As the semester ends and we seemingly feel the weight of finals lifting off our shoulders, we forget how it felt to be a kid, when you had all the time in the world to sit around and do nothing. Hopefully we all will digress and enjoy the holiday season for all its worth. although most of us will have to work though the holiday season to make ends meet, time still manages to open up and we get to really spend time with the people that matter most to us.
This Warm December: Brushfire Holiday's Vol. 1 is an compilation of Christmas music which is warming and nice for this time of year. This album and the Charlie Brown Christmas album are must haves for this season. If your still looking for more holiday music check here for a list from amazon.
Ever since i heard, "Don't Know Why" back in 2005 I was hooked on Jone's sweet lushes jazz vocals and with her new album, "The Fall" she delivers once more. This record is something different for Jones though. She puts down the piano and picks up the guitar. A beautiful women who can sing and professionally play more than one instrument, Norah Jones is pretty much my dream women. Anyway, this record is something of a heartbreak record. Norah is recently coming off of a long relationship with her producer, and her songs are reflecting her heartache. But, don't worry! Jones' passion and song writing have not left her. Still very rooted in jazz, "The Fall" is a mix of hauntingly beautiful ballads and tantitlizingly close rock/pop songs. Norah Jones is such an original artist that no matter what style she chooses, her music still sounds like Norah Jones. "The Fall" is the newest endeavor and is a good buy for anyone who enjoyed Norah in the past or is looking for a good "chill" album. Since apparently i'm supposed to give a star rating i'll go with a 4 out of 5. Some of you may think it's a 3 or lower, but it grows on you. Check it out! Or at least illegally download one song! Written by - Gary Rettberg
A Charlie Brown Christmas is an album by the Vince Guaraldi Trio, released in 1965 as the soundtrack to the animated Christmas cartoon. This album, hands down, is my absolute favorite Christmas album. This jazz trio is extremely talented and really sets the mood for any Christmas party or occasion. The tone of the piano isn’t a bright sound like an expensive grand piano, but it resembles more of the sound of the family piano in the living room, which creates an even warmer feeling for the holidays. The upright bass also has a wonderful tone, where you can really hear the acoustics of the natural sounding bass as it stands for a solid backing for the piano or walks around as a thumping bass line or solo. The drums are even more subtle then the piano and bass (which is uncommon). Be the drums subtle, with combination with the bass offer a very solid rhythm section.
Blur is the fifth album by English alternative rock band Blur. Released in 1997, this late 90’s English rock band has always stayed with me throughout these years. You may recognize Damon Albar’s unique voice most familiarly in his work with Gorrilaz, which seems to have a bigger following than Blur. This album is dynamically exiting and then somewhat solemn, it’s one of the most creative albums I have ever heard. This 14 track self titled album speaks to me in indescribable ways. Defiantly check it out.
“New Wave” is Against Me!'s fourth full-length studio album and their debut album on Sire Records. Against Me! is an acquired taste, you may dislike them initially, but they have so much character that after awhile, you can almost feel their passion. Fans of Against Me! may not enjoy this album because of its lacking of their older sound. New Wave is a lot different than their previous albums. For one, the album has a more modern studio quality sound but they still manage to preserve their “edge.” Previous albums by Against Me sound much like old punk rock tapes from the 80’s. I find their older albums amazing despite their unpolished sound as a band and recording, but New Wave Revives their music in a modern time yet keeping their passion.
New Wave features 9 tracks of politically driven modern punk rock music that is defiantly worth a listen.
Stems and Seeds is Ben folds less compressed version of his previous album “Way to Normal” released in February of 2009. The album has its merits, the four songs Bitch Went Nuts, Hiroshima, Kylie and Connecticut, and You Don’t Know Me are really the only sounds I enjoy from the 20 song album.I’m a huge fan of Ben Folds, but a lot of his newer material isn’t doing it for me. I miss the funky and jam band style of Ben Folds Five, however those day are gone. What I do enjoy most about Ben Folds solo records is his musicianship is very impressive and his songs do reach out to his audience and we can relate to a lot of his songs. It’s rare to have such a complementary mix between great lyrics and great music.
