Warren Charles

By now, you’re almost certainly familiar with the idea, if not the term, “freemium.” Spotify, with its free and premium versions, brought the concept to music in a way that took its competition by storm.

An artist app for the LA rock outfit Warren Charles takes a new approach to the freemium concept by offering up the band’s entire album, for free, in a nicely-designed “analog” tape player, a photo hunt game, liner notes/artwork, a “hand painted” player for watching the bands videos, web links, an artist biography, and other goodies.

For now, two additions here put the “mium” in “freemium,” for $2.

The additional band content is the songs that play (you don’t have to be connected to the internet) while you engage with the three extra games, and there is a sound bite from the band’s previous album in the wedding game,” explained Josh Feldman of 504 Apps, formerly of Universal Music Group and TuneWiki. ”We also plan to add more content such as new photos and exclusive tracks to the paid version in a free update.”

This is an interesting model for music: Sure, stream the album for free. You’re probably going to do that anyway, if you’re a fan of the band, on YouTube or Spotify. This app acknowledges that by including the album — yes, the whole album.

But if you want access to the extra games, you’ll need to upgrade to the full version or earn enough “WCnotes” (image to the left) which are the app’s own currency, to activate them. Interestingly, these games can be played offline, i.e. without an internet connection.

Warren Charles: Head in the Clouds (More Than Music), available on iOS for free or $2, probably won’t attract too many new fans, because you already need to be one of those in order to have any interest in an artist app, by their very nature.

But for casual or active fans, it looks promising, with liner notes that are fun to read, a nice design that mirrors the album cover (above), and uncut versions of every song on the album. And the app also offers something you can’t find on bit torrent, YouTube, or Spotify, in the form of these additional games, with their offline playback mode.

It’s an interesting model, to give the music streams away and try to recoup through videogames, local playback, and other extras, and we don’t think we’ve seen the last of it by any means. - Evolver.FM

"Great songwriting... I like the fact that lyrically these songs stick. The concepts are in your face and in your life. These guys have a chance in the music business. Definitely a lot of talent here, good enough to go for it."

www.thedoorclubs.com
- Russell Hobbs

"Performance with enthusiasm that is likely to lead them to big places."

Drummer for Warrant and author of The Musician's Handbook

http://www.musicmayhem.com/reviewhandbook.htm - Bobby Borg

Warren Charles is a college rock group hailing from Los Angeles, California. Their newest album, “Head in the Clouds” is available on iTunes. It is also available as an interactive app, which is why we are talking about it now. If there is one thing that this band will always be known for, it is that they made a really cool app.

Warren Charles isn’t the first band to release an interactive album for the iPad. Slash launched his most recent collaboration with “The Conspirators” for the album “Apocalyptic Love” as an interactive app that lets you watch the band record. Interactive albums are sure to be the next big thing in music. Warren Charles just happens to be one of the early adopters of this fun new technology.

Anyone who remembers shopping for vinyl at their local record store will know that music today is missing something, something big. Three decades ago, an album meant something. Musicians weren’t just writing 10 songs for nothing. A good album had a theme and flowed perfectly from the first song to the last. Hours were spent pondering the song lineup. The album artwork was almost as important as the music.

Warren Charles seems to understand that and has turned their music endeavor into an interactive piece of art. Not only do you get to listen to the entire album from beginning to end, but you can also play games that relate to some of the songs, learn more about the brothers whose names make up the band’s title, and even read song lyrics with a stunning graphic backdrop.

When you first open the app, you’ll see the cover of the album, “Head in the Clouds.” Tap on one of the blinking objects to delve into the magic world of the music. Tap the golden leaf to play around with falling leaves set to the tune of, “Leaving.” Tap the bride and groom to play a Temple Run style game set to the tune of “Forever Hold My Peace,” or watch live concert footage on the magic easel when you tap the television set.

In addition to the interesting interactive games, users can read the lyric sheet for every song on the album. Each page of lyrics includes breathtaking artwork that represents the theme of the song.

The best part about this app is that you can listen to the entire album from the virtual analog tape deck for the low price of $1.99. That is the cost of two songs in iTunes.

Obviously, musical taste is important when it comes to the album itself. I will not make a judgment on what I think of the band, but I will tell you that there is a free version of the app that also lets you listen to the entire album. So, download the Lite app first, to see if you are into Warren Charles, and then you can upgrade to the “Complete Experience” if you like what you hear.

What I liked: If we can’t go back to the way it was in the ‘80s, at least apps like this make it worthwhile to head into the future.

What I didn’t like: There is no guide for this app. It doesn’t affect the experience you have when exploring things, but I am a big fan of the tiny (i) that explains how to use the app.

To buy or not to buy: I highly suggest downloading the free version to test the waters with the music before venturing into the paid waters. If you like Warren Charles, then you should already own this app. What are you reading this for? - PadGadget

Indie pop-rockers Warren Charles are an emerging band based out of Los Angeles whose debut album, When Chandeliers Sway, combines the piano-centric, left-of-center sensibility of Ben Folds Five with Cake's love of darkly humorous lyrics. Brothers Lucas and Peter Jacobson take turns fronting the band and writing smart, emotionally charged songs on a range of topics; The whimsical "Elephant in the Room" (depicted in the neosurrealist cover art) likens a taboo conversation to a clumsy pachiderm wreaking havoc at a dinner party, while "Accident" explores the singer's fatal attraction to self-destructive women. Although the band isn't afraid to bring the funk on some tracks, relying on full orchestrations with horn accompaniment, their strength as songwriters really shines through when they pare down their sound and lead with piano and guitar. Overall, WCS is a solid debut effort—definitely worth a listen. - Napster

Warren Charles is W. Peter Jacobson and C. Lucas Jacobson, a brotherly duo that can really tickle the ivories, along with your senses. Their 2009 effort, 'When Chandeliers Sway', oscillates between jazz and funk, but is firmly attached to a ceiling of pop rock. 8/16/09 http://billsmusicforum.blogspot.com/2009/08/review-warren-charles-when-chandeliers.html - Bill's Music Forum

Warren Charles is a rock duo that features percussive piano rhythms, funky guitar licks and interweaving harmonies. On top of all that, it's catchy as hell. 7/27/09 http://concretecircles.blogspot.com/2009/07/lots-of-grooves-from-warren-charles.html - Circles of Concrete