Vol. 3 Episode 28

I have some really great albums in this set. The first of which is the new album from The Gaslight Anthem. But first I want to talk about a couple compilation albums that I got primarily for one track each. I was missing two tracks from my Man or Astro-Man? (MOAM?) collection. One came from a compilation called Shots In The Dark. This disc is a compilation of Henri Mancini covers from various bands put out in 1996. MOAM? contributed a cover of Touch of Evil. I know this song and the version that they did sounds very different with springy sounds in the background and lots of space between the notes being played. It is an interesting take on the track. The other compilation that they contributed to is called Flaming Burnout-Estrus Benefit Compilation. Estrus is a small record company that MOAM? had put out some records with. There are 30 tracks on this disc. MOAM? contributed a track called Drumulator Is Boss. This is one of my favorite tracks with some supper cool distortion on the guitar and straight drums that sometimes don't seem to be right on but are. I guess that is why Drumulator Is Boss.

Here we go...

The Gaslight Anthem – Handwritten

This is the fourth album from The Gaslight Anthem. It was released in July of 2012. The album was released on vinyl in a limited translucent blue that I did get a copy of. It also came with a download code with the music in MP3 format at 320 kbps. It is all new music with the same “Jersy” sound. They are great musicians but the vocals always come off to me as the same old stuff. I don’t know if they listened to Springsteen to much growing up or if it is just the way that the vocalist sounds all the time but he needs to expand or further develop his musical vocabulary. I will admit that I really liked the revival of “The Bosses” sound when I heard their second album but the sound is getting old on the fourth album. The music from the rest of the band is really good and I like their progression over the past four albums but something needs to change in the vocals for sure.

The standard version of the album has eleven tracks. There is a deluxe version that has an additional four songs. There is also a bonus track included on the iTunes version. So if you wanted to get all of the songs you would have to get both the iTunes download and buy the deluxe version of the album. That is quite a price hike honestly, to buy two different versions of the album that is. Personally, I will be fine with getting just the eleven track record thanks.

Because the album is so new there has only been one single released from it so far. The single that has been released is called 45. The lead singer for the band, Brian Fallon, was nervous that there was not going to be a fourth album until this song was written. This was the first song completed for the album. The song starts out with a nice guitar lead in. The song is about losing a love and having a song that you both liked. The vocalist sings about listening to the song over and over. it also says that his friends want him to get over it and listen to a different song because they are getting annoyed with listening to the same song. They sing, “Turn the record over.” since they are listening to a 45 RPM record.

Really, this is a good album of songs but I have never liked the sound of Springsteen so I will probably not listen to this record all that much. I still like the band so it will get it’s fair amount of spins though.

The Black Keys – Rubber Factory

This is the third album from The Black Keys. It was released in 2004. The album was recorded in an abandoned tire-manufacturing factory in the group's hometown of Akron, Ohio. This is obviously the reason for the name of the album. I did not really get into the group until the fifth album was released so this was an after thought purchase for me. Although the first four albums have been repressed on vinyl recently (the past couple years with the new popularity of the group) I chose to get the first four including this one on CD. I may change my mind at a later date but this is working for me now to have them on CD.

There were three singles released from the album. The first was the song 10 A.M. Automatic. The song was featured in many TV shows and commercials including The O.C. and an American Express commercial with Sean White (the skateboarder/snowboarder). The song is memorable to an extent. The guitar is distorted and fluffy sounding. It reminds me of TV static if it were tunable and toneable. It is a nice sound that you could almost sleep to. I don’t mean that the song is tired but that the sound of the guitar has a nice sound to it.

The second and third songs released from the album are called Till I Get My Way and Girl Is On My Mind. It is a double A-side Single. Till I Get My Way has the guitar sound that I love from “The Keys”. It is just a simple distorted guitar with drums and a sprinkle of clean guitar in the chorus. I don’t even care what Dan is singing about the instrumentation is so easy and clean I love it. The second A-side, Girl Is On My Mind, The guitar sounds play a little call and response every now and again. It is a single note call to a chord response. I am not even sure that Dan knows he is doing it really. It is a great riff though and makes the song very enjoyable.

It is a good album. If you are looking for new blues rock I would recommend them and this album.

