J.J.'s Rock Corner

Important Message from J.J.

2006-05-18T06:47:00.000-07:00

As you've noticed, I've been very, very lax in my posting here. Truth is, I've had a lot going on lately with the end of school and a lot of extra stress and problems, so I haven't had time. So I'm going to make my hiatus official soon. In the next few days I'll be posting reviews on the new Pearl Jam and Red Hot Chili Peppers albums, but after that, it's break time. I'll come back in the summer. I don't know about Emily or Jessica (who I still need to set up an account for...), but it's break time for me. Thank you for your patience.

Song of the Week 5/3/06

2006-05-03T12:20:00.000-07:00

I've been bad with keeping the site up to date again. So quickly, here's the song of the week. No exciting entry, just a solid one I got on a lala CD recently.

Sunday Drive by The Early November

And we wait above a road.
We're turning to go home.
And the silence from the side of the car
Tells me everything and how we are.
'Cause there's no more trying to make this so right
There's no more trying tonight

And you know it's not so easy when you're all alone
And I wonder if I'm alone in your head

I know something is wrong, I just dont know what to do
You say it's only me and that I'm so perfect for you
I don't want to try no more, I dont want to make this right
I just want you to be true to me, one time
And you know it's not so easy when you're all alone
And I wonder if I'm alone in your head
Twelve days gone by since I have saw you last
I'll give this one more try, I'll give it all my best

And I'll ask "What could you be doing that is so much fun
Without me by your side, without me by your side?"

And I will take a step back, and I'll let you ahead.
And I will take a step away and see if you come back
Because there's no more trying to make this so right
There's no more trying, there's no more trying tonight

We'll never be the same.
We will never be the same.
We will never be the same.
We will never be the same until you're done.

brand new brand new?

2006-04-22T11:43:00.000-07:00

Original, huh?
Oh, The Demos. How long have we awaited thee? I have no idea, but what I do know is that many aging east-coast ‘original’ emo kids in anticipation of something, anything new probably came in their pants when they heard about them. Now, when I say ‘aging,’ I mean that the mid-teenies who got their hands on Your Favorite Weapon have now reached legal drinking age. And they still want their Brand New, damnit. Well, I’ll drink to that.
After all the rumors and the whining, nine untitled demo tracks were leaked onto the internet a couple months ago. More rumors and whining followed this turn of events. The latest craze is the recently-announced Brand New Tour. Limited tickets, scalping prices, tears and rage…good times. The Chicago House of Blues show sold out in about 40 minutes without gracing me with a single ticket. But am I bitter? No, I’ve just consoled myself with an unhealthy preoccupation with The Demos. Is there a new album on the horizon? Are they real signs of actual activity over the last three years instead of the orgy of coke, beer, and skinny girls that I can only imagine all rock stars to partake in? One rumor is that these were songs cut from Deja Entendu. Who the hell knows? All I can tell you is what this skinny Mid-Western girl thinks about some demos she ripped off the internet.
That said, The Demos are unmistakably demos. The quality is crappy, at best, the sound is unmixed, causing the vocals and/or instruments to become distorted. But I suppose, after three years of relative silence, they will have to do.
“Untitled 1.” The name just rolls off your tongue, doesn’t it? Here we have a bare-boned acoustic track, yet still distinctly Brand New. It sounds a lot like the mood of Deja's “Tautou” combined with the style of “Play Crack The Sky.” It’s a short and simple track, and pretty forgettable. To make it more memorable, I decided to give it the name of “Girl, I Was a Dick When We Dated, But Apparently I’m Sorry Now, and Full of Adorable Regret.”
Moving on, we have “Untitled 2,” the most notorious, hotly debated, and in my opinion, best and most promising track out of all nine. I call it, “We’re Not The Smiths, But We Can Sure as Hell Try.” Yes, it sounds like a blatant Smiths rip-off. But do I care? Hell no, I love The Smiths! I’m glad their sound hasn’t been lost in the 80’s. I know that a mastered version of this song would boast orgasmic guitar solos that would bring the house down at any show. The lyrics are amazing, exactly what we want from our boys: perfect, biting, haunting, emo: “If there's any justice in Heaven, then God wont let me in / He'll lock the gates and take my weekend pass away / With a sympathetic wave they'll see me off / He took my golden crown while I am cursed to walk the earth for millenia / I know I deserve worse but it terrifies me and I can't take it anymore.” It just don’t get better than that. If you steal only one illigitmate Brand New Demo this year, make it number 2.
“Untitled 3” is another acoustic track. It’s a little more fulfilling than “Untitled 1” with a coherent theme and some back-up vocals. The chorus is distinguishable, catchy even, if not a bit confusing. I call this one “Don’t Fuck With My Brother.” It’s got a nostalgic and meloncholy tone, again in the same vein as “Play Crack The Sky,” yet this track shows a bit more maturity from our boys. The song is almost topical, perhaps an attempt at a political song, albiet a weak one. Hey, at least it’s a start.
The forth track starts out with what I can only assume is a flimsy attempt at a synthesized sountrack to an old video game. Eventually it picks up a routine rock tone, which is reassuring enough in its familiarity. However, I’d almost say this song is a step backwards towards the Your Favorite Weapon days with the generic guitar chords and harmonized chorus. “I'm happy to admit that maybe I am a little depressed / ‘Cuz I'm missing you to death.” Please. Done much? I call this one “Another Shallow Emo Song With Vague Nautical References.” C’est une classique.
“Untitled 5” starts off with a promising beat and guitar theme. The song flows nicely, and even the unmastered demo version has captivating potential. The song employs a hostage situation metaphore, quite well I may add. It may be in the same vein as New End Orginal’s “Hostage,” but it manages to convey some originally. It rises to a dramatic swell in the middle causing the lyrics to become distorted, which I find a bit unnecessary, but I’m sure many fans will dig the scremo-estque vibes. Despite its pitfalls (why the hell is it seven minutes long?), this song is distinct, unique, and fairly promsing. I call it “The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men,” and I really hope they do, too.
The sixth track goes acoustic again, but with a very Simon and Garfunkle meets emo feel to it, which I really dig. A sad and lonely song, perhaps a bit drawn-out, but very haunting indeed. A little work could turn “Untitled 6,” or “Scarbourogh Fair, Where Have You Been?” into a Brand New Classic.
“Untitled 7” has a lighter feel which is welcoming even on an unvarsnished demo track. Here Brand New also has a quite successful first encounter (to my knowledge) with a piano, which replaces the guitar on this track. I am curious to hear what a mastered version of this song would sound like. Despite its rawness, this track shows unbelieveable promise as a new lazy summertime anthem for the emo generation. I call it “A Morning Song.”
Back to the acoustic, “Untitled 8” gives off the feel of something Conor Oberest recorded in a dingy basement or tour bus…but in a good way? The low-fi quality is a bit unnerving. Nonetheless, it’s sorrowful, desperate, pathetic, Brand New at its most honest. The song seems longer than its five minutes, but maybe that’s because of the indistinguishable lyrics and the feeling that they might change your life…if only you could hear them! “Brand Bright New Eyes?” is my unoffical title.
“Untitled 9.” Have we finally made it? What a journey! This one begins a little Smiths/Cure-esque, but not blatent as track 2. Despite the fact that no one seems to be able to figure out what the hell the chorus is, this is a solid demo, as paradoxical as that may sound. If another album is on the way, I hope this one (“They Come on Battalions…The Tallyons? Huh?”) is on it.
And thus concludes our magical mystery tour. Overall, I can see the promise in most of these tracks whether or not it’s really there. I guess now I’ll go back to desperately awaiting more brand new Brand New news (say that five times fast) while attempting to sell my soul on e-bay in hopes of finding tickets to the Chicago show. Peace.
-MLE

and i'll bet they're laughing at us right now.
the lyrics?
any method to the madness?

Lightning Round: Kasabian, Thrice, Hawthorne Heights

2006-04-20T07:28:00.000-07:00

Despite getting assloads of new CDs the past few weeks, I'm depressingly behind on new music. It's making me sad. I meant to both pick up and review the new Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Lacuna Coil discs, but haven't gotten to yet. So, for now, I've got three CDs: one about a month old and two from the last parts of 2005. So here we go.

Kasabian
If British bands Radiohead and The Verve had a lovechild who then came to America and was taught how to be American by Beck, that bundle of weird would be Kasabian. Which is ironic, because they actually are British. I just needed to work Beck in there. Anyways, Kasabian is a band with a great sound who are really, really enjoyable and fun to listen to. They have a major shortcoming, though: they take themselves extraordinarily seriously and seem to believe they're original and breakthrough. They even go so far as quoting and referencing some of their "influences," which make them seem even less original, despite their clear feeling that they're revolutionary. So kudos for being a very enjoyable listen, but I have to dock points for their blatant inoriginality.
Grade: C+
Best Tracks: Club Foot, Processed Beats, I.D., Running Battle

Thrice - Vheissu
When a band releases a CD with an esoteric name like Vheissu and a mature, artsy cover like that, it usually signifies a breakthrough, mature album that exposes the band as more than a band, but deep artists as well (see Nada Surf and My Morning Jacket). This is not one of those records. It is a bit different for Thrice: it's much more straightforward and less thrashy, but in the end it comes off as nothing special at all. It's a certainly enjoyable and very competent but only slightly better than average record. There are no real weak songs to be found, but only a few are stand-out. Best for fans of hard rock, alt. rock, and emo, though the emo undertones are similar to the emo undertones of bands like the Foo Fighters. Don't let it scare you off if you were considering buying it anyways.
Grade: B-
Best Tracks: Atlantic, For Miles, Music Box, Like Moths to Flame, Red Sky

Hawthorne Heights - If Only You Were Lonely
Awhile back, when I reviewed HH's first album, I said that I didn't know if they could pull off another album and still grow because of their seeminly limited talent. I still worry about that long term, but they proved me wrong this time. Sort of. They must have sensed that people were thinking that, because The Silence... was still big when they released this, and they're hoping to cash in while they're still popular. HH manages to infuse another level of depth to their music, which was much-needed. There is definitely more of a metal influence on this album. However, the problem comes from the fact that, as I predicted, the sound is starting to quickly become a bit stale, especially because there are bands who do it so much better. Along the exact same lines, HH's sound alone is getting stale as well. While I can appreciate their attempt at branching out, this album is entirely passable. It gets its grade for the fact that they've matured and that despite the grade, it's a better overall record. But I can't see myself listening to this a whole lot, because I'm just tired of it. It's ironic there's a song on here called We Are So Last Year because, well, they kind of are.
Grade: B-
Best Tracks: This Is Who We Are, We Are So Last Year, Saying Sorry, Breathing Sequence

jonah says hi

2006-04-14T14:03:00.000-07:00

actually, emily says hi. sorry it's been a while. i thought i'd let some time to let my awesome dylan article sink in. :-D
coming soon: good stuff!
for now, i'd like to share a podcast with y'alls. for those of us not fortunate to have access to the infinite power of lala, jonah matranga's new podcast, Rock Geeks Unite should satisfy anybody's indie-hunger for new music.
some of you may remember jonah matranga from such bands as Far, onelinedrawing, New End Original, Gratitude, as a featured artist on a couple Fort Minor tracks, or from my dreams *swoon*.
anywho, the indie-emo god who claims that "rock should be less like a mall and more like a garage sale" has added dj to his list of many accomplishments.
you may not be crazy about everything you hear, but it sure is worth a listen. so check it out if you have time.
more about jonah.

stay nice. <3?
-MLE

Song of the Week: 4/13/06

2006-04-13T12:25:00.000-07:00

Because I'm really slow post-vacation, I bring another song of the week, and it's a day late. Continuing with what started last week and I've decided will last a few more, this week's another song about sex (and on mixes from Emily). Whoopee! With graphic descriptions out the wazoo, this week it's...

Rapture by Pedro the Lion

This is how we multiply

Pity that it's not my wife

The friction and skin

The trembling sigh

This is how bodies move

With everything we could lose

Pushing us deeper still

The sheets and the sweat

The seed and the spill

The bitter pill yet undiscovered

Gideon is in the drawer

Clothes scattered on the floor

She's arching her back

She screams for more

Oh, my sweet rapture

I hear Jesus

Calling me home

Finally a chance to breathe

Reaching for the the fallen sheets

Collapsing in a glowing heap

We've gone too far

We've done too much

We have to quit it

Just one more kiss

Just one more touch

Please ten more minutes

This feels so good

Just barely moving

The tension building

Our bodies working

To reach the goal

Oh, my sweet rapture

I hear Jesus and the angels singing

Hallelujah

Calling me to enter the promised land

Song of the Week: 4/5/06

2006-04-05T08:21:00.000-07:00

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnd... I'm back. I spent last week and the surrounding days on a whirlwind spring break tour that brought me to Madison, St. Louis to visit the cousins, Chicago to visit school, Ashley, and Emily, and back to Madison. Anyways, while I was in Chicago, Em burned me a few pretty kickass CDs. Her Space Holiday was a band I had heard a few things from on satellite radio, but didn't have a lot of exposure to outside of that. This was one of the ones she put on one of the CDs, and that sentence wasn't smooth at all. Like most songs of the week, I'm in love with the lyrics and want to have their baby. It instills a feeling of sadness for the people that it's about. Anyways...

Japanese Gum by Her Space Holiday

I used to know this girl

Who gave her love away

To every guy she met

And with all the games they played

She never seemed to cry

She never got upset

And one by one they came

And one by one they left

I thought that I could fix her

If she would let me in

But all of my advances

Were shut down in the end

When days turned into months

I begged her to explain

And this is what she sang

It's not like I'm a slut

Or that I really like to fuck

I just want every boy I see

To walk away with part of me

Until there's nothing left to hold

Until there's nothing left to hate

I appreciate your help

But even you can't save me from myself

I used to know this boy

Who took notes in a book

But he ripped out all the pages

Before I got a look

At all the words he scribbled

At all the lines he filled

But the ink stains on his fingers

Told me he was skilled

At capturing a feeling

That most of us just miss

The simple pain of living

With goodbyes on our lips

I found one of the pages

Crumpled by her bed

And this is how it read

It's not like I am weak

Or that I don't know how to leave

It's just that every time you cheat

You bring me closer to defeat

Until there's nothing left to love

Until there's nothing left to say

I know that you need help

But even I can't save you from yourself

Help Wanted

2006-03-27T22:11:00.000-08:00

So yeah, I despite the comment I made, like, two minutes ago (literally), I really do like having updates from Emily, too. So I'm considering taking on other guest writers at times. Not necessarily just reviews. You see me fuck around on the site, if you wanna write something that's, like, what's good right now or what's not or just anything. If you're at all interested, just tell me.

Vacation=Slow updates

2006-03-27T22:09:00.000-08:00

Yeah, spring break's upon me. So that's why the updates are slowing down now. Actually gonna be visiting Emily, who writes reviews so professionally it weirds me out. Might be able to crank something out this week, but I can't promise anything.

bob dylan: how does it feel?

2006-03-24T14:44:00.000-08:00

i thought i'd spare you my asheley simpson review and get right to the crowned jewel. read and worship the greatness that is bobby d.

No Direction Home: Bob Dylan
Directed by Martin Scorsese

Grade: A+

Once Upon a Time…

A chorus of ‘boos’ floats up to the stage and catcalls fly throughout the entire set. What would be every performer’s worst nightmare was just a day in the life of Bob Dylan circa 1966. The controversy surrounding Dylan’s increasing use of electric guitar versus acoustic that erupted at a sold-out show in Great Britain frames the documentary No Direction Home, directed by Martin Scorsese. This two-part film recently aired on PBS, and focuses on the life and career of the famed singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. No Direction Home spotlights a small period of Dylan’s life, from the early 1950’s to his career-halting motorcycle accident in 1966. With brilliant editing, candid interviews, and amazing performance footage, this documentary should attract not only the attention of Dylan fans, but also history addicts, sixties buffs, and anyone who appreciates music.
Dylan’s folk career began after traveling from rural Minnesota to New York’s Greenwich Village, which was then the center of America’s “beat” culture of the 1950s. There he drew on the songs of folk singers he admired, particularly Woody Guthrie, to make a name for himself on the beat/folk scene. By the beginning of the turbulent sixties, Dylan was ready to take on America as a whole. A particularly moving part of the film features famed Beat poet Allan Ginsberg commenting on how he felt after listening to Dylan’s music. He said he was moved to tears as he realized that “the torch had been passed” to a new generation of young people ready to make a difference. The film’s focus on American culture throughout this time period not only put Dylan’s genius in context, but also helps a newer generation to understand the profound and lasting impact that Dylan and other artists of the time had on American pop culture and history.
The insight No Direction Home gives on Dylan’s transformation from folk performer to songwriter is fascinating. While Dylan repeatedly denied that he was a “topical songwriter,” songs like “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “The Times They Are A-Changin’” inspired a generation of angry youth who claimed them as their own “protest songs.” As noted in an interview with fellow folk singer and longtime companion Joan Baez, Dylan never attended any protests, nor became involved in any political action whatsoever. Despite all this, Dylan became an icon on a pedestal to advocates of political and social change.
So it was that Dylan-worshippers began to grow distressed with the release of albums like 1965’s Highway 61 Revisited that had a more blues-rock appeal. The film highlights the intense anger that fans displayed when Dylan played electric guitar with a backing band at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965. This is where the ‘boos’ started, and Dylan’s attitude as an artist truly began to show through. Responding to accusations that he had abandoned his generation and their ‘cause,’ Dylan merely remarked, “All my songs are protest songs; All I do is protest,” before launching into a jazzy rendition of “Leopard-Skin Pillbox Hat.”
Dylan’s sincerity and honesty shine through in the old footage as well as in the recent interviews done specifically for the film; now as much as then, he refuses to apologize for himself. Even for those who don’t admire Dylan’s music, the film is worth watching for Dylan’s public behavior and quips at fans and press. Another highlight is the footage of a candid, slightly inebriated musical collaboration between Bob Dylan and the great Johnny Cash.
No Direction Home is a historic, musical, and cinematic masterpiece. The film is available on DVD as well as the soundtrack with never-before-heard bootleg performances and alternate takes of Dylan’s classic songs. So grab some friends, siblings, even a parent, and as Dylan said in the face of a booing crowd, “Play it real f**king loud!”

