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==

A Week's Worth of Stuff in 3 Paragraphs

Hey everyone. Sorry for the weeklong absence. Real life/College life can get in the way like that sometimes. Let's get started with all the stuff that I've been meaning to post for the last week.

A combination of my joining the Activist club on campus plus and doing community service work on MLK Day led me to pick up a whole bunch of Rage Against the Machine music. I iTunes'd their self-titled album and bought The Battle of Los Angeles via Amazon and the latter arrived today and I love it. Look for a second spin column on them in the near future.

Rage Against the Machine - Testify [iTunes]
Rage Against the Machine - Sleep Now in the Fire [iTunes]*

*Easily the best RatM song, and perhaps one of my new favorite songs from my lifetime

In the last week Chris Daughtry has once again trashed American Idol, been verbally spanked by someone tied to the show, and consequently backpedaled from said comments. Daughtry told Rolling Stone that AI has lost a lot of credibility since he's been on the show, citing the poor ratings from last season as well as the failed records by Taylor Hicks, Katharine McPhee and Reuben Studdard. Randy Jackson then proceeded to say something to the effect of "Without American Idol there is no Chris Daughtry". Daughtry then backpedaled on his website, agreeing with Jackson's statements. The problem is, both sides are right. American Idol did create Chris Daughtry, and ironically getting kicked off the show was the best career move Daughtry could have made. Also, Taylor Hicks sucks. End of story. It's science. "Tattoo" is a great song and Jordin Sparks has talent, but Kelly Clarkson she ain't. Blake Lewis could potentially be a hit, but his record label doesn't seem interested in promoting him, so its a safe bet he'll be seen working at a coffee shop within two years. I don't know what it'll take to make AmIdol relevant again, but if Chris Daughtry has any ideas, they'd do right to listen.

This next bit isn't exactly music related, but the theatre guy in me won't let this go unnoticed on this blog. Heath Ledger's death earlier this week was just crushing. I was shocked when I first got word, and talking to people on campus I haven't heard a single person express any level of apathy. Everyone I've talked to is shocked and saddened beyond words. I haven't seen Brokeback Mountain or Casanova (what are believed to be his best performances), but A Knight's Tale has always been a favorite of mine and is probably one of the most depressingly underappreciated movies ever. There was so much future ahead for him, and as Alex said, there is one less star on Earth tonight.

RIP Heath Ledger...you will be missed

Yellowcard - View From Heaven (Live) [iTunes]
Jimmy Eat World - Hear You Me [iTunes]

Back soon.

==TJ==

10 Awesome Things That Happened in 2007

Maybe it's just because I was paying more attention this year, but it seemed like a lot of really awesome things happened to the music world this year. And contrary to what Rolling Stone and Idolator will want you to think, not ALL of them were tied to Radiohead. Below are my top 10 awesome stories from 2007:

10. New Guns N' Roses tracks leak; proof Chinese Democracy was at some point being recorded
Ah, how could anyone forget how we all (OK, maybe it was just me) waited with bated breath for March 6th to roll around when Axl Rose announced said date as the release for the eternally anticipated Chinese Democracy album. Of course once again we/I was left hanging, but we got a few unmastered tracks from the album as consolation. Granted, only one of these was worth hearing, but it was still proof that maybe, just maybe, it* could happen.

Guns N' Roses - Better

*By "it", I actually mean democracy in China, not Chinese Democracy. Come on now, what kind of fool do I look like?

9. Radio 104.5 brings the rock back to Philly
For anyone reading outside of the greater Philadelphia area, this means almost nothing. But just know that prior to this past February, Philly was without a decent alt. rock station for just over 2 years after the demise of Y100. 104.5 (WRFF-FM) filled that hole, and Philly radio is a better place for it.

Finger Eleven - Paralyzer (Live on Radio 104.5)

8. "The Battle of Sept. 11"
It's refreshing to hear rappers talk about duels and fighting that don't involve guns. 50 Cent and Kanye West had plenty of hype, hoopla, and excitement building up to the simultaneous release of their new albums, Curtis and Graduation, respectively. 50 promised to retire from the business if Kanye sold more albums in the first week, only to then cry foul when his CD got stomped on in the charts. But in the end, when two music greats go head-to-head in the name of getting music to the fans, doesn't everybody win?

