The Killers Lay Tribute At the Altar of All Things '80s

[Hey Hype Machine readers: Most of my posts aren't being picked up anymore as a result of me trying to dodge Blogger's anti-DMCA iron fist. If you're reading this on hypem, bookmark me the old-fashioned way (Ctrl+D) and check back regularly for mp3 goodies and some awesome music stuff.]

The Killers are many things, but bashful sure as hell ain't one of 'em. The Las Vegas band's debut Hot Fuss was pure 80s glam worship at its finest, making it one of the surprise hits of 2004. After letting Brandon Flowers indulge his Springsteen fantasies on their slightly misguided Sam's Town and blowing off steam with the Sawdust compilation, The Killers come back reaching for the sky and ready to work this year with the bombastic Day and Age. This new record is a recognizable third step in the band's progression, taking the best elements of the two previous records and creating a monster of an album that is nothing if not grand, fun, and completely lacking in apologies.

Day and Age comes in with full '80s bombast in the form of "Losing Touch", a track that mixes the synthesized wonder of Hot Fuss's "Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine" with the brass-band, blue-collar rock that permeated Sam's Town. From there the album doesn't skip too many beats, offering loud, sing-with-the-windows-down fun rock music. Flowers' lyrics make about as much sense as they always have (read: not too much, but who cares?), but when the melodies touch the sky and the music forbids you to listen sitting down, the indulgent musing is forgivable. First single "Human" gets better with every listen, and matches nearly every single The Killers have ever released (except maybe the epic "All These Things That I've Done"). "Joy Ride" is another bouncy, unwavering classic in the making. If you get the leaked version that I snagged or the iTunes release, bonus track "Forget About What I Said" is the kind of song you put on repeat for an hour and just enjoy however you choose. The only false note on the entire album is the closer "Goodnight, Travel Well". For some reason The Killers seem to think they need to announce when they're done playing with a song saying just that. The sooner Flowers and co. realize they can just leave the stage with a final bang, the better their records will get.

Day and Age resembles what would happen if The Police and Bruce Springsteen got into a marching-band style war, each trying to outplay the other. The winner here is whoever's listening. The Killers sound like they hit their mark in full force this time around. There's no hesitation whatsoever on this record, and certainly no shame. Day and Age is a sweeping, unapologetic tribute to the glam, the goof, and the ego that the 80s embodied. And damn it if Day and Age isn't the best job the Killers have ever done to pay homage. By putting forth significantly less effort, The Killers have put together their finest work to date, an album that rewards with every trip through.

Final Score: 9/10
The Killers - Human
The Killers - Joy Ride
Pre-Order/Buy Day and Age on iTunes

==TJ==

PS: Check out the poll question in the sidebar at the top of the page.

New Music: David Cook, The Killers, Snow Patrol, Britney Spears...

EDIT: All mp3 links on this entry have been removed after I got a message from Blogger announcing they had pulled the post for DMCA violation. At least they told me this time.

That's right...I added Britney Spears to the end of that list. And yes, I willingly listened to and paid attention to it nonetheless.

The Batshit Crazy One announced a new album, entitled Circus would be released by years end (date is sometime in December), and the lead single "Womanizer" made its radio debut earlier this week and quickly spread all over the interwebs. I think the best thing about "Womanizer" is the fact that for the first time in awhile you can hear a sense of enjoyment. Britney actually wanted to record this album. "Womanizer" sounds a lot like something that might've been on last year's Blackout, but again, with a bit more sincerity and commitment. While I wasn't enamored of Blackout, it's astonishing what happens when someone like Spears stops half-assing it and actually records something kinda fun. Listen for yourselves to the REAL version before a million remixes clog up the Hype Machine.

Britney Spears - Womanizer
(No, nobody forced me to type this)

The Killers, having wholeheartedly gotten their Springsteen on with 2006's Sam's Town, are coming back this November with Day and Age, produced by Stuart Price, alias Jacques Lu Cont, the guy who churns out surprisingly decent remixes of Killers tracks (google his version of "Mr. Brightside"). The song opens with the sort of 80s electronic feel that made Hot Fuss so loved, and that spacey, electronic sound is rampant for the whole track (perhaps a sign of what might be on the album?), but the lyrics, arguably what made Sam's Town at the very least a decent album, are right on that same vein. Having heard the track about a dozen times in the last week, I'd have to say "Human" ranks up alongside "Mr. Brightside" and "All These Things That I've Done" on the list of the best Killers songs. Day and Age is slated for release November 25th. "Human" is all over the interwebs now, and will see its official iTunes release this Tuesday.

