Global Music Effort Launches "Songs for Japan" Album on iTunes to Benefit Japan Disaster Relief - Proceeds from Star-Studded Album to Support Disaster Relief Efforts of Japanese Red Cross

 In what stands as a major global music relief effort to benefit those affected by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, over 30 of the biggest names in contemporary music have joined together for the worldwide release of "Songs for Japan," an unprecedented compilation of 38 chart-topping hits and classic tracks, available worldwide on the iTunes Store for $9.99 starting today (www.itunes.com/songsforjapan). Proceeds from the album's sale will benefit the disaster relief efforts of the Japanese Red Cross Society.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110325/LA71496)

The "Songs for Japan" track listing features an all-star lineup: 
1.        John Lennon "Imagine" (Remastered)
2.        U2 "Walk On" (Radio Edit)
3.        Bob Dylan "Shelter From The Storm"
4.        Red Hot Chili Peppers "Around The World" (Live)
5.        Lady Gaga "Born This Way" (Starsmith Remix)
6.        Beyonce "Irreplaceable"
7.        Bruno Mars "Talking To The Moon" (Acoustic Piano Version)
8.        Katy Perry "Firework"
9.        Rihanna "Only Girl (In The World)"
10.        Justin Timberlake "Like I Love You"
11.        Madonna "Miles Away" (Live)
12.        David Guetta "When Love Takes Over" (feat. Kelly Rowland)
13.        Eminem "Love The Way You Lie" (feat. Rihanna) [Clean Version}
14.        Bruce Springsteen "Human Touch"
15.        Josh Groban "Awake" (Live)
16.        Keith Urban "Better Life"
17.        Black Eyed Peas "One Tribe"  
18.        Pink "Sober"
19.        Cee Lo Green "It's Ok"
20.        Lady Antebellum "I Run To You"
21.        Bon Jovi "What Do You Got?"
22.        Foo Fighters "My Hero"
23.        R.E.M. "Man On The Moon"
24.        Nicki Minaj "Save Me" (Clean Version)
25.        Sade "By Your Side"
26.        Michael Buble "Hold On" (Radio Mix)
27.        Justin Bieber "Pray" (Acoustic)
28.        Adele "Make You Feel My Love"
29.        Enya "If I Could Be Where You Are"
30.        Elton John "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me"
31.        John Mayer "Waiting On The World To Change"
32.        Queen "Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together)" [Remastered]
33.        Kings Of Leon "Use Somebody"
34.        Sting "Fragile" (Live In Berlin)
35.        Leona Lewis "Better In Time"
36.        Ne-Yo "One In A Million"
37.        Shakira "Whenever, Wherever"
38.        Norah Jones "Sunrise" 

 
Proceeds from "Songs for Japan" will be directed to the Japanese Red Cross Society (JRCS) to support its disaster relief efforts. The society will use the funds for the ongoing provision of immediate relief and for eventual recovery support to the affected population. The artists participating on "Songs for Japan," the music labels and music publishers have waived their royalties and proceeds from the worldwide sales of the album to ensure that the JRCS receives as much support as possible from this global initiative.  iTunes will also donate its proceeds from the album's worldwide sales to the benefit of the JRCS, and has prominently featured the project throughout its stores worldwide.

Thulium – 69 EP

Damn it, I hate it when this happens!

Ok, here’s the truth.  I know music is going digital, but here at the Ripple office, we get so many cool CD and vinyl submissions that the digital promos tend to  . . .er . . . wallow on my hard drive for some indeterminate amount of time before I get around to playing them.   Sorry, that’s just the facts.  In the car, I play CD’s.  In my office I play vinyl.  I play digital . . . when?

Then something like this happens and I get all flustered.  See I just pulled up and hit the play button on this 3-song EP by UK band, Thulium.  I don’t have the slightest idea how long this set has been languishing amongst the 1’s and 0’s of my desktop.  A month?  Six?  97? 

What I do know is that I’ve been depriving myself of some killer music.  A hard band to classify, Thulium do it all on these three songs and do it with major aplomb!  “Running” kicks this affair off  with major adrenaline.  Copping a riff sequence that reminds immediately of the Sex Pistols, the boys drop into a monter TSOL/New Model Army type of gritty, poppy, guitar post punk madness.  Damn it!  This song smacks me upside the head and calls me Suzie!  Love the gruff voice, the bellowing bass line, those crunchy guitar chords.  Why haven’t I been listening to this for years?

Recently, (and often) I’d hailed the chops of Portland’s The Estranged, one of my favorite post-post punk, punk bands.  Let’s add Thulium to that list now.   Aggressive alternative?  Post punk metal?  I don't know what to call it.  Just play it..

But the boys prove right away that they’re no one song ponies.  “Craving” keeps the intensity at full throttle with their post-punk meltdown of jangling guitars, street gutter chords, step-infected vocals, and killer chops.  Just like “Running”, “Craving” wraps all this aggression into some mighty tight, hook-laden pop smarts.  Another pure winner.

The boys, who hail from France, England, Canada, and Hungary, cite bands like Audioslave, Nickleback, and Foo Fighters as influences, and I suppose so, but I hear so much more and less than that in their sound.  More, in the terms of aggression and punk attitude, less in terms of commercial bowing to the mainstream.  And certainly (thank God) no Nickleback.  This is pure, spittle rock and roll.

The EP ends with the piano and acoustic guitar driven “90 Days of Sorrow,” a beautiful downer of a ballad.  It serves to showcase the band’s scope and talent, even if it ends the EP in stark contrast to the blitzkrieg of the opening songs.

Personally, I can’t wait to hear more from these guys.  If this EP is a true testament to their talents, a full-length Thulium album will be eagerly anticipated around the Ripple office.

And it won’t sit on my computer for months.

--Racer.

http://www.myspace.com/thulium69