Since I'll probably get things thrown at me if I don't acknowledge today as St. Patrick's Day...Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone.
U2 - One [iTunes]
(Yes, I have noticed that everytime I post a U2 song it's "One". That's the only track I have that's not DRMed.)
Meanwhile, I randomly started using last.fm's radio service over the weekend. Either I had forgotten how useful that thing could be, or it got significantly better from the last time I used it. So far the best stations I've pulled have been the similar artist stations for Daughtry and Counting Crows. So, in other words, radio stations of alternative rock from my lifetime. Game on. Still trying to decide how best to mix this with VLM, but it'll come sooner or later.
Speaking of Counting Crows, I found this utterly ridiculous interview with lead singer Adam Duritz yesterday. I kinda got this sense about him just by looking at him and hearing the music, but dude is nuts. Read the interview and learn for yourself (not the most family appropriate article, so be warned). Seriously, this thing is almost Weekend WTF-worthy.
Counting Crows - 1492 [iTunes]
(from the new album, out next Tuesday)
That's it for now. Back tomorrow with who-knows-what.
==TJ==
PS: The answer to the question posed in the title of the entry is "A six-pack and a potato"
Showing posts with label Counting Crows. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Counting Crows. Show all posts
Monday, March 17, 2008
Friday, March 14, 2008
4 Quick-ish CD Reviews; That's Right, I Bought CDs...
I'm not doing an Under The Radar post today or tomorrow, because a) I'm holding till I can get in touch with another artist for my next one, and b) I just think it's time to mix it up a bit this week. So here's something new.
It's a safe bet that any time I go home, I'm going to come back to school with some new music. This time is no different. Over the last week I bought 4 CDs, 1 digital album, and played through some stuff that hasn't been spun in awhile. Since I haven't listened to the digital album yet (it's NIN's Ghosts I-IV, and I haven't had 2.5 hours to burn on listening to it yet) and I'm gonna save the older stuff for another entry, a look at the CDs I bought, in the order I bought them:
Sixx:A.M. - The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack
I've been trying to find myself a copy of this one since my first hearing (and unexpected enjoyment) of "Life is Beautiful". The concept behind the album is really cool; a soundtrack for a book. For the most part the music is pretty good, in spite of being a bit lacking in originality. A run of the mill nu-metal band could probably write and record this album and it would come out serviceable, but something about Nikki Sixx's connection to the material and lead singer Jason Michaels delivery, along with some ridiculous guitar work from DJ Ashba puts it a cut above the rest of the pack these days. Not that hard given what the pack looks like these days (Puddle of Mudd and Seether are both atop the Rock charts right now). Reports suggest that a second album from Sixx:A.M. are unlikely and this was just a one-shot, but it doesn't cheapen the good effort from the band. Probably not a classic for the ages, but worth some iPod space.
Ruling on the Field: 7.5/10
Highlight Reel: Life Is Beautiful [iTunes]
(sorry, haven't uploaded this album yet)
Radiohead - Hail to the Thief
The last album I needed to have the full Radiohead discography, I found this at a used CD shop for 5 bucks. I'm going to do a full review of Radiohead's stuff next week, but this album was more of a mixed bag for me than any of their other stuff. On one hand, when Radiohead does something truly ear-catching, as they do on songs like "There There" and "We Suck Young Blood", the result is bloody brilliant. The problem is moments like these tend to be few and far between, and you have to listen really hard to find why people like Radiohead so much. Hail to the Thief certainly isn't a bad album, it just takes work to listen to, and I'm not always up for trying that hard to enjoy music.
Ruling on the Field: 5.5/10
Highlight Reel: There There [AmazonMP3]
Counting Crows - August and Everything After
I already had most of this album thanks to Mike Newsham, but I felt as though it was one of those ones that I needed to own, simply because it showed off the era of music so well. The debut album from Counting Crows came out the same year as Nirvana's final studio LP In Utero, and ends up being a great set to tie the angsty, heavy sounds of the grunge era and the hooky, upbeat stylings of post-grunge (see also: The Goo Goo Dolls and Collective Soul). There's rarely a bad moment on this album (except maybe the dredgy "Raining in Baltimore"), and when it's good, it's among the best in the genre, and quite frankly, Counting Crows have been for most of their career. As debut albums go, August and Everything After is one for the books.
