Music

Epoch, genre, and control defining video game The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, is at last getting something it has long lacked: Full orchestral treatment of its music. Only it’s not happening in the game, but is being released as its own collectable vinyl record. And no, it does not feature Link singing on it. Composer Koji Kondo’s original score for the Ocarina of Time, has been re-recorded with the full 64-piece orchestra treatment. Cue nods to, and memories of the N64… The soundtrack record is being released by iam8bit, and should now be available for pre-order. The album comes in glorious gatefold form, an artwork and work of art collaboration by Ryan Brinkerhoff and the Materia Collective. Featuring the Triforce stamped in gold-foil and a die-cut ocarina window. As for the records themselves, they have been pressed on 180-gram heavyweight green and purple Rupee-coloured vinyl. A Q2 2017 ...

Britain and Australia continue to share ties, but this time it’s through the bizarre ability of their new five pound and five dollar notes respectively to play music. In some regards money may make the world go round, though if a vinyl record also goes round, then the new Australian $5 note can be used to play it. Cris Kennedy of the National Film and Sound Archive, Australia (NFSA) explains that the musical phenomenon is due to the modified and sharper edges of the new five dollar note vibrating as it reads the grooves in the record. And to think that some people thought the ability to whistle with a gum leaf was the ultimate Australian musical lifestyle hack.

With the death of Motörhead frontman and bassist Lemmy on Monday 28 December 2015, it has been officially announced that the band will not continue on without him. Ian Fraser Kilmister, or Lemmy as he was known, died in Los Angeles at age 70, after a battle with an aggressive cancer. Passing away four days after his 70th birthday, Lemmy had been diagnosed with terminal cancer on the Saturday. Manager Todd Singerman revealed Lemmy had only been given two to six months to live. Confirmed via Motörhead’s official Facebook page the sad news: There is no easy way to say this…our mighty, noble friend Lemmy passed away today after a short battle with an extremely aggressive cancer. He had learnt of the disease on December 26th, and was at home, sitting in front of his favorite video game from The Rainbow which had recently made its way down the street, ...

Victoria Beckham is said to be dusting off her Posh Spice moniker once again to be part of the Spice Girls for a reunion next year. The 20th anniversary shows rumoured for 2016 were initially said not to include Victoria Beckham, but it’s said that former Spice Girls manager, Simon Fuller, convinced her otherwise. A source speaking to Closer had the following to say about Posh and the Spice Girls reunion: “She’s now told the girls she will be involved with the shows as much as she can, though she’s not signed up to a series of on-stage performances at this point.” Concerts two decades on from the Spice Girls making it big, will likely take fans back to the hits of the 90s. A time when cassettes still existed and CDs were the new way to listen to music. Things may have changed a bit since then. Victoria Beckham ...

If Ned Flanders and heavy metal seems to go together like nuts and gum, then the good news is they’re together at last. In these times of metal musical fusion (and confusion when it comes the Metallica and Lou Reed collaboration Lulu) with post-prog-djent-epic-core-metal-ness, one band is forging ahead with the new Nedal style. Combining the goodness and likeness of Ned Flanders, with metal. Times five, it’s like a Flanders family reunion. A googly, doogly. The Nedal band is called Okilly Dokilly, and is known to neighbourly wave from across the fence in its Phoenix, Arizona, USA home. Okilly Dokilly is a quintet, with the band members known as Head Ned, Bled Ned, Red Ned, Thread Ned, and Stead Ned. Giving them a fifth Beatle. While they don’t do barbershop, they do still be sharp by keeping their moustaches (or cookie dusters) well-groomed. Along with wearing green sweaters, grey trousers, ...

Concerts and live music can be fantastic. The sense of not just listening to the music, but being there. Experiencing it. Feeling the music. Although the crowds and characters will vary with the style of music and concerts, there are bound to be the certain few which annoy. There could be more, but here are the six most annoying types of people at concerts: The Taller It’s not really this person’s fault. They were born that way. Quite simply, they’re tall. They’re also probably a male. And more to the point, not only are they tall – more specifically – they are taller than you. The Taller, somehow, also almost always manages to stand directly right in front of you. Like gravity, they’re almost always there, eclipsing the show. And somehow all you can do is futilely attempt to circle around them. The stage and band are the dark side ...

Don McLean’s original manuscript of lyrics for his song American Pie, was auctioned and sold on 7 April by Christie’s in New York. Written back the 1970-1, the manuscript fetched a sale price of US$1,205,000 from an anonymous buyer. It achieved the third highest auction price for an American literary manuscript. As Tom Lecky of Christie’s said: “This result is a testament to the creative genius of Don McLean and to the song’s ability to still engage and inspire.” Don McLean apparently released his manuscript because he wanted to help people better understand the true meaning of his song. Stating in the Christie’s February catalogue: “It was an indescribable photograph of America that I tried to capture in words and music.” Maybe it was also as much as about the money and Don’s “mercantile instinct” as well. The true meaning of the song American Pie, however, still remains rather mysterious. ...

Tongue Not in Cheek Miley’s Video Music Awards (VMA) performance seems to have poked and pointed more tongues into talking about a Cyrus than the days when there was an achy breaky heart on the scene. Not that Miley’s performance was completely inconsistent, after all she did have blonde hair.  So maybe she was just playing the character of Hannah Montana, you know, all grown up. It was just that she may have blurred the lines between family friendly entertainment and perhaps showing what a wholesome upbringing on Disney can do for you. A link to the ‘show’ is provided, but the video isn’t directly embedded here.  Because things are kept tasteful on uthinki;  however questionably so.  (Or videos of that much twerking simply take up a lot of bandwidth!) Cyrus’ moves have sparked all sorts of comments, not in the least because she did more twerking than an anthology of ...

Makankosappo.  If it sounds kind of Japanese to you, then you’re correct. Have a gold star.  Better yet, have a ball with a star on it.  Collect all seven and make a wish. Makankosappo is a dance-like action, playing out Dragon Ball (probably Z) fight sequences.  Whether this is also involves 5-minute close ups of faces and grinding teeth, is probably left up to the hero of the story. Popularised mainly by Japanese schoolgirls- Wait!  This could be dangerous, anything can happen in manga… Moving on. Makankosappo involves the main player acting out a fight scene, and using their ‘energy’ to force the other players flying back.  They’ll jump away, choreographed, as though blasted by a shockwave.  Or a Kamehameha Wave, if you’d prefer.  (For this, training in 10 times gravity and reaching at least Super Saiyan level is recommended, but not compulsory.) Not only is it funny to watch, it has produced some pretty cool photos ...