An Explanation

            Okay, the few of you who actually read this blog are probably wondering why I haven’t posted anything for a couple of weeks now.  Didn’t he say he was gonna try and write an entry EVERY day?  What’s going on?  Well, this post’s for you! 

            To answer your question(s), I have decided to write a couple of posts a week instead of every single day.  There are several reasons that I have decided to do this…  For one, I currently have fifty hour a week job and am looking at obtaining another one!  Also, I got to thinking and decided it would be beneficial if I reviewed about 100 albums throughout the year.  That way, I could be more in depth and listen to each one several times instead of once or twice.  Thirdly, by reviewing fewer albums, I can spend more time on the blog itself.  This includes not only making it’s appearance better, but advertising it to more people making it’s existence known to a larger audience.  It doesn’t make much since to go through the effort of writing an entry for every single day if only two people in the world know about it (thanks mom and dad!).

            So there you have it.  The multitude of reasons why I have decided to change my blog.  By writing about 100 albums this year, I hope that I can be more informative, improve the format, and reach a larger audience!  As always, Enjoy!

Kevin           

Yield – Pearl Jam

            The eighth album I’m reviewing is Pearl Jam’s Yield from 1998.  It is the band’s fifth studio album and after listening to the HIGHLY overrated Ten, I am interested to see what else, if anything, this band has to offer.  As I listen to track one, I am trying to figure out how to categorize the band’s sound.  It definitely isn’t hard rock, but beyond that, all that I’m left with are generic terms such as alternative or post grunge (what ever the hell that means).  Track two starts out interestingly with a more sophisticated, minimal sound.  Soon, however, the band goes back to the generic sounding rock that they’re known for.  It seems like as soon as they step out of their comfort zone, they so easily slip back into the simple, undemanding groove that they’re used to.  Track three is more of the same.  I can’t help but notice at this point that for some reason Eddie Vedder’s vocals sound a lot like Dave Mathews.  I have never noticed this before and wonder if they’ve changed slightly for this album or if it’s just me.  The next song is titled Given to Fly and is a welcome change.  The music is interesting (at least to start out with) and the lyrics are more so as well.  I feel like this song would sound great in a movie or T.V. show.  The lyrics to track five are intriguing as well but, regrettably, the music backing them up is as bland as ever.  Track six, titled Pilate is the first time I can say I solidly like both the lyrics as well as the music.  Seven marks the total opposite.  I find the music to be terrible.  If it had been written by anybody other than a ‘successful’ band, they would be laughed out of the room and the song never recorded.  Also, the vocals, which consist of a kind of screaming, don’t fit the music (which sounds more or less positive) at all. 

            The second half starts out with a track denoted by a single red dot.  Apparently this is Pearl Jam trying to be experimental and it’s a good thing that they don’t do it more often cause it sounds awful.  Track nine, called MFC, is probably the second one I could call decent.  Ten is not too bad either.  I particularly enjoyed the instrumentation.  Track eleven continues this positive trend.  So much so, I would consider it one of the best songs on the album thus far.  Track twelve is okay.  I have to at least give the band credit for trying to be experimental without it completely blowing up in their face.  A common pattern that has developed with this band continues with track thirteen, the closing song.  The intro sounds promising, but the song quickly devolves into mediocre rock.  The ending is a bit odd, and then, after about a minute and a half of silence there is a hidden track.  Unfortunately, if anything, this detracts from an already marginal album.  The hidden track is very repetitive and uninteresting and, as a result, unnecessary.  In general, I would say that this is a fairly awful album save a few okay tracks.  I have never understood why this band is as highly rated as they are.  Although I tried to approach this album with an open mind, I can’t help but be tempted to give this band the title of ‘world’s most mediocre rock band’.         

