ArchLinux for the Ubuntu User

Ubuntu has been enjoying a monopoly over the home-user Linux Distribution market for a few years now. This article hopes to shed light on ArchLinux as an alternative.

I saw myself visiting a myriad variety of distros over the years, only to revert to Ubuntu eventually. Braving through GRUB issues, networking problems and other potentially devastating complications for the newbie, I clung to it due to the novelty and the freedom. Maybe the most appealing part was the learning process, unraveling the beauty of the Linux environment every day you use it.

Ubuntu deserves unparalleled credit for changing the perceptions of the non-geek audience. It gave the conventional users food for thought, by purging the “Linux Is Too Difficult” tag. The focus is on delivering a usable operating system that is easy to use and just works. By offering prepackaged choices between various desktop environments, it makes the learning curve for the newbie far more smoother, arguably more  so than Windows.

2011 saw Unity being chosen as the default desktop environment on Cannonical’s flagship distribution, Ubuntu, a move which met a lukewarm reception from the users. Unity, although at its nascent stages, has shown great promise in enhancing the overall intuitiveness and integration of the interface. The genius behind the move may be realized in the future when the Unity interface will play a vital role in the convergence of multiple Ubuntu based platforms, with Cannonical showing intent in the SmartTV and the Phone markets.

The concept of simplicity differs greatly when it comes to ArchLinux. Arch has its essence in minimalism, avoiding unnecessary additions, modifications, or complications. Arch assumes that the user is responsible for knowing what they want and allows them to call the shots, starting straight from the minimalistic command-line installer. This involves a certain amount of effort that needs to be put in by the user in understanding the intricacies of the system, that Ubuntu users may not be familiar with. Of course, this can be avoided by installing other pre-configured flavours of ArchLinux like ArchBang and Manjaro. The time invested initially certainly reaps rich dividends in the future, leading to an above average understanding of the Linux environment. For the Ubuntu user, who is accustomed to utilizing a cracking interface, with minimal command line usage, this may seem alien. Taking your Linux familiarity to the next level may not be easy, but distributions such as Arch will definitely help because they make the user realize that there may be multiple methods to obtain the required result.

The ArchLinux documentation is extensive to say the least, with most usage scenarios covered in the reputed ArchWiki. The community embodies a “do first, then ask” approach, unlike what is seen on many Ubuntu support pages. Armed with the pacman package manager and the Arch User Repositories (AUR), it’s very unlikely that you will not find a package that you’ve been looking for. AUR is powered ArchLinux users who generously devote their time to adopt and maintain packages to give you the latest and the greatest. Arch is a proponent of the Rolling Release model which means that there are no release cycles like those in Ubuntu. With the robustness of pacman, you can easily get your hands on the cutting edge developments in the Linux community. For those looking for an OS change, ArchLinux may just be the option you might want to consider.

I’m going to conclude by citing a well-written post that I happened to encounter, which might help newbies with the switch (credits to the original author):

Steps to becoming self supporting for succeeding with Linux

• Decide that it’s worth it.
• Lower the stakes.
• Know your package manager.
• Master permissions.
• Get a sense of your amazing Desktop choices.
• The Command Line is part of the Desktop
• Know where to get information.
• Whatever works is the right way, but there’s always a better way.
• Be the community.
• Have a lot of fun.
  

Norwich 1-0 Arsenal

Lineups

 

An intense game ended in disappointment for the Gunners. Grant Holt’s goal from the rebound was enough as the Canaries put on a battling display to hold out Arsenal.

Formations and lineups

Norwich started with a 4-4-1-1 with Wes Hoolahan in behind Grant Holt. Arsenal named their usual lineup with Andre Santos and Per Mertesacker in place of the injured Kieron Gibbs and Laurent Koscielny.

Norwich Tactics

The Canaries started brightly and pressed the Arsenal midfield forcing them into errors and conceding possession. Once the ball was won their passing was quick and direct and launched fast counters, although they were dealt with comfortably by the Gunner’s defence.

Norwich’s industry bore fruit when Grant Holt netted in the rebound on the 19^th minute after a long range shot. Andre Santos was guilty of staying behind the line and rendering the offside trap useless which allowed the advantage Holt needed to outrun Mertesacker. It’s become a common trend to witness full-backs in a wayward position undermining the offside trap.

