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Or perhaps as an alternate title: Kicking iTunes in the iBalls. It's been a long time coming, but I've finally decided to take the plunge and rid myself of the tyranny of Apple software, and with it, the inherent cookie cutter consumerism (read: digital communism) and DRM (digital rights management) restrictions.
Longtime readers may already be aware of my attempts to de-fruitify my iPod shuffle in a previous DIY article. It finally came time to take the battle from hardware to software.
Lets get the facts out of the way. iTunes does a great job of consolidating just about everything music related into one program and interface. But if you want total control of your own music, iTunes becomes more of a brushed steel dungeon than anything else. Perhaps the most unforgivable flaw in the software is its inordinate use of a system's resources to operate (at least, for those of us in the Windows world). When my desktop can run Crysis flawlessly at the highest resolution settings, which, amazingly, looks like this:
...yet still hangs up when scrolling through an iTunes playlist, I know that there's something seriously wrong. My theory? Apple de-optimizes their code for the Windows versions of iTunes. Jerks.
Which brings me to my criteria for what I looked for in an alternative. What I needed was efficient, clean, and customizable software that was light on the system demands. And behold, after much testing and experimentation, here are my picks for anyone wanting to follow down the path of liberation:
Foobar2000 - The Alternative Player
Foobar is an incredibly lightweight and heavily customizable program. And a quick google image search will yield some some outrageously cool downloadable themes. All the internal windows are modular components... so you could, in theory, have a viewer composed of 6 album art screens and nothing else (not that I'd recommend it). Even on my laptop, the program loads up in less than a second. And unlike iTunes, scrolling through playlists happens in real time (on snap!). As an added bonus, you can set your library to mirror your actual directory structure, which means that if you're neurotic about organization (like I am), you can reap the benefits of your OCD-ness from within the program itself. Nice.
Go download Foobar2000 for yourself already.
Windows Media Player - The Alternative Ripper
Really, why mess with success? WMP works just fine at ripping music CD's. And it's a simple matter to set your preferences to automatically tag the files the way you want them tagged. You get this step right, and you'll almost never have to go back and manually tag a track again.
Windows Explorer - The Alternative Tagger
But if you do find it necessary to get under the hood and input or delete some tags, you can use windows explorer to get the job done. Explorer in Vista is a dream when it comes to tag organization, but you can achieve the same result in XP as well. Just right click on the file, go to properties, then the summary tag. Not only can you view the tags, you can edit them as well. If you're looking for a third option, just load up your library from within Foobar itself and right click the song to edit it properties. From there, you should be able to both view and edit your tags.
Amazon.com - The Alternative MP3 Store
People use the iTunes store because it's convenient. But even if you're mostly against buying DRMed content, you can slip up now and again and buy a few tracks here and there. And before you know it, you've salted your music library with tracks that can't be moved, shared, and sometimes, burned (yes, even the brute force burning of DRM files sometimes fails for no reason under iTunes). Really, you should be buying CD's in the first place and ripping them at a high quality, but if you're not much for the "going outside thing," shop at Amazon. DRM free content rocks (and all the cool kids are doing it).
SharePod - The Alternative iPod Loader
So now that you've got your player and library set up, the final program you need is SharePod (Windows only). This free and tiny program can actually be stored on your iPod. Just plug it in, load the program, and you've got a mobile solution for loading files to your iPod. As a bonus, you can actually pull songs off the iPod as well... (a huge limitation when using iTunes). SharePod and Foobar2000 are also fully compatible. You can have both open and just drag and drop from your playlist onto SharePod. You'll be loaded up and good to go in seconds. You should probably download SharePod immediately.
With the addition of these two programs and a bit of effort, I have created a more truly portable music library than I've had in years. I can literally copy both programs and my music onto a USB key, and set up shop on any computer, anywhere I go (in a legal way, of course). No DRM to worry about, and no completely wonky library on reload.
Breathe deep readers. That's the smell of digital freedom.
There's something about experiencing a work of art, loving it, and then having the entire experience taken up a notch by an exquisitely perfect ending credit song. None of that throwaway pop-song-of-the-year nonsense either. I'm talking about powerfully synergistic music that both compliments and enhances an already amazing experience with something completely appropriate.
5. Flying Dreams
This one comes straight out of my childhood. One of my favorite animated movies of all time, The Secret of N.I.M.H. also has one of the most beautiful songs to play during the credits: Flying Dreams by Paul Williams. The sad part is that the song, which would have been a shoe in for the Best Original Song Oscar that year, was not even in contention for the award because someone forgot to submit it, or some other nonsense like it. The movie came out in 1982, and it's a little tough re-locating news on it to verify, but I swear it happened!