Ruling on the Field: 9.5/10
Highlight Reel: Mr. Jones [iTunes]
(so hard to pick just one, so I went with the best-known)
Jay-Z - American Gangster
Been meaning to give this a listen since it found its way onto many (including my own) Best of '07 lists, and it helped that I saw the movie from which the album drew its inspiration. As a general rule I steer clear of rap albums, since they too often end up being the same old garbage, but Jay-Z has become one of few exceptions to that rule (his protege Kanye West is one of the others). American Gangster is a bit of an enigma as rap albums go. For starters it's a concept album, an idea usually reserved for rock music. It also simultaneously glorifies and warns against the "gangster life" that is so often the focus of rap music. Since Jay-Z seems to envision himself as a bit of a modern day Frank Lucas (minus the drug trafficking), he understands the allure of that life, but also finds it important to tell listeners that he rose above it and found success anyway. The music itself is across the board better than any rap I usually hear on the radio. "Roc Boys (And The Winner Is)..." deserved all the praise it got, and "Hello Brooklyn 2.0" is an example of Hova's ability to craft a track. Even the collaborations on the album match his skill. The album didn't sell me enough to become a fan of rap, but I certainly didn't feel bad shelling out 12 bucks for it.
Ruling on the Field: 8/10
Highlight Reel: Roc Boys (And The Winner Is)... [Amazon MP3]
And that pretty much does it for me. Back tomorrow with a Weekend WTF, and then next week it's back to business as usual.
==TJ==
Current Music: Finger Eleven - Paralyzer [iTunes]
It's a safe bet that any time I go home, I'm going to come back to school with some new music. This time is no different. Over the last week I bought 4 CDs, 1 digital album, and played through some stuff that hasn't been spun in awhile. Since I haven't listened to the digital album yet (it's NIN's Ghosts I-IV, and I haven't had 2.5 hours to burn on listening to it yet) and I'm gonna save the older stuff for another entry, a look at the CDs I bought, in the order I bought them:
Sixx:A.M. - The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack
I've been trying to find myself a copy of this one since my first hearing (and unexpected enjoyment) of "Life is Beautiful". The concept behind the album is really cool; a soundtrack for a book. For the most part the music is pretty good, in spite of being a bit lacking in originality. A run of the mill nu-metal band could probably write and record this album and it would come out serviceable, but something about Nikki Sixx's connection to the material and lead singer Jason Michaels delivery, along with some ridiculous guitar work from DJ Ashba puts it a cut above the rest of the pack these days. Not that hard given what the pack looks like these days (Puddle of Mudd and Seether are both atop the Rock charts right now). Reports suggest that a second album from Sixx:A.M. are unlikely and this was just a one-shot, but it doesn't cheapen the good effort from the band. Probably not a classic for the ages, but worth some iPod space.
Ruling on the Field: 7.5/10
Highlight Reel: Life Is Beautiful [iTunes]
(sorry, haven't uploaded this album yet)
Radiohead - Hail to the Thief
The last album I needed to have the full Radiohead discography, I found this at a used CD shop for 5 bucks. I'm going to do a full review of Radiohead's stuff next week, but this album was more of a mixed bag for me than any of their other stuff. On one hand, when Radiohead does something truly ear-catching, as they do on songs like "There There" and "We Suck Young Blood", the result is bloody brilliant. The problem is moments like these tend to be few and far between, and you have to listen really hard to find why people like Radiohead so much. Hail to the Thief certainly isn't a bad album, it just takes work to listen to, and I'm not always up for trying that hard to enjoy music.
Ruling on the Field: 5.5/10
Highlight Reel: There There [AmazonMP3]
Counting Crows - August and Everything After
I already had most of this album thanks to Mike Newsham, but I felt as though it was one of those ones that I needed to own, simply because it showed off the era of music so well. The debut album from Counting Crows came out the same year as Nirvana's final studio LP In Utero, and ends up being a great set to tie the angsty, heavy sounds of the grunge era and the hooky, upbeat stylings of post-grunge (see also: The Goo Goo Dolls and Collective Soul). There's rarely a bad moment on this album (except maybe the dredgy "Raining in Baltimore"), and when it's good, it's among the best in the genre, and quite frankly, Counting Crows have been for most of their career. As debut albums go, August and Everything After is one for the books.
