Here in America (I don't know if I have any international readers, hence the clarfication), today is Labor Day, the day when we all celebrate how hard we Americans work by...taking a day off. Hmm. Anywho, some random stuff to catch you all up on since I went away.
Matt at Addicted to Vinyl posted two fantastic complete live shows; a Matchbox 20 set from Australia circa 1998 (After Yourself Or Someone Like You, but just before Mad Season), and the famous Nine Inch Nails Woodstock '94 show. Both are available in their entirety at the links provided. Enjoy!
Friends or Enemies posted a mixtape featuring new stuff from Fall Out Boy, Gym Class Heroes, et al. Haven't listened to it yet (headphones are busted so listening time has been shelved lately), but its free if you click here. Click the little lever thingy then fill out some info and you'll get your download ticket. PS: Fall Out Boy releasing a new album already? That was quick.
And since I've posted so many others cool stuff, I suppose I should give you good folks something to read (assuming you're still reading and didn't click away yet). This live show has gotten posted before, I'm certain, but it's a great show and worthy of being recycled here. Sometimes called "The Show That Broke Up Audioslave", Chris Cornell did an unplugged show in Sweden shortly after Revelations was released. Here is that show. For all the people who hate the new solo Cornell stuff, use this as a means to look back fondly upon the man.
Chris Cornell Unplugged in Sweden
Doesn't Remind Me
Like A Stone
Wide Awake
Fell On Black Days
Be Yourself
Billie Jean
Original Fire
Redemption Song [Bob Marley Cover]
Peace, Love and Understanding [Elvis Costello Cover]
All Night Thing
Black Hole Sun
Call Me A Dog
Thank You [Led Zeppelin Cover]
Complete zipped download
Have at it. Back later.
==TJ==
Showing posts with label Chris Cornell. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chris Cornell. Show all posts
Monday, September 1, 2008
Thursday, July 31, 2008
CornellWatch: Day 12; LEAVE CHRIS ALONE!!!
(Note: I tried to find video of the PandaWatch clip from Anchorman, but no such luck.)
Nearly two weeks after the irritating Ryan Seacrest rip of Chris Cornell's new song debuted, we now have firm proof that Chris Cornell and Timbaland have not gone into hiding. "Long Gone" still hasn't been officially released as a single and can't be purchased via iTunes or AmazonMP3, but earlier today Planet Radio 107.3 out of Jacksonville posted some new material. I've listened to all five tracks that are released and am going through the interview material now, but I'll get to that in a minute. First, I need to get something off my chest to all the people who are taking a massive flaming crap on the new stuff.
Look, grunge music as children of the '90s knew it is dead. Soundgarden is NOT getting back together. Not now, and probably not ever. Likewise with Rage Against the Machine reunited and the way in which Audioslave disbanded, that reunion is dead in the water. Chris Cornell is going to be a solo artist for the remainder of his career. And that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Euphoria Morning has great material on it, provided you're not expecting Soundgarden throwaways. Carry On had some great stuff on it, but there wasn't much of a tying thread to it. It felt like a lot of ideas jumbled together. By introducing Timbaland as a producer, Cornell showed he was picking a direction now, and not the worst direction either. Maybe Scream won't be the rave success fans are hoping for, and it may not even be as successful commercially as Cornell hopes either, but he deserves props for taking a risk and giving it a try.
This is why I hate mainstream music haters out there; if an artist takes a risk and it flops, said artist gets ripped to shreds and the snobs declare the artist irrelevant or out of touch. But if that same artist takes a safer, tried-and-true route, now the artist is accused of lack of originality or being a one-trick pony, or worse, playing to try to sell records or get a song on the radio. It's a no-win situation (unless of course you choose to buck the system and go it alone, and now if you do that you're just copying off of Radiohead). So yes, Scream may not be a return to what we hope Chris Cornell will be, but at least he's doing it on his terms.
Which brings up another thing; based on the interview portions I heard, Cornell truly doesn't seem to give a shit about what initial reactions to the Timbaland announcement were. He thought it was a cool idea to take his music in that direction, so he did, and fuck anyone who thought it was a bad idea. By the same token, he seems a bit unaware of how much fans are hating "Long Gone", but give him props for sticking by it and not scrapping the project and recording something new.
