May 24, 2005
iTunes 2 - Y! Music 0
This morning I got up (albeit early) excited to listen to the new Audioslave
and Alkaline Trio albums which were both released today, and found that neither of them were available on Yahoo! Music Unlimited. Super bummer.
Both are available on iTunes.
I've really been enjoying Y!mu and for the price, it's the best value in music - it's got me to think about "renting" music, which I never thought I would, and has generally been a good experience. I even broke down and started using y!messenger client proper after trying it.
Perhaps these are two albums (do kids who've never owned an album call them albums?) I'd rather own anyway.
I'll give them until 9am pacific.
sigh.
May 10, 2005
y!'s music service tomorrow
can't wait to see what yahoo has to offer tomorrow in the way of music downloads. at $6.99 /month it may or may not be interesting, but at least at that price point they are challenging the model. i hope it is somewhat better than i could get at the same price point for XM radio.
hasta manana...
March 10, 2005
replacements re-issues on the way
billboard is reporting in an interview with paul westerberg that he's coming out with a solo retrospective and that there are some replacements re-issues on the way. special edition of let it be, one of the greatest records of all time?! i can't wait.
February 09, 2005
lying in bed, just like brian wilson did...
whenever i drive my son to school, i get to pass what i am pretty sure is brian wilson's house, which is on the blocks in st. charles, il, the town in which i grew up.
i'd like to buy it just so i could sing that song. alas, it's $4.1 million.
February 01, 2005
idlewild 100 broken windows
Yes, this is a really old album - and I'm going to point to it anyway, because it has again popped to the top of my playlist. It might be on my top 10 of all time. If not, it's really close. "These Wooden Ideas", "Roseability", and "Little Discourage" just continue to make my list of songs that I contine to find more in with every listen. It's hard to describe Idlewild in terms of other bands. The probably do fall into some genre that trancends "FIFA Rock" but I guess I will always associate them with my trips to the UK. I guess they are "ScotRock" but haven't garnered as much attention as the likes of Travis or even Snow Patrol, the latter of which, in my opinion, is a much inferior band. At any rate, give this album a listen on iTunes, and then buy it.
tsunami bomb - the definititive act
Blessed with an an unfortunate name in this particular epoch, Tsunami Bomb provides a dose of straight-forward punk where Bad Religion left off a long time ago with "Recipe for Hate" and AFI picked up in later years. Female vocals, I admit, don't always gel with me in this genre, but I have to say I like what Tsunami Bomb as to offer with The Definitive Act.
lou barlow emoh
lou barlow appears when you least expect him in many flavors. most recently, it's been sebadoh and folk implosion, both two of my favorite projects.
this time around, it's a solo album which is pretty much just lou and his acoustic guitar - so this one might fall into the "folk" category although the toungue in cheek title might suggest otherwise.
this one's worth it just for his cover of Ratt's "round and round."
December 30, 2004
top 10 of 2004
These are the top 10 albums that i enjoyed over the last year. They may not be the best musically or have a lasting impact on music, but as they are the ones i listened to over and over again on my my iPod, my laptop, wherever.
The Top 10
Garden State (Soundtrack)
I feel a little wierd about putting a soundtrack in my top 10, but this one is too good to pass up. There are some great individual songs here such as the Shins "New Slang" and "Caring is Creepy" but it's really how the whole collection hangs together that makes this one work. Though i've heard Coldplay's "Don't Panic" a hundred times, it's just right at home on this soundtrack, and a track added by Colin Hay of Men at Work just adds to the cult of Zach Braff.
[amazon] [iTunes]
Interpol - Antics
At first I wasn't crazy about this sophomore album by our favorite Joy Division revivalists, but with repeated listens Antics definitely crept on to my top 10."Slow Hands" is the climax of the album (and also a great video if you can catch it) but they keep things interesting throughout. I'm not confident in a third album by Interpol will show enough depth of material to keep this up, but I like to be pleasantly surprised.
[amazon] [iTunes]
U2 - How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
This one might be too easy, and that's coming from a man that was once a solid U2 fan, abandoned them, but got back on the bus for this album. With Ireland the darling of Europe's economy these days, Bono and crew clearly focused on some more personal subjects here, but it works in a big way. The highlights for me are "A Man and a Woman" which musically reminds of really early Boy/October era U2 and ponders "but i could never take a chance losing love to find romance" and also "City of Blinding Lights" which should find some airplay before 2005 is over.
[amazon] [iTunes]
The Killers - Hot Fuss
Of all the 80's revival bands, the Killers were the one i heard in which i thought "what was the name of this band?" and was a little surprised to find out it was a new band. A bunch of good songs, and generally a lot of fun.
[amazon[ [iTunes]
The Strokes - Room On Fire
The better of the two Strokes albums in my opinion - this 35 minutes of pleasure leaves you longing for more.
[amazon] [iTunes]
Sparta - Porcelain
Probably the least known release on this list, but definitely one of the most solid. This is the rhythm section of At-The-Drive-In, and actually their second album together
[amazon] [iTunes]
Keane - Hopes and Fears
Keane's piano driven pop rock will probably draw them comparisons to Coldplay, which is totally warranted, but in my mind Keane probably owes more to Travis for it's sound than anyone else. Anyway you slice it - this is a great album and can easily be found for $6.99 if you try hard enough. What stands out about this album is the strong songwriting and the perfect sound engineering - which seems to be a forgotten art lately.
[amazon] [iTunes]
Travis - 12 Memories
Travis, yet another Scottish band (we're the scouts just camped in Glasgow this year or what?) - this one from the Oasis signing wave, releases in my opinion their best effort to date. If John Lennon left a wake that crashed to shore with Oasis, Travis is clearly McCartney's contribution. The pop sensibilities ooze out in 12 Memories, ranging from the emotionally poignant to the topically political ("The Beatiful Occupation"). Travis also released a singles compilation this year - and if you want to catch up on this band, I highly recommend picking up both Singles and 12 Stories.
[amazon] [iTunes]
Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
Clearly this generation's The Smiths/Pet Shop Boys/[put sexually ambiguous 80's group here], this Scottish outfit definitely wins the prize for most consistent soup to nuts album that just keeps going with additional singles and an additional EP that was released as the "Special Addition" just in time for Christmas. There's a lot of New New Wave bands that came out of the woodwork to prove the music industry was alive and well this year, but Franz Ferdinand tops the list. If i can knock this album at all it's for the production/engineering - as it's way too muddy in places. I'd love to remix this disc from the masters.
[amazon] [iTunes]
Noticeably Absent
Green Day - American Idiot
I've been a huge Green Day fan pretty much since they started, but i can't get into this album at all. It's really derivative and performed without passion for GD. I think they actually steal "Ring of Fire" on one song.
November 23, 2004
vhs or beta night on fire
in my continuing quest for the best new-retro album, vhs or beta might come out on top. it's appropriate that night on fire is available on the same day that U2 releases a new album because at times the new vhs or beta sounds like the old U2. not like the alarm did, but like U2 did. they also sound like Duran Duran and a host of other bands from the 80's, not to mention some disco bands from the 70's - but the bottom line is, they do it with some solid songwriting, a DOD delay pedal and a drum clap track that would make the Cars jeolous.
U2's performance on SNL
If you didn't catch it, and you are any kind of U2 fan, do not pass go and get the torrent here.
I want to jump out on a limb and say this was by far the best musical performance on SNL ever. The performance was great, but for once, SNL also got the sound mix right.
and don't turn it off as the piano queues on the outro...there's a bonus redition of "i will follow" at the end. unfortunately the telecast custs off just as they are launching into a fourth song after that...
i'm sure the bootleggers will have that out there if it's not already.
November 19, 2004
Snoop Dogg practices with USC [via fanblogs]
Over at fanblogs, one of the publications i write for, Josh McClain has a great post on Snoop Dogg practicing with USC. Pretty hilarious.
Of note -
1. He better be careful in those colors. Isn't Snoop a crip?
2. I love the AdSense ads associated with this - "Is Usher Gay?"
3. Wonder if he has his Nokia 6600 with him?
November 15, 2004
bob mould's take on the two songs with grant hart
we were listening to some streamed radio station in the office today and the DJ was going on and on about how Bob Mould and Grant Hart of Hüsker Dü, my first "small venue" concert btw, played two songs together in Minneapolis this weekend, and how it was the first time they had talked since the demise of HD and arguments over song royalties...ironically, one of the songs was "i'm never talking to you again" from zen arcade.
this really wasn't possible ten years ago, but i knew right away i could go get the story straight from the source:
November 01, 2004
October 13, 2004
korn greatest hits, vol 1
Upon first inspection, Korn Greatest Hits, Vol 1 is pretty much your typical greatest hits album - all the singles you want, a few classics, and a couple new tunes and remixes to get the hardcore fans to buy the album. The new new tunes are awesome covers, however, that make this collection stand above the rest.
It leads off with one such cover, an amazingly faithful rendition of one-hit-wonder Cameo's "Word Up" - which Jonathan Davis delivers in a manner where you can't quite tell if he is serious or totally tongue-in-cheek, which makes the song that much better.
Following that is another somewhat faithful cover of Pink Floyd's "Another Brick In The Wall, Part 2" - probably a song that first exposed me to the concept of radio overexposure. It's good to revisit this song again.
In my younger days, Korn made up a good chunk of my listening time, but I have to admit I kind of gave up on their last few commercial efforts, as perhaps the novelty had worn off, and they all got rich and happy.
so for me, anyway, it's good to have this retrospective collection, as I didn't already own most of what they had to offer.
October 12, 2004
sonic youth sonic nurse
a surprisingly strong effort from Sonic Youth, who you think would be lazy and tired by now. granted, this is no Daydream Nation, but it does show that kim gordon and thurston moore can do what they do best: churn out dissonant post pop for their fans at 110%.
October 07, 2004
sparta porcelain
The first few times I listened to Sparta Porcelain - I thought it was just a logical progression of their break-away-from-At-The-Drive-In album Wiretap Scars. it is that, but also so much more. Porcelain still is easily recognizeable as being in the atdi lineage, but somehwat more melodic, and just with wall-to-wall great songs. Give it a listen. Actually, about five or six listens. this might be one of the best releases of the year.
September 29, 2004
interpol antics
i don't know why this is cool, but i was one of the first to jump on the Interpol bandwagon, before anyone had heard of them and before 80's revival was all the rage. lucky me. Antics is the second full length album by Interpol, and so far so good on this one. the reverb on the vocals is turned down to 5 from a 9, and the guitar is a little crunchier and cleaner, which just proves the band doesn't have to hide behind a DOD processor to sound good. perhaps the novelty has worn off a little but Antics is pretty good, not great. it's definitely a listen in the background album for me, but the good news is, i've kept it there on repeat in the background for two days straight.
the heavenly states the heavenly states
i saw The Heavenly States open up for Sebadoh a the bottom of the hill about a month ago, and their live show got me hooked. you don't hear a violin (or viola?) used much as a lead instrument in rock, but these guys and gal amek it work. the album starts with a bang, but if some say it loses steam, i would understand that. a good indie find to add to your collection.
September 28, 2004
richard cheese lounge against the machine
don't laugh, but this is one album i just cant get enough of. yup Richard Cheese, Lounge Against The Machine is one of those novelty albums that is just done so well you forget it's a joke. All covers of mainstream hits such as "Nookie" by Limp Bizkit,
Guerilla Radio (Rage Against the Machine), and Closer (Nine Inch Nails) done in lounge jazz fashon, but done really, really well. you can't stop laughing, but you can't stop diggin' the tunes either. the perfect transitional album for the post-grunge parent to start easing into their older years....
chevelle this type of thinking (could do us in)
ah Chevelle, a good 'ol chicago band once known for being a bad tool copy band, came into their own, so to speak, with the strip-club anthem "the red", so i have been told.
despite titles like "get some" i don't know if any of the tunes on This Type of Thinking will be joining that revered line-up composed mostly of ac/dc and def leppard tunes, but it's a solid effort nonetheless that's worth a listen for fans.
the current single is Vitamin R which isn't that "singly" - it's gives you a good characterization of the rest of the album's crunchy guitars, syncopated rhythms, and angry yet melodic vocals that characterizes this genre of rock.
July 09, 2004
rush feedback
I was a pretty decent rush fan for about three or maybe four of their albums (and I did actually own the albums) in the late eighties, but alas, we parted ways after that, and although I check in every so often to see how this canadian trio is doing, I must admit I haven’t really been intrigued by anything they’ve done lately. Until now.
feedback is collection of covers; aging rockers covering aging-more rockers such as buffalo springfield, the yardbirds, the who, cream, and perhaps one or two others I can’t place. I can’t remember if “Mr. Soul” is buffalo springfield or some other band neil young was in; cut me some slack, all these original songs were released before I was born. I must admit, I didn’t do my homework nor any reseach for this review, but as far as I know, rush has never even done a cover on any of their twenty or so double live albums they seem to release with regularity.