Ruling on the Field: 9.5/10
Highlight Reel: Mr. Jones [iTunes]
(so hard to pick just one, so I went with the best-known)
Jay-Z - American Gangster
Been meaning to give this a listen since it found its way onto many (including my own) Best of '07 lists, and it helped that I saw the movie from which the album drew its inspiration. As a general rule I steer clear of rap albums, since they too often end up being the same old garbage, but Jay-Z has become one of few exceptions to that rule (his protege Kanye West is one of the others). American Gangster is a bit of an enigma as rap albums go. For starters it's a concept album, an idea usually reserved for rock music. It also simultaneously glorifies and warns against the "gangster life" that is so often the focus of rap music. Since Jay-Z seems to envision himself as a bit of a modern day Frank Lucas (minus the drug trafficking), he understands the allure of that life, but also finds it important to tell listeners that he rose above it and found success anyway. The music itself is across the board better than any rap I usually hear on the radio. "Roc Boys (And The Winner Is)..." deserved all the praise it got, and "Hello Brooklyn 2.0" is an example of Hova's ability to craft a track. Even the collaborations on the album match his skill. The album didn't sell me enough to become a fan of rap, but I certainly didn't feel bad shelling out 12 bucks for it.
Ruling on the Field: 8/10
Highlight Reel: Roc Boys (And The Winner Is)... [Amazon MP3]
And that pretty much does it for me. Back tomorrow with a Weekend WTF, and then next week it's back to business as usual.
==TJ==
Current Music: Finger Eleven - Paralyzer [iTunes]
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Singles All Over The Place
So far 2008 hasn't offered much in the way of exciting new music. for the last month or so it's been lots of either garbage or carryovers from 2007. Luckily this week unveiled a great set of stuff to come for the next few months. I already posted "Nine In The Afternoon" by Panic at the Disco (which according to Hype Machine I have the blogworld exclusive on right now...pretty cool). Over the last few days some kickass bands offered new singles for new albums. Before that, some singles from older bands.
Linkin Park announced that "Given Up" will be the fourth single from Minutes to Midnight. Not a great move if you ask me. "Shadow of the Day" is still climbing on the charts (#13 on the CHR/Top 40 this week) and could hit the Top 10 very soon, and "Given Up" was the weakest song off that album. I get that they want to keep their names on the alternative charts, but this song is pretty terrible.
Linkin Park - Given Up [iTunes]
This week Finger Eleven is sent "I'll Keep Your Memory Vague" to radio stations as their next single after "Falling On" failed to stick around for very long. It's been described as the token ballad from the album, and that's pretty accurate, but it's still better than a lot of other stuf Finger Eleven's put out. Anyone else remember the last ballad Finger Eleven dropped, the emotacular "One Thing"? Yeah, this may not be great and not sure how it'll take with the far superior ballad by Linkin Park doing so well, but a decent song nonetheless.
Finger Eleven - I'll Keep Your Memory Vague [iTunes]
This week was also a hell of a week for new singles. Last month I mentioned Secondhand Serenade's sophomore album A Twist In My Story. The album became available for pre-order on iTunes yesterday, and with it the title track was released. Lead single "Fall For You" hasn't made nearly the impact I thought it might, and until today when a second song had come out, I had forgotten about it. "A Twist In My Story" isn't terribly exciting at first listen either, but I'm hoping that as it gets closer to a release I'll warm up to it. No word on if the title track will be a single. In the meantime, here's "Fall For You"
Secondhand Serenade - Fall For You [iTunes]
Back for his first song since 2003 is rock singer songwriter Gavin DeGraw. "In Love With A Girl" is the first track from his allegedly self-titled sophomore album due out April 1st. Information on the release is spotty, and the only confirmed info is the release date and this single, which hit iTunes yesterday. The song shares a lot in common with his smash hit "I Don't Wanna Be", but is far from a carbon copy. The song still shows off DeGraw's excellent guitars and equally great lyrics, but with a touch more edge than most of Chariot. I've been waiting to hear from Gavin DeGraw for awhile now, and while he may not have changed much in 5 years, he's certainly welcome back the way he has been.