Phew. OK I'm done ranting. Now onto the music.
Four new tracks debuted today (in addition to "Long Gone"). "Watch Out" shows some of the most evidence of Cornell's songwriting contribution. Cornell just seems more comfortable singing this song than he did "Long Gone" (which was co-written by Ryan Tedder). This song has some real potential to be a single that could please both rock and rap fans. The chorus sounds like something you might hear on typical mainstream rap, while Cornell's raspy, meaty voice reminds us that this is in fact still the guy from Soundgarden. Timbaland's beats and production on "Watch Out" are a bit more tasteful (think Linkin Park's "Bleed It Out"), which means this track is probably the second best of the five songs we've heard thus far.
Next came the title track "Scream". At first listen, it's got the instrumentals of "Apologize", so strike one against Tim. Lyrically it drifts back into the adult contemporary region of Carry On, but isn't a totally spineless venture. The venture is more or less on par with the rest of the material. Not completely forgettable, but also far from extraordinary.
Third is "Long Gone". Having now heard it a dozen or so times, I think it's better than it was the first time I heard it. That said, it's the worst track in this set. Balladry never quite works for solo Cornell. That and the fact that it sounds like a mix between a scrapped OneRepublic track and a leftover from Justin Timberlake's last album, and this song crosses out of meh territory and into flat-out ugh. Upon further review, Timbaland can have this track for his next solo album.
After that it's "Never Far Away". The verses remind me of early Audioslave, which no matter your thoughts on Audioslave as a whole, is a plus here. Another track that could work well as an R&B hit with appeal for people who like Cornell. If anyone will give Scream the time of day, "Never Far Away" could be a club hit. I think this track also shows off Timbaland's best work out of everything on this set. I know they're entirely electronic, but I think the drums on this one are fantastic.
"Ground Zero" is the last track introduced, the shortest one, and most certainly the most enjoyable. The beatboxing is terrific, Chris seems really at ease singing this song, and it meshes together the best. It reminds me a lot of "Original Fire", just without Tom Morello's guitar solo. Instead you get a ridiculous, inspired turntable solo to close out the song. If Cornell had debuted this song before "Long Gone" I think we'd be singing a much different tune about Scream.
MP3s are below, as is a link to Planet Radio's site. Be advised that a) these are webrips, and thus a bit glitchy, but not as bad as the Seacrest rip from last week, and b) since this is meant to be a gapless album, and these tracks are essentially radio edits, we're still missing material from this album. With those facts in mind, here you go:
Chris Cornell - Watch Out
Chris Cornell - Scream
Chris Cornell - Long Gone
Chris Cornell - Never Far Away
Chris Cornell - Ground Zero
Planet Zero's interview with Chris Cornell
==TJ==
Nearly two weeks after the irritating Ryan Seacrest rip of Chris Cornell's new song debuted, we now have firm proof that Chris Cornell and Timbaland have not gone into hiding. "Long Gone" still hasn't been officially released as a single and can't be purchased via iTunes or AmazonMP3, but earlier today Planet Radio 107.3 out of Jacksonville posted some new material. I've listened to all five tracks that are released and am going through the interview material now, but I'll get to that in a minute. First, I need to get something off my chest to all the people who are taking a massive flaming crap on the new stuff.
Look, grunge music as children of the '90s knew it is dead. Soundgarden is NOT getting back together. Not now, and probably not ever. Likewise with Rage Against the Machine reunited and the way in which Audioslave disbanded, that reunion is dead in the water. Chris Cornell is going to be a solo artist for the remainder of his career. And that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Euphoria Morning has great material on it, provided you're not expecting Soundgarden throwaways. Carry On had some great stuff on it, but there wasn't much of a tying thread to it. It felt like a lot of ideas jumbled together. By introducing Timbaland as a producer, Cornell showed he was picking a direction now, and not the worst direction either. Maybe Scream won't be the rave success fans are hoping for, and it may not even be as successful commercially as Cornell hopes either, but he deserves props for taking a risk and giving it a try.
