Moving Forward - Lots of Music in Very Little Time...

I've been sitting here this afternoon looking over my list of albums that either I want to review, or someone has requested I take a look at, and quite frankly... I just don't have time for all of them. Over the next few days/weeks I'm going to write a few articles in which we'll look at multiple albums, and instead of going track by track, I'll just highlight the good stuff and give you a letter grade. My goal is to have everything that is in my backlog taken care of so that I can give next weeks Day and Age by the Killers, Alone II by Rivers Cuomo, Prospekt's March EP by Coldplay (yes they have more music coming out!), and Chinese Democracy by (cough) Guns N' Roses (Axel Rose...) the time and attention they deserve.

Jack Johnson - Sleep Through the Static

Being a huge Jack Johnson fan, this was probably by far one of my most anticipated albums this year. I'm sad to say it left me disappointed. Most of the initial press-releases regarding the album hyped the fact that Jack was going pluged-in, and this really got me excited. If anything, this "electrified" album is slower than the average Jack album.

Don't get me wrong though, there are a few great tracks, for example the album opener "All at Once." I love the drastic panning and slow bluesy guitar on this track, it definitely ranks up there with other great Jack songs.

I also love the ballad, "Angel," and the single "If I had Eyes." Both of which are outstanding tracks! There are a couple of other decent tracks, but nothing that really ads new dimensions to the Jack collection, most of them are more of the same. Overall I give this album a C+. It's slightly better than average, but won't be becoming my preferred Jack album anytime soon.

The Raconteurs - Consolers Of The Lonely

I was introduced to the Raconteurs earlier this year by a good friend who was shocked to find out that I was somewhat of a White Stripes fan, but had never listened to the Raconteurs. I say "somewhat" of a White Stripes fan, because they have several songs that I absolutely love, but I find myself having a hard time making it through an entire album. The Raconteurs on the other hand are much better at delivering a complete album that is all listenable. With as much of the musical genius that Jack White is, I think it's good to have him working in a complete band environment where he has to give up a portion of his "creative control." Like I said, the White Stripes have a lot of great material, but some of their music just doesn't work for me, and I think when those songs/ideas come out, it's great to have someone telling Jack to put it on the shelf.

So back to the Raconteurs, these guys are one of the two bands in the world who are still delivering good, old fashion, down to earth Rock and Roll (the other being Jet). I love this album because it's gritty, it's raw, it's stripped down, I mean this is the real deal, this is what rock music is meant to sound like, the level of under-production is fabulous. It provides something special that we've heard very little of since the late 60's to early 70's. In fact, in many ways this album sounds like it's straight out of the 70's.

Some of the album highlights include the opener, "Consolers of the Lonely," which is just an amazing opener. "Salute Your Solution" which happens to be track two and is likewise powerful and fun. "Old Enough" has a late 60's folk sound to it, which is a great break from the heavy distortion of the other tracks. Honestly there really isn't a bad track on this album (although many of them do sound very similar).

In many ways this album is better than the Raconteurs first attempt Broken Boy Soldier (which is also a good album). I give it a B+, it's definitely not for everyone. On the other hand, if you're a fan of the White Stripes, love 70's hard rock, think loud distorted guitars are awesome, and anything else along those lines, you'll love this album. If that isn't your forte, this album probably isn't for you.

The Rentals - Last Little Life EP


I don't know how this little EP alluded me for as long as it did, seeing as it is over a year old, but some how I missed out on it. Fortunately, I ran across it by pure accident a few weeks back and am really happy I did.

For those of you who aren't familiar with The Rentals, they are a group that is fronted by former Weezer bassist Matt Sharp. The Rentals first album, "Return of the Rentals," came out between Weezer's first and second albums while Matt was still in Weezer. The Rentals second album "Seven More Minutes" came out two years later after Matt had left Weezer. Following this album, The Rentals disbanded for 7 or 8 years while Matt worked a few different solo projects.

