http://17dots.com notes from the digital underground Fri, 25 Jul 2008 12:58:44 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en It’s the small touches I like best about Latitude, like finding a full living room set, mantelpiece included, when wondering through the woods at night. I like the art works hanging from the trees, the pastel-coloured sheep and the ballet dancers and gondoliers on the lake. The festival took place ... http://17dots.com/2008/07/25/latitude-highlights/ I haven't done a new arrivals post in a while, and there's quite a bit of stuff that has come in this week that I like, so let's quickly peruse. Faraquet, Anthology 1997-98: Though far bigger releases came in this week, none are better than this. Faraquet were an incredible ... http://17dots.com/2008/07/24/newly-arrived/ So, yeah! Pitchfork! It was awesome! And also kind of a blur. Here's what's great about going to the Pitchfork Festival: things are cheap (no $5 bottles of water — hi there Lollapalooza), I always see lots and lots of friends (you know who you are) and there's a real ... http://17dots.com/2008/07/24/pitchfork-music-festival-recap/ I know the "edit cartoon/animatronic things to lip sync popular songs" meme is soooo two months ago but...I couldn't resist this. "Ante Up" by the estimable, shouty M.O.P. is one of my favorite rap tunes EVER and seeing it like this is a surreal (and surprisingly satisfying) experience. If you wanna ... http://17dots.com/2008/07/24/ante-up/ 7/14-18/08 Jazz Odyssey. Our “new direction,” as Derek Smalls of Spinal Tap might have it, begins synchronously in Vienna on our night off. A friend recommends us to the Celeste Café on Hamburgerstrasse, where we might find “digital artists” and musicians, and have a bite to eat. There ... http://17dots.com/2008/07/23/lenny-kaye-tour-diary-part-four/ I love the Mercury Prize. I admit that the bands I want to win never do win (I’m so sorry British Sea Power, it’s all over for you now.) But the Mercury seems to be one of the very few awards that actually gets people talking about music, as opposed ... http://17dots.com/2008/07/23/nationwide-mercury-music-prize-nominations-announced/ I know that everyone understandably wants to talk about the technology improvements to eMusic today, but there's another cool new feature I wanted to mention: our list of the best albums of the year so far. You can read it here. Hopefully you aren't too list-weary after last week's big best ... http://17dots.com/2008/07/22/971/ Today is the day that we tear down the walls and unveil a brand new album page on eMusic, the first of several transformations to the site geared towards helping you discover even more music. The page includes many features that connect eMusic to the web at large, including direct ... http://17dots.com/2008/07/22/the-new-emusic/ Late last week, a slew of records from heavyweight UK reissue label Ace Records hit the site.  The motherload is in the soul/funk/blues sweet spot, but it's a decidedly eclectic bunch with some sweet surprises thrown in. An important note: some of the releases appear as a "Download Version," capping longer ... http://17dots.com/2008/07/21/na-ace-records/ Tomorrow is my last day at eMusic. And Yancey and Joe have told me that writing a post announcing my departure would be a good thing to do. Unfortunately, I'm not one for goodbyes. And I'm not a man of many words, so here are a couple of songs that ... http://17dots.com/2008/07/17/four-for-the-road/