-MLE

Song of the Week: 3/22/06

2006-03-22T06:43:00.000-08:00

I wish I could say I was a fan of Lacuna Coil longer than I can, because then I'd be cooler(?). I'm a recentish convert, but I've been loving the hell out of almost everything I've heard, including their new single. After debuting on the Underworld: Evolution soundtrack and now the first single from the forthcoming Karmacode, this week it's...

Our Truth by Lacuna Coil

Clock is ticking while I’m killing time

Spinning all around

Nothing else that you can do

To turn it back

Wicked partnership in this crime

Ripping off the past, condescending smile

Trying to forget (Wasting my time)

We're falling right through

Lying to forget (Telling more lies)

We're raising our truth

Go and tease me

Clock is ticking while I’m still in time

Can’t you turn it back?

Stop the cycle, set me free

Run away

Silence sneaking along my path

Grab the rope off me, feeling like we'll fly(Feeling like we'll fly)

Time to forget (Wasting my time)

The fall of my truth

Lying to forget (Telling more lies)

Our ways of our truth

Trying to forget (Wasting my time)

We're falling right through

Lying to forget (Telling more lies)

We're raising our truth

la la: Is this the coolest thing ever?

2006-03-20T09:25:00.000-08:00

It might be, so prepare for an article where I commit a grotesque overuse of the word "cool," because I'm so cool myself. This is gonna sound like a fucking advertisement, but this is too cool. I'm pumped. la la is a site that my friend's dad (and this makes it sound even cooler, huh?) introduced me to. But what's cool about it is what it is. Cool.
la la is a music trading site. Not, like, downloading music or anything. If you don't want a CD, just list it under what you have. If someone wants it, you can ship it to them. In return, you get a trade credit. You list stuff you want too, and when you have a trade credit, someone with a CD you want sends it off to you. It works on credits, so it's not frustrating to find someone willing to trade you for something you have. It's really efficient. And cool. I've already gotten Weezer's Make Believe, and I've got a Better Than Ezra, Paloalto, Flaming Lips, and a replacement Dave Matthews CD on the way. What'd I get rid of? Creed, P.O.D., G&R, and a bad McCartney album. Which are cool to get rid of.
It can be found at www.lala.com. Unfortunately, right now, la la is invite only. I'm not taking requests for invites right now, but if you can find a way on, go for it. It's really cool.

menos el oso: los títulos sin inspiración, el album sin inspiración

2006-03-18T09:37:00.000-08:00

ok, so i obviously don't speak spanish.
here's another review i did for Music News & Reviews, so quality assured here.

Minus The Bear
Menos el Oso

Grade: C+

Uninspired Titles, Uninspired Album

From the band that brought us albums such as Highly Refined Pirates and Bands Like It When You Yell Yar At Them, Menos el Oso may seem like a step down for Minus the Bear, at least in its title. Musically, however, the album is more of a step sideways for the band. Far from a disappointment, Menos el Oso provides fans with the soothing, mellow Indie Rock that they’re accustomed to. There are still plenty of clever lyrics and excellent guitar riffs. Despite all this, the album seems to be missing something. Perhaps that ‘something’ is the off-the-wall song titles that are found in Minus the Bear’s other work. After tracks like “Monkey!!! Knife!!! Fight!!!” and “Booyah Achieved” from Pirates, “Drilling” and “Hooray” may seem a bit…tame.
Titles aside, some of the songs blend together, and tracks like “Pig War” are hardly worth listening to. In between the mediocrity, however, there are stand-out tracks like the playful “Memphis & 53rd” and the serious “El Torrente.” Despite its shortcomings, the album flows nicely, and supplies a good “chill-out” ambiance, yet it can also provide some depth. For example, “Michio’s Death Drive” can simply be background music or an ominous warning: “I drive too fast at night / because accidents happen to other men / and not to me.” While Menos el Oso is nothing new for Minus the Bear, it is worth a listen for old and new fans alike.

-MLE

What Looks Good: Upcoming spring releases

2006-03-17T10:06:00.000-08:00

Spring is looking great for music. I'm gonna knock a few out here that I'm particuarly looking forward to.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Show Your Bones March 28th
The follow-up to Fever to Tell, Show Your Bones is supposed to be more polished and less blatantly angry album then their last critically acclaimed disc. I like the sound of that, because while I like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, I always felt they'd be best with a little more polish applied and a little more controlled. Hell, I thought they did their best with Maps, which was much more heartfelt then enraged. Here's to hoping that this works.

Lacuna Coil - Karmacode April 4th
The first CD since their amazing Comalies CD. The first single, Our Truth, is already on the radio and was featured on the Underworld: Evolution soundtrack. They haven't lost their touch, if Our Truth is any sign. Highly anticipated.

The Vines - Vision Valley April 4th
The Vines were a band that I didn't much care for when they made their debut. Their second album, Winning Days, with the amazingly catchy and damn good Ride as it's breakout single gave me a little faith in them. Dunno if I'll get this, but if it's good, I might.

Secret Machines - Ten Silver Drops April 25th
I loved The Secret Machines debut album, which crammed a good hour of music into nine tracks. Though they released and EP inbetween then and now (with some good stuff, I might add), but this is their first album since. While I loved Now Here Is Nowhere, there was clearly room for them to mature, and I can't wait to see where they go.

Taking Back Sunday - Louder Now April 25th
Despite the fact that I'm getting tired of them, Taking Back Sunday's last two albums were very solid releases. The new song, MakeDamnSure, is classic TBS and still sounds good, so I'll be giving this one a look-see. Plus, from the tracklisting I saw, while they could still use some therapy, the song names are getting better. Like, they sorta fit.

Pearl Jam - Pearl Jam May 2nd
Alright, we all know I'm a huge Pearl Jam fan. Their eighth album, and first since leaving their old label, Epic, is said to be their most collaborative album yet. That's something, because the last time they got really collaborative they produced the amazing Yield. Even guitarist Mike McCready is finally contributing lyrics. Oh yeah, it took them eight albums to finally just self-title one.

Thursday - A City by the Light Divided May 2nd
Thursday's last album, War All The Time, is quickly rising through the ranks of my favorite CDs of all time. Thus, it shouldn't be surprising that I'm eagerly awaiting that this album. I haven't heard anything on it outside of title and release date, but that doesn't change my excitement for new Thursday.

Dashboard Confessional - Title TBA Late May
Loved loved loved Dashboard's early stuff. 2003's A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar was a solid record, but not near as good as the others. I have no idea what this is gonna be like, but I still plan to check it out in hopes of improvement over the last album, on which it was clear Carabba didn't have complete control but was being told to do more universally friendly songs.

Song of the Week: 3/15/06

2006-03-15T17:43:00.000-08:00

Couldn't think of something I was really into this week, so I'm going with something I found recently. It's a B-Side off of their The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows single from the U.K. I've been listening to this song a lot the past month or so. Anywho, this week it's...

Moshi Moshi by Brand New

I think I'm crazy, baby

Let you off the hook too easy

If you were a telephone, you'd still be off the hook.

This is my last leg.

Been awake for days.

In a minute I'll die of starvation.

But I'll come back a ghost if I can haunt you and float around your room.

What do I do when you get close?

If I kissed your neck, would you slit my throat?

And are you thinking of me

When you're putting on your makeup, darling

Dying your hair like you do?

Well you're wasting you're time if you're trying to impress me.

I waste all my time just thinking of you.

And I'm not imagining how you give me the shivers

Standing up to your waist in your river.

You're the sweetest boat-builder I think I've ever seen.

Dream in Japanese.

Dream in Japanese

Some language I don't even know how to speak.

You're still pretty and I am still choked up

So it's probably just the same.

The more I hang around you

The more hang-ups I get.

And are you thinking of me

When you're putting on your makeup, darling

Dying your hair like you do?

Well you're wasting time if you're trying to impress me.

I waste all my time just thinking of you.

I know that you're an angel

Though you could never stay true.

Hey angel

I think your halo has a screw loose

'Cause you dropped me like a brick

Off of the rooftop of your high school.

Could I watch the next time you're applying your eyeliner?

I waste all my time just thinking of you.

intro to MLE/gym class hereos

2006-03-13T20:08:00.000-08:00

hey, all. it's the emily, otherwise known as em, the M6, MLE, and whatever they call me behind my back. i eat music for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, mostly of the indie pop/rock/emo/folk variety. i love dancing, but i live for lyrics. top five lyricists: bob dylan, ani difranco, jonah matranga, jeff tweedy (wilco), isaac brock (modest mouse). i make lists compulsively. i am the mixtape queen. i have an open mind and i hope you do, too.
let me preface by saying that these first couple reviews were written for my school magazine, hence the PG content, chicago references, and over-all blandness. yay for censorship!

Gym Class Heroes
The Papercut Chronicles

Grade: B
The Reason for the Legions

“Could tell you whatever you want to hear / But if I just said hello, would you listen to me? / I could sell a blind man new ears / If I just said hello, would you listen to me?” These aren’t lyrics that you’ll find on KissFM or MTV’s Direct Effect. The Papercut Chronicles, the debut album from Gym Class Heroes, lacks any of the conventions or clichés of modern Rap. Rebelling from the popular Hip-Hop culture of looped samples, Gym Class Heroes creates their own hooks and beats using a five-piece band. The steady drum and bass line provide the perfect background for intelligible and intelligent lyrics, with none of the repetition or homogeneity found in today’s Hip-Hop scene.
The Papercut Chronicles should catch the ears of anyone looking for a change from the norm, whether the norm is Top 40 Rap songs or generic Punk-Pop. The lyrics are accessible and honest, if not a bit “emo” in nature. For example: “When the door shuts / It's like another papercut / And now I'm stuck with a hand full of band aids / Until she comes back around like them ceiling fan blades.” However, the album’s central theme is not without humor and irony. While most “Emo” bands are comparing heartbreak to slit throats and black eyes, to the Gym Class Heroes, they are just “papercuts.” This suggests that while love troubles can be consuming and obnoxious, they are, in reality, not life-threatening.
Gym Class Heroes are certainly knowledgeable enough about Emo roots to give this critique, as they demonstrate in “Taxi Driver,” a song that cleverly pays tribute to influential bands of the past and present. If the punk rock references don’t hook potential fans, “Cupid’s Chokehold” will. This playful song, features Patrick Stump, everybody’s favorite GBS alumni. The song “Make Out Club,” a mischievous recounting of various girlfriends, is refreshingly different from similar songs (Jay-Z’s “Girls Girls Girls”) in its wit and ingenuity.
The album also has its serious side. Songs like “Pillmatic” and “Faces in the Hall” deal with issues not normally addressed in Hip-Hop, or most other genres of music, like prescription drug abuse and homophobia. Songs like “Nothing Boy Vs. The Echo Factor” challenge listeners with a refreshing change from Rap that insults the intelligence of fans. The Papercut Chronicles is a promising first release for Gym Class Heroes. Some of the lyrics show front-man Travis Schleprok’s immaturity as a writer, and the instrumentals could use some variation; however, The Papercut Chronicles is a tightly woven, well-produced album that should appeal to fans of Hip-Hop and Rock alike.

-MLE

Gavin Rossdale: a career that only gets worse

2006-03-13T18:08:00.000-08:00

How many of you remember Bush? The band, that is. I hope a lot of you do. They were a pretty good band, sort of. Their debut album, Sixteen Stone, is one of my favorites, was a staple of modern rock in the 90s, and is one of the top college radio albums of all time. It was a great CD. From there... eh. The band toured with No Doubt, and Gavin Rossdale ended up marrying Gwen Stefani. That's the only impressive thing he's done since Sixteen Stone, despite having an amazing voice. Here's a quick rundown of how bad his career got. It's almost comical.

Sixteen Stone
Hailing from Britain but being a hit only in America, Bush's debut album featured five songs that have become classics in modern rock. Featuring the hits Everything Zen, Little Things, Comedown, Machinehead, and the #1 hit Glycerine, Sixteen Stone catapulted the band into multiplatinum success.

Razorblade Suitcase
Bush's second album was a massive disappointment, and can now be found in mass quantities in the bargain section of most used CD stores. That's because most people pawned their copies, probably even people who didn't own the CD. I got mine for $2. This CD killed their career where it stood, and the following CD joins this one in the bargain bins just because of this steaming pile. The one saving grace was Swallowed.

The Science of Things
Often joining Razorblade Suitcase as a cheapass disc (though not as bad) was this CD, their third. Honestly, though, The Science of Things was an alright CD. It wasn't any Sixteen Stone by any stretch, but it deserves more than it got.

Golden State
The ultimate "going out with a whimper" CD. Wowee, this thing sucked. It had a lot of hype and a hit single (The People That We Love), but it sure didn't sell that well and not because it was overlooked. Quickly forgotten, this CD proved the end of Bush.

Post-Bush
Lives in his wife's shadow for awhile. He had a small hit off of the XXX soundtrack called Adrenaline as his first (and to my knowledge, only) solo work. One day a kid showed up at his doorstep. Surprise Gwen, you're a stepmom! That really happened. She didn't know he had a kid. In fairness, neither did he, but this is still DAMN funny.

Institute
Rossdale's new band. I only know their semi-tanked single Bulletproof Skin. Still, this is getting worse reviews than Razorblade Suitcase got, so if that says anything, they can't be good. We all know I'm not one to agree with critics all the time, but seeing as how horrible the last few things he did were, and that Bulletproof Skin wasn't even that good, I'm playing it safe and not spending the money on this one. Sorry Gav.

Welcoming new staff!

2006-03-13T04:44:00.000-08:00

My good friend Emily has agreed to help out on the site, and will be guest writing at points with stuff probably infinitely better than mine. So I may have to kick her off eventually for my own pride. But anyways, yeah, she'll be dropping in from time to time to give a review or a recomendation just whatever she wants. It'll give the site a second opinion to speak, and also will allow more updates and not just all fall on me. So thank you Emily.
And hey, if anyone else is interested in occasionally writing, just tell me.

Scott Stapp: Proof in Karma

2006-03-12T00:31:00.000-08:00

*DISCLAIMER*
Yes, this is going to blatantly bash Scott Stapp. Let's face it, I can't stand people who are this high on themselves, and I LOVE highlighting how far he fell off his high horse. Petty and childish? Maybe a little, but if you think so you're a butthead. I had fun with it.

Anyways...
Ah, Scott Stapp. The ultimate example of a guy who got really high on himself and then became an enormous joke. Many of you know Scotty boy as the voice of Creed, a band with good beginnings, and then, upon the release of their final album, you could HEAR the ego shining through his voice.
See, Scotty boy (as I will be calling him for the rest of this review) had an extraordinary holier-than-thou attitude and became famous for pissing people off, including his own bandmates. Hell, they were sued by their own fans because Scotty boy got fucked up and forgot he was doing a concert! So in 2004, Creed called it quits, and the airwaves of radio no longer had to worry about being flooded with mediocre and extremely overplayed rock with annoyingly discreet yet obviously Christian lyrics. To make things even better was what happened next.
Everyone knew Scotty boy would try to do a solo thing. What not a lot of people predicted was Alter Bridge. It was, like, three months after Creed broke up when this album came out. See, after Creed "broke up and all went their separate ways," Mark Tremonti and Scott Phillips, the two other members of Creed, stuck together and got themselves a new lead singer. And to add icing to the top, they brought back Brian Marshall, the bass player Scotty boy himself kicked out of Creed. I would have LOVED to see this conversation.
"Hey, Scott, we gotta talk. We think it's time we all went our separate ways. We're splitting up the band. Glad you understand. Good luck... O.K., the bastard's gone, let's go get Brian and find someone who won't make the world hate us to be our frontman."
While Alter Bridge's debut, One Day Remains, was by no means a masterpiece, it was much better that Creed proved to be and was listenable. Plus, you don't hate the new lead singer.
Scotty boy, on the other hand? His solo album came out a few months ago. It completely tanked. No one was buying it. His debut single, Set Me Free, while it was acknowledged, it was by no stretch of the imagination a huge hit. In fact, as soon as the album didn't sell, it all but completely disappeared off the radio. Because people hate Scott Stapp. The only thing worse than the sales were the critical reviews. The five loyal Stappy's (as I shall call them) went around praising this album, and honestly made compelling points. But let me tell you, I've heard it to, and it really sucked. He still has his ego. Which is amazing, considering how it was also panned by critics everywhere. Ah, lovin' it. This seemed like it should have been the end of Scotty boy's career, but fortunately for me, something has recently happened to just add icing.
A sex tape of Scotty boy, Kid Rock, and a bunch of strippers has leaked onto the internet. This does nothing to hurt Kid's image, because who honestly would be surprised about that? Scotty boy, on the other hand... Well woo hoo. I love "leaks."

