Hello World!!!

I haven't written anything in a while...but I'm revamping and relaunching this thing in a few weeks.

I'm Back

As much as I'd like to make excuses for not posting on here (like selling my book, watching my son grow up, settling into a new job, etc.) I won't.  I just want you to know that I'm back.  I'll start writing new reviews in the next few days...just don't expect a whole lot at once.  After all, I've got a new job and a near 11 month old to follow around.  As soon as Tuesday rolls around (along with UPS), I'll try to post a review of the new Dido and Belle and Sebastian (hopefully by Thursday). 

Music Column (4/29-5/2)

Yeah...so right here I should be reviewing the new Portishead and Roots discs (especially since I can finally hear again)...I should be extolling their virtues or belittling their flaws...pointing out little obscure facts that I know about these bands (I'll save them though) or engaging in some pithy banter...but I'm not. I'm not because when UPS delivered my weekly shipment this morning (at 10:55 like clockwork)...some dishonest person out there managed in the 15 minutes between its delivery and my arrival at home for lunch to steal it off of my porch. Thankfully, both UPS and Amazon are doing their best to make sure that my weekly delivery is replaced (without recharging me of course) and launching an investigation into where exactly my shipment went (there were some other items in there as well)...but that doesn't change the fact that in my little slice of suburbia I have been violated. As soon as I can listen...I'll post my reviews...until then I'm going to go play Mario Kart Wii and try and not think about what is happening to the society that I'm raising my son in.

Music Column (Sorry I Ain’t Posted Nothin’) (4/14-4/18)

Hey guys...sorry I haven't posted anything...but I really do have a good excuse. For those of you that aren't really in the know of my personal life, I've had some health problems that have impaired my ability to review and listen to music for the past week and a half (I ain't been able to hear out of my left ear...or to be more accurate...everything that I do hear, sounds like I'm underwater.) This is a recurring issue that I've been dealing with for most of my life (it has to do with a ruptured eardrum and some scar tissue that formed when I was a really young kid) and hopefully it will be cleared up relatively quickly (sometimes it lasts week...sometimes it lasts months) Anyways...since I'm only hearing in mono through my headphones (that's how I listen to music before I review it) I don't feel I could accurately give you a good review until I'm 100%. I will continue to tell you what I'm buying and at least attempting to listen to in the meantime...with some mild review type elements splashed in there.

This week's must buy is The Alchemy Index Volume III & IV (Air & Earth) by Thrice. (Yes, for those of you that know me...I'm biased.) This is a band that has truely evolved their sound over the course of the past several years. This is most present when listening to the complete collection of Alchemy Index EP's. They go from hard rock (Fire), to electronic (Water), to intellectual art rock (Air) and wrap up with acoustic folk (Earth). Personally, I am leaning towards Air being my favorite, with Water coming in a short second.

Music Column (3/31-4/11) Part 1

Just so everyone knows...I have not forgetten about you...I'm working on it, I've just had some family issues that have taken up more time than I expected (Ethan decided to change his schedule).

Currently I'm working on:

Accelerate by R.E.M.

Attack & Release by The Black Keys

April by Sun Kil Moon

Jim Noir by Jim Noir

Pershing by Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin

Walk It Off by Tapes 'N Tapes

These are all must buys, and I'll write actual reviews as soon as I have a chance.

Repost: Music Review3/24-3/28

This week in music has been really dull. Nothing too exciting came out, and the things that did, really weren’t that great (Counting Crows (yawn), Panic At the Disco (emo guys pretending to be pop), etc.). That being said, next week is shaping up to be a two-parter type of week with R.E.M., Black Keys, and Sun Kil Moon coming out…but that is next week. So…on to this week…

Must Buy:

The only must by this week is Consolers of the Lonely by The Raconteurs. For the uninformed, this is the band that Jack White and Brendan Benson formed on a whim while Mr. White was on a break from touring. The sound of the band remains unchanged from what listeners heard on Broken Boy Soldiers (think early White Stripes with a bass) but that is not a bad thing. This is dirty blues oriented rock and roll…in other words…real rock and roll. It is nice to hear that as the White Stripes spiral into a stranger sound (as much as you want to deny it, you know that it’s true) The Raconteurs serve as a more straightforward outlet for its members. The album starts with the title track, which has a fuzzed out vintage sound from the 70’s and also a fun time playing with the tempo throughout. The standout tracks on the album are "You Don’t Understand Me", "Top Yourself" and "Attention". "You Don’t Understand Me" starts off with a rolling piano riff and quickly turns into a good old fashioned sing-along with the chorus. This is not the first time or the last time that listening to this album I was reminded of Paul McCartney. "Top Yourself" is really what Ryan Adams should be writing these days instead of anything and everything that comes into his head (I realize that he’s a prolific and talented songwriter, but where’s the self editing…or even the label saying…hey…maybe FOUR albums in one year isn’t such a great idea…especially when, if you took all four of those albums and picked out the best songs it would make one great album). Sorry about the rant…anyways…the basic for this song are a banjo (sweet) and a slide guitar (even sweeter). If that doesn’t sell you, then there’s just no hope. "Attention" really got my attention (sorry…I just had to) because it starts out with a fuzzed out bass solo and turns into the greatest song Cheap Trick never wrote, complete with the call out and echo chorus. The only thing that concerns me about this album, is the fact that they didn’t even announce that they had recorded it until last week when they announced the release date…hmmm…that makes me think of the movies that you know are awful that they don’t screen for critics, and I’m afraid that may be what many people fear of this album before even hearing it.