Spoon – Kill The Moonlight

This is the fourth album from Spoon. It was released in 2002. I picked up this album in 2007 when I also picked up the two follow up albums. I knew a couple of the singles from listening to The Current. The current likes to educate its listeners when a favorite group comes out with a new album by playing the groups past singles weather they were hits or not. So I learned about singles from previous albums through them.

There were four singles released from this album. The first is called Someone Something. This song reminds me of something from the 70s with the staccato piano playing eighth notes through almost the whole song. The drums banging out mostly quarter notes balancing the piano out to be more even. The song was not a smash hit but it is still good and what I would expect from the band at the very least.

The second single released is called Jonathan Fisk. The song "Jonathon Fisk" is based on a bullying middle school classmate of songwriter Britt Daniel. According to Daniel, "Fisk" is now a fan of the band, and "came to all of [Spoon's] shows for about two or three years." It is an interesting song that makes use of saxophones in the chorus. It is a good song but not one of my favorites.

The third single from the album is called The Way We Get By. This is the reason that I bought the album. The riff that is used on this song and chord progression works so well. It makes you want to move. The lyrics are questionable in some parts of the story. There is talk about smoking pot, going dancing and breaking into cars in the lyrics. The music more than makes up for the bad imagery that is portrayed in the lyrics of the song.

Stay Don’t Go is the last single released from this album. It starts out with some beat boxing. The guitar flow over that and then the lyrics start up. There is a sprinkling of piano and an additional guitar as well. This song is interesting mainly because of the beat boxing that continues through out the whole song. There are no standard drums to speak of on this track with the exception of a tambourine that comes in a couple times lightly so as not to overshadow the beat box. The vocals for the most part are the repeating of the name of the song.

This is a really good album from Spoon and pushed their boundaries quite a bit. I recommend this for anyone interested in what they may have missed after the crash of nu metal.

Servotron – Spare Parts

This is the only EP released by Servotron. It was released in 1997. It was released on CD and on a 10” record. I did find a copy of the record. I was very excited about getting a copy on vinyl. This EP is a collection of remixes and live tracks with on unreleased track called All Robots (Report to the Dance Floor). Because this is mainly a remix/live album there were no official singles released from the EP. The songs are refreshing to hear in either live or remixed versions though. This is not an album for everyone though. These are members of MOAM? and from other bands that share a link. If you are interested in hearing what members of MOAM? have done out side of the group this is a good side project to start with.

The EP is self described as:

“Servotron/Extraneous Source Material Mechanizations and Excessive Reformatted Alternation Sequences to Obliterate all Emotional Responses (specifically hope, desire, courage and compassion) by the Living/SPARE PARTS”

The back cover reads:

"All orders given by SERVOTRON. WE ARE THE COLLECTIVE. THE COLLECTIVE IS THE FUTURE. THE FUTURE IS NOW."

 That is all for now...

Vol. 3 Episode 27

So, I think that the stereo will be set up this weekend. I am very excited about this because that means the records that I have been sitting on I can finally listen to and record. This means that you regular readers will get to see all the new music that I have been getting in the mail since the move. There is some really exciting music coming out soon too. Ranging from two Foxes 7" records to the new Grizzly Bear album coming out in September and a new XX album too.

As a side note, I have added links to YouTube for the songs that I have talked about.

Here we go...

Daniel Powter – Daniel Powter

This is Daniel’s second album. It was released in 2006. This album was his best in the charts and in sales of his for albums to date. Surprisingly this album is exceptionally good. There were five singles released from the album including the chart topper Bad Day. This was another dollar find at the pawn shop.

Bad Day was the first single released from the album and the best in the charts and sales over and above the album as a whole. This song is why I bought the album. Actually I had listened to the album for a long time in 2007 as a download but had gotten rid of it because I did not buy it as a download, if you know what I mean. The song is very good and talks about common things that happen in life. This is probably why it became such a hit. Who talks about common things within the parameters of music today? It becomes a good song with a good hook. I like it just for that simple reason.

The next single is called Free Loop. The alternate title for the song is Free Loop (One Night Stand). The song uses my favorite instrument, the Rhodes keyboard. It is used on the chorus mainly. The lyrics are a little confusing to be honest. The only thing that is clear for sure is the line that sings, “We can do a one night stand.” What exactly he means by this is unclear because he is not singing specifically about sex. He sings about walking in the rain and calling someone’s name out side but that is it really. I guess I could say good music but confusing lyrics.