Gavin DeGraw - In Love With A Girl [iTunes]
The Counting Crows were among that chunk of music that Mike Newsham gave me last week, and based on what I heard, I like it. So I was quite excited to hear that last month the band leaked 2 tracks from their forthcoming Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings album to their website, as well as first single "You Can't Count On Me" to iTunes yesterday. "1492" and "When I Dream of Michelangelo" do a decent job of showing off the two sides of the album (it's a two-disc a la Foo Fighters' In Your Honor with one loud disc and one soft disc), but neither song is particularly amazing. "You Can't Count On Me" is most definitely is single, and looks like it might be big on the AC charts. For me, I don't think anything will top the stuff on August and Everything After, but the new song is still a worthy hit to add to their collection.
Counting Crows - You Can't Count On Me [iTunes]
I think that's it for now. Might be back later to cover the Bonnaroo lineup.
==TJ==
Linkin Park announced that "Given Up" will be the fourth single from Minutes to Midnight. Not a great move if you ask me. "Shadow of the Day" is still climbing on the charts (#13 on the CHR/Top 40 this week) and could hit the Top 10 very soon, and "Given Up" was the weakest song off that album. I get that they want to keep their names on the alternative charts, but this song is pretty terrible.
Linkin Park - Given Up [iTunes]
This week Finger Eleven is sent "I'll Keep Your Memory Vague" to radio stations as their next single after "Falling On" failed to stick around for very long. It's been described as the token ballad from the album, and that's pretty accurate, but it's still better than a lot of other stuf Finger Eleven's put out. Anyone else remember the last ballad Finger Eleven dropped, the emotacular "One Thing"? Yeah, this may not be great and not sure how it'll take with the far superior ballad by Linkin Park doing so well, but a decent song nonetheless.
Finger Eleven - I'll Keep Your Memory Vague [iTunes]
This week was also a hell of a week for new singles. Last month I mentioned Secondhand Serenade's sophomore album A Twist In My Story. The album became available for pre-order on iTunes yesterday, and with it the title track was released. Lead single "Fall For You" hasn't made nearly the impact I thought it might, and until today when a second song had come out, I had forgotten about it. "A Twist In My Story" isn't terribly exciting at first listen either, but I'm hoping that as it gets closer to a release I'll warm up to it. No word on if the title track will be a single. In the meantime, here's "Fall For You"
Secondhand Serenade - Fall For You [iTunes]
Back for his first song since 2003 is rock singer songwriter Gavin DeGraw. "In Love With A Girl" is the first track from his allegedly self-titled sophomore album due out April 1st. Information on the release is spotty, and the only confirmed info is the release date and this single, which hit iTunes yesterday. The song shares a lot in common with his smash hit "I Don't Wanna Be", but is far from a carbon copy. The song still shows off DeGraw's excellent guitars and equally great lyrics, but with a touch more edge than most of Chariot. I've been waiting to hear from Gavin DeGraw for awhile now, and while he may not have changed much in 5 years, he's certainly welcome back the way he has been.
Gavin DeGraw - In Love With A Girl [iTunes]
The Counting Crows were among that chunk of music that Mike Newsham gave me last week, and based on what I heard, I like it. So I was quite excited to hear that last month the band leaked 2 tracks from their forthcoming Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings album to their website, as well as first single "You Can't Count On Me" to iTunes yesterday. "1492" and "When I Dream of Michelangelo" do a decent job of showing off the two sides of the album (it's a two-disc a la Foo Fighters' In Your Honor with one loud disc and one soft disc), but neither song is particularly amazing. "You Can't Count On Me" is most definitely is single, and looks like it might be big on the AC charts. For me, I don't think anything will top the stuff on August and Everything After, but the new song is still a worthy hit to add to their collection.
Counting Crows - You Can't Count On Me [iTunes]
I think that's it for now. Might be back later to cover the Bonnaroo lineup.
==TJ==
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Enough Music To Last Me A Week
In case you were curious, I haven't done a Top 40 rundown for the last two weeks because, frankly, for the last few weeks the Top 40 has been pretty lame. I'll consider another one this week if I see something interesting.
