“Morning Glory”

Tuesday, November 16th, 2010

Tonight I saw the movie “Morning Glory” and after the movie I re-read Ann Hornaday’s review of the film.  If you have seen the movie and the review, you will know why I will never seek anyone else’s advice when it comes to movies.




Website Review–Hearya

Wednesday, October 13th, 2010

Hearya, a Chicago-based online publication for indie music, provides indie music fans with everything they are looking for. At hearya, one can find tons of information on new albums and bands.

One of the best things about this site is that it is interactive. There is always a video or mp3 that follows after every post. The publication is set up in a no-frills blog style. Hearya says on their website that they give “indie music enthusiasts a destination to cut through the clutter when discovering new music.” And this is true. The website does not overwhelm you with too much information, and usually provides one or two posts a day about new music.

As for the style of writing, it is pretty creative. The writers provide the readers with a good sense of what the music sounds like without even listening to it first. But, the best part of all is that Hearya has a whole section dedicated to live music sessions. Yes, you get to hear live versions of your favorite songs. Hearya does these live sessions with many different indie bands from their own studio, and then shares these music sessions with the community. And an added bonus—the music can be sent right to your itunes library for free. It’s great to hear the bands in a more raw state, as if they are jamming out right in front of you. This is what makes Hearya unique, and, ultimately, a great place for indie music fans.

There are, however, a few weaknesses at Hearya. The site is not nearly as professional looking as other publications such as Pitchfork, which may turn some viewers away. Also, the website lacks a search bar so one can’t just look for a particular song or band to read about. But, these weaknesses are overshadowed by the strengths of this site.

If I were to contribute to the Hearya website, I would try and add an album review section so that viewers can go directly to the reviews and not have to search down the whole entire blog. Also, as there are new indie songs produced everyday, I would want to start a “Song Of The Day” section and write a small critique about a new song everyday. This would make Hearya even greater than it already is.

Check the website out here.