This is why I hate mainstream music haters out there; if an artist takes a risk and it flops, said artist gets ripped to shreds and the snobs declare the artist irrelevant or out of touch. But if that same artist takes a safer, tried-and-true route, now the artist is accused of lack of originality or being a one-trick pony, or worse, playing to try to sell records or get a song on the radio. It's a no-win situation (unless of course you choose to buck the system and go it alone, and now if you do that you're just copying off of Radiohead). So yes, Scream may not be a return to what we hope Chris Cornell will be, but at least he's doing it on his terms.
Which brings up another thing; based on the interview portions I heard, Cornell truly doesn't seem to give a shit about what initial reactions to the Timbaland announcement were. He thought it was a cool idea to take his music in that direction, so he did, and fuck anyone who thought it was a bad idea. By the same token, he seems a bit unaware of how much fans are hating "Long Gone", but give him props for sticking by it and not scrapping the project and recording something new.
Phew. OK I'm done ranting. Now onto the music.
Four new tracks debuted today (in addition to "Long Gone"). "Watch Out" shows some of the most evidence of Cornell's songwriting contribution. Cornell just seems more comfortable singing this song than he did "Long Gone" (which was co-written by Ryan Tedder). This song has some real potential to be a single that could please both rock and rap fans. The chorus sounds like something you might hear on typical mainstream rap, while Cornell's raspy, meaty voice reminds us that this is in fact still the guy from Soundgarden. Timbaland's beats and production on "Watch Out" are a bit more tasteful (think Linkin Park's "Bleed It Out"), which means this track is probably the second best of the five songs we've heard thus far.
Next came the title track "Scream". At first listen, it's got the instrumentals of "Apologize", so strike one against Tim. Lyrically it drifts back into the adult contemporary region of Carry On, but isn't a totally spineless venture. The venture is more or less on par with the rest of the material. Not completely forgettable, but also far from extraordinary.
Third is "Long Gone". Having now heard it a dozen or so times, I think it's better than it was the first time I heard it. That said, it's the worst track in this set. Balladry never quite works for solo Cornell. That and the fact that it sounds like a mix between a scrapped OneRepublic track and a leftover from Justin Timberlake's last album, and this song crosses out of meh territory and into flat-out ugh. Upon further review, Timbaland can have this track for his next solo album.
After that it's "Never Far Away". The verses remind me of early Audioslave, which no matter your thoughts on Audioslave as a whole, is a plus here. Another track that could work well as an R&B hit with appeal for people who like Cornell. If anyone will give Scream the time of day, "Never Far Away" could be a club hit. I think this track also shows off Timbaland's best work out of everything on this set. I know they're entirely electronic, but I think the drums on this one are fantastic.
"Ground Zero" is the last track introduced, the shortest one, and most certainly the most enjoyable. The beatboxing is terrific, Chris seems really at ease singing this song, and it meshes together the best. It reminds me a lot of "Original Fire", just without Tom Morello's guitar solo. Instead you get a ridiculous, inspired turntable solo to close out the song. If Cornell had debuted this song before "Long Gone" I think we'd be singing a much different tune about Scream.
MP3s are below, as is a link to Planet Radio's site. Be advised that a) these are webrips, and thus a bit glitchy, but not as bad as the Seacrest rip from last week, and b) since this is meant to be a gapless album, and these tracks are essentially radio edits, we're still missing material from this album. With those facts in mind, here you go:
Chris Cornell - Watch Out
Chris Cornell - Scream
Chris Cornell - Long Gone
Chris Cornell - Never Far Away
Chris Cornell - Ground Zero
Planet Zero's interview with Chris Cornell
==TJ==
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Buying Music As Therapy
So it's been over a week since my last post, and that's just not cool. No excuse really, other than laziness and distraction by that little thing called real life. This'll be a bit of a wandering post, but it'll more or less get you up to speed.
I've spent the last several weeks (since I got home from college, pretty much) job hunting. Given the fact that I'm using present tense here should tell you how said search has gone. Turns out that nobody particularly wants seasonal help from college students while in a recession. Imagine that.
Pearl Jam - Unemployable [iTunes]
There is some good to be found in this though, since nothing gets my mind off the frustrations of reality like buying some new(ish) music. After a particularly unsuccessful day of job hunting I went to my local used CD shop and got 4 CDs for 8 bucks and some crappy trade-ins. Below are short and sweet thoughts on each.