Exodus – Bob Marley and the Wailers

            Album number seven is the 1977 classic Exodus by Bob Marley and the Wailers.  I have heard that this was one of their two greatest albums (the other being Natty Dread which I own), so I decided to give it a listen.  The first track, called Natural Mystic, starts off soft and subdued and builds up.  The second song is called So Much Things to Say.  I really enjoyed the lyrics, which makes up an essential part of this type of music.  Reggae is similar to folk in that the words are the driving force.  The music is a vehicle for the lyrical statement.  The third track sounded very similar to the second.  While I understand that unfamiliar music sometimes tends to blend together, I still felt that there could have been more musical variety.  Forth was The Heathen.  This track was extremely repetitive.  Again, I realize that with this genre of music, repetition is one of the basic elements.  Even so, this song lacked even a verse.  It was basically four lines repeated twice, and then another four lines repeated ad nauseam.  I eagerly anticipated the fifth song, as it was the longest song and the title track.  Given these characteristics, as well as its placement within the song order, it seems to be the point around which the rest of the album is focused.  Indeed, I thoroughly enjoyed this track.  What I found to be most remarkable were the amount of different sounds elicited from the human voice including singing, talking, and even grunting. 

           

            The second half of the album starts off with the classic Jamming.  While I have always liked this song, I didn’t realize how deep of a meaning the lyrics actually had.  With lines such as “'Cause every day we pay the price, We are the living sacrifice”, it’s clear Jamming isn’t just a reference to having a good time.  Track seven is titled Waiting in Vein.  This was slower and more subdued, love song providing a nice change of pace.  I thought that the next track would be quite similar given its title, Turn Your Lights Down Low.  Upon listening to the lyrics however, it becomes quite clear that this is no simple Barry White.  While the song is about relations between two people, it is clear that more of a history is involved.  Track nine is titled Three Little Birds.  It is an excellent example of a classic track that I’ve known forever and recognized instantly, but never knew its title or the album from which it came.  In fact, I remember it as being one my childhood favorites so of course I enjoyed hearing it again.  The final track is the classic One Love/People Get Ready which, unbeknownst to me, was co written with Curtis Mayfield.  As I listen to yet another immortalized track, I realize that this album does have quite a few songs that aren’t just solid, but classics.  It’s reasons such as this that make this album such a noteworthy one. 

Angel Clare – Art Garfunkel

            The sixth album I am reviewing is Angel Clare.  This is Art Garfunkel’s first solo album after the break up of Simon and Garfunkel, and is his most popular to date.  It was released in 1973.  The first track is Traveling Boy.  It was a more orchestrated track and I liked that.  Unfortunately, the music was soft and bland was well and reminded me of the group Bread (what an appropriate name for a white bread band).  Next was Down in the Willow Garden.  I thought this would be just another boring love song until halfway through the first verse when he kills the girl.  The lyrics weren’t the only thing that seemed to contradict the style.  The electric guitar, which was played throughout the song, seemed at times to be a bit out of place.  Nevertheless, the track was interesting.  The third track on the album was called I Shall Sing.  The song was decent but the lyrics were just average.  What I liked the most about this track was the bit of vocal polyphony heard towards the end of the song.  Next was a song called Old Man.  Immediately it reminded me of Simon and Garfunkel and was so far the strongest track on the album.  Later on, the song builds up with orchestration similar to that of Bridge Over Troubled Water.  The bittersweet lyrics are reflected in the ending of the song, which constitutes a picardy third.  The fifth track is titled Feuilles-Oh/Do Space Men Pass Dead Souls On Their Way To The Moon?  Unfortunately, the title is most interesting part of this mostly acoustic track.  Overall it sounds like filler, inoffensive and largely forgettable. 