The Killers - Human

I've already proclaimed my love for the new Snow Patrol single, but since Blogger pulled the post last time, "Take Back The City" is a great, driving rock song from Snow Patrol. The band said A Hundred Million Suns (out stateside on October 28th) will sound different from previous Snow Patrol albums, but "Take Back The City" sounds like pretty standard fare, and I still love it. So should you.

Snow Patrol - Take Back The City

Our worst fears my have been realized. David Cook's first single from his post-Idol debut album, "Light On" debuted on AOL last week and drops to iTunes this Tuesday. The track was written by Chris Cornell and a guy with ties to Hinder. Not worried too much yet, but the Hinder thing is a problem. Then I saw a picture they're using as publicity:

Bit problematic right? What happened to the guy who looked like he could do rock and roll? Truth is, I don't know. Because "Light On" is a serviceable track, but it lacks all the balls that Cook's Idol-performance material had. It sounds like average adult contemporary radio rock. Sure that means it'll sell millions of records, because its pretty safe and has Cook's name recognition on it, but guys like me who bought into the dude because he had some rock mentality are left a little cold. David Cook, you're now on notice; I'll still support you and hear the album, but please let this be a label ploy and let there be some real rock on the record. When I wrote this piece, I didn't want to be right.

David Cook - Light On

So I was wandering around some of the seedier parts of the interwebs looking for some music, when something came across my screen claiming to be the new Oasis album. I dove on it, because it seemed like the right move, but until then I hadn't heard about a leak. I haven't heard the tracks yet (I have however confirmed I didn't get virused), but I'm wondering if any reader has heard or seen the same. I don't think Liam Gallagher is smart enough to pull a Death Cab or Ben Folds*, but you never know.

*Death Cab for Cutie and Ben Folds both leaked fake copies of their newest albums as a trick for fans.

Speaking of Ben Folds, heard his new album (the legit version) this weekend; expect a review tomorrow or Tuesday, as well as a review for Jack's Mannequin's new record.

==TJ==

Countdown to 5,000 Songs

My Last.fm page says that I have played 4,990 songs since joining. In celebration of the pending song 5000, I am going to play the next 10 songs right now, and depending on how I feel, say a bit about them and/or post an MP3 of them. For the record, I have my iTunes set to shuffle my entire library, and I will not skip any song, no matter how embarrassing it may be. So here we go, this should be fun!

Song 4,991: The Monkees - Daydream Believer [iTunes]
...and I can see we're off to a good start *rolls eyes*. One of those songs that's been played about three bazillion times on your local oldies radio station (see also: "Brown Eyed Girl", "Magic Carpet Ride"). And how can you not love the multiple key changes at the end? Ah...

Song 4,992: Foo Fighters - Never Talking to You Again (Husker Du cover) [Foo on iTunes]
Got this as a B-Side when The Good, The Bad and the Unknown released a bunch of unreleased Foo songs. Always loved acoustic Foo Fighters, and this one sounds just as good as a Foo song as it does anyone else.

Song 4,993: The Beatles - Let it Be (Naked Version) [buy the CD on Amazon]
Almost certainly on my list of the 10 best Beatles songs ever. Don't know if I like the original or the Let it Be...Naked version better, and there are times when I'm not sure I can tell the difference (just as I finished typing that I got to the guitar solo and lo, I could hear a much more stripped down, raw guitar. Advantage: Naked version (for now)). My high school chorus would do this once or twice in class when we had nothing better to do. The last verse seals the deal every time:

And when the night is cloudy, there is still a light that shines on me
Shine on til tomorrow, Let it be
I wake up to the sounds of music, mother Mary calls to me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be...

Love it. Love it. Love it.

Song 4,994: Jimmy Eat World - Night Drive [iTunes]
One of the better songs off of Futures, an album that I could never really appreciate, especially now that Chase this Light is on constant rotation on my computer. One of Jim Adkins' best lyrical moments on the whole albums, and one of the few instances where the slower, softer Jimmy actually works out well. I think if I ever do the cliche "take a girl up to a hill overlooking a city" bit, I'd want this song playing. Has the right atmosphere, even when it kicks back into full band at the last 90 seconds or so. Its about as good as the most average songs on the new album, which is still pretty damned good.