The Eagles - Hell Freezes Over
I have a bit of a take-it-or-leave-it relationship with The Eagles. They can either be really freakin' good, or just boring to listen to. Hell Freezes Over is par for the course. The opening four studio tracks are forgettable, save for "Love Will Keep Us Alive", the only real hit the band had in the 90s. The live tracks are where the meat of this album is, with awesome, energetic performances of most of their big hits ("Tequila Sunrise", "Life in the Fast Lane"), and mediocre renditions of some lesser tracks. All in all I would feel bad trading it back in, but it's not going to have much shelf life in my rotation.
Final Score: 5/10
Fuel - Sunburn (Original 1998 release)
Any Fuel fan I talk to has told me that Sunburn was by far their best album, and the remaining Brett Scallions-era LPs paled in comparison (and don't get them started on the misfire that was Angels & Devils). I never took too much stock in the sentiments, since I thought Something Like Human was serviceable, and also probably their peak as a band. If Jill, Mike Newsham, or any other aforementioned Fuel fans are reading...you were right. Sunburn is a spot-on blend of the radio-friendly post-grunge casual listeners are used to and the heavier, headbanger rock that they never pursued after this album. Their might be more awesome tracks on this album than on the other two albums combined. Most of this album is lined up for immediate addition to the iPod. Even if the other albums I bought were to suck, this keeper would've made the venture worth it.
Final Score: 8/10
Gin Blossoms - Congratulations I'm Sorry
Two things made me pick up this one:
1) The essay of a comment Matt from Addicted to Vinyl left here discussing the first two Gin Blossom albums made me want to hear it for myself.
2) Wanted something to bide my time while I waited for my eBay purchase of the deluxe version of New Miserable Experience.
So there you have it. At $3.99, I had few qualms about paying for a potentially craptastic album. All in all it's not a great album. The seeds are all there for what might have been a really good album (thus dispelling the notion that the late Doug Hopkins was the genius in the band), it just doesn't really follow through. The choruses aren't as energetic and it just makes for a much harder listen. There are good points to be found, but nothing on this disc holds a candle to "Hey Jealousy" (now my most played song on iTunes).
Final Score: 4/10
Chris Cornell - Euphoria Morning
Few people in the music world are above the regard in which I hold Chris Cornell (I think it's Dave Grohl and John Lennon, and that's it). I knew that the general consensus said that Cornell's solo debut flat out sucked. But I bought it anyway. Memo to the general consensus: Euphoria Morning doesn't suck. It takes work to listen to, and sounds more like Radiohead than it does Soundgarden or Audioslave. But that sound worked best for Cornell when he was with Soundgarden and Audioslave. Here Cornell gets to write songs that have some weight and meaning and not have to worried about it getting lost behind the amped-up guitars. Euphoria Morning is a good album, just not what you'd expect in a Chris Cornell album.
Final Score: 7/10
Chris Cornell - Can't Change Me [iTunes]
Gin Blossoms - Follow You Down [iTunes]
Fuel - Bittersweet [iTunes]
The Eagles - Love Will Keep Us Alive
That's it for now. I'll be back in a couple hours with more.
==TJ==
I've spent the last several weeks (since I got home from college, pretty much) job hunting. Given the fact that I'm using present tense here should tell you how said search has gone. Turns out that nobody particularly wants seasonal help from college students while in a recession. Imagine that.
Pearl Jam - Unemployable [iTunes]
There is some good to be found in this though, since nothing gets my mind off the frustrations of reality like buying some new(ish) music. After a particularly unsuccessful day of job hunting I went to my local used CD shop and got 4 CDs for 8 bucks and some crappy trade-ins. Below are short and sweet thoughts on each.
The Eagles - Hell Freezes Over
I have a bit of a take-it-or-leave-it relationship with The Eagles. They can either be really freakin' good, or just boring to listen to. Hell Freezes Over is par for the course. The opening four studio tracks are forgettable, save for "Love Will Keep Us Alive", the only real hit the band had in the 90s. The live tracks are where the meat of this album is, with awesome, energetic performances of most of their big hits ("Tequila Sunrise", "Life in the Fast Lane"), and mediocre renditions of some lesser tracks. All in all I would feel bad trading it back in, but it's not going to have much shelf life in my rotation.
