Are you listening to tunes on the go with the Music Unlimited application on your Android smartphone? If so, good news! We just launched an update to the app that adds compatibility with Android’s latest ‘Ice Cream Sandwich’ OS v4.0 update. You can download the update at the Google Play store now.
Tagged: android, ice cream sandwich
Looking for music that’s a little left of the dial? Check out the current Top 10 Alternative tracks on The Music Unlimited service!
The Hunger Games – Songs from District 12 and Beyond
For one of the most anticipated movies of 2012, a crucial component is the soundtrack. It is abundantly clear that The Hunger Games team was keenly aware of this, compiling an outstanding line-up of original songs. We will all find out on Friday how the beloved book translates to film, but there is a clear tone set by the tracks here. The songs weigh heavily on country/folk, which is just adds another interesting juxtaposition to the film itself being a “sci-fi” story set mostly in the woods. Stand out tacks include: The Secret Sisters, “Tomorrow Will Be Kinder,” a subdued Maroon 5 (ft. Rozzie Crane) “Come Away to the Water,” and the marquee single, Taylor Swift (ft. The Civil Wars) “Safe and Sound.”
If You Like: Taylor Swift, The Decemberists, Arcade Fire
Recommended Track: The Decemberists “One Engine”
After five years and a dramatic line-up change, The Shins prove with their latest, Port of Morrow, what we’ve all known to be true – James Mercer is the anchor and tone-setter of this band. Fans will be pleased that this feels like it picks up where we left off from Wincing the Night Away, despite such a long absence. However, while know we can count on Mercer and co. for consistency, this truly feels like a deliberate step forward, a polished triumph without losing the integrity of what made them the band that, “will change your life.” (a la Garden State) “Simple Song” has been making waves on the radio the past few months, but other smash hits like “It’s Only Life” and “No Way Down” are sure to keep the band buzzing through the summer festival season and beyond.
If You Like: Modest Mouse, Death Cab for Cutie, Rogue Wave
Recommended Track: “It’s Only Life”
Melanie Fiona has all of the makings of a successful break-out artists: managed by JayZ’s RocNation, collaborations with the likes of J. Cole, T. Pain, B.o.B and Nas and her recent GRAMMY win for her part in Cee Lo Green’s, “Fool For You” She has also toured with Kanye West and fellow Canadian Robin Thicke and served co-writing duties with Rihanna and Kardinal Offishall. The groundswell is happening and it will be interesting to see in the next few months what will drive Fiona from opener to headliner in the R&B world.
If You Like: Lauryn Hill, Keri Hilson, Fantasia
Recommended Track: “4AM”
Odd Future – The OF Tape Vol. 2
Esperanza Spalding – Radio Music Society
Diggy – Unexpected Arrival
Lucius – Lucius EP
The Parson Red Heads – Murmurations
Anti-Flag – The General Strike
Lost in the Trees – A Church that Fits Our Needs
BLAQSTARR – Roses
Fun. – We Are Young (feat. Janelle Monáe) [Alvin Risk Remix]
Madonna – MDNA
The Mars Volta – Noctourniquet
Lionel Richie – Tuskegee
Iron Maiden – En Vivo!
Sidewalk Prophets – Live Like That
Dev – The Night the Sun Came Up
All-American Rejects – Kids In The Street
Shinedown – Amaryllis
Miike Snow – Happy To Yo
Katy Perry – Teenage Dream (Deluxe)
Civil Twilight – Holy Weather
DJ Premier & Bumpy Knuckles – KoleXXXion
Meshuggah – Koloss
THEESatisfaction – awE naturalE
Poor Moon – Illusion EP
3 Inches of Blood – Long Live Heavy Metal
Races – Year of the Witch
Various Artists – Late Nigth Tales: Belle and Sebastian – Vol. 2
Anberlin – Dancing Between the Fibers
Coldplay holds their place at the top as Drake slides down the list to make room for Flo Rida and LMFAO. Check out the rest of the Top 10 played songs last week on the Music Unlimited service [US only]!
Have you browsed the top songs, albums, by genre yet? Check out all the charts here.
The Music Unlimited service continues its march around the world as we announce expansion into Canada! That means users there will have access to the millions of songs available for streaming online, via Android handsets, PCs, PlayStation 3, PS Vita and other devices.