I guess what I'm saying is that Scotty boy building himself up so high and then falling off his high horse into a pile of its shit... Well, let's just say I love having a music site.

Flyleaf: Well worth the $5

2006-03-09T14:24:00.000-08:00

Flyleaf was an odd, sorta indie metal band with a female lead that I heard while I was in Madison a few months back. A few days ago I was at The Exclusive Company, and they had their CD for the "no-risk" price of $5. I thought to myself "Hey, it's no risk!" So I bought it, knowing I sorta liked some of their stuff. That said, I was more than ready to title this review "Flyleaf: $5 Piece of Shit." I think that suggests how high my hopes were. It wasn't that bad, actually.

Flyleaf

Grade: B-
Warning: this chick screams. Along those lines, lead singer Lacey Mosley doesn't do it that often, and really only showcases it in the band's first single, I'm So Sick. Anyway's Flyleaf's full-length debut contains six songs that could be found on their EP, released only four months before this, plus five new ones.

This is a very angry CD. I've seen it called Christian, and I'm sorry, but I'm damn sure that these people are wrong. I've never seen a Christian band with the balls to have the lyrics "Do you believe in God, written on a bullet?" That line's from Cassie, a very brutal and graphic song about a school shooting. Great lyrics I'll return to later. The album starts off as very, very, VERY average for the first four tracks. It hits it's stride in the album's shiner, Sorrow. From there, it surprised the hell out of my by how great it got. I was ready to give this album an average "C" before this stuff started playing, and while I felt this was the perfect album to receive a "C" and wanted to grade it that, I couldn't deny how good it got later on. Flyleaf takes it down a notch for the pretty good ballad There-For-You before going into the most brutal and oddly catchy song on the album, Breathe Today (which was the single off their EP), then ending with So I Thought. Honestly, never would have thought the last song here would even be the same band. Kinda poppish, but enjoyable. But I'm guessing you don't care about the details, so I'll wrap this up.

Mosley's lyrics are quite strong throughout the whole album, and while I'm a sucker for Death Cab-esque metaphorical lyrics, Mosley's usually blunt lyrics work amazingly well with the music, especially in Cassie. I was well aware of how overall average this CD was at times, but I enjoyed it all the way through. If you find it really cheap, which shouldn't be too hard, I wholeheartedly recommend trying it for the price. After all, it's "no risk."

Best Tracks: Sorrow, All Around Me, Breathe Today, So I Thought

Song of the Week 3/8/06

2006-03-09T07:45:00.000-08:00

Song of the week returns, and it returns a day late because I completely forgot. This is a song I just sort of discovered on Launch yesterday, and holy crap I loved it. It's repetition gives a bitter feeling that is then driven home. I don't know much about the band yet, but they're definitely one I'm definitely gonna learn more about. Oddly, they're categorized on Launch as Rock, not emo. This is where me needing to learn more comes in. Off of 2002's Light A Match, For I Deserve To Burn, this week it's...

Circular Parade by The Beautiful Mistake

Guilty and degraded.

We've bastardized ourselves and lost our purity.

Guilty and degraded.

We've bastardized ourselves and lost our purity.

Right now you find the words to right your wrongs

Objectify the one thing that I wanted more that you

And I look into your eyes

Sitting here as you walk through the door

The sex that I see

It binds my heart, it blinds my eyes so I give in

I don't want this anymore

I've brought you into my, I've brought you here

You're in my circular parade of failure, of failure

(Run away!)

Right now you find the words to right your wrongs

And I'm sorry for the way my eyes

And I'm sorry for the way my eyes objectify you

Objectify you.

Lightning Round: Lacuna Coil, Panic! At The Disco, Silverstein

2006-03-07T09:43:00.000-08:00

So about two and a half months back a friend gave me two CDs to review and/or recommend, one being an older CD (Lacuna Coil from '02) and the other being that new Panic! band everyone's liking. So today you're getting those two, plus Silverstein's latest CD, which I just bought recently. Plenty of surprises. Let's get it underway.

Lacuna Coil - Comalies
Lacuna Coil's a band I've been aware of for awhile but never really listened to. I'm normally not a big metal fan, but damn, these guys are good. This already ranks among my favorite metal CDs ever. Lacuna Coil has an art about their music that is enhanced by the dual lead singers and the interesting dynamic that one is female and the other is not. So he's a dude. Anyways, the dynamic works very well, especially on the hits Swamped and Heaven's A Lie, not to mention the haunting Angel's Punishment. I don't know what more to say about this CD. It just works. Great for fans of metal, hard rock, and chicks who rock. Oh yeah, they have a new CD next month. From what I've heard (new single Our Truth is amazing), it'll be good too. Oh yeah, singer Christina Scabia is an uber-babe.
Grade: A
Best Tracks: Swamped, Heaven's A Lie, The Prophet Said, Angel's Punishment
Panic! At The Disco - A Fever You Can't Sweat Out
I expected to, hell, I wanted to hate this CD. I knew of some of their crappy lyrics and I heard they were similar to Fall Out Boy. So when I don't hate them, they've clearly got something going on. While by no means a great CD, Fever is pretty good. Definitely above average. It's very catchy at parts, and surprisingly deep at times. Plus, the CD starts with a song that just unapologetically says "We're here, time to start this up," which I always found a cool way to open a CD when done right. They do, but there are some serious complaints. They have some atrocious, at times almost offensive lyrics, the songs are often average, and the song names are ridiculous. I hate this Taking Back Sunday attitude in music where it's cool to name your songs something that has NOTHING to do with the song. While Brand New does it, their names at least fit the mood. This trend needs to stop RIGHT FUCKING NOW. I had to dock points for that. Seriously, the names were so bad that that alone dropped it from a B to...
Grade: B-
Best Tracks: Track 2, Track 4, Track 7, Track 13 (I refuse to acknowledge their dumbass song names)
Silverstein - Discovering The Waterfront
Mmmm, emo-licious. If my none too subtle opening didn't tell you, this is a pretty hardcore emo CD, along the lines of Bayside. In fact, they're touring buddies and pretty much best friends. This is your typical hardcore emo CD. However, they've evolved quite a bit since their last album. This CD may be the best mix of mild emotional moments and pure screaming that I've ever heard by a band not named Thursday. Could just be my emo side, but I really loved this CD, and it's been one of my most listened to in the past few weeks. The only thing that drags is down is the mediocrity of some tracks, but damn, I like it.
Grade: B+
Best Tracks: Your Sword Versus My Dagger, The Ides of March, Discovering the Waterfront, My Heroine

Best of '05 Part III: The Albums

2006-02-02T09:28:00.000-08:00

O.K., I'm in the motherfucking home stretch and I am sick to death of this. Why the hell did I decide to do it? Ah well, I've cut a few categories (vocals and music) because there's no way in hell I could have done them. I've added Best Soundtrack, though, as I completely forgot that one. Anyways, on with it.

Best Lyrics
Lyrics can make or break a song. A so-so song can be made really good, or it can ruin what would otherwise be an enjoyable listen (see Senses Fail). These albums, overall, had really damn good lyrics.
Armor For Sleep - What To Do When You Are Dead: A concept album, WTDWYAD begins with a suicide in the first single, Car Underwater. The rest is all about the fallout, and is particuarly stirring when you get songs like The Truth About Heaven, which tell of the regrets the deceased has of things they didn't do or of being alone in the afterlife. Really good, almost story-like stuff.
Death Cab for Cutie - Plans: Ben Gibbard pulls another brilliant album's worth of lyrics out of his ass with Plans. As any fan of Death Cab or The Postal Service will tell you, this guy does some of the best lyrics in the world. While Plans wasn't their best CD, the lyrics were definitely up to par.
Jack's Mannequin - Everything in Transit: While McMahon's solo CD isn't quite as good lyrically as Something Corporate's (Woke Up In A Car has some of my favorite lyrics EVER), they're still really, really good, particuarly on the first single The Mixed Tape. With a lot of symbolism and metaphors, the CD still isn't confusing in what it's trying to say.
The Mars Volta - Frances The Mute: The Mars Volta's first CD was a concept album about the death of At The Drive-In's guitarist, and was moving, so I was worried about their second album because it didn't have that emotional recoil to write about. While it wasn't my favorite CD, the lyrics didn't go down in quality. Haunting and cryptic, Frances the Mute can make you shudder at times.
Kings of Leon - Aha Shake Heartbreak: Nominated for the soul reasons that the lyrics make no sense and often aren't that good, what makes them great is the delivery. You can tell they really don't give a shit about them, and it's refreshing in a music world where so many people are trying to be melodramatic or poetic and failing.

Winner: Plans by Death Cab for Cutie

Ben Gibbard may very well be the best songwriter since Bob Dylan himself. That's a lofty comparison, but as he's proved in both Death Cab and The Postal Service, he has a way with metaphor and imagery unmatched by not only today's competition, but most of what came before him as well.

Best Soundtrack

Yeah... I don't know how to describe this one... It's pretty much self-explanatory.

House of Wax: Ah, crappy movie. The soundtrack, however, was a near perfect blend of metal and goth rock that it captured the sinister tone of the movie almost perfectly. Even My Chemical Romance fit on their perfect for the end.

Grey's Anatomy: Grey's Anatomy has a soundtrack that is almost half as good as Scrubs, and if you know how much I love the music on Scrubs, you'd know that's a huge compliment. Full of awesome indie music with the likes of Rilo Kiley, Wilco, and The Radio, GA does Scrubs one up by actually releasing a soundtrack.

Rent: I did a review of the movie earlier. The soundtrack was even better than that of the stage play, as Rosario Dawson did a better job as Mimi than the girl from Broadway. The only fault was that Halloween was missing from the movie, but it's still the best music from a musical... ever, pretty much.

The Devil's Rejects: Loading up on the classic southern rock, The Devil's Rejects soundtrack contains such greats as The Allman Brothers, Joe Walsh, and Lynyrd Skynyrd. And yes, fuckin' Free Bird is on there. Hell, I should just give the win to this just for that.

Music From The O.C. Mix 4: I really hate this show, but I can't deny that the music is good. Really good, and mostly indie. While Vol. 5 contained Kasabian and Phantom Planet, the earlier release of Vol. 4 contains Beck, Aqueduct, and while both contained an Imogen Heap song, Vol. 4 had the better one (Goodnight and Go). Had to go with Vol. 4.

Winner: Grey's Anatomy

This year had some damn fine soundtracks to offer up, but Grey's Anatomy has the best, most defined indie sound I've heard on a soundtrack since Garden State. It was a hard one, and I can honestly say this would be the only category I can confidently recommend buying all of the nominees.

Best Surprise

Ah, the albums that you don't expect to be as good as they are. Those are probably the best kind. Here are some of the ones that surprised me this year.

The All- American Rejects - Move Along: I liked AAR's first album just fine, but I didn't know what to expect as a follow-up. Dirty Little Secret was enjoyable, but doesn't do the album justice. It was a amazing to see how much these guys had matured musically since their self-titled debut, and embody a whole new sound quite well.

Panic! At The Disco - A Fever You Can't Sweat Out: I hate Fall Out Boy, and these guys had a lot of promise to be FOB with a synthesizer. Oddly, that synth adds another layer to the music, and makes all the difference. Not without flaws, but when I expected to hate it and ended up liking it, that says success to me.

Armor For Sleep - What To Do When You Are Dead: I didn't know what to expect when I got this CD. I knew and liked Car Underwater, but couldn't see them pulling off a full album with that. Well, they did by making the songs deeper and deeper as the album progressed, and it's clearly one of my favorite CDs of the year now.

...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - Worlds Apart: Dear god these guys are weird, but I like them. Their last album, Source Tags and Codes, ranged from amazingly good to abysmally shitty. I didn't know what they'd pull of with the follow up, but I'm happy to say, Worlds Apart was rock solid.

Acceptance - Phantoms: Remember when I said I was gonna review this? Whoops... Anyways... I did not see the emo coming. While it wasn't the best, it was plenty good and is one of the best CDs for background noise I've ever heard.

Winner: Move Along by The All-American Rejects

There's a reason the article I did on this CD was called "Surprise of the Year." While I wasn't as surprised as I was with Panic!, this was a better CD overall. Much better than anyone who bought it was expecting, Move Along may have cemented AAR's place as celebrities.

AND NOW...

ALBUM OF THE YEAR!!!

You know the nominees, you know what I had to say about them. In the end, they were all so good that there really is no winner, but since I promised to say that there was, I have decided to give the win to...

Armor For Sleep - What To Do When You Are Dead

Ridiculously close between Foo Fighters, Weezer, and 30 Seconds to Mars, I realized that while the Foos and Weeze both had the most solid albums of the year and 30StM had the most impact on me, Armor For Sleep's was, overall, the CD I got the most enjoyment out of this year. I know, it's whiney emo at parts, but I like that. Seriously, though, when I said there was no winner, I was pretty serious, because I had no idea which one I was going to give it to up until right now. The three I listed here are just as good, maybe better, so I'd recommend them just as readily as I would this beauty.

And that's all. I can now get back underway with my normal reviews, which should be flooding at you in the next few days. I'm thinking I may never do this again, or at least, do a different format. But whatev. I'm out.

Best of 2005 Part II: The Songs

2006-01-19T10:03:00.000-08:00

So I really should be on my knees with a groveling apology for how late this is. I've had some issues with my net at home, with my new anti-virus blocking access to Blogger because of cookie blocking or something, and it's been finals at school. And I just spent the weekend in Chicago. And finally, these posts take much longer to write than I predicted. Still, no excuse for it being THIS late. Ah well, let's get 'er going. I'm probably not going to do this again next year.

The songs are all singles (not necessarily big hits), because there are too many of those, and if I didn't narrow it down and considered EVERY song, I could never pull this off.

Best Metal Single
I'm not the biggest metal fan for the most part, so if your favorite metal song from Ripped Apart Fetuses or other metal band (real or fake) is missing, deal with it.
Bat Country - Avenged Sevenfold: Bringing these guys into the rock mainstream was their driven first single from City of Evil. Admittedly, not a song I liked right away, but I had to listen to it because the song title (and entire music video) were a Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas reference. But it is really good.
Welcome Home - Coheed & Cambria: Musically, this is a truly amazing piece of songwriting. With an intro and solos reminiscent of the glory days of metal that show off the talent of the guitar players, this much-more-metal-than-average song for C&C was perhaps the strongest offering off their latest album.
The Clincher - Chevelle: I had almost forgotten about Chevelle's latest CD before this song came on the radio and reminded me in a big way. Good, typical Chevelle music, with some moving lyrics. The best lyrics in this category, actually, which is this one's strong point.
Twisted Transistor - KoRn: I hated this song for the first hundred times I heard any of it. Doesn't help that I don't like KoRn. However, I have a whole new respect for this beauty ever since I heard them perform it on SNL. Live, stripped of the really bad studio effects, this song is one of KoRn's best.
BYOB - System of a Down: I'm gonna be honest, I am SO sick of System and especially their fans, who are music's equivalent to fanboys. They're a band that suffers from Hot Topic syndrome, where whiney kids go and feel they have to like the band because hey, they're a major Hot Topic band. I like HT, don't get me wrong, but you know some of the people suck. I digress. This song was damn good, and the chaos that was embodied in the music really got the point of the song across. I spent way too much time bitching about the people again, sorry.

Winner: Welcome Home by Coheed & Cambria

2005 was a year where most of the metallish stuff I listened to was either old or not a single, so this was a hard category to even nominate for. I give it to Coheed because of how this one proves that metal can, and should be, so much more than slamming on one really crappy, bass heavy riff. Melodic yes still heavy, Welcome Home was the clear cut winner for just its music alone.

Best Alt. Rock Single

This is my own self-indulgent category. I long for the day when Alt. Rock didn't mean pure shit like Simple Plan (they're pop, motherfuckers, stop messing with one of my favorite subgenres). It used to mean stuff like Dave Matthews Band and Matchbox 20. So stuff like that is what I nominated.
She Says - Howie Day: Howie Day's follow-up to his breakout hit Collide, She Says was one of those songs that I heard and I instantly was blown the hell away, and I still am. Both versions, the full instrumental and especially the acoustic version, are amazing as hell.
American Baby - Dave Matthews Band: The only really good song off of DMB's Stand Up album, American Baby was a very simple song that played to Dave's strength in both writing both lyrics and music. And it's all enhance by the neat plucking noise of Boyd Tinsley plucking his violin instead of playing it normally.
Soul Meets Body - Death Cab for Cutie: A lot of nominations this year are breakout hits, and it makes me extremely happy to see these people finally starting to get recognized on radio. Soul Meets Body was the first single off of Death Cab's latest, Plans, and their first big hit. No doubt helped by the success of The Postal Service, Death Cab's successfully bringing indie music to the forefront.
Stars and Boulevards - Augustana: A lot are also free iTunes songs, like this one. Really, that's all I have that's interesting to say about it. A very straightforward, but very good song. Insert padding here.

Swing Life Away - Rise Against: All I knew of Rise Against before this song was the really shitty Give It All. This song was good enough to get me to return to the CD to see if it was any good. It was, it was really good, and this was still one of the best on the album.