Anyway, feedback is kind of fun. When I saw this song list, I thought to myself, “there’s no way rush can pull this off” - but they can and do. Alex Lifeson, an unequivocal hall-of-fame guitarist in his own right, shows some versatility we haven’t heard out of him since the early eighties, and geddy lee doesn’t over-do it – he just sings these classics in his own style which believe it or not, works with these straight-forward arrangements. None of these songs make neil peart break a sweat, but he tries to show off when he can, paying ample homage to keith moon.
Bad religion the empire strikes first
the empire strikes first is no better or no worse than your average bad religion album. Yes, that’s right: it sounds pretty much like every other bad religion album in the last twenty years. Which is quite amazing if you think about it. I’m not suggesting bad religion hang up the shoes; it’s good to have some things always stay constant in your life. It gives you something to hang onto. Something you can always be sure of
What is also amazing, is that while bad religion’s music pretty much stays the same, what they sing about also stays the same, which is amazing because the world has changed a lot in twenty years, and for a left coast, left wing band like bad religion, they can still sing the same old tune about social inequity, lack of justice, and how technology is spoiling the youth of america no matter which president is in office. I guess that’s their point; the government doesn’t work no matter who is in control. Fine. I can empathize with that; one of the reasons I never registered to vote until about two weeks ago was because there just was never a candidate bad enough to vote against since I was eighteen.
Yeah, don’t expect any keyboards, or blues riffs sneaking into the empire strikes first - although maybe there’s a few more guitar solos than we come to expect, and what is almost a rap snuck into the bridge of “let them eat war,” you can still name that band in one note. it’s dual guitar, bass, drums, greg gaffin singing, and backing vocals that NOFX likes to make fun of. Nothing for the greatest hits collection, either...this is a pot boiler to keep the fans happy. Fans like me.
June 24, 2004
maritime glass floor
while the rest of the syndication/blogging community was in santa clara tonight at some supernova dinner, i decided to go to enjoy the best san francisco has to offer...the the bottom of the hill where ironically, tonight a band was playing a show to promote the next disc i was planning to review, maritme glass floor.
maritime, if you don't know, and since there was only me an seventeen other people there tonight (i could count), you don't know, is composed of two founding members of the promise ring (davey von bohlen [guitar/vocals] and dan didier [drums]) and one member of the dismemberment plan (eric alexelson [bass]) - who collectively recorded two of the best emo albums of all time: nothing feels good and emergency & i, respectively. oh the sadness of it all that dashboard confessional can get radio airplay and an MTV unplugged album and these guys can't even get their recording distributed at amazon. (you can buy it at stinkweeds)
and if you at all want to show some props for these emo legends, you should.
glass floor nowhere approaches the perfection of nothing feels good but is more of a logical extension of where the promise ring left off with emergency! emergency! with a little bit of their swan song, wood/water. these guys have no trouble hiring good producers, this time hiring j. robbins of dino jr. fame to do the dirty deeds, apparently, done dirt cheap.
you can say von bohlen can't sing, and you might be right, but his songwriting is strong enough to pull this disc off. and cut him some slack, the guy had a metal plate put in his head a few years ago, as a result of complications of a brain tumor and the surgery to remove it.
the highlights are "adios" and "someone has to die", and the rest of the disc is at a level close to those. i mean, on every song you have the same somewhat dissonant telecaster sound, with the light percussion of didier keeping the songs moving. the bass is a little buried - something that was even more apparent after hearing this band live.
bottom line is, if you lament the demise of TPR, this is the best you are going to get right now...otherwise, this might be a bit out on the edge for you, but still worth checking out if you are looking for some straightforward, mellow rock.
June 13, 2004
franz ferdinand
more scottish rock, this time in the post-modern revival vein, franz ferdinand (is that the austrian dude that was killed that started dub-ya dub-ya one?). older comparisons are easy here - a bit of blur, with the homo-ambiguity of the smiths (well you know, that ambiguity that was there in 1984, it's pretty obvious now morrissey wasn't so "celibate") ...newer comparisons are easier - the strokes with the vox-distortion box turned down three notches, interpol, sure.
those comparisons aside, franz ferdinand is a lot of fun to listen to, and generally catchy. it's a good consistent album - you either keep it all or throw it all away. i'd keep it. the bass lines are infectous. you've heard "take me out" whether or not you realize it, and i'm guessing you're going to hear a lot more of this disc. this is one of those albums that will remind college kids today of when they were in college for the rest of their lives.
i recommend also getting the iTunes exclusive single "all for you sophia" as a bonus track to accompany the rest of the conventional release.
my only real complaint is the engineering - it's a little too compressed for my tastes, and the high bands are too tuned down, but that's what an equalizer is for.
