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 links. Show all posts
Showing posts with label links. Show all posts
Monday, September 1, 2008
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Searching...
[TJ's Note: I know, it's been a minute since anything new has popped up here. Getting a job (or something resembling one) means that suddenly the balance of free time shifts, hence the brief disappearance. I promise to have some new stuff later tonight/tomorrow, but until then I'm gonna post here a piece I just wrote over at JamsBio. I don't remember if I ever linked to them before, but nonetheless, I have now, and below is the true meat of this entry]
This is less about a single song and more about an album, and as the title would suggest, the search for said album. With the advent of iPods and digital music stores where nearly every song and album one would want is available with a few keystrokes, the act of actually going out and looking for music has become sadly antiquated. This story is about the meeting of past and present, and the joy of holding the fruits of a long search for that one special album.
This is less about a single song and more about an album, and as the title would suggest, the search for said album. With the advent of iPods and digital music stores where nearly every song and album one would want is available with a few keystrokes, the act of actually going out and looking for music has become sadly antiquated. This story is about the meeting of past and present, and the joy of holding the fruits of a long search for that one special album.
I first heard the song "Hey Jealousy" in January of this year, when a colleague of mine at school gave me several hundred songs, among them some tracks by the Gin Blossoms. It might have been because I was going through a breakup at the time, or perhaps because I was in a period where I was drawn to 90s music, but I latched onto the song almost immediately, playing it several times in a single day, hardly ever daring to unconsciously press the skip button on it. But for some time that was the extent of my relationship with the Gin Blossoms; like so many of their fans now 'I just like that one song...'.
It wasn't till I was reviewing a deluxe edition of another album and briefly referenced the special edition of the Gin Blossoms' New Miserable Experience that I would consider it again. A fellow blogger left me a comment, saying that I had it all wrong, and this special edition of New Miserable Experience was a great recording worthy of every possible listen, and if I were to truly appreciate the band I needed to hear this collection. And so my search began.
So, with a healthy amount of iTunes credit saved for a rainy day, I did the new traditional thing to do and went to buy the two discs digitally. But alas, iTunes didn't have the rights to the whole collection, and thus marked the item as a "Partial Album". Not only would buying the album via iTunes mean I was missing the full collection, but it would also cost significantly more than I had to spare. So if I was going to have this album, I would need to work a bit harder. And of course none of the traditional big-box stores had the album. That would make the story too easy. No I would certainly need to dig deeper than that. Searches of my local used record shop came up empty, save for the old original release of the album. But no, the mission before me was quite clear; I needed to hear the Deluxe Edition.
My next step was to the seedier parts of the world; Amazon's used CD store and the dreaded eBay. Dealers on Amazon wanted a staggering 60 bucks to part with their copies (I didn't know this at the time, but the Deluxe Edition had been out of print for a number of years). I was flabbergasted, but it made clear just how valuable my quarry was. eBay was a bit more forgiving, but the item was more difficult to find. I spent two weeks searching under every binary rock, in every HTML-driven hole, often trying to contact buyers listing the item, only to find a glitch on the site meant I'd be looking at the wrong item. Finally I thought I found my prize, shelled out 15 bucks to bypass the auction, and waited patiently...only to find that I had been inadvertently gipped; again, a glitch meant that I paid 15 bucks for a single disc worth a quarter of that. I shipped the item back and never did get the refund promised (Buyer beware the username AkratzertHe paid me back after all. Sorry!). Several weeks passed and I had all but abandoned my hunt, knowing that it would probably be some time before success would come, and that my efforts were better spent elsewhere.
Until another few weeks passed, nearly two months after the search began, when a casual search yielded a used copy at a non-offensive price (with my bank account balance in freefall, it would have been difficult to find any price reasonable, let alone a bargain). Without hesitation my mouse pointer dove on the purchase button, claiming the mythical disc lest some other collector try to snatch it away or the item magically fade away. Within a week I came home and found a package sitting at my desk. Upon tearing the package opened, I found my two month long hunt at an end. Both discs were there and playable, the only damage some wear and tear on the packaging.
Normally this is the part in the story where I realize that I was not as impressed as I would have hoped, and the moral would be that sometimes the greatest joy is in the hunt. Not so. Everything I had heard and read was right. On the first listen I was drawn into every song, every note and every lyric. The search was just the beginning. Now came the part where the same attachment that came with one song, came with the whole package. If there's a lesson to be taken away, it is that sometimes music is best appreciated when it is not simply laid down at one's feet.
Gin Blossoms - Hey Jealousy [iTunes]
==TJ==
Friday, June 6, 2008
¡Viva La Mainstream! Likes Viva La Vida. What A Shock.
(For the record, Blogger effed up the old template so it looked a little ugly, hence the new one. Hoping they fix it/something better comes up soon. Sorry for the otherwise subpar look for the time being)
A couple of people at EMI must really have dreaded coming into work these last couple days. Coldplay's rabidly anticipated fourth album Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends leaked last night, 13 days before its official June 17th release date. I have a lot to say in this review, but if you don't have time to read the whole thing, know that this album (despite being only 10 tracks) was the meatiest, most interesting album I've listened to all year.
The album opens with "Life in Technicolor", an instrumental track that more or less serves as an overture to the rest of the album, which brings me to my first piece of praise; the instrumentals on this LP are a cut above anything I've heard Coldplay do. I don't know if credit for that goes to Chris Martin, producer Brian Eno, or the band as a whole, but credit is due nonetheless. If EMI wanted to try to double-dip on this album, I think releasing an entirely instrumental version of the album would go over nicely. Coldplay run a musical gamut on Viva La Vida..., from the Justin Timberlake influenced "Lost!" to the Phish-meets-an-ice-cream-truck* "Strawberry Swing", while still making sure fans know that this is still the same band (more or less) with piano nods in "42" and campfire-y acoustic guitars in the closing "Death and All His Friends", which had me singing along only 30 seconds in.
*Yes, I actually wrote that in my notes.
Going back to the instrumentation on the album, I felt like every song would work well on a soundtrack to some movie somewhere. "Lovers In Japan/Reign of Love", one of three 6-minute-plus opuses on the album, between the incredible strings and Chris Martin's subdued vocals could provide background music to any one of a thousand movies and do nothing but enhance the scene.
Now onto the lyrics. Here too there's layer upon layer of meat and subtext to be found, not the least of which in "Viva La Vida". The steady run of Biblical and religious allusions are as interesting to read and look at as they are to hear Chris Martin sing. And across the board the album wonderfully balances themes of life and death, as the album title would suggest (more on that later). I can't even really give an accurate analysis of it, since doing so from memory wouldn't really do it justice. It's that good. Just like his comrades, Chris Martin made a huge leap on this album with both his singing (check out the lower register on "Yes") and his songwriting (the hook and chorus-free "Cemeteries in London").
When Coldplay announced that they were experimenting with their sound on Viva La Vida, the first thing I thought was "Coldplay's going Radiohead". Based on this review, that's not entirely accurate. The sound is distinctly different from Radiohead. But make no mistake; Viva La Vida is to Coldplay what OK Computer was to Radiohead. In making this album, the whole game changes for Coldplay. The Coldplay that made millions off "Clocks" and "Speed of Sound" isn't really here on this album. On Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends Coldplay finally fill the huge sound they've hinted at on their first three albums. And now that they've filled those shoes, the next logical step is for them to break the hell out of them. When that happens, I'll have some cash set aside so I can be there to hear it.
One more thing; a lot has been made about the album's title. Tons of people think it's absurd. I liked the notion of Viva La Vida from the getgo (maybe because of how close it sounds to the name of this blog), and was willing to accept the extended title, but after hearing the album, I can do one better; the album title makes sense. Depending on how you look at it, Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends is either a joyful celebration of life and existence or an upbeat transcendental meditation on death and the afterlife (think Black Parade without the suicide controversy). Thus, the album is either Viva La Vida, or the album is Death and All His Friends. Coldplay leaves it up to you. And they said they weren't pulling a Radiohead. Needless to say, EMI shouldn't worry too much about a leak hurting record sales. Coldplay's making sure their label lives to see another album...or at the very least another few weeks out of bankruptcy.
Final Score: 9.5/10
Coldplay - Viva La Vida [iTunes]
Coldplay - Lost! [iTunes]
Pre-order Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends on iTunes
==TJ==
PS: Check out the new guy on the block at Polar Bear Stole My Coat
A couple of people at EMI must really have dreaded coming into work these last couple days. Coldplay's rabidly anticipated fourth album Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends leaked last night, 13 days before its official June 17th release date. I have a lot to say in this review, but if you don't have time to read the whole thing, know that this album (despite being only 10 tracks) was the meatiest, most interesting album I've listened to all year.
The album opens with "Life in Technicolor", an instrumental track that more or less serves as an overture to the rest of the album, which brings me to my first piece of praise; the instrumentals on this LP are a cut above anything I've heard Coldplay do. I don't know if credit for that goes to Chris Martin, producer Brian Eno, or the band as a whole, but credit is due nonetheless. If EMI wanted to try to double-dip on this album, I think releasing an entirely instrumental version of the album would go over nicely. Coldplay run a musical gamut on Viva La Vida..., from the Justin Timberlake influenced "Lost!" to the Phish-meets-an-ice-cream-truck* "Strawberry Swing", while still making sure fans know that this is still the same band (more or less) with piano nods in "42" and campfire-y acoustic guitars in the closing "Death and All His Friends", which had me singing along only 30 seconds in.
*Yes, I actually wrote that in my notes.
Going back to the instrumentation on the album, I felt like every song would work well on a soundtrack to some movie somewhere. "Lovers In Japan/Reign of Love", one of three 6-minute-plus opuses on the album, between the incredible strings and Chris Martin's subdued vocals could provide background music to any one of a thousand movies and do nothing but enhance the scene.
Now onto the lyrics. Here too there's layer upon layer of meat and subtext to be found, not the least of which in "Viva La Vida". The steady run of Biblical and religious allusions are as interesting to read and look at as they are to hear Chris Martin sing. And across the board the album wonderfully balances themes of life and death, as the album title would suggest (more on that later). I can't even really give an accurate analysis of it, since doing so from memory wouldn't really do it justice. It's that good. Just like his comrades, Chris Martin made a huge leap on this album with both his singing (check out the lower register on "Yes") and his songwriting (the hook and chorus-free "Cemeteries in London").
When Coldplay announced that they were experimenting with their sound on Viva La Vida, the first thing I thought was "Coldplay's going Radiohead". Based on this review, that's not entirely accurate. The sound is distinctly different from Radiohead. But make no mistake; Viva La Vida is to Coldplay what OK Computer was to Radiohead. In making this album, the whole game changes for Coldplay. The Coldplay that made millions off "Clocks" and "Speed of Sound" isn't really here on this album. On Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends Coldplay finally fill the huge sound they've hinted at on their first three albums. And now that they've filled those shoes, the next logical step is for them to break the hell out of them. When that happens, I'll have some cash set aside so I can be there to hear it.
One more thing; a lot has been made about the album's title. Tons of people think it's absurd. I liked the notion of Viva La Vida from the getgo (maybe because of how close it sounds to the name of this blog), and was willing to accept the extended title, but after hearing the album, I can do one better; the album title makes sense. Depending on how you look at it, Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends is either a joyful celebration of life and existence or an upbeat transcendental meditation on death and the afterlife (think Black Parade without the suicide controversy). Thus, the album is either Viva La Vida, or the album is Death and All His Friends. Coldplay leaves it up to you. And they said they weren't pulling a Radiohead. Needless to say, EMI shouldn't worry too much about a leak hurting record sales. Coldplay's making sure their label lives to see another album...or at the very least another few weeks out of bankruptcy.
Final Score: 9.5/10
Coldplay - Viva La Vida [iTunes]
Coldplay - Lost! [iTunes]
Pre-order Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends on iTunes
==TJ==
PS: Check out the new guy on the block at Polar Bear Stole My Coat
Sunday, June 1, 2008
More Stuff
Changes still taking place on the blog layout. Looking for a better picture to use as a banner, but not much luck so far. Still open to thoughts/comments on the whole thing.
In the meantime, I made my first mix on Mixwit earlier this weekend (link over on the left). As the title suggests, it's all acoustic versions of awesome songs. Have at, and expect more soon.
==TJ==
In the meantime, I made my first mix on Mixwit earlier this weekend (link over on the left). As the title suggests, it's all acoustic versions of awesome songs. Have at, and expect more soon.
==TJ==
Friday, April 18, 2008
VLM ventures into the realm of Ringtones
Thanks to some help from friends, I found a place where I can create ringtones that I can send to my phone without all the hassle that usually comes with doing so. I've already mentioned what a racket legal ringtone purchases are ($2.50 per clip for me, when I can buy the whole %$&#ing song for $0.99). Myxertones works with just about every carrier, and allows you to make ringtones from MP3 files on your computer with relative ease. Sending them costs about as much as a picture message ($1.99 for me...your phone needs to be able to send picture messages) and Myxertones Terms of Use policy appears to be a formality, since searching nearly any band will get you what you want. I've linked to my artist page, again a formality so people can see the ringtones I created.
I don't know how long this will last, since it is still possible that Myxertones will shut me down, but it's been kinda fun for the last few days, so enjoy the ones I've already made, and if you have a request, let me know.
VivaLaMainstream on Myxertones
Till then, enjoy some beautiful weather (especially for those on the east coast), and have a free MP3 to celebrate the joyous sunshine.
Collective Soul - Hollywood [iTunes]
==TJ==
I don't know how long this will last, since it is still possible that Myxertones will shut me down, but it's been kinda fun for the last few days, so enjoy the ones I've already made, and if you have a request, let me know.
VivaLaMainstream on Myxertones
Till then, enjoy some beautiful weather (especially for those on the east coast), and have a free MP3 to celebrate the joyous sunshine.
Collective Soul - Hollywood [iTunes]
==TJ==
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Weekend WTF: Wow, A Site that actually posts GOOD Mashups?
This edition of Weekend WTF is just as much a legitimate entry as it is a WTF post. Astute readers will find a new Link on the Left for a site called flipboitamidles. Flipboitamidles creates and posts videos for the mashups he creates. The video's aren't usually much to write home about, but the songs themselves are incredible. Most mashups seem to involve the same groups of songs and artists over and over again. On flipboitamidles, everyone is fair game, the best mashups I've found to date are "What I've Apologized" (Linkin Park/OneRepublic) and the (Hey Oh) remix to "Give It To Me" (Timbaland/RHCP). I've posted an MP3 of "What I've Apologized" below, but please support a fellow music blogger and check his site out.
Linkin Park/OneRepublic - What I've Apologized (Mashedup by Flipboitamidles)
Another legit entry coming later this weekend.
==TJ==
Linkin Park/OneRepublic - What I've Apologized (Mashedup by Flipboitamidles)
Another legit entry coming later this weekend.
==TJ==
Thursday, November 15, 2007
MORE COOLNESS!!!
OK, so awhile ago I submitted a playlist to Radio 104.5 here in Philly for a contest called "Philly's Finest Hour", and they randomly select playlists, and the playlist creator comes in and shows off their 12 songs on the air, and then listneners rate the playlist. The top rated after each week goes to the next round, and then the best of them all wins a show for a month on 104.5
MY PLAYLIST GOT SELECTED!!! So earlier today I went in and recorded some stuff for between songs, and my playlist will air TONGIHT AT 11PM!!! If you live in the Philly area tune into 104.5 tonight to hear my songs, or if you're out of state go to http://www.radio1045.com and listen to the internet stream. Then go to radio1045.com and rate my playlist. If I get the best rating out of this week I move on to the next round! HOW COOL IS THAT?!?!
My playlist can be found here on iTunes (it's not in the right order though...working on that now)
PLEASE RATE MY PLAYLIST!!!
==TJ==
MY PLAYLIST GOT SELECTED!!! So earlier today I went in and recorded some stuff for between songs, and my playlist will air TONGIHT AT 11PM!!! If you live in the Philly area tune into 104.5 tonight to hear my songs, or if you're out of state go to http://www.radio1045.com and listen to the internet stream. Then go to radio1045.com and rate my playlist. If I get the best rating out of this week I move on to the next round! HOW COOL IS THAT?!?!
My playlist can be found here on iTunes (it's not in the right order though...working on that now)
PLEASE RATE MY PLAYLIST!!!
==TJ==
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Does this make Radiohead and NIN the Tom Glavine and Mariano Rivera of Music?
Thanks to anyone who listened on Tuesday. It was sort of a disorganized show, seeings how I was training people in the midst of doing a show. A few mixups and glitches (sorry to anyone listening during the nasty feedback), and of course the ongoing technical issues were a pain, but hopefully by next week a large majority of that will be settled.
I also ended up sitting in on the Alex, Helen, and Amanda show after they had some trouble, and let's just say, if you aren't listening to their show...you should be. Even if you aren't a fan of Top 40 stuff, just listen in for the ridiculous antics. Alex, Helen, and Amanda are on Tuesdays from 7-9 at radio.arcadia.edu. I'm admittedly not a fan of all of their stuff, but just being in the studio with them is a trip in and of itself. MP3s of some stuff they play is below.
So after much publicity and blogging, Radiohead's In Rainbows made its way onto the hard drives of fans all over the world today. I'm listening through it as I type this, and it's more or less what I expected. Weird, borderline trippy music with schizophrenic (and sometimes nonexistent) melodies that ultimately makes for OK ambient noise. A final rating to come later, but even though I'm not thrilled with it after one listen, I know I'm gonna end up playing through it a few more times. Most of what I've read about it so far seems pretty split; longtime fans seem to love the album, casual fans and others are rather indifferent. I'll let you know where I stand later.
In other stick-it-to-the-man news, Nine Inch Nails posted a message on their website in which Trent Reznor joyfully declares himself a free agent in the music world:
One more thing; Dashboard Confessional frontman Chris Carrabba has been passing the time on his solo tour by blogging about his experiences on the road. Blog topics range from stories of fans he meets (good to know I'm not the only over-18 male who loves Dashboard) to lists of things he loves and hates at the moment (apparently Chris is a fan of Heroes and Battlestar Galactica). The blog is on his myspace page, and will probably go for the length of his solo tour. On another note, I ruckused The Shade of Poison Trees and made it through The Wire Tapes, the covers album I mentioned earlier. I didn't know too many of the originals, but Dashboard redoes tracks like "El Scorcho" and Regina Spektor's "Better" incredibly well. More in-depth reviews later, and definitely expect this stuff to be on the radio show next week.
That's all for now. Enjoy the MP3s, and I'll be back soon.
Timbaland - The Way I Are (As heard on Alex, Helen, and Amanda)
Fall Out Boy - The Take Over, The Break's Over (As heard on Alex, Helen, and Amanda)
Kanye West- Stronger (As heard on Alex, Helen, and Amanda)
Nine Inch Nails - Capital G
Dashboard Confessional - Better (Regina Spektor cover)
Buying music may be good karma, but Thom Yorke and Trent Reznor don't care so much...the choice is yours.
==TJ==
I also ended up sitting in on the Alex, Helen, and Amanda show after they had some trouble, and let's just say, if you aren't listening to their show...you should be. Even if you aren't a fan of Top 40 stuff, just listen in for the ridiculous antics. Alex, Helen, and Amanda are on Tuesdays from 7-9 at radio.arcadia.edu. I'm admittedly not a fan of all of their stuff, but just being in the studio with them is a trip in and of itself. MP3s of some stuff they play is below.