After the goal, Norwich camped in their own half with Hoolahan dropping deep and making the Canaries shape more like a 4-5-1 with Holt on his own. They were careful though of not giving the Arsenal midfield maestros any time on the ball. They accomplished this by staying deep and only pressing the midfield when they reached an advanced position.

Arsenal’s response

With space so limited in the middle, the play was spread wide and the only way Arsenal tried to pierce through the  Norwich defence were through crosses with Oliver Giroud the favourite target. This didn’t work as the French striker was usually well marked by the centre-backs and his influence upon the game was minimal.

One way to unlock such teams are for the midfielders to provide driving runs from deep. The player we missed most in this game wasn’t RVP, it was Diaby, someone whose powerful runs are vital for the team.

Santi Cazorla, the man entrusted with the responsibility of providing creativity, was mostly too deep in search of possession and the intense pressing from the opponents meant he couldn’t get forward enough to provide through balls or try his accurate long range shots.

Arsene Wenger brought on Oxlade-Chamberlain in place of Podolski who had an average game to provide more pace in Arsenal’s play. This move did not work as The Ox hobbled off to be replaced by Arshavin. It was too much expect from the Russian, who hasn’t started many games and thrust right into such an intense midfield battle and he didn’t influence the game much.

Apart from a late long-range strike from Arteta, Arsenal did not have many attempts on goal and Norwich held on comfortably to register a creditable win

Conclusion

While the goal can be forgiven, Arsenal’s lack of penetration and their slow build-up play contributed to a very frustrating display. This is the third game this season where the Gunners have been shunted out by a deep-lying defence and their lack of ability to withstand heavy pressure in the midfield was particularly worrying. It’s still early in the season and the defence looked largely comfortable against the quick Norwich counters. A solid defence is always a good foundation to build a season on.

The RVP Transfer Saga

Here’s our guest writer, Karthik Bharadwaj, an Arsenal fan at heart giving us his take on the Van Persie story. Unedited, uncut.

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Well, to begin with it came as a surprise for Arsenal fans like me to see RvP in the lineup week – in week – out. His performance was directly proportional to the percentage of days he spent on the treatment table.

Steadily came the goals and assists we were all so eagerly anticipating from the Dutchman who we visualized as the next Bergkamp.

His stats read like this: 279 apps, 132 goals, 63 assists.

So it seems a good enough contribution from a faux nine corresponding to the number of games he played. But the stats can be called ordinary by somewhat means when you consider the number of years he has been at Arsenal. He signed way back at the start of the 04/05 season i.e. 8 seasons ago.  279 apps in 8 seasons doesn’t show positive signs. “Glass limbs” was his alias.

He was signed as a part of the youth experiment by Wenger in the same year which also saw Cesc come to London. Initially his behavior as described by a daily was “21 going on 9”. Steadily AW and the club moulded him into such a wonderful player.

For a club which stood by him at his hardest of times when he was forced out of play with recurring injuries he has just turned his back on it. The manager showed faith in him by rewarding a new contract when his old one was about to expire and he was still on the treatment table. The previous season has been his personal best which saw him injury free. Other seasons his performances were nothing to boast about.

Character wise he isn’t as good as he seems. Feuds with Bert van Marwijk in his Feyenoord days haven’t gone unnoticed. Rape allegations followed up in 2006 which landed him in prison under suspicion. Those allegations even though were proven false he later admitted to have consensual sex with the complainant. The image of the club got tarnished with these acts but still the club had faith and backed him every time.

The manager handed him the Captains armband after the expected departure of Cesc. He proved to be the perfect choice for being named captain by coming up with stellar performances and led from the front. The 2011 – 2012 season shall always be remembered for RvP single handedly performing consistently for the Gunners. But that was just 1 season. I repeat just one.

The youth project might have been unsuccessful in terms of trophies won but there were some real moments to cherish. RvP himself being a part of the project from the start should have shouldered the burden of expectations from the fans. Instead he releases a statement on his website stating his disinterest from extending beyond his current contract. This act of immaturity by a player of such high caliber was totally unexpected. The statement virtually kills the negotiating power of the club and also acts as an indirect transfer request. Openly stating his disagreements with the future plans of the club he has shown his uglier side. No player is bigger than the club and he is no exception. Hopefully he is sold as soon as possible.