Winner: She Says by Howie Day

Prepare for overdramatics! The acoustic version kicks the other version's ass, and is why this won. This song runs a gamut of emotions, from longing to bitterness to anger, and conveys them all wonderfully. You can hear them all when he growls through the chorus, and it really, truly blew me away. If only all of the other solo dudes with guitars (I'm talking to you, Jason Mraz and Ryan Cabrera) weren't afraid to put emotion in their music. Or just not suck (this time, Mraz, it's all you).

Best Electronic Single

Electronically styled music has been gaining momentum lately. Nine Inch Nails has been playing around with it for over 15 years, Moby's made huge hits like Southside with it, and Beck has become one of the most respected guys in music with the strides he's made in it. Anyways...
Club Foot - Kasabian: Oh how I love iTunes free downloads. This electric beauty had a crazy sound of techno meets early Radiohead, and I loved every second. You'd probably know it best as the song on the Serenity commercials (all five of 'em, way to promote that movie Universal, you assholes), which is another plus.
The Hand That Feeds - Nine Inch Nails: The first Nine Inch Nails single in years, Trent Reznor returned with what I believe may have been his biggest hit to date. More straightforward and less experimental than much of his past work, THTF took awhile to warm up to longtime NIN fans, but last I checked, it had.
Precious - Depeche Mode: I make no secret that I love Depeche Mode, and they still make good music after over 20 years. Precious is already joining Enjoy The Silence as my favorite things they've done.
Only - Nine Inch Nails: Congrats to NIN for being the only artist to be nominated for two things in one category. Only was the very bitter follow-up to The Hand That Feeds, and was probably one of Reznor's best experiments in the power of quiet.
E-Pro - Beck: Beck is roughly the coolest guy in the world. After his last album, Sea Change, pretty much tanked, Beck came back on the scene in a crazy way with this song and his CD Guero, which may damn well be the biggest critical success of the year not done by Kanye West.

Winner: Club Foot by Kasabian

A lot of techno, electronic, and other similar music is supposed to pump you up, and this is one of those songs that really, really does. Fast paced, catchy, and in your face, this may have been the least known song on the list, but holy shit, it was the most exciting.

Best Emo Single

Love it or hate it, you can't escape that emo has become one of the biggest components in modern rock radio. With diverse sound ranging from the acoustics of Dashboard Confessional to the screaming (screamo) of Thursday, emo's fanbase is varied and undeniable. Plus, we all know my weakness is music that has emotion in it.
Niki FM - Hawthorne Heights: The song that made me like Hawthorne Heights. I already went into praises for this song in my review of The Silence in Black and White, and I really said everything there was to say about it there. Except that it's a tribute to Cameron Crowe's film Say Anything..., which is pretty sweet.
Different - Acceptance: Not the most emo song, but when you hear the rest of Acceptance's offerings, you'll realize why it's here. A band I didn't expect to be emo, Acceptance's Different was a song I got free of iTunes and became one of my most listened to songs of the year.
Helena - My Chemical Romance: Overplayed? Yes. While I never grew tired of it, this song was huge for a reason. I really liked this song, and it was a weird for me, because I didn't know how huge it had gotten until I looked around and realized how many MCR fans there suddenly were.

The Suffering - Coheed & Cambria: On the less metal side of Good Apollo, The Suffering has been C&C's breakout hit. It sounds similar to the offerings C&C had on their first two CDs with a catchier chorus that doesn't appear until there's been enough buildup to it to drive anyone nuts before paying off. Plus, it has a video that would make Spinal Tap proud.

The Mixed Tape - Jack's Mannequin: Barely making the cutoff, this song was released in the tail end of 2005. It sounds ridiculously similar to something from Something Corporate with hints of Saves The Day, but that's not a bad thing at all. And, honestly, to be expected as Jack's Mannequin is the solo debut of Something Corporate lead singer Andrew McMahon. Go figure.

Winner: Niki FM by Hawthorne Heights
I almost gave this to Jack's Mannequin, but in the end, this song was just more appropriate for the emo award. Few songs get me to check a band out after I've written them off, and this (along with Swing Life Away) is one of a few that got me this year alone. Plus, I love its imagery.

Best Mainstream Rock Single

The overplayed songs. But they were overplayed because they appealed to everyone and everyone played them. From hot 100 stations to modern rock to classic rock, you could find these songs plastered over all three.
Best of You - Foo Fighters: I'm gonna go out on a limb and say this was the most played song of the year. I couldn't climb into a car and not here it. Foo fans either loved this song or just didn't care for it. I was one of the former, and despite its constatnt rotation, never grew sick of it.
Speed of Sound - Coldplay: The other huge rock release this summer was the new album from Coldplay, and Speed of Sound was the perfect track to be its first single. It had all that the old Coldplay songs had going for it and then some, making it one of my favorites that the band has done yet.

Perfect Situation - Weezer: Speaking of favorites... I didn't like the first two singles off of Make Believe, but Perfect Situation had quick become my favorite Weezer song. Imagine my excitement when they put this beauty out.
Girl - Beck: As diverse as he is cool, Beck's Girl was much less experimental that E-Pro and just focused on being a good, straightforward song. It succeeded in this immensely, and while it wasn't quite as big of a hit, it was a much more accessible song to those who weren't terribly fond of Beck's weirder stuff.

Save Me - Shinedown: Nothing says fun, happy radio time than a song with vivid descriptions of heroin addiction. Putting Shinedown on the map even more than last year's hit, 45, Save Me's gotten so much play I'm actually getting sick of it.

Winner: Best of You by Foo Fighters

I will never tire of it. Ever. The biggest hit of the bunch, it gained an edge for literally having the most appeal to all kinds of radio stations, which made it little short of a phenomenon. Had a rather strange video half made of stock footage, which was weird, but did little to lessen the effect.

Song of the Year

There were a lot, and I've listed a lot of the ones I liked already. So I'm just gonna cut to the chase.

Song of the Year: Perfect Situation by Weezer

I'm tired of writing praise, I said it all about this one under its nomination. A song that perfectly embodies both the emotional and playful sides of Weezer at the same time, Perfect Situation was the defining song off of Make Believe.

Best of 2005: Part I

2006-01-05T16:29:00.000-08:00

So I was gone about a week, and thus, my site slipped a bit. But in that week or so, 2005 ended, and thus, I will be doing a three part Best of... over the next few days. Here's the rundown:

Part I: The Basics
Year In Review
Album of the Year Nominations
Coolest Album Title
Best Album Cover Art
Best Value

Part II: The Songs
Best Metal Single
Best Alt. Rock Single
Best Electronic. Single
Best Emo Single
Best Mainstream Rock Single
Song of the Year

Part III: The Albums
Best Vocals
Best Lyrics
Best Music
Best Surprise
Album of the Year
Dubious Awards

Year in Review:
Wow, 2005 was an awesome, awesome year in music, and news to go around. We saw such high profile new releases, including Beck, Weezer, the first new Nine Inch Nails full length studio album in six years, a double album from the Foo Fighters, and a new album from Coldplay that set pre-order records. At the same time, we saw bands like Blink 182 and Garbage call it quits after years of producing songs that had become staples of modern rock radio. Meanwhile, bands like The Killers, Green Day, and Fall Out Boy explode and get enormously overexposed to the point where they're annoying now. Luckily, they can be ignored. Along those lines, a few bands found a bit of mainstream success, like Coheed & Cambria, Interpol, and Howie Day, after trying for years. I also have some resolutions for music this year, like to not hark on Finnish rock as much, no matter how much its fans drive me nuts. But enough about that, let's get to my honors.

Album of the Year Nominations
I'll be answering this in two, three days. For now, here are my nominations. These were hard to pick, but these are my favorites of the year. I feel bad for ignoring such great bands as The New Pornographers, but I just don't know them well enough. These are the ones I'm very familiar with that I really, really enjoyed. There are six, one more than other categorical noms.

Weezer - Make Believe: Weezer bounces back from their very ho-hum effort, Maladroit, with what is easily their best album since their first, and probably their best yet. There're rumors this is Weezer's last album due to some cryptic notes in the album liners, but if this is, they're going out on top.
30 Seconds to Mars - A Beautiful Lie: I loved this CD. It's both straightforward and experimental. It's emotional, but I can't see anyone calling it whiney like emo. It's a CD with universal appeal, and it's budget priced. Score!
Armor For Sleep - What To Do When You Are Dead: An album I enjoyed way too much for my own good. It's good for so much, be it getting really into the music and CD or just as background music. I don't know why I liked it so much, but I did.
Foo Fighters - In Your Honor: The Foos won on two fronts here, both electric and acoustic. They have a hard driving electric album featuring the biggest hit of the year, Best of You, and an amazingly stirring acoustic album. It took awhile to grow on me, but it's an amazing album, both discs.
Nine Inch Nails - With_Teeth: This album was very controversial, though not for content matter. NIN's fans were in two minds about this; I was one of them who liked it. Trent Reznor's played around with a mellower, more mainstream side for years; now he releases With_Teeth, which does the most experimenting with the raw power of calmness since Pretty Hate Machine.
My Morning Jacket - Z: Barely nudging out Coldplay for a nomination, MMJ's fourth full album is my personal favorite, and one I had meant to review here. I may yet in a lightning round. While it lacked any driving singles like the classic One Big Holiday, it was their most well-rounded and successful thus far.

The winner on Saturday.

Onto the real awards...
Coolest Album Title
Some albums have names so sweet you just want to buy them so they're in your collection. Others have really bad names, something like Does This Look Infected, that drive you away. These are ones I liked.
Silverstein - Discovering The Waterfront
10 Years - The Autumn Effect
Dredg - Catch Without Arms
Jack Johnson - In Between Dreams
Thrice - Vheissu

Winner: Dredg - Catch Without Arms

Barely beating Thrice's esoteric (or not, I might just be stupid) name, Catch Without Arms sort of has a magical sound, if that doesn't sound waaaayyy too gay. I just really loved the sound of it.

Coolest Album Art
Ever hear not to judge a book by it's cover? Usually true. Still, there's no denying that a pretty picture will help draw a consumer's eye to a CD. These are a few I like, though there were many other good ones I feel bad for leaving off the list. Sorry Silverstein, you were my next choice. I don't have the time to put up all the pictures here, nor the patience for it all to load. You get the winner. I'm sorry.
10 Years - The Autumn Effect
As I Lay Dying - Shadows Are Security
Mae - The Everglow
Sigur Ros - Takk
Sevendust - Next

Winner: Mae - The Everglow

Once again, a near loss. This almost went to Sigur Ros's beautiful ink drawing. But there's something fantastical and almost childish about Mae's cover. I think the soft drawing was a cool way to go. Even though I'm not their biggest fan (they're alright), I love, love, love this cover.

Best Value:

I love me some budget CDs. However, sometimes they're budget for a reason. Here are a few that have yet to raise in price, and are still a good value.

Kings of Leon - Aha Shake Heartbreak: Here's a damn fine CD that was a bigger critical success than commercial. It's simple and pure, and draws you in with the pure rock fire it has within it.

Foo Fighters - In Your Honor: Not a budget CD? Yeah, but it's a double CD for normal price. Twice the normal CD and two very different flavors for the price of one is a value to me.

Coheed & Cambria - The Second Stage Tubine Blade (2005 Reissue): This one varies in price, so I was hesitant to put it here. It's C&C's first CD, recently reissued with three extra tracks. I loved it, and it's one of my most played CDs of recent months.

Rise Against - Siren Song Of The Counter Culture: A year old CD, yes, but it was only this year with the hit Swing Life Away that this CD went on the map. Suddenly to be found everywhere for a mere $8, this was a great punk CD that appealed to a more mainstream rock crowd.

Panic! At The Disco - A Fever You Can't Sweat Out: Not the best CD of the year, but they're fast becoming the next big thing, and the CD is actually really good, so I'd definitely recommend picking this up while it's still cheap.

Winner: Foo Fighters - In Your Honor

I was just gonna give this to Panic!, but honestly, they're just not established enough in my book to earn this. This was a hard category, as when I wrote it, I came to the realization that most of the budget CDs were disappointing this year, and Coheed just ain't for everyone. Don't take this category as seriously as the other ones. As for the winning, two Foo CDs for the price of one? Love me.

I'll be back tomorrow with Part II

Movie Review: Rent

2005-12-22T08:29:00.000-08:00

So yeah, I'm doing a movie review. I'll do another one when I finally see Walk The Line, too, but for now, Rent. It's a musical, and a rock based one at that, so it fits the site. By the way, I know this movie came out Thanksgiving. My movie theatre finally got it last weekend. My movie theatre sucks.

Rent
Starring Adam Pascal, Anthony Fapp, and Rosario Dawson

Grade: B
Rent started as a broadway show back in 1996, and was the first one done in years that wasn't a remake or sucky. In fact, it was pretty damn awesome, and swept the Tonys and all that. It was also incredibly mature for something so mainstream. No dancing cats, singing orphans, or colorful jackets were to be seen anywhere. Instead, you got junkies, people with AIDS, homosexuals, and nice usage of the ol' f-bomb. Which, needless to say, had me worried when I found out the movie was rated PG-13, 'cause I was a big fan of the stage show. Theatre's good stuff, and I wish more stuff like Rent would come out to interest to today's youth. The next two paragraphs are about the story, so if you know it, you can skip 'em.

Rent is the story of a group of people who are living the Bohemia lifestyle in New York in a time when AIDS was running rampant. The movie did one better than the play by asserting that the year was 1989, which fits perfectly. It's comprised of a few stories that occur in a year of a lifetime of these characters. Everything, however, centers around two roommates: Mark, a struggling filmmaker and Roger, a musician who's lost his way and can't finish a song. Mark acts mostly as a narrator, as he's filming everyone's lives, while Roger is really the star of the story itself. Half of the characters have AIDS. A realistic depiction of the area and times these people were living in that also became a joke in Team America. The "Everyone Has AIDS" song? A Rent parody.

The story starts on Christmas Eve, with Mark and Roger facing eviction by their former roommate turned landlord, Benny (played by Taye Diggs). Benny had promised the two free stay, but is now blackmailing them to try to get them to stop Maureen, Mark's now-lesbian ex-girlfriend, from staging a protest about him tearing down the building across the street, which is a refuge for the homeless. Meanwhile, Roger is trying to find something to live for, as his band is no more, his girlfriend killed herself, and he has AIDS. At least he kicked his heroin habit. Their former roommate Collins is back in town, where he meets Angel, and the two quickly become lovers. They also attend Life Support meetings together (Life Support is a support group for people with AIDS), and try to get Roger to come along. Enter Mimi, a young woman who's also a heroin addict, who is immediately attracted to Roger and tries to reach out to him. And there's Joanne, Maureen's girlfriend. The story's a year in their lives.

A good thing first, the cast was almost entirely the original Broadway one. Good call, as they're the people with the most history with the play. The only exceptions were Joanne and Mimi, with Mimi being replaced by Rosario Dawson. That's O.K., because the original Mimi actually wasn't that good, and Dawson actually does a better job. The movie started, sadly, very, very poorly. It sucked up until the first Life Support meeting. The theme song, Rent, was a really good example of making a cool looking scene that is not only pointless, but actually hurts the plot as building tenants everywhere start burning their eviction notices and saying they're "not going to pay rent." It's got a point when Mark and Roger sing it, because of Benny going back on his word, but an entire building, nay, two buildings? It's ridiculous. The movie has some awkwardly placed dialogue in the beginning too, before going into One Song Glory. Always my favorite song and scene from the play, and I'm glad to say it's the one part of the beginning that was actually quite good, showing flashbacks of Roger in his better days through his downfall. A few minutes later, they go into Light My Candle, which introduces Mimi. This scene hurt to watch, it was so awkwardly done. The facial expressions were forced, and there was no chemistry.

Fortunately, the movie picks up immensely later on. The chemistry between all of the characters are better, the dialogue transitions scenes nicely instead of poorly, and there are more great scenes then there are good, with not a bad scene to really be found. Some of the best include Roger showing up at Life Support for the first time, a touching walk down the road with Angel and Collins, and the funeral of a character who dies near the end. You also clearly get the feeling that yes, Mark, Roger and Collins are pretty much best friends.

Overall, this was a very good movie. However, I couldn't give it an A because of the beginning. Also, there's some questionable editing, as the spacing between songs is uneven. My last complaint is how much of a villain they made Benny out to be. He started out unlikable in the play, but he became much more compassionate. He was pretty much the bad guy in here. But don't let that deter you. Overall, this is very good. If you like the play, or have listened to and enjoy the music (the really well know Seasons of Love is from Rent), then this is definitely for you.

Best Songs: One Song Glory, Life Support, Another Day, What You Own, La Vie Boheme

Why updates are coming so slow...

2005-12-21T17:59:00.000-08:00

Because I've been looking around at CDs, and really, there is very little (like, nothing) new out that is good. I've been buying some older albums, but nothing so damn good that I'm gonna make a "visit the past" post or something. And I'm not gonna spend my money on a bad CD just to review it. But hey, I'm still taking requests, and if you have something you want reviewed that you already have, just put me in a position to listen to it. So I'm gonna take this time between good CDs to start finally working on a few non-review articles and a movie review (it's relevant), besides my Fall Out Boy one. But yeah, there's a new song of the week right below this article. So there's a dose of the norm for you.