So after much publicity and blogging, Radiohead's In Rainbows made its way onto the hard drives of fans all over the world today. I'm listening through it as I type this, and it's more or less what I expected. Weird, borderline trippy music with schizophrenic (and sometimes nonexistent) melodies that ultimately makes for OK ambient noise. A final rating to come later, but even though I'm not thrilled with it after one listen, I know I'm gonna end up playing through it a few more times. Most of what I've read about it so far seems pretty split; longtime fans seem to love the album, casual fans and others are rather indifferent. I'll let you know where I stand later.
In other stick-it-to-the-man news, Nine Inch Nails posted a message on their website in which Trent Reznor joyfully declares himself a free agent in the music world:
"Hello everyone. I've waited a LONG time to be able to make theBefore we all get ornery and get ready to mark the time of death of the record label as we know it, let's remember that Radiohead and NIN have never been known for being the darlings of the recording industry. Anyone else remember the conniption that the RIAA had prior to the release of Year Zero? When bands like Fall Out Boy or Kelly Clarkson go free agent, then I'll call it.
following announcement: as of right now Nine Inch Nails is a totally
free agent, free of any recording contract with any label. I have
been under recording contracts for 18 years and have watched the
business radically mutate from one thing to something inherently very
different and it gives me great pleasure to be able to finally have a
direct relationship with the audience as I see fit and appropriate.
Look for some announcements in the near future regarding 2008.
Exciting times, indeed."
One more thing; Dashboard Confessional frontman Chris Carrabba has been passing the time on his solo tour by blogging about his experiences on the road. Blog topics range from stories of fans he meets (good to know I'm not the only over-18 male who loves Dashboard) to lists of things he loves and hates at the moment (apparently Chris is a fan of Heroes and Battlestar Galactica). The blog is on his myspace page, and will probably go for the length of his solo tour. On another note, I ruckused The Shade of Poison Trees and made it through The Wire Tapes, the covers album I mentioned earlier. I didn't know too many of the originals, but Dashboard redoes tracks like "El Scorcho" and Regina Spektor's "Better" incredibly well. More in-depth reviews later, and definitely expect this stuff to be on the radio show next week.
That's all for now. Enjoy the MP3s, and I'll be back soon.
Timbaland - The Way I Are (As heard on Alex, Helen, and Amanda)
Fall Out Boy - The Take Over, The Break's Over (As heard on Alex, Helen, and Amanda)
Kanye West- Stronger (As heard on Alex, Helen, and Amanda)
Nine Inch Nails - Capital G
Dashboard Confessional - Better (Regina Spektor cover)
Buying music may be good karma, but Thom Yorke and Trent Reznor don't care so much...the choice is yours.
==TJ==
Monday, September 17, 2007
Boys Like Girls are good...WHAT!!??
Some quick reviews that got overshadowed by the awesomeness of the Foo Fighters leak last week:
-Going against the advice of Luis from Pretty Much Amazing, I went ahead and picked up the leak of James Blunt's All The Lost Souls. Luis, if you happen to be reading this, you were right. With a few marginal exceptions, its a snooze. If I want to hear a song like "1973", I'll stick with music that came out in 1973.
Ruling on the Field: 3/10
Highlight Reel:...Sad to say there really isn't one. If you really want a taste, I'll give you 1973.
-I've only barely gotten through all of Graduation, but it's definitely something that's gonna get a few more rounds on my iPod before it wears out. This is the only Kanye album I've heard in its entirety, so I don't really have a point of reference, but suffice it to say I'm impressed. Kanye's brand of rap is way more accessible than most of the rest of what the genre is offering up (with the exception of maybe Timbaland).
Ruling on the Field: 7/10
Highlight Reel: Stronger, Can't Tell Me Nothing
-I ruckused the self-titled debut from Boys Like Girls, primarily on the strength of this live version of "The Great Escape" I picked up from iTunes (the link is to the video of the AOL Session. The audio of the same performance is also on iTunes). "The Great Escape" is definitely one of the highlights of the album, but its matched by tracks like "Thunder" and "Five Minutes to Midnight". I don't know if there is a truly good way to do pop-punk, but Boys Like Girls put up something really fun.
Ruling on the Field: 8/10
No Highlight Reel for this because I ruckused it, but I'll try to get an mp3 of that live track up later in the week.
I think that's it for now. Back later with some other goodies.
==TJ==
-Going against the advice of Luis from Pretty Much Amazing, I went ahead and picked up the leak of James Blunt's All The Lost Souls. Luis, if you happen to be reading this, you were right. With a few marginal exceptions, its a snooze. If I want to hear a song like "1973", I'll stick with music that came out in 1973.
Ruling on the Field: 3/10
Highlight Reel:...Sad to say there really isn't one. If you really want a taste, I'll give you 1973.
-I've only barely gotten through all of Graduation, but it's definitely something that's gonna get a few more rounds on my iPod before it wears out. This is the only Kanye album I've heard in its entirety, so I don't really have a point of reference, but suffice it to say I'm impressed. Kanye's brand of rap is way more accessible than most of the rest of what the genre is offering up (with the exception of maybe Timbaland).