I didn’t want to say it but still “Shame on you,Captain!!”

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P.S: Don’t blame us, we tried to stop him. We’re nice people that way.

Punk’s Not Dead : An Indian Perspective

 

Punk Rock since times of old has been sidelined and neglected by the other genres. We delve into the depths of Punk and its development in India

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Amidst all the chaos and the cacophony of the mid 1970s, a new musical genre emerged from the dark, its essence so alienated from the rest that it was almost too bizarre for the eyes and ears of the time to comprehend. This was Punk Rock, an offshoot of music, expressive and straightforward both in sound and words.

Punk had an inexplicable allure for the youth. It promised a sense of openness, a chance to break free from the shackles and perceptions of society. Ostensibly annoyed with the current scenario, a multitude of Punk bands emerged, many of them armed just with an arsenal of a few power chords. Fueled by no bullshit, uncomplicated rock and roll and blunt, clamorous lyrics thrown in with a nasal twinge, they seemed to have figured out the perfect recipe. The now famous DIY ethic was contrived, with many bands creatively conceptualizing their own records with nothing more than their gear and a tape recorder. A sudden realization that the corporate honchos were no longer needed to get their material across to the audiences emerged. And then, they took the world by storm…

To them, flamboyant guitar solos and complicated technical bass lines were just an intruding compromise. What they lacked in technicality and production, they made up in nihilistic insanity. There was a distinguishable swagger about the artists and the way they connected with their audiences was unconventional to say the least.

Being a Punk back in the day had its fair share of tribulations. Having your records banned, getting thrown out of gig venues in addition to being chastised in general by the community was commonplace. Perhaps it was the unrest inciting lyrics, or the cheeky antics on the stage, some element about Punk definitely got on to people’s nerves. Maybe here’s where the Punks got their amusement from.

Roughly three decades of diversification, decline, revival, and a turbulent ride later, Punk Rock finally surfaced on the Indian subcontinent. A mild inquisitiveness towards the genre, so far shrouded in mystery was sparked, reflected by Pop punk artists flooding the Indian Charts. Green Day, Blink – 182, Good Charlotte and the like became familiar names among music junkies. The Indian music circuit, so far dominated by Rock & Roll and Heavy Metal witnessed the steady arrival of Punk outfits, highly influenced by the stalwarts of yesteryear.

With the Indian Punk revolution at a nascent stage during the early 21st century, bands like Tripwire, Messiah and Indigo Children paved the way for many to follow. Although a struggle, Indian Punk eventually garnered a dedicated fanbase. Messiah released their first self produced album, ‘The Antidote’ in 2005, apparently the first Indian adaptation of the genre. Tripwire followed suit, with ‘StandBy’, a remarkable revelation in 2007.

Intriguingly, the Punk scenario in India somewhat mirrored the Punk of the past, encompassing the very same cheekiness and dilemmas. We caught up with Tripwire, a three piece band from Mumbai, who have been rocking the Punk circuit for more than a decade now. With their electrifying on stage performances which would get the soberest of people to blow the lid off, few bands know the genre better. “The Indian punk rock scene is like a flower bud, pretty when small and instinctively intimidating when fully grown. Punk rock bands get distinctively less royal treatment compared to other communities like metal, classic rock and the likes. Venues are biased, organizers are helpless, and audience is mainstream.” reflects Tripwire bass player Shaggy. Misconceptions about the commercial viability of Punk and the reluctance of venues and organizers to experiment hinders the growth of the genre. This sentiment is echoed by the relatively new and promising act Punk on Toast. “There are people who don’t keep their professional life and personal grudges separate. The genre makes it difficult for gigs to come by and sometimes venues don’t pay their dues.” 

The music and the words still have an overwhelming edge to them, with bands unafraid to juxtapose social issues and music. Humour blends with distorted guitars, melodious bass and intense drumming in a bid to dish out more than just aural pleasure. Amey, responsible for uplifting tunes off his Fender along with his unique vocals interjects, “There are bands playing songs about the corrupt police, while there are others doing songs on sex, drugs and the likes. It’s a variety that you want, but you won’t choose it given a choice.”