I saw Ben Folds perform at the House of Blues in Atlantic City during the summer and his set sounded amazing. I often felt myself wanting to hear his old material more over his new, but the energy Ben and his band createdmixed the new and old together very well. Stems and Seeds needs time to adjust to if your use to Ben Folds more funky Ben Folds Five style; it’s a good listen though.
It was twenty years ago today, Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play They've been going in and out of style But they're guaranteed to raise a smile. So may I introduce to you The act you've known for all these years, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Released on 9/9/09, the complete stereo and mono Beatle studio albums were remastered and packaged in a pretty cool “Digipak” style casing. The audio quality was significantly improved in almost every album they remasterd, offering a cleaner sound and louder bass. Sgt pepper's lonely hearts club band, thought to be one of the best rock albums of all time, is often suggested to be better heard in mono than stereo. But wait mono? Isn’t that just lesser form of stereo, why would I want all the sounds on the CD be centered in a mono format? Doesn’t stereo give the album more of a “dynamic” sound? Usually this is the case, however the mono album is not just the stereo album center, it’s a completely different mix which has been noted that the mono version is the way the Beatles wanted it to sound like. The following differences occur: • The funky backwards guitar part at the end of the opening song just before "Billy Shears." • More of a “natural” Reverb on their voices • The flangey/ADT effect on Ringo's voice during some chorus of "With A Little Help From My Friends." • The tripped out flangey vocals from the second verse out on "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds." • The slightly longer end of "Fixing A Hole" where McCartney is wailing up high. • The change in tone in "She's leaving home" in the mono version - due to being sped up, not so dreary and long as in the stereo version. • The timing on the effects of "Mr. Kite." • The extended louder laughter on "Within You Without You." • The louder backing "oo-oo's" on "When I'm 64". • The "bleed edit" found at the beginning of the "Sgt. Pepper Reprise"; you can hear the machine flutter as it comes out of pause. • The low volume mumbo jumbo during the extended bass drum raps at the beginning of the "Sgt. Pepper Reprise". • The timing of the audiences are different on the "Reprise" section. • Paul McCartney ad libbing at the end. Paul sound like he is saying "Thank you very much good night now..." or "bye bye now". This is one of my favorite albums of all time, especially the mono version. 5/5 Stars
Every so often a band will come along that breaks through the tired mediocrity that has become the norm for many music groups today. The Classic Crime’s debut album, Albatross, contains all of the elements needed for rock revival and salvation. This Seattle based group combines hopeful and thought provoking lyrics with a remarkably high level of musicianship. The excitement and intensity that emanates from each track, coupled with lyrics that describe elemental human desires and emotions make it nearly impossible to not want to sing along. From the intense drum and guitar powered opener, “The Fight” to the beautiful and contemplative, “Who Needs Air”, Albatross sets itself apart from the average indie-Christian rock band and takes on a life of its own. “The Coldest Heart” showcases front man Matt MacDonald’s diverse vocal abilities, where he shifts effortlessly from a smooth, light tone to a cutting, edgy gritty, at times screaming rock sound. Tracks like the catchy, “I know the Feeling” and radio friendly, “All the Memories” assure this album as must have for anyone looking for fun yet thoughtful indie rock music. More intense songs like “Blisters and Coffee” with its shout along chorus and “We All Look Elsewhere” exemplify the band’s tightness and ability to just flat out get down and rock!
The Classic Crime has not reinvented rock or in any way created a new genre of music with the release of Albatross. What they have done is breathed fresh air, new life, and most importantly hope into a dry and all-too-often desolate music scene. Albatross is genuine, unique, unpolished musical passion that pulses straight from the beating heart of The Classic Crime.
Grizzly Bear’s newest album “Veckatimest,” featured a song that caught my attention when I heard their single “Two Weeks” on WXPN. I loved the song; the piano part reminded me of Jay-Z’s Ghetto Anthem. Everything about the sound of Two Weeks struck me as interesting and artful, I clearly wanted to hear more so I decided to take a listen to the album “Veckatimest” in which the song Two Weeks was present.
