Album Of The Week – Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie

I’ve decided to try my hand at the video segments again, and in this video you can check out my Album of the Week for this week: Alanis Morissette’s Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie!  It’s a kind of oldie, but definitely a goodie.  Check out the video, check out the samples in the left of the page, and leave some comment love!

Album Of The Week: Buckcherry's All Night Long

Sadly, this week it's my duty to bring you another Album of the Week that just isn't all that great. Why, one might ask, would I bother bringing this to your attention? To which I would answer for the same reason I brought Ed Kowalksihfjnuual's solo album to your attention: because it's so disappointing it makes me sad.

Buckcherry is one of those "love them or hate them" rock bands. They have a bit of Aerosmith flair and a definite penchant for party rock and frat house lyrics. Perfect for singing along with at the bar after you fourth or fifth beer. Or tenth. You know, whichever. If you have no idea who they are, you might remember their hit circa 2000 Lit Up (I've included that in the player on the page as well in case you need a reminder). It's that very same core rock and roll sound that kept me coming back and enjoying their subsequent albums, even though they did not get nearly as much attention. I suppose that is what happens when you take several years off after your first album to rebuild the band, but that's just my idea.

Their newest album, All Night Long, just misses the mark in a lot of places. Sure, it's the same formula as the others: take two pieces of "radio friendly, slightly shocking song," one-two pieces of borderline ballad, and six-eight pieces of fun, upbeat rock and you have an album! But the heart and soul is missing from All Night Long. Mediocre production and slightly tired songwriting really hamper this album, which is really sad because this is just one of those bands that has to actively try to make a boring record.

All that said, it is not utter crap like Alive was. It's still very listenable, although I'm not sure why you'd chose to listen this All Night Long over 15 or Black Butterfly (which I think is a very overlooked album). All Night Long, It's A Party and Oh My Lord are still good tracks though, and it might be worth it to just grab those on their own.

It did worry me a bit when I saw All Night Long announced and realized that it was releasing just about a year after Black Butterfly. Turns out my concern was warranted. Personally, I'm thinking this is just another bump in the road for Buckcherry and they'll recover in a year or two with another actually good album. In the meantime, catch them live if you can and pester them to play some Crazy Bitch.

Buckcherry queer link: apparently the band got their name from a local drag queen named Buck Cherry after they found out their original name, Sparrow, was already copyrighted.

Album Of The Week: Spoon's Transference

It's not like Spoon is a new band or a band that has been completely unknown until recently, but for some reason they slid under my radar. It wasn't until their most recent album Transference was released and a coinciding article in Rolling Stone was penned that I even took notice of the alternative group. After I read the article, I decided to give the samples a try and found the album on sale so I grabbed it and I'm willing to admit that this record was a pleasant surprise, offering some typically alternative sound with some very catchy hooks and clever songwriting.

Transference pulled me in from the very first listen. I was expecting… well, I'm not sure what I was expecting. I was thinking I'd get some interesting songs that could pass the time while at work, but instead I got an engrossing album that found a way to sneak into my head throughout the entire day. I'll find myself singing little snippets of the songs and getting weird looks from people, which turn to even weirder looks when I try to explain what I'm singing.

Spoon isn't really obscure. Metacritic named them the best band of the decade based on their consistently high critical rankings for their albums, and they've been somewhat of an indie darling for the past 12 years or so. But, of course, I'm just finding them. Because I'm hip like that. In any case, Transference has really given me the desire to track down their other offerings and I haven't been disappointed with any of them yet.

As always, there are a few particular songs to pay attention to: Is Love Forever, The Mystery Zone, Trouble Comes Running, and Out Go the Lights. If you had to skip a few tracks (I wouldn't recommend it, but if for some reason you just couldn't listen to it all) I'd pass on: Goodnight Laura, Got Nuffin, and Who Makes Your Money. Give it a listen and let me know what you think.

Album Of The Week: Jay Brannan's Goddamned

For this week's Album of the Week I decided to reach out to a slightly older album, but certainly one of my favorite recordings I've had the privilege of listening to: Jay Brannan's Goddamned.