Now that the history is out of the way, we find ourselves at the "Last Little Life" which is very promising! Although this little EP only has four tracks (one of which is a remake of the Rentals own track "Sweetness and Tenderness"), it gives a fresh, but reminiscent sound that in many ways reminds us of the Rentals first album. Of the four tracks, I'm particularly fond of "Life Without a Brain," both because the title is just awesome, and because it is a really fun track.

I'm going to give this one two grades. First, for existing Rentals fans, I give it and A! It gives us a lot of hope for what the future may bring. For the general masses I'm giving it a B... I think it has quite a bit of mass appeal, but at the same time I don't think most new comers are going to have near the appreciation for it that long time Rentals fans will.

So there you go, this has been the first installment of "Lots of Music in Very Little Time..." Hopefully I'll be able to crank out a few more of these over the next few weeks.

Jack's Mannequin - The Glass Passenger

I realize I'm a little behind on this review... about a month behind in fact, but by popular demand (primarily pressure to stop being lazy, coming from Jannifer) here it is...

To be honest, I wasn't looking forward to this album near as much as I probably should have been. Although I am a huge fan of Andrew McMahon's work with Something Corporate, his first album as Jack's Mannequin didn't really do anything for me. That's not to say it was bad, it just wasn't as good as it should have been (I know many of you will disagree with that statement, but for me it just wasn't up to the quality I had come to expect from Mr. McMahon).

I'm always intrigued to hear solo albums by members of bands, because in some cases they by far outshine any of the collected works put out by the individuals band. For example Ben Folds solo career has been significantly better than the vast majority of music put out by Ben Folds 5, another example would be the original Dashboard Confessional albums (when it was a solo project) in comparison to Chris' work with Further Seems Forever (this all changed with Mark, Mission, Brand, Scar when DC stopped being an honest solo project and became a wanna be FSF). Other attempts are not so notable say Dave Matthews Some Devil, or... well Mr. McMahon's first attempt at Jack's.

As previously stated, the Everything in Transit wasn't bad... it just felt to me like Andrew was trying to hard to distance himself from his previous grandeur, and because of this, the album came across sounding like a really crappy version of Something Corporate (Kind of like Billy Corgan's re-birth of Smashing Pumpkins, or as I'm imagining the re-invention of Guns n' Roses is going to sound like later this year). There were a few really good tracks on the first album, but overall the best word to describe it is... blah...

So now we find ourselves at The Glass Passenger, let's jump in!

1 - Crashin - The opening line of the album is great, "I wanna hear some music." I'm happy to say the album delivers exactly that. As the lyrics later point out, this isn't radio music... It's something better. Good opener, and great foreshadowing of what is to come. The only downside to this track is I feel that it is a little to mellow for an opener, but still a very good track.

2 - Spinning - This track picks up the tempo a bit. It's a great track that in many ways sounds like it could have been on a Something Corporate album, maybe North. One great thing about this album is that instead of trying to set himself apart from Something Corporate, McMahon is simply writing great songs regardless of whether they reminisce his earlier works. Great track!

3 - Swim - "Swim for the music that saves you when you're not sure you'll survive." Yet another reference indicating that the music on this album is above par, which it is. This is a good track, the chorus in particular is memorable. I also really like the instrumentation in this one, the dynamics both instrumentally and vocally are great!

4 - American Love - This is one of my least favorite tracks on the album, not that it's bad necessarily. Musically it sounds good, but the repetitive lines of "Big heart, big hearts, big hearts are for breaking" just don't do anything for me.

5 - What Gets you Off? - In the nature of the previous track, I just really don't dig the chorus to this track. Musically it's really good, but after a couple of times of hearing Andrew whine, "What gets you off?" I end up skipping the track.

(Tracks 4 and 5 are really the two biggest downers on the entire album for me)

6 - Suicide Blonde - Sorry INXS fans, this isn't a cover... Fortunately though, this is probably one of the coolest tracks on the album. It kind of reminds me of "Punk Rock Princess" by the way it starts out, but come the first chorus it stops reminding me of anything I've ever heard before. The chord progressions are unlike anything I've ever heard, and saying they are anything short of awesome would be a shame. Musically it's exciting, lyrically and vocally it's exciting, this is all around just a great track!

