You might not know it from reading this blog, but I’m very intrigued in the overlap of science and arts. While on the surface they seem to be completely unrelated, in practice logic and creativity tend to combine together in both areas. In my mind, Einstein’s theories are artistic just like Picasso’s paintings are scientific. Neither are about randomly creating something out of intuition, nor are they solely focused on following an algorithm to success.

It’s why I love web media. Designing and developing a web-site (or crafting copy, or implementing SEO, etc.) requires creativity and logic. Principles like the Golden Ratio and the Mandelbrot set show that it isn’t a coincidence, but that nature is a mix of art and science and that the two fields are a lot more related than they appear.

In this video, Music is Math, Glenn Marshall uses a processing program to automatically interpret notes from Boards of Canada song and translate them into animated visual effects that are gorgeous and flow with the song. It’s a perfect example of something that many people consider an art form, but is heavily reliant on math at its core. So, the question becomes, should we start viewing rock stars as math geeks and math geeks as rock stars?

Aaahoo, werewolves of London

Don’t ask for an explanation, there isn’t one. Just another oddity of me and Boston bicycling.

So, when I heard the tune being sung so well by some dude with his guitar I just had to record it. Of course, just as I hit record on my iPhone my train comes barreling down the tracks.

Still, I captured 27 seconds of the sweet, sweet sound, which was enough to get the Aaahoo, werewolves of London part on tape. The first ten seconds are a bit tough to hear due to the afore mentioned train but give it a listen.

Werewolves of the T

Thanks random dude with your guitar for brightening up my day and MBTA trip a bit. If you read this give me a shout and claim some credit (or if you don’t have permission to play the song, stay silent).

If you’re like me, that short clip got you fiending for more, so here’s Zevon rocking out live:

What’s that?

Not enough Zevon rocking Werewolves of London?

I hear ya!

Boston: The home of vampires, zombies, and werewolves.

Thanks to stuant63 for the spooky photo of the sun (yes, I know werewolves come out at full moon but that photo is spooky).

Wicked epic song. Makes sense the NBA would use it because it makes me want to walk around doing epic things with this song playing in the background. The piano, where amazing really happens!

Standy By Me

As Jesus from Gizmodo said, if that video doesn’t make you shed a tear or smile then there’s something wrong with you. Check to see if your heart is still beating because this song is simply beautiful but deeply powerful. Wow.

One Love

Don’t Worry

War/No More Trouble

Did it get dusty wherever you are? Or are you smiling big and bright?

Check out this solo I found on youtube:

Ridiculous, eh?

Also, I just picked up the Legendary Music Volume 1 album from the Living Legends which contained 2010, a great use of the beat from The Man Who Sold The World by Nirvana / David Bowie. Here’s a youtube video of the song:

Double ridiculous, eh?

Have a great (and long) weekend everyone!

For more Ronald Jenkees beats, make sure to pick up his debut album from Amazon.com for only $8.99! So far the CD has 5/5 stars on Amazon but if you’re still not convinced, check out my review of the album.

Oh, and be on the lookout for Ronald’s second album set for release towards the end of the summer.

The Dropkick Murphy’s



I like the Dropkick Murphy’s but would not go as far as to say they’re my favorite band of all time. Still, since I’ve installed iLike on my iTunes, they’ve topped the charts. I’ve been using iLike for about a year so take these results as you will. Anyway the Dropkick Murphy’s are a kickass band and with the recent sports success around Boston it doesn’t surprise me I’ve been blasting their music. Their latest CD, The Meanest of Times, is quite good and I’d recommend giving it a listen if you haven’t already.

Ronald Jenkees



Well, I’ve written about Ronald plenty of times here, here, again here, another time here, countless other times, and I gave his debut album a very impressive review so by no means am I surprised he ranks highly in my personal charts. Ronald’s beats are so tight, I’ve used his Rocky Remix song as the main ringtone on my iPhone since I bought the phone.