Vintage from the Vault:

This week’s vintage artist is The Jesus and Mary Chain. Seeing that Rhino just reissued their entire catalog (minus Munki, which came out on Sub Pop and has stayed in print) I thought it would be time to talk about one of the most influential bands you’ve never heard of. Long before Noel and Liam Gallagher were taking sibling rivalries to a new height, there were Jim and William Reid. These guys made fighting with each other and their fans an art form. One of my favorite stories goes that when they were preparing for a show in ’84 the purposely set up their gear so that their backs would be facing the audience. This in turn started a riot and the show ended after 10 minutes (which was apparently quite common in their early days). My personal experience with JAMC is nothing as exciting, but they do put on one hell of a live show. As far as their music goes you really have to start with Automatic, which is the album that falls at the center of their career (subsequently it is also the album that gets name checked the most: see "Authority Song" by Jimmy Eat World, "We Looked Like Giants" by Death Cab For Cutie and the kick @$$ cover of "Head On" by The Pixies…see…they were influential). While this is not my favorite album (Psychocandy still holds that place in my heart), it is the most immediately accessible. The albums before this one tend to have a Phil Spectorish wall of sound made out of feedback. The most recognizable song from this era, thanks to its key involvement in the movie, Lost in Translation, is "Just Like Honey" from Psychocandy. The era after Automatic runs through the gamut of controversial (Honey’s Dead), acoustic with feedback (Stoned and Dethroned) and experimental (Munki) with a couple of soundtracks thrown in there (The Crow…where a lot of you have probably heard the song "Snakedriver" and not even realized it). Generally speaking the production got better, but the toll of tremendous drug use and squabbling began to tear the group apart. By the infamous House of Blues concert in ’98 the band members were hardly speaking and it all came to a crashing end after the show started with Jim hardly able to speak or stand due to the amount of alcohol and/or drugs he had taken and William walking off stage 15 minutes into the set and ultimately out of the band. Thankfully we have this week’s reissues (which in actuality are the same as the 2006 reissues without the dualdisc DVD side) and a brand new track (on the Heroes soundtrack) which makes me hope that I’ll be joyfully writing a review of a new disc by the end of the year.
Keep discovering new music and filling me in. Until next week...

Repost: For Those That Just Rocked...We Salute You

For some reason lately I have found myself listening more and more to what is categorized by the music press as "post-rock" (see...the title does make sense). Now according to wikipedia (it was the only place I could find a decent definition) post-rock is "a music genre characterized by non-traditional use of rock instruments and high musical density." I like to think of it more as an intricately designed wall of sound...baroque rock if you will. The few concerts I have been to (all two of them) are truly the loudest concerts I have ever been two, not because the volume was cranked up, but because these bands actually use compositional dynamics (there’s my inner band nerd coming out...) To make it a little easier to navigate the sound scape...or noise scape...that these bands create I’ve decided to create a bit of a user’s guide for my top 5 post-rock bands. If you are a brave listener, or are just looking for something new and exciting...give these 5 bands a whirl (it should also be noted that to truly appreciate the intricacies of these bands you really need to listen to them through headphones).