Song 4,995: Secondhand Serenade - End [iTunes]
This works out rather nicely, since I got a MySpace bulletin from them encouraging to tell one person about them. Since I'm writing a blog that I assume more than one person reads, I think that mission is accomplished. I did a more thorough write up on Secondhand Serenade last week, go check it out.

This brings up one more thing; if you read this thing, leave a comment at some point just to say what's up. It'd be nice to hear some feedback, even if it's a "you're taste in music sucks". Which I doubt it would be since you're reading this and its a blog dedicated to music. As long as I'm on a tangent here, let the record show that I've been typing live, so if there are any screw ups or if some bits seem shorter than others, that's why. The Foo Fighters song was only 2 minutes long, hence it's shortness. This song is nearly 3 minutes of the line "Don't Let Me Down", among others, so its easy to run out of stuff to say. Awesome harmonies though. So yeah check these guys out.

Song 4,996: Creed - My Sacrifice [iTunes]
There was no way I was getting through 10 songs without something potentially embarrassing coming up. But at any rate, be a man and admit it; you liked Creed back when they were popular too, and jumped ship like everyone else when things got sour. The only difference is I still admit to having all three CDs and listening to them once in awhile. The music wasn't terrible (not compared with some of the other garbage that was making money in 2001), people just hate Scott Stapp. And to some degree with reason.

In a related story, Human Clay was apparently #7 on the list of 10 best-selling albums of the SoundScan era. At #1? Shania Twain's Come On Over. Seriously? Shania Twain is at #1, and people are gonna bitch about Creed? There's something wrong with this picture.

Song 4,997: Staind - Outside [iTunes]
The second, less-appreciated single from what was Staind's first widely popular album. Sadly this isn't the live version where Fred Durst kinda mumbles along and then shouts at the crowd during the guitar break.

This is another band that gets a bad rap for being on the radio in the early '00s. Look; if you found out you could write songs, and one or both of your parents treated you like crap, don't you think you would try to get some getback? Cut Aaron Lewis a break. It's not his fault that a bunch of other bands tried to ride his coattails.

(This is getting increasingly difficult as my dad tries to make his new phone work. Missed the last 30 secs of "Outside" and the first minute of the next song. Pausing now to catch up.)

Song 4,998: Eve 6 - Tongue Tied [iTunes]
And we're back on track. Found out two weeks ago that Eve 6 is among the laundry list of bands that chose to reunite. Normally these guys would qualify on the list of bands that didn't deserve a reunion, but Horrorscope (the second album) was one of my favorite CDs in middle school, so I'm gonna let this one slide. Cool song from the first album, the only one I don't have.

Song 4,999: The Animals - House of the Rising Sun [iTunes]
Another frequenter of the oldies radio stations. Every time it comes on my dad feels the need to point out that there's an organ solo, so yeah...there's an organ solo somewhere in this song. The first verse was also the intro to the U2/Green Day song after Hurricane Katrina "The Saints Are Coming". I wanna say its been used in something else worth noting, some movie or something, but I'm blanking. A thousand points to whoever comes up with what I'm thinking of. Not a terrible song, despite being on oldies radio station (sorry folks, after hearing oldies every time I'm in a car with my father, I have a special place in my heart for such things).

And now...here it comes...I want you to know I'm drumrolling in my head right now...




Song 5,000: Maroon 5 - Not Falling Apart [iTunes]
...
...
...
Wow. That was anticlimactic. I think I've only listened to this song maybe once. One of the misses on the hit-and-miss last album. Of all the good songs on the CD, I had to get this pedestrian one? iTunes has failed me. Listening to it now anyway...it's not so terrible that my ears are bleeding, but there's nothing particularly fun about it. It sounds like an average Maroon 5 song. I don't understand why Rolling Stone gave so much love to this CD when Linkin Park and the Foo Fighters put out so much better work this year. It probably has something to do with the fact that Adam Levine looks like equal parts Justin Timberlake and Bruce Banner. Maybe they were afraid of him going Incredible Hulk or something.

So there you have it. 5,000 songs since November 27, 2006. Below I'm posting songs 1,000 and 2,000, just 'cause I have them listed. I'll be back later.

