fans of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Foghat, Graham Parker, Hoodoo Rhythm Devils, etc., will find something to shake an aching hip to on this 76 minute 21 song mixed bag; it sounds like a tribute to the catchier album tracks of just about every popular band from the 70s.
derivative as hell with a few missteps here and there (3 poetry readings?), but dammit,
i like it.
I am absolutely in love with Amie Street. I just got The National's High Violet for free and REC'd all 11 songs. So basically, Amie Street is giving me $11 in credit and a free copy of the best album of the year,
Yeah, well, I just have bad timing because when I woke up to nature's call and checked the computer before going back to sleep the latest release was Got Farts? Deluxe Edition which was probably just before The National hit. What a bunch of hot air.
My baby girl woke me up around 3:30, so I at least grabbed it for less than 6 Amie bucks. The midnight releases were annoying, now they are basically West Coast only.
Never really listened to the first album, but figure the RECs at 25 cents will make it worth my while to check this collection out.
I really don't want to complain about Amie Street too much, because I still manage to get a lot of great deals. It just bugs me that a site that relies so much on timing for the customer can't get their own timing down at all.
P.S. Looks like that Sam Quinn album will be locked at 5 bucks. Still only $3.
Looks like that Sam Quinn album will be locked at 5 bucks. Still only $3.
Still? I think it dropped at $2.90, which I bet put off some people.
As for being put off, drop times are really bugging. 3 am est/edt is too late for me. I much preferred when things showed up just after midnight, which seems more equitable for all parts of the USA.
BTW, I don't know if anyone noticed, but for much of the morning the front page said that ALL the National albums could be dl'd for $5 ... it made no exception for the new one. I wonder if there is a basis to complain.
I have set myself free of Amie by running out of RECs. I couldn't justify buying more credit when I had dollars sitting there in the form of uncashed RECs, so I just leave 'em there until there is something I actually want. Of course I will still pick up the occasional freebie (lucked into the New Pornographers last week), but being out of the REC game keeps me from speculating on things that I'm otherwise not interested in.
Btw, there is a Sam Quinn track that is free as a single but not as an album track.
I just assumed that the Quinn album jumped quickly because it was on Ramseur and was mentioned by an Avett. The samples didn't do anything for me, so I'm skipping it.
The ad for The National was awkwardly worded at best. Something tells me there should have been a comma in there (Download the new album, and 4 others for $5). It already maxed out for the album price (not surprising) and the tracks should max out soon enough.
Any other good releases this week? I grabbed the Holy Fuck and have been keeping an eye on some of the new Metropolis.
I think the new drop times totally blow for anyone not living on the west coast. How many of us are going to stay up until 3 am to maybe get an album free or cheap?
I let Amie know my feelings, and anyone who agrees should do the same.
I think the sporadic album drops keep things more fair (even though I really miss being able to get everything for free by checking the site exactly at midnight). Now, it's not the same people who understand the system who get everything for free/the cheapest. While I got the National for free and am endlessly happy about that, I totally missed out on New Pornographers, Sam Quinn, and Japandroids (both of which came out before I [or the majority of the West Coast] woke up). It works both ways.
I didn't recognize any of the names on the National RECs when I got the album. That's a good thing. Share the wealth, I say.
Plus, for many of us, even when an album is full-priced, we still only pay between $2-$4 in real money.
Can y'all that have twitter do me an easy favor? Can you tweet @AmieStreet and let them know that you'd like all the new music to be released at midnight EST tonight? (I think you can also let them know by replying to them on facebook.)
They're asking for input. They seem to be considering releasing things really early in the morning at sporadic intervals. This'll make it much harder to get the best new releases for the best price.
Thanks, everybody!
Morning releases mean they come out at 5am on the west coast. That is so much worse than midnight on the east coast.
Fair point. I should clarify. When given only two options--midnight or 8am EST, I think 8am EST is unfair to the west coast while midnight seems to be OK for the whole country.