One last note, I know there've probably been some good CDs, but none that I've been exposed to here. So don't complain if I say nothing good's come out and I didn't know about Moaning Indie Band's latest good album.

One more last note, I really like indie music, don't get me wrong. The good stuff, that is. But there's a lot of it that try to be as moany and obscure as possible just because it's cool, and that's just as bad as sounding like Franz Ferdinand just because it's cool.

One last last note, Moaning Indie Band is a made up band.

Song of the Week: 12/21/05

2005-12-21T17:08:00.000-08:00

So I was trying to think of a good song this week, and none have been moving me horribly greatly. However, when I was out in Cali, my friend's dad and I were talking about A Perfect Circle a lot, especially this song. I've listened to it much more frequently recently, and thus, it works. Very angry, and a bit more metal than the other songs I've had up here, but whatev. It's got some great lyrics, especially if you're kinda pissed off (and especially if it's at, say, anyone telling what to do because of THEIR religion). Even though it is about the lead singer's mother. Off Mer De Noms...

Judith by A Perfect Circle

You're such an inspiration

For the ways

That I'll never ever choose to be

Oh, so many ways for me to show you

How your savior has abandoned you

(Fuck Your God!)

Your Lord, your Christ

(He did this)

Took all you had and

(Left you this way)

Still you pray, never stray, never

(Taste of the fruit)

Never thought to question why

It's not like you killed someone

It's not like you drove a hateful spear into his side

Praise the one who left you

Broken down and paralyzed

He did it all for you...

Oh so many ways

For me to show you

How your dogma has abandoned you

Pray to your Christ, to your God, never

(Taste of the fruit)

Never stray, never break, never

(Choke on a lie)

Even known he's the one who did this to you

You never thought to question why

It's not like you killed someone

It's not like you drove a spiteful spear into his side

Talk to Jesus Christ

As if he knows the reasons why

He did it all for you...

Did it all for you...

He did it all for you...

Imogen Heap: Not quite for the coffee shop.

2005-12-15T09:19:00.000-08:00

I was just out in California for a few days, explaining why I haven't finished any of those articles I'm working on. I listened to this CD while I was out there, and I figured I'd review it, so here goes.

Imogen Heap
Speak For Yourself

Grade: A-

Imogen Heap was half of and the sexually ambiguous voice of Frou Frou, best known for their amazing contribution to the Garden State soundtrack, Let Go (for those who only know the movie, it's the song playing in the airport at the end). Yes, those were female vocals. The first thing I thought when I listened to this CD was that it had the very indie, very melodic feel of a CD that would be played in a coffee house, like The Shins or The Postal Service. However, the CD is much too dark and heavy sounding to really be a fit in the light mood of those places. Heap's voice has a more dramatic feel to it than the singers of those bands, and quite honestly, they sound best when she emphasizes the dramatic tendencies she has.

Speak For Yourself starts off very strongly. In fact, the opening track, Headlock, is the best on the CD. It's the perfect example of a song that you listen to and enjoy, then progressively gets better, leaving you with a "Holy crap, that was awesome" feeling. The next track, Goodnight and Go, has, impressively, Jeff Beck on guest guitar. His guest appearance is kinda wasted, though. The song runs hot and cold, being alright in the verses and great in the chorus, but the guitar is kind of simple throughout. I have a feeling I would have liked the song better not knowing that it was the usually more impressive Beck on guitar.

Imogen Heap channels some of the sound that made Frou Frou popular in Have You Got It In You? and a few other songs that sort of have a very Let Go feel to them, at least in certain aspects. She also does some serious experimentation. In Daylight Robbery, the music is comprised almost exclusively heavily distorted guitars, and giving it a very techno sound. In the midst of this is when the CD enters strange territory. It's rarely outright really good, but you won't want to change tracks or turn it off. You want to hear what she's doing.

This doesn't mean the album is bad. There's some incredible stuff hidden in there. In particular, The Walk, a very dramatic and moving song. Hide and Seek is a very interesting one in it's own right, as it's acappella up until the ending of the song, and drums are all that appear there.

Most importantly, though, the strong point in this album is that even if a song isn't that great, it's still so interesting you can't not listen to it. It's with this that Speak For Yourself earns most of its points, and overall makes a good album.

Best Tracks: Headlock, Clear The Area, The Walk, Closing In

Song of the Week: 12/14/05

2005-12-14T08:52:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the lack of updates, I was in California. I have several updates that you can expect in the next few days, and this time I'm serious.

In the meantime, this week I chose a song by The Postal Service that I've been listening to a lot lately. It's one of the more overlooked songs on the album, being brushed aside for more instantly popular ones like Nothing Better and Such Great Heights. It's one of my favorites on the CD, and after a few listens, it should grow on any Postal Service fan. It's also one of those songs that just instantly makes me relax, which is rare. Oddly, it seems to be about fear of flying, but hey. This week...

Recycled Air by The Postal Service

I take a breath

And hold the air in 'til there's nothing left

I'm feeling green

Like teenage lovers between the sheets

Ba ba ba ba ...

Knuckles clenched to white

As the landing gear retract for flight

My head's a balloon

Inflating with the altitude

Ba ba ba ba...

I watch the patchwork farms slow fade into the ocean's arms

And from here they can't see me stare

The stale taste of recycled air

I watch the patchwork farms slow fade into the ocean's arms

Calm down, release your cares

The stale taste of recycled air

Lightning Round: 10 Years, 30 Seconds To Mars, Hawthorne Heights

2005-12-01T12:51:00.000-08:00

I'm a very bad runner of this site for being so slow with the updates. But yeah, you got a song yesterday, and here, have a few quick reviews.

10 Years - The Autumn Effect
Grade: C-
Hmmph. Disappointing, to say the least. I got this album on the merits of Wasteland and another song that I couldn't tell you the name of. I forgot. The CD itself isn't that bad, but it suffers from some major problems. The biggest of these is that half of the album sounds identical. While that's not always a bad thing, what drags it down is that the lead singer has a tendency to try to be really dramatic in his singing, but the guitars are often too heavy for what he's doing, and a lot of the time it doesn't click. Also, it's like a lot of stuff I'm sure you've already heard. This is especially apparent on songs like Half Life. They're much better when they try the more melodic yet still heavy stuff like Fault Line and Wasteland. The album ends on a high note with the title track. However, overall it's a very middle-of-the-road album that suffers from a lack of originality. But hey, it has a really pretty album cover.
Best Tracks: Waking Up, Fault Line, Wasteland, The Autumn Effect

30 Seconds To Mars - A Beautiful Lie
Grade: A
This, my friends, is a thing of beauty, and will appeal to people with all kinds of music tastes. Experimental, artsy, progressive, and passionate, A Beautiful Lie is one of my favorite albums of the year. I hesitate to say this because the comparison may drive some people away, but it has all the emotion of an emo album without the emo sound, making it one of the few pute hard rock albums I've heard in years that sounds heartfelt. I say pure with hesitation as well, as it does stray, quite often, into a more experimental land. Lead singer Jared Leto (yes, that Jared Leto, the one from Requiem For A Dream, Fight Club, Panic Room, and others) has a very on-edge style of singing, and it successfully builds tension that always has an immediate and satisfying release, with good, if occasionally pretentious, lyrics. A highly recommended album to fans of hard rock, emo, screamo, and even some metal. Even if you hate one of those genres, this album is still a solid bet. And hey, they cover Bjork. That's pretty neat.
Best Tracks: Attack, The Kill, The Fantasy, From Yesterday

Hawthorne Heights - The Silence in Black and White
Grade: B
I've had a burned copy of this CD for forever before I ever really listened to it. I got it back when Ohio Is For Lovers first came out, and honestly, I hated that song and thus, wasn't too hot on the band. The release of Niki FM prompted me to go back for a listen, and I was treated to a surprisingly solid album. Despite being an emo album through and through, the band clearly has some metal influences in a few songs, and the singer screams like madman. Which I guess would make it a bit more screamo. But whatev. It's good, though it does get a bit too heavy on said screaming at times (see Dissolve and Decay). The big question is whether or not HH have reached the limit of their abilities, as it sounds sort of like they have, making a slightly uncertain future. It won't set any new standards, but The Silence in Black and White is a nice start. Please note, this review is not for the reissue, which I have yet to listen to/watch.
Best Tracks: Niki FM, The Transition, Blue Burns Orange, Screenwriting an Apology, Sandpaper and Silk

Song of the Week: 11/30/05

2005-11-30T12:49:00.000-08:00

The song of the week took a quick break last week because I was out of town. I also took a quick break because I was pissed at Google. I'm back now, with this week's song. This week's song is the standout track on the great new album from 30 Seconds to Mars, which I'm reviewing tomorrow. Simple, standard but good lyrics, but a great song overall. This week...

The Kill by 30 Seconds To Mars

What if I wanted to break?

Laugh it all off in your face?
What would you do?

What if I fell to the floor?

Couldn't take all this anymore?

What would you do?

Kill, break me down

Bury me, bury me

I am finished with you

What if I wanted to fight?

Beg for the rest of my life?

What would you do?

You say you wanted more

What are you waiting for?

I'm not running from you

Kill, break me down

Bury me, bury me

I am finished with you

Look in my eyes

You're killing me, killing me

All I wanted was you

I tried to be someone else

But nothing seemed to change

I know now, this is who I really am inside

Falling from myself

Falling for a chance

I know now, this is who I really am

Kill, break me down

Bury me, bury me

I am finished with you

Look in my eyes

You're killing me, killing me

All I wanted was you

Come, break me down

Break me down

What if I wanted to break?

Song of the Week: 11/16/05

2005-11-16T20:46:00.000-08:00

This week I'm posting a song by the alternative, progressive, screamo, whatever band Thursday. It's got my favorite lyrics of all time, and paints some of the best imagery to ever be written into song. This week, marking my return...

War All The Time by Thursday

Standing on the edge of the Palisades' Cliffs
In the shadow of the skyline very far away
Like a lightning rod that couldn’t pull the storm from me
I was 5 years old, my best friend's older brother died
He fell from these cliffs
The river washed him away, the current pulled him downstream
And our lives float in the headlines, so we park these cars
Parent’s garage
Listen to the lullaby
Of carbon monoxide

War all of the time
In the shadow of the New York skyline
We grew up too fast, falling apart
Like the ashes of American flags
If the sun doesn't rise
We'll replace it with an H-bomb explosion
A painted jail cell of light in the sky
Like three-mile-island nightmares on TVs that sing us to sleep
They burn on and on like an oil field
Or a memory of what it felt like
To burn on and on and not just fade away
All those nights in the basement, the kids are still screaming
On and on and on and on

War all of the time
In the shadow of the New York skyline
We grew up too fast, falling apart
Like the ashes of American flags
And we’re blowing in the wind
We don’t know where to land
So we kiss like little kids
We used to be very tall buildings
We’ve been falling for so long
Now your eyes are a sign on the edge of town
They offer a welcome when you are leaving
War all of the time
In the shadow of the New York skyline
We grew up too fast, falling apart
Like the ashes of American flags
The pieces fall it’s like a last day parade
And the fires in our streets start to rage
So wave to those people who long to wave back
From the fabric of a flag that sang "Love all of the time"

War all the time, war all the time
All of the time
War all the time, war all the time
All of the time
War all of the time

Songs I've been getting into lately.

2005-11-12T21:56:00.000-08:00

I'll be back with the regular updates soon, I promise. In the meantime, to tide you over...

I've been kind of in a metal/darker side of emo mood lately. So here's some of the crap I've been listening to a bunch lately, moreso than normal.
"Panic Prone" by Chevelle
"War All The Time" by Thursday (my favorite lyrics ever)
"Remember To Feel Real" by Armor For Sleep"
Niki FM" by Hawthorne Heights
"Made of Steel" by Our Lady Peace
"Play Crack The Sky" by Brand New
"Perfection Through Silence" by Finch
"Masterpiece" by Bayside
"Happy?" by Mudvayne
"The Camper Velourium I: Faint of Hearts" by Coheed and Cambria
"My Sword Versus Your Dagger" by Silverstein
"Inertia" by The Exies
"Butterflies & Hurricanes" by Muse
"Swallowed" by Bush

Why I hate Google.

2005-11-05T19:59:00.000-08:00

"First, I'd like to point out the ads right above this. I now make money through this site. Pretty cool, huh? Clicking them... would... be... AWESOME."

That was how I introduced a post earlier this week. It was when I had first gotten the GoogleAds on my site. I had made a small overlook on something, though, and suddenly I get an e-mail saying my account had been disabled. Because of that. Apparently, you're not allowed to encourage people to click your ads on your site. Wow. See, I would have thought the advertisers would have loved to get more traffic. It's more exposure. I didn't say "click repeatedly and don't buy anything." I pretty much said check 'em out. Hell, literally half of my ads went to Yahoo! Music, a site that has most of its features available for FREE and is commonly used by many, and another chunk of the other half went to other free sites. Good job Google. Assholes. And they didn't even have the courtesy to remove their Public Service Ad. Know what really irks me? The money I had earned (and I had made enough to be really pissed about this) has been WITHDRAWN FROM MY ACCOUNT!!! I'm getting none of it. So fuck 'em. I'll get some from their competitors. Just saying Google are assholes bent on world domination.

Song of the Week 11/2/05

2005-11-02T08:03:00.000-08:00

So this week my emo break is over for my song of the week. I've been listening to Armor For Sleep an awful lot lately, and one song in particular has struck a chord with me. I don't know what it is about the lyrics, but I like 'em, especially in the chorus, and the scream of "I'd wait it out for you" is just icing on the cake.

Remember To Feel Real by Armor For Sleep

So here's the truth

You were right all along

They were never my friends

And I was living a lie
But I won't fall for it next time

You figured me out

I'm like a leaf in the wind

I try to find who I am

But wind up lost in the end

Sometimes it's hard to know what's real when you're not

'Cause you know I change myself to impress whoever

Happens to be next to me

But I'm sick of trying so hard

Waste all your time with me

I know I'm a mess right now

Don't give up, believe

I'd wait it out for you

Waste all your time with me
I know I'm a mess right now
Don't give up, believe
I'd wait it out for you

Everyday I'm just making my rounds

Just digging a hole six feet underground

Sometimes it's hard to know what's real when you're not

'Cause you know I change myself to impress whoever
Happens to be next to me
But I'm sick of trying so hard
Waste all your time with me
I know I'm a mess right now
Don't give up, believe
I'd wait it out for you
Waste all your time with me

I know I'm a mess right now

Don't give up, believe

I'd wait it out for you

Nothing's here for me...

Nothing's here for me but you

Nothing's here for me...

But you

Waste all your time with me
I know I'm a mess right now
Don't give up, believe
I'd wait it out for you

Why I'll never do a Fall Out Boy review

2005-10-31T20:52:00.000-08:00

I'm finally getting in requests now, so I'll start with saying that the most common request I get, Fall Out Boy, is never getting a review. At least, not for what they've done so far, and for nothing in the forseeable future. Here's the deal.
I remember when Sugar We're Going Down came out. Like, I saw the video when it first premiered. I was never a huge fan. It was a fun song, a good one even, and a band I considered checking out. Then that song got played again. And again. And again. And shut it up. Around that time, I finally heard the rest of the album, and I had to be honest it was really great. I liked it a lot. Woulda probably gotten a B+. But then, like a lot of people, I just got sick of that damned band. They're fucking EVERYWHERE. The CD, the song, all of it. They're not THAT good. Fall Out Boy is a band suffering from a grand amount of overexposure, but unlike other bands that have had that recently (see Green Day), they've done nothing good enough to earn it. Their overexposure has reached the point where even though Dance, Dance, their current single, is new and not overplayed (yet, mark my words, it will be), the band it comes from makes it feel like it is. And please note, I'm trying my best to not rip on them. If I wanted to do that, I'd start talking about their song titles.
Sadly for them, even beyond all that, they also seem to have no other redeeming features. Despite being loved by masses too huge, they have developed a reputation as being one of the worst live bands in the world right now, even with their biggest fans. So that won't be able to save them in my eyes. Personally, I haven't seen them, and I don't plan to for obvious reasons, but even if I did, I'm under the impression that I'd be seriously underwhelmed.
So here's my point: I don't hate Fall Out Boy, but dear god, give them a rest. I'll probably be avoiding them until they release a brilliant, groundbreaking album. And even if that does happen (it won't), it's only a possibility that I'll review it. Sorry.

DMB's Stand Up: What NOT to do in music

2005-10-27T09:28:00.000-07:00

First, I'd like to point out the ads right above this. I now make money through this site. Pretty cool, huh? Clicking them... would... be... AWESOME.

