Some of the best songs I have heard in the last 1-2 years that most people never heard of. I wish these songs could get some radio play. Check them out on iTunes or youtube.

Let Me Go On – Seabird (alternative rock)
Big Coat – Wiretree (indie pop/rock)
Make Things Happen – Wiretree (alternative progressive)
Better Than Life – People In Planes (alternative progressive)
Jails Everywhere – Magnolia Sons (rock)
Sirens In the Deep Sea – Longwave (shoegazing)
The Devil and the Liar – Longwave (shoegazing)
Fallen – Death In The Park (indie rock)
Nailbiter – Damiera (alternative)
Even Though She Knows – Cold Hot Crash (alternative)
Work It Out – Capital Lights (powerpop)
Mile Away – Capital Lights (powerpop)
Frank Morris – Capital Lights (powerpop)
Save – Timmy Curran (singer/songwriter)
Slow – Timmy Curran (singer/songwriter)
Can You Feel It – Timmy Curran (singer/songwriter)
Sci-Fi Kid – Blitzen Trapper (indie rock)
Gold for Bread – Blitzen Trapper (indie folk rock)
Quiet Nights, Quiet Places – Malbec (electro-pop)
If Looks Could Kill – Music For Animals (pop-rock)
Robot High School – My Robot Friend (electro-rock)
Man Down – The New Frontiers (alternative)
The Keys – Dolorata (classic rock)
Shaky Like The Flu – Loquat (ambient rock)
Harder Hit – Loquat (ambient rock)
Bright Side – Rantings of Eva (alternative melodic rock)
Fracture – Rantings of Eva (alternative melodic rock)
Need – Dangermaker (pop-rock)
Sleep On It – TV/TV (Powerpop)

What a freaking let down. RED, JVC and Sony revealed no new products or updates whatsoever, while Canon rehashed their older ones. Unless Canon announces new prosumer products tomorrow, I will completely lose my faith on that company. They make no sense anymore.

Panasonic on the other hand already announced a bunch of stuff, including a very impressive 3D camera that uses AVC-Ultra (200 mbps bitrate!), and the HMC-40 (press release, news report, big picture). The important thing here is that Panasonic realized that there’s a hybrid consumer-prosumer market (and they even called the HMC-40 a “hybrid”). They are the firsts to do so, as far as I am concerned. I have been burbling about that hybrid need for 1.5 years now!

The camera uses three 1/4.1″ sensors, 12x zoom, 21 to 24 mbps VBR AVCHD recording (unfortunately, no constant recording at 24 mbps), 24p/30/60i at 1080p, up to 60p at 720p, cine-gamma presets, manual controls, enough buttons and focus ring, 2.7″ touchscreen, XLR/handle-bar add-on (sold separately), and Panasonic’s dynamic range stretching algorithm. Price is a bit steep at $3200 though for these specs.

The real let down on this camera is the sensor size though. Even if it has 3 sensors, each is still of minuscule size, and the lens seems to be consumer grade too. Which means that background blur will probably be worse than the $500 HV20’s. This is a deal breaker for me. I would have preferred a single 1/2.0″ sensor rather than three at 1/4.1″.

So, even after the much awaited NAB show, there’s still no camera that does what I need. This HMC-40 came SO CLOSE. So close. But still no cigar. However, there are rumors that Canon will update the Canon’s 5D Mark-II firmware with more video abilities, so if that happens and they add 24p frame rate, zebra support, and shutter speed support, that’s the camera I will be getting — even if it doesn’t have other features that camcorders do. We have about 15 lenses that go on the 5D anyway.

Enough with this shit though. This was a letdown.

The second episode of the very nice, HV30-shot, no-budget sci-fi, drama is out: