by SHANE SINNOTT

I love hyperbole, and so when I was trolling around the Internet this week, researching this column, I was intrigued when I came across stuff like “game-changer” and “the next revolution in digital music.” What could this be? Why, it’s the new, relaunched (for the third time) lala.com, the online music store/streaming site that garnered attention the past spring for offering unlimited streaming of songs for 10 cents.

Last week, their “cloud” music store officially launched (“cloud” is one of these Web 2.0 terms that I still can’t fully wrap my head around—think of it as basically doing stuff online that you usually do on your own PC). With backing from the majors, Lala has been offering 10-cent song streaming (i.e. listen as much as you like online but no downloading) and 99 cent song buying (DRM-free mp3 downloads), but all the hullabaloo is about a new feature that allows you to listen to your own music on the site as well, streaming it from anywhere for free. It’s smart—you automatically get access to anything in their catalogue that they can verify is on your PC, and anything else can be uploaded. The online music player looks more or less like iTunes, so basically you’ll have a personal jukebox of your own CDs plus anything you buy available to you from any Web-connected PC at any time.

Sounds good, right? Here’s the thing—it’s American users only for now, and international access is “coming soon.” Do you know what we say to that? Bull roar! Go to tinyurl.com/3bc48w to get the amazing Hotspot Shield, follow the simple instructions to install and run, and the next thing you know, lala.com will think you’re American—and you don’t even have to be overweight or talk loud. So give Lala a try, and enjoy being over it by the time it officially reaches Canada.

Quickly, a plug for the new record that’s been blowing my mind this week: Secret Earth by the Dead C, 45 minutes of noise-rock bliss. Download the first track at tinyurl.com/5jfonn.