THANK YOU, Flying Dog Records!

So I purchased the FictionJunction LIVE 2008-2010 CD. First of all, it had the beloved "Compact Disc Digital Audio" sign, which means it's probably not copy-protected. But the biggest surprise came when I opened it in my PC and... guess what?... It contained all songs in MP3, OGG and FLAC!!!! ☺ ☺ ☺

Nowadays, one of the most common things to do once you purchase a CD is to rip it so you can listen to it on your PC/phone/mobile device/whatever. Most companies try to stop you from doing that. In the process, they become so strict that we've probably all seen cases where you buy a CD, realize it won't play on your car stereo/old CD player/whatever, put it back into its box and download the music so you can listen to it. Of course, this means you probably won't buy the next CD because it will be useless anyway. And then you see great record companies such as Flying Dog Records saying "okay, these songs will be ripped anyway, so here you go". THANKS! ☺

A few links:

• FictionJunction LIVE 2008-2010 CD on Amazon (English link on the top right of the page)
  
• Flying Dog Records homepage (check them out, they've got a few more cool artists as well)
• Kajiura Yuki homepage
• FictionJunction homepage

So, now you know which record company to support! ☺

GREAT live!!

Kajiura Yuki (of course) on the piano.
11 different singers, without counting Kajiura, who also sings a couple of lines herself. One opera singer among them. They sing different lines each, it's not a choir.
Nice choreography - not complicated since they're also dancing, but nice.
What I didn't really like is the costume colors, but the overall result is still perfect.

Sajin no kanata he : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjjOkscoafg

I also like the instrumental version, Sand Dream : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45NJerPFls4 (not a live performance)

Destructive art

I went to a modern art exhibition today. Many pieces of art had a destructive force, filled with fear or anger, giving you the impression that we ought to destroy everything and start over if we have to create a better world.

But why?

Personally, I love the world we live in. It may not be perfect, but we have many things that we never seem to appreciate - ok, not everyone does, but I bet that the readers of this article, as well as the creators of the aforementioned pieces of art, sure do.
We have a comfortable bed in a room.
We have some food in the fridge and some water to drink - and even a vast choice on what we'll eat.
We have heating for the cold days.
We have our hygiene, easy access to a warm shower, and access to medical care when we need it.
We have our education, however good or bad it may be, it's still better than not having it.
We have the freedom to go out, meet our friends, express ourselves and laugh.
We have the ability to write down our thoughts, start a chain mail that will get spread instantly, or write them down in a blog, and be heard by friends, as well as complete strangers.
We have the ability to produce some music, a short film, a piece of art, and promote it online, and know that anyone can find us and appreciate our creations.
We have a critical mass of people that will find creative, constructive ways to react to whatever they do not like, and fight for a better world.

However wrong our world may be, I think this is enough. And I love it. We shouldn't stop fighting for the best, but we shouldn't destroy all this either.

Sobakasu

I'm obsessed with this song lately: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5UbiPvt9AM

Enjoy! :)