India’s rendition of punk soon began to embrace the fashion and the culture of their obtrusive western counterparts, with piercings, tattoos and mohawks in vogue among musicians and fans alike. But of course, that’s not what punk is all about, as Jack clarifies. “Punk rock is not only about the music and the thoughts that flow with the sounds, but it has been integrally knotted to the lifestyle of people. You will see a true punk, not in the style he talks in, but the manner that he comes up with and the way he deals with it. Mohawks are not hard to find here”. 

Punk Rock in India, no doubt is being dwarfed by the other genres out there, but not because of the lack of potential. True, the genre faces certain stumbling blocks akin to what Punk artists in other countries faced over the years. But there’s where the beauty of Punk lies, opposition fuels its rebellious nature. Punk is survived by the vitality of the listeners and the artists, which is never found lacking in an energetic country like India. With acts like The Lightyears Explode, Lavender Carnage, Skrat and Pip of the Fourth Mother in addition to the hundreds more, grabbing more than just a little bit of attention, the genre is like a ticking time bomb, certainly waiting to take the world by storm…Again.

  

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Tripwire and Punk on Toast will be releasing their new albums by the end of the year. Stay tuned for Punk mayhem.

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Written for The Score Magazine

Euro 2012: Final Round of Group Stage

With the final round of the group stage fixtures commencing tonight, we unemployed folks at TDOAC give you a round-up of what to expect.

Just one game remaining in the group stage for all the teams in Euro 2012, and there’s a high probability of teams ending up with the same number of points, here is tie-breaking criteria used by UEFA.

Basically it means that head-to-head record is preferred to goal-difference which opens up a pandora’s box of complicated permutations, generating employment to useless mathematicians like me.

Group A: Group of teams with complicated player names

As it stands: Russia lead Group A with 4 points, a point ahead of Czech Republic, while Poland hang on in third with 2 points and Greece languish at the bottom with 1.

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
* Russia	2	1	1	0	5	2	+3	4
* Czech Republic	2	1	0	1	3	5	−2	3
* Poland	2	0	2	0	2	2	0	2
* Greece	2	0	1	1	2	3	−1	1

Final round fixtures:

• Russia vs Greece
• Czech Rep vs Poland

Russia: Russia just need a point against the hapless Greeks to qualify for the quarter finals, with a win assuring them of the top spot. A loss to the Greeks could see them finishing third in the group and thus out of the tournament.

Czech Republic: The Czechs hold the edge in their virtual playoff with Poland being a pont ahead of them, and would need to hold them to a draw to qualify.

Poland: Poland would have to go all guns blazing against the Czechs to have any hope of reaching the quarter-finals. This combined with the shaky Czech defence and a promising Polish attack sets up a spicy encounter.

Greece: They face the mighty task of beating the Russians in their final group game. With an aging defence and a blunt attack it looks highly unlikely that the 2004 champions will qualify for the next round.

TDOAC prediction: Russia to finish on top, with Poland pipping Czech republic to finish second

Group B: Group of Death (of a clown?)

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
* Germany	2	2	0	0	3	1	+2	6
* Portugal	2	1	0	1	3	3	0	3
* Denmark	2	1	0	1	3	3	0	3
* Netherlands	2	0	0	2	1	3	−2	0

As it stands: The Group of Death sees Germany on top and well ahead with 6 points, Portugal and Denmark with 3, and World Cup runners-up Netherlands surprisingly at the bottom with no points.

Final Round fixtures:

• Germany vs Denmark
• Portugal vs Netherlands

Germany: Germany are nearly there needing just a point against Denmark to assure them of the top spot.

Portugal: Portugal would look to sit back in their important clash against the Dutch on the 17th of June with a point enough to see them qualify, if Denmark do not win their match against Germany.

Denmark: If Nicklas Bendtner summons all his Paddy Power <link> and is able to inspire his team to cause one of the upsets of the tournament, then it could open up a 3 way head to head battle between them and Portugal, i.e if Portugal defeat the Netherlands.

Netherlands: The loss to arch-rivals Germany has left Bert Marwadi..oops Marwijk’s team in a mighty conundrum at the bottom of the group. They need to beat Portugal by a difference of 2 or more goals and hope that Germany defeat the Danes.

TDOAC prediction: Germany being Germany will go through, and a surprise in Holland going through with Cristiano Ronaldo shedding loads of tears.

