Home > Archived Issues > 1999 Issues > Issue 5

MCY.COM Is NOT Worth The Effort

    Before I write the article itself, let me start by saying, I've never had any luck with .MPeg files.  When I first started using the internet five years ago, and the first .mpeg files were out there, I could never find a player that worked.  Well, I still have that problem today.  I prefer RealAudio because I've never had a problem with the player working, and it's simple to use.  I felt this was all necessary to say because MCY.com uses .mp3 files and .mmp files pretty heavily.   Ok, here goes.

    There is quite a bit of effort involved with using MCY.com, and, for me, it wasn't worth it.  I believe it will turn the average online music consumer away.  With all the online CD stores out there, the customer can choose to use an easier website to buy their music from.  The very first thing you have to do on the site is register yourself with a username and password.  I personally have no problem with this, but a lot of people like to retain their anonimity until they are ready to buy something.  Registering a username and password is simple and automatic at least on MCY.com. 

    The second step is to download the Netrax Player, MCY's mpeg player.   The file you download is a zip file, and took me about 4 minutes to download on a 56K connection.  If you don't already have an unzip program, you can got to microsoft.com and find WinZip for free.  It also takes about 4 minutes to download on a 56K connection.  Once you download the Netrax Player, I suggest reading the readme file if you want to know how to use it.  For me, the Netrax Player presented a problem.  For some reason, every time I tried to play an mpeg file on the site with the player, my computer wanted to install the Netrax Player again.  It got very annoying after the fourth or fifth time this happened.  I'm not saying it will cause the same problem for you.  It may just be me that has these kind of problems with MPEG. 

    The one aspect of the site I had the most luck with was listening to the prelisten soundclips because they are RealAudio clips.  I searched through about 3 different artists, and 10 albums before I found prelisten clips to listen to.  The 2 or 3 RealAudio clips I heard on the site were pretty low quality, though.  Sweet Emotions by Aerosmith was of especially bad quality. 

    The final step in any online music store is buying the CD.   Well, that seemed to be a little bit missing from MCY.com.  I'll admit, they have only been open for about a week now, but the only way I've found of being able to buy a CD from their site is by mail order.  You are supposed to be able to buy CDs by clicking on the price of the CD you want to buy.  However, I did not find a single price for any CD I browsed through or looked at in detail.  I browsed through about 100 CDs, and looked in detail at about 15.  I did not find a price on any of them.   Not only that, but the information on how to mail order is in the readme file of the Netrax Player. 

    Their navigation is pretty easy to follow.  Like any good online CD store, they have a search option, which can be narrowed down by genre. 

    MCY.com is still very young, and the problems they have are correctable with a little work.  Of course, the most important problem they have to fix is to make it easier to buy, and they can do that simply by selling the way the site says they will, by clicking on the price.  Other things for them to look at is improving the Netrax Player.  I don't know why I couldn't get it to work, but I'm guessing other people will have similar problems with it, and give up on using it.   They need to troubleshoot whatever problems it has and fix it.  With a little practice, I think they'll get better at RealAudio.  I know my soundclips using RealAudio are much higher quality than when I started using it.  My suggestion to them as far as RealAudio is concerned is to make a .wav file first, and then encode a RealAudio file from the .wav file.  One last suggestion I make to them, is to include a downloadable version of the Netrax Player that is a .exe file in addition to the .zip file.  It might help them troubleshoot what's wrong, and it won't turn away people who don't have unzip programs.

    One final note on MCY.com, I did not see a way to register your band with them.  Maybe I didn't look well enough.

Update on Underground Music Monthly

    There aren't a whole lot of new things going on here at UMMusic.com this month.  However, I am adding a fan mailing list.  If you would like to be on the mailing list, please email me at Editor@UMMusic.com.   Include your name and email address in the message, and please say "add me to the fan mailing list."  You will receive an email when each issue is released if you are on this list.  That way you will know the instant a new issue is out.   You will also be informed when something major happens at the site, such as any additions to the site, or a restructuring of the site in any way.  That's really about it right now.  Next month look for the record store section to be posted.   If any of you have any information on record stores in your hometown, please email missionman@missionman.net and give the name, address, phone number, and whether or not they have an indie room. 

Thank you.

