Carey Unger - "Dreams"

Timmy Tombstone - "The Anihilation Wave"

I think it's safe to say that Timmy Tombstone fits squarely within the classification of "outsider music". He describes himself as an "unsuccessful one man band". He may well be that...but definitely gets the prize for most kick-ass album cover (Call of the Void).

Ricardo Williams - Crazy About Values

Ricardo Williams has just released a quartet of albums (+ EP) and each one seems inspired by motivational posters at a 12-Step AA meeting. Affirmations abound, perhaps to a degree which renders them partially impotent. The titles will tell you almost everything you need to know about this music:

• Crazy About Values
• Growing Safe
• Go Green
• Building My Habits
• Knowing My Fears

Thing is, I don't know what Ricardo's target demographic is. He's got two albums named "Bullying: No!" which I won't bother listening to and hope I'm correct in assuming they're directed to teens. Then again he exhorts his listener to "recycle yourself" in "Recicle" (sp) from the Go Green album and that sounds like a morsel of advice intended to a universal audience. Then he turns around and counsels the grieving (teen?) on the sobering yet consoling "Death" (Knowing My Fears). 

I'll go out on a limb and state that these albums are indeed primarily intended for young adults, although the arrangements are so sappy it's hard to imagine anyone under the age of 55 who wouldn't be embarrassed to admit he/she listens to this stuff. 

But Williams has a pleasing voice, all the more endearing for his grasp of English, which is obviously not his native tongue. His lyrics betray this as well but far from being a distraction his grammatically/phonetically challenging writing and delivery are quite pleasing to the ears, although best experienced in small doses. It sounds like he's overdubbing his own voice for the harmony parts and these harmonies are probably the strongest, most enjoyable musical aspects of all these albums. There's a very sparse Latin feel to what I've heard although it's not so prevalent that you would dismiss everything about it because maybe you don't care for Latin music, right? 

Anyway...yeah, Ricardo Williams is pushing positivity to the youth of the world, I'll admit it. Though adults may find a few chunks of self-help wisdom to chew on it becomes very obvious that Ricardo Williams is reaching out to touch the youth of the world. They definitely need to hear the messages he brings but I somehow believe these records will have the reverse effect...they really do make positive thinking seem the least "cool" thing in the world. 

"Life is fun when you stay alive
Buckle up, put your seatbelt on
Life is fun when your life goes on
Buckle up, put your seatbelt on
And make the difference between right and wrong"
"Bukle" (sic) (Ricardo Williams)

RICARDO WILLIAMS on Spotify
(Dude's got 24 albums out)

Corina Bartra - "Peace Loving People are On the Rise"

I consider myself to be a "peace loving person". I try to avoid violence and have succeeded in keeping my anger in check most every time it's been tried. I think peace is always the better alternative to war. Corina Bartra sings, with an air of authority, that "peace loving people are on the rise." Now what do you think about that? I know you are all peace loving people so now we know what it feels like to be on the rise. And on the rise is something that we most definitely seem to be, won't you stop whatever you're doing and listen to the encouraging, gifted Ms. Bartra praising those of us, the Lucky Ones, letting it be known once again that those of us who share a proclivity for peace are most assuredly on the rise. Give it up, you know you're on the rise.


I can't decide if this is some of the most briliant music I've ever heard or more likely the most wretched noise I can recall hearing in a long long time. But who cares about that when we're on the rise? I mean, we ARE still peace loving people, aren't we? Well we have hit paydirt, friends. We are going to milk that sucker until it's dry as the dessert plain.

I encourage you to click through, I believe it's the green Spotify logo icon near the top of the embed box. Listen to some more of this bizarre record. I am not exaggerating.

...and yes, there is MORE.

...and...and...and for all you peace loving people who don't have Spotify yet, you should not miss out on this call to action for all peace loving people. If you haven't heard, indeed we are on the rise and as far as we're concerned, in the spirit of loving peace, you're welcome to jump on the bandwagon with this YouTube video.