Canada is the 14th country to enjoy the Music Unlimited service, joining Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden, which were added earlier this year. The Music Unlimited service is now available in more countries than any other streaming music service.
New users can try 30 days of the Music Unlimited Premium plan for free — click here for further details.
Tagged: canada
It doesn’t seem that long ago that boy bands dominated the airwaves, but after the Backstreet Boys of the world faded and solo pop stars took over, it seems One Direction is poised to be the catalyst behind a serious resurgence. Each of the members entered The X Factor competition solo, but were encouraged to band together and enter as a group, a move which ultimately catapulted them to third runner up. You’d never know they didn’t take the prize, though, as the 2011 UK release of Up All Night was the fastest-selling debut album of the year. By the looks of things, they’ll be making just as big a splash in the US in 2012.
If You Like: Big Time Rush, N*SYNC, Justin Bieber
Recommended Track: “Gotta Be You”
The Ting Tings – Sounds from Nowheresville
An album that has taken a few iterations from inception, these Sounds from Nowheresville are songs that made it through a serious cut after the band scrapped a good number from the original 2010 track listing due to too much Euro-pop influence. The result is a more focused, straight- forward pop that made them a household name through a bevy of television/movie synchs. If you’re looking to dance, though, the deluxe version features several remixes of the tracks from the album and, from the original album, the infectious smash hit “Hands.”
If You Like: Goldfrapp, Sleigh Bells, M.I.A.
Recommended Track: “Give it Back”
Lee Fields and the Expressions – Faithful Man
Lee Field’s history in soul and R&B is nothing short of staggering. Having cut his teeth on the genre with groups like Kool and the Gang since the late 60s, he has steadily been digging deep on his own, including music through Brooklyn’s iconic Daptone Records (where Sharon Jones was discovered as his backup singer) With this latest release on Truth & Soul Records, there is no doubt cast that he is an expert. Need more proof? If you’re in Austin for SXSW 2012 this week, Lee Fields and the Expressions are playing the Music Unlimited Official Showcase, curated and hosted by Last Call with Carson Daly. More info here!
If You Like: Raphael Saadiq, Mayer Hawthorne, Musiq Soulchild
Recommended Track: “I Still Got It”
Delta Spirit – Delta Spirit
Electric Touch – Never Look Back
Dave Barnes – Stories To Tell
Say Anything – Anarchy, My Dear
Gossip – “Picture Perfect World (single)”
Soulfly – Enslaved
k-os – MuchMusic Presents: k-os Live
Jeremy Camp – I Still Believe: #1’s
I’m From Barcelona – Battleship
Royce da 5’9″ – “Hood Love (single)”
Datsik & Infected Mushroom – Evilution
The Decemberists – We All Raise Our Voices to the Air
Lucero – Women & Work
Various Artists – The Hunger Games: Songs from District 12 and Beyond
The Shins – Port Of Morrow
Melanie Fiona – The MF Life
Lil Twist – Don’t Get It Twisted
Esperanza Spalding – Radio Music Society
Adam Lambert – Trespassing
Odd Future – The OF Tape Vol. 2
Diggy – Unexpected Arrival
MC Hammer – U Can’t Touch This (The Collection)
Lucius – Lucius EP
The Parson Red Heads – Murmurations
Anti-Flag – The General Strike
Lost in the Trees – A Church that Fits Our Needs
Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s – Rot Gut, Domestic
If you’re a user of the Music Unlimited service on the web there are a host of new features rolling out for you to check out that will make finding, organizing and playing your music even better and easier.
Listeners can now create Smart Playlists that show activity like “Most Played” “Recently Played” and “Newly Added” that shows what you’ve been up to. Those and other user-created playlists will be available under “All Playlists.”
Search has also gotten some new features. As a user searches for an artist, song or album additional filtering will be available that allows for results to be narrowed by Era or Genre. So you can hone in exactly what you’re looking for in new ways that either expose you to new music or help you find what you’re looking faster.
Check out the Music Unlimited service on the web today and find all these new features and more.
In case you missed it (and we’re not sure how you could) our friends at Sony Computer Entertainment recently released the PlayStation Vita to U.S. customers. The hotly anticipated device is already a big hit and is just getting bigger as more people get their hands on it.
Now PS Vita owners can now access the Music Unlimited service on this fantastically popular device. Subscribers can now listen to the service’s global catalog of millions and millions of songs, all at the tips of their fingers. Just a couple taps and swipes of the PS Vita’s 5-inch high definition OLED touchscreen and subscribers to the Music Unlimited service will be able to find their playlists just as they can on other network-enabled devices.
