Just to let everyone know, I'm going away for a month starting tomorrow and will have no computer access till sometime in early August. Obviously this means that this blog will be going inactive for that length of time. I'll be back in August with more music and all that good stuff. In the meantime, amuse yourselves with the links on the left, and if you have ideas for things you want me to write about, comment me and I'll check it out.

See you in August!

==TJ==

My December Gets a Cold Shoulder

I know I'm WAY late with this, but I was waiting to get back on my own computer because I owe you guys MP3s. But without further stalling, yet another take on the much-anticipated new album from Kelly Clarkson, My December.

At this point I think just about everyone knows about the whole Clarkson-Clive Davis war of words, and more recently the firing of Clarkson's manager and the cancellation of her tour, all as a result of her insistence on writing the album herself.

I hate to say it, but Clive Davis might not have been too far off base. Most of the tracks on My December sound a little bit tired, almost as if Clarkson was just trying to emulate some formula for a hit single like "Since U Been Gone". Nothing on the album is inherently bad, it just falls well short of being the home-run shot fans are used to hearing. Tracks like the balls-to-the-wall "Never Again" and the more melancholy "Haunted" do indicate that Kelly Clarkson is not completely inept at songwriting. In fact, I think that if Clive Davis and RCA spent as much time trying to work with Clarkson to hone her writing ability and make her stuff better as they did trying to scrap the entire project, My December could have been the best Clarkson release to date. Tracks like the bland "Be Still" and "Judas" may not help her case, but despite what RCA wants you to believe, My December would be excellent were it Kelly Clarkson's debut album...which in a sense it is. Too bad we know that with help she's capable of better.

**1/2

Kelly Clarkson - Haunted

==TJ==

What Does Vegas Have to Say About a Manson/Way Bout?

Later this week I'll have two reviews for you; one is for My December, the much-blogged about new album by Kelly Clarkson, the first written entirely by herself (hence the controversy and blogging). The other is the new album from ZeroChance, the mostly unknown act out of Atlanta I wrote about a few weeks ago. I can't promise when they're coming since my computer is being repaired, but they both should come later this week. In the meantime, some words have been traded in the rock world.

The perpetually irritating Marilyn Manson stated earlier this week that a track from his new album Eat Me, Drink Me...But Whatever You Do Just Be Freaked Out By Me entitled "Mutilation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery" is directed at punk rock outfit My Chemical Romance. Manson in essence accuses Gerard Way and company of stealing his act. Says Manson:

"I'm embarrassed to be me because these people are doing a really sad, pitiful, shallow version of what I've done. If they want to identify with me then here's a razor blade. Call me when you're done and we'll talk."

Earlier this week MCR frontman Gerard Way fired back, saying "If Elvis Costello said we sucked we would think about it a bit but usually it is comments from someone with a new record to promote so the remarks ring hollow."

Keep in mind that all this comes shortly after Used frontman Bert McCracken dismissed the idea that there was a real feud between his band and My Chemical Romance. Seems like MCR can't catch a break right now. First the feud with The Used, then a bout with food poisoning...now they have to respond to comments from the likes of Marilyn Manson? And they say rock stars have it easy.

By the way; in a fight, I'd so put $20 on Gerard Way kicking the crap out of Manson.

My Chemical Romance hit back at Marilyn Manson [Starpulse]

==TJ==

That's It?!?!?

Yesterday I reported on the countdown clock on Rage Against the Machine's website and the potential of it being a countdown to a live album or something truly monumental, as is the case with most countdown clocks. Well, Rolling Stone discovered that if you were to set your computer clock to a time shortly after the clock runs out, you'd find out that the clock was counting down to a full tour, the first performance being in East Troy, Wisconsin.

They were gonna make us wait till August 24th to find that out???

OK, new rule; If you're going to create all this buzz about something and include a countdown to said event, the event better be truly worth waiting for, ie new album, live DVD...something that you can't just announce in a press conference. Bad execution on the part of RATM.

==TJ==

Goo Goo Dolls; More Than Meets the...Oh, Wait...

As seems to be the norm for Michael Bay films, the unnecessary sappy love song from this summer's Transformers movie found its way to iTunes this week. Whereas Armageddon had Aerosmith perform the god-awful "I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing" for its soundtrack, the Transformers soundtrack will be led by the Goo Goo Dolls with "Before It's Too Late (Sam and Mikaela's Theme)". For the most part the Goo Goo Dolls have been pretty good when it comes to soundtrack songs (a certain track called "Iris" comes to mind). Sadly in this case, "Before It's Too Late" is actually pretty lackluster. It's pretty much a by-the-numbers adult rock song. Yawn. Don't get me wrong, I've liked everything the Goo Goo Dolls have put out in the last few years. But you would think that something like the Transformers soundtrack would command something with a bit more cajones. But then again, this is Michael Bay, the guy that managed to insert an hour-long love story into Pearl Harbor. Just when my excitement for this movie was starting to climb back into the positive figures, down it goes again.

Goo Goo Dolls - Before It's Too Late (Sam and Mikaela's Theme)

And while I'm thinking about it, Idolator has a rocked-up version of the Transformers theme by an anonymous band.