The Doors



When I was a little kid (less than ten), my mom took me to one of her friend’s home for a dinner party. After everyone ate the adults start conversing and doing boring adult stuff so I went and hung out with their son who was in his early 20′s (I think). Honestly, I don’t remember too much about him but I remember he was a huge fan of The Doors and had a very sick car that went very fast. At that time, I didn’t know that much about The Doors other than that they were apparently a great band that met an early end after Jim Morrison’s death.

Anyway, the kid took me for a ride in his car (my memory tells me it was a souped up Camaro but it was a while ago) and I was literally holding onto the seat belt in complete and utter fear and exhilaration as he drove around. We ended up back at the house safe and sound but while driving I was scared. Still, I remember sitting in my mom’s car on our drive back home thinking that guy was one of the coolest people I’ve ever met.

Unfortunately, like the career of Jim Morrison, this story does not end well. A few months after that dinner party, that guy ended up getting into an accident in his Camaro (again, I could be way off on the car being a Camaro) and he did not make it.

Over the years I’ve come to appreciate The Doors more and more but they’ll forever remain a band whose memory is intertwined with death, not just for me but for many of the band’s fans. Yet, the band still sells a million plus albums every year. Needless to say, The Doors are epic.

Modest Mouse



It seems every couple of months I go through a Modest Mouse phase and play their music a ton, and then grow a bit tired of it and don’t listen to it for a few months. Personally, I have to be in a very specific mood to fully enjoy Modest Mouse, otherwise the Isaac Brock’s voice starts to annoy me.

When I’m in the right mood, Modest Mouse rocks. Their unique sound coupled with Brock’s unique voice create an addictive sound that’s near impossible to find in other bands.

The Who



This band’s placement in my top five most listened to artists is the most surprising of the five. While the other four groups have a good chance at being in my top ten favorite artists of all time, The Who just don’t capture my passion the same way. Don’t get me wrong, they’re a great group and have released some great music but I was a bit shocked I’ve listened to them that much. Perhaps they were on a loop one night and picked up a lot of play counts.

Still, The Who have a huge discography of solid songs and have influenced many artists.

Considering that my iPhone is taking over as my most used medium for listening to music, I wonder how different this list would be if I tracked the songs I listen to on my iPhone. On the other hand, since my iPhone can only hold so many songs at once my choices are limited and some artists would surely receive a disproportionate amount of plays.

Derty
The album starts out with one of my favorite songs, which is a great song all unto itself, but gets extra points for introducing Bill Simmons’s podcast. It’s been a lot of fun watching this song progress from his YouTube video to a more refined version posted on his blog to this album cut. Since Ronald describes this song so well, I’ll let him take over:

“It’s got a real dirty sound, like a rusty steak knife cutting through a well aged steak.”

Damn right it does RJ. Who needs soap when dirty sounds this good?

Score: 6/5

Neptune
Ronald switches gears from the viciously loud Derty to the slow and gentle cascades of Neptune. Though it’s a bit slow for my tastes, it has been growing on me. The synthesized violin on this track and Ronald’s mad piano skills complement each other so well you’d think there’s two other musicians in the room with him. Nope. It’s all Jenkees!

Score: 4/5

Canon in D Remix
Whoah, this track starts off sounding like quaint ballroom music and turns into a steadily building crescendo of synthesized guitar, piano and violin. You start off thinking what the heck Ronald and before you know it you’re playing air guitar. A soaring stroll through a synthesized land of rocking out.

Score: 5/5

Clutter
Jenkees drops the glassy beats quickly and cleverly. Constantly tantalizing with what seems like a million glasses of water, being banged away on by a small army of clinkers.

Score: 4/5

Super-Fun
Is it just me, or would this song sound right at home in a Japanese role playing game, along the lines of Final Fantasy? Though it’s not quite my cup of techno-ish tea, the song builds to a fiery and rousing electronic symphony.