1. Mogwai

It’s really hard to pick between number 1 and 2 mainly because these are the bands that I’ve been listening to the longest and these are actually the only two bands of this genre that I have seen live. I’m going to put Mogwai at number 1 though, mainly because I discovered them first. Mogwai are a Scottish band that quite literally write rock symphonies, their albums are so densely layered that you can listen to them and hear something new every time. They consist of a core unit of 5 musicians (sometimes more depending on the tour) and like most bands of the genre lack a true vocalist. On the rare occasions that vocals do appear, they are so blended into the mix that they almost serve as another instrument rather than the focal point of the song. They have also managed to avoid repeating themselves even after releasing 6 full length albums and countless ep’s and one off singles, like so many in the genre do (I’m looking at you Eluvium). There are really two basic elements behind the music. The first and most obvious element is the use of dynamics. This was truly the loudest concert that I have EVER attended. This is a band that can go from (metaphorically) a whisper to a scream and then back to a whisper. Be warned when wearing headphones not to get lulled into the softness of the music because when they get loud it is almost enough to force a change of clothes if you aren’t expecting it. The second obvious element is the melodic bass line that is washed over with waves of distortion only to have it disappear (again this speaks quite a bit to their use of dynamics). There are bands that use distortion because it is the only way that they like their guitars. Mogwai, however, use distortion for what it truly is...an effect. They are just as comfortable not using it as they are, and when they do it is to drive the theme of the song further not cover the fact that they are playing the same chords over and over or don’t know how to play their instruments at all.

Featured Tracks:
"You Don’t Know Jesus"
"Summer"
"Burn Girl Prom Queen"
"2 Rights Make 1 Wrong"

2. Sigur Ros

Sigur Ros are truly the type of band that play by their own rules. They are from Iceland...but rather than sing in Icelandic...or English, they have created their own language called "Hopelandic." On top of that, the vocals are sung in an extremely high falsetto and serve no purpose other than to act as another instrument. Fortunately, the rules that they have created work well for them. Not since Jimmy Page have I seen a guitarist that can pull of playing his guitar with a bow. The bassist is also known to sometimes play his bass with a drum stick. Again, all unconventional, but they totally work. Now, as to why they are on my list, it is simple: music, in its purist form is designed to illicit an emotional response and that is what Sigur Ros does. You can’t help but listen to this music without feeling some sort of emotion. For those of you who are fans of Philip K. Dick, I truly imagine that when he was describing the Penfield Mood Organ, it must have been something akin to listening to this music. This is truly a band that I can’t recommend specific tracks because the albums are linked thematically, and to break apart the theme on a track by track basis would be a disservice...so instead

Featured Album:"()" (yes that is really the name...just two parentheses)

3. Mono

Mono is a group of Japanese musicians that have mastered the use of the crescendo, very similar to the style originally developed by Explosions in the Sky (see below) but done better. As a benefit to those of us who don’t live in happening city where our favorite Japanese bands come to visit, Mono has made a point to use little to no electronic manipulation during the recording process. What this essentially means is that what you hear through your headphones is what they sound like live. In fact they tend to record as a full band and many of their best songs were recorded in a single take. In addition to this they have also mastered the creation of new effects by combining many of their effects pedals to create unheard of sounds. The use of distortion plays out to the effect that it is really used only at the emotional high point of the song (a.k.a. the Loudest F*&%$in’ Moment Possible). Of particular note is that they also have a small chamber quartet that has recorded several songs with them and definitely add that more modern classical feel to the whole thing. And, if all of this hasn’t convinced you to check them out...one of the guitarists is named Yoda...I mean seriously.

Featured Tracks
"16.12"
"The Flames Beyond the Cold Mountain"
"Com(?)"

4. Explosions in the Sky

Explosions in the Sky don’t try anything fancy with strange instruments like Mogwai or Sigur Ros. In fact, they don’t have a vocalist...ever. They are a rock band that plays chamber music. If you’ve seen the movie Friday Night Lights you may not realize it but you are already familiar with their music, as they did the score for the entire movie. Also, unlike the first two members of my list they are good old Texas boys. Musically, they are a little less adventurous than Mogwai or Sigur Ros, but don’t count that against them. Each album has a specific theme that is explored musically (think Beethoven symphonies). The tracking on the album is done to essentially break up the movements of the larger piece. Each album takes on its own thematic mood which is carried from track to track. Explosions do use quite a bit of distortion in their music, so for those of you that view distortion as just noise...it’s best to pass.

Featured Tracks:
"It’s Natural to Be Afraid"
"Magic Hours"
"Have You Passed Through This Night?"

5. Pelican

Pelican was founded by a group of musicians that grew tired of the expectations that were being placed on heavy metal...especially during the hey-day of nu-metal. By far the heaviest band on this list (look at their pedigree...they’re metalheads) they add a new dimension to the post-rock movement. Again, this is a band that is straight forward guitar, bass, and drums, yet they manage to make it sound different from all of their peers and predecessors. They are not afraid to add distortion to the bass and just rock out. While they do have their quieter moments, they usually just prefer to turn it up to eleven and rock your eardrums even while playing acoustic.

Featured Tracks:
"City of Echoes"
"March to the Sea"
"Winds With Hands"