Final Score: 5/10
Fuel - Sunburn (Original 1998 release)
Any Fuel fan I talk to has told me that Sunburn was by far their best album, and the remaining Brett Scallions-era LPs paled in comparison (and don't get them started on the misfire that was Angels & Devils). I never took too much stock in the sentiments, since I thought Something Like Human was serviceable, and also probably their peak as a band. If Jill, Mike Newsham, or any other aforementioned Fuel fans are reading...you were right. Sunburn is a spot-on blend of the radio-friendly post-grunge casual listeners are used to and the heavier, headbanger rock that they never pursued after this album. Their might be more awesome tracks on this album than on the other two albums combined. Most of this album is lined up for immediate addition to the iPod. Even if the other albums I bought were to suck, this keeper would've made the venture worth it.
Final Score: 8/10
Gin Blossoms - Congratulations I'm Sorry
Two things made me pick up this one:
1) The essay of a comment Matt from Addicted to Vinyl left here discussing the first two Gin Blossom albums made me want to hear it for myself.
2) Wanted something to bide my time while I waited for my eBay purchase of the deluxe version of New Miserable Experience.
So there you have it. At $3.99, I had few qualms about paying for a potentially craptastic album. All in all it's not a great album. The seeds are all there for what might have been a really good album (thus dispelling the notion that the late Doug Hopkins was the genius in the band), it just doesn't really follow through. The choruses aren't as energetic and it just makes for a much harder listen. There are good points to be found, but nothing on this disc holds a candle to "Hey Jealousy" (now my most played song on iTunes).
Final Score: 4/10
Chris Cornell - Euphoria Morning
Few people in the music world are above the regard in which I hold Chris Cornell (I think it's Dave Grohl and John Lennon, and that's it). I knew that the general consensus said that Cornell's solo debut flat out sucked. But I bought it anyway. Memo to the general consensus: Euphoria Morning doesn't suck. It takes work to listen to, and sounds more like Radiohead than it does Soundgarden or Audioslave. But that sound worked best for Cornell when he was with Soundgarden and Audioslave. Here Cornell gets to write songs that have some weight and meaning and not have to worried about it getting lost behind the amped-up guitars. Euphoria Morning is a good album, just not what you'd expect in a Chris Cornell album.
Final Score: 7/10
Chris Cornell - Can't Change Me [iTunes]
Gin Blossoms - Follow You Down [iTunes]
Fuel - Bittersweet [iTunes]
The Eagles - Love Will Keep Us Alive
That's it for now. I'll be back in a couple hours with more.
==TJ==
Friday, April 25, 2008
Stuff From All Over
New speculation around the previously blogged-about NIN song "Discipline" suggests it might be the first single from the forthcoming sequel to 2007's Year Zero. It would make some level of sense, based on the overall mood of the song and it would give meaning to the cryptic "two weeks!" blog. But for Year Zero II to come out this close to Ghosts seems a bit defeating; unless "Discipline" explodes in the coming weeks, I think people will be tired of NIN and the Year Zero sequel will be a tad overkill-ish. That's probably just me though.
Side note: Thanks to everyone who's gone and looked at my ringtones on Myxertones in the last week. I've only been active on the site for a week, but already the 14 ringtones I've made have rung up 260 downloads. Hope you enjoy 'em, and I'm happy to indulge any requests.
Matt over at Addicted to Vinyl pointed me in the direction of this little doozy from Chris Cornell from the 1998 film version of Great Expectations. Reason #4,623 why I love the man.
Chris Cornell - Sunshower
Back later.
==TJ==
Side note: Thanks to everyone who's gone and looked at my ringtones on Myxertones in the last week. I've only been active on the site for a week, but already the 14 ringtones I've made have rung up 260 downloads. Hope you enjoy 'em, and I'm happy to indulge any requests.
Matt over at Addicted to Vinyl pointed me in the direction of this little doozy from Chris Cornell from the 1998 film version of Great Expectations. Reason #4,623 why I love the man.