            The second half of the album starts off with a love ballad.  Though there is plenty of production added to try and make the song interesting, it can’t save it and the track comes off as mediocre and boring.  Track seven on the other hand, was a welcome change.  It had a folkier sound to it and, true to style, the lyrics were story-like in their description.  Another thing that I liked was the direct segue into the next track.  Track eight was called Woyaya and was quite enjoyable as well.  For starters, it included children’s voices with which you can’t go wrong.  Couple this with its freedom/peace song feel and it sounds like a beloved folk group of mine; Peter, Paul, and Mary.  The ninth track is a cover of the traditional Barbara Allen.  With it simple but lush orchestration this track quickly became another favorite of mine.  Last was a song called Another Lullaby.  This relatively bland song sounded a lot like the others on the album.  It didn’t interest me much until half way through the song when he hit a low note so solidly I had to smile.  Reflecting the title of the song, the ending isn’t abrupt and doesn’t fade out, but rather calmly drifts off.  On the whole, I would say that this album is okay.  It isn’t anything earth shattering, but a few of the tracks are pretty solid.  Alas for Art Garfunkel (and, to a lesser extent, even Paul Simon) his solo work never equaled the work he did when he was with Simon and Garfunkel.    

Revival – John Fogerty

            The fifth album that I am reviewing is a John Fogerty solo album from 2007 called Revival.  I normally don’t listen to the former CCR member’s solo work but the library branch’s selection was minimal so I thought, “why not give it a try”.  Track one starts with more of a twang/country sound then I’m used to hearing from Fogerty.  Sure enough, less then 45 seconds into the track, he settles right into that classic CCR sound.  One thing that a bit different is the music tends to sound a bit pop-ier then in earlier years.  Nevertheless it was nice to get back into the old CCR groove and was a decent track to boot.  The second track made Fogerty sound like an old conservative with a “what’s happened to my old town” lament.  With lyrics like, “I think we need a gunslinger, somebody tough to tame this town.  I think we need a gunslinger, there’ll be justice all around.”, it certainly is a ringing endorsement for modern day militias and vigilante justice.  The third track is called Creedence Song.  I feel like this song, which involves various people enthusiastically demanding to hear CCR, comes off as a bit arrogant.  You were in a popular band in the 60’s/70’s.  We get it.  Also, I can’t help but feel at this point that the album sounds to perfectly produced.  Like it was recorded in a multi-million dollar recording studio with big name producers.  None of the songs seem to have his style’s characteristic grit.  Track four is titled Broken Down Cowboy which seems to be apposite given that this album has more of a country flavor.  I feel like the lyrics are trite.  Cowboy references (both real and metaphorical) have already been done by everyone from Kenny Rodgers to Bon Jovi.  Next is River is Waiting.  The lyrics have a quasi-religious feel to them and when I listen to the musical riff I can’t help but think of Three Dog Night’s Family of man.  After that, is Long Dark Night.  I really like the track from a musical standpoint.  Lyrically, however, I have to roll my eyes as Fogerty drops the archetypal Katrina reference.

            Track seven is called Summer of Love.  Sure enough, it includes a Hendrix-type guitar fuzz though the lyrics are bit too nostalgic for me.  Rather than coming off as an aged man with years of life experience behind him, he comes off as a person trapped in a previous era, desperately trying to revisit the past.  The next song is Natural Thing.  As he tires to sing by heaving his voice like Elvis, I can’t help but think how he’s not as good a writer as he used to be.  The next track is a rockabilly throwback that’s largely forgettable titled It Ain’t Right.  While Fogerty makes attempts at several different genres, he never quite pulls them off convincingly.  The next track, called I Can’t Take it no More, is once again aimed at Bush.  This time, he spit’s out the lyrics in the style of Little Richard.  The problem is, he’s no Little Richard.  Also, his lyrics tend to fall flat.  This happens when he starts going into specifics about WMD’s and Bush wanting to “stay the course”.  I feel that, in general, the more specific an artist gets about an administration or person, the weaker their lyrics sound.  I much prefer groups such as Radiohead and Pink Floyd whose lyrics discuss government and the concept of wealth and power in general.  Track eleven is in a Claptonesque blues style.  I actually happen to like this track and consider it to be one of the better ones on the album.  The last song is titled Longshot.  I enjoyed this song as well.  It was a real rocker, which is a good choice for a closer on this kind of album.  The lyrics were pleasing as well.  They describe Fogerty for what his is, a kind hearted, down to earth, honest man.  This is his greatest appeal.  Not his ability to play guitar, not his lyrical prowess, but the fact that he can connect with the average person on a primal level by writing songs that are simple but effective.  This is where his real skill shines through.  I felt that this album was okay in general.  It wasn’t great, but it wasn’t terrible either.  I wouldn’t rush out to add it to my collection, and it certainly push any boundaries, but it does have a few good cuts on it.  And in the end, that’s what you can expect from Fogerty.  