7 - Annie Use Your Telescope - When I first heard this track it almost reminded me of something by Pink Floyd. This song is so much bigger than anything Jack's or Something have ever done. The sonic range is huge and it's great. From about 1:20-1:45 the Pink Floyd-esq sound is really apparent. This is definitely a new venture for Jack's, but they pull it off great and deliver another memorable track.

8 - Bloodshot - I'm not a huge fan of this track, it kind of sounds like the new emo-punk-indy-pop that bands like Good Charlotte and Simple Plan are delivering these days. It's okay, but doesn't do a whole lot for me... but then again neither do any of the tracks I'd categorize with this one that are out right now... Maybe I'm too old to get it :)

9 - Drop Out - The So Unknown - This another track that sounds it could have been on North. This is a very up beat track with that classic piano/indy sound that made Something Corporate great.

10 - Hammers and Strings (A Lullaby) - This is a brilliant track. It is one of my absolute favorites, and I'm guessing will likewise be a favorite for all Jack's fans. I'd venture as far as saying this track will become the ballad that Jack's fans chant for at shows... Similar to what "Konstantine" was for Something Corporate. It's songs like this that remind me why I love music so much.

11 - The Resolution - How often do you find an album where the lead single doesn't show up on the album until track 11? It's pretty rare to say the least. I was instantly drawn to this track. It's a great track and is definitely single worth, I only hope it drew enough interest to Jack's to give this album the credibility it deserves.

12 -Orphans - This is another cool track. It for the most part is very stripped down which I love. It is mostly based around the piano, an acoustic guitar, drums, and vocals that only Andrew could deliver to us. I'm generally not a huge fan of doubling the lyric tracks up so the that the same individual is singing several parts, but for this track, they pull it off and it works great.

13 - I'm not a huge fan of the digital noise in the background when this track begins. I get the point that this is somewhat of a slow artsy piece to take the album out on a nice mellow note (you know the arpeggios, falsettos, strings section, etc), but to be completely honest, the first half of it doesn't really work for me. After the crazy Beatles-esq instrumental part in the middle, the song gets really good and fortunately ends on something worthy of the album, although in some ways I think the album would have been better off ending with "Orphans."

Aside from my few nit-picky remarks, I have to say that this album is a reminder to us all of why we love piano rock. After the first Jack's album, I felt that there was a void left in my music collection where Something Corporate used to be. This album has no only filled that void, but has shown me that Andrew McMahon has the talent to be a great solo artist. Overall I give this album an A-, and recommend that all Something Corporate fans who lost interest after Everything in Transit, go pick it up. I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised.

-T

How iTunes Ruined the Music...

Tonight's topic is one that has been on my mind for quite a while now, and although I spent the entire afternoon listening to Jack's Mannequin's latest with the full intent of reviewing it tonight, I have decided to put it off and rant just a little. (That's my warning. This is a rant, so you may just want to stop reading now...)

Recently I was having a discussion with my good friend Greg about high end recording equipment. He's been looking into possibly upgrading some of the gear in his studio. After discussing several different products and their multi-digit price tags, I told him that I'm starting to feel that purchasing high end equipment in hopes of reproducing a true, natural sound is a waste of money, because in today's world, a sound engineer can work for months to create a beautiful mix, but as soon as it reaches the masses, it is compressed into a .mp3, and all of the magnificent subtleties that took hours of mixing and EQing to produce are essentially flushed down the digital toilet.

