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Stories by Refs
Stories by Refs
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Rating
Refs is an electronic-pop duo based in New York City. Not too long ago, they released a music video for their “Turn Around” single.

“Day-one Refs’ fans are a patient breed. When we played our first show earlier this year, and over half the audience knew every word to every song, our minds were actually blown. We wanted to tie a bow on what feels like the end of an era, and set the stage for a new one. But above all else, this mixtape is meant as a sincere thank you to our day-one crew.” – Refs

‘Turn Around’ contains a relatable storyline, pleasing vocals, and lush instrumentation scented with an electro-pop fragrance.

Refs consists of Zach Lipkins and Richard Saunders. Since revealing “Pain Goes Away” in 2015, the bubbly duo has racked up millions of streams online.

Not too long ago, they grouped all of their released music under the banner of their debut mixtape, entitled, “Stories”.

The project features new versions of their “Turn Around” and “Breeze” singles. Also, it serves as a glistening journey through the gorgeous soundscapes that have seen Refs become regarded as a duo to watch.


https://www.bongminesentertainment.com/refs-turn-around/
  
Panic Attack - Single by Harriet Manice
Panic Attack - Single by Harriet Manice
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Rating
Harriet Manice is a singer-songwriter and photographer based in New York City. Not too long ago, she released a charming pop tune, entitled, “Panic Attack”.

“‘Panic Attack’ is a blend of Nashville storytelling and popular music. With a mix of acoustic and electronic instruments. The song provides the feelings one can go through dealing with anxiety and panic attacks. While the song raises an emotional and intense topic, the music generally stays upbeat, to give the hope that everything will be ok in the end. Just keep breathing in and breathing out.” – Harriet Manice

‘Panic Attack’ contains a relatable storyline, ear-welcoming vocals, and lush instrumentation flavored with a commercial pop aroma.

“What is happening? I can barely breathe. Feel the room is spinning quicking ’round me. Is this just a dream. Am I still asleep? Tell me how to stop this insanity.” – lyrics

This past year, Harriet Manice had the opportunity to perform at venues such as The Bitter End, Rockwood Music Hall, Sidewalk Cafe, Prohibition in New York City, and Jane Pickens Theatre and The Breakers in Newport, RI.

She grew up listening to James Taylor, Eric Clapton, Simon & Garfunkel, Jim Croce, The Dixie Chicks, Whitney Houston, Christina Aguilera, Mariah Carey, and Celine Dion.

https://www.bongminesentertainment.com/harriet-manice-panic-attack/
  
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Andy Bell recommended Amnesia by Mr. Fingers in Music (curated)

 
Amnesia by Mr. Fingers
Amnesia by Mr. Fingers
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"This is a record I discovered long after the fact, but it’s become one of my favorite albums of all time. I love it even more because it comes from that magical late ‘80s period when there was so much amazing music being made. It’s like other records I’ve chosen because it has its own sound that permeates every track on the record. A while back, I treated myself to an original pressing of this. It was one of the few times in my life I have actually bought one of the albums that hang on the wall of a record store rather than in the racks! It was expensive at the time, I think around £30, but when I think about how many rounds of drinks I bought that cost more than that, it feels like money well spent. This is Larry Heard, the bedroom genius; it’s such a distilled version of his talents. And as such, I found it really inspirational when I started to want to make my own electronic music. I record under the name GLOK and Mr. Fingers is one of my main influences. My favorites are ‘Can You Feel It’ and ‘Washing Machine,’ but it’s all excellent."

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Morning Hour by Ed Carlsen
Morning Hour by Ed Carlsen
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Rating
Although he professionally trained as a guitarist, Ed Carlsen ultimately began to translate his skills onto piano, honing a versatile performance style in conjunction with his studies on the guitar. Eventually completing his studies in Music Technology at the London College of Music, Ed is now sharing his artistic vision with the world after spending some time making music for film and visual media.

Morning Hour is his third album, set for a September 27th release date on Canadian ambient/instrumental imprint Moderna Records. Words is a fine example of minimal electronic music, and showcases an understated and ambient production style with a core of 16th note repeats that shimmer like stars on a lake. The soul of this work is rooted in life-experience: the exploration and the anxiety that comes from losing some one close to you, as well as the difficult decision to leave the darkness behind for a new light. The music video for Words, the latest from Ed Carlsen, is a behind-the-scenes look at the machinery of personal redemption. As we examine the way that an aesthetic of downtempo can be applied to the visual dimension, we are left with a lasting sense of ordered chaos.
  
ST
Severed Threads (Threads #1)
4
4.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
First off, I don't want to admit that I judge a book by it's cover... but I do. This cover looked intriguing to me so that is why I chose to review it.

I read the first chapter and wasn't too sold on what was going on. But I continued on, to really give it a fair chance. The more I got farther into the book, the more complex the story line became, and it was just too confusing to follow. Between scuba diving (in which the author explained in great detail, which was a plus), a past love affair, a kidnapping by people who seem to be mobsters, buried treasure from long ago and ghost stories, I think it's just too much for a reader to process. I felt like there wasn't even a chance to connect with the main characters (Chase and Rachel) because the story was taking me this way and that way and all over the place. Some parts of the book were well written, just not the entire book as a whole.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary electronic book from a website (in which I was told not to post the name of). I was not required to write a positive review, only an honest one. The opinions I have expressed here are my own.
  