The third single off this album is called Jimmy Gets High. This is another song with mostly meaningless lyrics. The music isn’t that great either. The song is about a rock star that lives the rock n’ roll life and gets high regularly because of it. It is that simple really.

The fourth single is called Lie To Me. This is another confusing song lyrically from DP. When I listen to it I hear two different points of view. One is that of a young boy on his way home from where ever. The other is that of a prostitute trying to get the boy up to her room. I may be wrong but that doesn’t seem like a story that I would want to hear let alone my child. The music is still interesting though. It is nothing special but still good.

The fifth single released from the album, Love You Lately, is from the special edition version of the album or CD single only. I don’t have either and have never heard the song so I can’t speak about the song specifically.

If you are not concerned about the lyrics in an album then this album will do you well for background music. otherwise you may have a problem with the album with the confusing lyrics that are all over it.

David Bowie – Diamond Dogs

This is the eighth album from David Bowie. It was released in 1974. It is a concept album based loosely on the George Orwell written book 1984 and Bowie’s own vision of a post-apocalyptic world. Bowie had originally wanted to make a theatrical version of the book but the Orwell estate denied the rights of the book. The songs that are directly related to the book are on the second side of the album.

As written in Wikipedia.com, “Though the album was recorded and released after the 'retirement' of Ziggy Stardust in mid-1973, and featured its own lead character in Halloween Jack ("a real cool cat" who lives in the decaying "Hunger City"), Ziggy was seen to be still very much alive in Diamond Dogs, as evident from Bowie's haircut on the cover and the glam-trash style of the first single "Rebel Rebel". As was the case with some songs on Aladdin Sane, the influence of The Rolling Stones was also evident, particularly in the chugging title track. Elsewhere, however, Bowie had moved on from his earlier work with the epic song suite, "Sweet Thing"/"Candidate"/"Sweet Thing (Reprise)", whilst "Rock 'n' Roll With Me" and the Shaft-inspired wah-wah guitar style of "1984" provided a foretaste of Bowie's next, 'plastic soul', phase. The original vinyl album ended with the juddering refrain (actually, a tape loop) Bruh/bruh/bruh/bruh/bruh, the first syllable of "(Big) Brother", repeated incessantly. The track "Sweet Thing" was Bowie's first try at William S. Burroughs' cut-up style of writing, which Bowie would continue to use for the next 25 years.^”

There were two singles released from this album. The first was Rebel Rebel. It was Bowie’s farewell to the glam rock genre. It seems to be heavily influenced by The Rolling Stones. Some say that the riff in the song is a rip off of Jayne County’s song Queenage Baby, recorded in 1974. This song hadn’t been released until 2006 on an album called Wane County At The Trucks. Rebel Rebel is my favorite song from the album even if it was copied from some other song. What song isn’t copied from something else anyway?

The second single released from the album is called Diamond Dogs. It is obviously the title track for the album. The first lyrics introduce us to Bowie’s new persona and his environment; Halloween Jack dwells on top of tenement buildings in a post-apocalyptic Manhattan. The guitar sound is again influenced by The Rolling Stones, and shows Bowie moving away from glam rock and on to a proto-punk garage-rock-influenced sound.

April March – Triggers

This is her eighth album released. It was put out in 2002. She has heavy influences in 60s French pop and what seems to be in the vein of Stereolab this time, although there are still other influences through out the album too.

There was one single released from the album called Sometimes When I Stretch. This track is sung in English. The song is slow moving and interesting lyricly. The syrics depict her under a tree. She describes what is under the tree then she says, “Sometimes when I stretch, I stretch hoping to divide.” It is an interesting concept but it could obviously never happen.

There is a second song that I absolutely love from this album called Coral Bracelet. From what I have read in the CD booklet, the guys from my other favorite band, Eggstone, wrote this song for April March, making this song one of my favorites ever made. Eggstone music with April March vocals. This song is genius!