Now to iTunes... Not so many years ago, music enthusiasts would go to the local music store and pick up a copy of the newest album... The preferred format since the late 80’s was CD (I know the vinyl guys are waiting for an article about how vinyl is the pure format for music, and CD ruined that... but that whole discussion would take too much time...) Anyway, this CD would then be listened too in the car, on home stereo's, and more recently on computers. As technology got better, people started ripping their CD's to their computers so they wouldn't have to change disks... This was all fine and dandy until Mr. Steve Jobs realized that he could capitalize on this. With the release of the iPod, it suddenly became un-cool to carry around your Discman and your 12 CD wallet. Instead, all of the cool kids were using white earbuds, through which they were blasting low quality reproductions of something that in it's pure form was beautiful... Unless, of course they were listening to rap, in that case the “music” was degraded to start out with ;) Because of the massive music libraries we all now carry around, listening to music has gone from being a form of entertainment to simply being background noise. In many ways, the art of music is gone. People don’t specifically sit down to listen to an hour long album anymore. Instead, they throw all the tracks they like into a playlist, push play, and then at any given moment if you ask what they are listening too, they have no clue… Background noise…

Now don't get me wrong, I love being able to carry 200 albums with me everywhere I go on my Creative Nomad. With my cheap Sony earbuds, even mp3's sound okay. In fact they sound okay on my $10 computer speakers, and even on the stock stereo system in my '97 Escort, but as soon as it comes to my home stereo system, the mp3’s sound like they were recorded inside of a tin can using a $9.99 computer microphone.

The root of the problem comes down to this, we have become a society of convenience, we want quantity over quality. If we can't have instant access to something, it's not worth our time... iTunes gives the individual a way to purchase a song or album and have it on their computer in seconds. Keep in mind, this is a low quality representation of what the artist originally released, and you are playing full price for it, but never the less, it is convenient. Instead of driving to Wal*Mart tomorrow, or ordering the disc from Amazon and waiting a few days, we give up a high quality hard copy for a low quality copy that is gone forever as soon as your computer or iPod crashes.

To illustrate this point even further, I read an article in Ad Age this week about how more people watched the SNL Sarah Palin skits on youtube then they did on NBC. How many of the people who watched it on youtube have a 60 inch HD plasma screen on their wall at home, but instead of waiting up until 8:30 PM on a Thursday night, they threw all the quality out the window for instant access? I reiterated, we are a society of convenience... quantity not quality is what we live for.

I know some of you are thinking, "Tim's ranting because of his background in sound engineering, I can't hear the difference between a CD and an mp3." I have heard this, and I can assure you, anyone with ears can hear the difference, I've proven this to many individuals by simply going back and forth between the same song on CD and mp3.You don't even need an incredibly hifi system to do it. Most home surround sound system, or even decent computer speakers should be good enough to show you that you too can hear the difference. The only exception is Bose... I know some of you are scratching your head thinking, "My iPod sounds awesome through my Bose iPod Doc." And my friend, I'm sorry to tell you that you have been hit with a double wammy. You’re listening to degraded compressed music through "technology" that is about a half a step away from being a complete scam (call or email me if you really care to know all the details).

Now that I've ranted, I'm going to give you all a solution to this problem. Later this month when the new Killers album comes out, don't download it from iTunes. Go to Wal*Mart, Target, Amazon, or any other CD store and buy a physical copy. When you get home, rip it to your hearts content; listen to it on your iPod, computer, in your car and so on. But every now and then, when you have a few minutes, pop in the CD and enjoy an art that is all but lost, the art of listening to great sounding music.

-T

Alone Again...

Alternative/emo/indy/punk/pop/rock/(whatever else you wanna throw in here) guru River's Cuomo announced last week that on November 25th, he'll be releasing Alone II. This new album will be the second official release of Mr. Cuomo's private home recordings, giving Weezer fans another gimpse into the personal life of this musical genius.

I for one can hardly wait for Alone II's release. Last years Alone contained an amazing collection of River's private works... It was so good in fact, that it is now a regular part of my Weezer playlist. According to the artist himself, this collection will be better than the first. Be watching for a full review due the end of this month.

***As a side note, "Longtime Sunshine" from Alone, has been in my playlist below since day one. Go check it out. -T

The Offspring - Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace

Wow, it has been a while since I last wrote one of these. I've been so busy lately that I've had little if anytime to review albums. I literally have 4 or 5 sitting here in my main music rotation waiting for their time in the sun... or shade... or whatever Guitar Guy Tim's is...