Ruling on the Field: 7/10
Highlight Reel: Stronger, Can't Tell Me Nothing
-I ruckused the self-titled debut from Boys Like Girls, primarily on the strength of this live version of "The Great Escape" I picked up from iTunes (the link is to the video of the AOL Session. The audio of the same performance is also on iTunes). "The Great Escape" is definitely one of the highlights of the album, but its matched by tracks like "Thunder" and "Five Minutes to Midnight". I don't know if there is a truly good way to do pop-punk, but Boys Like Girls put up something really fun.
Ruling on the Field: 8/10
No Highlight Reel for this because I ruckused it, but I'll try to get an mp3 of that live track up later in the week.
I think that's it for now. Back later with some other goodies.
==TJ==
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
New Singles from Jimmy Eat World, Springsteen, and AvA
OK, lots of cool stuff coming this entry, but first some clarifications;
-If you comment, please be kind enough to sign your post. Gina, I know you reminded me about the Backstreet Boys album dropping in October as well, but please do sign your comments so I can separate the legit from the spam.
-2 entries back I listed James Blunt's All The Lost Souls on the list of albums coming out in October, thus implying you should be excited about the release of said album. Such was a miscommunication; I do not expect you to wait with bated breath for the return of James Blunt, especially if "1973" is any indication.
-If you hadn't noticed, I added my CD Tracker to the list on the left; it keeps a mostly up-to-date list of what CDs I own. Go check it out.
And with that, onto the goods:
-Angels & Airwaves has announced October 23rd as the release date for their sophomore album I-Empire. A clip of the first single "Everything's Magic" is streaming on their MySpace. As of today it had not been released to iTunes.
-However, both Jimmy Eat World and Bruce Springsteen released their first singles "Big Casino" and "Radio Nowhere", respectively, to iTunes today. Springsteen's track is decent, though his voice is starting to show some wear and the message of the song is a bit curmudgeonly, while Jimmy Eat World delivers another great hit. If you hadn't gotten the message, I'm excited for these two albums
Jimmy Eat World - Big Casino
Bruce Springsteen - Radio Nowhere
-More information has come out about Exile on Mainstream, the forthcoming release from Matchbox 20. It will be a 2-disc set, the first disc containing six new tracks including "How Far We've Come", while the second disc is a best-of containing 11 songs even the most casual fans already have. Meanwhile "How Far We've Come" has yet to make it to iTunes. So, in conclusion you will most likely be paying 20 bucks for six songs. Smooth, guys, reeeaaal smooth.
That's all. I'll be back later this week with some more goodies.
Does Jack Bauer care if you buy your music or not? I don't know. But do you REALLY wanna find out if he does?
Jimmy Eat World on iTunes
Bruce Springsteen on iTunes
==TJ==
-If you comment, please be kind enough to sign your post. Gina, I know you reminded me about the Backstreet Boys album dropping in October as well, but please do sign your comments so I can separate the legit from the spam.
-2 entries back I listed James Blunt's All The Lost Souls on the list of albums coming out in October, thus implying you should be excited about the release of said album. Such was a miscommunication; I do not expect you to wait with bated breath for the return of James Blunt, especially if "1973" is any indication.
-If you hadn't noticed, I added my CD Tracker to the list on the left; it keeps a mostly up-to-date list of what CDs I own. Go check it out.
And with that, onto the goods:
-Angels & Airwaves has announced October 23rd as the release date for their sophomore album I-Empire. A clip of the first single "Everything's Magic" is streaming on their MySpace. As of today it had not been released to iTunes.
-However, both Jimmy Eat World and Bruce Springsteen released their first singles "Big Casino" and "Radio Nowhere", respectively, to iTunes today. Springsteen's track is decent, though his voice is starting to show some wear and the message of the song is a bit curmudgeonly, while Jimmy Eat World delivers another great hit. If you hadn't gotten the message, I'm excited for these two albums
Jimmy Eat World - Big Casino
Bruce Springsteen - Radio Nowhere
-More information has come out about Exile on Mainstream, the forthcoming release from Matchbox 20. It will be a 2-disc set, the first disc containing six new tracks including "How Far We've Come", while the second disc is a best-of containing 11 songs even the most casual fans already have. Meanwhile "How Far We've Come" has yet to make it to iTunes. So, in conclusion you will most likely be paying 20 bucks for six songs. Smooth, guys, reeeaaal smooth.
That's all. I'll be back later this week with some more goodies.
Does Jack Bauer care if you buy your music or not? I don't know. But do you REALLY wanna find out if he does?Jimmy Eat World on iTunes
Bruce Springsteen on iTunes
==TJ==
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
You Have Stolen My Heart...And My Sanity
So I'm on MySpace earlier tonight and I see a bulletin from Dashboard Confessional (or some underling at Vagrant assigned to run Chris Carabba's MySpace page) entitled "Hey Everyone!". Upon opening I find only the following image:
The same image is now the backdrop for Dashboard's official website, their MySpace page, and Vagrant Records' welcome page. Dashboard is prepping for its first solo tour in 5 years and a European tour with Maroon 5 later this year, and is (in theory) still riding the success of 2006's Dusk and Summer. The band has offered no insight as to the meaning of the image, leading fans to suggest three possibilities:
1) New logo for new solo tour (possible; bands do this from time to time to create excuses for more merchandise)
2) New album in the works (unlikely; news of recording new material would have surfaced before now)
3) Chris made some random drawing and is doing the 21st century equivalent of putting it on the fridge to show off to people. (also likely)
Whatever the meaning is, Dashboard had better unveil it quick. I'm spending all my time hunting for clues about Cloverfield, I don't have time to try to unlock what this pic is supposed to get me excited for.