I think releases spread out through the night (and even into the next day) give a lot of different people (no matter their time zone) a chance to get something for free or really cheap. That seems equitable.
I was told they are trying to avoid the site crashing.
I told them they should space items apart throughout the day and night and not tell anyone when they are released - it is fairer that way and they don't get everyone on at the same trying to furiously click on everything. Personally, I think they need to upgrade the hardware/bandwidth for their site, as it only seems to take a few dozen people to crash it. If they want to play in the big leagues they need to have the means to do so.
The actual times that they suggested before were midnight or 9AM EST. The releases that dropped at 8AM messed with a lot of East Coaster too, since we weren't checking until an hour too late. 8AM would actually be the best time for me since I'd still be home. Actually, 6 AM would be far easier for me than midnight.
The bigger issue is when was the last time a midnight release was successful? I can't recall any in the last few months. They almost always end up becoming 2AM or 3AM releases. Even a half hour delay is a big deal for those of us already staying up late. Those delays aren't an issue with morning releases.
Personally I prefer how things like Metropolis, Warp, and some of the classical releases have been handled.
I told them they should space items apart throughout the day and night and not tell anyone when they are released - it is fairer that way and they don't get everyone on at the same trying to furiously click on everything. Personally, I think they need to upgrade the hardware/bandwidth for their site, as it only seems to take a few dozen people to crash it. If they want to play in the big leagues they need to have the means to do so.
I agree with this. It does seem like many of the same people grab and REC the freebies on most of the big new releases. The only times I've been able to do so was when they happened to do a random, middle of the day release on something unexpectedly and I happened to check the site right then. I'm not complaining, because I've certainly gotten my money's worth from Amie and then some, but it would be fairer to everyone if they just said "these albums will be released today" without specifying a time and then spread them out.
It does seem like many of the same people grab and REC the freebies on most of the big new releases.
This would be no problem if there weren't at least 60 cents difference between a rec on a free album and one that has a price. Many are motivated to buy and rec the album before even listening to it.
This would be no problem if there weren't at least 60 cents difference between a rec on a free album and one that has a price. Many are motivated to buy and rec the album before even listening to it.
Absolutely. Since you get full price when you REC something while it's free, and these days the new releases can't be counted on to stay free long enough to REC all the tracks, let alone listen to them or write a review, there's just no way to actually listen to the record first without losing the value of the RECs. I admit I've occasionally grabbed a freebie and RECd it when I knew it was going to be popular, even though I didn't much care for the band (hello, Animal Collective!), but most of the time I only grab a freebie when I have a pretty good idea about the band going in.
> there's just no way to actually listen to the record first
> without losing the value of the RECs.
I would like to see Amie encourage people to listen and rec some of the (real) indie and DIY style material by extending the time allowed for editing a REC. This does not have to happen on the popular albums that shoot up fast (and we all make a few bucks of Amie$$ on). There are alot of 15-20 cent tracks that I do not bother rec'ing since it is a waste of a REC (it is never going any higher). Other than this "what's cheap on AmieStreet" thread, those bands get zero exposure.
OK, some of them do not deserve exposure and ought to be buried deep in the cold cold ground.
Wait a second, you guys actually listen to this stuff? I never thought of that...
I'm trying to take time out before Tuesdays to hit Spinner and NPR's first listen. That way I am more likely to already know if it's something I want before the drop. Something like The National was a no brainer for me (finally listening to it now - fantastic), but once a release goes above 2 or 3 Amie bucks I don't want to d/l it just cause it's cheap.
What's the incentive of RECs for Amie? Certainly, given the calculations usually mentioned here, there's little functional impact on "recommendations" from their use - i.e. they don't seem to be useful as a community support. I guess it's (functionally) just a bonus given to "power users", to keep their interest up? I can't be bothered with them myself, I have 130 or so unused, too bad I can't donate them to someone interested.