Song 1,000: Eminem - Lose Yourself [iTunes]
Song 2,000: The Killers - Sam's Town [iTunes]


==TJ==

PS: I did this piece as I heard each song, so you basically got 10 Currently Listening's today, so I'll skip a separate one today.

The Killers Give us an Album of Songs They Didn't Want Us To Want

Over the weekend the B-Side compilation from The Killers leaked to the internet, and here I am to tell you all about it.

The Killers are as polarizing a band as any these days. People either love the '80s revival sound and Springsteen worshipping grandeur, or are turned off by Brandon Flowers' perpetually off-key warble. It seems that the Las Vegas band could give a crap and are willing to put out both, as evidenced by this wandering, off-kilter compilation. The first two tracks are utter throwaways; "Tranquilize" sounds like a self-absorbed dream come true for Flowers, and the cover of Joy Division's "Shadowplay" offers no reason to keep listening. But that's probably the worst of it. Most of the compilation (I won't call this disc an album, as it has no cohesive anything, save for the people performing) isn't particularly bad, it's just forgettable. These tracks were left off the first two Killers albums for a reason, and are probably only being released now so the band can make a profit off what would otherwise be bootlegs traded amongst hardcore fans.

(Random digression: What does a hardcore Killers fan look like? Do they all grow out goatees? Can any of them sing? Can any of them figure out what these songs mean? I think if the Killers have any die-hard fans, they're all probably just people trapped in the '80s, thinking they just discovered some criminally underrated band from 20 years ago. I kinda wanna meet one of these people now.)

Despite the lackluster quality of the bulk of these songs, when Sawdust shines, it's a freakin' diamond. "Leave the Bourbon on the Shelf" is golden, a jewel that will probably end up as one of the most underrated Killers songs ever. But the finest moments come near the end of the album, with the oft-bootlegged "The Ballad of Michael Valentine" showing off some of Flower's best songwriting to date. The Abbey Road Version of "Sam's Town" is on par with the original, to the point that it almost deserved to be on the album. And in the last shining spot, The Killers nail a version of Dire Straits "Romeo and Juliet" to the wall, sounding perhaps even better than the original. The disc closes with the excessively long remix to "Mr. Brightside", a song that didn't need a 10-minute long remix to make it more annoying (don't get me wrong; I love the song, but by the time the original is over, I'm ready for something new. Ten minutes is overkill). Overall Sawdust is a textbook case of what you see is what you get; a bunch of second-rate songs by a band that's hit or miss already, with a few gems lost in the mediocrity.

Ruling on the Field: 6/10
Highlight Reel: Leave the Bourbon on the Shelf, Romeo and Juliet

==TJ==

New Song from The Killers, Maroon 5 tries to be Sting

OK, so couple of bits coming out today:

-The Killers' have officially released their cover of Joy Division's "Shadowplay", which will appear on the soundtrack to the upcoming Joy Division biopic as well as The Killers' rarities and B-Sides album Sawdust. The track is available on iTunes and Ruckus, I will make it available here ASAP.

-Yesterday Maroon 5 debuted the video for their third single off It Won't Be Soon Before Long, "Won't Go Home Without You". It's one of the better songs off the rather overwhelmingly average album, though it definitely reeks of "She Will Be Loved". Two things come to mind as I hear the song/video:

1. Does any other band have a member that looks more out of place than the guitarist (guy on the far right in the video) from Maroon 5? He looks like a cross between Kurt Cobain and Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters' drummer), whereas Adam Levine looks like a perpetually angry Justin Timberlake.

2. After watching the video, I realized how not-so-nice the song is. Could this song be this decade's answer to "Every Breath You Take"? Watch the video and you'll see what I mean.



-The Fray put the Reason EP on iTunes today. Reason was a set of 7 songs (including "Vienna" which eventually made it onto How To Save A Life) written and recorded before their debut album was released. Most fans of The Fray have already gotten this EP through illicit means, but at least now the band is trying to capitalize off it.

-I know this has been out for awhile, but I only just heard it a few days ago:

Paramore - My Hero (Foo Fighters cover)

I've been looking to hear some of Paramore's music, but hadn't found a way in til this track. Awesome cover, definitely worth the listen.

Listen for all this stuff and more on the radio show today at 4.