                        

Sounds of Silence – Simon and Garfunkel

For album number four, I decided to review Simon and Garfumkel’s second album, Sounds of Silence.  While I recognized the singles, I hadn’t heard the album in its entirety yet.  The first track has since become one of their classics: the Sound of Silence.  Many people don’t realize that this song originally appeared on their first album albeit as an acoustic version.  Their producer at the time decided to over dub this initial recording with electric instruments resulting in the version found on this album and the most well known.  I have always enjoyed both, as I like the songs dark, haunting melody and thought provoking lyrics.  The next song is more folk based and less electric.  Because their later, more folk-rock oriented work is more well known, their earlier, more acoustic work is often forgotten or unknown all together.  Being a folk song, this track was quite short.  In fact, the whole album is less than 30 minutes in length.  Next up is a song that is in more of a rock style.  Irony soon follows when the vocals come in as the lyrics are biblical in nature.  In the mid 1960’s, many religious people still thought that rock-n-roll was the music of the devil himself.  I felt that this track was okay, but nothing spectacular.  This is forgivable, only because I see this earlier period of their work as being a point in which they are still finding themselves, musically.  The forth track is titled Kathy’s song.  This was a single though I never fond it to be one of the better ones.  I do enjoy the extent to which it showcases Simon’s guitar playing capabilities.  Fifth on the album is a song called Somewhere They Can’t Find Me.  This track is the most orchestrated so far.  That aside, I felt that it could have better written.  The next song is an instrumental that sounds exactly like an immediate reprise of the previous track.  It’s more acoustic in nature and again shows off Simon’s skills as a musician.  I especially enjoyed the ending chord, which utilized not only a picardy third, but an added ninth as well. 

           

The first track on side two is called Richard Cory.  I find the lyrics to be quite intriguing and later learned that they were adapted from a poem form Edwin Arlington Robinson.  This is the essence of what folk music is all about.  Poetry and message set to music.  In this regard, Simon and Garfunkel do an excellent job.  I defiantly hear this song as being a precursor to later story-oriented pieces such as The Boxer.  The next song was very similar in nature.  It’s lyrics involved telling the tale of a character as well.  In addition, both songs also have the protagonist taking his own life.  At this point, I couldn’t help but feel that two suicide songs in a row makes for quite a downer.  Simon and Garfunkel harmonize particularly well on this track, something that they’ve always been good at.  The next track, April Come She Will, sounded a lot like one of their other songs though I couldn’t quite place which one.  It’s lyrics involve the cycles of life, which seems to be a reoccurring theme throughout this album.  At less than two minutes long, it was over far too soon, but that’s not common for this time period and this style of music.  The next song is quite different.  Not only does the music have a more rock feel to it, the lyrics are shallower in nature.  I suppose not every song can be on a more intellectual level.  The closing song of the album is another Simon and Garfunkel classic.  Titled I Am a Rock, it is a great choice for a final track.  The lyrics deep and introspective, the music rocks out as well.  The organ player reminds me of Al Cooper who played on Bob Dylan’s classic album from the previous year, Highway 61 Revisited.  This may very well be as Bob Johnston was the producer of both albums.  Perhaps what I love best about the closing track however is that it points to the direction of the future.  More electric, deeper meanings, folk rock at it’s finest.  

