Hi Test Records

A dose of comedy

You know you’ve seen the best comedy ever when you’re still laughing about it the next day. When we walk out of the theater, repeating the one liners and laughing all over again, we know we’ve seen a great movie.

For instance, the 1980’s classic “Hello Again”with Shelly Long is hilarious. From the way she dies (choking on a chicken ball) to the way she haunts her husband, this movie always keeps me in stitches. More recently my niece went out and rented “Death at a Funeral”. I’m not normally a big fan of slapstick comedy, but this movie was beyond hilarious. The story line managed to be touching, even though it was built around non-stop humor and laughter.

Another great comedy that can be found on video is “Four Christmases”with Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn. This movie had a great, romantic storyline that was interspersed with humor, one-liners and traditional slapstick. Watching Vince Vaughn’s devastating attempt at mounting a satellite dish is hilarious. I laughed so hard my sides hurt.

I also enjoy dramas, horror movies and action movies. But nothing leaves me feeling better than a great comedy. Rather than feeling let down by a rotten ending, or in a serious mood because I’m reflecting on something in the movie, I’m left feeling like I just spent an evening laughing with my friends.

The best part about watching comedies is that you feel better when the movie is over. Laughter is good for your blood pressure, your mood, and your overall health. So when you choose a great comedy for your entertainment, you are sure to feel better.

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Summer Festivals

Now that 2011 has started, what are most music lovers thinking about? Indeed the festival season of 2011 and who it will bring. While many festival goers spend their whole working year saving up for their festival tickets of the summer, there are certain must haves to check off before you jet off for your festival delights.

First of all transport is always a must. Many share cars to get to their destination in the fields, in which case you must ensure you have retained your no deposit insurance to protect yourself and those sharing a lift with you. You will also need plenty of camping gear; wellingtons are an absolute must, raincoats, sun cream, sun hat, soap, deodorants, water and food.

In Britain you will need to pack for every occasion, be it rain, sun, wind or snow. The weather has been and always will be unpredictable, meaning that if you get caught off guard you will either be very cold, wet or sun burnt.

If you have never been to a typical British festival, you will have a lot to learn. There will be plenty of stands selling alcohol, soft drinks and food, although usually taking your own will save yourself some money. The toilets facilities are porta-loos (well you will be in the middle of a field), just be careful, you can imagine the state of the many toilets, just keep an open mind.

The general rule for festival goers is to ensure that you keep an open mind; there will be plenty of people attending the festivals, from various cultures, with various rules. Simply respect and have fun.

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Watch Out Pink, Beyonce, Here Comes Jessie J

2011 is just around the corner and as you file through currys discount codes while listening to your iPod, one artist you will have to look out for as the new year unfolds is Jessie J. Better known to her family and friends as Jessie Cornish this Essex native has one of those unique powerhouse voices that we like. She is comfortable hitting high notes and knows how to take us along when performing. Her voice is all her, no additives from some fancy machine in the studio, it sounds good and that’s just a fact.

Jessie however is much more than a big voice, she is also an avid songwriter. And she has written a few hit songs for other artists. Remember the Miley Cyrus No 1hit ‘Party in the USA’ yes you guessed it Jessie J wrote it. So make no mistake this girl can write hit songs.

Now she’s putting the finishing touch on what will be her debut album that is expected to be released in 2011. The album title is to be ‘Who You are’ and it is expected to a mixture of grimy R&B, retro soul, pop, and rock. It is expected by many that this album will be a hit in the UK and the US.

Jessie J is no stranger to the stage having performed in Whistle Down the Wind, an Andrew Lloyd Webber production at age 11 years. Over the years she had had her adversity in the business and also some good times as she has toured with Chris Brown, worked with Cyndi Lauper and Dr Luke the hit master. Now even Justin Timberlake has hailed her as the best singer around.

So Pink and Beyonce better watch out, here comes Jessie J.