Well, except for those fools who bought Curtis. Sucks to be them.

Kanye West - Stronger

7. Guitar Hero III/Rock Band
As a college student and music lover, I feel that my life is somehow more fulfilled as a result of these games. I have yet to play Rock Band, but cannot wait to get behind the electronic drum set and go Keith Moon-style on "Learn to Fly". The rest of the track listing is damned impressive, almost better than GHIII. Speaking of which, I have played, and am thoroughly awed. As much as the wireless controllers made me nuts (stupid lag...), the gameplay is as good as ever, and the songs are classic. Words don't describe how excited I was to blast through "Paint It, Black" and "Even Flow". This year I have 2 more reasons to upgrade to an Xbox 360.

Foo Fighters - Learn to Fly
Pearl Jam - Even Flow

6. Movies + Movies = Good times for all
2007 saw a blend between music and film that hadn't been particularly strong of late. Between the biopics for Bob Dylan (I'm Not There) and Joy Division (Control), the fictional projects August Rush and Into the Wild (not actually dealing with music, but scored by the amazing Eddie Vedder), and Across the Universe, the Beatles tribute in a class all its own, moviegoers saw and heard one hell of a good experience this year. And that's all excluding the tradtional musicals (Hairspray and next month's Sweeney Todd).

The Killers - Shadowplay
Across the Universe Soundtrack - Hey Jude

5. John, Paul, George and Ringo go digital; Beatles to follow in '08?
So all of the solo work from the Beatles became available for digital download across 2007, most notably when Paul McCartney tied his new album's release to the launch of the iTunes DRM-free store. Lennon's solo catalog followed, and a few weeks ago McCartney said that the Beatles catalog could go digital by early 2008. If this happens, it will leave only Kid Rock in the stone age of major label acts without a good reason to have their music available online. I see no problem with this.

4. Year of the Reunions
2007 seemed to be the year for bands to kiss and make up, with The Police, Rage Against the Machine, Genesis, and Led Zeppelin all reuniting in some form or other for tours and/or new albums. Now that second-rate bands like Extreme are feeling the need to join the party, I think it's time to kiss the reunion train up to God, but all things considered, that's a damn good set of bands making comebacks. Now give me some new albums!!

Rage Against the Machine - Bulls on Parade
The Police - Roxanne

3. AmazonMP3
Finally someone has the balls to (seriously) take aim at the iTunes juggernaut. While it still has a ways to go to match iTunes, Amazon gave music listeners a lot of things that iTunes wasn't; good quality DRM free music from popular bands at a cheap price. The store itself is still a bit clunky and lacks the ease of use that iTunes users enjoy, but they've got the one-up in that they have the rights to the likes of Radiohead and deal exclusively in MP3s. iTunes is far from dead, but at least now there's another fish in the pond

Snow Patrol - You're All I Have (the first song I downloaded in Amazon's MP3 store)

2. Radiohead releases In Rainbows themselves, allow fans to name price
This proved to be the ultimate "Fuck You" to the record industry this year. While bloggers and journalists were wondering what to expect from Radiohead, the band was quietly putting together this little bombshell. The move was inspired; people who wanted the music decided just how badly they wanted it and no major label could touch it. It was ingenious and a move that's already being copied by other bands. The only downside is that the music itself was decidedly sub-par, and the band later admitted the self-release acted as a promotional device so people would buy the CD. Given my lack of interest in the music, I would say it backfired. But either way, any band that sticks it that hard and that fast deserves some kudos.

1. Year Zero Viral Marketing/ARG
Leave it to Trent Reznor to create the ultimate musical reality experience. Nine Inch Nails had fans foaming at the mouth for 3 months while Reznor let slip USB sticks in bathrooms at concerts, created fake forums to establish the world of the album...hell, he even went as far as to set up fake hotlines where people could call in "suspicious figures" and the like. With a concept album like Year Zero, it's essential to get a sense of what they're getting across. The Marketing campaign did exactly that, and wound up inspiring the entire entertainment industry to find new ways to market material (see also: The Dark Knight, Cloverfield). Forget about making the music sound different; make the whole experience different, make me believe what I'm hearing.

Nine Inch Nails - Survivalism

Back again this week with more 2007 madness.

==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==

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.

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==