Here it is, the first episode for the third volume. It is a double size post because the last episode of volume two was so week. I decided to make up for that on this first episode. Enjoy!
This is the seventh album from The Black Keys. It was
released in the beginning of December 2011. The album was co-produced with
Danger Mouse. Danger Mouse was also credited with co-writing each of the tracks
on this album. This was mainly because of the wide reception of their album
Attack & Release and the follow up hit single Tighten Up from the album
Brothers that Danger Mouse helped them out with in the past. In 2010, guitarist
Dan Auerbach opened the Easy Eye Studio in Nashville TN.
This new album was recorded at that studio. Although the album is called El
Camino there are multiple pictures of Crystler Town & Country vans pictured
all over the album. This is because they first toured in one of these vans. It
is kind of an inside joke for them that everyone now knows. I thought that it
was funny that the promo stickers on all of the albums say “Play Loud”. The
first and only single from the album so far is called Lonely Boy. I went to my
local record store for Black Friday this year for the Record Store Day Black
Friday sale. I picked up this 12” single. The single contains two tracks from
the album. The fun thing about this single is that it plays from the inside to
the out side edge. I have played the single on both sides and you can’t hear a
difference in sound because of this. It is just a unique way to run the groove.
The song itself is super catchy just like any song that The Black Keys have put
out. It pulls from old American Rock and uses modern sounds to keep the kids
interested. I saw this song played live on SNL recently too. Dan uses a pedal
to electronically bend the sound that he is making in the opening of the song.
It makes such a cool sound. The sound is used a second time in the song about
half way through. The drums keep the song rolling along at a good pace too.
There have not bee any other songs released from the album as singles yet but
the songs on this album are so good I would think that there would be more to
come still.
This is the fifth album from Coldplay. It was released in
2011. This album was collaborated on with Brian Eno. The album is supposedly a
concept album. Chris Martin has stated that it is about “a love story with a
happy ending.” As seen with the cover the album is also inspired by American
graffiti. I really liked this band when they released their first album. They
seem to have slowly become full of themselves. The problem is that their fans
seem to love everything they do. I suppose that I could say the same thing
about my favorite band, Radiohead (RH). I don’t feel that RH stand out as
starkly as Coldplay do though. That is just my opinion though. I will probably
still continue to buy the Coldplay albums though so I can’t say that I am some
how better than they are either. I did write a review of the first single from
the album, Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall, in Vol. 2. It is still a good song
musically. There have been a few more singles that have been released from this
album since its release. The second single from this album is called Paradise. This song uses strings in the opening and as
part of the lead as well. The bass is a nice sounding distorted bass line. The
song seems to be about a female living a hard life but dreaming about a fantasy
life that would be more enjoyable but not easier. The Third single from the
album is called Charlie Brown. The album was written around this song. It has
been called the center piece of the album. It has sort of an anthem sound to
it. The song makes you want to stand up and march and do something positive
with what you have been given in life. I think this is a good thing, especially
in America
with the high unemployment rate and the housing market as it is. The album as a
whole is a positive one but this seems to be typical for the band. Have they
gone in a new direction? I think they have but only slightly. I think that I
also miss the warmth that this group has brought to the table in the past. I
can’t say that they should return to their roots but at the same time that is
what I love about them, the roots.
This is the third album from Famly Force 5 (FF5) if you
don’t count the remix album or the Christmas album that they put out. This
album was released in the fall of 2011. I have already written about the III EP
that preceded this album by a few months. It featured three tracks that are on
this album. Soon after the release of the EP they released a free lo-fi version
of the song Get On Outta Here. This song is also on the album. The album has
released many singles already but I can not seem to find any place that is
keeping track of this at the moment. The Whole album is filled with high
intensity tracks that are very infectious to listen to. I can’t recommend this
album enough to fans of Christian, rap/rock and big dance tracks. The best part
is that you can’t tell that they are writing music that is Christian inspired,
the music it just good. They have smartly interlaced the big sound tracks with
the tracks that are just a bit slow. This makes the record flow really well.
The record starts off with a big sound track called Can You Feel It. There is
lots of screaming and heavy distortion. The lyrics on this song are actually
understandable and just hilarious to listen to. The next song, called Paycheck,
really brings up the fact that there are a lot of people out there who are
still dealing with having low income and just trying to make ends meet. The
next song, Wobble, is a very fun song depicting a dance that they have made up.
The lyrics in this one are very funny too. The fourth song, You Got It, takes
inspiration from the originating R&B vibe. I was very surprised that they
had come up with something like this when I listened to it for the first time
on the III EP. The other two tracks that I really like are Dang Girl (I talked
about this one with the III EP as well) and Get On Outta Here. Get On Outta
Here Is a great end song for the album. It is another big sound song from the
group that has a great 80s hip-hop sound with a very sharp ending.
This is the second album from Grizzly Bear. It was released
in 2006. I was not a fan of this album the first few times that I listened to
it. I picked up the album just a little after their third album was released. I
have started to listen to it again more recently and have found it to be very
warm and inviting. I have listened to it a few times recently actually. The
first and only single released from this album is called Knife. It is a slowed
down track with chorus echoes that stand out. I think that this detracts from
the song but it is still very good in its own right. I think that there are
better songs on this album than this one personally. I think that the B-side to
this single, Easier, could have stood out on its own as a single with its Bon
Iver sound (I know that Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago came out after this
album but you get the sound I am referencing here). The sound is so ethereal on
this song it reminds me of a wood cabin in the woods near a lake. Hence the Bon
Iver reference. The music on the album is very simplified. There is electric
guitar used on the album but it is not the center piece to the album. The
organic sound that the group has made is really the focus of the album. For me
this makes it a better album because of the focus on the organic sound. There
are a few other stand out tracks on this album that I really like. I have also
found that these songs were also used on the commercial spots for some of the
Cartoon Networks Adult Swim spots. This probably adds to the reason that I like
the songs and the album so much more.