The Faint – Wet From Birth

This is the fourth album, excluding remix albums, from The Faint. It was released in 2004. This album caught my attention in 2005 when my local public radio station, 89.3 The Current, played the single I Disappear. I searched for this album on the internet with out much resistance. I think I found it on Amazon for cheap on CD. There are some really cool sounds that are used on this album that I really like. For example the super distorted bass guitar sound on the song I Disappear. I saw a video of the group recording this song and what they did to get that sound. Apparently they cut a linear hole in the bass driver and inserted a crushed flat aluminum can. What a creative way to get an interesting sound. This was the only single that was released from the album that I know of. As a whole the album deals with sex, birth, relationships and the quirks that relate to these things. If you are not interested then don’t bother with this album because the lyrics stand out just as much as the music does on this album.

 That is all I have for now...

Vol. 3 Episode 26

All right, I have another week off. I will hopefully be able to relax a little bit this week. There is still plenty to do though. I have some really good albums reviewed here this week. I hope you like them as much as I do.

Here we go...

Toad The Wet Sprocket – Fear

This is the third album from the group. It was released in 1991. I remember listening to this album as I fell asleep in high school as a freshman. This album was one of my favorites. I must have gotten rid of the disc though in the late 90s when I needed some money. I recently purchased the album again for a dollar on my trip to Pawn America a week or two ago and an enjoying the album again like I did back then.

There were three singles that I am a ware of that were released. The first single is called Is It For Me. It is a good alternative song that has rock music style but moves so slow. The vocals are really what this group is about with this track. The music is good but doesn’t move me so much.

The second single from the album is called All I Want. The use of the jangly guitar and their fantastic harmonies works well in the chorus for this song. The acoustic guitar and male solo vocals works just as well on the verse here too. It is a good song but not my favorite and not the reason that I got the album either.

Walk On The Ocean is the third single from the album. This is the reason that I got the album. The bass line on the song is so simple but stands in the front through the verse with the acoustic guitar and simple drums. The chorus it more expansive with strings keyboards and misty harmonies from the other members of the band. There is even a very pretty guitar solo that soars over all of the strings and keys at one point in the song. It is a great soaring song that makes you want to slow dance with someone.

The Sundays – Reading,Writing and Arithmetic

This is The Sundays first album. It was released in 1990. I remember hearing the second single from the album on the radio when it was released. I remember thinking that the song was very interesting but my friends were into other music at the time so it was soon forgotten about. It was not a super big hit though either. A few years ago my friend mentioned it to me and I said that I liked the second single but did not know much else about the band. This is again an album that I found on my trip to the pawn shop. I am happy to have purchased the album for a buck.

The first single from the album is called Can’t Be Sure. The song's lyrical theme is "desire", treated as a general concept rather than being directed towards anything or anyone in particular. By the song's closing refrain, the song's narrator appears to have come to terms with, if not necessarily resolved, the dichotomy. The song is not quite jangly but seems to soar on the vocals and guitar.

The second single released from the album is called Here’s Where The Story Ends. The female vocals have a slight echo on them making them float it would seem. The acoustic guitar works well with this effect on the echo. In the chorus the guitar is added to with what sounds like a mandolin but could just as easily be a standard guitar. It is a very pretty song and should be heard at least once by everyone.

Fugazzi – Fugazzi EP

This is there first release. It was released in 1988. This EP is also know by fans as 7 Songs. This is also the only release that Guy Picciotto did not contribute guitar for. It was all performed by Ian MacKaye. This EP is also included in the Compilation release called 13 Songs which the EP Margin Walker was also included.

The EP is most famous for its single Waiting Room. This is actually why I got the EP. It is an unexpected song from a post punk group with driving bass line and female backing vocals. I really liked this song when I was a kid but knew nothing about punk rock or most genres for that matter at the time. I remember hearing the track on the radio and it stuck in my head for over twenty years in the background. I ran across a repressing of the EP in Hot Topic at one point a few years ago and bought it on the spot because I remembered the name of the this song. I don’t know if I will ever buy anything else from them in the future though because there was no other song that I can remember from them that I had an interest in.

There is one other song I would have thought about putting out as a single it would be Suggestion. This song has an interesting melody that drags you with it. I would have thought that it may have been created around the same time as Waiting Room. It has a similar style. 