Chris Cornell - Sunshower
Back later.
==TJ==
Friday, April 4, 2008
And By Later Today I Meant...
I know I promised this all-Cornell related post on Wednesday, but when you're a college student balancing classes, rehearsals for a show, and the general real life that comes with being a 19-year old college student, in the words of one Lewis Rothschild, "assume that all plans are soft until you receive confirmation from me thirty minutes beforehand."
[For everyone who gets the movie reference, yes, I do say it with a great deal of charm. For the rest of you, see this movie...now.]
On to the Cornell post. Let me first say that I think Chris Cornell is one of the best lead singers of my lifetime. Not the greatest frontman in the world, but from Temple of the Dog to Soundgarden to Audioslave, I defy you to find a guy with a better and more disctinctive set of pipes than Chris Cornell. I'm even gonna go out on a limb and say that both of his solo albums are excellent. I like what little I've heard of Euphoria Morning, and I will till the day I die think that Carry On was indefensibly unappreciated last year. Both albums were given a raw deal by the Soundgarden/Audioslave fans that didn't want to hear Cornell reach out beyond the grunge sound they were familiar with. But the fact remains Cornell is too versatile to stay put, hence the multitude of directions you hear on Carry On.
Last entry I posted a video of American Idol David Cook doing his take on Cornell's version of "Billie Jean". As with what happened to Chris Daughtry after he did Live's version of "I Walk the Line", Cook took crap for allegedly trying to pass Cornell's coffeehouse version off as his own take on the track. Cornell surprisingly lept to Cook's defense, noting that Ryan Seacrest billed it as the Chris Cornell version, and wished Cook best of luck in the rest of the show. Regardless, Cornell's version of Billie Jean saw a spike on the iTunes charts in the last week.
Last week also saw the first news about Cornell's third solo album. Not a whole lot, primarily an announcement that it was being recorded, but the fascinating thing here is that Cornell noted that most of the album was being produced by none other than Timbaland. I know for a fact that all the Audioslave fans just spit blood. I love the idea. There's always been a bit of a dancey texture to Cornell's singing (Audioslavers, listen to "Original Fire" again), a feel that was present on Carry On, but never fully fleshed out. With Timbaland behind the knobs for the next album, it may just work out after all. Cornell also announced that he would be joining Linkin Park on the next iteration of Projekt Revolution this summer. Again, brilliant. That tour is coming to theTweeter ...*sigh* Susquehanna Bank Center outside Philly on July 19th. Only problem is that my roommate and I agreed that the Foo Fighters would top our list of bands to see. But at the same time, LP and Chris Cornell on the same bill is almost too good to let pass. Someone make this choice easier for me...please.
Cornell and Audioslave mp3s below. Enjoy.
Audioslave - Original Fire [iTunes]
Chris Cornell - Ghosts [iTunes]
==TJ==
[For everyone who gets the movie reference, yes, I do say it with a great deal of charm. For the rest of you, see this movie...now.]
On to the Cornell post. Let me first say that I think Chris Cornell is one of the best lead singers of my lifetime. Not the greatest frontman in the world, but from Temple of the Dog to Soundgarden to Audioslave, I defy you to find a guy with a better and more disctinctive set of pipes than Chris Cornell. I'm even gonna go out on a limb and say that both of his solo albums are excellent. I like what little I've heard of Euphoria Morning, and I will till the day I die think that Carry On was indefensibly unappreciated last year. Both albums were given a raw deal by the Soundgarden/Audioslave fans that didn't want to hear Cornell reach out beyond the grunge sound they were familiar with. But the fact remains Cornell is too versatile to stay put, hence the multitude of directions you hear on Carry On.
Last entry I posted a video of American Idol David Cook doing his take on Cornell's version of "Billie Jean". As with what happened to Chris Daughtry after he did Live's version of "I Walk the Line", Cook took crap for allegedly trying to pass Cornell's coffeehouse version off as his own take on the track. Cornell surprisingly lept to Cook's defense, noting that Ryan Seacrest billed it as the Chris Cornell version, and wished Cook best of luck in the rest of the show. Regardless, Cornell's version of Billie Jean saw a spike on the iTunes charts in the last week.