==Tj==

Buckcherry Lead Singer: Dennis Leary's Illegitimate Child?

Some quick mini-reviews before I let them sit in my head and die of loneliness:

• Buckcherry's third album 15 is probably one of the best, most enjoyable albums I've listened to in quite some time. I have it on Ruckus, and it's now moved up to the top of my Wanted List. **** 1/2
  
• I haven't quite finished listening to all of It Won't Be Soon Before Long, Maroon 5's new album, but at the rate its going its on pace for a solid ****. Here's hoping "Wake Up Call" is the next single.
• In a follow-up to the Second Spin entry from yesterday, Year Zero is just as trippy as vintage NIN, and it's good enough to warrant a *** 1/2. rating
  
• I just downloaded Chris Cornell's solo album Carry On and I haven't gotten all the way through it yet, but on the strength of just "She'll Never Be Your Man", "Arms Around Your Love", and the angsty "Billie Jean" cover, it's already proven itself to be just as good as Audioslave, and WAY better than Euphoria Morning. ****

Meanwhile, Rage Against the Machine have a countdown clock counting down to August 24th. RATM has been silent on what is going to happen that day, but speculation suggests either a live album from their Coachella performance or perhaps a DVD. [Source: Billboard]

Furthermore, in a recent interview The Who's Pete Townshend declared that the current tour in support of October's Endless Wire will not be the last from The Who. Townshend has said that he has ideas for another album, and is just waiting to find a full band for he and Roger Daltrey to record with.

That's it for now. I'll be back with some housekeeping stuff and some Goo Goo Dolls action later tonight.

==TJ==

PS: In regards to the title. Look at this pic of Buckcherry's singer Josh Todd, then look at this pic of comedian Dennis Leary and decide for yourself.

Second Spin: The Spiral Just Keeps Going...

Welcome to Second Spin, where VLM goes back and gives an album another listen to see if the first reaction was correct, or if perhaps it deserves better than the treatment it's received. This week's feature is the breakthrough album from Nine Inch Nails, The Downward Spiral.

Let's get one thing straight; NIN was making noise before making noise was cool. And even now he's doing it better than most others who try (See also: Slipknot, KoRn). When I first got around to picking up the album about a year ago (it came out in 1994, so I'm a teensy bit behind), I gave it a spin, but was pretty ho-hum about it. Save for the well-known tracks like the blatantly sexual "Closer" and "Hurt", it all just kinda blended into one big clusterfuck of synths and screaming that made no sense to me.

Shows how much a year makes when you spend that year turning into a music geek.

From the moment I popped in the CD for the purposes of this entry, I was prepared to be listening to something significant. After watching all the meticulous work done simply in advertising Year Zero and learning about the recording process done in the house of the Sharon Tate murders, I realized there had to be more to this CD. And there was. "Mr. Self Destruct" opens the album with textbook Nine Inch Nails style wrack-and-thrash industrial sound, and that keeps going all the way to the amazing "Heresy", "March of the Pigs", and "Ruiner". After getting the radio-friendliness out of his system, Trent Reznor dives back into the balls-to-the-wall soundtrack to fornication. Personally I had a hard time keeping up with the tracks and their inherent mechanized trippiness. But nonetheless its still amazing for listening to during sex, or if nothing else, it's solid background noise. Don't get me wrong; as much as it may not be my cup of tea, Downward Spiral was still a great album and something that really does grow after a few listens.

==TJ==

Akon was a Pro Wrestler back in the 1980s

This footage from an Akon concert found its way onto What Would Tyler Durden Do? yesterday. While Akon talks to the fans onstage (probably about what hip-hop was like in the 1960s or how he didn't really know that girl was 14), someone throws something (Idolator says its a frisbee) at Akon on stage. What ensues...well, take a look. Quality isn't great, but it had the best view of what happens.



So not only is Akon a million years old and a pedophile, he was also a professional wrestler? Does any other artist have a resume that even comes close to this one. More importantly, is this a bad thing?

==TJ==

My Chemical Romance is Sarcastic...Again...

After a month long delay out of respect for those killed in the tragedy at Virginia Tech in April, My Chemical Romance finally released the single and video for "Teenagers", the fourth single off 2006's The Black Parade.



The video is pretty straightforward by MCR standards. Band performs, kids riot, twisted cheerleaders...the usual really. In an effort to show respect for the VT tragedy, the band tacked on a public service ad at the end of the video encouraging people to reach out and seek help instead of turning to violence (the song alludes to a school shooting, hence the delay and PSA). Idolator was one of the first to notice the similarities between the videos for "Teenagers" and "Smells Like Teen Spirit", complete with rioting teens in a gym, cheerleaders and the whole reaching out motif, but like always, MCR does so with its tongue firmly planted in its cheek. All in all another great video from My Chemical Romance. Now I'm just waiting for the inevitable B-Sides to hit iTunes.

Oh, and one more thing; congratualtions to MCR frontman Gerard Way, who late last week announced his engagement to his girlfriend, known only as Eliza.

==TJ==