It’s the Ides of November – Music Alliance Pact (MAP)

      As noted in previous blog entries, on the fifteenth (the "Ides") of each month the Music Alliance Pact (MAP) makes a collection of songs available for free and legal download. MAP is a collective of 27 blogs (at least) in an equal number of countries.  Each blog chooses a song by an artist from its home country for the monthly post.  Approval from each artist is a requirement. This month, there are 27 songs in the MAP collection.

     There are three options:

     1. You can merely listen to the 27 songs at one of the MAP authorized sites. For example, the Scottish participant is The Pop Cop, and the MAP page is accessed by CLICKING HERE.

     2. You can selectively download the songs by going to one of the MAP authorized sites and using the "Save as" capability of your web browser.

     3. You can download all 27 songs in a ZIP file at CLICK HERE. 

    We look forward to each collection of tracks from MAP, because of the promise of discovery. With certain songs on our personal playlists of favored music, we can identify a single instance that brought awareness of the song. That is, if not for a specific blog, concert or television program, it’s possible that we would be unaware of the song. More than once, the awareness stems from the MAP monthly offerings.

      The November offering is a good one. There are a number of songs that provide good background music and others that provide a fun blend of melody and unusual instrumentation. Our recommendations are included below.

      The contribution from Scotland is “A Family Sketch” by Call to Mind. The vocals appear to be something of an afterthought, since the mixing seldom allows the voices to tread on the instruments, particularly the piano.

     “A Family Sketch” by Call to Mind

       From the same area of the world, the contribution from Ireland is “Chrysalis” by Crayonsmith. While things changed after the first listen through the collection, initially this was our favorite from the November MAP colection. It's no longer the favorite, but it's high on the list.

      “Chrysalis” by Crayonsmith

     From Brazil – “De Graça” by Marcelo Jeneci – The song includes a number of instrumental hooks, in addition to lyrical hooks that are more common to catchy melodies, such as this one.
      “De Graça” by Marcelo Jeneci

     Finland provides “Wars” by Ritual Smoker. For two reasons, this song reminds us of the Savages. First, there are similarities in comparing the two lead singers. Second, both bands attempt to use repetitive lyrics to their advantage.

     “Wars” by Ritual Smoker

     From Italy – “Golden Age” by Tiger! Shit! Tiger! Tiger! The start of the song has the sound of “Keeping Warm” by We Were Promised Jetpacks. While it soon departs from that sound, “Golden Age” does have traits that are consistent with the Scottish style.

     From South Korea – “Overture to Recomposition” We aren’t normally fans of instrumentals, particularly ones with a low energy (through the first five minutes). But the selection of instruments and the incorporation of Korean style sets this one apart from most. Then, it goes hard rock in the final three minutes – interesting. 

Unfortunately, we cannot find the song on Soundcloud, Youtube or Bandcamp. When we do, it will be embedded here. But you can check out the song at the MAP site until then.