by Gibson Nolte

www.singingbridges.net

Australian Jodi Rose is one of a growing number of artistic audiophiles collectively known as sonic artists. Like composers, sonic artists play with notes, pitch and frequency to create soundscapes, but the work of sonic artists specifically blurs the line between music and art and often makes use of very unique instruments long the way.

Jodi's instruments of choice are the suspension bridges of the world. That's right, what most of us see as a handy way to traverse water or a valley, Jodi sees as a giant stringed instrument. In fact, her fascination with the use of suspension bridges as instruments grew while travelling to and from art school on the 441, watching the construction of what we now know as the Anzac Bridge.

With financial grants to cover her travel, and using tiny, high-powered microphones attached to the cables of these bridges, Jodi now travels the world recording the otherwise unheard creaks, clangs and buzzes of the steel, and then uses these sounds to create her compositions. The results (some of which can be heard on the site) are quite amazing, often spooky and almost alien sounding.

For those interested in web design, SingingBridges.net is also, technically and design wise, a very interesting piece in its own right.

http://www.daytrotter.com

Hey you, music lover. Yeah, I'm talking to you. Get out of that multinational music barn 'tippety top ten' section and plug yourself into the DayTrotter music mainline. Give your ears a tropical island hideaway vacation. Give the music world a reason to smile.

Thank goodness for the Internet. Where else would you get the opportunity not only to read great alternative album reviews, but also to hear unreleased tracks from luminaries like Bonnie Prince Billy, Tokyo Police Force and Jason Forrest?

DayTrotter is a kind of online musical oasis. The brainchild of independent music review/journo Sean Moeller, the site features some of the most unique, astute and well written music features and reviews around (besides Loop, of course) . But that's not all. Thanks to years of forging solid music industry contacts (and the plus of running a little recording studio), Sean's site also hosts tons of freely downloadable tracks from some of the most interesting and powerful independent bands in the world, all recorded specially for the site.

With its clever combination of appealing graphic design and unique content combined with a surprising absence of condescension, a visit to DayTrotter provides the kind of exhilaration of being 10 and hanging out with your friend's cool older sister while she plays her favourite offbeat vinyl LPs.