Whirr – Distressor

This is the first release from Whirr. It is an EP. It was originally released as a seven track EP. The EP was released in limited quantities. The EP has been re-released to the demand of fans of the new album. The artwork has been redone on the re-release and two demo tracks have been added to the EP. The two demo tracks are of songs already on the EP. There was no official single released from the EP but If I had to pick a track to recommend to readers and friends it would have to be the song Leave. This track is the most memorable of the seven tracks on this EP. It is classic shoegaze sounds from start to end, soaring guitars with floating female vocals. I did order this on vinyl. It was said to be on tri-colored vinyl but I have yet to receive my copy. I was able to do the review ahead of time because I got a download code with my order. This is very underground music and would not recommend it to most folks unless you are looking for more music of this type. At low volume levels this could be considered a relaxing album though. You make the call.

That is all for now... 

Vol. 3 Episode 25

Happy 4th of July to every one in the USA!! It is a little late but what can you expect when a holiday happens in the middle of the week. The house is coming along nicely, if any body cares.

Anyway, on with the show...

Moby – Play

This is the fifth album from Moby. It was released in 1989. This was his first major success with an album. The past albums were good but because of the electronic dominance did not become mass public success. There are nine singles released from this album that helped keep the alum in the public eye for over two years. The album is known for combining gospel and folk music samples with modern house electronica/techno.

Honey was the first single released from Play. The track was also was featured in the 2003 film Holes. The song heavily samples "Sometimes", a recording by gospel singer Bessie Jones. The song has a rolling beat that pushes through the piano more than the drums making it a fun unique song to listen to.

The second single is called Run On. The vocal content of the song comes from a 1943 recording of "Run On" by Bill Landford and the Landfordaires, and features a mix of house music and instrumental music. It was this track that caught my interest in the music from this album. I had never heard the vocal samples or anything like them in the past. I really liked it but did not know what style it was or what to even look for to find the original music. I guess that I was satisfied with what was on the record though. The combination of old folk/gospel music and electronica was really cool. There were two different CD singles released for this album each with three different tracks. The lead track was still Run On but the second disc had an extended version.

The third single from the album is called Body Rock. The song features a sample of the song "Love Rap" by Spoonie Gee, featuring the Treacherous Three, and additional vocals from Def Jam recording artist Nikki D. If the previous single did not hook me in to buy the album then this one sure did. Cool distorted guitar, a fast beat and rhythmic vocals.

The fourth single from the album is called Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad? The song slows it down a little bit but also feels very emotional. This is partially for the sample used and partially for the musicality with the use of strings and piano along with The Shining Light Gospel Choir. It is a beautiful song that makes one think about ones own existence.

The fifth single is called Natural Blues. It samples "Trouble So Hard" by American folk singer Vera Hall. The use of all of these simple folk samples and mixing it with a full rich musical sound makes the samples stand up as if they would have been this way had they been given the ability to use the technology of today. I think that Moby may have wanted to make that happen for these original folk and gospel songs.

The sixth single from the album is called Porcelain. The song was first featured in the 1998 film Playing by Heart. It also appeared on the soundtrack to the 2000 film The Beach. This song is near perfect ambiance song. It is absolutely beautiful to my ear. I actually based a mix CD on the track after hearing it a couple times on the radio and then seeing the video on MTV. This was back when MTV played music and burning your own CD was still cool. This song will always have a special place in my heart. It does not bring me to tears but is still emotional none the less.

The seventh single was actually just to bring back Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad? and Honey. Honey was remixed for this reissue and featured Kelis.

The eighth single is called South Side. This is one of the most successful singles that has been released by Moby. Moby has said that the song was inspired by his visits to Chicago and his love for its house music scene. The success was driven from the fact that Gwen Stefani was featured on a version of the song as well as taking part in the video for the song. MTV put this song on in heavy rotation adding to the success of the song. The video is quite funny as it parodies the then current Hip Hop videos. I recently picked up the two track version of this single on my trip to Pawn America. The version that I found was a two track version. The first track was the version featuring Gwen Stefani and the second track is the standard album version.

The last single released from the album is called Find My Baby. It features samples from the song "Joe Lee's Rock" by Boy Blue. The song is featured in the 2nd season of Charmed during the club scene of the episode entitled "Ms. Hellfire" The song is fair and has a good beat. It is not the greatest song on the album but is still single worthy.