June 08, 2004
velvet revolver contraband
i was totally prepared to hate this album - being another supergroup composed of scott weiland of stone temple pilots fame, and slash, duff mckagan, and matt sorum of G 'N F 'N R (that's guns 'n fuckin' roses for the rest of you) - i expected it to be another mediocre rock album with a decent single and not much else. i guess having low expectations was the correct strategy here, because i really really like this album.
i like it because their single "slither" is the eleventh song, but i really like the obvious guitar chemistry between duff and slash that we haven't heard since the first two guns and roses albums. this might be the guitar album of the year, and the songs ain't bad either. in fact, they are quite good. there's not a bad track here. you can definitely hear influences of all the bands in velvet revolver's family tree, and scott weiland on top of this backing band just "works."
first audioslave, and now velvet revolver. hail to the return of the supergroup.
March 29, 2004
jet get born
If you read this sidebar regularly, you'll know i'm big at pointing out derivations in the music i hear - and in that light, i am gonna have a field day with jet get born. don't get me wrong - this is a fun disc, but if ever a time machine were to be invented via music - this is it. right back to 1970. this is awesome. granted, it's been done before by the black crowes, but i think jet does it all a little better. and just to clarify - these are all original songs, but you can go through them one by one and pick out particular songs they were all derived from. let's take a look at the first few:
Last Chance - AC/DC (Highway to Hell, Long Way To The Top, hell, every ac/dc song is the same) - well it's only fitting. jet are aussies so why not try to crack the top 10 strip club playlist.
Are You Gonna Be My Girl - Iggy Pop - Lust for Life, A little Zeppelin - is this on a VW commercial or something? you might actually mistake this song for "Lust For Life" in parts
Rollover D.J. - definitely some riffs stolen right from BTO's Takin' Care of Business - probably others. this song is a lotta fun.
Look What You've Done - the Beatles via Oasis. i wish i remembered calculus so i could get the significance but this is a second derivative! sounds more like oasis than the beatles, but at times really sounds like the beatles. did i just calculate the area under john lennon's acid expanded mind or something?
Get What You Need - the Kinks All the Day And All The Night. is that the name of that song? it seems too long.
Move On - Rolling Stones. Wild Horses, steel guitar and all.
Get Me Outta Here - Alice Cooper, like Love It To Death-era Alice Cooper, not School's Out-era Alice Cooper.
anyway - it goes on from there in much the same way. good straight forward rock-'n-roll. guitar, bass, drums, vocals, and an occasional moog. what else do you need? an original sound? nah....
March 27, 2004
dada live: official bootleg (vol. 1)
dada is probably best known for their 1992 hit "dizz knee land" which has suddenly fallen back into fashion with its line "i just flipped off president george, i'm going to disneyland."
fans of dada know their catalog goes much deeper than that, and that what's really to be enjoyed about this orange county trio is their unique brand of funky power pop with dual vocal harmonies shared on every song by their two frontmen not heard since early lennon/mccartney or maybe the posies.
i've seen dada live a couple times, and what's really amazing is that they can pull off these dynamic vocals all while playing their instruments in rhythm syncopated to the vocals, with almost studio quality. no parlor tricks here, no britney spears lip syncing, just pure live showmanship.
that same talent comes across loud and clear on offcial bootleg (vol. 1) (does that mean there's a vol 2?) - this is one of the better live albums i own judged both on production and performance - polar opposites from say, the smiths ironically or maybe not-so-ironically titled rank.
the "hits" are here (maybe that's just "dim" and "dizz knee land") but the rest of the album rocks as well. if you mildly like this band, go out and buy this. if you can wait for the shipping ...
