music, books, love and kindness

...because music makes everything better

I always do this...install the newest Apple iOS update before all the bugs are fixed. The most recent one, the iOS 8.4, really caught my eye because it allows the brand new Apple Music to be installed and I have been curious about Apple's music streaming music service since I heard about it earlier this week. Lord knows there are problems with it (thank you very much, iTunes, for messing with my music library and for taking away the simply joy of shuffle) but I do like some parts and how can you complain about a service that instantly sets you up with John Hughes soundtracks?

For a rather helpful FAQ online guide to all that is related to Apple Music go here:

http://www.imore.com/apple-music-faq

finding the 7 minute and 26 seconds version of "Nights in White Satin"...priceless! :)

On my player right now is "Every Note" by Mystery Skulls. This review by Matt Collar captures the album very well:

The debut full-length album from Los Angeles' Mystery Skulls, 2014's Forever, showcases the group's infectious, '80s-influenced disco, R&B, and dance-oriented soul. Primarily centered around the talents of lead singer, songwriter, and musical mastermind Luis Dubuc, Mystery Skulls make pulsing, laser-toned R&B that touches upon vintage '70s and '80s club music as much as it does contemporary R&B, techno, and EDM. In that sense, cuts like "The Future," "Fantasy," and "Forever" fit just as nicely alongside cuts by Daft Punk and Grum as they do tracks from such similarly inclined artists as Sam Sparro and Justin Timberlake. What helps set Mystery Skulls apart from the rest of the electro-R&B pack is Dubuc's lithe vocal abilities. Blessed with soulful phrasing, a burnished middle vocal range, and a knack for ascending into a lusty falsetto croon, Dubuc comes across as less the pulsating center of a robotic hive mind, à la Daft Punk, and more like an improbable cross between Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump and '90s R&B prodigal son D'Angelo. It also doesn't hurt the album, or Dubuc's cred for that matter, that he's joined here on "Magic" and "Number 1" by both Chic guitar legend Nile Rodgers and '90s soul diva Brandy. Musically, while most of the songs on Forever are set to deep programmed grooves and heavy synth basslines, Dubuc nonetheless strikes an even balance between his use of synthesizer (his main instrument), real piano, drums, and orchestral strings. Ultimately, it's this sophisticated balance that helps Forever sound both organic and computerized, warmly familiar, and utterly fresh.