Coldplay "Mylo Xyloto" Review

The same group that made Fix You, Every Teardrop is a Waterfall and Viva la Vida has just released their newest album. Coldplay released "Mylo Xyloto" on Thanksgiving 2011 and its the groups third album to debut at #1 on the US Billboard 200. Coldplay has included some of their most popular recent singles, "Every Teardrop is a Waterfall" and "Paradise", into this album. They even included "Princess of China" featuring Rhianna.

The eye-catching album cover is inspired by the 1970's New York City graffiti and fits the sense of freedom and liberty that the artist took when creating the songs. These songs touch upon many humanistic and transcending messages of hope and prosperity. For example the song "Us Against the World", captures the sense of chois and delicate nature of the world and how its inhabitants are the main force that will make the world prosper or come to its end. In the song Every "Teardrop is a Waterfall", it inspires the listener to find the inner sense of hope for everyone. If you take these songs for their face value they are great songs to listen to, evoking images of skiing videos accompanied by a plethora of time lapses scenic shots and slow-motion jumps. But if you dive into the deeper meaning and lyrics of the song you find that you are caught in the middle of a powerful ad humanistic message.

The British alternative rock band's last 2 albums brought a lot of attention and popularity to the band and lead to much anticipation to the this album. The band is very unique and has their own sense of direction and inspiration. But to compare it to some other groups they are much like the band Muse which released The Resistance and the band Long-View which released Further. Coldplay would fall into the category of alternative rock however I believe that they created their own subcategory that only Coldplay can fit into. This album would get a 5/5 because the music is positive and powerful. The future of the band looks bright and they have yet to hit any brick wall that might slow them down. They only thing that might slow them down is the pessimistic and negative view of some listens who have the idea that Coldplay is a bad band. They are mistaken and haven't heard this album yet.

Sources:

Coldplay

What Hi-Fi

Review Apple iOS 5

With the new release of the iPhone 4s and iPod updates an new iOS operating system update is only natural. Apple has put in a lot of though and time to create a iOS that takes portable devices to a whole new level. Five features stood out to me.


1. Notifications: Apple has redesigned their notifications. In the last iOS, updates and notifications would pop-up and stop you from your work and game play. It would require you to stop what your doing and hit the ignore button to get rid of the pop-up. Now all notifications come in on a small scrolling bar at the top of your screen. If you want to view the notification simply tap the bar at the top and if you want to ignore it, it disappears in a few seconds. And this doesn't stop game play at all. Also the new notification center can be accessed by swiping down from the top of the screen to the bottom. The center will have all the updates and notifications and can also be accessed from the lock screen as well.

2. PC free & wireless sync: You used to need a computer to dock your brand new iPod or iPad to in order to register it and unlock it for use. Now you can buy a new iPod or iPad with iOS and you can register it right on your device. This makes it easy to start using for those who are new to Apple devices but you can also then dock it with a computer. Also you can sync your device without using a cable to connect to your computer. Now as long as your computer and device are in a wifi area then the wireless sync can take place.

3. Reminder: Apple put a new app that ships with the new iOS. This allows you to create lists and reminders. You can tag these lists and reminders with dates and times so you can set it to push out a reminder. This can work for either time or location. Say that you want to remember to shop as you leave work. You can set a shopping list to remind you as you leave the store.

4. Newstand: Apple released iBooks in the past and it allowed for users to buy books and read them on their devices. Now, Apple released Newstand which allows for the user to subscribe to magazines and read them on their deceives. These magazines update automatically and will be right in the Newstand ready to read the day it comes out.


5. iMessage: With the new iOS comes a new app from Apple. iMessage allows for all iOS users to communicate via photo or text message right on their iOS device. This only works if both deceives have wifi or 3G connection and it doesn't work with other devices such as a computer or phone since they aren't running iOS 5.

These are only 5 of 500+ features that Apple says has been updated with the new iOS. However not all features will work on all devices. For instance, multi-touch gestures will only work for the iPad and not the smaller iOS devices. Also in order to access the new camera feature from the lock screen you need to double tap the home button. This is only a minor inconvenience. Also when changing the music from anywhere on the device I find a bit of a lag, longer then I had before. This can be annoying sometimes but again it is nothing more then a minor inconvenience. Lastly I would have expected to see more major updates however I was impressed with this update and I would give it a 5/5.