Last week also saw the first news about Cornell's third solo album. Not a whole lot, primarily an announcement that it was being recorded, but the fascinating thing here is that Cornell noted that most of the album was being produced by none other than Timbaland. I know for a fact that all the Audioslave fans just spit blood. I love the idea. There's always been a bit of a dancey texture to Cornell's singing (Audioslavers, listen to "Original Fire" again), a feel that was present on Carry On, but never fully fleshed out. With Timbaland behind the knobs for the next album, it may just work out after all. Cornell also announced that he would be joining Linkin Park on the next iteration of Projekt Revolution this summer. Again, brilliant. That tour is coming to the
Cornell and Audioslave mp3s below. Enjoy.
Audioslave - Original Fire [iTunes]
Chris Cornell - Ghosts [iTunes]
==TJ==
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Buckcherry Lead Singer: Dennis Leary's Illegitimate Child?
Some quick mini-reviews before I let them sit in my head and die of loneliness:
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.
- 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. ****
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.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
When Will the Madness Stop?
First, there was Alanis Morrisette and her piano ballad rendition of "My Humps". Then we caught wind of Chris Cornell giving "Billie Jean" the Soundgarden treatment. And now Whudahexup has released a new track from Panic! At the Disco...which just so happens to be a cover of Nelly Furtado's "Maneater". I don't know what's behind all this, but I'm going on record with my request to hear someone do a rocked up cover of "Smack That". Can we get someone on this already please?
Panic! At the Disco - Maneater (Nelly Furtado Cover) (Courtesy of Whudahexup)
==TJ==
Panic! At the Disco - Maneater (Nelly Furtado Cover) (Courtesy of Whudahexup)
==TJ==
But the Kid Is Not My Son...
OK, first things first, because I keep forgetting to put this up...
I'M ON MTVU!!!
When the page opens, select All Shows > Campus Invasion > Kidz in the Hall - Wheelz Fall Off. Wait till the time counter hits 2:54 (it counts backwards). But yeah that's the first wave of awesomeness.
Other cool stuff:
-The oft-talked about Chris Cornell cover of "Billie Jean" finally leaked last week along with a few other songs from Carry On. It should be noted that a blogger for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer referred to the new material as sounding like old Daughtry B-sides. If this is the case...more, please!
-A few entries back I mentioned more leaked songs from Chinese Democracy. Well, to put it quite simply...they suck. Miserably. Think "Macy Gray recording a metal album" bad. Yeah.
-Last week Evanescence frontwoman Amy Lee married longtime her longtime boyfriend, therapist Josh Hartzler. In my opinion this will lead to one of two outcomes: a) they will divorce within 6 months (in keeping with the Axl Rose comparisons), or b) Hartzler will leave Lee amid more complaints about Lee's overbearing personality and weird hairstyles. In other news Evanescence announced that members of Dark New Day will be filling in for the dismissed Rocky Gray and John Lecompt, and that the tentative title of their third studio album will be Cuban Democracy.
OK I made that last part up.
One more thing about Evanescence; in an attempt to "clean house a little bit" former drummer Rocky Gray is selling on eBay the platinum and gold records he earned while with the band. In his column, Bill Simmons keeps what he calls the Vengeance Scale. Right now this act appears to measure at about a 6.5. Damn...bitter much?
OK that's it. Might be back tomorrow with more stuff.
==TJ==
I'M ON MTVU!!!
When the page opens, select All Shows > Campus Invasion > Kidz in the Hall - Wheelz Fall Off. Wait till the time counter hits 2:54 (it counts backwards). But yeah that's the first wave of awesomeness.
Other cool stuff:
-The oft-talked about Chris Cornell cover of "Billie Jean" finally leaked last week along with a few other songs from Carry On. It should be noted that a blogger for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer referred to the new material as sounding like old Daughtry B-sides. If this is the case...more, please!
-A few entries back I mentioned more leaked songs from Chinese Democracy. Well, to put it quite simply...they suck. Miserably. Think "Macy Gray recording a metal album" bad. Yeah.