Enough senseless rambling, let's ramble with some sense. This album actually came out probably 4-5 months back. When I heard the first single "Hammerhead," I wasn't impressed so I blew the album off. Then a few weeks ago I heard the single "Kristy, Are You Doing Okay?" and I honestly didn't believe it was actually The Offspring. When I found that in all actuality "Kristy..." was really The Offspring, I knew I had to check out the album. Without giving too much away, I really think this album was the summers biggest musical surprise!

1. Half-Truism - This is an amazing opening track, it starts out with a slow arpeggio on the guitar which is complemented by a lo-fi record effect. It then goes into full power punk/pop like only The Offspring can deliver. To top this off, the chorus is fabulous! Great Track!

2. Trust in You - I hate to call this a filler track because it honestly sounds like everything else The Offspring have ever done. It's not bad, it's not incredibly good... it's, well... exactly what you'd expect from The Offspring.

3. You're Gonna Go Far, Kid - Single #3 from the album... it's catchy, but it's also full of profanities, so full in fact that I've removed it from my play list. If you buy this one off iTunes, make sure to get the Walmart Edit :)

*Quick Note... I know, you're all thinking, "Tim said he really liked this album, but at 3 tracks in, he's only liked one..." But don't you worry, the best is yet to come -T

4. Hammerhead - So initially I didn't think this track was all that special, after a few listens my opinion has changed. This is a great punk track! I really like how the track starts out with a cool guitar riff, followed by a heavy drum beat, this then leads us into a full on punk track! It's much more innovative than past works by The Offspring, and a great track!

5. A Lot Like Me - This track kind of reminds me of Linkin Park from the intro... The big difference here is that Linkin Park almost always seems to fail at making a good song after having a good intro. The Offspring on the other hand have written another amazing track that will appeal to more than just the traditional Offspring fan base. I could easily see this being another single from the album.

6. Takes Me Nowhere -This is another powerful punk track. It is definitely better than a filler, but isn't really single quality. I like it, but don't love it.

7. Kristy, Are You Doing Okay? - This is officially one of the top two best songs ever written by Dexter Holland. Who knew these guys could pump out a ballad, and a great one at that? Some have criticized the band over this track saying that they have sold out, and are trying to appeal to a broader audience... I, on the other hand, like to look at this track as the band finally displaying to the world that they do have talent beyond yelling, playing power cords and cussing. It is truly a fabulous track!

8. Nothingtown - This track would have fit in nicely on Americana. It has some random profanities, and some what of a juvenile feel, but overall is an okay track... just okay...

9. Stuff Is Messed Up - Just skip this track, not only is if full of explicit language, it's a true filler in all senses of the word (it didn't even get a full play before being deleted from my play list... that bad)

10. Fix You - Here we find the second truly great song that Dexter Holland has written. Katie (my wife) thinks that this is by far the best Offspring song ever, and aside from "Kristy..." I have to agree with her. It is a slower ballad, and is all around an amazing track. I'm guessing this will be another single before too long.

11. Let's Hear It for Rock Bottom - This is a fun track, it has almost a reggae feel too it (well the verses do at least). It's a decent track.

12. Rise and Fall - And the album wraps up with a powerful punk track that leaves us wanting more... I love it when album closers do that :)

This album, in many was, is probably the best album that The Offspring have ever put out. Unlike most of their earlier albums, the songs and their lyrics are more serious and well thought out. I know we all love, "Pretty Fly For a White Guy," but the funny/juvenile songs and lyrics get old real quick. Needless to say, I'm very impressed by the mature change the Offspring has made. That being said, this still is an Offspring album, it has 3 tracks that are clearly explicit, and it is for the most part a punk album. I'm a strong believer in buying whole albums and not individual tracks, but for this one I'd either say buy the .mp3's online, or go buy the Walmart edit.

Okay, with all that out of the way, I give the album a B. It has some great moments, and some amazing material... but even with that, it still doesn't hold up to A quality when compared to albums like Viva La Vida.