Group C: Group of trolling Italy

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
* Spain	2	1	1	0	5	1	+4	4
* Croatia	2	1	1	0	4	2	+2	4
* Italy	2	0	2	0	2	2	0	2
* Republic of Ireland	2	0	0	2	1	7	−6	0

Final Round fixtures:

• Spain vs Croatia
• Italy vs Ireland

Spain: The reigning champions will top their group if they manage to defeat Croatia in their final group game.

Croatia: Croatia would hope to get something against the mighty Spanish or hope that Italy fail to win against the Irish.

Italy: The head-to-head rules open up a new worry for the Italians in that a 2-2 (or a higher-scoring) draw between Spain and Croatia will result both of them qualifying to the quarter-finals and dump Italy out of the tournament regardless of whatever result they achieve against the Irish. This echoes memories of Euro 2004 where they finished third in their group inspite of scoring 5 points.

Ireland: Ireland are out, and Giovanni Trappatoni would look to put on a good showing infront of his home nation (Incidentally Trappatoni was the manager during their Euro 04 debacle)

TDOAC prediction: Spain won’t be a cunt and would swiftly defeat Croatia, Italy to finish second.

Group D: Group of long-balls and crosses and France.

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
* France	2	1	1	0	3	1	+2	4
* England	2	1	1	0	4	3	+1	4
* Ukraine	2	1	0	1	2	3	−1	3
* Sweden	2	0	0	2	3	5	−2	0

Final Round fixtures:

• England vs Ukraine
• France vs Sweden

France: France need a point to be safe of their place in the quarter finals. With the swift defeat of Ukraine stretching their unbeaten run to 23 matches, France are emerging as real contenders to lift the Henri Delaunay Trophy.

England: Roy Hodgson’s team face Ukraine in a virtual ‘pre-quarterfinal’. A draw would assure them of qualification although they would need to improve the faltering defence which was easily probed by the Swedes

Ukraine: Buoyed by the support of the home crowd, Ukraine need to win against England. A draw against England won’t be good enough, even if France lose against Sweden, because of their 2-0 loss to France which would see them finish lower than the French because of the head-to-head record.

Sweden: Sweden have been very disappointing and are out of the tournament. Suck on that Ibrahimovic.

TDOAC Prediction: France to finish on top, along with England who wouldn’t fuck up, reserving that for the quarter-finals as usual.

Who do you feel will go through to the quarter-finals? Please post on the comments section below.

5 Not So Popular Acoustic Artists You Should Definitely Listen To

Bored listening to the same old rockstars brandishing an electric all the time? Get a load of these talented, fresh-as-lime acoustic guitarists you’ve probably not heard before.

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John Butler Trio

John Butler Trio are a bunch of Aussies jamming around and having a good time with their musical instruments. Already seems fun, doesn’t it? John’s impressive guitar skills are sure to leave you with your jaws wide open. Check out this guy playing insane, impossible riffs with a funny looking face on his 12 string.

 

If you’ve ever listened to The Dave Matthews Band, you will probably be able to relate to John’s voice texture, which transposes brilliantly over his acoustic skills. The percussion on the tracks is also engrossing, showcasing myriad instruments. Surely very pleasurable to listen to.

Igor Presnyakov

If you’ve never heard Igor play on YouTube, it could be because of the following two reasons:

• You probably don’t know what the Internet is.
• You are one of those music err..purists who detest listening to covers.

Apart from being totally insane with his fingers, Igor’s interests include manipulating newbie guitarists into smashing their guitars in envy with a sledgehammer. Look at the way he performs loud and clear hammer-ons and other weird stuff on his acoustic. Sure to make even electric players hang their heads in shame.

 

Igor’s countless covers of legendary musical tracks give you a really nice perspective on how much better they actually could have been. Of course, there’s no need to mention how he has a great taste in music too, which you can judge by the songs he’s chosen to cover. Also it’s also not so difficult for those stuck up, ‘won’t listen to new stuff’ kind of people to listen to him. And yeah, if you didn’t notice, that’s just one person with two hands. He’s also working on getting his new album released, and we’re hoping it’ll be worth the wait!

Ben Howard

Ben Howard is an English songwriter on his way to definite fame. With an indistinguishable folkish aura surrounding his tunes, powerful straight-from-the-heart lyrics AND swift fingerstyle playing, he is sure to more than tickle your musical fancy. He has a pretty diverse, adoring, fanbase earned by his ability to put his heart and soul into his songs. Note that by diverse, we don’t just mean the chicks who crowd around him because he’s so awesome. Here’s him performing one of his better songs in ‘Old Pine‘.

