Episode 22

I took a short break from posting. I have still been listening to music and keeping track of it.

I got a comment from a user called "L". I did make a reply to his comment. I replied with the data that I had available and I hope that this answered his question. I hope that he/she will continue reading and challenging my thoughts.

I also want to point out that I have been posting regularly on the Amazon.com boards. There are some very cool people who are posting on the Speaker and Home Theater communities. My user name on those boards is "KBIC". I have been visiting there for about a year. You all are welcome to check those out too.

On to the music:

I have been kind of on a Björk kick.

Björk - Post

This album, in my opinion, is heavier than her solo debut. The single Army Of Me is just super awesome and heavy. It was used on the soundtrack for Tank Girl. A great comic book movie if you can handle the camp value. The other single that was released from this album was It's Oh So Quiet. It is a cover song but she does it with such flair that the song becomes her. There were some other songs that were not exactly singles but were mad popular in dance circles.

This leads me to the next album.

Björk - Telegram

This is a remix album that was released after Post came out. It is a remix of the songs from Post. This is where the dance singles came from. These dance singles are for Possibly Maybe, Hyperballad and Headphones. My favorite track on this album is Cover Me. There is a super cool bass line that happens on this album that I can't get enough of. I got this album on vinyl when it was originally released. After I purchased it I found out that the album is missing one track that the CD has. I was slightly disappointed but it is not a big enough deal for me to go and buy the CD.

The following albums I have previously talked about but I really like them. So, I listened to them again.

Fleet Foxes - Sun Giant

Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest

Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes

The XX - XX

Man Or Astro-Man? - Experiment Zero

The white Stripes - Icky Thump

I really like The White Stripes. They make lots of great minimalist rock music. Maybe this is why I like The XX. I especially like Meg White's drumming style. She makes it happen only when it is needed. The first single of this album was the title track, Icky Thump. Jack White uses a cute little keyboard to get the cool solo stuff done contrary to popular opinion. I have actually seen this song performed on a UK show once. Somebody had the video or I saw it on YouTube or something like that. The video that I saw of this song was good but Jack's performance was awful. Anyway, I think that Little Cream Soda was the second single. I was not all that interested in that track much. Later I heard another single that I really think is fantastic. It takes the band is a very different direction. The song is Conquest. It is actually a cover song that was originally released in the 50s. It is a great song but like most White Stripes songs you will either love it or hate it. It has been reworked and used big brass and big guitar. It is quite unique and stands apart from the rest of the album.

The Gaslight Anthem - The 59' Sound

These are a group of guys from the New Jersey area. They have a sound like if The Boss were to write current indie music. I purchased the album through Suburban Home Records. I also picked up their first album and the EP from them. All 3 of them on vinyl. Anyway, the album is a lot of fun but doesn't keep me engaged as much as I would like. The first 3 songs on the album are also the first 3 singles. Although they were not released in the order that they are laid out on the album. The first single was the title track. The next was Old White Lincoln and the last was Great Expectations. I always think that it is really great to hear bands that you like when listening to the radio. I remember taking a trip to the Needle Doctor and hearing The 59' Sound on the radio. This was during last winter (2008-09). It was a cold day but hearing this song made me feel a little more warm. It was just nice.

Saves The Day - In Reverie

This is another group that falls into the Emo genre. This is their 4th full length album. The album is not super fantastic honestly. There is a change in music style for the band on this album. I do enjoy this album even though I don't think it is super fantastic. It is creative and easy to sing along with. The first single is the first track on the album, What Went Wrong. I did not buy the album for the single actually. I bought the album because I really liked the previous album, Stay What You Are. I found that I really liked the title song, In Reverie. It is very easy to sing along to, more so than the other songs on the album. The song is about a breakup and what the person in the story does after the breakup. I felt the emotion that this person was going through because at the time I was going through a divorce. This song is a lighter side of a breakup and it was what I needed at the time.

I have more albums to talk about but I will get to them in a later post.

Oh, since it was my birthday yesterday I got to get a couple albums. I went to a Half-priced Books and found an vinyl album from Stereotyperider - Songs In The Keys Of F & U. It was a chance find and it was colored in yellow and dark orange. It even has the Suburban Home logo. I also picked up Man Or Astro-man? - Is It ... Man Or Astro-man? on vinyl. It is an original pressing. This album was a limited pressing in the first place. My Mother-in-law also got me a CD called the Minnesota Beatles Project Vol. 1. It is a group of Minnesota bands that recorded covers of The Beatles songs. MPR was involved along with a couple other companies. It is a lot of fun. I did listen to it once before but maybe when I get a chance to listen to it more in depth I will give it a proper review here.

Signing Off