Sources:

Apple

Allstar Weekend "Not Your Birthday" Music Review

Being a modern music junkie and an avid movie goer, the Allstar Weekend's "Not Your Birthday" sounds like the perfect choice for the new to release movie, "Prom". This new album is featured on Disney's "Prom", which is set to release this Friday, 4/29/11. This track has quite the modern buzz that you would expect to find in a movie that the majority of viewers would be middle school/high school girls. Although it is a catchy tune that will be stuck in my head for the remainder of the week, I would have liked to see the theme and lyrics of the song reflect something other than "partying like its not your birthday" ,which is repeated more than one could count. I just think that there are too many songs out their that promote and encourage "partying" everyday or no reason. I guess this seems to be the popular type of song. I would have liked to see something that was a bit different. Other than that, I don't think this is the next hit, but, I do think it has some potential to being a song that would be found a lot in movies and found on the iPods of many. I would give it 3 out of 5 stars.

Tech Review: iPod Touch 4th generation

Almost every year Apple computers releases an update for their iPod line-up. This year I was looking to update my 2nd generation iPod Touch. My 2nd generation had two years in use. That was my first iPod and I used it to its fullest potential. After two years the battery was not holding as much capacity and I was looking for an update. The 4th generation was the answer.


I bought the new one the day after Christmas and it came 2 days later. I was very exited to get my hands on it and start playing around with it. I got the 8G model and I also got a case with it because I would like to keep it clean and dent-free. It brags a 960 by 640 Retina Display, a 720p HD rear facing camera, Face Time, and the fast processing of the A4 chip. After over a week of exploring every feature I can safely say that this is a great product. Here are some reasons why I did and didn't like it.


1. I love the 960 by 640 Retina Display. This was not the reason I bought it but it has soon become my favorite feature.


2. I take video classes at school and love to make films so the 720p HD video recording feature was the gem of the Touch. Not only can you shoot in HD but you can edit and export in HD as well. Just for fun I made a fun little video in HD and I was able to shoot, edit and export a 30 second video, in less than 5 minutes, complete with graphics and transitions.


3. Along with the camera a microphone is included in the Touch. I was very excited to find that the quality of sound was great. With this I can record audio and use Voice Control to control my iPod. And my favorite part is that many applications such as I am T-Paine use the mic to change your voice and it is a fun and useful feature.


4. One part of using an iPod Touch as a personal computer is the fact that the user needs to switch between applications fast and effortlessly. Multitasking on the iPod Touch is a easy and smooth process when switching between tasks. It will also keep tasks running so you can still listen to Pandora while downloading that email presentation and update your Facebook status all at the same time without slowing down your processing speed that much. The only problem is that ending the tasks requires the user to manually shut down the tasks by deleting them in the multitasking menu and they accumulate quickly.

5. Their are not many downsides that I found, and I'm generally nit-picky, with the Touch. I have found that not having a GPS chip is inconvenient especially since I like to know where I am and where to go while on the road or on travel. It is also a disadvantage because the maps application only loads maps when it is connected to Wi-Fi. Maybe a 3G cell phone based information model, like the iPad would be a good option.

6. I found that the buttons were off-center and hard to press especially with a case. I guess this is something that you get used to. I did however like the individual volume buttons instead of the rocker in previous models.

Overall I love the new iPod Touch. And I would give it a 9.5 out of 10. It effortlessly stood up to my demanding tests and its will work well for anybody with an iPod Touch. I found the transition to the newer model, natural. It is worth every penny.

Chuck Wicks Music Review

Chuck Wicks is a country music singer/songwriter straight out of Nashville, Tennessee. He started his career on March 28, 2006. Although his music career started in Nashville, Tennessee, he was raised in Smyrna, Delaware. When he was young he dreamed of becoming a famous baseball player until he moved down south for college. His senior year in Florida Southern College that his desire to play music eclipsed his athletic aspirations. At first he started off poorly and did not end up releasing an album and realized that it took more then just talent to succeed in the country music world. Although he was not doing as well as he expected, giving up never crossed his mind. Instead of giving up he took the next couple of years writing songs and honing his skills alongside Music Row writers such as Monty Powell and George Teren. He needed to get a job so he ended up with a job of parking cars and ironically some of the cars he parked belonged to famous songwriters who taught him how to put a pen to a paper and write a song. Chuck's perseverance payed off when landed a deal with RCA records and began working on an album with Monty Powell and Dann Huff. His very first single was "Stealing Cinderella" which got people who had never heard of Chuck to want to hear more of his stuff and that is just what they did. Chuck's next big single was called "All I Ever Wanted" and this is what Marilyn Haney had to say about the song: "I liked it very much. It had a great beat - very danceable music! I have heard it on country radio stations a few times and it's a good song. The only thing I found that was wrong with it was that he repeated 'All I ever wanted' a little too much throughout the song. But I would rate the song an 8 out of 10 overall. And he is good looking too; I predict he will go pretty far in his career". Even though he's not the best I'm sure his career is far from over. If you are interested check him out on his website at http://www.chuckwicks.com/.