                       

            

Violent Femmes – Violent Femmes

        The third album I chose to evaluate is the Violent Femmes’ 1983 self-titled debut.  I didn’t know what to expect having never listened to an album by this group.  The only thing that looked vaguely familiar was the title of the first track and, sure enough, as soon as it began I immediately recognized it.  It’s one of those tracks that you hear on the radio all of the time but never know the song or artist.  I was surprised however at the age of the song.  Had someone asked me to date it, I would have placed it some where in the early nineties, ten years later.  None the less, I have always liked the track.  The next song was called Kiss Off.  Though it was unfamiliar, I liked this song as well.  The band definitely has their own sound, preferring striped down, barebones production instead of the over-the-top style of typical bands in the 80’s.  In this sense they reminded me of iconic alternative band R.E.M..  Also, I enjoyed the lead singer who fancies not only singing, but multiple forms of vocal expression such as talking as well.  The third track was in the same vein and I reflected upon how nice it was to hear music that’s more acoustic for a change.  Because of how well written the songs were, there wasn’t a lot of production needed; they could stand on their own.  This is the antithesis of the Flaming Lips’ style, which favors poorly written songs with an excessive amount of production (see first review).  As I listened to the fourth track, Add It Up, I realized how unique the Voilent Femmes really are.  They sound like nothing that has come before and very little that has come since.  I find that originality to be an exceptionally significant trait.  In fact, I would rather hear a band perform in an original style that I didn’t particularly care for than try to copy one that I did.  The fifth track, Confessions really showcases the lead vocalist’s ability.  Here’s where the R.E.M. comparison is most applicable.  While his voice in untrained and a bit ‘rough’, he uses it in a myriad of ways from singing to speaking and several things in between.  Another vocal technique, which he is particularly adept as employing, is the use of word painting.  An example of this would be the way in which he sings “Hack, hack, hack, it apart” in rapid chopping motion analogous to the way in which an ax would chop a piece of wood (or something else).

The second half of the album starts off with a track called Prove my Love.  I must admit, at this point I began to get tired of the similar style shared by all of the songs.  If I have one critic of the album up to this point it is the lack of musical variety.  The lyrics themselves, however, are interesting (as always) so the listening experience is still an enjoyable one.  Fallowing this was Promise.  This was the fourth track to clock in under three minutes which is atypical for an album from this time period.  This, in addition to the catchy song writing makes for a quick listen.  In this regard I would definitely say that the first song set the tone for the rest of the album.  For the second time since I started listening to the album, I hear an influence form the Velvet Underground.  The next track, To the Kill, was more experimental.  I really enjoyed this song.  Though I probably wouldn’t buy their whole discography, I am definitely glad that I bought this album.  Like most of the other tracks, the song abruptly ends, giving way to the next one, in this case, Gone Daddy Gone.  This is another single and I recognized it, though I’ve heard it via covers from other bands.  Also I noticed its influence in the style of many songs from a variety of later artists.  Of course I would be remiss in not mentioning the idiosyncratic xylophone solo.  The final track showcased the Velvet Underground influence once again.  The lead singer even sounded like Nico not only in style, but (to a lesser extent) timbre as well.  I can’t help but feel like this is what the Velvet Underground would sound like if they were a decent group.*  The violin later in the piece is a good touch and demonstrates that even late in the album, the group still has a trick or two up it’s sleeve.  As I realized that this was the final track, I started to get a quasi-depressing feeling akin to the way one feels when an exciting journey is quickly coming to a close.  It is for this reason that the melancholy nature of the song makes it the perfect track to end on.  There are many reasons why this album is excellent but perhaps the best one is that it is able to do what any great work ought to.  It leaves you wanting more.            

*Maybe I’m just bitter that they are considered to be one of the greatest groups of all time, but I’ve never liked them.   