You can find out more and watch a video walkthrough on the PlayStation Blog.
Tagged: ps vita
Are you an Android user who wants to take the Music Unlimited playlists you’ve created with you, even when no mobile connection is available?
Then today’s your lucky day! We’ve added offline playback functionality to the Music Unlimited service’s Android app. Now you can download your Music Unlimited playlists and play the songs you’ve added to those playlists wherever you go, even places where you can’t get a mobile signal like airplanes or the back room of your relative’s house where you’re hiding because hey, you love them, but you just need a little peace and quiet before your aunt asks another question about how your dating life is going.
If you’re a subscriber to the Music Unlimited service and want to enable offline playback on your Android device here’s a simple how to:
The playlist will begin downloading and the icon will change from spinning green arrows to a solid green image when all the songs in that playlist have been downloaded.
If you are offline just select “Switch to Offline Mode” in your Android hardware menu. You can now browse by album, artist, song or Playlist within Music Unlimited!
Find out more about Music Unlimited and supported devices here.
Bruce Springsteen – Wrecking Ball
After several mid-tempo projects and a bluegrass tangent with a Pete Seeger tribute record, Springsteen returns with his most rockin album nearly a decade. The absence of Clarence Clemons’ reliable horn play is notable, (except for his final solo on “Land of Hope and Dreams”), but filled nicely with string sections, traditional Irish instruments and a three guitar assault on the up-tempo numbers like the lead single, “We Take Care of our Own.” Familiar themes of blue color struggle and American pride fit snuggly against an election year backdrop.
If You Like: Tom Petty, The Hold Steady, John Mellencamp
Recommended Track: “We Take Care of our Own”
Andrew Bird – Break it Yourself
Andrew Bird is nothing short of a musician’s musician, one that so clearly crafts his songs with delicate detail to avoid the sometimes messy, unfocused direction of chamber pop. Break it Yourself follows his pattern of layers of instrumentals that teeter on that line of becoming overwhelming, until he reigns you back in with such deliberate care. A great album for an early morning or a Sunday afternoon.
If You Like: Sufjan Stevens, M. Ward, Wilco
Recommended Track: “Desperation Breeds . . . ”
Miniature Tigers – MIA PHAROAH
In such a volatile industry, the trajectory of an artist is never easy and never certain. However, Miniature Tigers have been chugging steadily through years of touring and establishing their sound through line-up and geographic changes. Now on their third album, the influence of the road has weaved its way into these multi-faceted tracks; a natural progression from the straight-forward pop of their first album, written before they had really gotten their feet wet. Electronic beats with a lo-fi layer provide a dreamy, dance-y journey through songs that could easily have soundtracked a few John Hughes films.
If You Like: Neon Indian, Steel Train, The Morning Benders
Recommended Track: “Boomerang”
Blues Traveler – 25
Juanes – “La Señal (single)”
Human Nature – The Motown Record
White Rabbits – Milk Famous
Todd Snider – Agnostic Hymns and Stoner Fables
Every Time I Die – Ex Lives
Xiu Xiu – Always
Metronomy – The English Riviera (Unreleased Remixes)
Kristin Chenoweth – “Blessed Be The Ties That Bind (single)”
Norah Jones – “Happy Pills (single)”
Luke Bryan – Spring Break #4
Yellow Ostrich – Strange Land
Pearl and the Beard – Prodigal Daughter – EP
Junior Toots – A Little Bit of Love
Bowerbirds – The Clearing
Lee Fields & The Expressions – Faithful Man
One Direction – Up All Night
Delta Spirit – Delta Spirit
Electric Touch – Never Look Back
Dave Barnes – Stories To Tell
Marvin Sapp – I Win
Mike Posner – Sky High
Say Anything- Anarchy, My Dear
The Ting Tings – Songs from Nowheresville
Brad Mehldau Trio – Ode
Soulfly – Enslaved
k-os – MuchMusic Presents: k-os Live
Jeremy Camp – I Still Believe: #1’s
Anberlin – Anthology
I’m from Barcelona – Battleship
Datsik & Infected Mushroom – Evilution
The Decemberists – We All Raise Our Voices to the Air
Lucero – Women & Work
June 8