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Jamie Woon’s So Soulful

New artist Jamie Woon is shown what can develop when soulful vocals meet the resonant and spacious production techniques of dubstep.

Jamie Woon who hails from London, is really a true singer songwriter who has his influences firmly planted in soul and that folkie stuff his mum sang. Now his mum was a background singer from some well known acts including Bjork. So now Woon has shifted his focus to dubstep.

Woon can be said to have a big voice and it is so powerful that at times it overpowers the music which may leave you wanting him to tone down a bit so that you can enjoy the music itself and savour the moment. Getting this british schoolboy to tone down maybe difficult since he is clearly enjoying the song and his confidence is just soaring.

He has toured with the likes of Amy Winehouse and back up by his capable he has delivered some very good sets. There is no doubt that Woon by himself can certainly fill a stadium by himself but alas this is the process many good singers have t go through.

Woon’s music has been seen as a successful fusion of old idea with 21^st century blue. It is different and his voice and delivery fit it beautifully. Now the 27 year old is soon to embark on a tour with Vashti Bunyan and he is looking forward to it.

Blues music now has a new flag bearer for a long time to come and it is likely that is star status will only rise as time goes by. So as you use currys discount codes give a listen to Jamie Woon.

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Review: Dry the River Band

So I am in the living room online and going through currys discount codes to find the one I want when I hear that some from my favourite band. I start bopping my head to the music and that’s when I recall this band I heard recently the Dry the River.

Dry the River is made up of five lads all based in East London. Their line up is Jon Warren (drums), Will Harvey (violin), Scott Miller (bass), Matt Taylor (guitar), and Pete Liddle (vocals, guitar).

Their name does not at all suggest what they are really all about and they never wanted to be called a techno or dubset act. So when you find yourself at one the shows they are perform all prepared to hear music and voice blasting in your eardrums you are likely to be somewhat disappointed.

Dry the River bring to its audience music that is semi-acoustic and infectious. The songs they blow our to us has a old American frontier feel to them as there are a number of reference to things like medicine men. Peter Liddle who writes many of the bands songs and who is also Norwegian, draws a lot of his inspiration from what he studies when he was in University, namely Anthropology and medicine.

The band initially began as a solo venture before Liddle invited Jon Warren the punk rock drummer, and William Harvey the classical train violinist, in.

The energy from many of the band’s songs cannot be purely classified as punk rock but is surely strong and everyone feels it. Everyone in the band is somewhat feature on their songs. I guess everyone wants to be happy.

This is a band to watch out for and they may be coming to a record store near you as they are being sort by a few music companies at the moment.

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The xx: What Gives?

New band The XX – or alternatively the xx, but who cares, it’s all the same – are kicking up quite a storm of passion over their début album (guess what it’s titled because I am not going to tell you). Could this be the start of a low-key ultra smooth rock revolution? Hmm…we’ll see about that… The critics love this band and it’s not hard to see why: they are experimental, not afraid to be different and happy to strip their songs right down to bare basics – something which, in my opinion, works really well. But the future of the xx remains to be seen. Because, if you think seriously about it, where do you go once you’ve gone that low-key? The problem this band face is one that could indeed cripple them: do they choose a slightly different direction and risk sounding like everyone else, being too progressive, too die-hard going for new stuff? Or do they keep their sound how it is – how it was – and hope that fans are contented enough with this style of music to keep listening to new versions of the same track over and over again? In many ways, of course, these questions are irrelevant; to my mind it doesn’t look as though any of the band asked for the accolades being bestowed upon them. I can easily see some cheap bikes for sale outside their apartment / studio some time in the near future, along with a small caravan for staying in while they record their new album.