Like a Prayer – Madonna

            The next two albums I’m reviewing had to be purchased because I’m flew back to L.A. yesterday day and wasn’t able to get to the library.  The first of these is Madonna’s 1989 classic Like a Prayer.  Believe it or not behind all of the Pepsi commercial controversy (look it up kids) and hoopla there is actually an interesting album to be heard here.  The first track and the only one I even knew, was the most popular single, Like a Prayer.  I have always liked this song and think that in a way it is indicative of the rest of the album.  By that I mean it shows off Madonna’s newfound maturity both musically as well as lyrically.  I was anxious to hear the rest of the album since I had heard great things about it but was only familiar with this song.  Highly rated albums that are largely or entirely unknown to me are always exciting!  The second track definitely takes a turn towards the more popular.  Also, I noticed on the production side of things how seemingly ‘flat’ the album sounded.  This is not a critique of the album itself as much as an observation on how tastes a have changed in the last 22 years (with a current favorability towards as much bass as possible).  The third track was more interesting though I had hoped for more from a Prince collaboration.  Most intriguing however, is that the track is called Love Song but in the chorus the she sings the contradictory words “this is not a love song” (*cough* Sara Bareilles 18 years later *cough*).  Track four sees the mood change again.  This is always refreshing as compared to albums in which every song is in the exact same style (Greenday I’m lookin’ at you).  What I found fascinating about this particular song was the way in which the somber lyrics concerning abuse, contradicted the happy, bouncy melody that accompanied them.  Top it of with a title of “Till Death do us Part” and the listener is presented with more than enough to think about.  Track six begins with an Elton John-type piano intro.  Titled “Promise to Try”, it deals with how she tried to cope with the loss of her mother (to whom the album is dedicated).  This is the first truly personal song on the album and as with Like a Prayer, shows a new level of depth from Madonna.

            Following this was the second most popular song from the album, Cherish.  I might have heard this song once or twice, but don’t care for it.  For one, the 80’s pop bass line sounds a bit dated now.  Though it was a popular single, compared to the gravity of some of her other work on this album, I consider this to be filler. (Funny how that happens)  At this point, I felt the emergence of a pattern of alternating happier, lighter, songs with, deeper, darker ones.  The next track confirmed this.  Its unexpected, orchestral introduction gave way to some of the most bizarre lyrics on the album.  What the song is about I can’t quite discern, but I thoroughly enjoyed the music with its studio trickery and attention grabbing arrangements.  At one point the music sounds more like it had come from a progressive rock album rather than something from a pop singer.  Track eight sees her again becoming more introspective.  Titled “Oh Father”, the lyrics are purposefully ambiguous.  Is she talking about her own father?  A priest from her catholic upbringing?  Both?  It’s hard to tell and that is exactly the point.  One thing became crystal clear as I got to the fallowing lines, “Maybe someday when I look back I'll be able to say you didn't mean to be cruel somebody hurt you too” this ain’t Material Girl.  Continuing the pattern of eclecticism the next song sounds like it could have come from Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation.  Lyrically, however, I don’t find this track to be all that interesting.  The following tracks lyrics come off as an atypical love song.  Musically is has a strong Latin flavor apropos of the song’s title “Spanish Eyes”.  The last song on the album is the most experimental.  Acting as a kind of postlude, it begins with Madonna reciting prayers before fast, crunching, electrical guitars take over.  Including everything from what sounds like backwards choir vocals from the first track to almost rhythmic-like chanting, the song acts as a condensed finale with a collage of different chaotic sounds lasting less than 2 minutes and twenty seconds. 

            Overall I would definitely say I enjoyed this album.  Is it one of the greatest pop albums of all time?  No, but it’s more than an enjoyable listen.  It’s one of the fundamental transition points that catapults Madonna from Like a Virgin to Ray of Light.          

The Soft Bulletin – The Flaming Lips

            I saw this album perusing through my hometown library while visiting for the holidays.  Since the album had been critically acclaimed, toping several year-end lists as well as receiving a 10.0/10 from Pitchfork Media, I figured it was a good candidate as my first album to be reviewed. 