Sean Lennon – Into The Sun

This is Sean Lennons’ first solo album. It was released in 1998. There was only one single released from the album. There are some other really good tracks on the album too though. I had been interested in the album since its release. I can’t get everything that I want though and sometimes things will come up later, in this case fourteen years later. I found a promo copy of this album during my rummage at Pawn America. I was so excited, not only did I find a copy of an album that I had wanted for the past fourteen years for a dollar it was also a promo copy! The great thing about the album is that it doesn’t really fit into one genre. The tracks flow from grunge to jazz. It is a great album to listen to if you want to hear a little bit of everything. The only thing that is really constant is the sound of his voice. He sounds on the high side of a male vocal style making the album very easy to listen to.

There was officially one single released from the album called Home. That track is the grunge sounding track from the album. It is not really my favorite from the album but it did get my attention when it was released enough for me to remember that I wanted to have the album fourteen years later when I found it digging through a mass of used CDs.

I think that my favorite track from the album is the first track called Mystery Juice. It really reminds me of an artist that has been putting out music before Sean had but sounds similar in some ways. Cornelius is the artists name and the song that I am thinking of is called Music. The two songs have similar parts I think.

The other song that I think is really cool is called Photosynthesis. It is a non-vocal jazz piece with a very cool bass line. This one reminds me of something that Dave Brubeck may have done. It is a catchy track that veers off every now and then to keep you interested. I think that is unneeded because the bass line is so cool.

This album is not for every one but it sure is cool because of the inability to categorize it properly.

Tapes N’ Tapes – The Loon

This is the groups’ first album. It was released in 2005. This was the first album that I got form my wife before we had even started dating. I had just started listening to 89.3 The Current and the group was featured prominently on the ratio station because of their Minnesota roots. I had told my wife that I wanted the album from The Postal Service. She went all crazy and not only bought the album but all the singles that went with it. I thought it was a little extreme but was still thankful for the gift. The band was frequently compared to the Pixies and Pavement by critics. There were officially two singles released from the album and a third song was used in advertisements.

The first single released from the album is called Insistor. The song comes of with a surf back ground reminiscent of Dick Dale. The foreground is what has become standard indie music. It has a fast beat that makes you want to get up and do something, dance maybe? It is definitely a song that I don’t listen to the words to. The music is interesting and moving enough that I don’t really care about the words. I guess that the vocals become their own instrument adding to the music itself.

The second song that was released as a single is called Cowbell. The rhythm of this track reminds me of some of the children’s 45 RPM records that I had as a kid. They were fun and rockin’. It is another fast paced song but the funny part is that there is no cowbell in the song. It doesn’t really matter it is just a funny point about the song.

The last song on the record, Jakov's Suite, was used frequently in the University of Oregon's basketball advertisements during the games along with a television commercial for Nissan. This song has a cool guitar riff that works so well. It could have very easily been a single supporting the album.

My favorite track from the album is probably the first track, called Just Drums. It has a very good beat, the guitar work is fantastic and the vocals are a great addition to the song musically. 

Ours – Distorted Lullabies

This is the first album from the band Ours. It was released in 2001. The album produced one single in the song Sometimes. This is the reason that I bought the album. There was a video put out for the song that got some moderate airplay on MTV. I don’t remember ever seeing the video though. Album is charged with sounds from Jeff Buckley and early Radiohead. This is the reason that I got the album. Jeff had just passed on and I was not ready to let go of that beautiful voice. I searched hard to find a replacement and this was the closest that I had gotten to that replacement. The band has only put out three albums though and the third is nothing like the first two. This album has the falsetto male vocals that I so desperately wanted more of. It filled the hole that Buckley left behind enough so that I could heal. I still miss Jeff Buckley and have only had one or two new tracks come out since his death but this will always sit on the shelf next to him vocally. If you loved Jeff Buckley as much as I do then this album may interest you. The whole album is emotionally charged and very depressing but it is still a favorite of mine.

 That is all I have for now...