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London Music: Pros & Cons

I can’t quite decide if London is doing UK music a favour or not. I know…I know…don’t all shout at me at once, this is my post, remember? I have thought this argument through, I promise. But it’s complicated. No matter how I think about it I can’t work out what wins, the pros or the cons… Pros: 1) Great music scene and venues. Lots of culture. LOTS of culture. A good place for up-and-coming musicians to collaborate. With so much going on, progress is made quickly and there’s lots to feed off. There’s also lots of free stuff in london : free gigs etc, which expose people to lots of great new music. There are also a lot of gigs you have to pay for, of course, but it’s worth it to see some of the Uks best bands coming through and doing their thing. Cons: 2) Too much fashion and following. This leads to a culture where all music is the same and everyone wears tight jeans. Somehow this doesn’t sit right with me: surely being individual is about choosing your own path? If that’s true then why does everyone look the same. Also, it’s a damned expensive place to live, which doesn’t fit in particularly well with the whole DIY mentality, don’t you think? Here’s why I can’t work it out: London is thriving and constantly producing music…and it has all that history. So you’d think the pros would have to win. But then again, part of me wants the next kings of rock to come from the depths of Bedford. Because at least then we could claim that it hadn’t been entirely influenced by the whole London thing, which I think will always sort of annoy me.

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Love The Pixies

I missed the first wave of the Pixies. While David Lovering, Joey Santiago, Kim Deal and Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV were rocking out and blowing minds – confusing the media and the general public with what would become their signature difficult-to-pin-down thrashed-out animalistic noise – I was watching Neighbours and well up-to-date with Home & Away. It was only years later, upon a chance encounter in a record store, that I stumbled upon Doolittle and bought it. Like many, that CD changed the way I thought about music forever. Music was no longer a thing set on a straight and predictable path. The Pixies opened it all up and told the world “It’s ok to do it your way, and you don’t have to be the stereotypical rock and roll kinda girl or guy to prove it”. Also intriguing about the Pixies is how little they cared for their appearance (most of the time at least one of them looked as though they had washed their clothes in heating oil, or maybe it’s just the quality of the videos of the gigs). They were happy to go on stage in oversized T-shirts, and you’d never have guessed that Kim Deal had one of the best female vocals in rock at the time (and no doubt up there with the all-time greats even now) to take her at face value. But, sadly, after a reign that lasted a surprisingly short time, the Pixies left us. It would seem, looking back, that no band could sustain the level of energy that this one did. Quite simply, the Pixies were happy burning out than fading away into obscurity. Sometimes I feel sad that I missed their come back gigs in 2009, but then again, part of me understands that those gigs were a personal thing, just for them: one last goodbye. I think I’d prefer to have them blasting in my memory.

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Is it better to go inkjet or laser?

Today the demands of printing consist of printing those holiday snaps, essential documents for work, and the children’s homework. Currently inkjet printers and laser printers dominate the market in the world of printing, but which one is better for you?

Inkjet printers are great for home printing, like the occassional photo or document, perhaps for a small family or workplace, however if you are setting up a business, or have a larger family (and subsequently larger needs) it may be worth investing in a laser printer, as they can cope with larger jobs, and despite having more mechanical parts and expensive replacement cartridges, they are considerably cheaper than that of an inkjet’s printer, a mono laser replacement cartridge may cost £40-50, but it could print literally thousands more compared to an inkjet, which may only be able to cope with a few hundred before requiring replacement, or messy refilling.

Inkjet printers are much cheaper than laser printers, so it gives them an advantage for low budgets, which may also be multifunctional and can scan, copy and fax documents, but remember if your printing needs are excessive it will be more expensive in the long run to maintain, and it may be worth investing in a laser printer in the future to cut costs especially if you run a home business.

Laser printers also have the advantage of being to accomodate different types of paper, whereas inkjets mostly use standard paper. Laser printers would be better for businesses in this case if they use more high quality paper for letterheads or glossy paper for printing leaflets which may say ovens for sale so it could be better for marketing.

Therefore, the type of printer depends on the needs of the user. Light usage would suit an inkjet printer, heavy use, a laser.

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