Unoriginal Soundtracks #104: Cities Skylines

Every other Wednesday, I share a playlist of songs tangentially related to a single game or series. Songs about alien sex for Mass Effect, world leaders for Civilization, and so on. Make requests to @USPodcast on Twitter.

Cities: Skylines is the best thing since playing with train sets and building blocks. It inspires this playlist of rock and soul.

Shuffled #50: Cover Me, Porkins!

Every other Wednesday either Matt or Alex C-Y share their love of music in an assortment of ways. Shuffled is a podcast whose format is as varied as their tastes in music, so hopefully you won't ever be bored and everyone can find something to enjoy.

What makes a good cover song? People love a standard copy and paste job that stays as close to the original source as can be, while equally as many listeners love it when someone adds a bit of a twist to an old favorite. What ever you fancy, this here 50th edition of the Shuffled Podcast is full of cover songs ranging from very beloved  classics, to some more obscure cuts. Tuck in and enjoy!

News: Unreleased Jimi Hendrix music soon to be released

Just so you're caught up on upcoming releases, in exactly one month there will be new and unheard Jimi Hendrix material unleashed upon the music world. For the first time, this "lost" material of a proposed follow up to Electric Ladyland will be released as a posthumous album entitled People, Hell And Angels. While the album is still slated for a March 5th released date in the U.S., there is still no word on when the record will drop in the U.K. or internationally.

This will be the 12th studio album released since Jimi's death in 1970 at the age of 27, and the 4th release under a deal with Legacy Recordings. What is notable about this upcoming release is the supposed deviation from the music style Jimi practiced over his professional career. Those who have listened to the recording has said that he experimented with other sounds beyond his regular staple of guitar, bass, and percussion. People, Hell And Angles is said to use more horns, keyboards, and extra guitars in some of the tracks, and while it wouldn't be the first time he has used different instruments and sounds, any new Hendrix material is worth a listen.

Source - NME, Rolling Stones

2010: The Year I Fell in Love with Vinyl

It all started with some found records in my basement, a wanted ad on craigslist, and a birthday present.

I was helping my mom move from our hometown of Huntington, on Long Island, to Houston Texas. While going through the many things in our dungeon of a basement I found a bunch of really great records. I asked if they were hers and she said no, so I assumed them to be the last owners of our small three bedroom rental house. I decided to call my dad in Seattle about the find and told him all the great albums that were left behind. “What makes you think they aren’t mine?” he asked.

After finding out they were my dads I felt a little better about taking them along with me up to school. I'd always been interested in vinyl and had wanted to give it a try, but I needed a push in the right direction. These found records were the catalyst to my love affair of searching, finding, buying, and listening to vinyl records.