4. Into the West
Some people knock the end of The Return of the King because of the multiple endings. I think those people are nuts. An epic trilogy with so many intertwined stories requires that level of closure to ween the audience off of such an experience. As a tool, Annie Lennox' song, Into the West, strives for the same effect. The song, overlaid on top of pencil sketchings of characters from all three films, really helps bring the viewer full circle. Lyrically, it mirrors the notion that the journey has an end, as it references the ships sailing off into the Elvish final havens.
3. Late Goodbye
If you're a fan of film noir and gaming, then you could do worse than play Max Payne and Max Payne II. Operatic gun battles aside, I've actually played through both a number of times, mainly to relive the story... which is incredibly dark and tragic. The second game ends with credits much like a film, and the song that played surprised me with how spot on it felt. As it turns out, Sam Lake (writer of Max Payne) wrote a poem about the game, which ended up becoming the core of the lyrics to the song Late Goodbye.
As a point of pure fan trivia awesomeness, thousands of gamers beat the game and loved the song enough to seek out information on the band that performed it, Poets of the Fall. As a result, the Finnish band became an overnight sensation, skyrocketing to fame primarily due to their involvement with Max Payne. Who says gamers can't make a difference?
2. May it Be
Are you surprised that two Lord of the Rings songs made it on this list? Well, you shouldn't be. The direction, production values, and overall attention to detail in all three films is near unrivaled. Not surprisingly, May it Be, written and performed by Enya, is a masterpiece. And talk about true integration. The final notes of music from the final scene of The Fellowship of the Ring blend seamlessly into her haunting vocals. The mood is pitch perfect, and the lyrics even contain native Elvish phrases. Talk about commitment to the source material. It really would have taken the number one spot if not for...
1. Still Alive
A year ago, I would never have expected a song from the end credits of a computer game to have made it to the top of this list. And if you have any doubts to its merit, then you really haven't played Portal. I've mentioned Jonathan Coulton (who wrote Still Alive) briefly in my Spotlight Article about him, but you really can't appreciate the song's genius outside of the context of the game... which is exactly why it's so special. The ending song is an extension of the game's storyline, sung by the main antagonist of the game: a childishly sadistic artificial intelligence lady-thing. Really. I can't think of a single better example of story and song integration than Still Alive. The song is self-referential, hilarious, and filled to the brim with in-jokes from the game. And really, isn't that was an end credit song is all about? To induce instant nostalgia for the story you just finished?
Back when I was a kid, I used to love adventure games (still do, actually). This isn't to say that I don't still love them now, but they really don't make them like they used to. King's Quest, Space Quest, and Zork were among the more universally known entries, but there were some gems that slipped under the radar. And by "slipped under," I mean stealth-cloaked itself and completely bypassed mainstream social consciousness. It's a shame too. The people who've played games like Sam & Max Hit the Road and The Neverhood will swear by how amazing (and riotously funny) the experience was. Sadly, there are far too few people who can say that they were able to partake during the golden age of adventure gaming.
Before you get too settled, let me clarify that this isn't an article about gaming, but more tangentially, one about video game music. After I bought The Neverhood, I immediately internet ordered the soundtrack. It's worth noting that my grasp of the internet was so tenuous at that point in time (around 1996) that I can't even recall exactly how I accomplished that task. Regardless, the music that soon arrived at my door was like nothing I had ever heard before (well, aside from the hearing it during gameplay). I had just been smashed in the head by the musical stylings of Terry Taylor.
There's good music. There's appropriate music. Then there's music that makes the experience. Can you imagine Star Wars: A New Hope without John Williams' epic score? Or (more depressingly), Episode One? Yeah, I just threw up a little in my mouth too. Terry Taylor's music is that level of integral. Words honestly fail to capture what he does for the game... which, by the way, is flat out hilarious amidst its spartan use of dialogue.
At this point, there's not much else I can say about either the Neverhood or Terry Taylor that would do either justice. Some things, you just have to experience for yourself. But if you ever do get the chance to play the game or listen to the music, I'd highly recommend making the investment of time to do so.
Somewhere, tucked away deep in the realm of Internet geekery is a brilliant, brilliant man by the name of Jonathan Coulton.
Jonathan used to be a computer programmer and a self-proclaimed "code monkey." But in 2005 he gave it all up and traded it in for shiny new career in Internet troubadourity. Most of his music is thematically tied to the best tenets of geek culture: zombies, video games, science fiction, evil overlords and the like. But what distinguishes Jonathan from the rest is his refreshingly original combination of musical style and lyrics. You wouldn't think that a song about a giant squid's lament over the ships it crushes could be both poignant and meaningful. It's a testament to Jonathan's abilities that his music, though thematically ridiculous, can actually be quite touching.