Jonsi – We Bought A Zoo (Soundtrack)
I was actually very disappointed with the music contained on
this score/album. There is technically only two new songs from Jónsi on this
album. The first is called Ævin Endar. The second is called Gathering Stories.
Both are very good songs from Jónsi that take the idea of what the album Go was
about and takes them in a slightly different direction. There are also three
other songs from the album Go on this album along with a song from Sigur Rós.
From there it is all short pieces of score that were used in the movie. Personally,
when I heard that Jónsi was doing a soundtrack for a movie I was a little
excited. When I found out the details about what was going to be on the
soundtrack I though it was mislabeled as a soundtrack. There are 15 songs on the album and six of them
are songs that Jonsi was involved in writing. I guess I am disappointed because
I would rather have a full score and/or a full soundtrack. Having a half and
half record is kind of a let down for me.
This is a live album released in 1995 originaly. It has been
released by various other record labels including Touch and Go Records. It was
recorded live in Gainsville Florida
on Nov 19, 1994. All 17 tracks are classics from the group but with some funny
wording replacements from the original recordings. The titles of the songs also
have some slightly different titles from the originals. Here are a few examples
of this: Transmissions From Venus becomes Transmissions From Uranus. Cowboy
Playing Bomboro is actually Cowboy Playing Dead with Bombora being added in the
middle. The Man From U.N.C.L.E. becomes The Man From F.U.C.K. Y.O.U. This is
not an essential MOAM album but If you are still looking for more from them you
can turn to this one.
My Bloody Valentine – Before Loveless & Things LeftBehind
Both of these albums are compilations of various EPs that My
Bloody Valentine put out before the album Loveless. The best thing about these
two albums is that they do not overlap each other. Because of these two
compilations I can happily say that I have every thing except a free 7” single
that came with the original pressing of Loveless that the group has put out. I
did have to buy 3 other EPs that were not included on these two compilations
though. I had to buy This Is Your Bloody Valentine, Glider and Tremolo. The
mini album This Is Your Bloody Valentine is their first release. Glider and
Tremolo are the last two releases that the group put out. All of this music on
these two compilations sounds nothing like Loveless. It is still good music but
it does not have the spacey psychedelic sound that is found on Loveless. I was
lucky to find the both of these new at a local record shop. Before Loveless is
actually a double LP that has one record on black vinyl and the other on red
clear vinyl. I thought that was kind of fun having only one record being
colored. Both of these records are only for the collector who wants everything.
They are very unnecessary for someone who wants more from Loveless. There isn’t
any more from Loveless. If you are interested in these albums they can probably be ordered from your local record store or I know they can be ordered online from http://www.soundstagedirect.com/
This is the groups second EP. It was released for the Record
Store Day Black Friday special. This is the other release that I picked up for
that special sale. It was pressed on a 10” record. The three songs that are on
this EP are from the original recording sessions for their third album Swoon.
These songs just didn’t fit on that album. The first song is the title track to
the EP, Seasick. The song has a very 80s sounding synth that runs through the
whole song. The song is somewhat down tempo from what they have put out in the
past but it is soothing at the same time. The next song, Broken Bottles, has a
quicker tempo than the first song. For an indie group this track is very up
beat and danceable. This is my favorite track from this EP. I wish they could
add a bit of brightness to their music. It would be a lot more fun. The last
track on this EP is called Ribbons & Detours. This is another slow track
but it is very stripped down. The simplicity of this song brings me down
though. There are no drums on this track too. I am not sure if drums would add
or be in the way though. This is a very good EP. If you are into this group I
would advise getting this EP for sure. If you can’t find it at your local
record shop I think they are still selling it on the groups’ web site.
This is their first EP that I am aware of. It was released
in fall of 2011. I picked up the limited version of the EP that came on a teal
swirl vinyl. The EP is four tracks plus two remix tracks. The limited version
also came with a download card that gave you access to an additional five remix
tracks. It also came with a live DVD recorded in Williamsburg,
Brooklyn in the summer of 2011. I really liked
the first full length album from the group and they had me at colored vinyl and
bonus tracks. I was not disappointed with this EP. The new tracks from the
group are fantastic. The first track, I’m Not Ready, starts off with the vocal line
on the guitar. Then the lyrics pick up. It is pure indie heaven. The next
track, Miranda, has a great distorted guitar sound. The title of the song
always reminds me of the movie Serenity. They are trying to find the planet
Miranda. It is really the way that the planet is said for the first time in the
movie. The name is whispered very quietly. It is kind of funny to me. Anyway,
the next song on the EP is called Voyager Reprise. The verse uses a cool
electromechanical piano with a slight distortion on it. This is a sound that I
adore. It is so smooth that it could be overlooked if you weren’t aware of it. It
is a very nice song with up beat drums. The last song that the group put out on
this EP is called Drinking Problem. It has a fun light synth sound as the lead
instrument. It flows nicely with the vocals. The vocals also have a very nice
harmony that flows in and out. There is also a synthetic bug/over all jungle
sound that happens in the song giving the song a wild sound that flows in and
out. This is a very easy to listen to song. The rest of the EP is only for
those that like remixes. I like techno music and the use of it in remixed
songs. Especially with the latest crop of remixed songs that seem to be coming
out. From The Pains of Being Pure At Heart to the 8 disc set that Radiohead put
out this past year. Remixed songs can be very fun and usually are too.
That is all I have for now...
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