I've written about Jay before when I first saw him in concert. Seeing him live is certainly a great experience and seeing him live without any previous exposure to his music was a complete and total surprise in the best possible way. This guy is a true singer/songwriter in many, many senses. I was recently able to see him on stage again here in Chicago, and although the venue (Beat Kitchen) was not the best, it was still an absolute pleasure to see him perform live.

Some things hold true about Jay no matter whether you see him live or listen to his albums, particularly the perfect qualities of his voice. I can't say it any better than I did the first time around:

This is a voice that you don't often hear in the music world. Soft and strong, perfectly pitched with a solid vibrato, and the accuracy of a trumpet with the rhythm of a percussionist. This was a musician on stage, not just a guy with a guitar.

Goddamned was his first effort at a self-produced album. That normally spells amateur and barely passable when it comes to most singer/songwriters, but Jay isn't really your average bloke with a guitar. This guy is a true musician that understands his art. He knows his voice, he knows his ability, and he knows how to allow the song to flow from within him, acting as the vessel to art rather than the patriarchal creator. There's something magical about that as it is a rare quality to find in a musician.

None of this means Jay is anywhere close to Sainthood though. With Goddamned, he explores the underbelly of money-hungry religious leaders, he reveals his promiscuity, and he revels in his many and varied neuroses. And not a moment of it is off-putting, because in every song the listener can relate on some level. We've all had the one-night stand, or the moment when we felt a bit whoreish, or that moment when we impatiently waited by the phone for that boy/girl to call us back even though we know in our heart they aren't going to call. More than just about any other songwriter, Jay finds a way to tap into all of those things in a way that both exposes himself and the listener at the same time, creating a bond that is hard to come by in an album.

Jay is a gay man, and although his songs often explore his life as a gay man, he abhors being called a "gay singer/songwriter." He's been known to delete references to his sexuality from his Wikipedia page. I'm not completely sure why it is important to him to be known as just a plain ol' singer/songwriter when his songs so explicitly handle the queer psyche, but it is important to him so I'll comply: He's a songwriter. That is also gay. And writes mostly gay-themed material, because that is his experience. But he's just a singer/songwriter.

Tracks to pay attention to: Half-Boyfriend, I Want To Be A Housewife, Bowlegged and Starving. Songs to skip: none. They're all really amazing with great production value. Minimalist, but well-done. If you don't own Goddamned, I strongly suggest that you add it to your collection. He has a newer album as well, but I'll cover that another time. For now, go get Goddamned and enjoy the hell out of it!

Album Of The Week: Dark Night Of The Soul

This week I thought I'd share an album that I actually like as my Album of the Week. It's another new one, which was a bit unintentional, but regardless it is really, really good.

Dark Night Of The Soul is the new collaborative effort spearheaded by Danger Mouse, this time with Sparklehorse. Given that Danger Mouse is the mastermind behind another group that I absolutely love, Gnarls Barkley, it isn't much of a surprise that I'm also digging Dark Night of the Soul, but even though the Gnarls Barkley sound is similar to the Dark Night sound, Dark Night has a definitively Alternative rock feel and sound to it.

Instead of focusing on one vocalist for the whole album, Danger Mouse brought in a few different vocalists to lend a note to each of the tracks on the album which helps to keep each track fresh and interesting. On my first few listen throughs I found myself completely enthralled with the variety of artists involved in this album. I knew each track would offer something different than the last and I was looking forward to each song, but I did not want the song I was listening to end.

For those looking for a pop sound, this is not the album to find it. For those looking for something alternative and rocky, this album likely won't deliver. For those looking for something interesting, unique, and fresh with a hints of different sounds tossed together with a dressing of Danger Mouse, this will satisfy perfectly.

Some tracks to pay attention to: Revenge, Little Girl, Pain (with Iggy Pop!), and Everytime I'm With You. Tracks to avoid: none really. Not every track is perfect, and some sounds are a bit overused, but nothing stood out at me as just plain terrible.

Check out the samples on the left side of the site. If you like 'em, you know the drill. If you hate them… well, you wouldn't be the only one as my husband isn't a big fan either. In any case, I'm digging the album, I hope you do too!

Reboot: Album Of The Week Feature

In the spirit of renewing this blog, I'd like to update one the features that I haven't touch in a LONG time… the Album Of The Week.

I initially started this feature as a way to share what I was listening to and what I thought was good out in the world of the music. I did try to stay current and relevant by only featuring new(ish) albums, but as time wears on I'm finding it harder and harder to find new music that I enjoy. Call that a symptom of age or a symptom of a failing music industry, either one is probably applicable.

I'd like to at least try to re-boot the Album of the Week feature. However, I'll be focusing more on what I'm actually listening to that week whether that be new or old music. I might feature a new rock album one week and the next could be an Mariah Carey's Music Box. Whatever strikes my fancy will be fair game!

You'll be able to join in the fun by listening to the sample clips in the upper left of the main page (or if you're an RSS reader, simply click on through to the blog) helpfully provided by Amazon. If you're feeling the music (or nostalgia) and want to buy it, just click through to Amazon MP3 and if you buy the tracks, I'll get some tiny percentage of a penny added to a pathetically small pile somewhere on my Amazon account that will never actually be used. But it'd be nice of you anyway!

I'll also give my full write up of the album and why I picked it for Album of the Week. Most likely you'll see the post on the weekends or by Monday at the latest, if only so I have time to actually digest any new albums I might throw into the fray. That said, expect a new Album of the Week to be up soon!

Review: Muse - The Resistance

I have a Tuesday morning ritual. Well, really I have a ritual for every morning, but Tuesday's are really special for me because new music comes out Tuesday mornings. Some weeks there is just utter crap being released, and others there are interesting little gems. I'm also a bit ridiculous because I try not to look and see when my favorites artists are releasing new albums. I like to be surprise on Tuesday morning with 10 or 15 new tracks and the brooding face of whatever rock star it is that week. It's like Christmas in iTunes!

This week I was surprised to see The Resistance, a new release from Muse, the British progressive rock trio that's been steadily rising in popularity here in the states. I originally found Muse at the same time that I found Travis: I was on a tour of England/Scotland/Wales with my college chamber choir. One day when we were in Bathe, I popped into what looked like an indie record store (could've been a chain store for all I know) and asked the clerk her opinion for the two best rocks bands at that moment. She smiled, turned around and grabbed a copy of Travis' The Man Who and Muse's Showbiz. When I was finally able to listen to both cd's I was in love and subsequently ready to move to London so I could stalk both bands simultaneously.

Since then I've been following both bands, and while Travis has popped out a series of consistent albums, Muse has been a bit shakier on their releases with some being spot on rock releases (Showbiz, Absolution) and others being just off (Origins of Symmetry). In my opinion, the new offering, The Resistance, falls into the "off" category, which is just a bit disappointing after Black Holes and Revelations.

Resistance and Undisclosed Desires stand out as good tracks, and the remainder of the tracks are just ok. Truthfully, there's nothing terrible on this album, just very little of anything stellar. For example, the opening track Uprising is completely standard Muse. Soaring vocals, swelling chord progressions, everything we've heard from them before. Oh, and they've decided to fancy themselves as composers now. The boys have tacked on a three-part symphony to the end of The Resistance called Exogenesis, which could have easily been left off and no one would have missed it.

The thing with progressive and ambient rock is that as an artist you have to try really, really hard to not come off as pretentious snobs. The majority of your music already speaks mostly to a niche market, but if you're lucky and/or talented (and Muse is both), you'll be able to pump out a few mainstream-ish tracks per album so that you can sell records and concert seats. But that doesn't save you from the pretentious fate, and neither do "artistic" efforts like rock symphonies. Don't get me wrong here, rock symphonies can be great when done correctly. Just ask the Moody Blues, or hell even Metallica managed to pull off a set with a symphony backdrop, but a crappy symphony is a crappy symphony… but then add to that the trappings of rock and self-involved rockers, and you have probably created an evil cacophony monster.

Overall, The Resistance is a solid offering, just not a up to the standards we know Muse is capable of. The album isn't very cohesive and the "symphony" at the end throws a whole bunch of random into this mix of tracks. This may even be one instance in which I'd condone by single tracks as compared to the full album… maybe.

My Jams: Chris Cornell's Scream

You may or may not have noticed that the Album of the Week has changed to My Jams over on the left side of the page here. That's for two reasons: One, I can't seem to find enough music that I like enough to promote these days; and Two, I'm pretty lazy.

The new update is for Chris Cornell's Scream. I've talked about Scream before and my opinions haven't changed much since then, so be sure to check out my post on the album. It's a pretty addictive one and I think almost everyone will be surprised by how much they like it once they give a wholehearted effort.

A.T.W. - Brett Dennen's Hope For The Hopeless

Let me just get this out of the way.  It's been a long time since I wrote up an Album of the Week post.  Partly, it's because I'm a bit lazy at times, partly I've had other priorities, but mostly, the passion I had for music had faded a bit.  That was until Brett Dennen's new album came out.

Hope For The Hopeless is Brett's third outing, and I'm glad to say that it's my favorite so far.  I first stumbled onto Brett last summer when I found his second album So Much More, sometime around the time that I found Ray LaMontagne and was starting to get heavy into the resurfacing folk scene.  Although he is purely a folk artist, Brett's voice (both his physical voice and his lyrical voice) are genuinely unique and beautiful.  He has a style of song crafting that finds a way to slide into your soul, do a little jig, and then set up shack for a couple of days while you whistle his songs incessantly.

With Hope For The Hopeless, Brett took a slightly scary approach for a folk musician: He added a heavier layer of production over his soulful songs.  His past two records have been fairly bare, which suits his voice well.  The more attention on his most unique and endearing feature the better.  But there's something absolutely magical about Hope's added polish that absolutely shoots this record to the top of my favorites list.

The album opens with San Francisco, a track that showcases a lot of what Dennen is: Soulful, poetic, and folky.  The meat of the album, though, starts with the next two tracks.  Make You Crazy, the opening single for this album, is borderline pop with the perfectly catchy hook and quasi-Caribbean-esque rhythms (check out the video at the end of the post).  I'll be honest here and say that I've caught myself belting this one out in the shower over the past few days, even if the subject matter is a bit heavy.  I suppose he was in a deep mood while writing this album though, as the next track, Heaven, delves into religion and a persons quest to find peace.  Don't let that turn you off though, as the track is simply bliss with it's expertly crafted guitar riffs and flowing vocals.  Other stand out tracks: the quite So Far From Me, the plea-ful Ain't Gonna Lose You, the finger-pointing of Who Do You Think You Are, and the quintessential Brett Dennen sound of World Keeps Turning.

In short, I'm highly recommending this album.  It's phenomenal and looks to be one that I still queue up on my iPod years from now.  And be sure to get it from the Amazon MP3 store links on this page.  It's cheaper than the iTunes store, integrates right into your iTunes without you having to do anything, and has a bonus track you won't get from Apple (not to mention the few pennies they throw my way when you buy it through my links).

Brett Dennen - Make You Crazy

The Law Gets Unwritten On A New Label

This week's weeks album of the week was a tough struggle.  Honestly, this week saw a good many releases worth noting: Gavin Rossdale's solo album,  a new Disturbed record, Weezer's third self titled release, and a new collection from Aimee Mann.  The bad news is that is a big hit to my wallet.  The good news is that I didn't buy most of them because they didn't really stand out to me at all.

What did stand out to me was a new Self-Titled release from an old favorite band of mine, Unwritten Law, on the fresh new label Interscope.  These guys have been through a crap ton of hand changing over their career, switching labels more often than Hillary changed staffers.  The changed labels so much that when they released a "greatest hits" compilation, they had to re-record all the songs and pay royalties to their various copyright holders just to get out of one of their contracts.  That's hardcore.

Unwritten Law is a slightly new and refreshed sound from the Law.  Compared to some of the harder, faster, punk infused hit factory that was Elva, Unwritten Law is subdued.  That doesn't mean the boys have gone soft, by any stretch.  Rather, they've taken a few moments to learn how to craft a solid, lasting tune, not just a pop-friendly hook. 

The album finds the Law putting out a few more ballads-esque songs than previous efforts (an Unwritten Law ballad is a complete oxymoron), but I think that's a good thing.  I intensely enjoyed tracks like Seein' Red and Save Me, and to hear a few more songs in that same vain is welcomed.  They are some pretty kicking tracks though, so don't be fooled.  These boys are still very SoCal, even if their years in the biz have simmered them a tad bit. 

Check out Unwritten Law's Self-Titled album, it's worth the listen and worth the buy.  Granted, Gavin is way more adorable than these boys, but it seems his wife's hold on him stretches even to his music...

Foxboro Hottubs: Green Day Gives Up The Goods Again!

This was an odd week for me.  I've been listening to a crap ton of Jason Mraz, but in between spats of Jason, I was determined to find a new sound to occupy my time.  What I wasn't aware of was that one of my favorite bands, Green Day, had released a new album!  Well, not actually Green Day, but their new quasi-side project, the Foxboro Hottubs!

Foxboro Hottubs emerged as an attempt by Green Day members to try a slightly different sound.  Try as they might, that's about all they could achieve: a slightly different sound.  In my opinion, that's not a bad thing.  At all.  A good chunk of Green Day's albums remain in regular rotation for my MP3 player, and I still haven't really gotten over the awesomeness that was American Idiot.  But, this isn't exactly the Green Day we all know and love either.

First think you'll notice is the decidedly old-school 50's rock/pop/modern punk fusion.  The production on this record harkens back to the days of the Beach Boys, when a good vinyl record was the top of the line audio recording.  But shortly after the opening riff, you're reminded that this is still Green Day after all, and getting away from Billy Joe's now-ubiquitous vocals and lyrics isn't easy for the group.

The album flows smoothly and delivers some absolutely great pop hits.  The Title Track Stop Drop And Roll starts the record off right with a driving hook and punch.  Stand out tracks include poppy Mother Mary, trippy Red Tide, and punky Sally, although I think the whole album is best taken as one piece.

Foxboro Hottubs definitely delivered a good recording this time out, and I'm excited to see what this new Green Day-infused retro-rock band can do in the future.  For this same reason, I'm naming Foxboro Hottubs Stop Drop And Rol!!!! my album of the week!  The sound is uniquely punk and pop, which if you ask me, is just about the perfect combination... almost better than peanut butter in coffee ice cream... almost.

Jason Mraz Makes Me Wanna Shoop

I've been listening to the new Jason Mraz's new album We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things pretty much non-stop since Tuesday when the record dropped.  I have to say, I'm pretty well enamored by his wonderful voice and overall sound, and I'm completely satisfied with this new effort.

I discovered Jason probably about the time when most of the rest of us did, but when Waiting For My Rocket To Come first came out.  The pure individuality the man has been able to pour into his music hasn't stopped since that first record.  In fact, about the only thing that has changed is production value.  Not that the first album was poorly done, but there is a clear difference in technical quality from then till now.

To say that most artists don't make it past their sophomore album is a bit of an understatement.  That occurs for many reasons, but mostly because they are rushed and pressured to pop out another album by their label so the label can capitalize on the artists success.  Being a short-term minded business model, that usually serves to sell a few more records, but the artistry suffers.  Jason, by either some miracle or because of smart business maneuvering on his part, has been able to circumvent that vicious release cycle. 

We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things is simply phenomenal.  From top to bottom, this is a stellar release.  Every song is carefully crafted and executed to have that unique appeal that only Mr. A-Z has been able to pull off.  I'll admit it, I was a little worried with Mr. A-Z, as there were some songs on there that seemed... different.  But whether that was a fluke or by design, it doesn't matter, but Jason is back full-force with his newest album.

And for that reason, I'm naming We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things the first album of the week!  Check out the samples to the left and grab the mp3's.  Enjoy!

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