s-endz > this is neofunk

S-Endz, AKA Casey Rain The Neosoulja. Songwriter, vocalist, producer, rapper, leader of NEOFUNK. Vegan. Member of electropop band Swami, co-wrote and performed on songs like 'DesiRock', 'Electro Jugni', 'Sugarless' & all songs from our upcoming album, "Upgrade". Sometimes I make documentaries. I'm releasing songs from my new solo EP "Chapter 0: REINKARNAL" every 2 weeks.

Click here to hear what I've released so far.

Question: WHEN IS THE NEW SWAMI ALBUM COMING OUT PLZ I GOTTA KNOWWWWWW!!

Haha, I wish I had an answer for this, but I don’t. It’ll be out before the end of the year and hopefully we should have some more news soon :)

Please direct me to the nearest hospital so that I may exchange internal organs for immediate access.

Dammit Prince, you are too slick. This scene is one of my favorites from Under The Cherry Moon.

I’m officially endorsing the excellent new Toronto-based clothing company Hebe Apparel. I only accept endorsements when I really believe in the company and their products or designs. Hebe are making some really cool stuff, so check ‘em out at hebeapparel.com :-) #clothing #Toronto (Taken with instagram)

Remember when Apollonia told me she liked my song, “Do U Wanna Come”? :D

Blatantly the highlight of my entire year.

Brand new Prince “Welcome 2 Australia” tour poster designed by my friend Anthony Malzone. Phenomenal!

So the new 4-track Owl City EP, “Shooting Star”, a precursor to an upcoming full length album, has leaked. I’ve mentioned a few times that “All Things Bright & Beautiful” was one of my favorite albums of last year, so I’ve been pretty eager to hear this.

Whether it’s due to label pressure or other reasons, this time around there’s other producers involved (previous material has all been self-produced). Hit-team Stargate (Ne-Yo, Beyonce, Rihanna, Katy Perry) co-produced the title track with Owl City (or Adam Young if you want to use his real name). And it’s pretty evident. I was ambivalent about this, because Owl City’s unique sound is what drew me in in the first place. You guys know what I mean - when “Fireflies” hit airwaves back in 2009, it didn’t sound like anything else on the radio. But the track works. I don’t quite dig it as much as anything on the previous release, but it’s still a pretty great track.

The second track, “Dementia” is also a departure from previous Owl City material, but this time in a more rock direction, with featured vocals from Mark Hoppus of Blink 182. I like this track a whole lot.

Track 3, “Gold” is pretty phenomenal. I’m not sure who co-produced this one (perhaps Stargate again?) but it doesn’t feel like a solo Owl City production. It has a huge pop hook with a stuttered effect and is ridiculously catchy.

The final track, “Take It All Away” is a solid track too. This one was co-produced by a guy named Koool Kojack, who has previously worked with Ke$ha and Nicki Minaj. Again, I like it, but the change in direction overall has definitely thrown me a little bit.

I’m going to need a few more listens to let it all sink in, but the message here is clear. Owl City wants to sell some more records. The unique sound from previous albums has been diluted and overall everything is more homogeneous with the current radio zeitgeist. Is that a bad thing? Depends on your perspective. Whilst the previous album was brilliant, in my opinion, it didn’t set charts on fire the way it should have done. This record seems to be aimed at rectifying that situation, making new fans while not alienating existing ones. There’s something that’s been lost - definitely - but the fact remains that the new songs are incredibly good, too. New fans won’t care, and existing ones might be a little disappointed but that feeling will likely pass.

Now, bring on the album!

welcome 2 the dawn

(Source: ripopgodazippa)

The ultimate in fierce!!!! Love ya Michael :)

My thoughts on the new Marilyn Manson album, “Born Villain” - it’s his/their best work in over a decade. Way, way better than the previous two albums, “The High End of Low” and “Eat Me Drink Me”. It’s brutal, intense, flows cohesively and has lots of good songs.

The highlights for me on the first listen - “No Reflection”, “Pistol Whipped”, “Slo-Mo-Tion”, “Murderers Are Getting Prettier Every Day”, “Born Villain” and the cover of “You’re So Vain”….

Both Chris Vrenna and Twiggy Ramirez’s contributions are evident all over the album, and Marilyn himself is in fine form. One of the best albums I’ve heard so far this year!