Dashboard Confessional - So Long, So Long
Buying music leads to good karma.
Dashboard on MySpace
Dashboard Confessional Official Website
Vagrant Records
Dashboard on iTunes
==TJ==
EDIT 08.16: Dashboard's official website confirms that on October 2nd Dashboard's new album, The Shade of Poison Trees will be released. In keeping with the upcoming solo tour, most of the album will be just frontman Chris Carabba on acoustic guitar. A low-quality live video of likely first single "Thick As Thieves" is on the MySpace page. AbsolutePunk has the official press release here.
October 2nd is also the release date for Bruce Springsteen's Magic, his most recent effort with the E Street Band, and Exile on Mainstream, the new album from the reformed Matchbox 20. It's official; October will be a glorious month.
The same image is now the backdrop for Dashboard's official website, their MySpace page, and Vagrant Records' welcome page. Dashboard is prepping for its first solo tour in 5 years and a European tour with Maroon 5 later this year, and is (in theory) still riding the success of 2006's Dusk and Summer. The band has offered no insight as to the meaning of the image, leading fans to suggest three possibilities:
1) New logo for new solo tour (possible; bands do this from time to time to create excuses for more merchandise)
2) New album in the works (unlikely; news of recording new material would have surfaced before now)
3) Chris made some random drawing and is doing the 21st century equivalent of putting it on the fridge to show off to people. (also likely)
Whatever the meaning is, Dashboard had better unveil it quick. I'm spending all my time hunting for clues about Cloverfield, I don't have time to try to unlock what this pic is supposed to get me excited for.
Dashboard Confessional - So Long, So Long
Buying music leads to good karma.
Dashboard on MySpace
Dashboard Confessional Official Website
Vagrant Records
Dashboard on iTunes
==TJ==
EDIT 08.16: Dashboard's official website confirms that on October 2nd Dashboard's new album, The Shade of Poison Trees will be released. In keeping with the upcoming solo tour, most of the album will be just frontman Chris Carabba on acoustic guitar. A low-quality live video of likely first single "Thick As Thieves" is on the MySpace page. AbsolutePunk has the official press release here.
October 2nd is also the release date for Bruce Springsteen's Magic, his most recent effort with the E Street Band, and Exile on Mainstream, the new album from the reformed Matchbox 20. It's official; October will be a glorious month.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Success in Store for Zerochance
I meant to post this entry about a week and a half ago, but things kept getting in the way and I'm only getting around to it now.
It's pretty rare that I put much stock in a band that friends me on MySpace. In my view its two easy for any group of people to come together claiming to be a band when all they do is scream three-chord nonsense into a microphone or whatever. However, Zerochance happened to find itself one of the rare exceptions.
Zerochance is the brainchild of singer/songwriter Erick Belitto who basically woke up one morning and decided to chase his dream (with a little help from John Mayer and Guster). Comparing Zerochance's music to that of groups like Train or Dashboard Confessional really doesn't do it justice, because it does have a style all its own, with Erick's southern twinge and heart-on-a-sleeve conviction that would make even Chris Carabba's heartstrings tug. At this point his first album Better Days for Broken Hearts is only available on his website and on iTunes, but believe me when I tell you that this album is truly worth hearing. The songs range from the bouncy "Burn My Radio" to the poignant in "Four Letter Words" and "First Born". If you go to his MySpace page you can hear two tracks from his forthcoming Accessory to Success, due out in June.
I'm going to post an mp3 of "Van Nuys", my favorite song on the album, but PLEASE check out his MySpace page and go check out the rest of the album. Trust me on this one. I can't predict if Zerochance is gonna be huge, but if Nickelback can sell 5 million albums, there's no reason Zerochance doesn't deserve the same shot.
Zerochance [MySpace]
Better Days for Broken Hearts on iTunes
Zerochance - Van Nuys
==TJ==
It's pretty rare that I put much stock in a band that friends me on MySpace. In my view its two easy for any group of people to come together claiming to be a band when all they do is scream three-chord nonsense into a microphone or whatever. However, Zerochance happened to find itself one of the rare exceptions.
Zerochance is the brainchild of singer/songwriter Erick Belitto who basically woke up one morning and decided to chase his dream (with a little help from John Mayer and Guster). Comparing Zerochance's music to that of groups like Train or Dashboard Confessional really doesn't do it justice, because it does have a style all its own, with Erick's southern twinge and heart-on-a-sleeve conviction that would make even Chris Carabba's heartstrings tug. At this point his first album Better Days for Broken Hearts is only available on his website and on iTunes, but believe me when I tell you that this album is truly worth hearing. The songs range from the bouncy "Burn My Radio" to the poignant in "Four Letter Words" and "First Born". If you go to his MySpace page you can hear two tracks from his forthcoming Accessory to Success, due out in June.