Score: 4/5

The Rocky Song Remixed
This song just might get Slyvester Stallone to make another Rocky movie, which actually makes it lose one point. Rocky Balboa was OK but it’s got to STOP!

Score: 4/5

Snap
Some marketing company is going to offer Ronald buckets of cash to use the first 30 seconds of this beat in a commercial. Luckily for us, the rest of the track is just as good. A catchy beat with diverse enough changes to keep your interest over the whole track. Love the tapping of keys on a keyboard. Tippity tap tap!

Score: 5/5

The Sunfish Song
Ronald Jenkees comes at it hard on this song, with a thundering piano and thriving bass, this track is pleasantly chaotic. His talent at manipulating the piano to his mind’s content shines on this track.

Score: 4/5

Loui
My comment yesterday, “A slow jaunt through a dreary landscape with hopeful peaks” explains it pretty well. Ronald takes us on a techno-ish journey here and builds and drops the mood of the song continuously while still maintaining a coherent vibe of hope.

Score: 5/5

Gold Spinners
Funky, energetic and soulful. Smooth from start to finish, like a nice cold beer after a long day’s work, this song just makes you plain feel good. A synthesized saxophone casually pokes in through Ronald’s smooth piano notes and warm beats. It’s got the feel of a salsa song which the soul of a blues song, it’s one of my favorites from start to finish.

Score: 5/5

Remix to a Remix
Begging for a talented hip-hop lyricist, this beat is hot.

Score: 5/5

Almost Undamaged – So good I bought it twice. It’s the perfect beat for walking around your city or neighborhood on a warm summer afternoon, there’s thing this called soul that is sorely lacking from many modern musicians, but gigabytes of Ronald’s comes through on this track. Parts of the song have this clapping type noise that almost sounds like a train chugging along down the tracks, and that seems to be the flow of the song, to keep pushing forward, because everything is all right.

Score: Infinity/5

56K

Please hold my calls cuz I’m using the phone
Dial up modem analog connection.

Rap about 56K modems = comedic genius. Nuff said.

Score: 5/5

Ain’t No Thang

Here Ronald takes a look at rap culture, laid over a classic hard southern beat. Ronald pokes fun at the extravagant rappers who rap about their blinged out cars and piles of cash by rapping about his situation:

My cash, my jewels, my car it ain’t no thing

We also see Ronald can’t afford no speeding tickets:

Tapping on my brakes to the sound of my beats
I got the red lights blinking at the sight of the heat

Ronald’s not gonna win any awards for his rapping, but it’s all about having fun and it’s easily apparent he’s having a blast on this song.

Nuh uh. You cant coax me to floss.

Even though Jenkees doesn’t sample music, he does get a lot of inspiration from The Neptunes beat on Drop it Like It’s Hot on this track. Synthesized tongue clicks…wow.

Score: 5/5

[Edit: Ronald corrected me on a few of the lyrics and I thought I'd post it here for accuracy's sake: "The real lyrics: tappin on my breaks to the sound of this heat (just meant the heat coming off the track)..can't coax me to flow (can't trick me into rapping) But don't change a thing (unless you want to). The lyrics don't make much sense anyways, and it still makes me laugh!!" Thanks Ronald!]

As the scores above show, there are no duds on this album. The YouTube videos and Ronald’s blog previews gave us all expectations about this album and built the hype to epic proportions. Ronald smashes past all those expectations and delivers a soulful, energetic record of thoughtful beats. He says it’s all about having fun, but there is a level of authenticity streaming throughout these beats that shows thought rarely seen in today’s commercialized music world.

Ronald says more here with his beats than many artists say over their whole careers. He pours himself into his music and shares it with us all, hoping we’ll like it but not catering to us. Well, Ronald, we love it! If anything, it’s not enough fun! You’ve got the album down, now it’s time for the Ronald Jenkees world tour!

The Ronald Jenkees self-titled debut album is available at the music store on his blog Amazon.com for the bargain price of $10 $8.99, with individual tracks price at $1. Check it out now!