Comments
EGGMEN
fans of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Foghat, Graham Parker, Hoodoo Rhythm Devils, etc., will find something to shake an aching hip to on this 76 minute 21 song mixed bag; it sounds like a tribute to the catchier album tracks of just about every popular band from the 70s.
derivative as hell with a few missteps here and there (3 poetry readings?), but dammit,
i like it.
Exactly. It's a joke, really.
Craig
No Singles
Craig
I really don't want to complain about Amie Street too much, because I still manage to get a lot of great deals. It just bugs me that a site that relies so much on timing for the customer can't get their own timing down at all.
P.S. Looks like that Sam Quinn album will be locked at 5 bucks. Still only $3.
As for being put off, drop times are really bugging. 3 am est/edt is too late for me. I much preferred when things showed up just after midnight, which seems more equitable for all parts of the USA.
BTW, I don't know if anyone noticed, but for much of the morning the front page said that ALL the National albums could be dl'd for $5 ... it made no exception for the new one. I wonder if there is a basis to complain.
Btw, there is a Sam Quinn track that is free as a single but not as an album track.
The ad for The National was awkwardly worded at best. Something tells me there should have been a comma in there (Download the new album, and 4 others for $5). It already maxed out for the album price (not surprising) and the tracks should max out soon enough.
Any other good releases this week? I grabbed the Holy Fuck and have been keeping an eye on some of the new Metropolis.
Tila Tequila!
Craig
I let Amie know my feelings, and anyone who agrees should do the same.
Already did.
Craig
I didn't recognize any of the names on the National RECs when I got the album. That's a good thing. Share the wealth, I say.
Plus, for many of us, even when an album is full-priced, we still only pay between $2-$4 in real money.
The same way you can.
Craig
I think releases spread out through the night (and even into the next day) give a lot of different people (no matter their time zone) a chance to get something for free or really cheap. That seems equitable.
I told them they should space items apart throughout the day and night and not tell anyone when they are released - it is fairer that way and they don't get everyone on at the same trying to furiously click on everything. Personally, I think they need to upgrade the hardware/bandwidth for their site, as it only seems to take a few dozen people to crash it. If they want to play in the big leagues they need to have the means to do so.
The bigger issue is when was the last time a midnight release was successful? I can't recall any in the last few months. They almost always end up becoming 2AM or 3AM releases. Even a half hour delay is a big deal for those of us already staying up late. Those delays aren't an issue with morning releases.
Personally I prefer how things like Metropolis, Warp, and some of the classical releases have been handled.
I agree with this. It does seem like many of the same people grab and REC the freebies on most of the big new releases. The only times I've been able to do so was when they happened to do a random, middle of the day release on something unexpectedly and I happened to check the site right then. I'm not complaining, because I've certainly gotten my money's worth from Amie and then some, but it would be fairer to everyone if they just said "these albums will be released today" without specifying a time and then spread them out.
Absolutely. Since you get full price when you REC something while it's free, and these days the new releases can't be counted on to stay free long enough to REC all the tracks, let alone listen to them or write a review, there's just no way to actually listen to the record first without losing the value of the RECs. I admit I've occasionally grabbed a freebie and RECd it when I knew it was going to be popular, even though I didn't much care for the band (hello, Animal Collective!), but most of the time I only grab a freebie when I have a pretty good idea about the band going in.
> without losing the value of the RECs.
I would like to see Amie encourage people to listen and rec some of the (real) indie and DIY style material by extending the time allowed for editing a REC. This does not have to happen on the popular albums that shoot up fast (and we all make a few bucks of Amie$$ on). There are alot of 15-20 cent tracks that I do not bother rec'ing since it is a waste of a REC (it is never going any higher). Other than this "what's cheap on AmieStreet" thread, those bands get zero exposure.
OK, some of them do not deserve exposure and ought to be buried deep in the cold cold ground.
I'm trying to take time out before Tuesdays to hit Spinner and NPR's first listen. That way I am more likely to already know if it's something I want before the drop. Something like The National was a no brainer for me (finally listening to it now - fantastic), but once a release goes above 2 or 3 Amie bucks I don't want to d/l it just cause it's cheap.