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This Brazilian band makes ultraclever irono-club-pop that channels Kraftwerk and '80s metal and pretty much whomever else it feels like. Subjects include sex and chance encounters with Paris Hilton. Instrumentation may or may not include a key-tar.

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Singing into an iPhone may garner some strange looks, but an application by Midomi encourages users to croon, hum, speak into their device. In return they will get the song title, name, and a link to buy the mp3 from iTunes. The service also works with SMS.

Singing and humming are just two of the ways to search for songs on the Midomi iPhone app.

(Credit: Midomi)

With the new Midomi Mobile application (download), iPhone users can find an artist or song with voice or text search. The app also has the ability to "grab" a recording of a song to use for search. Users just have to hold their iPhone up to a speaker and submit the music clip.

Once song seekers find what they are looking for, they can buy the song or album from iTunes. Midomi will also link to related videos on YouTube or send the song to a friend.

The Midomi Web site has offered the online service to users since early 2007. The original software received a positive review from Webware.com, and made it to the finals of the 2008 Webware 100 contest.

The company says it has a one-of-a-kind platform because it offers many music search formats. It also says singers can be off key or mispronounce lyrics and the search engine will still get it right.

The Midomi Mobile app is free and available in the new iTunes 7.7 App store (download for Mac or Windows) that was released on Thursday.

The Remote App puts control of iTunes--or Apple TV--in the palm of your hand.

(Credit: CNET)

We've had a few minutes to play with the Remote App (download) for the iPhone. The (not surprising) verdict? It's an easy must-have for any iPhone or iPod Touch owner who enjoys listening to music at home.

Once you've upgraded your iPhone (or Touch) to version 2.0, just go to the App Store and search on "remote." (Amazingly, that--not "iRemote"--is the program's official name.) You can download it straight to the phone over a Wi-Fi connection (tap the word "free" on the upper right corner), and it auto-installs, adding a new icon to your home screen.

For music lovers, the Pandora internet radio application for the iPhone and iPod Touch is a welcome addition.

(Credit: Donald Bell/CNET Networks)

Apple publicly unveiled the Pandora Internet radio iPhone and iPod Touch application during the unveiling of the iTunes App store on Thursday, July 10. Tim Westergren, CEO for Pandora, was kind enough to give me a personal tour of the new application. The following is a synopsis of just about every question I had for Tim. Editors' note: This is not an interview transcript, but a roundup of information on the Pandora iPhone application presented in a FAQ format.

An option key allows you to bookmark artsist or songs, or purchase the current song directly from iTunes.

(Credit: Pandora)

How much will iTunes charge for the Pandora application?

It's free.

Will the iPhone version of the Pandora application stream music over the new 3G cellular connection?

Yes. New iPhones can use the Pandora app to stream music over 3G or Wi-Fi. Updated first-gen iPhones can stream over Wi-Fi or Edge, and the iPod Touch will obviously only stream over its Wi-Fi connection

What's the audio quality like?

Pandora's serves its iPod Touch and iPhone audio streams as 64Kbps stereo MP3 files; however, the quality and file format may be retooled once Pandora's tech team has some time to work with the new iPhone's hardware.

How will Pandora make money off a free application?

Pandora may eventually consider placing short audio advertisements in its streams, but, Pandora's first priority is to grow its user base.

Will Pandora stations I've already created using the Web service be available on the iPhone application?

Yes. Any stations, artist bookmarks, and song like/dislike preferences will be identical between the Pandora Web service and the Pandora application.

You can create and save custom stations directly from the Pandora app.

(Credit: Donald Bell/CNET Networks)

What can I do with the Pandora application for the iPhone and iPod Touch?

Most of the features of Pandora's Internet radio Web service will be available on its iPhone application as well. People can create radio stations based around artists or songs, bookmark favorite artists or songs, pause and skip tracks, vote on songs, and view descriptions of why a currently playing song was included in your stream. You also have the option to purchase the currently playing song directly over the iTunes Wi-Fi store.

Pandora's intelligent recommendation engine explains song choices.

(Credit: Donald Bell/CNET Networks)

Can I stream Pandora wirelessly from my iPhone over Bluetooth?

The iPhone does not currently support streaming stereo audio over its built-in Bluetooth; however, third-party Bluetooth audio adapters are available that fit any minijack audio output.

If I can connect my iPhone to my car stereo and stream Pandora over 3G, why would I listen to music on commercial or satellite radio?

Keep in mind that Pandora is a music-only service, so you'll need to get your talk radio, sports, and traffic reports elsewhere. That said, so long as you have decent 3G reception in your area, streaming Pandora internet radio to your car stereo via your iPhone should work fine.

Pandora's song voting system has made it to its iPhone app as well. Voting on songs helps fine-tune Pandora's personalized song recommendations. People can also pause and skip tracks.

(Credit: Donald Bell/CNET Networks)

Can I wake up to Pandora radio if I dock my iPhone or iPod Touch into an iPod alarm clock?

Not likely, since most alarm clock docks trigger song playback from your music library. Some iPod alarm clock docks include an auxiliary input, however, so if you kept music streaming from Pandora all night (and somehow managed not to run down your battery), then it's possible. Seems like a pain though.

Will Pandora music streams display album art?