The musical business model is as unique as the artist. On the music section of his official website, you can listen to every song he's released so far, and download many of them for free. Most songs have three payment options ranging from none at all, to fixed price, and lastly, pay what you think it's worth. Thanks to avid (or is that rabid?) fans and solid word of mouth, Jonathan's Internet rock stardom is well on its way.
Personally, I was introduced to Jonathan's music through his contribution to the genius video game Portal (as was part of The Orange Box). The final credit song "Still Alive" was by far the funniest and most clever compositions I'd heard in a good long time. Possibly ever. After some Internet sleuthing, I discovered who the mind behind the music was and was subsequently pulled into the glory of Jonathan's genius. I guess you could say I've been a fan ever since.
My current favorite songs from his list: Skullcrusher Mountain, Code Monkey, Shop Vac, Drinking With You, Tom Cruise Crazy, and The Future Soon. Seriously. Go check them out.
So here's to Jonathan Coulton. Making geek culture cool... or at least a little less uncool, for those of us who just can't help ourselves.
Don't you love it when you find out about something cool all by yourself? It's better than being just a fan... it's like when you've read both the Lord of the Rings and the Silmarillion and written a senior thesis on the allegorical nature of both long before any of the movies even... uhm... of course, I would know nothing about that personally, seeing as that was a hypothetical situ...
Right... Freeze Ray. The point I was trying to make was that it's exciting when you get to share something cool with people that have no idea what on earth it is that you're trying to show them (and sometimes giving you that "I think this guys nuts" look). It's almost like a personal challenge to sell them on your newfound love in the twenty seconds you have before they leave... or spray you with mace.
My latest discovery is a band called No More Kings. Seriously, these guys are tight. And I don't mean just cool, they're musically tight. But let's just cruise straight past their talent. The thing that gets me about them is the originality of their lyrics and their hilariously genious pop culture themes.
Consider the topics of some of their songs: Sweep the Leg is about the first Karate Kid movie and has one of the best choruses ever. Michael (Jump In) is about the old school Knight Rider TV show's protagonist, Michael Knight... the cartoon music video is an absolutely gem... and you can watch it on their YouTube page, like, immediately. Leaving Lilliput is about Gulliver and the Lilliputians' Radio DJ. Zombie Me is about a guy who trips on his shoelaces, dies, and becomes a Zombie. Do I need to go on? Just go listen to the free tunes on their MySpace already.
If you're a fan of original storytelling, character development, and sheer geek-geniusness, and don't already know who Joss Whedon is, then you really owe it to yourself to get out there and delve into one of his many fictional worlds.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which really sets the bar high for being seriously inversely proportional between the good of the show and the bad of the name, was a late find for me. But once I started to watch, I realized that under the cheesy, gooey, teenage antics, was a rich and savory pizza of complex themes, intelligent writing, social commentary and unpredictable turns. Oh, and a crust. There was crust underneath... like a pie (10 bonus points if you get the reference before finishing this article). I started season one of Buffy just to educate myself in the history of Joss Whedon's work. I ended season seven (and the following transition to graphic novel for season eight) completely hooked, adding unnecessary y's to words, and essentially ready to sign up for a Buffy fan club somewhere. Oh, and I pretty much wanted to talk like Xander all the time (and if you can ignore the geeky, you'll disover the beauty of a language Whedon-o-fied).
Finishing Buffy was one of the saddest days of my year, and I quickly had to move on to Angel to get my next dose. But really, I'm working backwards here in the Joss Whedon Chronology.
My first venture into Joss' world was pure happenstance. A cousin bought me Serenity as a gift. I watched it with no prior knowledge of what was to come. Two hours later, it was as if my entire world had changed. Like a man possessed, I purchased Firefly and watched (almost back to back) the entire box set... followed by a much more informed repeat viewing of Serenity.
What you have to love (and sometimes hate) about Joss is that he's fearless as a director and a writer. He never goes for the easy gag. He'll make you think he is, but you find that he was playing on your first impression to create a much better one. He'll kill off popular characters if it serves the story... he keeps you on your toes. You hate him for it, but you love the worlds he creates all the more because they feel real, fluid, alive, and true.
His latest offering was a three act online musical (yes, really) called Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. Okay, maybe this one's a close second to Buffy in its name-strength-to-show-quality ratio... but I can't say I hate the name either. It's delightfully silly... and, true to Joss' greatest strength, walks the fine line between silliness and incredible depth effortlessly.
What I love most about Joss Whedon's work is that he bends genre conventions with every artistic endeavor. Serious human drama in a vampire hunting teenage action adventure? Check. Spaghetti Western in space? Check. A show about a lonely bad guy fighting with a sadistic hero over the girl of his dreams? Double Check. The guy is a genius. Joss's most two dimensional characters, often times, have more depth than leads in other shows.
My dad used to ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up. If I had known who the heck Joss Whedon was when I was three, I probably would have had my answer.