Johnny Asia, Guitarist From The Future

- Review by Gary Milholland

    Johnny Asia is the self-proclaimed "Guitarist from the Future."  It's a very appropriate title.  His musical work is strictly guitar, and he's very good at what he does.  There are no lyrics, no fancy hooks, no catch phrases, certainly no commercialism.  There is just music.  It amazes me what can be done with just a guitar sometimes.  Artists like Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Jimi Hendrix, and Eddie Van Halen blow me away with what they can do with a guitar.   While I wouldn't put Johnny Asia quite that high up, he is still very impressive.   And since what he does is music, and nothing else, it is reminiscent of classic pianists.  The music where you just sit there, and feel what they are playing.   If you want your mind to be able to focus, then Johnny Asia's music is for you.   When you are studying for the big final exam in Chemistry or English or Physics or Botany, Johnny Asia's CD is the perfect one to play.  You won't be distracted by the chorus, because there isn't one, and you can't complain about his voice, because he doesn't use it.  Instead, you will simply focus because the music will take you to the mental plane that you want to be on. I really cannot say much more about the music.   All I can do is let you listen to a RealAudio track of his song "Planetary Hymn of Pure Joy," and let you know that you can buy his CD at MP3.com.

Seasons of The Wolf kick's their own A$$!

Review by Gary Milholland

    Seasons of the Wolf has come out with another CD.  Their first one was reviewed in our October issue.  It was a pretty decent CD.  This CD completely obliviates their debut album.  Their new CD is called "Lost In Hell," which is what their old album is compared to their sophomore attempt.  If you want to rock, Seasons of the Wolf can fulfill your desires.  Their hard-edge guitar work drives you into a frenzy.  It even made me start headbanging, and if you know my personality, I don't headbang.  This CD is perfect when you want to release some energy and work up a little bit of a sweat moving your head and air-guitaring along with the music. 

    An explosion and a roll of thunder begin the album on the title track.  The guitar grips you even more than the explosion.  Seasons of The Wolf brings you to hell with them, and rocks the netherworld.  The lyrics conjure up the image of love... that is Satan looking for his lover.  "Lost In Hell" is the Devil's love theme, and it rocks!  I'm probably mis-interpreting the song, but it still controls your body so it has to bang.  I have the overwhelming desire to dive into a mosh pit and not come out until I've been beaten to a bloody pulp.

    If you're looking for more hard-core metal, skip ahead to track seven, Voo Doo Master.  What a rush!  I can't even review the song.  You have to listen and feel to understand.  "I am just a blashpeme, creation of obscenity..."  Yes, it is, and it's awesome!

    You go onto "Initiation," and you immediately feel like you should be in a horror movie.  "Heard you scream your darkest nightmare.   Hold on tight, soon I'll be there..."  The musical work in this song is intricate and very cool.  All I can say is listen for yourself.

    If Seasons Of The Wolf continues to improve as much as they have, they will definitely be a force worth reckoning with when it comes to metal and hard rock music.  They are big on their fans as well, including all of their lyrics in their insert booklet (not cheap, let me tell you).  They go all out in their music and for their people.  Return the favor, and go to http://members.aol.com/bloodtree to check out their site.  Or, simply order directly from them, by sending a check or money order to:

Seasons Of The Wolf - PO Box 339 - Longboat Key, FL 34228. 
Included with your order will be the CD, the full color Lost In Hell poster, and SOTW sticker, all mailed within 10 days.

Dominique Gizelle Is Worldly And Wise

- Review by Gary Milholland

    Dominique Gizelle's unique sound is a combination of instruments that have been around forever, such as the djembe and the triangle, and modern instruments like the twelve string guitar.  It makes for a very worldly sound, kind of like something you'd hear in "Xena: Warrior Princess," along with a modern vocalist such as Ani Difranco.  Except that Dominique's voice doesn't hit the annoying range that Ani's sometimes does.  She's wise like your mother, yet has the innocent appeal of a child.  It's definitely not party music.  It's more the kind of music that you'd listen to while you are alone or with someone you love.  I can tell you it would never be played on the radio because it's not your normal commercial sound, and coming from me that's a compliment.

    "Luke," the first track on her debut album, "Deep Down," is about a lonely woman who creates an imaginary man to make her feel complete.  If I were a few years younger, I'd think the song was ridiculous, but through my experiences of the last year, it seems very real to me.  Intelligently written, and sweetly sung, it sets the mood for the entire album.

    The thoughtfulness of the album continues on the second track with "All the Above."  The song is about a woman who is in love with a man, but won't call it love.  She draws many metaphors to try to explain what it feels like, but as she says "it can't be love, it feels too good."  That in itself is a statement on love, and how many people who have claimed to be in love were just using that word to get what they really wanted.  I could go on, but I'll let you draw your own conclusions.

    You go a couple of songs deeper into the album, and you get to "Bluebird."  The song uses bluebirds as an analogy to overcoming whatever life throws at you, saying "Bluebirds fly high, take off and just try something new."  The singer wants to "be a bluebird too."  She wants to fly high when life tries to choke her down, and sing until there's nothing more to sing about.

    The rest of the album is very inteligent and full of analogies and metaphors.  If you want to think, then this is a good album for you.

    You can buy Dominique's debut album, "Deep Down," at www.bangonrecords.com via credit card or mail order.