Yes, although some music in Pandora's catalog is still without cover art.

The Pandora playback screen looks much like the standard iPod playback screen, complete with cover art.

(Credit: Pandora)

Does the Pandora iPhone/iPod Touch application have the same limitations on track skipping as the Web version of the Internet radio station?

Yes. Because of legal restrictions, users cannot skip tracks on Pandora more than six times per hour. Fortunately, Pandora's Music Genome Project is pretty good at coming up with song selections.

Will using the Pandora iPhone application run down my battery quickly?

Yes. Reports so far suggest that the new iPhone's battery performance is at its worst when using its 3G connection. Streaming Pandora content over the iPhone's Wi-Fi connection should produce better battery performance than using 3G.

Bart is a jack-of-all-trades of Bay Area musician; from bossa nova to beat group sounds, he knows his stuff. So whether he's veering from the barest acoustic tracks to a nugget from California's Paisley Underground or tackling psychedelic soul, he delivers the goods here with style. Mmm good.

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I wrote about OurStage a couple weeks ago: it's a battle-of-the-bands site that's actually worth looking at, as it requires no up-front payments to participate, seems very hard to "game" by stuffing the ballot box for your own or your friend's bands, and offers prizes of actual value.

Concert giant LiveNation will offer 300 opening spots on the OurStage Marketplace.

On Wednesday, the company signed a deal with concert giant Live Nation, which owns many top concert venues in the U.S. and has been signing so-called comprehensive record-plus-touring ("360") deals with acts such as Madonna and Nickelback. Under the terms of the deal, Live Nation will offer opening gigs in the new OurStage Marketplace.

With the Marketplace, bands can sign up to create a free electronic presskit, then submit them for these gigs--which include big arena gigs like the Punk Rock 2008 Festival at Colorado's Red Rocks and opening for the Allman Brothers at the 20,000 seat Comcast (formerly Tweeter) Center outside of Boston. Unlike OurStage prizes, which go only to winners of the head-to-head competitions, any act can participate in the Marketplace.

Long-term, OurStage envisions itself becoming a clearinghouse where emerging bands can connect with venues that need to fill spots. It's an interesting concept, but OurStage will have to amass a fair number of proven high-quality live acts--not just kids in bedrooms with Garage Band--to become a trusted source for venues. So far, I've liked some of the artists I've heard on the site, but not enough to write their names down. That points to a chicken-and-egg problem--a lot of artists probably feel they can get "noticed" in the traditional way, by making great recordings and playing lots of local shows, getting press writeups and radio play, and attracting the attention of A&R men and concert bookers. As long as OurStage is free, bands have nothing to lose by giving it a shot, but it will be interesting to see how entrenched the traditional gatekeepers of the music business really are. I'm betting these old institutions won't die away, although they might use online sources (such as OurStage and--more likely--MySpace) as one more way of discovering acts.

The D.C.-area outfit correctly describe its latest as "a collection of studies on intersections." Each track features some sublime new weave of styles, from Afrobeat-soul blends to brews of classical and hip-hop. The common denominator is a lush and enveloping jazz.

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Apple isn't the only game in town when it comes to AAC-compatible MP3 players. Advanced Audio Coding files may be the default iTunes option for ripping CDs into your music collection, but Apple holds no exclusive claim to the format the way they do with Apple Lossless or the iTunes store's FairPlay DRM.

So what portable devices are out there for folks who appreciate the benefits of AAC audio, but want to steer clear of the iPod? I've put together a product roundup of my top six non-iPod AAC players, along with an Insider Secret video that shows off five of them.

Watching this year's Fourth of July fireworks display in Seattle, I wondered (not for the first time) how they coordinate the fireworks with the musical soundtrack--the hearts exploding right at the climax of "Unchained Melody," or the long fizzy streamers during the theremin part of "Good Vibrations," for instance. Not surprisingly, software's the answer.

If you don't want to control the fireworks display from your laptop computer, this Firelite panel from FireOne will let you trigger up to 39 firing panels manually.

(Credit: FireOne)

The Seattle display was operated by a company called Pyro Spectaculars based out of Rialto, Calif., which reportedly uses a highly customized or home-built system to coordinate the music to the displays. But other pyrotechnicians might use combined hardware-software systems from FireOne or Infinity Vision.

FireOne's Web site gives some insight into the process of creating a display: the designer starts by creating an audio file composed of the songs that will be used in the display, then importing it into the software as a .wav file. Then, the designer selects from hundreds of shell types in FireOne's database, matching them up to specific points in the display--FireOne claims its software is accurate up to 0.01 of a second. The software puts a timecode on the music track, coordinates it with the electrical signals necessary to fire the shells, and outputs it as a file with the extension (of course) .fir. Of course, there's a manual option in case something goes wrong, as it did in Seattle's New Year's Eve celebration last year.

If you're interested in pursuing what sounds like one of the funnest jobs in the universe, you can find out more at the Pyrotechnics Guild International Web site.

Somewhere out there, a member of the Aussie-based Presets is sulking, wondering why another of their countrymen had to come along and steal away all the shine. Midnight Juggernauts are straight out of Melbourne, and their nu-disco-meets-indie flavor recalls something like a mashing of Giorgio Moroder, Air, and Phoenix. Way to go, mates.

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