Dave Matthews Band
Stand Up

Grade: C-

So I make it no secret that I'll buy any studio album that has Dave Matthews Band's name on it, and I only don't get the live ones because there are so damn many. DMB is one of those bands that I'll buy every album of, even if they release a stinker, and I even got this one as a gift, and I'll listen to it. A lot. Which is why it pains me to give Stand Up that grade.
I don't know what the idea was, but I get the feeling Dave and the band were trying to experiment with a new sound. The entire thing has a brand new soulish sound to it, which I don't dislike, persay, but what's so special about DMB is their incredibly unique sound that has added new dimensions to both rock and pop. Focusing on a new sound for them is kind of a letdown, as it's not the same DMB I know and love, especially if it doesn't work. It's like a new pair of underwear... made of wool. The new sound theory is further backed by the fact that Crazy-Easy, Sugar Will, and Joy Ride, three of four new songs that were heavily promoted on DMB's 2004 summer tour, were not included on the album, the only one to remain being Hello Again. What makes that noteworthy is that Crazy-Easy was slated to be Stand Up's first single, but if it doesn't fit the album, it gets cut. Which is unfortunate, because if the album had followed the sound of these four, it probably would have been a better album.
The album starts off with the currest single, Dreamgirl. Honestly, it's not quite up my alley, but it is a good song. Then the album hits a serious slump. It's genuinely bad for three tracks. It picks up again, however, for the American Baby Intro, which is a great piece of music, though it sounds completely unlike anything involving the song it preludes to, American Baby, the first single and the album's high point. American Baby and Hello Again, the two best tracks on the album, are very similar to the classic DMB sound. In fairness, after Hello Again, the album, all in all, is better. After a brief dip into the bad again with Louisiana Bayou, it's pretty good until the end. To be fair, a lot of this album is good. But it's the good in the way that the weakest stuff off of Under The Table And Dreaming was good. Except not quite as high calibur. It just... falls short.
Around the time I finished this review, I found out that they did try to make a different sound, and even hired an R&B/hip hop producer. Bad choice.

Best Tracks: American Baby, Hello Again, Stolen Away on 55th and 3rd, Steady As We Go

Song of the Week: 10/26/05

2005-10-26T20:13:00.000-07:00

I've been having a sorta hard time picking a song this week. Nothing's really reaching out and grabbing me. However, I've been enjoying listening to some old Our Lady Peace. This week's song is my personal favorite OLP song. Off of one of their third CD, Happiness... Is Not A Fish That You Can Catch, here's...

Thief by Our Lady Peace

I don't want to understand this horror

There's a weight in your eyes

I can't admit

Everybody ends up here in bottles

But the name tag's the last thing you wanted

As a world explodes

We'll fall out of if

And we can't let go because

This will not go away

There's a house built out in space

I can't see that thief that lives inside of your head

But I can be some courage at the side of your bed

I don't know what's happening

And I can't pretend

But I can be your, be your...

Someone help us understand who ordered

This disgusting arrangement, time and the end

I don't wanna hear who walked on water

Because the hallways are empty

Clocks tick

As the world implodes

We'll fall into it

And we can't go home

This will not go away
There's a house built out in space
I can't see that thief that lives inside of your head
But I can be some courage at the side of your bed
I don't know what's happening
And I can't pretend
But I can be your, be your...

It's a long, long getaway

Make it home again

I can't see that thief that lives inside of your head

But I can be some courage at the side of your bed

I don't know what's happening

And I can't pretend

But I can be your, be your...

The All-American Rejects: Surprise of the year

2005-10-23T15:40:00.000-07:00

I'm gonna edge away from the emo a bit here, because I've been a little heavy on it here lately. Anyways, I just got the new All-American Rejects CD about a week and a half ago from a friend for my birthday. I had wanted it, but I didn't expect this.

The All-American Rejects
Move Along

Grade: A-

Color me impressed. Remember when I said how amazingly surprised I was by how much I liked Rise Against's Siren Song of the Counter Culture? It now takes a second place to the surprise of this one. I've always like The All-American Rejects. Despite a slightly poppish sound (I actually don't like Swing, Swing), their self-titled debut is one of my guilty pleasures. The music was simple while the vocals were often complex, and even though the album definitely had a formula to its songs, I found it very enjoyable. Enter Move Along, and you'll see how much AAR has grown as a band between two albums.
The current single, Dirty Little Secret, sounds very much like The All-American Rejects you know and love or hate, which is why it's deceptive in its sound, even though I find it enjoyable myself. This album sounds almost like a new band, and yet it won't leave their old fans disappointed. There's a new direction to their sound, as everyone is more comfortable with their instruments (they're generally better at playing all around), and clearly have found a new influence of the likes of some of the good ol' 90's bands like Third Eye Blind and Better Than Ezra.
The album starts its unique sound on track 2, Stab My Back, which caught me offguard as sounding more straight rock than anything I had heard from them in the past. It then really hits its stride in the next two tracks, Move Along and the beautiful ballad It Ends Tonight, which flawlessly combines the sounds of a piano ballad in the beginning and goes into driven yet subdued guitars and a nice string arrangement; this track alone gives the album most of its depth. This is followed up by a song with an intro so silly I thought this song was gonna be a crappy filler before the sound did a complete 180, turning out to be one of the album's better songs. The album charges on, barely loosing any steam on the rest of the tracks, only faltering on a few like Night Drive.
This is currently one of my most played CDs in my collection right now. I expected this to be an alright album, but it's full of wonderfully crafted songs that have given me an immense new respect for the band. Importantly, even if you didn't like the last album, or all you know of AAR is Swing, Swing and Dirty Little Secret, and don't like those either, this album's worth checking out. Odds are, you'll be pleasantly surprised.
Best Tracks: Move Along, It Ends Tonight, Change Your Mind, Straightjacket Feeling

Lightning Round: HIM, Armor For Sleep, The Bravery

2005-10-20T20:18:00.000-07:00

So what better way to plow through a few reviews quickly? Whenever I listen to a bunch of new CDs that I want to review but don't have the time or amount of stuff to say about them to warrant a full, too long article, I'll do one of these Lightning Rounds. Besides, my reviews are too long as is. This first one, I'll be reviewing some recentish CDs: H.I.M.'s Dark Light, Armor For Sleep's What To Do When You Are Dead, and The Bravery's self-titled debut.

HIM: Dark Light
HIM is a band I don't like as much as I think I do. I'm not a big fan of Finnish rock, I won't lie. When trying to sing in English, the lead singers' accents tend to make them sound a little like they have marbles in their mouths, and they can almost never hit a fucking sharp note, making the music sound less powerful. That said, HIM is actually quite good. This new CD is probably of theirs so far, though, Finnish imports included. It's always pissed me off how they're always described as goth rock, because they sure as shit are not. They're glam rock with corny lyrics. This CD, however, moves a little more towards the goth, and sometimes (when they don't have their normal glam sound) sounds a bit similar to Ours. A step in the right direction, dragged down by crappy lyrics and the frustrating desire to scream whenever there should be a sharp note that isn't there. Still, for similar stuff that's still way better, check out Ours. On another note, if HIM releases another CD that has cover art that's only a heartogram or Ville Valo looking really gay, I will scream.
Grade: B
Best Tracks: Rip Out The Wings Of A Butterfly, Killing Loneliness, Dark Light

Armor for Sleep: What To Do When You Are Dead
I really don't know what to make of this one. I really don't. This is definitely an emo album, which if you know me, you know is a plus, but that also serves as a warning for those of you who don't like that. I really, really like this CD. This serves as almost a mix of all the other good emo around. They're a bit heavier than most, though not quite reaching a Thursday screamo level, but still heavier than the moreso-than-average Hawthorne Heights. They're also darker than average, but not quite Brand New dark. They also manage to have a song with a story in it (Car Underwater) that doesn't have embarrassingly bad lyrics, ala Senses Fail (god I hate them). Really, really good emo album that I recommend checking out. Important to note is that I didn't think much of this CD my first listen through, and so it may take another take to really enjoy it. You have to actually pay attention to the music, it's not good background. I also don't know what grade to give it, as I'm don't feel it EARNS an A, but anything else feels too low for some reason. I'll settle, however, for...
Grade: A-
Best Tracks: Car Underwater, Remember To Feel Real, Awkward Last Words, Walking At Night Alone

The Bravery
Holy crap, I'm getting so sick of this type of music. So pretty much, The Bravery falls into the category of the bands who jumped on the Interpol/The Strokes bandwagon. Interpol and The Strokes went and created some awesome, newish types of music. Suddenly, along comes Franz Ferdinand (who I hate, don't ask about them), and make it popular as hell, and suddenly we have Kaiser Chiefs, Bloc Party, The Bravery, and five hundred other people riding along. Fortunately, The Bravery is a cut about the average, though in fairness, so's Bloc Party. They have a bit more passion to their music, instead of just the emotionless sound and pointless lyrics you get with most of those bands. They're not "predicting riots" or "burning cities," they're talking about some of their serious fuck-ups as people, much like Interpol and The Strokes themselves, and this is the music done right for the most part. Still, the album isn't as awesome as either of those bands, or awesome at all. It's better than average, though marred by it's lack of originality. Anyday, I'd recommend picking up an Interpol CD over this for better, similar music.
Grade: C+
Best Tracks: An Honest Mistake, Give In, Swollen Summer, Unconditional

Coheed & Cambria: My new obsession

2005-10-19T09:27:00.000-07:00

So a few years ago at camp, my friend Scott introduced me to a band called Coheed & Cambria. I wasn't sold right away. All I really heard of them that week was A Favor House Atlantic, which he said was the new single off of their latest CD. I didn't like it a whole lot. Lead singer Claudio Sanchez's voice annoyed me, and while the music was really good, I didn't really get past the helium vocals (it's grown on me). I didn't hear them for a little while 'til I heard Blood Red Summer, and decided to give them a chance, 'cause the voice wasn't getting me as bad and I loved the music. I never got around to that.
Flash forward a few years, and two new singles (Welcome Home and The Suffering) remind me of the band. First CD I got was their second, In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth 3. I found it at a used CD store, and I found it autographed. I took that as a sign.
Coheed & Cambria has done more than a concept album. Rather, they're a concept band. The CDs tell one story, a space opera about the title characters, but more importantly, their son Claudio, a "chosen one" for something or another and the only surviving child of the couple after they're forced to kill their other three. I won't go deeper into the story, because I'm still trying to understand it myself. The nice part is many of their songs, standing alone, can clearly have other meanings, so if the story ain't your thing, the lyrics won't be bothersome. They've been described as many things: progressive rock, arena emo, emo-core, and occasionally even metal. All fit. They're really kind of something unique all unto themselves. Go to Yahoo Music or Mtv.com and check some of their stuff out to get an idea of what I'm talking about.
Here are quick reviews of the three albums.

The Second Stage Turbine Blade
The one that started it all. I'm reviewing the 2005 re-release, with the unreleased Elf Tower New Mexico, plus demo versions of Junesong Provision and Everything Evil. This is probably my most listened to of the three. TSSTB is very focused on the Coheed and Cambria storyline, and is the only album thus far to even focus on the titular characters. I listen to this one so much is because the first three songs (I'm not counting the instrumental first track) are so friggin' amazing, and were probably a great way to make a first impression. On a side note, I want to paint my room the shade of green found on the cover. That picture's a bad showing of it.
Best tracks: Time Consumer, Devil in Jersey City, Everything Evil, Hearshot Kid Disaster

In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth 3
My personal favorite so far. I really can't tell you why that is, because it only has a few songs I am currently obsessing over, and I think it's because a) I found it autographed, and b) it has an overall higher quality to the songs. This album has some seriously screwed up lyrics, including the potentially controversial as hell "Pull the trigger and the nightmare stops" in Three Evils (Embodied in Love and Shadow), The Velourian Camper I: Faint of Hearts, where he sings "Sleep tight, my love," which in the end turns to "Sleep tight, my gun," and The Velourian Camper III: Al the Killer, about a racist serial killer in the story who enjoys killing white girls. However, they get brownie points because they say kukukachu (in the footsteps of The Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel) in Faint of Hearts, and that's always awesome.
Best Tracks: Three Evils, Blood Red Summer, Faint of Hearts, A Favor House Atlantic

Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness
Well, that's a mouthful. This is the album that's starting to put C&C on the map due to The Suffering, which is a great song. However, this is probably my least favorite of their CDs so far. I still really like it, but I just don't listen to it as much. Or maybe not, because I'm listening to it right now and loving it. I dunno. Key sweet spots on the album include the incredible instrumental work on Welcome Home and Keeping the Blade, this album's opening instrumental track. Another thing this album does best is the cover art beneath the slip cover of the IV. It's amazing. Overall, though, this is musically C&C's best album. I'm just not connecting to it as much.
Best Tracks: Always & Never, Welcome Home, Wake Up, The Suffering

So to wrap up this reviews, I'm just gonna list my five favorite songs of their's, and recommend giving Coheed & Cambria a try to a lot of you out there. Oh yeah, the grades are A, A, and B respectively.
1. Everything Evil
2. The Suffering
3. Three Evils (Embodied in Love and Shadow)
4. Time Consumer
5. Devil in Jersey City

Song of the Week: 10/19/05

2005-10-19T09:13:00.000-07:00

So this is a simple, fun little idea that I have on my subprofile on AIM. Well, I decided that it's more than appropriate here, so I'm gonna start doing it. The one I'll be using to kick this off is a song that I've obsessed over a little for the past month. Great song with awesomely descriptive lyrics. Contains one of my favorite lines ever. Off of Futures, one of my favorite CDs right now, here's...

Kill by Jimmy Eat World

Well you're just across the street

Looks a mile to my feet

I wanna go to you

Funny how I'm nervous still

I've always been the easy kill

Guess I always will

Could it be that everything goes 'round by chance?

Or only one way that it was ever meant to be

You kill me, you always know the perfect thing to say

I know what I should do but I just can't walk away

I can picture your face well

From the bar in my hotel

I wish I'd go to you

I pick up, put down the phone

Like your favorite Heatmeiser song goes

It's just like being alone

Oh God, please don't tell me this has been in vain

I need answers for what all the waiting I've done means

You kill me, you've got some nerve but can't face your mistakes

I know what I should do but I just can't turn away

So go on love

Leave while there's still hope for escape

There's so much ahead

So much regret

I know what you wanna say

I know it but can't help feeling differently

I loved you, and I should have said it

But tell me, just what has it ever meant?

I can't help it baby, this is who I am

I need answers for what all the waiting I've done means

You kill me, you build me up but just to watch me break

I know what I should do but I just can't walk away

I'm so backed up

2005-10-17T09:08:00.000-07:00

Holy effing crap. I am really behind in my CDs. So, for future references, here are the next articles I'll be doing in the general order they'll be coming.
Coheed & Cambria (all three CDs)
All American Rejects' Move Along
H.I.M.'s Dark Light
Dave Matthews Band's Stand Up
Bush's run and Gavin Rossdale's career
I'm sorry I'm so slow on this. I'll be starting Coheed (and hopefully finishing) today.

SMR: Trust Company

2005-09-27T10:12:00.000-07:00

I believe this will be my last SMR. I still need to tackle Dave Matthews Band's Stand Up, but while I kind of have a copy of it, I don't have it yet. I'll double-check when I get home, see if I have any more ends to tie up.

Grade: D

Trust Company
True Parallels

This was a heartbreaking disappointment. That's all I can really say about it. True Parallels is Trust Company's second album, the follow-up to The Lonely Position of Neutral. This album suffers from the same sophomore slump as The Exies' Head For The Door (in fact, I often think of these bands as quite similar to one another), except moreso. While I loved TLPoN, this one falls short of even average.

The Lonely Position of Neutral managed to do what few albums do: ----------

This is where I cut the review off. This album was a huge letdown, and because I haven't wanted to deal with finishing the review, I fell way behind on the site. This album's not worth it. Go buy The Lonely Position of Neutral, that was an awesome disc. Don't get this. The only good songs are Stronger and The War is Over. Granted, those songs are awesome, but not worth the album. Remember, this CD made me just kinda stop here it hurt so bad. Oh yeah, those two are the "best tracks." I'm fucking moving on now.

SMR: The Exies

2005-09-27T08:33:00.000-07:00

I actually have the new H.I.M. CD right now, before it's supposed to actually come out. I'll have it reviewed soon (hopefully tomorrow), but for now, I shall continue to almost be done with the summer music reviews. I'm taking too long on this, so this one will be shorter.

Grade: C

The Exies
Head For The Door

This may be the most average CD I've ever bought. The Exies are one of those bands that aren't really well known, but could be if they'd make better decisions on which singles to release. I'm also a big fan. Their first CD, Inertia, is the best CD I've ever bought for $8. It was full of small masterpieces, but only gained any notoriety for the songs My Goddess and Kickout, the former because MTV2 played it occasionally and was used in some X-Games commercials. Mostly the commercials. The latter, well, it was played every now and then on smaller modern rock station. However, the thing was a modern rock masterpiece, a short little piece containing 11 beautifully crafted songs.

Head For The Door, The Exies' sophomore attempt, falls rather short of the first one. They turned up the volume for this one, and tried to make a heavier album, and as a result almost all of the tracks are average. Nothing to write home about, but certainly not bad. They're perfectly listenable, but you won't be desperately grabbing for this album when you want to hear a masterpiece. Amongst the sea of average, there are a few songs (three, in particular) that are absolutely friggin' awesome. They're counterbalanced, however, by the fact that a select few of the other songs suck, thus weighing this album in at, as I've said, a complete average.

It starts well enough with several songs that, while never reaching Inertia's greatness, are quite good, including Ugly (their biggest hit so far) and What You Deserve, which is Ugly's follow-up both on the CD and in the release of singles. From there, it's onto the norm. Head For The Door earns its surprise Parental Advisory on one track alone, entitled F.S.O.S. (from what I can tell, this stands for false sense of security), and finds one more gem in Tired Of You, a song that has mainstream radio written all over it. Here's to my hoping that this is their next single, because it could really take off and jumpstart their career.