            As I put the CD in and pressed play on my stereo, I was immediately greeted by the type of music I would expect to hear as the theme music to a 60’s of 70’s show such as Charlie’s Angels or played as a vocal group such as the Dreamgirls took to the stage.  It’s no surprise that this group has an affinity for things retro.  A glance at the liner notes reveals that the cover art is from a 1966 photograph taken by Lawrence Schiller.  As the song progresses, the listener is engulfed by a revival of classic rock material from psychedelia to Beatlesque references to string arrangements that sound like the product of an ELO record.  The next track sees the group step into what they have since become known for, a rough edged, do-it-yourself, songwriting style.  The vocals are “authentic” if you want to use a euphemism, or “rough and out of tune to the point of being nearly intolerable” if you don’t.  Track three continues the throwback theme, this time being reminiscent of early Pink Floyd (pre Dark Side).  From this mellow, almost hypnotic anthem, the band continues to shift styles making it hard to pin down the exact direction they plan on going with the album.  Throughout the next few tracks I tried to stay open minded, but found it difficult to not dismiss a lot of the music as being nothing more than mediocre rock.  None of the musicians display a remarkable ability to perform on their instruments, including the lead singer, Wayne Coyne whose vocals leave plenty to be desired.  This would be acceptable if the songwriting were there to back it up (à la Neil Young or Thom Yorke of Radiohead).  The problem, however, is that the songs themselves seem very simple and uninteresting.  More then that, the lyrics seem equally as inoffensive.  Without more depth (sonically or lyrically), the listener is left with a lot of instrumentation and musical layering that revolve around a substance-less core.

 About halfway through the album, there is an ambient instrumental, or “stoner music” for the layperson.  This is employed frequently by bands such as R.E.M. (Automatic for the People, Out of Time), to great effect.  I believe it works in the case of this album as well, providing some of the more interesting music of the first half of the album.  Alas, the next half starts out by continuing the trend of average sounding music trying be passed of as something more.  I really don’t understand the critics get so excited about this album.  I understand that the band is going for the rougher, DIY sound fundamental to alternative music since it’s inception.  Poor execution aside however, the album doesn’t work because the songs themselves are largely predictable, forgettable, and uninteresting.  Many have called this album one of the best of the decade.  I feel that to earn this title the music should involve sonic exploration that has never been done before.  Or at least be out of the realm of expectation.  The album’s retro approach while interesting, fails to live up to it’s true potential.  Rather than taking the classic sounds of the late 60’s and 70’s and updating them in an innovative way, the band produces what amounts to a shoddy rip-off of ELO.  In fact, by track 11 I had yet to hear a song with enough memorability to be released as a single.  As I reached the end, I did hear moments that I found to be interesting during the second half of the album.  Unfortunately, none of them lasted the duration of an entire song.  

            To summarize my feelings toward this album (if you can’t already tell), I believe it to be highly overrated.  The moral of the story is simple.  Far less than perfect execution can be forgiven if the is substance either musically or lyrically (or both) to back it up.  Unfortunately this band (at least on this album) has neither.  According to some critics, because of it’s instrumentation and layered symphonic sound, this album is considered to be the Pet Sounds of the 90’s.  I couldn’t agree more.  Pet Sounds is overrated too.  

P.S. this entry was posted on a plane, somewhere over Nevada.

To the Start of Something New!

Okay, without any further ado, the moment you’ve all been waiting for… I’m starting a blog!  There are several reasons that I have recently decided to begin this venture.  For one, anybody who knows me knows I love music.  The more I can listen to, interpret, talk, think, and write about it, the better.  Also, it’s the start of a new year so why not try something new that I haven’t done before?  All right, so here’s the challenge: for the next year I will attempt to listen, evaluate, and review a new album every single day.  That’s 365 recordings in any genre, time period, or format.  The only requirement is that I have not heard it yet!  I know this may seem like a daunting task but I feel that I’m up for the challenge.  I considered doing one recording a week, or even two a week for a total of about 100 over the course of the year.  After deliberating however, I feel that that just didn’t impose enough of a challenge.*  So here goes…  365 days.  365 albums.  To the start of a new year and a new adventure!…    

* I know, I know, laugh it up!  Here I am on the second day of the year to posting the first three entries, already (in the words of Bill Lumbergh) “having to play a little catch-up”… 

P.S. This entry was posted while on a plane, somewhere over Colorado.