Maroon 5 - Won't Go Home Without You
The Fray - Without Reason

==TJ==

Second Spin: Going back to Sam's Town

Welcome to Second Spin, a new weekly feature where I go back and give an album another listen to see if my first reaction was correct, or if perhaps it deserves better than the treatment it's received. The first album in this feature: Sam's Town, the critically derided sophomore album from The Killers.

My initial thoughts on Sam's Town weren't too far off from everyone else's. I missed some of the '80s revival synth-pop that permeated Hot Fuss. At the same time though, The Killers were in a rough spot in recording a follow-up to an album like Hot Fuss. If they had gone and recorded 12 more tracks like "Mr. Brightside", they'd have gotten panned for being unoriginal and formulaic. But they took a different route on Sam's Town, paying homage to '80s arena rock greats, and they still get slammed.

Sam's Town isn't as bad an album as everyone made it out to be. The individual songs don't stand up well as singles, but the album as one cohesive idea is actually pretty cool. Yeah, the whole "Enterlude" and "Exitlude" idea is a bit gimmicky (Who is Sam and who the hell decided it was his town, anyway?), but when it's flanked by tracks like the Springsteen-worshipping "When You Were Young" and "Bling (Confessions of a King)", the campiness is pretty much forgivable. Granted, later tracks like the tired "My List" suggest that maybe The Killers didn't have as material to work with in this new style, but despite the flaws that come with any album that gambles like this one, Sam's Town is still a fun listen, and a great album to take on any car ride (The title track and "When You Were Young" at full blast with the windows down? Awesome...). Cut The Killers a break; it's rare that you see a band take any kind of risk with their sound these days.

Then: ** 1/2
Now: *** 1/2


Sam's Town on iTunes
The Killers [MySpace]
Standout Track: Bling (Confessions of a King)

==TJ==

Can You Cover Up These Eyes?

Apologies on the 48 hours without updating. But this is a good one, I promise.

So AOL's music branch has started a project where they bring in current rock bands and have them do stripped-down covers of songs/artists that influenced them. It's actually a pretty good idea. The best example by far is AFI doing David Bowie's "Ziggy Stardust":



(Video may not work on Firefox. If so, here's the link. I'm gonna try to upload an mp3 of it in the near future)

They have other covers from bands like Hellogoodbye (Frank Sinatra), 30 Seconds to Mars (The Police), and Rise Against (Buffalo Springfield). So that got me wondering about other bands and what covers I'd like to see them do. Here are 5 of my picks.

Bright Eyes - Like A Rolling Stone (Bob Dylan): A lot of people say artists like Dylan or The Beatles are untouchable and that their work is so perfect it shouldn't be redone by anyone. I disagree. No artist has reached such an echelon. As proof of how a cover can be done right, go youtube Jay-Z, Linkin Park and Paul McCartney's performance of "Numb/Encore/Yesterday" from the 2006 Grammys. Conor Oberst has already drawn Dylan comparisons, and the thought of him hearing him wail on the chorus to one of the greatest songs of the '60s makes me giddy. Odds of this one happening are slim, but it's still one a great musical fantasy of mine.

The Killers - Live and Let Die (Paul McCartney/Wings): I don't know if its The Killers' '80s revival sound, or the fact that the opening lyrics are "When You Were Young..." (also the name of a Killers hit), but I think this song is in Brandon Flowers's wheelhouse. It's got a perfect mix of bravado and campiness, and its totally not impossible to see The Killers try to pull it off in the near future. I'm dead serious here. Can I please get someone at Island Records on this?

Foo Fighters - Carry On Wayward Son (Kansas): Dave Grohl and co. are already known to do this one live from time to time. Since Grohl has already said that the chances of covering anything from Nirvana are slim, perhaps they could do a studio version of this one just for kicks. Ignoring the Foo's lack of a keyboardist, I think this one has some real potential. Foo Fighters have proven they can do the big arena rock-style tracks, I want to see them go all the way with it.

Godsmack - Nothing Else Matters (Metallica): We all know Godsmack can do the 3-minute, balls-to-the-wall rock, but the closest they've come to expanding was "Serenity", which was a solid track to end the Faceless album, and The Other Side EP, which had little to offer since they ignored it after that. Sully Erna has the voice to pull off the soft end of the Metallica hit, and I think trying to expand on the softer edge of their range might yield something pretty cool.