I'm going to post an mp3 of "Van Nuys", my favorite song on the album, but PLEASE check out his MySpace page and go check out the rest of the album. Trust me on this one. I can't predict if Zerochance is gonna be huge, but if Nickelback can sell 5 million albums, there's no reason Zerochance doesn't deserve the same shot.
Zerochance [MySpace]
Better Days for Broken Hearts on iTunes
Zerochance - Van Nuys
==TJ==
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Y100 Returns!
Today the city of Philadelphia has something to celebrate. No, the Phillies, Sixers and Flyers still suck and football season is still a few months out.
When Y100 was shut down in February of 2005, it effectively sounded the death knell for alternative rock radio in Philadelphia. Until last week, when the station formerly known as Star 104.5 (also known at times as Sunny and Rumba) adjusted its format to the alt-rock format that had been missing in the Philly market for over two years. It's current title is simply Radio 104.5, and since I started listening about 30 minute ago, I've heard everything ranging from Soundgarden to The Killers to Nickelback, and it's newly formed website has logos for everyone from Linkin Park to The Police. I've added the site to the links page, along with a couple others. So So Philly rock fans, rejoice! More on this story when I hear it.
www.radio1045.com
Source: http://willdo.philadelphiaweekly.com/archives/2007/05/altrock_and_big.html
==TJ==
When Y100 was shut down in February of 2005, it effectively sounded the death knell for alternative rock radio in Philadelphia. Until last week, when the station formerly known as Star 104.5 (also known at times as Sunny and Rumba) adjusted its format to the alt-rock format that had been missing in the Philly market for over two years. It's current title is simply Radio 104.5, and since I started listening about 30 minute ago, I've heard everything ranging from Soundgarden to The Killers to Nickelback, and it's newly formed website has logos for everyone from Linkin Park to The Police. I've added the site to the links page, along with a couple others. So So Philly rock fans, rejoice! More on this story when I hear it.
www.radio1045.com
Source: http://willdo.philadelphiaweekly.com/archives/2007/05/altrock_and_big.html
==TJ==
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
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==
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
One Moooorrrre Thing!
Forgot to mention something in the update earlier, so I'm going back and fixing it now. On the left there's a link to The Sean and Kelley Show. Sean Dolan and Kelley Glenn are DJs at Arcadia's radio station. This Friday from 8-10PM (their usual show slot), Sean and Kelley are gonna have a live in-studio performance featuring some on-campus singer/songwriters. I don't have the list of names with me, but if you go to their website you can get all the details. Oh yeah, there's free pizza too, so go ahead and check it out.
==TJ==
PS A thousand points to whoever guesses the show from whence the title of this blog originates.
==TJ==
PS A thousand points to whoever guesses the show from whence the title of this blog originates.
Saturday, March 3, 2007
Linkin Park toys with fans and Axl's being Axl
Current Music: 30 Seconds to Mars - From Yesterday
Following up on the previous entry, amazon.com's UK site currently has September 17th listed as the release date for Chinese Democracy, which would translate to September 18th here in America. A new logo/potential album cover has found its way onto the net:
Looks to me like its done in the same typeface as one of the early Linkin Park logos:
You decide.
While on the subject of LP, the band says we can expect the first single sometime this month. numerous reports place the release of their fourth album anywhere between April and summertime. For what it's worth, Best Buy's website lists a May 1st release date AND suggests an "EXPLICIT LYRICS" label. Is Linkin Park gonna get dirty on us?
New links on the left; both mp3 blogs that deal in mainstream music. I tend to like Idolator more 'cause it's on a national scale, whereas Music Slut appears largely based out of New York.
I've got more in me, but I'm gonna hold out till tomorrow or Monday when I'm back on campus. Oh yeah, thanks to Heartless Bastard for the link that produced the "Better" rip last entry.
==TJ==
Following up on the previous entry, amazon.com's UK site currently has September 17th listed as the release date for Chinese Democracy, which would translate to September 18th here in America. A new logo/potential album cover has found its way onto the net:
Looks to me like its done in the same typeface as one of the early Linkin Park logos:
You decide.While on the subject of LP, the band says we can expect the first single sometime this month. numerous reports place the release of their fourth album anywhere between April and summertime. For what it's worth, Best Buy's website lists a May 1st release date AND suggests an "EXPLICIT LYRICS" label. Is Linkin Park gonna get dirty on us?
New links on the left; both mp3 blogs that deal in mainstream music. I tend to like Idolator more 'cause it's on a national scale, whereas Music Slut appears largely based out of New York.
I've got more in me, but I'm gonna hold out till tomorrow or Monday when I'm back on campus. Oh yeah, thanks to Heartless Bastard for the link that produced the "Better" rip last entry.
==TJ==
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