Tyr and The New Music Paradigm

Interesting fallout from Paganfest back in May: in retrospect, the show has become a member of my top five, but only in part because of how good of a time I had. The other half is through the fertile fields of memory, enriched by the fertilizer (to continue this odd metaphor) of the two albums I downloaded ex post facto: Eric The Red (Tyr) and Slania (Eluveitie). Slania was an instant hit that solidified Eluveitie's awesome live show as something more than a fluke of experience, but Eric The Red took a longer to take hold; I think I finally "got it" after six or seven listens and now I give a spin once a week and wish I had bought one of their awesome t-shirts at the show. It goes to prove a point, actually that proponents of replay-limited DRM should note: limit me to three or four plays and I delete the album and write off the band. Give me unlimited plays - you know, revise the whole system, Bob Lefsetz-style - and I sing their praises online, get interested in buying their merch, supporting their shows, etc. Musicians really should be singing the praises of the Internet daily.