Go Your Own Way (Fleetwood Mac): I haven't come up with who I want doing this one, but there are a couple candidates, and this is definitely one that could turn into a hit for someone if done right. I can see The Fray doing this one (they've got the vocal harmony to do it), or even the Barenaked Ladies (though it might be too serious for them nowadays), or perhaps give it to 30 Seconds to Mars (for a much angstier take on it). But I think The Fray have the best shot of a hit with this one.

That's my list. If you read this blog, please comment and let me know. It'll make me feel better and give my ego that tiny little boost.

==TJ==

A Thousand Faces We'll Choose to Ignore...

Current Music: +44 - No It Isn't

New links on the left. More on those later (as in tomorrow-ish).

Before I get into the meat of this entry, I (somewhat shamefully) watched the first 5 minutes of American Idol yesterday (this anomaly is the result of my girlfriend, who is addicted to reality TV). The announcer claimed that Chris Daughtry's aptly named band Daughtry and their self-titled debut album was the best selling debut rock album in history. This would mean that it beat Guns N' Roses Appetite for Destruction. I'm not saying this is impossible, seeings how it sold 304,000 in its first week going up against the likes of Justin Timberlake's new album, but could someone please confirm this for me? My attempts to find out more came up with nothing useful.

I've been thinking about all the music I heard over the past year. I think thanks to things like iTunes, used CD shops and other various methods (legal or otherwise) I listened to more music than I have in previous years. I know for a fact my tastes have expanded, and I feel the need to elaborate. So the following is a look at my thoughts on 2006 as far as music goes.

Best album of 2006: I was originally trying to come up with my pick for best song, but like always there were far too many. I scoff at those that say that good music ended 20 years ago. There were any number of great albums this year. Pearl Jam came out with their best work since Ten, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers came back to form with the massive Stadium Arcadium. Then there were bands like The Goo Goo Dolls, The Fray and Snow Patrol and their ubiquitous radio hit singles. Meanwhile you had grandiose, over-the-top efforts from Angels & Airwaves, The Killers, and the incredible release from My Chemical Romance. The snob in me says to give it to RHCP or perhaps The Raconteurs, but any punk band that references Queen, The Beatles and Pink Floyd and melds them all into a punk-rock concept album that isn't fueled by gratuitous political statements (looking at you, Green Day) gets a mark in my book. The best album of '06 had to be The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance. Just two years ago these guys were lumped in with all the other goth-punk bands du jour. I dare you to a) name one of those other bands, and b) tell me what they're up to right now.

Worst album of the year: This is a hard one to pick simply because I take pride in the fact that I don't buy bad music. I tend to know what's bad when I see it (though as Gina will happily point out, I have been wrong about some artists). A lot of albums got mixed or less-than stellar reviews, and of course anytime Hawthorne Heights releases an album, you've got a contender, but this year someone even worse found his way into a recording studio. Without a doubt the worst record of the year honor goes to Kevin Federline's Playing With Fire. I trust I don't need to justify this to anyone.

Best new artist: Lots of new artists made their way into the spotlight this past year. Fueledbyramen Records (former home of Fall Out Boy) churned out a slew of them, from Gym Class Heroes to The Academy Is.... There was also Cobra Starship, best known for the lead single for the cult hit Snakes on a Plane. Grey's Anatomy helped propel The Fray to the top of the charts, while American Idol made stars out of Chris Daughtry and Taylor Hicks. Ultimately I think the award has to go to a band that's been able to work its way out from the shadow of what is allegedly the best drama on TV. Adantage: The Fray.

Most overrated band: Gnarls Barkley. While there's a case for Angels & Airwaves and their unnecessary grandstanding as well as The Raconteurs on the mere basis of Jack White alone, no band annoyed me as much as this second-rate OutKast. All the reviewers kept trying to tell me that I secretly liked "Crazy" but no, I really didn't like it. It was a dumb song. If I wanted some upbeat hip-hop this summer, I went for Fort Minor, not two guys that don't have real names.

Most underrated band: A few months ago The Killers had this one wrapped up. I am in the minority of people that thought Sam's Town was if nothing else on par with Hot Fuss. But then in November Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker (formerly of Blink 182) released the +44 album to the sound of no one caring. +44's When Your Heart Stops Beating is great, solid, no-strings-attached punk rock, especially when compared to the droning whine of Tom DeLonge. If you haven't already, go out and at least sample some of WYHSB. Trust me on this one, you'll like it.

That's all for now. I'll be back tomorrow.

==TJ==