and released In Rainbows independently. They posted the album online and asked fans to pay what they believed the album deserved. Clearly the concept of choosing the amount to pay for the record was a little further ahead than the fans were ready for, but the concept of self-releasing in digital form was not.

So what made Radiohead embrace the digital age so completely? Well, speaking with absolutely no authority on the matter, I do remember back in 2000 when Kid A debuted at number 1 in the U.S. having been leaked onto Napster and Bittorrent 3 weeks prior. Is there another band you can think of who can vouch for the power of online viral marketing more than Radiohead? Of course, it did help that Kid A was the best album released that year.

*Shrug*
Regardless of the cause, Radiohead are amongst those leading the charge against the outdated and antiquated record companies of old. With their ridiculous overheads and their hesitancy to actually pay their artists, is it any surprise?

And they're not the only ones. I plan to run a series of posts about bands who are Doing It For Themselves.

Viva La Revolución.

Lets get this show on the road!!

Howdy kids!
This is a new blog from the creator of the blog Rach On Film and the podcast GoF Radio. Now, if may not be obvious to some, but those two outlets are dedicated to film. Whilst my love of film is never-ending, I also have a deep affection for music and have found myself lacking a solid area for displaying this love.

Hence, Rach on Tunez! This blog will simply be my area to talk about music I love, how I found it, what's new (occasionally) and other randomness involved in my music exploration. My taste is eclectic and open, so if you have suggestions I am always listening.

Except to Nickelback. I fucking hate Nickelback.