Overall, a good CD, but there are certainly better ones to spend your money on. I'd say check out Inertia, their first album. It's an awesome album. This one certainly warrants a burn, at least. I can't recommend buying it, though, because while I love some of the songs, they aren't worth the money when there's a lot better out there (like Rise Against). Still, keep an eye on The Exies, because overall, they are a very good band and may soon make it. Hopefully.

Best Tracks: Ugly, What You Deserve, Tired of You

SMR: Rise Against

2005-09-16T20:11:00.000-07:00

First off, I figured I'd just mention that apparently my site is being swarmed with bots. By that, I mean businesses keep leaving damned advertisements in my comments section. So yeah, any generic things that say "Your site is good, I'm bookmarking it" or "Great job, keep it up" and then follow with an "interesting website..." Yeah, it's bullshit. My site sucks. Anywho, onto Rise Against.

Before the review, I'd like to mention that yes, I know this CD, nor Kings of Leon, nor the next two CDs I'll be reviewing were released this summer. All were released in the spring, except this one. Not many good CDs came out this summer, so I played catch-up.
This one came out a year ago, but even I hadn't heard of it 'til... Whenever Give It All came out. I have no excuse. It's still worth reviewing. Besides, it's just getting popular.

Grade: A-

Rise Against
Siren Song of the Counter Culture

Well... THIS was certainly a surprise.

I didn't know much about Rise Against before I got this CD. All I knew of them I heard on MTV2 with the song Give It All, off this album. And I hated it. I thought they were a crappy punk-metal band. And after seeing all of their CDs in the collection of a guy I know with horrible music tastes... Let's say it didn't improve my impression of them. This summer, Swing Life Away came out. I really loved it, and was disappointed to hear who it was. Still, I LOVED that song. So I listened to previews to all of it at Borders while in Madison, and thought what I was hearing wasn't that bad. That day, I picked it up really cheap at a used CD store.
One of the best $8 CDs I ever bought. Maybe THE best outside of the Exies' Inertia.

Make no mistake: if you're a Swing Life Away fan, and you like music like that, odds are you'll hate this CD. This is a punk CD. Which makes it even more surprising that I liked it, because I hate punk music. But this... It was almost it's own brand, kind of like A.F.I. It was more like rock inspired by punk instead of just punk or the other way around. Still, importantly, if all you know is Swing Life Away, I cannot stress the next point enough: LISTEN TO THE CD BEFORE YOU BUY IT!!! I know plenty of people who love that song, and WILL hate this CD.

Make no mistake, Swing Life Away is an awesome song, but nothing else on the album is similar, including the vocals. Instead of the nice, melodic singing, lead singer Tim Mcllrath screams and, mostly, shouts himself hoarse on the majority of the album. The voice is often gruff, and shouting is what he seems to do, because a lot of it lacks the emotion of a scream. It also sounds like he's not trying, but that's not saying he's bad. It's perfect for the music, usually. He's a shouter, that's really the only way I can describe it.

Rise Against is a politically charged band. Anyone who's been to their website knows this, with it sporting a counter on the front page that tells how much the war in Iraq has cost that's constantly increasing. The album starts off with with the angry and poignant anti-war track, State of the Union, and the political banter mingles with angst and insecurities throughout the whole album, often all blended seamlessly into one song (see Life Less Frightening, a song about the fear that modern society breeds amongst its citizens). While they never reach the extremes of System of a Down or Rage Against the Machine in their lyrics, it always makes me happy to see a political band who is actually good, instead of using the politics schtick as a way to cover up the fact that they suck and to sell records (see Powerman 5000).

This band is perfect for fans of Bad Religion and AFI, who rank as the only punk bands I like and sound, at times, similar to Rise Against. They have the sound that they're actually trying, instead of the majority of "We think we have something to say, whether we don't or not, so we're gonna slam on our instruments and shout" thing that most modern punk has become. That worked for the Ramones, but it was new and fun then. It's old now. While I continue to advise caution before you buy it, Siren Song of the Counter Culture might be my favorite CD that I bought this summer.

Best Tracks: Life Less Frightening, Dancing For Rain, Swing Life Away, Rumors of My Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

SMR: Acceptance

2005-09-12T11:12:00.000-07:00

Well... That was unexpected.

First off, to be honest, I don't have this CD yet. I'm getting it soonish, and I'll actually review it then. But I did listen to the full thing a few times near the end of the summer, and I just really wanted to mention my surprise. Phantoms is Acceptance's third CD, I believe, and the first one I was introduced to. I learned of the band through the song Different, which I got free off of iTunes with their "free single of the week" thing, something I highly recomend, because it's a good way to discover good new music from up-and-coming artists. It's where I discovered Kasabian and Augustana. I'll do an article on it some time. Anyways, back to Acceptance. I discovered them through that, and fell in love with Different. However, after that song, I expected something kinda artsy and mellow, along the lines of Radiohead and Coldplay. Instead, I found myself listening to an emo album. Not complaining. It was pretty good, and I'll have my eye on them. But I just thought I'd share my surprise.

Behold, my horribly inept skills at Paint.

SMR: Foo Fighters

2005-09-09T09:28:00.000-07:00

Grade: B+
Early in the summer (in fact, it may not have been QUITE summer yet), I got the new Foo Fighters album (their fifth), In Your Honor, the day it came out. Here's my funtastic review.

Foo Fighters
In Your Honor

I'll start with this: this is one of those albums that grows on you. Really. When you first hear it, you may be disappointed. I kinda was, but I really like it now. Also, this album is a double one. The first disc is completely electric, while the second is an acoustic album. All of the songs are different, though, so don't expect to be treated to any acoustic versions of what's on disc 1, or any past Foo album for that matter. I'm still waiting for that album that has the acoustic versions of Everlong, Times Like These, and End Over End (a new song that I first heard them perform live on T.V. acousticly) built right in. Surprisingly, this album is a bit short on songs that jump out as potential radio gold, ala Learn to Fly and All My Life, though that isn't necessarily a detriment.

The electric disc is the one that took time to grow on me. It's heavier than their past efforts, and rather heavy on Dave Grohl's gravelly yell that he does oh so well, all along the lines of the album's first single/enormous hit, Best of You. Sadly, despite being similar in that respect, none of the songs are quite as good as that one. The album starts off on the right track. In Your Honor may well be one of the best songs I've ever heard that serves merely as being an intro song to the album (along the lines of Tattou on Brand New's Deja Entendu and Miseria Cantare on AFI's Sing The Sorrow). The latest single (as of now), D.O.A. follows up track 3, Best of You, and I'm serious when I say the rest of the album has the same tone as this and track 2, No Way Back, until the final three tracks, the highlight of the electric album. Resolve is the most toned down song on the CD, and End Over End, the final track, is highly reminiscent of the better offerings off of their last album, One By One.

The acoustic disc is probably the better of the two, and I loved it from first listen. It's very mellow and relaxing, and among the more artistic things that the Foos have released. It starts with Still, a song that perfectly shows off the softer side of Grohl's voice. The rest of the album, however, is sung in a manner similar to his vocals in The Color and the Shape's See You. In other words, casual. You can clearly hear a Beatles influence in much of this CD, which is always a plus. The album ranges from casual and simple, yet heartfelt (Miracle and Another Round) to almost haunting (On The Mend). Track 8's Virgina Moon stands out as the most interesting offering off either CD. Norah Jones guests in it, and the sound comes off as rather... well, bossa nova.

In Your Honor is good for a nice casual listen most of the time. Overall, it's really good, and only falters in a few songs (so you feel warned, Hell, Cold Day in the Sun, Razor), making it almost devoid of bad tracks. Best of all, though, is the bargain. In Your Honor is two discs, and costs the price of a one disc album. I can appreciate that they didn't inflate the price for that. Even if you don't love the album, it's hard to say it's not worth the price.

Track Listing

Disc 1/Disc 2

1. In Your Honor/Still

2. No Way Back/What If I Do?

3. Best of You/Miracle

4. D.O.A./Another Round

5. Hell/Friend of a Friend

6. The Last Song/Over and Out

7. Free Me/On The Mend

8. Resolve/Virginia Moon

9. The Deepest Blues are Black/Cold Day in the Sun

10. End Over End/Razor

Best Tracks: Best of You, Resolve, End Over End, Still, Miracle

Summer Music Reviews: Kings of Leon

2005-09-07T09:13:00.000-07:00

Grade: B+
So I'm starting to review the CDs that I got this summer, and I'm starting it up with the one I got about a week ago, my last day of summer: Aha Shake Heartbreak by Kings of Leon.

I'll start with this: I loved this CD, but I guarantee, not everyone will. This one is based solely on specific tastes. I like the weird, and this is very out there. It's got a classic rock feel to it, but also rings very, very strongly of bands like The White Stripes and The Strokes. In fact, there are multiple songs that sound like they could have come from one of those bands instead of these lesser knowns. A good indie sound to it, that sounds about right. But don't let that persuade you either. If you like The Shins, there's no guarantee you'll like these guys. White Stripes fans will probably feel right at home.

I only give the warnings because I don't want anyone bitching at me about wasting money on my recommendations, because I'm gonna be singing the praises of this album loudly. This is one of those albums that is just plain rock, no matter how odd it gets. It makes you feel a little cooler but just having it in your CD collection. It's one of those types of CDs.

Aha Shake Heartbreak is a very diverse album, and it's rare when you can find a very diverse album that is still very clearly a single sound that is clearly that artist's. Does that make sense? I hope so, because this is also a difficult album to describe. If the rest of the review boggles you, just remember this: it's definitely a garage album. It jumps everywhere, from crazy hard rock that draws my White Stripes comparison, to bluesy yodeling, to mellow bitterness, to pop-rock hooks. It's very based on the music, too, and the lead singer, Calob Followill, uses his voice as an instrument. At least, that's what I'm saying because I love his vocals and the way he sings, but the lyrics make those of Scott Weiland look crystal clear. Behold the full chorus to power ballad Milk:
"She saw my combover
Her hourglass body
She had problems with drinking milk and being school tardy
She'll loan you her toothbrush
She'll bartend your party"
Those are seriously them. Now, while those get the biggest "What the fuck?" reaction on the entire album, you can expect a lot of disjointed lines that are quite similarly consistent to those. He really seems to have no stories to tell, as Four Kicks is the only song with sensical lyrics, and them being about what seems to be a gang fight, they lose their edge when you remember that these are white British guys in a band. In fact, another interesting note, the Kings are four brothers. That's right. The entire band are brothers, and quite young. I kind of fear an Oasis situation, as only two of members of that Brit. Band were brothers, but it still caused enough duress to the band for falter. But I digress. I'm a lyric kind of guy (though it's not all that matters, so you gotta know these guys have talent if I love them and they have ridiculous and borderline crap lyrics.

Now it's time to get reviewing the music. Calob's voice in completely unintelligible for the most part, but workds well with the music. I'll start with giving good examples of the various types of music I listed above. The crazy hard rock is best emodied in Four Kicks, the gang fight song mentioned above. This song's style is what REALLY made me think White Stripes, which crazy musical assaults between otherwise silent vocals. You can find some nice bluesy yodeling on Day Old Blues, and sort of King of the Rodeo. The bitterness I mentioned was Rememo, in which Calob laments on how "the motherfucker's gonna go to jail." And the album shines in the radio single (and semi-hit) The Bucket, the track with the greatest hook. And seriously try to listen to Soft and NOT think of The Strokes. However, the first song is PERFECT to be the first track on this album. Slow Night, So Long gives an amazingly accurate idea of the band's sound, and King of the Rodeo will cement the idea, so long as you remember that it will evolve and diversify. It's an awesome album. The only week points are Pistol of Fire and occasionally, Velvet Snow wears thin. Otherwise, this album is awesome. It's beautifully artistic in a hard rocking, reluctant way. It's a refreshing breath of fresh in the form of standard rock, a realm until which recently was known as the place for boring music. I really, really, wish I could recommend this album to everyone, but really, I have to give a warning. If you love every idea you've heard or own their first album, then you must have this. If you're merely interested, I'd say find a way to check it out first. I'd say that about those uninterested too, though, just to discover possible joy. Anyone else, really stay away. Although, in the end, you can't lose, as it's a cheap CD right now, so act... now.

Track Listing:
1. Slow Night, So Long
2. King of the Rodeo
3. Taper-Jean Girl
4. Pistol of Fire
5. Milk
6. The Bucket
7. Soft
8. Razz
9. Day Old Blues
10. Four Kicks
11. Velvet Snow
12. Rememo

Best Tracks: King of the Rodeo, The Bucket, Day Old Blues, Four Kicks

Lifehouse Concert Review

2005-09-05T11:38:00.000-07:00

O.K., so before I get going with my summer music reviews, I'm gonna talk about the Lifehouse concert I was at two nights ago in Madison (that'd be Saturday, Sept. 3).
I've always been a big Lifehouse fan. I've appreciated how they've never focused on being the next big thing and focused instead on just writing really good music. Top that off with lead singer Jason Wade's incredible voice and heartfelt lyrics, and you have one of my favorite bands.
Now, about the concert, I think it's only fair to start off with the fact that I had the best spot I've ever had at a concert. I was right at the stage, and I mean RIGHT there. I could see every drop of sweat on the drummer, and he sat at the back of the stage. I could've reached out and grabbed Jason Wade and gotten my ass kicked by security.
My quick review of Lifehouse live is that if you like Lifehouse, you'll find the live show to be well worth the cheap and easily obtainable ticket. They lose nothing from the album to stage transition, and are fun to watch. Even if you don't know a lot of Lifehouse (for reference, they're behind the huge hits Hanging by a Moment (most played song of 2001) and You and Me, plus the minor hits Breathing and Spin), they put on a great concert and are worth going to go check out.
As for my detailed review...
The show started with a talented yet mediocre artist named Rocco DeLucca, who I won't go into. He was very formulatic in his song writing. From there, it was a short wait before Lifehouse took the stage and kicked it off with Come Back Down, following that with Blind, my two favorite songs off the new album (those two and Days Go By, which was soon played, too). However, I'm not an enormous fan of the new album, so I was very happy to see that they mostly stuck to the old stuff. Mostly. They have an album to promote. But they took care of it fast, and it was good, just not as good as the rest of the show. But I digress. The show was awesome. The new bass player also did a bang-up job with the back-up vocals, proving to be almost as good a singer as Jason. Oh, and here's the setlist, best I can remember. If I find a genuine one (and I will eventually), I'll post it, along with pictures I may cop from other sites. The songs are right, but I don't know about the order.

Come Back Down
Blind
Only One
Days Go By
Take Me Away
Sick Cycle Carousel
Breathing
The End Has Only Begun
Better Luck Next Time
Somewhere In Between
Spin
Everything
Simon
You and Me
Hanging By a Moment

That list also nails most of my favorite songs of their's. Surprisingly, the three best songs they did, they did back to back to back. But more on that at the end of the post, there's something I want to address here.
I noticed this when I bought the new album and checked out the pictures. I noticed that the new bass player, Bryce Soderberg, who replaced the old Horatio Sans lookalike Sergio, looks a little like someone else. Tell me if I'm crazy or something... He... Uh... Looks a little like someone? It's even better when you look at the back of the album (which I'll try to scan). He's wearing the same crap as me in a similar pose.

Concert Highlights: Days Go By, Somewhere In Between, Spin, Everything

J.J.'s Top Ten For The Lazy!

2005-08-28T22:25:00.000-07:00

Alright, for all of you who are just interested in the ten kick ass CDs that made my list, but don't feel like reading the articles or scrolling down or anything, here's the simple chart version. If you wanna read, click the name. I'll start reviewing CDs tomorrow.

#1Third Eye Blind

#2Distorted Lullabies by Ours

Deja Entendu by Brand New

#4Vs. by Pearl Jam

#5Greatest Hits by The Smashing Pumpkins

#6Before These Crowded Streets by Dave Matthews Band

#7The Bends by Radiohead

#8Welcoming Home the Astronauts by Flickerstick

There is Nothing Left to Lose by Foo Fighters

#10Guster on Ice: Live From Portland, Maine by Guster

J.J.'s Favorite CD EVER

2005-08-28T18:57:00.000-07:00

And #1 is...

Third Eye Blind

This CD really earned its place at the top spot. I mean, literally earned it. I've only recently decided it's my favorite, and with reason. I have history with this one. Third Eye Blind's self-titled debut is the first CD I got that doesn't suck. I mean, back in my really young, foolish day, I owned Backstreet Boys shit, but this one... I think about it now, and I've had this CD for over eight years, and I've never gotten tired of it, and I don't know anyone with at least O.K. music tastes who doesn't love it. This was really a classic of the 90's rock music, and is one of the only post-grunge "must haves" of the decade. Eight years of constant listening, and I still will pop in this CD and listen to it beginning to end at least once a week.

First of all, this entire album is a paradox. A good load of the songs are rather cheerful musically, but a look at the lyrics to almost any song on the album is heartbreaking. The big radio single Semi-Charmed Life is a grea example. The song is often thought of as a feel-good song by people who don't know the lyrics are about drug addiction. This album manages to pull something lyrically that's almost impossible: have angsty, emotional lyrics on almost every song and never once get overly dramatic. It's all genuine, instead of some bands who have a few genuine songs, but are willing to write heartbreak songs by the formula as well. How's It Going To Be might be my favorite song EVER, and you get the feeling that he's really asking the question, and is one of the better break-up songs ever written.