March 19, 2004
the strokes room on fire
i actually wasn't that crazy about the strokes debut is this it. yeah it was catchy, and there was nothing offensive about it, but it just didn't move me. maybe it was the repetitive airplay of "reptilia" on XM radio that drove me to buy room on fire - but i think this one's even catchier...and musically a little more complex. this album seems to get a lot of mixed reviews, but i'd ignore those and give this album a try..it's stuck in the turntable.
musically, "reptilia" and "12:51" remind me of a gap commercial, well a gap commercial before they went earth wind and fire on us ( "oh-ee-oh, say do you remember? oh-ee-oh, dancing in september? oh-ee-oh, never a cloudy day-ay..." or something like that). it's guitar bass and drums with a few keyboards sprinkled in..just enough keyboards to be reminiscent of the early 80's east-coast-pre-new-wave-kinda-punk sound the strokes are derived from. television, the cars, you got it.
my only complaint is that this disc is kinda short. barely over a half hour...but to be honest i'd rather have a solid half hour of rock than an hour disc made up of half filler which seems to be the norm these days. so good. keep the filler for b-sides where they belong so you can release a b-sides compilation in 5 years we'll all love.
enjoy.
February 18, 2004
the stills logic will break your heart
it's hard to describe music without relating it to other music. luckily, everything is so damn derivative these days it's not that difficult. one of these days i want to describe the music scene in UML - it think that would be cool. geeky, but cool.
the stills implement the 80's revival band interface that uses Echo and the Bunnymen, the Smiths, the psychedelic furs not to mention bands derived from them such as the Railway Children and Gene.
this montreal outfit fits a bit into the tracks layed by interpol, but their influences are way easier to pin down. eitherway, it's stuck in the turntable.
the shins chutes too narrow
i stole this album from eric, well not really from eric, but from the artist, not to be confused with the Artist, fka Prince. i'm glad i did, because it's a damn good album with sparks of some originality. it's hard to pin down a consistent influence here - but it's a bit indie, a bit Yes, and other general folk pop - neil young even. oh, right, i got this from eric. this is all big star. "turn a square" could easily be a big star song. does alex chilton play on this track? i dunno, i don't have liner notes, i stole the mp3s, remember?
the guitars are either acoustic or straight through and undistorted, with quite a few pop hooks layered in on top. a little bit country, a little bit rock and roll, but definitely sweet as candy.
February 04, 2004
starsailor silence is easy
starsailor apparently takes their name from a tim buckley album of the same name. i never listened to tim, as he was a little before my time, but on their last album, love is here i thought their obvious influence was suede who probably borrowed more from the smiths, than tim buckley.
on silence is easy starsailor starts to define a little more of their own sound - which is good - meaning, they don't sound like anyone else. they sound like starsailor. "four to the floor" is the standout track, but otherwise this is an entire album of polished, mellow, melodic brit-pop in the same vein as coldplay. okay, so maybe they do sound like someone else.
February 01, 2004
travis 12 memories
okay, i promised a new genre, here it is: post-beatles brit-pop. got a piano, an acoustic guitar, and a minor key or two? you can do this. it helps if you are british. travis do it better than most, and they're scottish. if you're british, that's the same thing. if you're scottish, wars have been started over this subject.
bottom line: if you like radiohead, and you like coldplay, you'll love travis. no collaborative filtering sofware needed.
January 21, 2004
b.o.t.h.
the other day i rattled off about not seeing coheed & cambria live, and wanting to see them in sfo. as fate would have it, i have to go to sfo for a meeting today, and whoa! they are playing tonight at bottom of the hill.
so i guess i have to go.
b.o.t.h. is i think the best place to see an up and coming band in america...you are always close to the stage, they serve PBR at the bar, and its san francisco, there's no smoking allowed in bars or restaurants, which is great for a non-smoker ;) i've seen a few great shows there, and a lot of really good bands in between.
just look for one of the oldest guys in the place!
December 30, 2003
coheed and cambria in keeping secrets of silent earth: 3
coheed and cambria aren't the first ensamble to name themselves after the main character in their concept album - well, actually maybe they are - pink floyd created the wall starring pink long after they had the name in place - but that's okay, the emo generation needs a pink floyd, if at least so they can enjoy an arena concert with the company of flying, inflatable pigs.
in keeping secrets of silent earth is the second installment of a sci-fi concept album by this quartet, which picks up in all respects where their debut, second stage turbine blade left off. yes, lead singer claudio sanchez does sound a little like geddy lee, and joshua eppard's drums aren't unlike what we'd expect from neil peart, and yes, the whole concept album is a little 2112 but I don't expect tom sawyer to appear on their next album.
c&c musically is pretty exciting, and in line with the likes of thursday or at the drive in, a layered emo-core aggressive approach that keeps going on this disc for over an hour. if you are into this type of music, you just have to occaisionally say "wow".
are these guys at bottom of the hill anytime soon in san francisco? if so, i'm goin'. i missed them at the house of blues here in chicago two weeks ago.