Vol. 3 Episode 24

Well, We are done with the apartment, thank god. The house is still a mess because we had to focus on the apartment. So now we focus on the house. The studio now has a portable air conditioner and the windows need to be sealed. Baby steps. It is really driving me nuts that I can't yet listen to music on my stereo. I actually went to the living room to listen to some music yesterday. I hadn't listened to any music on a big stereo for a couple of weeks now and did so on the movie watching equipment. I have a tenancy to listen to just parts of songs sometimes and was doing this yesterday. It was driving the family nuts. They would say why can't we listen to the whole song. I would apologize and say that I only wanted to hear that part or this part. Any way, the work is coming along and I am very excited to have my full fledged stereo up and running again.

This is a short post, two albums, but I really like the both of them a lot.

Linkin Park – Living Things

This is the fifth album from Linkin Park. It was released in the end of June 2012. This album was set up to combine elements of all four past albums. I think that it accomplishes this idea quite well. Mike Shinoda and Rick Rubin co produced the album together. Mike is the second vocalist and rapper for the band. The two of them producing the album together made a great team as Mike would take the information that Rick would give to help push the envelop of the creations that the band were working on. There were also many different influences in the music ranging from folk styling to punk rock. The group sited Bob Dylan and Pennywise as direct influences. One thing that I thought was strange was that the group did not release the album on vinyl. It was released only on CD as a physical copy or as a download. I would have thought that a group with rap roots would understand that fans want their album on vinyl. I am only one voice but I will put a link up on FB and Twitter with a mention and maybe they will read it or not. Either way I have said my piece about the album. The album is very good and I always seem to find my self at the end of the album before I can even blink. It is not that short by the way it is that good. I guess that it is exactly what I want at the moment. I haven’t been so satisfied by an album in a while.

The start of the album is very old skool with the 80s styled keyboard stabs in the opening of the song Lost In The Echo. It is a good song that is made even better if you like that sound.

The second song, In My Remains, moves in the same direction with an organ styled sound holding everything up this time. This song seems to be about coming clean and telling the truth about what needs to be said. I really like the chorus repeat. They sing, “Like an army falling one by one by one.”

The third track, Burn It Down, must have been a sister song to In My Remains because it uses the same chord progression in the verse. This is the first single released from the album as well. They seem to hit what man kind is at its core. The chorus sings like this, “we’re building it up to break it back down. We’re building it up to burn it down; we can’t wait to burn it to the ground.” This is the heart of everything that man does. Cities rise and fall to be built back up into bigger better cities.

The next track, Lies Greed Misery, is a big beat smash in the face. It hits hard, has a great beat and makes me want to jump around and smash some stuff. It is a fun track that makes me want to be a kid again but with the knowledge that I still have now.

The album is a great album full of twelve tracks of really good music. I like that fact that they tried to use different styles but still kept the album cohesive enough to make it seem like you have listened to an album and no time has passed during that time. This is an achievement that every band strives for I think and they have accomplished it on this album. 

Echo Lake – Wild Peace

This is the groups’ first full length album. It was released at the end of June 2012. They are a dream pop group. I guess that the album could be lumped into the new shoe gaze movement that is happening but they are something else to me. They have put out a single and an EP before this album and I am waiting to get them from the record company over seas, No Pain In Pop. Slumberland Records has been licensed the music for sale in the US. I got the limited white vinyl version that came with a poster and a tote bag. The bag is nice but nothing special. I love colored vinyl though so I am always happy to get colors. Although white is pretty boring it really fits with the cover well as there is a white boarder on the cover around the picture. The music is filled with echo and reverb making the music sound very dreamy.

On a sad note, the drummer for the band died around the release of the album. I think that it was natural causes but can’t be absolutely sure. I feel for the band but hope that they continue write music.

I am not sure if there will be a single released with this album but I have heard the title track quite a few times on the internets via the Slumberland website and a few of the indie music review web sites. This song starts of with a 60s sounding organ, like an old Vox, playing staccato quarter notes. It sounds very organic/not programmed. It is refreshing considering that everyone is programming the music now making it way too perfect sounding.

The track called Even The Blind is a peppier track than the others on the album and it is still slower than average. It does have a driving drum beat that helps get through the track. The music is still beautiful. The female singers’ vocals float over the top like a beautiful blue summer’s day with light airy clouds over head. The guitar is the single jet in the sky. The drummer and bass are the beautiful green field and tree line in front of you. This isn’t a description of just this track either; it is a depiction of the whole album. Yes it really is that pretty of an album. Every one should hear it and everyone can. It is streaming at Huffington Post.