-Last week Evanescence frontwoman Amy Lee married longtime her longtime boyfriend, therapist Josh Hartzler. In my opinion this will lead to one of two outcomes: a) they will divorce within 6 months (in keeping with the Axl Rose comparisons), or b) Hartzler will leave Lee amid more complaints about Lee's overbearing personality and weird hairstyles. In other news Evanescence announced that members of Dark New Day will be filling in for the dismissed Rocky Gray and John Lecompt, and that the tentative title of their third studio album will be Cuban Democracy.
OK I made that last part up.
One more thing about Evanescence; in an attempt to "clean house a little bit" former drummer Rocky Gray is selling on eBay the platinum and gold records he earned while with the band. In his column, Bill Simmons keeps what he calls the Vengeance Scale. Right now this act appears to measure at about a 6.5. Damn...bitter much?
OK that's it. Might be back tomorrow with more stuff.
==TJ==
Saturday, February 17, 2007
RIP Audioslave
It is a sad weekend in the world of rock music. Chris Cornell, lead singer for Soundgarden and Audioslave and an all-around stellar musician, has announced that he is leaving Audioslave, arguably the most talented act in hard rock right now. That announcement, coupled with the fact that Rage Against the Machine (one of the two bands that melded into Audioslave) is reuniting this summer for a one-time concert means that Audioslave is all but defunct. Rolling Stone posed a fascinating question; if Audioslave were to continue on with a new lead singer, who should that lead singer be?
Let me preface the rest of this by saying that I would rather not hear Audioslave without Cornell. With a Chris Cornell solo album due out in May, hearing that AND Audioslave with a new lead singer just wouldn't be right. It's like Queen with Paul Rodgers; yeah it's Queen and Paul Rodgers did OK, but no one can even come close to Freddie Mercury. No one can mimic Chris Cornell's mind-blowing vocal stylings. Try to imagine anyone else singing "Cochise". I dare you. It can't be done.
That said, the most interesting votes I read (and supported) were those for either Chris Daughtry or Bo Bice, both of American Idol cast-off fame. These are both damn near impossible, but I think this brings up very interesting points. As much as I like Daughtry's album, it did show a certain level of Nickelback worship, and I feel like he could do better. Bo Bice, on the other hand, released a half-assed album courtesy of his AI deal and if the highlights of that CD are any indication, he definitely could do better and was held back by the record execs. Unfortunately recent reports indicate that RCA has dropped Bice, suggesting that a second album, an album that could very well vindicate Bice, isn't happening anytime soon. Not saying this is a tragedy, but not cool on RCA's part. If there's going to be an reformed Audioslave (which there shouldn't be), let's see Daughtry and/or Bice at the audition.
One more thing; can you imagine Chris Cornell singing Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean"? If the answer to that question is either 'yes' or 'what the hell are you talking about?', mark your calendar for May 1st, the release date for Cornell's solo album.
==TJ==
Let me preface the rest of this by saying that I would rather not hear Audioslave without Cornell. With a Chris Cornell solo album due out in May, hearing that AND Audioslave with a new lead singer just wouldn't be right. It's like Queen with Paul Rodgers; yeah it's Queen and Paul Rodgers did OK, but no one can even come close to Freddie Mercury. No one can mimic Chris Cornell's mind-blowing vocal stylings. Try to imagine anyone else singing "Cochise". I dare you. It can't be done.
That said, the most interesting votes I read (and supported) were those for either Chris Daughtry or Bo Bice, both of American Idol cast-off fame. These are both damn near impossible, but I think this brings up very interesting points. As much as I like Daughtry's album, it did show a certain level of Nickelback worship, and I feel like he could do better. Bo Bice, on the other hand, released a half-assed album courtesy of his AI deal and if the highlights of that CD are any indication, he definitely could do better and was held back by the record execs. Unfortunately recent reports indicate that RCA has dropped Bice, suggesting that a second album, an album that could very well vindicate Bice, isn't happening anytime soon. Not saying this is a tragedy, but not cool on RCA's part. If there's going to be an reformed Audioslave (which there shouldn't be), let's see Daughtry and/or Bice at the audition.
One more thing; can you imagine Chris Cornell singing Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean"? If the answer to that question is either 'yes' or 'what the hell are you talking about?', mark your calendar for May 1st, the release date for Cornell's solo album.
==TJ==
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