The big thing about this album is how every song hooks you in with it's music, and the dynamic vocals of the two singers (lead Stephan Jenkins and the other guy) really make almost every song a classic in my book. Add deep lyrics and the fact that my mind is tired and I can't think of any more praise for this album, that marks the end of my top ten. I may edit this post another day with more detail. But probably not.

Best Tracks: Semi-Charmed Life, Jumper, How's It Going To Be, Good For You, Motorcycle Drive-By, God of Wine

J.J.'s Top Ten #2

2005-08-25T14:47:00.000-07:00

#2 Distorted Lullabies by Ours

My adoration of Ours is a recent aquisition of mine, but it already knows no bounds. I'm obsessed with both of their CDs, this one and Precious. Ours is a band that I'm desperately tring to spread, almost like a Jehovah's Witness. Except I'm not bringing magazines to your door or anything. I truly discovered Ours about a year ago. I was at Summerfest, and I needed a show to go to in between Matt Nathanson and O.A.R. I had heard an Ours song or two on MTV2, and I knew they were pretty good, so I stopped by their show. Best show I saw that day, one of the best live bands I've seen, and the best discovery I ever made at a concert.

Ours is the brainchild of Jimmy Gnecco, a man with a voice so fucking amazingly incredible it could make an angel cry. On the fifth track of the CD, Miseryhead, Jimmy lets loose so intensely that my headphones can't handle it, as with many speakers I've played the song on. Musically, the best adjective I can think of is very, very goth. But not shitty death metal goth like Cradle of Filth or Dimmu Borgir. This is artsy, good goth. It's about the emotion and the lyrics, which is clear by the fact that very often you'll find Gnecco playing shows by himself with an acoustic guitar. But time to step away with my constant blind praise.

The CD starts with the chilling Fallen Souls, which is the perfect way to begin their first CD. It's a perfect introduction to the type of music that Ours is about. From their, Gnecco builds an entire album of beautifully melancholy songs. It's best summed up as an album full of tradgedy, and it all rings true. From driving rock songs like Sometimes (which you may know, a surprising number of people do) to ballads like Dizzy and I'm A Monster, which I've selected as one of my "theme songs," everything on this album is right. I really can't think of a good way to describe Ours, but the common comparison musically is, accurately, U2 meets Jeff Buckley. I personally hear a few hints of Queen as well. I also know that everyone I've introduced them to loves them.

Ours is essentially a solo project, with band members coming and going from Jimmy's thing. Very similar to Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails. Ours got some good exposure when Jimmy Gnecco appeared on the Spider-Man 2 soundtrack with Someone to Die For, written by Chris Cornell and featuring a guitar solo by Queen's Brian May. Distorted Lullabies may not be as diverse or refined as Precious, but it's more genuine, and one of the best damn CDs I ever heard. I listen to it all the time, and Ours is the one band that I truly spread to everyone I know. It's way too clear that I'm way too tired in this post to be writing.

Best Tracks: I'm A Monster, Sometimes, Medication, Dizzy

J.J.'s Top Ten #3

2005-08-24T21:15:00.000-07:00

#3 Deja Entendu by Brand New

I'm a major emo kid, and I'll admit it with pride, too. I listen to Taking Back Sunday all the damn time, and the popular screamo of The Used is my official pissed off music. Deja Entendu is possibly the best emo album ever, and was what really got me into the genre. I followed the trail from Dashboard Confessional to the CD Rolling Stone called the best emo album of 2003, and here the beauty was.

Deja Entendu was another one of those CDs that I listened to constantly when I got it, from when I first popped it into the car's CD player and for several weeks after. The music is driven, comlpex, and passionate, but the major kicker for this album is the dramatic edge lead singer Jesse Lacey brings in his vocal stylings and lyrics. The lyrics are somewhat deeper than standard emo fare, ranging from the common break-up frustrations to bitter stories of revenge (and I mean bitter) that go beyond the whole "I've been hurt" common. And they're delivered with force, no matter how Lacey is singing. The album begins with the haunting Tattou, one of those short, very artsy album openers I'm kind of a sucker for, which focuses on delicate crooning by Lacey. From there on, it's anything goes. The singing is often subdued, and does amazing jobs of building tension that feels good and that always has a payoff with some well timed and powerfully effective screams and wails that you can feel the emotion coming out of, and often fill the entire chorus, a perfect example being The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows and Sic Transit Gloria... Glory Fades, the two minor hits that made this CD a fan favorite and developed a cult following. Standing alongside those are greats that show the band's diverse ability like Okay I Believe You, But My Tommy Gun Don't, a song that goes beyond emo into a pure rock sound and Me vs. Maradona vs. Elvis, an angry and bitter ballad that sadly hits personal notes with me.

As you probably noticed, this album has the most ridiculously long song titles of any album EVER, including what IS the longest song title I've come across in my lifetime: Good To Know That if I Ever Need Attention, All I Have to do is Die. Quite a mouthful, but unlike the similar Taking Back Sunday, the long, detached song names are deep instead of annoying nonsensical stupidity. A darker edge than average and more rooted in genuine rock and roll than most emo albums, Deja Entendu is probably the genre's best offering.

Best Tracks: Sic Transit Gloria... Glory Fades, Okay I Believe You, But My Tommy Gun Don't, The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows, Me vs. Maradona vs. Elvis

J.J.'s Top Ten #4

2005-08-24T14:20:00.000-07:00

#4 Vs. by Pearl Jam

As anyone who knows me can tell you, there was a period of time where I obsessed over Pearl Jam. They're still one of my favorite bands, and I'll still go see them in concert anytime they pass through. Still the best concert I was ever at, too. Is it a coincidence that that's true, and they played literally half of this album that show? Actually, yeah, probably. That doesn't detract from either, though. This is an amazing album, and a very infamous one too. Vs. was Pearl Jam's sophomore record, following their 11 million selling Ten. 11 million copies. Needless to say, they had a lot to live up to.
And proceeded to give the middle finger to the music industry.
The band apparently couldn't have given any less of a shit about what they had to live up to. After the enormous success of Jeremy and its video sent Pearl Jam into the status of the most popular band in the world, save Nirvana, and the band clearly next in line to fill Nirvana's gap after their later collapse, they did the unthinkable and receded. They didn't want that title, which they later made very clear in their third album and first post-Nirvana recording, Vitalogy. When making Vs., they refused to release singles before the album came out or even make a music video at all to promote their record. Despite that, Vs. broke first week albums sales records and sold 5 million copies.
Ironically, despite the first two songs being released were acoustic ballads, Vs. was an even more raw CD than the heavy Ten was. It was all about the rock. It can best be described as ferocious, and it's even more personal than their first outing. Eddie Vedder stretches his much-imitated voice to the limit on this record, from the raw, gritty vocals of Animal, to the very delicate Indifferent, to a 12-second scream in Blood that may go down as the best in rock history. It also contains my favorite song of their career, the very emotional, driven suicide song RearViewMirrior, a song that, had they cared and promoted it, could have been an even bigger song than Jeremy. Truly a hidden gem in mainstream rock.

Best Tracks: Animal, Daughter, RearViewMirrior, Leash

J.J.'s Top Ten #5

2005-08-24T13:35:00.000-07:00

#5 Greatest Hits by The Smashing Pumpkins

Yes, I am aware that it's slightly lame to have a greatest hits CD in this list here, but bear with me. It's for good reason. The Smashing Pumpkins were another one of my favorite bands, making it all the more tragic that both Zwan and Billy Corgan's solo stuff suck. The Smashing Pumpkins career was full of great music, though, including two of the best albums ever, Siamese Dream and the risky two-discer, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. Either of those two albums could have been here instead, but had I put on Siamese Dream, I would have been missing such awesome songs as Zero and 1979 from Mellon Collie, or the other way I would've been missing the incredible Disarm. Both albums have stuff that's so good I can't make a call on which CD I like better, and all that stuff is packed on here. With that, songs from other albums (including Drown, previously available only on the Singles soundtrack), two new songs, and this being the only place I've found their cover of Fleetwood Mac's Landslide, this album is more of a best of than a greatest hits, and more than earns a spot here.

The CD follows the Pumpkins' hits in chronological order, so it's kinda funny when you can tell at what point in their career Billy Corgan's ego took off and has never looked back (right after Tonight, Tonight). The music is a flawless blend of grunge, acid rock, orchestrations, metal, folk, and other genres that you think would be crazy to mix. But they did it. Billy Corgan's voice and the band's music together had the power to get you pumped with their screechers (Bullet With Butterfly Wings), move you with their beautiful ballads (Disarm), blow you away with musical masterpieces (Tonight, Tonight), or just plain rock you (Cherub Rock). This is one of the few greatest hits CDs that really chronicles a band's best, and serves as an almost necessary part of anyone's collection.

Best Tracks: Rhinocerous, Disarm, Landslide, 1979, Zero

J.J.'s Top Ten #6

2005-08-24T12:47:00.000-07:00

#6 Before These Crowded Streets by Dave Matthews Band

Dave Matthews Band ranks as quite possibly my favorite band out there, challenged only by the Foo Fighters and Pearl Jam, though I was at first questioning whether or not to put one of their CDs on here. I love them all (except maybe Everyday), but I couldn't decide if any of them were kickass enough to be here individually, or if any of them had anything to do with my music tastes as a whole. I decided that this, my favorite DMB CD would make the list, and originally planned it as #10. However, as I thought about it, I realized that I was wrong, and it kept making it higher up the list until it landed here.

Before These Crowded Streets was the follow-up to the fan-favorite Crash. On Before These Crowded Streets, they take everything that made Crash such a masterpiece and experimented even further, allowing even more influences in. A more jazzy sound can be heard throughout the entire album, and they pulled a ballsy move with the song Halloween, which was, oddly enough, based upon and built on The March of the Siamese Children from the broadway show Anna and the King, turning it into an intense song that showcases Dave's ability to let out a guttural growl for singing as well as his normally melodic voice. On top of the jazzier sound, Before These Crowded Streets is easily the darkest album Dave has released, even moreso than his solo Some Devil. The album is almost entirely devoid of upbeat, happy songs like What Would You Say, with the notable exception of Stay (Wasting Time), instead delving into dark musical epics like Don't Drink the Water and The Dreaming Tree.
And I mean it when I say epic songs. The CD is 11 tracks long, beginning with a 40-second musical intro. From there, the shortest song is a beefy 5:07 long and only two songs clock in at under a full six minutes, allowing a lot of room for music in every song instead of something compressed; it's notable that not a single song has an abrupt ending, but a long musical one with a fadeout. Almost every song has a sort of hidden track on it, which is just about a half minute of the band playing in a jam band style.
On a few other notes, Alanis Morissette plays guest artist on the tracks Don't Drink the Water and Spoon. This album also contains Crush, my favorite DMB song that I've been obsessed with for a good six years now.

Best Tracks: Don't Drink the Water, Halloween, Crush, Pig

J.J.'s Top Ten #7

2005-08-24T09:14:00.000-07:00

#7 The Bends by Radiohead

Ah, the heroes of art-rock, Radiohead. There isn't a whole lot more I can say about them, or, quite frankly, this album that hasn't been said by every magazine out there in floods of praise. The Bends is my favorite album of theirs, and for good reason. It really is a perfect alternative record. The Bends proved that Radiohead wasn't a flash in the pan after their enormous first hit with Creep and kinda mediocre first album, Pablo Honey, and was the album that put them on the map as one of the best bands around today. Thom Yorke cemented his place as one of the best voices in music with such beautiful vocals as Fake Plastic Trees, High and Dry, and Bulletproof... I Wish I Was, with some edgier vocals on stuff like The Bends and Just. Really, I can't say anything that hasn't been said to death. The album was ranked #110 on Rolling Stones Greatest Albums EVER, so it easily deserves a place here. My favorite Radiohead album, even moreso than OK Computer. Also contains my favorite Radiohead song, Fake Plastic Trees, which also gets accolades as one of the greatest videos ever for the famous "band riding around in shopping carts" video. A must have for any collection.

Yeah, that was a really redundant post.

Best Tracks: The Bends, Fake Plastic Trees, Just, Black Star

J.J.'s Top Ten #8

2005-08-24T08:25:00.000-07:00

#8 Welcoming Home the Astronauts by Flickerstick

I got this CD right before I went on my school's 8th grade trip to Washington DC. For the 22 hour trip there and back, and the entire week in between, it's all I listened to. I honestly can't tell you how I discovered this gem, as I've truly forgotten. But a little background on the CD, first. It was originally an independent release, and the band was one of a few to be selected for VH1's reality show Bands on the Run, their answer to Survivor. And Flickerstick won, meaning a big record contract with Sony and a load of money for equipment.
This is when their success dried up very quickly.
Flickerstick was essentially screwed over. Sony funded them to make one music video for their single, Beautiful, that, while a great song and a cool video, wasn't even played in rotation on VH1, the very channel that ran the reality show the band won. It was played a handful of times on MTV2 before disappearing off the map. Sony proceeded to not market the band's album at all, with it appearing sparcely in stores without any promotion to actually sell the three copies of the damn thing. After one album and a lot hard work to get there, promises and contracts were broken and Flickerstick was dropped.
They haven't quit, and still release their stuff independently, and it's all still available in some record stores (I saw it in both Tower Records and Virgin Megastore in New Orleans). I absolutely love this CD. It perfectly straddles the rather wide line between alt. rock and pop music, all the while having an amazingly artistic and diverse quality to its sound. From the first track, Lift, one gets an almost Pink Floyd or Radiohead vibe, while later in the album, the almost bratty sounding You're So Hollywood rings of bands like Blink 182, and yet they still have their own genuinely unique sound that's clearly them.
Check out this CD. Really. I'll be plugging it a lot here. These guys should have been the next big thing. They still may be, but they should have been already years ago.

Best Tracks: Got a Feeling, Beautiful, Coke, You're So Hollywood

J.J.'s Top Ten #9

2005-08-23T21:29:00.000-07:00

#9: There is Nothing Left to Lose by Foo Fighters

The Foos are one of my favorite bands, I'll get it out there right now. And There is Nothing Left to Lose is easily my favorite CD of their's. It features the best song crafting out of their whole career as a whole, and while their best individual song appeared on The Color and The Shape (Everlong, and that album was also amazing), it just can't quite match the overall quality of this one. TiNLtL was new ground for the Foos, and was the CD that made them the powerhouse, every-song-they-release-is-so-beloved-it's-overplayed modern rock band they are today, propelled to radio and video stardom by the crazy-popular Learn to Fly. It was the first time they played around with seriously hard rock since their first album, which was good, but Dave Grohl was still clearly a littly wet behind the ears when it came to being a frontman. It also had the purest, most consistent rock sound out of any of their albums up to that point, and while not quite as eclectic as The Color and The Shape, it pulled it off better. Really, there are no bad songs. From the screaming hard rock of Stacked Actors to the beautiful ballads Aurora and Next Year, this was the only Foo CD to truly pull off both ends of the spectrum flawlessly, and remains their last CD to be good all the way through. That should be clear when one notices that on my best tracks list below, both the first and last track are on it.

Best Tracks: Stacked Actors, Learn to Fly, Aurora, M.I.A.

J.J.'s Top Ten #10

2005-08-23T20:45:00.000-07:00

Welcome to J.J.'s Rock Corner. I decided to start things off by writing quick reviews of my top ten favorite CDs in countdown form. So over the next day or two, check back here for new additions to the countdown that I'll be adding at random, sorta. Oh, and these are my favorite CDs of all time, not necessarily the ones I'm listening to now. The ones that really shape the music I like now.

#10: Guster on Ice: Live from Portland, Maine by Guster

I'll be honest, I'm normally not an enormous fan of live CDs. I'll get the occasional one, but moreover, it's just hard to keep track of them all. Look at Dave Matthews Band; they release two live CDs yearly on average nowadays. While the music's good, oftentimes better, I find it easier to keep track of the music and appreciate it more when I know where to find it on the studio albums. There are two exceptions to this for me: Metallica's S&M and this one. Guster on Ice was released after Guster had a mere three (or four, if you include Parachute) albums under their belt, but it was awesome.
Guster on Ice can best be summed up as the Best of Guster So Far. It includes almost all of their best songs, devoid only, sadly, of Keep it Together. I've seen Guster in concert three times, and I've met them twice, and this may be the only live CD I've heard to really capture the real feeling of one of their concerts. To top it off, it has the quality of a studio album without the noises of the crowd being hardly noticeably, muchless annoying. The best part of the album was that the songs, with the exception of Barrel of a Gun, are much better live, and for the most part, don't make you feel disappointed with the music when you go back to the studio work.
About the music itself, it's awesome alternative rock with an almost folky sound to it. It's obvious why Guster was a success even when they were an independent band: this kind of stuff is huge with college students. It's got flavors of all kinds, but manages to be completely unique. So unique that the drummer doesn't use sticks, but bare hands. Very cool, and I'm serious about it. Often cheerful, occasionally heartbreaking, and even chilling at times, they're way better than they have any right to be.
So there you have it; it's my favorite live CD with all kinds of great music outside of that. As a plus, it may be an expensive buy, but it comes with a DVD of the same concert, plus more songs and some bonuses.

Key Tracks: Happier, Demons, Airport Song