"...and the meek shall inherit the earth."
[amazon]
October 27, 2003
sparta wiretap scars
if you've been reading these entries, surely you know that half of at the drive in went here while the other half (the non-afro'ed members) formed sparta in el paso. well, darn if i'm hard pressed to name a band that split into two where both bands recorded some great stuff such as this. no no, duran duran splitting into arcadia and the power station doesn't count.
wiretap scars shows the emo drive behind at the drive in, with a collection of songs that hint at a more melodic emocore while not denying their roots. i guess listening to wiretap scars along with de-loused tells a story of a band that left while on top, a rocket that broke apart at its apogee, one half going off into space, and the other coming back down to earth. lucky for us, we didn't have another challenger.
personally, i'm drawn a little bit more to the mars volta disc. it's just a little more original and little more consistent - but this one is pretty good too.
i'll move out of this genre soon, i promise.
mars volta de-loused in the comatorium
more space rock from the afros from at the drive in. building upon the tease of the tremulant EP this full length release is well worth seeking out. it's not quite as accessible at the drive in's swan song, but shows where the creative element of the former band came from.
September 30, 2003
mars volta tremulant [EP]
this is an older EP by this band, but it's worth mentioning as it's firmly seated in my playlist right now. the mars volta features omar rodriguez and cedric bixler from at the drive in, one of my absolute favorite bands from the emocore era. tremulant gives us a mix of atdi from the casino in/out days, with just enough tremolo to plant them firmly in the "space rock" genre, where you will find bands like 30 seconds to mars, and ziggy stardust era david bowie. spacecore? if you like atdi, you'll love this, if you don't like atdi, well, you probably won't.
September 19, 2003
a perfect circle thirteenth step
after mer de noms we all owe maynard james keenan a great big hug for giving us something we always wanted: a tool album we could play in the car with our wives or girlfriends riding shotgun without being asked to forward to the next disc in the changer, and for the lucky, a disc these significant others even liked. i'm not sure thirteenth step is going to satisfy that need. with eight songs over five minutes long, i dare you to find a track that will make its way onto the radio ("the noose" which might have had a shot comes in at 6:06). i can't complain about that, i don't listen to the radio - but my point is, although there's nothing offensive on this disc, without many repetitive listens, it will probably come off as a little boring. there are definitely some complex math rockers on thirteeth step, meaning i think these songs will be great for the long haul if you can get past the first ten listens. this disc most resembles the cure's disintegration, and i'm not saying that because it has a song called "lullaby" on it. a few songs, such as "the outsider" sound like they would be way more at home with tool than apc - dare i say it, it rocks, and not in a "Judith" type of way. if you are confused as to whether or not i am recommending this disc, so am i. but c'mon, you're a fan, go buy it. you gotta buy zooropa before you decide to stop listening to U2.
evanescence fallen
although "bring me to life" was the best thing about the movie daredevil (c'mon ben, you bagged on a kevin smith movie for that p.o.s.?), the linkin' park hook that's got that song so much radio airplay is there for only one hit. that said, there's a few other standout tracks on this disc, notably "tourniquet" that make it worth listening to. i hate to peg this as seether or puddle of mudd with a female singer, but, um, that's what it is.
saves the day in reverie
saves the day always has kind of walked that fine line between high school emo rock, and the power pop stage that often follows as young bands like this start to mature, and i'm not sure if it's because they are all dreamworked up on this disc, or if chistopher conley was getting laid on a regular basis during the writing of in reverie, but they've certainly moved on to a new stage. conley's vocals, almost always in a dreamy falsetto remind me more now of a young thom yorke than the young morrisey he used to remind me of, although i still see them tracking the smiths more than anything on the career path as they move between abums. there aren't many traces of princeton, nj emocore left here, that's for sure.
fountains of wayne welcome insterstate managers
i don't know how old the members of fow are, but their music would lead you to believe they are perpetually in high school. that's not bad, because it gives 90's power pop an immortal quality. their previous two relesases were about as catchy as they come, and managers delivers as well on their poppy brand of bridge and tunnel rock. "stacy's mom" is a tongue in cheek milf anthem you don't want to miss.