-Tim

Troublemaker - Weezer 2008 Tour

As you can see from my post below, I went to the Weezer show last week, and I have to say that it was out of this world! I've actually seen Weezer in the past, so initially I was actually a little more excited to see Angels & Airwaves live. Unfortunately after about 3 A&A songs, I was ready for Weezer to take the stage. Now don't get me wrong, A&A put on a decent live show, musically they sounded good although all the music sounded the same... One major drawback was that Tom DeLonge just couldn't seem to figure out how to sing live. Well, that and when he decided to talk between songs, he used as many explicative as a Blink 182 track... I thought I read somewhere that he left Blink and started A&A because he wanted to produce something he could show to his kids and be proud of... Let’s hope Tom Jr. never see's his dads live act. Since I love to grade things, I'd give their show a B-. It was fun, but I wouldn't pay $20 to see them again. They're a decent opening act, but I don't see them headlining anytime soon.

Now on to Weezer... To start, I just have to say that marriage is the best thing that could have ever happen to Rivers Cuomo. In the past, he's been the kind of lead singer that talks little if ever between tracks, and stands in the same spot the entire show. Now this isn't to say that they didn't put on a great sounding show, the band just lacked the energy of many other acts. Well, as of the Troublemaker Tour this has all changed. Rivers gave a few of the other guys a chance at lead vocals, or lead guitar in that matter so he could move all over the place. Additionally, he was incredibly funny between tracks. One particular memorable moment happened during the intro to Troublemaker in which he told a story about he and his daughter at the Childerens Museum of SLC. Anyway, enough rambling, lets talk music.

The show started the same way the Weezer catalogue started, with the classic My Name is Jonas, this classic track was followed by Pink Triangle. Being a huge fan of both the Blue and Pinkerton, the show at this point had already exceeded all of my expectations! Pink Triangle live is a concert moment I will never forget. The band cranked out nearly two hours of classics old and new, including: The Sweater Song, El Scorcho, Buddy Holly, The Greatest Man That Ever Lived, King, Island in the Sun, Beverly Hills, Perfect Situation, Suzanne, Dope Nose, and many others that I'm sure I'm forgetting. They also had a few random covers from I believe Oasis and Nirvana. In the end it was a musical night to remember. It was hands down the best sounding, and most entertaining I have ever seen Weezer, and I highly, highly, highly recommend everyone go see them if they come through your town! I give this show an A... No, make that an A+!

-Tim

Addendum #1

So yeah, I did miss a few tracks, here is a set list I found online.

1. My Name Is Jonas
2. Pink Triangle
3. Perfect Situation
4. Say It Ain't So
5. Susanne
6. Keep Fishin'
7. King
8. Undone
9. Pork and Beans
10. Dreamin'
11. Dope Nose
12. Troublemaker
13. Automatic
14. Hash Pipe
15. El Scorcho
16. Morning Glory
17. Greatest Man
---------------------------

18. Island in the Sun
19. Beverly Hills
'---------------------------

20. Heart Songs vinyl into Sliver
21. Buddy Holly

Rocked My Socks Off!

Well my friends Zach and Weezie were right, last nights Weezer performance totally rocked my socks off! I don't have time right now to give a full review of the show, but I thought I'd post a few pics, and then give greater detail at a later time.

Enjoy,

-T


Angels & Airwaves opened the show, for the most part they were really good, although Tom DeLonge can't sing on key for the life of him... Other than that they sounded great musically!


For some reason, Angels & Airwaves chose to use so many strobe lights, that it was hard to look directly at the stage.

Weezer takes the stage, and although it may be hard to tell from the pic, Rivers is wearing a ski mask.



The Sweater Song with the guys from Angels and Airwaves. Pat, Weezer's drummer can be seen in the middle of the picture playing the guitar solo, and Rivers, Weezer's guitarist/vocalist can be seen on the far right drumming.

The encore "hootenanny" preformance with 30 local musicians. They preformed Island in the Sun and Beverly Hills.

The second encore featuring Buddy Holly and the classic lighted Weezer =w=


***sorry for the low quality pictures, they were taken with my cell phone***