 

Set aside your burgeoning jealousy about his looks and listen to his debut album Every Kingdom which has great tunes like ‘The Wolves’, ‘Only Love’ and ‘Black Flies’ along with ‘Old Pine‘.

Newton Faulkner

Newton Faulkner is a guy who has enough potency to replace Prozac as the official happy drug. He can make your mood ebb and flow with his amazing vocal range, deeply melancholic, sometimes unusually cheerful lyrics, and colorful guitar playing. He’s a master of multitasking too, simultaneously pedaling along with those flamboyant taps and knocks on the guitar body. And because he does not have annoying Indian parents, legends say that he’s been growing his mind-blowing dreadlocks since he was 15.

That was also the last time he ever had a hair wash.

 

Newton’s already released two great albums which we can’t get enough of and we’re awaiting the third one which is to be released somewhere around July 2012.

Benjamin Francis Leftwich

His eerie voice and tackily long name notwithstanding, Benjamin can sure work up some elegant tunes. His mellow guitar playing and accompanied by a voice which sounds heavily like Nick Drake and Chris Martin’s love child is sure to leave you relaxed and wanting for more. If you’ve unfortunately not heard about the highly influential Drake (who would have made the list if he were alive), do so HERE! The newcomer’s music seems promising and it’ll be interesting to see how his career progresses. Here’s one of his tracks for your review.

 

Benjamin’s debut album is called Last Smoke Before the Snowstorm which has been received quite positively. A fine record which aptly showcases his talents.

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Think we’ve left out a few good ones? Let us know in the comments bar below! With YouTube links, preferably.

Written for The Score Magazine: http://www.highonscore.com/5-not-so-popular-acoustic-artists-you-should-definitely-listen-to

Rowdy Rathore: Cheapest Lobotomy Ever

Spoiler alert: Aah, who are we kidding, you can’t spoil this  further.

Philosophical justification: Can poop get any smellier?

Note: I like to review movies in the Roger Ebert style, no not in the “spewing innocuous, but conspicuously humongous words to reveal my gargantuan intelligence sense” but in “revealing the whole plot in the review” sense. But then that only matters if you actually want to watch the movie.

Rowdy Rathore is a remake of the Telugu film Vikramarkudu. It stars Akshay Kumar in a double role as a petty thief in Shiva and tough cop in  Vikram Rathore, and Paresh Ganatra (of Delhi Belly fame) as Shiva’s sidekick 2G.

Shiva has an adverse inexplicable aversion towards kids so much that it starts to get a bit creepy. An event in the movie which would cause Thom Yorke’s patented Creep meter to go haywire involves a bunch of innocent kids who bug Akshay for monetary donations. Few moments later, the kids emerge, out of the blue, totally butt naked! Casting couches were one thing, but this pushes it to a whole new level, even for Akshay. To add a bit of what they think is class to the movie, it includes a number called “Chinta Ta Chita” which has ‘cameo appearances’ (n. Butt Licking) by several actors including the director. There is this hand-gesture which seems to be a trademark of Akshay’s in the movie, and has been under great scrutiny by Dr. Mahindra Watsa of the Mumbai Mirror as a new alternative way of masturbation.

True Story

Enter the heroine, Sonakshi Sinha as the curvy, new-in-town Paro from Patna. To save the director having to actually use his imagination in creating a romantic chemistry between the pair, instead, Shiva is shown to fall instantly in love with our heroine and her forehead. Our hero in a quest to lure his love interest, and a very desi ulterior motive of free food, stalks her and even gatecrashes a wedding she is attending. Charmed by the effort and vomit-worthy pickup lines of a random lunatic stalker, Paro confesses her love with, you guessed right, a song and dance routine. It’s movies like these which give such a boost to the burgeoning stalker-pervert (Visit Yahoo! chatrooms for confirmation) population in our country. Want to charm a girl you like? Stalk her everywhere, utter cheap one liners and cockily grab her waist, yeah that will lead to the girl falling (fore)head over heels in love with you according to this flick.