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Mary (13 KP) rated The Den (2014) in Movies

Jul 28, 2018 (Updated Jul 29, 2018)  
The Den (2014)
The Den (2014)
2014 | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
7
7.2 (5 Ratings)
Movie Rating
I enjoyed the perspective of seeing the person through the webcam when the hacker was present. It made it obvious what was occurring and added an interesting effect to the movie. (0 more)
The only issue I found with this movie was that there was no definitive climax. There was a whole lot of rising action, however it was difficult to acknowledge a singular climax as many different issues were presented all at once. (0 more)
Contains spoilers, click to show
I was very taken by the trailer of the movie "The Den" because I viewed it as an actual fear that many people have in today's society. I was able to find the movie on Netflix and it was pretty enjoyable. The storyline progressed at a decent rate and, all in all, was very interesting. I would not consider it a horror film, it was more of a thriller in my opinion. There is a bit of gore, but it isn't bad for the category it falls into. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who scares easily or is paranoid of being watched through the webcams of electronic devices.


The addition of the dark web Red Room at the very end of the movie was very suprising. However, I found it to be a great addition to the storyline as it was a link to what the hackers were doing with their victims.
  
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Graham Lewis recommended ETT by Klara Lewis in Music (curated)

 
ETT by Klara Lewis
ETT by Klara Lewis
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"She's going to represent all the new. This is what we like, new electronic music. Rock music is boring, absolutely boring. How many times have we been bored with it, that's the question. It's really odd, that feeling that you step out of the room. What's interesting about it? Rock music doesn't captivate me. It's faintly ridiculous isn't it? Men with guitars. When we started Wire we thought about how the group would be on stage and how we'd behave. We thought: 'This is a good area to exploit, we can take the piss.' There's got to be a sense of pushing it to almost folly or failure, try again. Now you get things like Inga Copeland, people who are really fucking wilful about what they're doing. It's like: 'Fuck you'. Klara's not like that, but she's very much, 'This is what I am doing, that's it'. She has this manifest confidence, that always helps when you're listening to something. I think because she's processing field recordings and found sound it's got what seems to me to be a very organic feel, in the way she composes things. She deeply understands the importance that things sound right tonally. I've seen her playing in a few different spaces, and her music has translated for all of them."

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Karl Hyde recommended Low by David Bowie in Music (curated)

 
Low by David Bowie
Low by David Bowie
1977 | Rock
9.3 (4 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"Me and Rick were living in a terraced house in Splott in Cardiff, near Tiger Bay. That’s where we formed our first band, Freur. We were making dub electronics and listening to dub reggae and Kraftwerk’s Computer World and Bowie’s Low. What blew us away was Brian’s (Eno) analogue electronic sound – that kind of degraded sound that he was making – and the fact that this great icon, a hugely famous singer and frontman, had chosen not to sing for half an album. What guts and courage that seemed to take. Years later you read that it ended up like that because he wasn’t around and that Brian experimented in his absence. But it takes great foresight and courage for David to come back and hear that and say, "yep, that’s the album." And not to think that because he’s a singer he has to blast away over the top of it. So that became a part of the blueprint for Underworld – that the singer doesn’t have to be the dominant force. He can play a supporting role. That Berlin period – the three Bowie albums and the Iggy Pop record – deepened the mythology of what I love about Berlin. The idea of going to a place and locking yourself away and making quite an extreme record in a different environment"

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Karl Hyde recommended Tripper/Springer by Efterklang in Music (curated)

 
Tripper/Springer by Efterklang
Tripper/Springer by Efterklang
2010 | Rock
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"This is a very important album for me. When John Peel was alive, before he went off on the holiday that he didn’t come back from, he asked a few of us to look after his radio show for him – Siouxsie Sioux, Robert Smith – and he said that Rick and I could do anything we wanted, which was very generous of him. So Rick asked him if there was anything he wanted us to play and he handed us Tripper and said, “this has just come in and I really like it.” As somebody who grew up with John being my most important musical teacher, especially his philosophy around cross-collateralised ideas between musical genres – this was important because it was the last album he ever gave me. The last record he asked to be played on air. But I loved the sound of the album – again, they have a whole other structure for writing songs. They have this filmic quality. It’s a very panoramic sound. They were one of the first bands I ever heard using that glitchy, cut-up electronic vibe and yet incorporating it with traditional instruments. And when I go and see them live, sometimes they’re a three-piece, then a seven-piece, or they’ll have an orchestra with them – they defy definition. They just make beautiful music."

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Somewhere New - Single by Gavin Beach
Somewhere New - Single by Gavin Beach
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Rating
Laurel Laxxes (Nicholas Cummins) is an electronic producer from Byron Bay, Australia. Not too long ago, he released a groovy electro-pop tune, entitled, “Somewhere New”, featuring singer-songwriter Gavin Beach.

“I was living such an incredible life at this point. Being enamored with the new landscapes I was finding myself in around Europe whilst being afforded the opportunity to collaborate with international artists left me feeling so inspired and positive.” – Laure Laxxes

The first drafts of “Somewhere New” were written around the time Laurel Laxxes was working at Acapela Studios in Cardiff, UK.

The incredible visual landscapes from that area inspired him to create the lush sounds found in “Somewhere New”.

Shortly afterward, he was introduced to Gavin Beach, and the two artists hit it off for what would be a successful partnership.

“I met Gavin and his producer at the studio in the hills and instantly fell in love with his voice. Also, I admired his laid back and respectful personality. Upon returning to Australia, I knew I had to get him on the track, knowing his vocals would sit perfectly in the track and absolutely shine where they needed to.” – Laure Laxxes

‘Somewhere New’ contains a relatable storyline and soulful vocals. Also, the likable tune possesses harmonious instrumentation scented with unique blends of atmospheric electronica sounds.