To my surprise, the rest of the album sounded almost nothing like their single that I so incredibly enjoyed. This happens a lot when people here a popular song on the radio they like, then after purchasing the album at a ridiculous price, the rest of the album is garbage. I usually enjoy this combination of indie music and folk music, but I could not even listen to the whole CD through without feeling the need to turn it off. The music seemed like it was coded with inaudible lyrics and reverb. The music seemed improvised, even though it obviously wasn’t, there was little structure, and everything sounded muttered. Maybe I’m missing something with regards to this album. Is there some contemporary art to this music piece that I just cannot hear? I mean with an awesome name like Grizzly Bear, it has to be good right? No, but what do I know.
Phoenix’s “Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix” is a great album for night driving. The music is colorful and powerful and is accompanied with soft, high ranged vocals. The rhythms featured in the album have a pulsating drive which moves the album along smoothly. The album consists of two instrumentals (Love Like a Sunset, Pt. 1 and Love Like a Sunset, Pt. 2) which are very well done. Even someone who first and foremost likes the lyrics of songs will enjoy these instrumentals.
The song “1901” is probably my favorite of the album. Some might recognize the song from a certain car commercial. However, I feel that the album isn’t very dynamic in its sound. A lot of the songs are very similar in musical and definitely vocal style. Overall it’s a good album, but it just lacks in musical diversity from one another. It’s definitely worth a listen.
Not many people know what progressive rock is, and when asked what it is, it’s not often easily defined. Bands such as Yes, Kansas, and Genesis are thought of when progressive rock is mentioned, however The Tea Club is different, taking the roots of prog. rock and making it modern and original.
General Winter’s Secret Museum is The Tea Clubs first full length album. It features 9 tracks of interesting ever changing time signatures combined with a huge dynamic sound which tends to almost make the album feel like each track is connected with one another. The harmonies of the two brothers, Patrick and Dan McGowan, are highlighted throughout the album. The brothers, who are both very skilled guitar players, have a very unique playing style featuring melodic progressive guitar leads accompanied with arpeggio rhythms sometimes done with acoustic guitar. Their drummer Kyle Minnick shows a great balance between creating a rhythmic background for the band while foregrounding his exceptionally skillful drumming ability, featuring syncopation and creative rhythms.
This album is striking piece of musical art with a mysterious attitude which is both original and appealing. But are people ready for such a new sound? At first The Tea Clubs style may appear to be too unusual compared to modern mainstream music. Bands like The Tea Club need to be explored and showcased more often to promote musical diversity. Would one of The Tea Club’s songs be featured on a major radio station? Probably not. However, the only fault of this amazing band is that the audience for prog. rock is not very vast.
I give The Tea Club’s General Winter’s Secret Museum a 4.0/5.0
The Tea Club is releasing there second album in early 2010
“The Resistance” by Muse is an absolutely, need I say “epic,” brilliance of electronic and rock music. This album features eleven tracks of rock balled styled songs which often reminds me of a hybrid between The Killers and Queen especially in the song United States of Eurasia. The vocals on this album are absolutely breath taking. Matthew Bellamy’s lead vocals are particularly spotlighted with his use of falsetto and vibrato. This album is full of synthesizer and piano sounds which create a very full and different sound which Muse fans keep coming back for. The most interesting part of this album is how the songs journey you trough two different styles. The first half of the CD is what you would expect from any new rock band. However, the last half of the CD is coated with orchestras and grand pianos featuring a very solemn and powerful ending.
The Resistance - Preview Song:
The Resistance is an album that any rock music fan should defiantly check out, and be sure to listen to the whole CD through, because it will surprise you, I know I was.
Thank you for visiting my blog, I have utilized this space to critique, review, and give my insight about various albums I have come across. Please feel free to comment on any of my reviews or even suggest other albums I should review.
As the semester ends and we seemingly feel the weight of finals lifting off our shoulders, we forget how it felt to be a kid, when you had all the time in the world to sit around and do nothing. Hopefully we all will digress and enjoy the holiday season for all its worth. although most of us will have to work though the holiday season to make ends meet, time still manages to open up and we get to really spend time with the people that matter most to us.
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