“My eyes are down here”

The movie keeps up the south-indian movie tradition of uttering the dialogues at a fast pace but the storyline lags in comparison. The second half of the movie finally gets a bit funny (That’s pity right there) but is filled with endless action scenes that take a toll on your (fore)head. The experience is kinda like the feeling you get after listening to death metal bands in a loop.

All the action culminates with one final showdown against the main henchman named Titla. Do we even need to crack a boobie joke? The strategy that our protagonist adopts is to constantly hit the burly henchman’s leg with his own to weaken his footing which is incidentally the same gameplan of Joey Barton.

If you are stuck in a situation like me, where you have to watch the movie because of your parents, relatives etc., the only way to enjoy it is to watch like a foreign critic. Just enjoy the colour of the songs, the stunning locations, which are quite magnificent by the way, and pop an aspirin to cure the headache that will follow the end of the movie.

Rapper André 3000 Cast as Jimi Hendrix in Upcoming Biopic

We take a look at André 3000, the rap artist who’s supposed to be Jimi Hendrix in the upcoming Hendrix biopic ‘All Is By My Side’

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American rapper André Benjamin, alias André 3000 (not another shady beer brand) has been cast as Jimi Hendrix in the long awaited biographical movie, ‘All Is By My Side’ which commemorates the musical legend. André, famous for his work in the hip-hop duo ‘OutKast’ is visibly pleased to emulate Hendrix. For those who don’t care, or cannot recollect, you might have seen him featured in the Gorillaz track ‘DoYaThing’. Yes, we see how your wicked mind is already trying to relate the poor guy to actual Gorillas, and we just want to state that it’s ethically wrong and you’re going to die in hell.

Although the decision to portray André has caused music fanatics to swear and snigger like Muttley, due credit must be given to the artist for his fervent campaigning for the film to be given the go ahead. André has acted in a few films before, and is excited to face this impending challenge. In addition to the four chords he’s already played on his hit number ‘Hey Ya!’, the rapper/actor is showing great signs of promise by trying to learn the F Major chord, augmenting his guitar prowess significantly.

The movie will portray Hendrix’s unadulterated awesomeness when he was working on his highly lauded debut album ‘Are You Experienced?’. But to the disappointment of all Hendrix fans, it looks as though the movie won’t be featuring any of the guitar legend’s psychedelic tracks, with Hendrix’s estate publicly denying the filmmakers’ requests to feature the guitarist’s songs in the movie. Practically speaking, it’s not the wisest call to make a biopic where you won’t be using the protagonist’s music, but lets give it time and see how it pans out.

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Written for The Score Magazine: http://www.highonscore.com/rapper-andr-3000-casted-in-upcoming-jimi-hendrix-biopic

Blakc Album Launch : The Blue Frog, Mumbai : June 03, 2012

If you’re in Mumbai and have an ear for good music, Blakc is probably one of those names you’ve heard a lot. They started their act in 2007 and have come a long way since, releasing their second album “Motheredland” which is no mean feat, given the relatively short time span. The album itself seems to be really polished, with big shots like Shantanu Hudilkar of Yash Raj, Keshav Dhar of the Skyharbour fame and Mastering Engineer Chris Athens who has worked with AC/DC and Coldplay, involved in its production.

Shady as the area surrounding Blue Frog may be, the ambiance inside more than compensates for your questionable judgment. Although it looks like the insides of a Star Trek spacecraft, The Frog exhibits reasonable sound and lighting. Sufficient care has been taken with respect to the acoustics and pristine sound hits you as soon as the first note is struck.

I’ve been to a few Blakc gigs before, and I’ve had the opportunity to see their sound evolve over time. An unexpected piano on the stage made me curious as to out how well would it fit into the Blakc sound. Their set began with a strong opening track in ‘Bitten‘, well worth the initial anticipation which smoothly flowed into ‘The Dreamcast’. You could notice the audience singing along with the vocalist, Shawn Pereira, which speaks a lot about the band’s fanbase. After all, the best thing a band would want to see is people humming their tunes.

Shawn’s ability to modulate his voice and hit the high notes has only gotten better with time. The stage was owned by him and bassist Roop Thomas, who managed to keep the audience engaged. The sound, driven by his slap and pop, funk-reminiscent basslines, the intertwining guitar riffs by Anish Menon and Reinhardt Dias, and the heavy hitting by drummer Shishir Thakur seemed very complete. Blakc brought some  beautiful women to perform the backing vocals and play the piano on some tracks. In addition to making Mumbai uncannily seem like Delhi for a second, due to the hoots and wolf-whistles, they did a fairly reasonable job.