In the meantime, my status as the Arcadia's music geek has been challenged. Yesterday a dude by the name of Mike Newsham and I bonded over music, and ended up sharing bits of our collection. He got my 30 Seconds to Mars CDs, some Beatles, almost all of my Foo Fighters, and a bunch of other stuff. Mike gave me:
-Enough Eric Clapton to last me for awhile. (By Clapton I mean any band Clapton's ever been with; Derek & the Dominos, Cream, Blind Faith, solo stuff...all of it)
-A primer on the works of the Counting Crows
-A healthy boost to my Queen collection (including the soundtrack to We Will Rock You)
-All 3 singles by the Gin Blossoms (one of those '90s bands where you recognize the music when you hear it, but probably never got around to picking up any of the music).
-Some blues stuff from Jools Holland's TV Show (info here)
-Albums by John Mayer and Jimmy Eat World
In all there were 302 songs added to my computer yesterday. I'm still sorting through most of it, but I'll get back to you on what I think of all of it. Here are some MP3s from that set so far (stuff I already heard and approved.
Derek and the Dominos - Layla
Cream - Sunshine of Your Love
Counting Crows - Rain King
Gin Blossoms - Hey Jealousy
Rainbow - I Surrender
Eric Clapton on iTunes
Counting Crows on iTunes
Gin Blossoms on iTunes
Rainbow on iTunes
Rainbow is Ronnie James Dio's band before Black Sabbath. He left by the time I Surrender came out, but it's still pretty cool.
I don't remember if I actually did this yet or not, but ratings for the two albums I bought off Amazon last week.
Rage Against the Machine - The Battle of Los Angeles
The sound is positively epic, Tom Morello's guitar comes out firing on every song, and overall it shows the band at their absolute best. A stunning way to end a band's career (or so we thought back in 2000)
Ruling on the Field: 9.5/10
Highlight Reel: Testify, Sleep Now in the Fire [iTunes]
The White Stripes - Icky Thump
Expect a Second Spin on The White Stripes later this week.
Ruling on the Field: 8/10
Highlight Reel: You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You're Told) [iTunes]
And an update on something I posted about not too long ago; I was a runner-up in The Crash Motive's iMix and Win contest, so I got an autographed CD and T-Shirt. Will post pictures in the near future.
Back next time I can find some spare time.
==TJ==
In the meantime, my status as the Arcadia's music geek has been challenged. Yesterday a dude by the name of Mike Newsham and I bonded over music, and ended up sharing bits of our collection. He got my 30 Seconds to Mars CDs, some Beatles, almost all of my Foo Fighters, and a bunch of other stuff. Mike gave me:
-Enough Eric Clapton to last me for awhile. (By Clapton I mean any band Clapton's ever been with; Derek & the Dominos, Cream, Blind Faith, solo stuff...all of it)
-A primer on the works of the Counting Crows
-A healthy boost to my Queen collection (including the soundtrack to We Will Rock You)
-All 3 singles by the Gin Blossoms (one of those '90s bands where you recognize the music when you hear it, but probably never got around to picking up any of the music).
-Some blues stuff from Jools Holland's TV Show (info here)
-Albums by John Mayer and Jimmy Eat World
In all there were 302 songs added to my computer yesterday. I'm still sorting through most of it, but I'll get back to you on what I think of all of it. Here are some MP3s from that set so far (stuff I already heard and approved.
Derek and the Dominos - Layla
Cream - Sunshine of Your Love
Counting Crows - Rain King
Gin Blossoms - Hey Jealousy
Rainbow - I Surrender
Eric Clapton on iTunes
Counting Crows on iTunes
Gin Blossoms on iTunes
Rainbow on iTunes
Rainbow is Ronnie James Dio's band before Black Sabbath. He left by the time I Surrender came out, but it's still pretty cool.
I don't remember if I actually did this yet or not, but ratings for the two albums I bought off Amazon last week.
Rage Against the Machine - The Battle of Los Angeles
The sound is positively epic, Tom Morello's guitar comes out firing on every song, and overall it shows the band at their absolute best. A stunning way to end a band's career (or so we thought back in 2000)
Ruling on the Field: 9.5/10
Highlight Reel: Testify, Sleep Now in the Fire [iTunes]
The White Stripes - Icky Thump
Expect a Second Spin on The White Stripes later this week.
Ruling on the Field: 8/10
Highlight Reel: You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You're Told) [iTunes]
And an update on something I posted about not too long ago; I was a runner-up in The Crash Motive's iMix and Win contest, so I got an autographed CD and T-Shirt. Will post pictures in the near future.
Back next time I can find some spare time.
==TJ==
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
