Taking things to the limit seems to be the order of the week right now. I’ve jumped headfirst into learning Blender. There have been several UI tweaks to the website, specifically on the music pages. Death’s the Rage is the music coming this week. So much new stuff going on, it’s like a body replacing its blood supply overnight.
I’ve jumped into learning Blender. For the uninitiated it’s an animation tool used to create whatever your brain can conjure up (within reason). While I do have a background in filmmaking, and it was a heavyweight CGI animator friend who suggested I learn it for my album covers, I’ll say this: it’s not fuckin intuitive at all.
That being written, I’m pretty sure it will help me to create some of the most amazing animated covers for my music. Which in turn will make them more memorable and unique. I will never turn down the chance to set myself apart from any other musician, major label or independent.
My website saw some subtle and not so subtle tweaks this past weekend. The one that got me a bit giddy is the tweak to the track listing on any music page. On a desktop, when a user hovers over a song title or the word lyrics next to a title will notice a nifty little underline animation. In UI terms, it should make it way more obvious to click the links in order to see the lyrics and liner notes for any song.
For those who run my website on their phone, they will see a slightly different tweak to the UI. For phones it will show a faint underline always, though on Android it’s not so faint. The idea is it will make it more obvious to click the link.
One more tweak was adding a big “Own It Now” button. My focus is shifting away from streaming services. I get that most people use them, but I’m making it easier for you to support me directly. If you buy my songs you get a full studio quality version better than any streaming service. You help me, I give you better quality music, it’s a win-win situation.
This week’s release is Death’s the Rage. The remix, remaster and Dolby Atmos versions are all tectonic shifts toward better quality audio. If you’re young, you’ve likely never had the chance to sit in a room where the music could envelop you. Wrap you up in a musical blanket and take you on a journey.
I implore you to sit in a room with nice speakers, with the lights out. Then turn up the music and close your eyes (even though the lights are out). I guarantee listening to Death’s the Rage this way will transport you to a whole new world. In Atmos it will blow your mind.
Since you’ve read this far, I’ll also ask you to join the Jody Army.
Stay tuned, more is coming.