Armed with his trademark Tweety brandishing bass, Roop’s has an impressive array of bass playing techniques up his sleeve. Reinhardt’s sweet sounding guitar tone and Anish’s smooth playing complemented each other very well, with both the guitarists taking turns to solo, almost as if they were competing with each other. The new album seemed to have a progressive angle to it, with a multitude of guitar effects all around. The grunge-like performance from the band, the high energy and cohesive sound of the differently influenced band members made up for a unique listening experience.

The sound eventually began to sound a bit too heavy to be labeled alternative, with the band seemingly abandoning the old-school verse-chorus scheme. Almost each track was adorned with both mellow and vigorous parts, as if they’re giving you time to recover before you get back on your toes. After flaunting their new material, they moved on to the staples from their 2009 album, “Choking on a Dream”, giving some of the old-timers a treat. The set included the headbang inducing ‘Rift‘ and the beautiful sounding toms on ‘Field of Thought‘, ‘Alone’ accompanied by hollow promises about how they’d be playing it for the last time. A different sounding ‘Sold‘ metamorphosed into ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit‘, a last hurrah to reward the folks who hung around till the end.

Apart from making balding men burn up in envy with their badass hair, Blakc are really upping the ante when it comes to live performances. People who complain that there are not enough reasonable gigs going around in Mumbai should really start looking harder. A Sunday night, well spent, the only pleasurable agony being my ears ringing with their sound.

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Photo Credits: Parizad D

Written for The Score Magazine: http://www.highonscore.com/blakc-album-launch-the-blue-frog-mumbai-june-03-2012

Tutorial: How To Pimp Your Xubuntu 12.10 Desktop by Installing Compiz

Compiz is an alternate window manager for Linux which not only provides the much needed eye-candy for Xubuntu, but also provides a ton of functionality and possibilities as well. With Xubuntu 12.10, the Compiz interface is smoother and more stable than it was ever before and shows a lot of promise. Those who are willing to tax their system a bit, in exchange for a beautiful desktop experience should consider using Compiz.

Here’s a quick and dirty, beginner tutorial on how to install and get Compiz up and running on your Xubuntu 12.10 Quantal Quetzal installation.

Fire up a terminal window and paste the following command, a trouble-free way to get Compiz on your system.

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install compiz compiz-core compiz-gnome compiz-plugins compiz-plugins-default compiz-plugins-extra compiz-plugins-main compiz-plugins-main-default compizconfig-backend-gconf compizconfig-settings-manager libcompizconfig0 libdecoration0 python-compizconfig fusion-icon

 

Now that we have all the good stuff, we can finally work on setting Compiz up. Open up the CompizConfig Settings Manager from the Menu –> Settings.

To save you guys a ton of trouble with manually configuring it up, I’m providing my profile which exhibits a nice mix of looks and functionality. To import the attached pre-configured profile, choose Import in the Preferences tab of the CompizConfig Settings manager and select the downloaded profile.

For the record, I mapped Control + Alt + X to the xkill command and Control + Alt + T to the terminal in my profile for quick access. Do feel free to play around with the settings and tweak Compiz as per your requirements.

Once we’ve finished setting it up by importing the settings, it’s time to fire the sucker up. Open up the Compiz Fusion Icon from Menu –> System. If everything turns out right, you’ll find yourself enjoying the awesomeness of Compiz.

Now, the only thing that remains is to set Compiz as the default Window Manager everytime your system boots up. Doing this is pretty simple too.  Navigate to Menu –> Setting –> Settings Manager –> Sessions and Startup. In the Application Autostart tab, add a new entry and set the command to

fusion-icon

 

 

And we’re done. That’s really all there is to it. If you find the Compiz-Fusion icon on the taskbar annoying, you can replace the startup command with

compiz --replace

 

 

Pre-configured Compiz Profile link:

Link 1: http://www.4shared.com/file/pgrH1wcm/Compiz_Xubuntu_1204.html?

Link 2: http://www43.zippyshare.com/v/25630619/file.html

Do let us know if this article helps and if you have any queries.